Squinting . . .

Amazing ride from SLO to Buellton yesterday.  Tried to set out early this morning, but this is the view heading out of town, due East on Rte. 246.  Think I'll wait for the sun to get a bit higher --

Here We Go . . .

This is where the 10+ hour journey to SLO by bus to bus (thanks to a closed rail line) to train began yesterday.  

Now, I'm sitting at Black Horse Espresso in SLO, waiting for the sun to rise so I can start pedaling south.  More to come . . .

The Coast Beckons!

Any of you who have already read my complete (awe-inspiring) "bikeography" are already familiar with my quest to bike every mile of the U.S. Pacific Coast sometime before I'm too old and decrepit to pedal anymore.  I knocked out one of the largest chunks last summer when I biked from the CA/Oregon border to San Fran - majestically finishing six days on the bike by crossing the Golden Gate.  Next summer I hope to do the entire Oregon Coast, but I still have two stretches of California that need to be tackled -- both of which I should easily be able to get done in separate weekends.

First is San Fran to Monterey:

This one was worth saving -- one of the prettiest stretches of coast anywhere, but not nearly as challenging as Big Sur or NorCal.  I might just save this one for very last, depending upon how things play out in the coming weeks/months.

Next is San Luis Obispo (SLO), where I ended my Big Sur adventure, to Santa Barbara:

This will take me through some of the best road-biking terrain in the U.S. -- where pros train and the Tour of California always traverses.  Following the coast here would mean long stretches on the 101, so I'm more likely to take the advice of the Pacific Coast biking "bible" and take the inland route (still paralleling the coast, so it still counts!)

For those of you who have forgotten what the "bible" looks like, here it is:

Get it -- you won't regret it!


While I love biking in and around San Diego, there is just something about getting out of your element that enhances the adventure factor in biking.  After focusing upon changing houses and jobs this summer, I am antsy to get back out on the road.  With my birthday coming up, I think I'm going to make one of these rides my present to myself.  The other can be my Christmas present.  Either way, the Bikeist vows here to have completed the California Coast by January 1st -- a late in the old year resolution!

And you, my lucky readers, get to tag along for the ride as I share all the details.  You must be so excited!  Stay tuned as I get tuned up in the next couple of weeks . . .

Duh . . .

As the more loyal pockets of my fan-base  are already well aware, I traded in my "26 Miles Around the Bay Every Day" commute for a much less strenuous 1.5 miles each way from my new house on base to my office, which happens to be on the same street.  Guess which commute I consider to be more dangerous?

Go ahead.  Think about it for a little while.  Mull it over.  Weigh the probabilities and endless permutations.  

Give up?

Ok, I'll tell, I'll tell-- it's the shorter one!

I know!  Mind-blowing, right?  

Who'd've guessed?

You'd think that the 26 miles each and every day would expose one to far less danger, but my old commute followed the Bayshore Bikeway, which has good shoulders, designated lanes, and separated paths almost the entire way around the bay.

Meanwhile, my current commute takes me on a narrow, two-laned road with no shoulder or bike-lane that turns into a four lane road with even narrower lanes and, again, no shoulder or lane.  Generally, though, it seems pretty safe.  It starts in my residential neighborhood, has a 25 mph speed-limit throughout, and plenty of traffic lights.  By and large, the Sailors and government employees who traverse it in the morning are attentive and courteous.  However, there are always a few knuckleheads in every group who ruin it for everybody -- particularly us bikeists.

The narrow lanes make it impossible for a car and bike to travel next to each other within the lane while maintaining three feet of separation (or one foot, really).  So, attentive drivers with a little common sense wait for a gap in on-coming traffic to pass me on the two-lane portion and carefully change to the left lane in the four-lane portion.  No big deal.

But, then there are the knuckleheads -- the ones who are always driving like they have a delivering mother in the back seat who try to pinch me by passing within the narrow lane despite on-coming traffic or a second car occupying the passing lane.  Hate those guys!

The obvious solution to this problem is for me to "take the lane" as the law allows in areas where cars and bikes can't travel abreast with three feet of separation.  The problem, though, is that doing so makes knuckleheads extremely angry.  Like their medieval and cro-magnon forebearers, they get angry at that which they simply can't understand due to their profound ignorance.

This phenomenon played it out twice in as many days for your beloved Bikeist this week -- two different intersections, two different knuckleheads, same, exact, ignorance.  It went exactly like this (except I may have missed a few "duhs"):

(1) Bikeist innocently pulls up to a red light, stopping in the middle of the lane (especially important at intersections to allow driveists to go right on red, and, more importantly, to ensure that right-turning traffic doesn't "t-bone" you as you proceed straight through the intersection when the light turns green.

(2) Light turns green.  As Bikeist promptly begins his first pedal-stroke, knucklehead in red Mitsubishi (of course) lays on horn.

(3) Bikeist simply stops in his tracks.  Turns around and throws hands in air, making a "what could possibly be the problem" gesture.

(4) Knucklehead guns it, passing Bikeist in opposing lane, yelling "Uh, duh, get to the right!" As he blows by.

(5) Bikeist catches him at stop sign as he's waiting in line to make a left turn -- asks knucklehead if he'd like to discuss the rules of the road.

(6) Knucklehead:  "Duh, the law says you have to keep right all the time, duh!"

(7) Bikeist:  "That's not true."

(8) Knucklehead: "Duh, it is -- want me to call Security right now, duh?!"

(9) Bikeist: "No need to go and do that, I'm a lawyer and well familiar with the law -- there are places where a rider has to move to the middle of the road."

(10) Knucklehead:  (even more flustered) "Umm, duh, umm -- NO!  You ALWAYS have to stay all the way to the right, duh! I'm calling Security."

(11) Bikeist:  pedals off, shaking his head wondering if there is any hope, at all, for humanity.

(12) Fast-forward one day, substitute "Get right asshole" for the horn -- pretty much the same dialogue and outcome with knucklehead #2.

These incidents are fine examples of how useless the "three foot law" (or any bike law for that matter ) is without education of the people in the multi-ton vehicles.  Where was my magical, protected, three foot bubble of safety?  Wish I had printed copies of this graphic to hand to those knuckleheads:

Maybe I can have it printed onto the back of a t-shirt!  No means no driveists!  Staying to the right as I enter an intersection puts me in the path (and blind spot) of right-turning cars.  The "safe" area is in the center of the lane, where I'm easily seen and can move through the intersection with the flow of traffic.   

Do I, typically, move to the right when I get through the intersection to let cars pass.  Yes.  But, neither of the knuckleheads I encountered this week gave me a chance to do so before freaking out.

Key takeaways:

(1) Let's try to be civil out there people -- no need to scare the crap out of a poor innocent Bikeist by laying on your horn when we're all starting from a dead stop. Relax and don't let your ignorance and/or in-breeding get the best of you.

(2) "Duh is as duh does."  Watch your six out there bikeists -- despite laws passed to supposedly protect us, some driveists are simply uneducable -- always anticipate the knucklehead --

Tour de Fat Diego

Were you there this Saturday oh bikeist denizens?  The multi-various bike tribes of San Diego converged upon Golden Hill Park for this year's iteration of New Belgium Brewing Company's touring carnival, the "Tour de Fat," celebrating two of our favorite things:  bikes and beer.  And what a scene it was!

It all kicked off at 11 am as thousands of bikeists set off on a two mile, costumed, slow-motion, bike parade through Golden Hill and North Park.  Every imaginable type of bike and rider was represented:  cyclists (mostly incognito on their back-up beater bikes, but their spandex gave them away), hipsters (on fixies, of course), low-riders (complete with bike-gang style jackets), collectors (spotted at least 2 bikes dating from the 1930's), once-a-year-riders (especially the rider who managed to crash within the first 200 yards), exhibitionists, and drinkers (perhaps the largest group represented).  Bikeists all, though, for embracing the pure bike joy of the event.

Once the arduous course was completed, the kegs were tapped and the party got rolling.  Inexpensive New Belgium beer flowed, with proceeds going to support bike organizations in San Diego.  On display were various forms of bike sculptures:

-- and -- best of all -- there was the "bike corral" filled with various bike creations that anybody could take for a spin.  This one was my very favorite:

How cool is that?  It actually worked!

Loved this one as well:

I actually saw three brave (braver than me, that's for sure) souls get it going.

Add in several stages with live music, a super-competitive "slow-bike" race, and a line almost the length of the park for new release beers (this is San Diego, right?) and you have bike and beer nirvana.

Best of all, though, were the high-quality people drawn to this huge bike and beer attractive nuisance.  No surprise there, of course when you blend my favorite things:  bikes, beer, and San Diego -- all things that are associated with laid-back, cool people.  

The event was as close to perfect as can be -- my only criticism is that we have to rely upon a Colorado brewer to bring us all this bike and craft beer goodness.  You hear me Stone?  Ballast Point?  Blind Lady, isn't that a bikeist on your house brew?

Come on, San Diego brewers, this guy shouldn't have to wait a whole year to pull out this get-up again!

Kind of took the whole "fat" thing a little bit too literally, don't you think?

Three Feet Revisited

Back by popular demand (yes, several loyal members of the fan base did, actually, demand this) -- it's the Bikeist's highly polarizing, extremely controversial post on California's notorious "Three Foot Law."  

It finally became effective this month, so I'm republishing my February post in its entirety for your edification and reading pleasure.  Any complaints should be directed at the Governor's office and not this poor, defenseless, blog.  Enjoy --

-----------------------------------------------

Thursday, February 6, 2014

Gimme Three Feet, Gimme Three Feet 

Mister . . .

 Have you heard the big news California bikeists?  Governor Brown signed a controversial bill into law that requires driveists to maintain a three foot buffer when passing those on bikes (effective this September).  Hurray!  Now we are 100% safe on the roads and will never get hit by a reckless, inattentive, texting, drunk, nearsighted, angry, psychotic, sleepy, or just plain lousy driver ever again!  Right?

  

And, I'm sure this law will pack plenty of deterrent punch to make drivers think twice about breaking that magic three foot bubble, right?  Well, um, not exactly.  The fine for coming within three feet is actually a "whopping" $35.  Really?  The fine for "jaywalking" in San Diego is $100 (and I'm still fuming over the $77 ticket I got on Broadway back in 2002).  Let me get this straight -- the person who poses no threat to anyone but themselves gets nailed for $100, but the one who comes within inches of taking out an innocent fellow human being who happens to be on a bike gets a fine that is about 1/3 that?  I'm starting to feel like the law considers us bikeists to be somewhat less than human.

And, wow -- has this new law ever  brought the hating hateists (more fully described in my "Hateists" post) out of the woodwork.  The LA Times devoted an entire column to the vitriol on display when they reported on the new law:  "Is 3 Feet Asking Too Much?".

They were also on great display in reaction to this piece broadcast on KPBS just yesterday:  "Will It Make Roads Safe Enough?"

My favorite is "Commus" who seems to think that people who ride bikes don't pay taxes, so have no right to use roadways, and offered this gem:

"The moderator is even prejudiced dragging out his sob story of being hit but no mention of his position in traffic"

This seems to imply that he deserved to get hit.  Does it get any more hateful than that folks?  No empathy for someone who actually got schwacked by a car, and an attitude that seems to say that bikes which mix with traffic are fair game.  I, generally, see more compassion displayed toward stray dogs and cats that run out randomly into traffic . . .

Anyway, while the law is not going to create a magic bubble that will make bike riders immune to the drivers around them, and lacks any real financial deterrent value -- I still, of course, support it.  Get it into the learner's permit manuals and onto driver's license tests, and, maybe, we can change a few attitudes and train drivers to be mindful of bikeists.  Not everyone has had the benefit of someone like my dad teaching them to drive - who emphasized giving bikes as much leeway as possible since you never know when they might have to swerve to avoid a danger invisible from a car.  You'd think that trying as hard as possible to not kill others who share the road would be a matter of pure common sense, but for those lacking such sense, I guess the only hope is education.

Be careful out there bikeists - keep your eyes and ears open, watch your six, and give hell to every driver who doesn't respect your statutory, God-given, thirty-six inches!

I Want My Climate Back!

Seriously, people, what's with this stinking heat?  Did a brisk, sweaty, 12 miles after work today (pausing for 30 burpees at Glorietta Bay Park), but this heat has just taken the life out of me.  Just don't feel the creative juices flowing when it gets all sultry -- makes me wonder how on earth Faulkner, Clemens, O'Connor, Marquez, etc. got it done.

Then again, I am, finally, posting on a Monday, which must count for something.  Maybe it's an acclimatization thing.  Give me a few more weeks of heat and humidity and I might just finally pop out the novel I know I have in me.  "The Bike And The Fury" perhaps?

Thanks to a forward from my loyal fan base, though, I won't leave you empty handed:

If Cars Were Treated Like Cyclists

What if city infrastructure treated cars like cyclists? This is interesting to think about.

Yeah, what if it did?  I can't tell you how many times I have been spit out into the flow of motorized traffic by suddenly disappearing bike lanes (especially in L.A.).  Bike lanes are great and all, but what's the point if they don't transport you to a logical, meaningful, destination?

Of course, many of these lanes to nowhere were laid down during the brain-dead 1970's, when everyone (especially the architects who designed toilet bowl- shaped multi-purpose stadiums and various other utilitarian concrete monstrosities) was perpetually high on something or other in order to deal with having to wear polyester leisure suits and Watergate.  At least that's how I remember it.

Finally, speaking of brain-dead and infrastructure, check out this news report attempting to display the supposed chaos created by Seattle's first protected bike lane.  

More amazing to me than the supposed confusion is that bike-progressive Seattle somehow allowed NYC and DC to beat it to installing protected bike lanes.  Wake up Seattle -- less micro-brew and more espresso people!  Seems to me that you might be starting to suffer from a little 70's style malaise . .  .