While you were sleeping another cyclists was killed riding in Seattle. The driver was reportedly “impaired” and struck the cyclist at high speed on the Queen Anne south-bound end of the Aurora Bridge on the off-ramp to Dexter Ave.
The cyclist could have been either riding in the lane (which is 100% legal) or on the sidewalk going up the Aurora bridge, but either way he was struck on the off-ramp in the middle of the lane at fatal speeds around 10:20pm last night according to the Seattle P-I and the Seattle Times.
I had to go by the scene on my bicycle commute home along the same route during the investigation and deduced these facts, as demonstrated by the diagram below. This is all that I know. Detectives are not at liberty to disclose information for a matter of days, so take it for what it is: an eyewitness acct of an on-the-scene fatality investigation.
Ride Alert. Drive Safe.
Tonight I finally got my hands on a donor bike for conversion to electric power. I’ve been putting this off due to a few nagging reservations. As a cyclist I’m reluctant to be seen on an electric bike, for the most part it’s as simple as that. That and the lack of training which might honestly set me back in races, training and good old fashioned competition between friends while mountain biking, STP-ing and such. Then it occurred to me: I ride the bus sometimes and there is no shame in that. Well, the electric bike is not a replacement for the “regular” biking - it’s a replacement for the busing. The only reason I bus is when I get up late (no time to hunt for clothes and then change), or I’m not feeling well enough to tackle the hills on the way to work. Mr. Electric should solve both of these problems neatly. So, I am now ready to set my petty insecurities aside, and begin this project in earnest. I’ve acquired most of the parts I need, and will be putting this beast together as soon as possible. No more hunting for quarters and waiting 20 minutes for a bus to show up… not even when I’m dog tired. Turns out bikes solve everything - you just need MORE bikes. I always suspected that.
Tonight I began disassembly of a 1995 Novara Alight, courtesy of our own Geoff. That bike is anything but light, but perhaps I’ve shaved a few pounds by removing the bar ends, toe clips, frame pump clips, reflectors, plastic water bottle cage and thickly padded seat. I’ll keep you posted as eBay electric components arrive and the beast comes together, I’m sure we’ll have plenty of photo documentation and probably a vid and some stats on the test ride, range, battery life, top speed and all that. Stay tuned.
Part of the Team Phinney Bischoff had a great training ride today. Riders included Bryan, Jill, Karl, and guest Mandy. We did the Seven Hills of Kirkland, plus another loop that had some more hills. Total of 5300 feet of climb. Including a trip to/from Seattle, made it 85 miles. Everything seemed to work fine (other than a sore butt from so many hours in the saddle). Here’s the quick video of Mandy riding, and Jill and Bryan having a snack.
Good pal, former teammate and fellow cyclist Gina Tolentino has teamed up with one of my favorite restaurants to form a new team for this year’s STP: Squadra Ciclismo Cascina Spinasse. Gina has also designed what will surely be the coolest jersey on the upcoming Seattle to Portland double century, hands down.
The new team is holding a fund-raiser at Cascina Spinasse on June 30th to help pay for the fancy kits, food and lodging with 10% of proceeds going to Bikeworks in Columbia City. And if you ride your bike to Spinasse on the 30th you get a raffle ticket for one of those prized jerseys.
Dinner, not including wine - suggested minimum donation of $100
Dinner begins at 7:00pm, reservations necessary.
Please call 206.251.7673 for reservations.
Good luck Spinasse! If I’m not stuck at the office pushing pixels I hope to see you on the road. Keep an eye out for the bright orange freight train! And let’s drink beer in Portland this time!
This was my 3rd LiveStrong Challenge. The last two in Portland included riding with Lance at the start (at least for a few seconds till he was out of view). Today was the first one in Seattle… replacing the Portland Nike Campus location. It started and stopped at Seattle Center. It was a very different ride from the Portland ride or last weekend’s Flying Wheels Summer Century. At least for the 100 milers, there appeared to be a different breed of rider. Flying Wheels 100 milers were mostly riding pacelines of about 20-21 mph. Today’s pacelines were more like 23-26 mph. It was quite exhilarating, but tiring. Especially the climbs up Tiger Mountain and Cougar Mountain. These were harder than the Flying Wheels hills (at least for me). The most heard comment during the climbs: JESUS CHRIST!. I guess it did get to be a religious experience… near the top of the Newport (Cougar) climb was someone dressed like the devil urging us to go the final 25 meters to the summit (he lied, there was a lot more climbing to do.
Posted a couple videos. One of the paceline going 26 on a 2% grade, and one at the start showing some of the 100 milers lined up. Started at 7am and got to ride through downtown with the streets closed off for us. Very cool to buzz (legally) through all those lights! We then took the I90 express lanes (also closed off for us). We then did a Mercer Island circuit, explored part of Bellevue, saw Tiger Mountain, went through Issaquah, went all the way around Lake Sammamish, then Cougar Mountain, Newport, thru Newcastle, around Lake Washington by way of Renton, along Lake Washington Blvd. during bicycle Sunday, up, up, up over the hill to Yesler and back thru Seattle downtown to the Center. Unfortunately they only served Michalobe Ultra at the beer garden… but any port in a storm.
Speaking of storms, weather wasn’t bad. Cloudy all the way with rain on Tiger and around Lake Sammamish… squishy shoes. All in all, work the effort of fund-raising for a great cause and an amazing organization. Lance is still my hero even if he raced in Nevada City instead of cruising WA state. Readings from computer: Distance 101.46 miles, Elapsed time %:49, Calories 8595, Avg cadence 80rpm, Ascent 5412 ft, descent 5351 ft
Think again. Take a gander at this and you just might be humbled. Inspired Bicycles - Danny MacAskill April 2009
Mostly I just wanted an excuse to use that post title, but there is some sense to it. Flying wheels was last weekend, and I found myself in the Hub Zone for the first time in many weeks if not months… watching the hub of a trusted friend in front of me, slipping slowly into a trance, completely unaware of where I was going at 20 mph. That is truly a happy place - although admittedly probably somewhat dangerous. The day-to-day rider might not experience the joy of riding someone’s wheel. I’d recommend it. Go for a ride with a friend. Let them lead, pull up real close to their back wheel, and let your awareness fade into a blur of passing concrete and spinning spokes. This takes real trust and works best on long stretches of uninterrupted road. Too many crossings or stop lights will snap you right out of it just because you’re worried about crashing - and rightfully so.
Tonight, on the ride home, I managed to do this all by myself, looking down at my own front hub as I stood up and cranked, out of the saddle. That same alluring concrete blur tempted me, unfortunately an even stronger desire to not run into a garbage truck snapped me out of it. Regardless, the feeling was similar, and it is very much zen, enjoying the moment - the journey, and not hurrying toward the destination - all that. Great stuff. Give it a try, but for god’s sake, wear a helmet and look up ahead every now and then.
Team Velotopia/Team PBDH managed to complete another Flying Wheels this year and all was good at the finish line in Redmond. This time around, knowing the course, I decided to attack every hill as hard as I could hoping to save just enough to get over the last one without having to call the medics. This plan worked for the most part and got me over all 4 hills until I finally got a nasty cramp in my left calf (a troublesome area for me that has been known to cancel entire backpacking trips.) Luckily, the cramp happened on the crest of a smallish hill and I was able to unclip and stretch things out as I coasted down it. Gravy was on my wheel and had a nice view of what he said looked like a tiny alien trying to escape the confines of my leg. But in the end, it wasn’t bad enough to cause too much stoppage time and we all rolled into the Velodrome with relative ease. Of course the best part of a ride like this is the grilled sausages and beer on the grass with the rest of the gang after the ride.
All in all a good ride which will hopefully prepare us for the big 136/70 miler (STP) coming up in a few weeks. Karl has more pics over here.
