Wednesday, August 30, 2006

Apropos of nothing.....


Just thought this was a lovely image, nada mas.

Tuesday, August 29, 2006

Sept. 15th. Roll With It.

For anyone who has ever contemplated riding a bike to work but been intimidated by one of many unknown challenges,
ROLL WITH IT on September 15th is your chance to try riding to work with your own PERONAL BIKE COACH -- for free.

Urban biking can seem prohibitively daunting to the uninitiated......

There are the obvious fears (traffic/safety), the practical concerns (how to plan a route, how to cart your stuff, do i hafta wear lycra?), to the basic mechanics (flat tire, chain slipped) and many other highly solvable mysteries to contend with --

But just try it once.

It feels....so....good........you might never go back.

ROLL WITH IT will help you realize your fantasies of an enjoyable, oil free commute by pairing you with a skilled urban cyclist - a bike buddy who will show you the ropes both to and from work, and answer all those questions you were afraid to ask.

HOW DO I GET ME A BIKE COACH?

Just contact the Roll With It folks, let them know you want a little one on one action with a commuter champ: RollWithItCommittee@gmail.com

Unless you have a really hairy, sketchy route, I'd hazard a guess that once you try riding to work, you'll get a taste - and want more. No gas pumps, no parking hassles, no road rage (this is huge), a sense of freedom, some good exercise....Shall I continue?

And really, you can't say you live in LA without at least one session with a personal trainer.

Go for it. Roll wid it.

Sunday, August 27, 2006

RIDE-Arc



Heard this the other day on KCRW, and been meaning to check it out ever since:

RIDE-Arc, a nite ride originally based out of the Southern California Institute of Architecture(SCI-Arc). First Friday of every month, social spin with an archtechtural....spin.




Best described in language from the new website, clean and simple:

"...a monthly social bicycle ride in the cool evening air with a loose, vaguely referenced Architectural theme, mixed with some Urban Anthropology and your own personal sense of adventure and discovery. Awesome rides, good vibes taking you to places that shape the Los Angeles urban landscape."

Daryl Hannah: "get a bike and RIDE it"


You've probably seen her associated with green causes - driving a grease-powered El Camino, eating organic, treesitting with J. Butterfly and John Quigley in the South Central Farm....

She now has a pretty funky "vlog", (video log) called "dhlove life" --a great idea, and I bet she has a ton of fun creating it. She picks cool snippets of sustainable living - biodiesel, farmers markets, vegan "junk food", and now bike ridin'(!), and shoots short, hip segments, interviewing people doing their wild green thang.

This weeks vlog is all about bikes - why more Angelenos are riding them, (gas prices, gas prices, gas prices), what we love about them, and what all this business about "Critical Mass" is.

There's a few shots of chicks fixing bikes that I found particularly rad.

And perhaps my favorite quote on bikes: "How could you not have one? It's like having a toothbrush, you just hafta have one!"

Would that we all felt that way, we'd have fewer medical AND dental issues.....

Tuesday, August 22, 2006

Human powered car!


Yes, you read that right, the first street legal human powered car.

I've gotta acknowledge it: Americans love their cars.

There are those who will adapt to rising gas prices, the growing threat of climate change, visions of our children's children frying, etc. etc. by choosing pedal over guzzle......

And then there are those who will shrug and say, "Yeah, but, I heart my car, nuttin' gonna stop me."

Bueno. Bike helmets are nerdy, urban commuting can be crazy dangerous, hiking one pant leg up looks wicked lame....

So "what if we had a cool car with human/electric/fuel cell/hybrid power, paired blue tooth and cupholders? The HumanCar® FM-4 v2.0 will."

Granted, still not for everyone (there's that pesky part about needing to pedal, anathema to the lazy American) but this might just appeal to another niche of the population, those open to exercise but loathe to brave the bicycle. Every little bit helps.

For more info, questions, or to pre-order a people mover, contact Humancar.

Gives new meaning to the phrase, "back seat driver"......(Tip via Treehugger.)

Thursday, August 17, 2006

Why don't cyclists ride their bikes?


I still don't get it.

Why don't cyclists use their bikes to get around? I get that non-bikers fear riding for saftey reasons, but I'm continuously baffled by the cycling community, a community I've come to love, and even pose at being a part of....

They excell on two wheels. They ride hours daily - face grueling hills, pain, agony - voluntarily. And treasure their 40-80 mile weekend rides, waking at ungodly hours to do so while normal people sleep in, have breakfast, read the paper, and do other "civilized" weekend things.

Yet in my experience, most of these super-athletes STILL drive the insignificant few miles when going out, running errands, etc.

Is it being able to listen to music in the car, not wanting to deal with being nicely dressed on a bike, not wanting to take the slick road bike out on the town (a cheapo beater will pay for itself ASAP w/ these gas prices!) or being sore from the killer morning ride?

Or is it that we really don't connect the impact our tiny little actions have on our surroundings? Or maybe we just really love our cars.....If the latter is true, joder. I'm stumped.

Tuesday, August 15, 2006

The "biking IS sexy" challenge


Fun idea, leave it to Treehugger..... Part of an ongoing effort to promote the "cool factor" of bikes, Treehugger challenges you to take live pix of cool, hip peeps riding bikes - celebs/influential types, etc. doing their thing on two wheels.

Lest this turn into cycle stalking, be chill about it, this being LA, people are bound to have high profile friends/aquaintances who ride, and would consent to a little photo opp.

As noted in an earlier TH post, bikes often get a bad rap in the media (cyclists wearing big dorky alien helmets, pants rolled up, or worse - socks pulled up over pants - you get the idea)....

While auto companies spend gazillions on creating slick, sexy ads, with beautiful slinky people having a fabulous time in their petro-machines. But really, what's so sexy about driving around in a foul, polluting guzzler?

Besides, riding bikes is WAY more fun, and much liklier to contribute to a sexy physique. So help the bike rep out, keep your camera handy, and be on the lookout for bad-ass bikers.

Sunday, August 13, 2006

Team Riley in Tri Magazine!




This month's Triathlete Magazine cover model, Estella Warren, added cycling to her athletic reperetoire with the support, friendship, and stellar coaching of Riley. And proceeded to take 1st place in the celebrity division at the Malibu Triathlon!

Pretty hot.















Article gives some background on Estella's entry into triathlons, and the challenges of balancing career and training demands.

And Triathlete Mag not only let Christine and I join as the ringleaders of our "Bitchin Tuesdays" ride, they also printed a photo of me and Riley horsing around on my Xtracycle! Super cool of them.....

Issue should be out on shelves soon, check it out and ladies, come join for a ride some time!

Monday, August 07, 2006

Aug. 25 - Ride for Climate Justice


Coming on August 25th: The RIDE FOR CLIMATE JUSTICE.

WHAT: An awareness-raising ride taking place across the country, to highlight the movement for climate justice and the connection between climate change, catastrophic storms, and environmental racism.

WHEN: Aug. 25th, marking the 1 year anniversary of Katrina reaching hurricane strength.

WHO: Rising Tide North America, a network of radical climate campaigners (including relief workers from Louisiana to New England) working with Critical Mass groups around the country.

WHERE: Various locations in 16 cities around the US.

Haven't yet seen a listing for a local LA/Santa Monica ride, but fairly certain one is being organized.....so stay tuned. If not, we'll just have to get Team Riley and friends out for a little advocacy ride......