John On A Bike

Olympics Road Cycling Schedule

2012-07-25T07:21:00.001-07:00

The Olympics are just around the corner. The road races should be fun to watch. Here is the scheduling site.

http://www.london2012.com/cycling-road/schedule-and-results/

Day 15...Home

2011-09-17T15:53:00.000-07:00

I completed my ride today. A big thank you to my wife and daughter. They supported me endlessly.

The ride distant ended at 940 miles which is about 62.6 miles a day (100K per day). I ate really well during these past few weeks but ended up losing eight pounds of body weight.

Day 14. Heading Home

2011-09-16T16:29:00.000-07:00

The final push home is tomorrow. We crossed the SF Bay via the Golden Gate Bridge today. It was really windy
so it made it tough handling a bike with panniers. I am staying in Pacifica tonight and will climb over the Santa Cruz Mountains tomorrow. My bike computer tells me I have ridden 882 thus far..two weeks of riding.

All The Days Running Together

2011-09-13T13:49:00.000-07:00

In Ft Bragg for coffee. We just past by the gass beach and spotted a nicewarm coffee house.

Day 8. Fun in the Big Trees

2011-09-10T17:43:00.000-07:00

Glorious day in the Northern California redwood forest

More of Day 7

2011-09-08T15:37:00.000-07:00

Just finished the last part of the ride..weather was decent. The miles from Gold Beach to Brokings were beautifully taxing

Day 7 Closing in on the California Border

2011-09-08T11:52:00.000-07:00

Almost to the Oregon _ California Border...my bike computer says that I have ridden 375 miles.

Day. 4 - 6

2011-09-08T06:04:00.000-07:00

We had coastal fog the past three day so drying out the tent and gear is a problem.. hopefully we will see the sun soon.

Day 3 - 6

2011-09-08T05:58:00.000-07:00

We have ridden about 350 miles thus far. The coastal fog has been pretty heavy so drying out is not easy

Day 2 & 3 Nahelem to Beverly Beach State Park

2011-09-04T20:48:00.000-07:00

The last 2 days were fairly long days. We averaged about 65 miles a day. Saturday's weather was hot but today the normal cool coastal fog returned to the Oregon coast. Tomorrow we will ride to Honeyman State Beach.

Day 1. Part 2

2011-09-02T17:08:00.000-07:00

I received a special gift from my wife and daughter for my trip..they are the best!!!!

Day 1 Astoria to Nelalem State Park

2011-09-02T15:51:00.000-07:00

Great first day. We dropped rental van off and rode about 45 miles. There is a lot of traffic on the coast as it is Labor Day weekend. The weather is fantastic!

Sent from my Samsung Epic™ 4G

Weather or Not

2011-08-29T17:48:00.001-07:00

I have been checking the weather in anticipation of my Pacific Coast trip; we arrive September 1st . The Oregon and Northern California coast is notorious for misty and foggy weather however it appears as if my trip is going to be rain free.

Mileage Before The Ride

2011-08-14T15:01:00.000-07:00

I have been slowly adding weekly mileage in anticipation of my Pacific Coast Ride. I want to be able to comfortably ride 60 miles a day. Today I rode a fairly flat 64 mile ride with my friend Neil and we finished the ride in 3 hours 52 minutes. Check out my route I did below. I tracked the route with MapMyRide software on my android phone. The time of the route reflects true time and includes time stopped at red lights, stop signs, filling waters etc. Neil clocked our pace at around 17.3 mph but I believe his computer stops when at stop lights.

When riding the Pacific Coast route I plan on traveling at a very comfortable pace; 8-10 mph with a fully-loaded touring bike sounds about right.

My Friend Neal

<p>&amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;br /&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt; &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/46077976"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;YMCA to Highway 92 Aug 14, 2011 01:01 PM&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;br/&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;br /&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt; &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/?location=Saratoga, CA"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Find more Cycling Routes / Bike Rides in Saratoga, CA&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;br /&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt; &amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;gt;</p>

Sign, Sign, Everywhere A Sign

2011-08-12T16:38:00.000-07:00

Signs are important. They give instruction and information. They warn you not to proceed, or they lead the way. Which is why I am going to take pictures of signs along the Pacific Coast Route. I was in Ireland this summer and snapped a few pictures of these most important signs.

Riding Along With Us Down the Pacific Coast Highway

2011-08-11T18:58:00.000-07:00

I am happy that my brother Bob has now decided to join us on our bike trip down the Pacific Coast. He is an experienced rider. He toured with Craig across the United States and has ridden the entire Pacific Coast Route. Since this is a last minute decision he is scrambling to get his equipment ready by September 1st.

Pacific Coast Bike Ride

2011-08-08T09:27:00.000-07:00

In September 2011, I will be touring part of the Pacific Coast Bicycle Route. The ride will be a self-contained, fully loaded tour. This ride is stunningly beautiful and follows the Oregon and California coast, one of the true highlights of bicycle touring in the United States. I am starting in Astoria, Oregon and riding to my home in Willow Glen, California. I am again riding with my friend Craig. Previously we rode the Great Parks ride in 2008. The distant is about ~900 miles so we will finish the ride in a few weeks. I'll try and journal and post some words and pictures from the road.

I am riding my Soma bike with basically the same set-up I used for the Great Parks ride.

Riding in San Francisco

2010-02-09T16:37:00.000-08:00

If you want to see a great video of bicycle riding in SF them go to Digave. This link is also posted in my "favorite bike links". The video reminds me of Bullitt starring Steve McQueen's except on bikes.

Winter Bicycling - No Problem

2010-02-09T09:21:00.000-08:00

Bicycling in the winter can be somewhat problematic for some. This is the time of year when you wake up, check the weather, and grab your car keys on your way out the door, not even giving your poor bicycle a second glance. Many of us will simply say, "it's too cold!" Full disclosure here… I live in an area that doesn't snow but it does get relatively cold. Fortunately, there are plenty of ways to stay warm on your bike even in the winter time. The good thing is that as you ride your bike, your core temperature goes up. This means you burn a lot of extra calories staying warm. So as long as you have a nice warm riding jacket, you really only have four areas of your body to focus on keeping warm: face, hands, feet, and legs.

Other people might say safety is their main concern. Winter riding does have safety concerns; the biggest of those concerns is being seen. As it gets darker earlier, and most of us are getting out of work when it is dark out, it is important to make sure that cars and other traffic can see you when you're on your bicycle. Remember, we are INVISIBLE to drivers. To my fellow riders I say, "you can never be too visible." And you are generally not anywhere near visible enough. So here is my advice:

- Wear light and bright colors
- Wear reflective bits on your shoes
- Wear reflective ankle bands that have a large surface of reflective material
- Wear reflective strips on your wind jacket, rain jacket
- Wear a Sam Browne belt and have it over your jacket. Randonneurs (Ultra long endurance bicycle riders) will swear by these belts.
- Wear a reflective triangle in addition to the Sam Browne belt on your back.
- Wear reflective bits stuck to your helmet on the Back, Sides, and Front.
- A head light and a back-up headlight.
- A tail light and a back-up tail light.

So there you go, no more excuses! Stay warm and be safe out there…. have a great winter!

Copenhagen January Cycling from Copenhagenize on Vimeo.

Waves of Bicycles in San Jose

2010-02-08T20:18:00.001-08:00

waves of bicycles, originally uploaded by Frizztext.

San Jose City is adopting an ambitious new bike plan. The plan sets several admirable benchmarks for San Jose cycling, including a doubling of bike lanes from 250 miles to 500 and an increase in ridership from 1.2 percent to 5.0 percent – all by 2020.

The number of bicyclists remains small, but it's growing. Four years ago, San Jose estimated that 0.4 percent of all commuter trips here were made on a bicycle. Today that figure is 1.2 percent.

The national average is 0.5 percent, and San Jose currently ranks 15th in the nation for bike commuting.

But the goal is more ambitious — 5 percent in 10 years. That would put San Jose on a par with Portland, considered the biking mecca of the nation, with 6 percent of commuters on two wheels.

Leaving LA

2008-09-07T15:30:00.000-07:00

The Epicurean Cyclist blog. A big fan of the S24O (sub-twenty-four-hour-cycling-adventures and weekend tours), his September 3 entry includes the following video, a video of a recent weekend escape from L.A., using public transport and, of course, bicycles.

The road not taken

2008-09-02T02:01:00.000-07:00

TWO roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

Robert Frost (1874–1963)

My favourite thing

2008-09-02T02:00:00.000-07:00

My favourite thing is to go where I've never been. I am home planning my next adventure.

Day 21 Yellowstone National Park to Grand Teton National Park (Colter Bay Village)

2008-08-29T20:05:00.000-07:00

August 29, 2008

Miles today - 46
Miles total - 1248
Elevation climbed - 1678 feet
Elevation at Colter Bay - 6877 feet
Ride time - 4 hours
Average speed - 11.4 mph

We left Yellowstone and entered into Grand Teton National Park. We had a fairly relaxed day on the bike and the weather was beautiful. Grand Teton National Park is located in northwestern Wyoming; south of Yellowstone National Park.

Day 20 West Yellowstone to Yellowstone National Park (Grant Village)

2008-08-28T19:55:00.001-07:00

August 28, 2008

Miles today - 60
Miles total - 1202
Elevation climbed - 2800 feet
Elevation at Yellowstone - 7700 feet
Ride time - 5 hours 22 mins
Average speed - 11.2 mph

Left West Yellowstone under cool clear skies with mild western winds (we are going east). Riding in Yellowstone National Park was pleasant with a decent shoulder. There is very heavy vehicle traffic in the park even though most schools have resumed; the park ranger said many are Europians. Most of the drivers behaved and respected our rights as vehicles. We had two nice climbs passing over the Continental Divide twice with elevations over 8200 feet each.

We saw much wildlife today including bison and elk. The elk was in our campsite when we arrived and she bedded down for a couple hours before deciding to leave.

We saw Old Faithful blow as well as a number of other geysers and boiling pools. Yellowstone NP has recovered nicely since the 1988 fire with millions of new trees. Logpole pinecones released seed during fire so the recovery is pretty amazing.