trip to cambridge bike

I had some time after a client meeting in Central Square yesterday and stopped in at Cambridge Bike. I was curious about the shop as I have seen plenty of their jerseys at the races so I wanted to see what it was all about. Great spot, mostly geared toward urban/utilitarian cycling with lots of single speed and fixers--fills a big need in Cambridge with MIT right down the road. It was refreshing to go into a shop where you don't see a single bike for over $1500.

Check it out if you are in Cambridge.

Mayor's Cup Pro Bike Race on Saturday

In case you haven't heard, the Mayor's Cup Criterium Bike Race is coming to Boston on Saturday, September 26, 2009. There is lots of prize money up for grabs including some hefty prime money, and it is sure to be quite a spectacle. TD Bank is a main sponsor and is billing the weekend as the TD Bank Cycling Celebration. Ok, so the name might be a little bit hokey but the racing will be great with many top pros expected to be there including Frank and Mark McCormack, Ed King of the Cervelo Test Team and Jake Keough from Kelley Benefit Strategies. Boston Bike Czar Nicole Freedman will be competing in the Women's Division, along with Kristin Davis, Samantha Shnieder and others. The organizers are still looking for course marshals/volunteers so click the title link for more info on that.

World Car Free Day

On September 22, people from around the world get together in the streets, intersections, and neighborhood blocks to remind the world that people don't have to drive everywhere. World Car Free strives to celebrate the day, but also change people's commuting patterns and habits. According to the World Car Free Web Site "[w]hen people get out of their cars, they should stay out of their cars. It is up to us, it is up to our cities, and our governments to help create permanent change to benefit pedestrians, cyclists, and other people who do not drive cars. Let World Carfree Day be a showcase for just how our cities might look like, feel like, and sound like without cars…365 days a year. As the climate heats up, World Carfree Day is the perfect time to take the heat off the planet, and put it on city planners and politicians to give priority to cycling, walking and public transport, instead of to the automobile."

Sylvia Bingham Memorial Ride 9/22

Sylvia Bingham, a 22 year old Yale grad, was recently killed while commuting on her bicycle in Cleveland. Her friends and family are organizing a memorial ride in her honor, and are asking for riders around he country to wear a white t-shirt when commuting to work tomorrow, 9/22. If you commute, please spread the word and wear white to show solidarity and draw attention to the safety issues that bicycle commuters face on a daily basis.

www.sylviabinghamfoundation.org

Boston Road Club Wells Avenue Criterium

Raced the last Wells Avenue Crit of 2009 yesterday. The field was pretty small, probably because of the Portsmouth Criterium being run on the same day. The A and B races were combined and we had about 35 riders in total. Not surprisingly, there were pretty large differentials between the "A" racers and the "B" racers, and a group of six riders was able to shake free at about the halfway point. I missed the break, so I and a few others tried to chase, but there were not enough of us who were motivated to catch the break. (OK I really wasn't that motivated myself--hard to get into the painful task of chasing down a break in a training race when you're not really training for anything any more.) It was immediately clear that this break was going to be very dangerous, as there were six of them and they were most likely all A level racers. Despite a few (half hearted) chase efforts, the break slowly moved up the road and once they were out of sight the main field settled into a somewhat slower pace. In chase mode we were all strung out averaging about 26-27 mph; once reality settled in and we realized there was no catching those guys, the pace in the main field slowed down to a very comfy 24 mph. In fact, we were so slow, we actually got lapped with about three to go. Not sure who won it but I heard he was 50 years old. If that's true it's pretty unbelievable. There was no field sprint as we did not want to interfere with the lead group's finish. Kind of an anticlimactic finish to the season, but still a lot of fun.

Any way, much thanks to my teammates at the Boston Road Club for putting on a very successful racing series at Wells Avenue this year. This series provides invaluable experience to beginners who are just getting into the sport and is a great training opportunity for everyone who participates.

Amherst Cyclist Killed in Hit and Run

Sad news this morning about Blake Goodman of Wakefield, Mass., a young man who was killed over the weekend while riding his bicycle in Amherst Massachusetts. He was riding with a friend, 24 year old John Deary of 310 Montague Road in Amherst, and it appears the hit and run accident happened on Montague Road not too far from Deary's house. Mr. Deary was also struck but it appears that he did not sustain life threatening injuries.

North American Cycle Courier Championship

Did you know that the North American Cycle Courier Championship was held in Boston last month? The competition included work simulation, sprints, track events, riders on track bikes competing to see who can stop the slowest, stand still the longest and go in the most circles, backwards, a track king/queen omnium competition and arm wrestling(!)

Congratulations to Christina Peck and Nico Deportago-Cabrera, the Champions for 2009! According to the NACCC website, Christina is the first female to ever win the event overall, and she won by a landslide!

New bike lane on Beacon Street from Cleveland Circle around the Chestnut Hill Reservoir

Click the title of this post for a link to some video of the new bike lane around the Chestnut Hill Reservoir. (Many thanks to the Newton Streets and Sidewalks Blog.) This has always been a pretty harrowing spot to ride a bike and it is a key entry point into Boston for bike riders coming from points west, so it is a welcome addition. This is a great step forward for Boston bicycle riders care of Nicole Freedman and Mayor Menino.

I think that the prominence of this bike lane will serve as a constant reminder to drivers of our presence, will increase the number of bicyclists and it will hopefully result in fewer bicycle accidents. Great stuff!