Cycling On The Water?

Whenever I ride to the Rockaways and Point Lookout, as I did the other day, I notice new signs of recovery and rebuilding after Superstorm Sandy.

At the foot of the bridge from Broad Channel (on the Queens "mainland"), there used to be bayside restaurant and club on the Rockaway Beach side.  It was totaled during the storm; the McDonald's next door was flushed out during the surge and looted of whatever was left afterward. The other day, I noticed that some sort of waterside cafe or restaurant had opened.  Attached to it is a dock where one can rent Jet Skis.  I wasn't surprised to see a couple skittering across the choppy bay waves; after all, the day was nearly perfect.  

I've never ridden a jet ski, and it's been a while since I've been in any kind of boat that runs on human power.  However, I couldn't help but to wonder whether such aquatic vehicles could be combined with bicycles.   When I was a kid, it seemed that every amusement park had some sort of artificial pond with little pedal boats shaped like ducks or some other creature.  Why not make something like that for grown-ups?, I wondered.

Might the result look like this?

Or this?

Copenhagen Cruisin'

Before the 2008 Olympics, I didn't realize that beach volleyball was a competitive sport.


That's not to say it isn't interesting or fun to watch--or play.  I played a pretty fair amount of volleyball in my youth, and I can tell you that playing it well requires quite a bit of conditioning and practice.  I'm sure that much of what I did on courts is more difficult on sand.  Or, at least, the timing and coordination are different.


Once I started to watch the tournaments, I wasn't surprised to see that Brazil and the United States had two of the best teams.  I was, however, surprised when the Belgian team gave the American women a scare in one match. 


I have to admit, the day  before I saw that match, I never would have associated Belgium with beach volleyball.  I know there are beaches in that country.  Some have a rather austere kind of beauty, but in terms of weather, they're nothing  like their counterparts in California, Hawaii or Ipanema.  People don't travel from other countries to take in the sun and surf in Belgium as they might, say, in Spain or some parts of the US.


I don't think Denmark fielded a team in that tournament. Like Belgium, it has beaches. Also like its Flemish neighbor (well, almost), they're not the first things people associate with the country. 


But people do indeed go to those seaside havens for pretty much the same reasons people flock to sea, sand and sun (well, sometimes not so much of that:  look at Blackpool!) everywhere.  And, there is beach riding in Copenhagen. 


It seems, though, that the Danish idea of a cruiser--or beach cycling attire--is a bit different from that in Daytona or Malibu:

From San Jose Bike Party

How Routine Was This Repair?

Have you ever felt yourself just slogging and grinding your way on your bike for no discernible reason?  Then you realize your rear tire was slowly losing air.  Or your chain needed oil even more than the salad everyone thought was dry and lifeless.  Or that some part or another was out of alignment or adjustment.

I had such an experience on Thursday.  I wasn’t feeling very well, but I thought I could shake my lethargy by going on a ride, however short.  I started in a direction that could take me to Coney Island or the Canarsie Pier; either would have been a manageable distance and, if I needed to do so, I could take the subway home.

As I approached the Pulaski Bridge, I found myself making a left turn Jackson Avenue, then Thomson Avenue, which meant Canarsie was in the cards.  It was the sort of not-quite-conscious decision I often make on rides.  That was fine; I hadn’t gone that way in a while.  Tosca seemed to be rolling along fine through the industrial area of Long Island City and Maspeth, the now-Polish and Albanian enclaves of Ridgewood and some almost-suburban stretches of Glendale.  

Then, after descending the hill from a cemetery in Queens to another in Brooklyn, I started to feel like a paraplegic grasshopper pedaling in syrup.  I glanced down at the bike. Nothing seemed wrong.  Must be the engine, not the chassis, I thought.  In other words, I thought perhaps I was less well or in worse shape than I suspected.

Just after crossing Atlantic Avenue, I realized that the human machinery, however out-of-tune, was not to blame.  I saw the telltale sag in my rear tire. So, I did what I often do when I don’t hear a pop or a hiss:  I pumped the tire, figuring I could pedal the rest of the way to the pier and, if necessary, fix the problem there.

The plan almost worked.  I got to a flea market about three-quarters of the way to the pier.   I wended through aisles of polyester sundresses in screaming hues that make “billboard” jerseys seem as if they were designed by Brooks Brothers  (I’ve never seen a man who actually looks good in one!), electronic equipment that was discarded before the guys trying to sell it were born, CDs of bands you’ve never heard of or don’t want to hear again, and all matter of the most cheaply-made watches, appliances and accessories imaginable.  Of course, I didn’t buy anything.  But I had to pump my tire again:  It had lost about half of its pressure.

The air was just barely enough to get me to the Pier.  Then I pumped the tire to hear a hiss growing more insistent.  Turns out, a small hole in the tire’s sidewall was opening. 

I knew there was no point to fixing it:  No patch would be strong enough to keep the tube from blowing out like a bubble from a piece of gum.  So, I took the L train back.  Oh well.

After replacing the tire and tube, I took Tosca out on the same route yesterday.  Now I was riding the bike I’d always loved.  And I felt better.

And yesterday’s ride—Point Lookout, again—on Arielle felt even better.  In fact, it was nearly perfect: About the only time I noticed Arielle (I hope she doesn’t feel rejected) was when I shifted or braked.  The rest of the time, I felt as if I were sailing the air under the cloudless sky on a day that could hardly have felt more like the first of summer. 

I did nothing to maintain or adjust Arielle before the ride.  But somehow I felt I was still riding a wave, if you will, from replacing the tire on Tosca. 

What sorts of routine maintenance and repair make the most difference in the way your bikes ride?

The Longest Day

Today is, officially, the first day of Summer in the Northern Hemisphere.

That means every place north of the Equator will have more hours (and minutes) of daylight than on any other day of the year.

Not surprisingly, many rides are scheduled for this day in order to take advantage of that fact.  I have participated in such rides.  In fact, the first remains, to this day, the longest one-day ride, in terms of distance, I have ever taken.

I rode with the Central Jersey Cycling Club while I was a student at Rutgers and for several years after.  I even rode with them when I "visited" (It's kind of weird to say you're visiting your native country.) the US (i.e., family and friends) while living in France.  I did my Longest Day ride during one of those visits.

That's what the ride was called:  The Longest Day.  And, trust me, it lived up to its billing.  Through fifteen hours or so of riding, we encountered blistering heat and sun, gravel, a thunderstorm that reverberated and flashed across the West Jersey farmland, dirt paths that turned to mud, more heat, a sudden downpour and various combinations of these things.

We began at High Point at dawn. As the name indicates, it's the highest point in the state.  It stands near the point where where three states--New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania---meet. All are visible from the top, where an obelisk to commemorate the war dead was dedicated in 1930.

If your idea of the Garden State comes from The Sopranos, 
Jersey Shore or the stories you've heard about Newark, Camden and suburban sprawl--or seeing the state's current governor (not to mention a few in the past), the ride would have dispelled such notions, even when you thought you were too tired to notice anything.

The ride took us to Cape May, in the opposite end of the state from High Point.  Someone claimed that it's the lowest point in New Jersey. It may well be the lowest land point, at 10 feet, but every guide I've seen lists the Atlantic Ocean--which roils against one side of the Cape--as the lowest.

So how far did we pedal?  According to the Huret Multito odometers some of us used--the state of the art in measuring distance in a day when the first cycle computers were being developed--we covered 234 miles.

I haven't ridden with the CJBC in years.  I must say they haven't lost their penchant for ugly cycling jerseys!  You can only wear such a thing on the Longest Day, when you're too dirty and sweaty to care, or for anyone to notice how hideous it is.  The jersey I wore on my ride was just as bad as the one on the club's website!

My Find Becomes Someone Else's Treasure

In an earlier post, I boasted of my curbside find of  a pair of Hondo/LeFol-style hammered fenders with a randonneur-style rack while riding along Kent Avenue in Brooklyn.

I really liked the look of them, and the quality seemed decent.  However, I wondered how useful that sort of rack would be to me.  And my research shows me that the fenders and rack are actually original equipment from an Electra Ticino bike.  

I don't mean to disparage their quality:  I have never used any of the company's products.  They might well be perfectly good:  After all, people rave about the bikes.

Still, I have to wonder whether using them to replace VOs would actually constitute an upgrade.  If I ever switch fenders on Helene or Vera, I think I'd want Honjos

But a cursory glance showed me that the way the mounting holes were drilled, the rack would not sit level on any of my bikes unless I drilled another mounting hole.  That would mean plugging the original drilling.  It's not only an aethetic matter:  Whatever is used to plug up the original hole will evenutally pop out and have to be replaced.  Also, if the plug is not airtight, it will never be as good as the material that was drilled out of the fender.

And, all right, I'll admit:  I'm just too lazy to change the fenders on my bikes.  So I took my fortuitous find to Recycle-A-Bicycle, who were only too happy to take them.

What Kinds Of Choices Are These?

Be forewarned:  I'm going to whine in this post.  So, if you'd rather read, or simply do, something else (e.g., ride your bike), I understand.

Here goes:  I had to use up some airline miles by the other day.  I didn't have enough to get a ticket:  Indeed, the last long flight I took was to Prague nearly three years ago.  And I didn't have enough for much of anything else.  Hey, they said I didn't even have enough to donate to charity!

But the airline group (Delta) offered me magazine subscriptions.  Wouldn't you know it?  There wasn't a single cycling-related publication on the list.  Nor anything having to do with poetry or literature in any other shape or form.  Or history. Or art.  Or France, Italy or England. The only travel-related publication caters to gazillionaires.

No Atlantic Monthly.  No Harper's Bazaar.  No Paris Review.  And no New York Review of Books.

So what kinds of magazines were offered?  Cigar Aficianado.  (I have smoked exactly two cigars in my life and don't plan on smoking another. )  Wine Spectator. How, exactly, does one become a "wine spectator"?  Now, I've known a lot of whine (actually, whining) spectators in my time and have been one more often than I care to admit.  There were also magazines about parenting and other things I've never done and probably never will do.

I found only three that even remotely interested me. One is The Economist.  While their politics are different from mine, I can rationalize subscribing to it because it's literate, intelligent--and British.  What were the others?  Please don't hate me for choosing these:  Time and Vogue. At least I can tell myself that the latter will help me with my personal and professional image. And, even if I hate the writing, I can just look at the pictures.  As for Time:  I can read whatever I find halfway relevant and donate each copy to my hairdresser's shop.  

Beer, Cheese, Football--And Cycling?

If you were to ask people what the best US States for cycling are, a lot of people--even those who've  never been to those states--would probably pick Vermont, Oregon, California, Massachusetts, Washington, Colorado or Michigan (especially the Upper Peninsula and the upper parts of the Lower Peninsula).  Nearly every state would get a vote from someone:  After all, we all have different ideas about what "the best" cycling conditions are.

And, I would suspect, at least a few people would pick Wisconsin.  I've never cycled in the Badger State, but I know that its capital, Madison, is consistently rated as one of the most bike-friendly communities in the nation.  And, during cycling's first heyday (during the last two decades of the 19th Century and the first decade of the 20th), Wisconsin had one of the most extensive networks of bicycle lanes.

However, as in much of the rest of the US, the automobile rapidly overtook the bicycle as the chief means of transportation for those who did not have access to mass transit (and even among those who had it).  The bicycle was largely seen as a children's toy.

But, during the "dark ages" of cycling, Wisconsin did more than its share to keep the flame of adult cycling alive, if flickering.  And now the state--better known, rightly or wrongly, for cheese, beer and football (the US version), now boasts some of the greatest concentrations of cyclists and bicycle shops (both brick-and-mortar and online) in the nation.

Jesse Gant and Nicholas Hoffman tell this story in a book released in September:  Wheel Fever:  How Wisconsin Became A Great Bicycling State.

I want a copy for the cover alone:

Happy 69th To Eddy!

Sometimes I can't believe I'm in late middle age. It seems like I did my first multiday bike tour (at age 20), first century (same year).  foreign bike tour (age 21), and race (age 25) all last week.

And it seems that Eddy Mercx's legendary exploits happened a month before that.  He was the first racer I'd ever heard of, and I followed his career passionately. That might be the reason why, in my mind, I still hold an image of him as a young man with long dark hair and an almost-Latin kind of flair that belied his Flemish heritage.

And, of course, I always remember him on his sunset-hued bicycle.  I still think of that color as "Mercx orange" or "Molteni orange", in homage to him and the Italian team with whom he had his greatest professional achievements.

Call me sentimental, but I still think he's the greatest cyclist who ever lived (or, at least, who competed).  In contrast to more recent Tour de France winners, Mercx won hundreds of single- and multi-day classics in addition to his five Tour victories.  (Only Jacques Anquetil preceded him. and Bernard Hinault and Miguel Indurain followed him, in the five-Tour club.)  And he was a superb track rider who set an hour record that stood for twelve years--a geologic age in the world of cycling records.

As I mentioned in an earlier post, he is one of the four athletes who competed during my lifetime (and I had the privilege of seeing) and thoroughly dominated his sport.  

Happy 69th, Eddy!

(Aren't you glad I didn't mention a certain low-speed "chase" that happened twenty years ago today?'-)

Required: A Single Wheel

As a cyclist who teaches--and as someone to whom odd facts seem drawn the way flies are attracted by --well, you know-- I'm surprised I didn't hear about this sooner.

In St. Helen's  School--a parochial kindergarten-though -8th-gradeinstitution in Newbury, Ohio--unicycling was a required subject for many years.

No, not an elective.  Not an extracurricular activity.  A required course.

So, kids passed each other in the hallways, astride their single wheels.  From all accounts, accidents were rate.

That should come as no surprise, given the level of expertise St. Helen's unicyclists developed:  They were asked to perform at events from Worlds' Fairs to Super Bowl halftime shows--and Jimmy Carter's inaguration.

I could find no explanation of why they unicycling requirement was dropped.

I must say, though, that I am surprised that a school in Ohio rather than, say, California had such a requirement!

A Ride To Point Lookout And A Father's Day Mystery, Almost

Today I broke a promise to myself and rode to Point Lookout.  It's not that I have anything against PL or the ride; i just figured traffic would be heavy on the way to the beach on a warm, sunny Father's Day.

Well, there was some traffic going over the bridges from Broad Channel to the Rockaways and Rockaway Beach to Atlantic Beach.  But it wasn't as bad as I expected.  I guess people had backyard barbeques (I saw a fair number of those) or celebrated in other ways.

It's interesting to see couples , usually middle-aged or older, who raised kids who've moved out.  I guess once a parent, always a parent.  I often see such couples on Mother's Day as well:  On that day or Father's Day, it's common for one spouse to take the other out for lunch or dinner.

I wondered if one such couple was at Point Lookout when I got there:

For a moment, I didn't see anyone else, let alone a couple who might've worn those shoes.  Could they have wandered out into the water only to for one of them to have a heart attack, or a memory lapse?

Fortunately, I saw them walking on a sandbar.  No kid was anywhere in sight.