Stupidest bike lane in the world - Round 2

This one makes the lane I posted last week look like an interstate.

[via QuickRelease.tv]

Bike Florida begins, but to what end?

I typically refrain from editorializing here, but as I was posting about this event, I started to wonder: the organizers of Bike Florida certainly mean well, but is this in the best interest of cyclists in Florida?

Published today at Tampabay.com:

CLEARWATER -- A group of cycling advocates (above) -- wait for the drawbridge this morning at the Dunedin Causeway after cycling from the Ross Norton Park and Sports Complex where they camped overnight in Clearwater.

The ride kicks off the 15th annual Bike Florida, a weeklong camping tour in which cyclists will travel from Clearwater north to Dunnellon. For much of that trip, they'll be on "off-road" trails such as the Pinellas Trail, and they plan to use the Bike Florida event this year to highlight the need for more trails restricted to biking and walking.

Today's event will feature two longtime activists -- Bike Florida executive director Linda Crider and writer advocate Herb Hiller -- who 30 years ago called for cars to share the road with bikes. This year, they're calling for more trails. -- Douglas R. Clifford, Times photographer

The non-profit organization behind this ride (also known as Bike Florida) was created to promote cyclists' rights and raise funds for the state's cycling eduction program. The tour is a week-long point-to-point camping tour ridden almost entirely on paved bike trails and right-of-ways. This is all well and good and seems like fun.

But seeing these riders clogging up a sidewalk and riding almost exclusively on trails, both new riders and motorists are receiving the message that cars belong in the road, bikes belong elsewhere. The Bike Florida Web site states the ride is "fully supported with assistance from local law enforcement agencies and safety signage, alerting motorists to 'Share The Road'."

I don't see any road-sharing going on here. 

Has anyone participated in this ride? Am I missing something?

[photo by Douglas R. Clifford]

As seen in Jacksonville

Drew sent this ad placed on the back of a Jacksonville bus reminding motorists of the statewide three-foot law. In the lower left I can just barely see it was paid for by the North Florida Bicycle Club. It sure would be nice to see something like this implemented here in Tampa Bay, or even better, state-wide.

Thanks for sharing, Drew!

NYC bike rack competition could win you $10,000

Just a few days after I wrote about the sad state of some St. Petersburg bike racks, I bring you an inspiration for the city: The New York City Bicycle Rack Design Competition.

The purpose of the competition is to develop functional, well-designed sidewalk racks and to generate new concepts for bicycle parking inside commercial and residential buildings. These two initiatives, in addition to NYCDOT’s commitment to increasing the number of miles of bicycle facilities, providing the City’s first sheltered bike parking stations and creating more bicycle parking at transit stations, will raise the profile of bicycling as a convenient mode of transportation in New York.

The registration deadline is April 30, so if you've got some good ideas you better get started!

[via Bicycle Design, photo via Cool Hunting]

The stupidest bike lane

I don't know, I bet some of you readers could identify worse bike lanes here in Tampa Bay. Got any nominations?

[via Slate.com]

As seen in St. Pete

I certainly applaud all the steps the city of St. Petersburg has taken in the past few months to improve the cycling infrastructure, but I can't help but be disappointed by the site of these damaged staple racks. I couldn't tell if they were bent by a vehicle or not, but the fact that they are bolted to the ground instead of being sunk into the concrete is disappointing. Not to mention they are placed across the street from any shops. I've never actually seen anyone use these except for maybe major downtown events.
Would you lock your pride and joy here? I wouldn't.

History of the Tour de France

This answers one question: Sean Kelly is far better on a bike than he ever will be on camera.

I apologize for this consuming all your free time for the rest of the day like it did to mine.

TampaBayCycle announces Words For Wheels essay contest

To help build excitement for National Bike Month in May, TampaBayCycle has announced their second annual Words For Wheels essay contest. All local residents are encouraged to participate by writing a 100-word essay about how winning a bike could change their lives. The winner, chosen May 1, will receive, of course, a new bike, helmet, lights and lock.

Entries can be submitted via the Web site above or by mail to:

Words for Wheels

New North Transportation Alliance

University of South Florida CUTR

4202 E. Fowler Ave. CUT 100

Tampa, FL,  33620

Entries must be received by April 20.

Metal to the pedal: An injured cyclist rides again.

I know the big accident on July 6, 2003 still resonates within the Tampa Bay cycling community. I know a few people who were there that day and I'm sure some of you readers were as well. The St. Petersburg Times' Jeff Klinkenberg brings us this heartwarming story of one survivor and his long road to recovery. - Adam

Prosthetic leg lets injured cyclist ride again

Mike Rieth, left, and Bill Hansbury hold onto David Arnold as he pedals for the first time with a prosthetic leg Rieth just fitted him with at St. Petersburg Limb & Brace. Arnold was injured in a mass bike accident in 2003 in St. Petersburg. Photo by Martha Rial/St. Petersburg Times.

ST. PETERSBURG ­— All he planned to do was sit on a bike again. He had no illusions about leaning into the aero position and pedaling 100 RPMs like in his hammerhead days, when he blew by other riders and felt immortal.

David Arnold, 52, just wanted to sense the saddle under his pelvic bones, squeeze the grips, toe the pedals, feel like a cyclist. He wasn't sure he would even try to go anywhere.

He hadn't ridden since the beautiful Sunday morning of July 6, 2003. He was winding his way through the St. Petersburg suburbs with 40 elite cyclists when a man disoriented by diabetes drove his Lincoln Continental into them at 30 mph.

Nobody was killed. But 14 riders were seriously hurt. Arnold, his left knee shattered, his femur almost severed, was among the most terribly maimed.

Over months and years, almost everyone hurt in the accident recovered enough to resume their workouts. But not Arnold, a technology research specialist at St. Petersburg College. After eight surgeries he walked stiff-legged, like Frankenstein.

Last summer, after he developed a new infection, he endured operation No. 9. His orthopedist removed his left leg just above the knee.

As things worked out, that was just what he needed to get back on his bike.

• • •

The other day, Arnold drove his shiny Chrysler convertible to St. Petersburg Limb and Brace on 37th St. N. Prosthetist Michael Rieth had designed him a new leg and he had learned to walk on it. Now Arnold would try to get on a bike, too. His friend and fellow cyclist Bill Hansbury, who also has a prosthetic leg, was there to support him.

Arnold popped the trunk and removed two bicycle wheels. He opened the rear door and took out the frame. His prized Greg Lemond racer had been demolished in the accident along with his left leg. This bike was his old mountain bike, dusty and rusty, like him.

He put it together, leaned it against a van and straddled it. "No. No. No,'' he mumbled and climbed awkwardly off. He adjusted the saddle and tried again. It still didn't feel right.

Arnold is one of those perfectionist technical guys; as a younger man he built race-car engines. He enjoys talking about engines but talks about feelings with difficulty.

He fiddled once more with the saddle. He said, "We don't quite have it yet, Mike.'' Rieth agreed. "Next time you're here I'll contour the socket of your prosthesis to allow you to sit a little easier on the bike,'' he said.

An intense man, Arnold now tuned out everyone else. For a minute no one spoke.

"Okay. I'm ready,'' Arnold suddenly said from atop the saddle.

Rieth and Hansbury spoke in unison.

"What? Are you sure?''

Arnold pushed off against the van. He was moving.

• • •

For an instant Rieth had his hand on Arnold's back. He trotted next to his patient like a dad teaching his little boy to ride on a suburban sidewalk.

"I'm riding,'' Arnold said, the way an excited little boy might. "I'm riding.''

His pretend left foot fell off the pedal. He reached over and lifted it back on. He disappeared around the corner. Leaning on his own artificial leg, Hansbury predicted, "He won't want to stop.''

Arnold could not hide his smile as he pedaled. This euphoric moment on the bike could not erase memories of the accident, the months in the hospital, the pain and anger and loss. But it was a start.

He pedaled around the building again and again. He pedaled between parked cars and bystanders. It wasn't like he was a hammerhead reborn — hammerheads are cycling gods who ride 30 mph or more even on level ground — but he was riding, and that was enough, for now.

"I didn't think you were going to do it,'' Michael Rieth said when Arnold pulled over.

"When I'm walking I'm an amputee,'' Arnold said quietly. "On a bike I'm a cyclist.''

Jeff Klinkenberg can be reached at (727) 893-8727 and klink@sptimes.com.

 

Portland completes first Bike Box

With new bike lanes popping up all over the Tampa Bay area, let's take a look at what the next step in auto/bike integration might look like. Similar to the painted crossover lanes in some parts of Pinellas County, Portland has begun coloring Bike Boxes in front of traffic to better allow cyclists to make left turns.

I say coloring because the lanes are not painted. A special adhesive is applied to the roadway, then a colored material called PreMark is applied and burned into the surface. It offers a non-slip grip for cyclists and is much more durable.

BikePortland.org says initial observations indicate cars are stopping in the appropriate area.

While it is encouraging to see these steps, I wouldn't hold my breath on seeing something like this in Tampa Bay. Portland drivers are much more accustomed to seeing cyclists on the roads. Think anyone would follow these signs here? I don't.

It should also be pointed out that the most cycling accidents are the result of the Right Hook and the Left Cross, neither of which is protected by these boxes. However the green does raise cyclists' visibility and legitimacy on the road.

[via BikePortland.org]

Campy vs. SRAM? Why not have both?

Bike Geek extraordinaire Leonard Zinn of Velonews has built his bike with Campy Centaur shifters and a SRAM Red rear dérailleur. Since they pull almost exactly the right amount of cable, they work just fine with some tuning. This also opens up using Shimano-compatible wheels, hubs and cassettes with Campy shifters.

A lot of people talk about how this or that product only works with this or that. A lot of that is just bike shops wanting to sell you something new. When I built up my fixed gear I was amazed that it even traveled down the road, considering it has only about 5 moving parts. People sometimes forget that a bicycle is essentially a very basic machine and a lot of things that "aren't supposed to work", do just fine. Don't believe me? Check out some of Sheldon Brown's rides.

UPDATE: Reader Q&A's from Zinn.

[photo via Velonews]

Grand opening for Tampa Bike Co-op

A project that has been in the works for some time as finally gotten off the ground. Organizers have announced the founding of a free space to share and promote bicycle knowledge: the Tampa Bike Co-op.

The goal is to have the space open every Monday night from 7-9 p.m. Right now the tools are in place and some mechanics have volunteered their time and knowledge (but more are always needed/welcome).

Right now, things that the Co-op is still looking for:

• Old parts, nuts and bolts type stuff. Anything you want to donate would be awesome.
• Knowledgeable help, anyone with wrenching experience who is willing to help others.
• Plenty of friends to come enjoy the space. There will be more to do than wrench, including: music, movies, food, and a post ride
• If anyone has ideas for an alternative space (the current location is not ideal).

If you have time or resources you'd like to donate or have any other questions, contact David at davidjapenga@gmail.com.

Grand opening

On Monday, April 7 there will be a Grand Opening celebration from 6-9 p.m. at the current location, the Transitions Art Gallery at the Skatepark of Tampa. Hope to see you there!
 

Click for full size

Stuff white people like: Bicycles

Now, I'm not going to comment on the political correctness of the blog Stuff White People Like, but I can say it's pretty dang funny and item No. 61 seems particularly true: bicycles.

Example:

A good place to find white people on a Saturday is at a Bike Shop. Bike shops are almost entirely staffed and patronized by white people!
...
The combination of rare bicycles and expensive parts makes it easy for white people to judge other white people on the quality and originality of their bicycles. This is important in determining if someone is or isn’t cooler than you.

Shocked at how accurate the description is, or at the whole notion in general? Let's hear it!

Oh Biker Fox, what would we do without you?

Bikerfox Movie Trailer Bicycle Dancing Queen from BikerFox ® on Vimeo.

[via Pinch Flat News]

Sad, terrifying accident in San Jose, Ca.

Good Samaritan at bike crash says deputy believed he fell asleep

There was no screech, no bang - no noise to warn bicyclist Daniel Brasse what was coming up around the corner Sunday morning on Stevens Canyon Road.

A Santa Clara County sheriff's patrol car was facing the wrong way on the wrong side of the road after slamming into a group of Brasse's riding partners. A deputy was walking around in a daze, later telling at least two witnesses he had fallen asleep.

One of Brasse's friends, Matt Peterson, 30, was already dead. Another, Christopher Knapp, 20, was writhing in agony, with two limbs broken. And the third, 31-year-old Kristianna Gough, her leg severed and her head bleeding, was gasping for air.

   As he pedaled toward the gruesome scene, all Brasse could hear were screams.

   "Screams of pain," he said, his voice cracking.

Read the rest at the San Jose Mercury News

'The Bicyclist': An online sitcom

The Bicyclist is a self-described "windblown and rain soaked comedy series from the hipster streets of counter culture Portland, Oregon." The show, a product of independent filmmakers Sharon and Carl Jameson, debuted about a year ago, destined specifically for online outlets like blip.tv and Revver. It's completely free to watch and at 25 episodes strong, you've got some catching up to do! Each episode runs about five minutes. Check out the trailer below.

[via Urban Velo]

Mustaches: A Cycling Tradition?

With Steven Cozza of Slipstream-Chipotle and some teammates rockin some serious 'staches this season, why not take a look back at the history of the mustache in cycling courtesy of How To Avoid The Bummer Life.

Pinellas Trail reaches to downtown St. Petersburg

By Michael Maharrey, Times Staff Writer

ST. PETERSBURG - Work on a 2.1-mile extension of the Pinellas Trail along the south side of First Avenue S into downtown St. Petersburg began last week.

The downtown spur, part of a countywide plan to grow the 34-mile recreational trail to 75 miles by 2020, will cost the city about $6-million, with a large part paid for through federal funding. It will connect the southern end of the trail at 34th Street to the downtown waterfront, creating an unobstructed route running from Tarpon Springs all the way through downtown St. Petersburg.

City workers began building the 4-foot-wide traffic medians, which will separate the recreational path from traffic lanes, near Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Street. Work will progress east to the waterfront near Demens Landing during the next couple of months. The trail will be 10 feet wide and narrow First Avenue S to three lanes along its route.

The trail should be ready for bikers and joggers in May, according to Joe Kubicki, director of St. Petersburg's transportation and parking department.

There were concerns that the extension would eliminate a significant amount of parking along the main thoroughfare, but the project will result in the loss of only about six spaces, according to city officials.

Evan Moray, St. Petersburg's parking manager, said some blocks will lose parking because of required sight lines or driveway accesses, but other blocks actually gained spaces.

"The idea was to maintain as many parking spaces as possible," he said. "We did lose a few, but the impact is small."

Despite the loss of some parking, John Long, president of the St. Petersburg Area Chamber of Commerce, called the trail's opening a long-awaited event that will ultimately benefit downtown.

"This is a real positive connection for people to exercise, whether it be walking or riding bikes," he said. "The opportunity for more folks to come into the business area and not have to drive, I think, will offset concerns of losing a few parking spaces."

Keith Lukat, the administrator of the Lutheran Apartments at 550 First Ave. S, said he didn't think local business owners were too worried about the impact of the bike path. He was the only person who attended a meeting between city officials and business people along the street held six months ago to discuss the trail. Lukat said the apartments will only lose one parking spot.

"I'm not that concerned about it," he said. "Some residents may have to walk a little further when they park, but the trail will benefit a lot of our residents who ride bikes."

The first 5-mile section of the Pinellas Trail between Taylor Park in Largo and Seminole Park opened in 1990. Primarily built along an abandoned CSX Railroad right of way, the trail stretches 34 miles from Tarpon Springs in northern Pinellas County to St. Petersburg in the south. About 90,000 people use the recreational path each month, according to county estimates.

Pinellas Trail: By the numbers

1990 the year the first 5-mile section of the trail was completed

34 trail's current length in miles

$6-million projected cost of the trail extension into downtown St. Petersburg

90,000 people estimated to use the Pinellas Trail each month

12 publicly accessible water fountains along the trail

88 street crossings

8 raised overpasses

What's your least favorite weather?

Yesterday was a tough ride for anyone who ventured out in the stiff wind. In the afternoon it calmed enough that I felt like it was safe to go out, but it was still difficult. I have to say, wind is my least favorite weather condition to ride through. It slices through your clothes, makes even flat roads hard to ride and generally pushes you all over the road. Give me uphill in the rain any day!

What's your least favorite weather to ride in?

Too good not to share

The honor in getting dropped

Cyclists pedal down Happy Hill Road. Proceeds from the ride help Florida Chapter VIII participate in the National Memorial Ride, which gives money to families of officers killed in the line of duty. Photo by Lance Aram Rothstein

By Dan DeWitt, Times Staff Writer

When I wrote about the annual  Times Bike Tour last year, I said it was okay to be "dropped," as cyclists call being left behind by the group.

Being dropped, I wrote, allowed me to settle in with riders going my own pace, middle-aged guys taking it slow enough to enjoy the comradeship and beauty this ride offers.

The weather was ideal for last year's ride and this year's, on Sunday, and every year since 2005, when the St. Petersburg  Times resurrected the event after a hiatus of more than a decade.

Cows grazed in the pastures along the route through eastern Hernando and Pasco counties; azaleas and dogwoods bloomed; orange blossoms put off their gorgeous perfume. Because proceeds from the ride go to recognize law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty, and because the Pasco County Sheriff's Office supports the event, traffic control was top-notch.

That's all true; the ride is great. But as for coming to peace with getting dropped -- that's the kind of nonsense you tell yourself when you can't keep up.

Much better is to get as fit as you can, hold the wheel in front of you until you see stars and, hopefully, drop the other guy, especially one of those preening hotshots on a $5,000 bike.

I didn't see many of those at the starting point, the Dade City campus of the Pasco-Hernando Community College, which struck me as odd because, unlike in previous years, I didn't know of any other rides or races Sunday that would draw away top riders. Also, though the parking lot looked fuller than last year, the number of registered cyclists for the three rides -- 75 miles, 40 miles and a 9-mile family ride -- held steady at about 400.

The mystery was solved a few minutes into the ride, when cyclists flocked to us like stray geese joining the fall migration. Turns out, they had pedaled off early to warm up and, in many cases, to avoid paying the registration fee.

Bicycle racers often do this, they say, because these are public roads that they have a right to use and because they are so fit they don't need to stop at the rest stops for snacks or drinks. I say it's because they are too arrogant and stingy to part with a few bucks for a worthy cause.

But a lot of them are very fast. A group of six broke away Sunday. I joined a larger pack following closely enough that, for miles, we stayed within sight of the Sheriff's Office motorcycle escorting the ride. We chased hard enough that gasping cyclists -- including a few hotshots -- began to drift off the back.

I lasted 30 miles, 26 miles longer than last year, long enough that when my fellow "droppees" coalesced into another group, I wasn't among the riders who wanted to spend time admiring scenery.

Robert Stevens of Dunnellon, among the first finishers in 2007, organized us for speed, directing us when to take our turn at the front, forbidding us to stop for drinks.

"Sign of weakness," he said, as I ruefully watched the well-stocked aid station at 55 miles fade to our rear.

Why suffer this way just to ride a bicycle fast? Because it's fun. It's fun to beat other riders, to feel fit and -- more and more, I find -- to feel young. Or, maybe it's just a relief not to feel old, to be able to think for a day or two after a good ride that I can still do what I could a decade ago.

Either way, I no longer want to be one of the young guys who charge up hills at 20 mph, but one of those few, remarkable 55-year-olds who can keep up with them.

I'm not there yet, either in age or ability. But at the end of the ride, rolling down the long hill toward the PHCC campus, I saw that I had taken more than 10 minutes off my time from last year.

Never mind that I was sunburned, sore and so exhausted that when I got home all I wanted to do was take a nosedive on the couch. I had turned back the clock.

Win a bike in the 2008 Words for Wheels contest

Tampa BayCycle is challenging riders in Tampa Bay again this year to tell them how a bicycle could change their life with the 2008 Words for Wheels contest. Just send them 250 words on what impact riding might have on your lifestyle and how it might benefit the greater good.

Send your essay to:

Julie Bond,
New North Transportation Alliance
Center for Urban Transportation Research/USF
4202 E. Fowler Avenue, CUT 100
Tampa, FL 33620
bond@cutr.usf.edu

Your entry must include the following: Name, Complete Address, Telephone Number, Email, Age

Leslie, 2007 Winner, poses with new bicycle courtesy of Carrollwood Bicycle Emporium and Oliver's Cycle Sports.

[via Tampa BayCycle]