Today I parked in Callingwood and rode 13.7 km to work instead of only 9. It was great; the first two or three kilometers are on a multi-use path that doesn't see much multi-use (I saw maybe 3 pedestrians the whole way.) The path does have a few branch-offs and of course I managed to take one of those. Instead of coming out across from WEM's Target, I found myself in a nice quiet neighbourhood, with no obvious way out. So I had to backtrack and find the right path. Other than that, it was an uneventful ride to the 100 Avenue shared sidewalk. From there I followed my normal route through the River Valley to downtown. It took me about half an hour, which wasn't bad at all.
The trip back to my car was another story altogether. When the afternoon class ended, I looked out the window and saw dark sky. Hmm, I thought: Looks like rain. I got packed up and ready to ride, and by the time I stepped outside, it was not raining, it was pouring. My two Ukrainian students stood on the steps with me and told me that if you can see bubbles in the puddles, it means the rain is going to last. I laughed. But they were right. We stood there, waiting for the rain to stop, but that didn't happen. There was thunder and lightening. Some of those thunder claps were nothing short of terrifying.
Finally, there was a bit of a lull and I decided to bite the bullet and go for it. I unlocked my bike and brought it close to the steps, carried my panniers down, hitched them on and took off. By the time I reached the corner of 102 Avenue and 124 Street, in front of MEC, it was coming down harder than ever.
I exchanged a few words with a fellow cyclist. He was enviously eyeing my fenders; I was lusting after his rain jacket. But, he assured me, the rain jacket wasn't doing him any good. I believed it.
As I continued west along 102 Avenue, I could see flooding on all the side streets, with water flowing south onto 102 Ave. Riding as fast as I could, I skirted the bigger puddles, rode through the smaller puddles and kept going until I reached the crosswalk to the pedestrian bridge at Crestwood. It was still pretty wet there, but by the time I got to 100 Avenue and the shared sidewalk, the rain had lessened considerably. And by the time I reached 163 Street, there was no rain. The road was dry and the rest of the route looked like it had never seen the rain.
When I reached my car, my shoes were soaked, but my pants were already somewhat dry, so I simply slipped off my jersey (worn on top of my regular top) substituted my sandals for my riding shoes, and all was well. I even stopped in at Safeway to do some shopping before stopping to get Little Granddaughter's laundry.
Yet another day to be glad I rode my bike instead of driving!
Monday, July 8, 2013
Sunday, July 7, 2013
to wear or not to wear...
a helmet, that is.
For many cyclists, that is the question. Since I began bicycle commuting about three years ago, a few of my students and co-workers have been inspired to do the same, leading to some discussion about helmets. No, I answer, wearing a helmet is not required by law. Yes, I wear a helmet. No, I do not necessarily believe that wearing a helmet will protect riders from injury. Yes, I do prefer riding helmetless. No, I did not wear a helmet as a child, or a teen, or a twenty, thirty or forty-something. In fact, until three years ago I almost never wore a bicycle helmet. I deemed it unnecessary, unattractive and a nuisance.What changed? Not my hairstyle -- I still have long hair. Not my experience -- I have never fallen and hit my head while cycling. (My knee, yes. My gluteus maximus, yes. My tailbone, yes. But I haven't yet started wearing kneepads or tailbone pads.) But what has changed is my attitude. Prior to becoming a bicycle commuter, I was a recreational cyclist. I rode to the store, to friend's homes, to the library, on the trails around town. But I generally rode during low-traffic times, in fair weather only, at low speeds and for short distances. In short, although I complied with traffic rules and rode my bike on the street, I did not think of myself as a particularly serious cyclist.
When I began commuting to work, that changed. Suddenly I was riding my bike during rush hour, on busy city streets, in all weather. I was interacting with motorists in a new way, not exactly competing, but definitely being tested and on exhibit. Drivers' perception of me became exponentially more significant than it had ever been before. And I started wearing a helmet.
Arguments against mandatory bicycle helmets usually have two main points: 1) helmets are not effective in preventing injuries and deaths; 2) helmet-wearing cyclists take more risks and are less careful than those who do not wear helmets. In both of these statements there is, no doubt, more than a kernel of truth.
It doesn't take scientific studies to convince me that if a cyclist going 25 km/hour is struck by a car driving two to four times faster, only a miracle will prevent serious injury or even death. Helmets are not even consistently effective in preventing concussion. A recent article on the CBC website states that "A 1996 study found that more than half of U.S. riders who sustained concussions were wearing a helmet." Apparently since bicycle helmet safety standards were established in 1999, much new information has emerged about concussion causes and prevention, but helmet design and requirements have not kept pace. So the helmet I wear every day while riding to and from work may or may not protect me if I fall and hit my head. Great. But, I tell myself, there are no good statistics on how many concussions were prevented by wearing a helmet. After all, when Hubby fell off his bike and hit his helmeted head, he did not rush to Stats Can to report his near miss. No one, other than a few friends and family members, is privy to this bit of information. And absolutely no one knows what would have happened had his head been bare. I'm sure his is not the only such story.
As for the second argument -- perhaps this is true. But for every helmet-wearing cyclist who considers himself invincible because of that piece of glossy-plastic-coated molded styrofoam on his head, there must be two or three like me, who wittingly or unwittingly follow the advice of Robert Hurst, author of The Art of Urban Cycling, and "wear helmets but ride as if they don't." After all, it is my inherently cautious nature that compels me to wear a helmet, and that nature doesn't change the moment I cover my head.
So, why do I wear a helmet and recommend that others do, too?
The possibility of protection from a head injury carries some weight, to be sure. But my real reasons are a little more subjective.
First, I want to be perceived as a serious cyclist, someone who takes my own and others' safety seriously. Wearing a helmet is one way I attempt to communicate this to those around me.
The bottom line for me, however, is something I have never seen directly addressed. Recently there have been a few cycling accidents in Edmonton. In news articles about such accidents, a subtly condemnatory line can frequently be found: "The man/boy was not wearing a helmet." Never mind whether the outcome would have been different had a helmet been worn. Who really knows, anyway? But for some reason, this piece of information is included. And this clinches it for me. If my entry into "that good night" is precipitated by a cycling accident, I do not want my epitaph to be, "The cyclist was not wearing a helmet."
Saturday, July 6, 2013
Fort Edmonton
Today Teenage Son, Hubby and I went to Fort Edmonton with #2 Son, Daughter-in-Law and Little Granddaughter.
I left here at about 8:45 and rode Miranda to Edmonton. This was a first for me. Yes. Although we have lived here for more than 13 years, I have never before ridden my bike into the city. I did try once, many years ago. #2 Son and I set out with good intentions, but made it only to the overpass across the train tracks (about 5 km out of town) before I got a flat tire. We didn't have a spare tube or any tools with us, so we called Hubby to pick us up, and that was that. Since then I have thought many times about riding in, but until today I didn't actually make it happen.
It was a good ride: 24.5 km from our house to the parking spot in Callingwood. It was not exactly warm, but at 15 degrees and with a light northwest wind, it was very pleasant riding weather. I rode on 16A and Anthony Henday, then took 87 Avenue to the multi-use pathway that winds south to the pedestrian overpass across the Whitemud. When I arrived at the parking spot, I saw that my average speed was exactly 29 km/hour. This included stopping at numerous stop signs and red lights, so I thought that wasn't too bad. I didn't ride hard, but didn't slack either, so it was a comfortable speed. Next time (yes, I am already thinking ahead) I'll try to go faster.
This was the first time I have ridden any significant distance without any real hills. I thought it would be boring, but it wasn't, and the various landmarks -- the unofficial used car and RV lot; the highway 60 exit; the landfill -- went by quickly. Although this ride is not nearly as picturesque as my north country rides, it was surprisingly enjoyable, and I'm glad I broke the ice and finally did it.
I met up with Hubby and Teenage Son at the Callingwood parking lot, and from there we rode through Wolf Willow into the ravine. Now, that was an adventure. I knew we had to go down some stairs. So we did. At the bottom, I expected to turn right, but the trail didn't give us that option. Fortunately, just then a woman came by with her dog and I asked her for directions. Turns out we had gone down the wrong stairs. "You want the 200 stairs," she said. Great!
About face, carry bikes up stairs (maybe 50?) and head for the other set of stairs. Two hundred stairs is a lot of stairs! Especially when you have to carry a bike. But we made it down and crossed a small bridge and came to yet another obstacle: a washed-out section of trail. Dismount yet again; carry bikes through the crater left by the floodwaters. Once we were finally on the right trail, all went smoothly and we came to the Fort Edmonton footbridge. From there it's just a short ride to the Fort itself, where we met the others.
We had a great time walking around the park, looking at the historical buildings, eating together and enjoying Little Granddaughter's happy smiles.
After we got home, I decided to take a spin on my vintage ten-speed. I just rode to the end of the trail and back again -- maybe a twenty-minute ride -- but somehow along the way I managed to lose my cell phone. When I realized I had dropped it, I had to decide: do I retrace my ride, or just go home and wait for the phone call? I decided on the latter course, and it turned out I chose well: as I was putting my bike in the rack, I could hear the phone ringing inside the house. Sure enough, it was the guy who had found my phone. He lives just up the street, so we took Maggie for a walk and stopped at his house along the way. What would this world be like without neighbours like him?
Now it's time to finish laundry and do some house-cleaning.
I left here at about 8:45 and rode Miranda to Edmonton. This was a first for me. Yes. Although we have lived here for more than 13 years, I have never before ridden my bike into the city. I did try once, many years ago. #2 Son and I set out with good intentions, but made it only to the overpass across the train tracks (about 5 km out of town) before I got a flat tire. We didn't have a spare tube or any tools with us, so we called Hubby to pick us up, and that was that. Since then I have thought many times about riding in, but until today I didn't actually make it happen.
It was a good ride: 24.5 km from our house to the parking spot in Callingwood. It was not exactly warm, but at 15 degrees and with a light northwest wind, it was very pleasant riding weather. I rode on 16A and Anthony Henday, then took 87 Avenue to the multi-use pathway that winds south to the pedestrian overpass across the Whitemud. When I arrived at the parking spot, I saw that my average speed was exactly 29 km/hour. This included stopping at numerous stop signs and red lights, so I thought that wasn't too bad. I didn't ride hard, but didn't slack either, so it was a comfortable speed. Next time (yes, I am already thinking ahead) I'll try to go faster.
This was the first time I have ridden any significant distance without any real hills. I thought it would be boring, but it wasn't, and the various landmarks -- the unofficial used car and RV lot; the highway 60 exit; the landfill -- went by quickly. Although this ride is not nearly as picturesque as my north country rides, it was surprisingly enjoyable, and I'm glad I broke the ice and finally did it.
I met up with Hubby and Teenage Son at the Callingwood parking lot, and from there we rode through Wolf Willow into the ravine. Now, that was an adventure. I knew we had to go down some stairs. So we did. At the bottom, I expected to turn right, but the trail didn't give us that option. Fortunately, just then a woman came by with her dog and I asked her for directions. Turns out we had gone down the wrong stairs. "You want the 200 stairs," she said. Great!
About face, carry bikes up stairs (maybe 50?) and head for the other set of stairs. Two hundred stairs is a lot of stairs! Especially when you have to carry a bike. But we made it down and crossed a small bridge and came to yet another obstacle: a washed-out section of trail. Dismount yet again; carry bikes through the crater left by the floodwaters. Once we were finally on the right trail, all went smoothly and we came to the Fort Edmonton footbridge. From there it's just a short ride to the Fort itself, where we met the others.
We had a great time walking around the park, looking at the historical buildings, eating together and enjoying Little Granddaughter's happy smiles.
After we got home, I decided to take a spin on my vintage ten-speed. I just rode to the end of the trail and back again -- maybe a twenty-minute ride -- but somehow along the way I managed to lose my cell phone. When I realized I had dropped it, I had to decide: do I retrace my ride, or just go home and wait for the phone call? I decided on the latter course, and it turned out I chose well: as I was putting my bike in the rack, I could hear the phone ringing inside the house. Sure enough, it was the guy who had found my phone. He lives just up the street, so we took Maggie for a walk and stopped at his house along the way. What would this world be like without neighbours like him?
Now it's time to finish laundry and do some house-cleaning.
Friday, July 5, 2013
in the big ring
Today I stayed in the big ring the whole ride. As I eyed this hill, which doesn't actually end where it seems to, but starts again after the high point visible in the photo, I wondered if I would be able to make it without switching into the middle ring. After all, the wind was against me. But I made it. I worked hard and didn't even have to gear down really low. There is a slight downhill before the climb begins, but because of the wind today, the downhill wasn't a lot of help.
After the big climb I rode down to Roller Coaster Road and climbed again. I counted the hills this time. There are only four, but the first one is a three-parter. The second hill has two small but steep bumps; the third is a single climb and the fourth hill is the killer. Riding downhill again after the turn-around point, it's obvious that it was a significant climb to the top. This is also where the pavement is of the fat-jiggling, bone-mass-building variety. Sadly as I was speeding downhill, building bone mass and jiggling the last vestiges of fat off my already rather skinny frame, the cadence magnets fell off my pedal. Next time I ride there I'll check to see if I can find them, but I don't feel optimistic about it.
The lilacs on Lilac Lane are almost finished blooming. Now the roadside is lined with white and yellow flowers which I have not yet identified. They smell pretty good, though, so that's all right.
Distance: 51.76 km.
Thursday, July 4, 2013
Shopping for cycling
I've noticed something about hobbies. They force you to go shopping.
Unlike many women, I am not normally a big fan of shopping. Other than for Christmas shopping, you will rarely see me at the mall or at any store, for that matter. I do like checking out thrift shops and garage sales, but even at those I am not exactly a big spender.
But the bike shop (or the bike department of a sporting-goods store) is another story. I stopped in at MEC twice this week. If I ride through the city, it is right on my way. And today I urgently needed a helmet.
Yesterday my need for a helmet was not as urgent, but on the weekend when Teenage Son had to change his tire, I realized how handy it is to have spare tubes in stock, especially since Canadian Tire doesn't carry all the needed sizes. So I bought two each for Hubby's and my bikes. And a set of tire levers to keep in the garage.
At lunchtime yesterday I walked to Forzani's Tech Shop. I like to go for a walk anyway on my lunch break and this store is sort of irresistible. They cram a lot of stuff into a small space and always have some good sales. I combed through the myriad pairs of cycling shorts until I finally found two extra-smalls, on sale for about $25 each. Score! It's hard to find the smallest size, especially at that price. Now I can get rid of my too-big pairs -- they kept catching on the nose of the bike saddle.
And last week, while I was off work, I ran into a great deal on a vintage 10-speed road bike, similar to the one I had when I was in high school. But better. This one has classy deep red paint and a step-thru frame. It is in great condition, although I did need to replace the back tire.
I'm afraid Bike Shop Guy didn't feel the vintage vibe and used a plain black rubber tire instead of the gumwall. Oh well, it still looks pretty good and it's fun to ride. I am still getting used to it, though, and so far have only ridden on the trails close to home.
fallen trees and other sights
Back to work and bicycle commuting after a very stormy weekend, I wasn't completely surprised to see this on the 100 Avenue shared sidewalk:
There is just enough room to get through on a bike, but it definitely cramps one's style!
I don't think this next obstacle was the result of the storm. The photo was taken after someone tidied up a bit. The tree and shopping cart were part of the scenery on my commute every day this week.
I didn't take a photo of the dead cat I passed on my way to work this morning. Fortunately it was gone by the time I rode back to the car.
Other than this, it was a great -- though short -- week of riding my bike to and from work.
Today I forgot my helmet. My spare helmet, which I normally keep in the car, just in case, was out on loan. The result -- I rode to work bare-headed and noticed something interesting: my uncovered braided hair seemed to attract a lot of male attention. Much more than my helmet does. It was a strange feeling, since I normally consider myself quite inconspicuous when riding.
As I was heading out of downtown, I sat at a red light beside two police cars. They were in the turning lane and I was in the going-straight lane. Oh no, I thought, half-expecting a comment along the lines of: "You really should wear a helmet." But no, the guys in the first car simply gave me a friendly smile. And the guy in the second car not only smiled, but said, "Have a nice day."
I had been planning to buy a new helmet anyway, as my old one is getting a bit grubby, so I stopped at MEC and bought a shiny white one. I also finally found some extra-small riding gloves, so I bought those, too.
I also stopped at the Russian market in Callingwood -- European Deli, or some such name -- where I bought some yummy peaches and nectarines and a few Jonagold apples. And, I cannot tell a lie, every time I go to this store I buy at least one bar of dark chocolate and often a fresh poppy seed roll. A word of warning: this is NOT the store to visit if you are trying to lose weight.
There is just enough room to get through on a bike, but it definitely cramps one's style!
I don't think this next obstacle was the result of the storm. The photo was taken after someone tidied up a bit. The tree and shopping cart were part of the scenery on my commute every day this week.
Other than this, it was a great -- though short -- week of riding my bike to and from work.
Today I forgot my helmet. My spare helmet, which I normally keep in the car, just in case, was out on loan. The result -- I rode to work bare-headed and noticed something interesting: my uncovered braided hair seemed to attract a lot of male attention. Much more than my helmet does. It was a strange feeling, since I normally consider myself quite inconspicuous when riding.
As I was heading out of downtown, I sat at a red light beside two police cars. They were in the turning lane and I was in the going-straight lane. Oh no, I thought, half-expecting a comment along the lines of: "You really should wear a helmet." But no, the guys in the first car simply gave me a friendly smile. And the guy in the second car not only smiled, but said, "Have a nice day."
I had been planning to buy a new helmet anyway, as my old one is getting a bit grubby, so I stopped at MEC and bought a shiny white one. I also finally found some extra-small riding gloves, so I bought those, too.
I also stopped at the Russian market in Callingwood -- European Deli, or some such name -- where I bought some yummy peaches and nectarines and a few Jonagold apples. And, I cannot tell a lie, every time I go to this store I buy at least one bar of dark chocolate and often a fresh poppy seed roll. A word of warning: this is NOT the store to visit if you are trying to lose weight.
Monday, July 1, 2013
lazy days of summer
So far, it's been a hot (almost 30 degrees) and lazy July 1st. Hubby couldn't be persuaded to venture out to one of the nearby Canada Day celebrations so we are having an in-house BBQ instead.
Teenage Son wanted to ride his bike to meet some friends. Problem: his mountain bike is out of commission. We bought it in the spring and it has been in the shop more than out of it. Still not working properly. Hopefully we can get it taken care of once and for all this week, but not today; the shop is closed. His road bike had two flat tires and Presta valves. Our air compressor doesn't work with Prestas, so we watched a YouTube video on how to use adapters. The front tire inflated lickety-split. Not so the back. Turns out the valve was broken. We needed tubes for some of the other bikes anyway (I think each of our bikes uses a different tube) so I decided to ride Bonnie Blue to Canadian Tire to get some. The only ones they had in stock were the road bike tubes, so I bought two of those. When I returned home, I got to pass on what I learned earlier this season about changing tire tubes by showing Teenage Son how to do it. It was a little harder with the road bike tire; in fact, it took two of us to both take off and put on the tire. But we got it done. And he was happy.
At Canadian Tire as I was unlocking my bike and getting ready to leave, I met an older couple on their bikes. We chatted a bit, and then they asked about my Basil panniers, wondering where I'd bought them, so I told them about MEC and their amazing selection of bicycle bags. (Unfortunately, there is no local shop that carries this sort of thing.) I love to encourage others to ride a bike more often!
Last week I also bought a front basket and fenders for Bonnie Blue, so I plan to test my skills again and attach them during the next couple of days.
And tomorrow it's back to work, so my mind has been busy planning the first day of classes. Flexibility is always paramount when teaching ESL, but especially so on the first day in a program such as ours. Registration occurs during the session's first week, so we are never sure until the last minute exactly who our students will be or how many students we'll have. And since our students are all ages and come from such varied backgrounds, the composition of the classes can be quite different from session to session. I always plan a variety of things and use the ones that seem suitable. It's been nice to have a week off, but I'm looking forward to going back, to riding my bike to and from work, and to seeing old students again and meeting new ones. My co-worker is a great person, too, so it's always nice to see her again as well.
Teenage Son wanted to ride his bike to meet some friends. Problem: his mountain bike is out of commission. We bought it in the spring and it has been in the shop more than out of it. Still not working properly. Hopefully we can get it taken care of once and for all this week, but not today; the shop is closed. His road bike had two flat tires and Presta valves. Our air compressor doesn't work with Prestas, so we watched a YouTube video on how to use adapters. The front tire inflated lickety-split. Not so the back. Turns out the valve was broken. We needed tubes for some of the other bikes anyway (I think each of our bikes uses a different tube) so I decided to ride Bonnie Blue to Canadian Tire to get some. The only ones they had in stock were the road bike tubes, so I bought two of those. When I returned home, I got to pass on what I learned earlier this season about changing tire tubes by showing Teenage Son how to do it. It was a little harder with the road bike tire; in fact, it took two of us to both take off and put on the tire. But we got it done. And he was happy.
At Canadian Tire as I was unlocking my bike and getting ready to leave, I met an older couple on their bikes. We chatted a bit, and then they asked about my Basil panniers, wondering where I'd bought them, so I told them about MEC and their amazing selection of bicycle bags. (Unfortunately, there is no local shop that carries this sort of thing.) I love to encourage others to ride a bike more often!
Last week I also bought a front basket and fenders for Bonnie Blue, so I plan to test my skills again and attach them during the next couple of days.
And tomorrow it's back to work, so my mind has been busy planning the first day of classes. Flexibility is always paramount when teaching ESL, but especially so on the first day in a program such as ours. Registration occurs during the session's first week, so we are never sure until the last minute exactly who our students will be or how many students we'll have. And since our students are all ages and come from such varied backgrounds, the composition of the classes can be quite different from session to session. I always plan a variety of things and use the ones that seem suitable. It's been nice to have a week off, but I'm looking forward to going back, to riding my bike to and from work, and to seeing old students again and meeting new ones. My co-worker is a great person, too, so it's always nice to see her again as well.
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