Today, the dude and I headed out to Atlanta Street’s Alive, a semi-annual ciclovia organized by the Atlanta Bicycle Coalition.

From Wikipedia:

Ciclovía… is [a] term which translates from Spanish into English as “bike path” and now used worldwide to describe either a permanently designated bicycle route or a temporary event, the closing of the street to automobiles for use by others.

In this case, a two-mile stretch of N. Highland, a street known for its hipster/yuppie/urban (“yubster”?) culture , was temporary closed off to all motorized vehicles to allow for strictly human powered playtime.

And play, they did… Every few meters, there was something to do or to view. For example, a moon walk center for children!

Street performers…

And a place to mend your bike, courtesy of the Sopo Bicycle Cooperative.

The weather could not have been more ideal. Although it began to storm later in the evening, during the event itself (2pm-6pm), the balmy weather enticed thousands of pedestrians, skaters, and cyclists out of the wood-works.

From the event website, the organizers were shooting for 10,000 attendees, but they far surpassed this goal.

The event was both family-friendly…

…and pet-friendly.

Children were able to feel safe as they rode on the smooth street, as opposed to the bumpy sidewalk…

…while adults experienced the thrill of riding without a helmet, as the threat of an automobile accident was not looming.  Apparently, I wasn’t the only one on a bright pink bicycle!

Although, as far as I am aware, this event is held only twice a year; however, given the great turnout, I hope that it can become a monthly, or even weekly occurrence.  The small businesses certainly profited from the crowds; thus, I am sure that they, too, would both welcome and support this type of initiative.

I have finally settled into a hotel with my preferred commute–the one that takes me through a ritzy neighborhood, and is predominantly on bike lanes.  There is a slight incline on the way to work, but not enough to cause me to perspire.  Just enough for my circulatory system to kick into a higher gear.  The ride home, too, feels fantastic, as I feel super human going downhill on a visibly flat road.  All-in-all, when in comes to this hotel choice, I am a happy camper.

Now that I have my route down, I sometimes find myself completely zoning out during the commute.  I still stop at lights and do my usual hand signals as I turn, even when nobody is around to watch me.  But, one moment I am on street X, and another moment I am  wondering, “when did I turn onto street Y.”  Street Y would be on the right path along the commute, but not remembering how I got there worries me.

This phenomenon of going on “auto-pilot” is common to car commuters, but given the more physically demanding nature of the bicycle commute, I would not expect the same thing to happen to cyclists.  With my most recent experience, I stand corrected.

Has this happened to you during your bike commute?  Do you go on auto-pilot?

My mornings are typically rushed, and I time my morning routine and commute to get to the office at least 15 minutes before my first meeting.  I just gather my belongings, roll Clarice outside, unfold her into the rideable form, and get on with the commute.

There is a tricky part about the unfolding maneuver–the unhooking of the front wheel from the chainstay.  When performed too hastily, there is a tendency for the hook to grab the chain, and cause the chain to drop off the chain-ring.  In my morning haste, this happens quite frequently, and given my rushed state of affairs, I just grab the chain with my bare hands, put it back on, and subsequently find myself regretting the whole experience, as I look down at my grease-stained hands.

Most recently, I was lucky, in that I was wearing a black/dark gray outfit.  Had my hand grazed my clothes ever so slightly, the grease stain would have blended in just fine.

However, the weather is getting quite warm in Phoenix.  The mornings touch 80 degrees, and the evenings sometimes get into the 90s.  I therefore cannot continue to wear such dark colors if I want to survive without getting a heat-stroke.  As I begin to choose lighter colored options to counter the beating sun, I need to be more prepared for dealing with greasy hands.

How do you deal with this chain drop aftermath while you’re on-the-go?  Do you carry hand wipes soaked in degreaser?  Do you use clear lubricants such as wax or Dumonde Tech as a preventative measure?  Do share!

Usually, I stay at a more reasonably priced hotel, but Marriott told me that I had luckily booked the last room in the area, and it just so happened to cost an arm-and-a-leg.  In my defense, it would have cost more to stay in a cheaper hotel within driving distance, as the cost of the rental car would have outweighed the benefit of the cheap hotel.

So here we were, unexpectedly, in the lap of luxury at this Marriott hotel in possibly the swankiest part of Scottsdale.

In my usual location, I had seen my fare share of palm trees, but the presentation of those at this hotel was simply spectacular.  If I compared the commute from this hotel to those of other two hotels I had tried, this commute had the best of both worlds.

In addition to the breathtaking view of the mountains, about half of the distance conveniently consisted of a bike lane.  The commute also contained the only real hill I had ever encountered during my time in Phoenix.

The other half was along a sidewalk spotted with cacti and car dealerships.

Commute aside–the interior made Clarice and I feel like royalty.  It was certainly an upgrade from the budget-conscious location to which we have grown accustomed.  In fact, instead of sharing a studio, she had the entire living room space of the suite to herself.  It is a shame that spring training doesn’t come more frequently–we could use another upgrade!

I recently purchased these sunglasses a couple of weeks ago.  Yes, they look like they cost a whole $5, but no, the salesperson at Sunglass Hut assured me that they are handmade in Italy and take a whole week to assemble; hence, they’re super-duper designer.  Usually, I’m not a snob when it comes to fashion (just when it comes to bicycles), but when it comes to my eyes, which are bad enough as-is, I’d rather not compromise.

These are made by Persol, and sans helmet, you cannot deny that they look pretty snazzy…

Once I get the headgear on, however, I am unable to escape the dorky vibe.  The chicness instantly disappears, but I’m okay with that–safety first!

In addition to obviously protecting me from the sun and desert storms, this new accessory has also protected me from the little yellow airborne particles that tend to proliferate during this time of year, as seasonal plants decide it is time to reproduce.  Yes, there is indeed pollen in the desert.  Who knew?

For cycling, the most rational choice would have been to buy cycling specific goggles.  Since I am not a completely rational person, I clearly went with form over function this time around.  You can see in the photo above that the frames lie rather flat, whereas cycling goggles would curve around my face, providing the most optimal protection from the wind and airborne particles.

After about one week of consistent use, I have not had any issues with particles getting into my eyes due to the lack of curvature, fogging, or any of the usual annoyances that come with biking with eye-wear.  The only complaint I have, which is with sunglasses in general, is that the world suddenly seems overcast, and the expression in my eyes cannot be seen by passers by.  When I see a car with tinted windows, I wonder, what are they trying to hide?  That is how I feel as I cycle with sunglasses–like a car with tinted windows.  Overall, the benefits severely outweigh these minor drawbacks, and they sure beat the lab goggles solution!

Even with my arm raised to take the photo, you can see that the hem of the dress conservatively lands just an inch above my knees.  If any of you remember the television show from the 90s, Ally McBeal, you might recall that the main character frequently wore miniskirts in the office.  Although I was not going for the Ally McBeal look either on or off the bike, I soon found out that this particular cut did not have the same conservative look once I hopped on Clarice.

The hemline shot several inches farther up my legs, and I found myself over-crossing my knees as I rode to maintain some semblance of decency–completely ruining any cycling form.  I also actively avoided the left-side-of-the-street sidewalks to reduce visibility to  oncoming traffic (yes, I still sometimes ride on the sidewalk).

Whenever I ride in short skirts, I make it a point to wear tights underneath, but now I should probably consider doing this for all skirts and dresses with an above-knee hemline.  You never know how high it might travel once you actually start riding!

I don’t know about you, but when I see my own pedaling bicycle shadow as I ride to work, I am completely captivated.  Just as I do in the mirror (I guess it is the wannabe ballerina in me), I find myself scrutinizing the size of my calves and thighs, and the overall attractiveness of my physique.  As I am doing this, I don’t hear a peep from Clarice; unlike me, she actually has a positive body image.

Does anybody else have a tendency to stare at and/or observe their bike shadows with a critical eye?  Has this resulted in losing focus and/or crashing?  Or is this yet another quirk that I should add to my ever-growing list?

When it comes to eye protection, cycling goggles would be the most obvious and safe choice, but with my recent spending spree (i.e. buying Clarice, and then upgrading her with a new rack), my “bike funds” have been running dry.  Well, in a previous life, I was a scientist; when my resourcefulness kicked in, and I realized that I had a good enough solution for keeping my eyes protected.  I dug up my laboratory goggles and wore them on my commutes for about a week.  They fended away the airborne particles just fine!

Lately, however, I am trying to give my eyes a break from the contacts and have just been wearing glasses.  I am not surprised to note that glasses are just as effective as the lab goggles in fending off debris and keeping my eyes tear-free.

Giro Selector Helmet via CyclingNews.com

Both the lab goggles and the glasses are not a long-term solution, and I am sure I will eventually buy cycling specific goggles.  I do however think that it would be nice to have some sort of eye-shield integrated into my helmet.  I have only seen a couple of very sporty designs, like the Giro Selector shown above; however, I have not come across any practical / “normal looking” options.  Have you come across an integrated helmet-eye shield design that is optimized for commuting (considering both form and function)?

One of the oldest tricks in the road warrior’s book is to ensure that your entire week’s wardrobe coordinates with one pair of shoes (result: smaller bag, lighter bag, ability to carry-on luggage instead of necessitating a check-in, avoiding $25 check-in fee, not having to wait at baggage claim, not giving the airline the opportunity to lose your bag, priceless).

For me, its easy to make my achromatic wardrobe work with a pair of black loafers, which happen to be scuff resistant and adequately stiff/pedal-friendly.  With the loafers, I am able to get by on one pair of shoes during the entire week.   However, when my weekend laziness sets in, and I opt not to do my laundry, while packing my bag for the following week, I sometimes to resort to whatever is still clean: {gasp} creams and browns!

Unfortunately, the only pair of shoes that work with my “brown and cream” wardrobe is a pair of cream slingback heels.  Now, I am not strictly opposed to heels on wheels–heck, I sometimes even go on the Atlanta Bicycle Coalition‘s women-only ride under the same name.  On a daily basis, when it comes to commuting, I just prefer to ride in flats.

For any seasoned female bike commuter, this may be a no-brainer, but here is my new trick that I call “The Shoe Switcharoo“:

Step 1: Put on a pair of comfortable cycling shoes.  They do not have to be cycling-specific.  To demonstrate, I chose a pair of Bensimon Tennis Elastique.  The soles are actually quite flimsy/not stiff, so I do not recommend going out and buying them just for cycling.  They were just what I had on hand.

Step 2: Bike to work in your flats.

Step 3: Once you have arrived at work, change into work-appropriate shoes that match the rest of your outfit, which, in my case, is a pair of cream colored heels.

Voila!  From lack of scuffs and the extra wear that comes from cycling, your “work shoes” are in pristine condition, and your feet both look and feel great.

For those of you who really want to be efficient, leave all of your work-appropriate shoes at work.  I’ve started doing this, just so as to not limit myself to a monochromatic wardrobe each week!

I did however don a bright green shirt and enjoyed the great, green, outdoors of Atlanta on my bicycle, Belle.

I was accompanied by my friend for whom I helped choose a bike a couple of months ago. I am happy to report that she has become quite the strong cyclist.

We started at Smyrna Bicycles, which is located very close to the Silver Comet Trail head, and cycled for about 10 miles along the trail.  I wanted to use this opportunity to ease my friend into recreational cycling, an activity in which I rarely partake myself.  Without the presence of ethanol, it seemed like an atypical St. Patrick’s day activity, yet we did see plenty of greenery and had a fun time celebrating in our own way.

How did you spend your St. Patrick’s day?