SpeedyCog

Killer commute

andrew — Thu, 10 May 2012 22:26:21 +0000

As a recovering 100 mile-per-day commuter, this hits home.

Biking Lava Coast

andrew — Wed, 09 May 2012 00:00:33 +0000

Mike Curiak reports on his trip with Dave Gray, Pete Basinger, and Brian Blair to bike in southwest Alaska—aka, the Lava Coast.

In his words:

[We would] fly from Anchorage to the Alaska Peninsula village of Cold Bay with bikes and boats. We’d head north along the coast, eventually to Port Moller. Brian would join us there, continuing northward to Meshik.

I did some google maps plotting to see whereabouts these places are. (Fun SEO fact: Mike mentions Meshik once on that page and it’s landed him #4 on a google search of the word.) Check out the maps below (or the links above) and you’ll get a tiny perspective of where these guys went.

Cold Bay

Port Moller

Meshik

The photos made it look like a lot of fun.

Then the reality hits:

Check out the reports one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, and nine.

Biking make cities cool

andrew — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 03:35:46 +0000

I though this was a climate-related video. Nope. It’s ‘cool’ as in ‘awesome.’

And Portland is awesome.

How Bikes Make Cities Cool – Portland from Kona Bikes on Vimeo.

The three top-secret climbing secrets

andrew — Sat, 17 Mar 2012 22:20:37 +0000

Legs, lungs, and will-power.

Save your money.

Source: s3.amazonaws.com via Rebecca.

I’m going to ride here one day

andrew — Mon, 12 Mar 2012 06:43:56 +0000

Source: stephenoachs.com via Mackenzie on Pinterest

Beautifully rendered instructions

andrew — Sat, 10 Mar 2012 06:45:49 +0000

Source: flickr.com via Diego on Pinterest

Epic downhill

andrew — Fri, 09 Mar 2012 06:38:19 +0000

Source: stumbleupon.com via Kmegan on Pinterest

Let’s go ride bikes!

andrew — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 06:37:31 +0000

Source: etsy.com via Jim on Pinterest

Portland commuting

andrew — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 05:46:54 +0000

I’m afraid I’ve let this blog gather some cobwebs since this summer. I had big plans on turning SpeedyCog into something far more than a blog. Clearly it isn’t even a simple blog! I’m not making any commitments to keep it updated…yet, but do have a few things I’d like to share.

I’ve been commuting in Portland for several months now. Yes, I take the train on occasion, but at least half of my commute is via bike. And I really like it. It’s refreshing to get my heart rate up and blow off the stress of the day. In a few months I’ll move and my commute-via-bike won’t be as feasible. But I’m brainstorming ways I can still make it work. We’ll see.

In the mean time, I found this infographic showing the benefits of a two-wheeled solution to better health.

Created by: Healthcare Management Degree

Be Brave, Be Strong Review

andrew — Wed, 17 Aug 2011 02:05:17 +0000

When Jill Homer recently give a shout-out to her twitter followers asking if anyone would like to borrow her latest book, Be Brave, Be Strong in Kindle format, I jumped at the chance. I’d been wanting to read it but having recently lost my job, couldn’t justify even the few dollars for the ebook.

But before I get into the book, let me just say that I’m a closet Tour Divide hopeful. It’s been an obsession from the first time I heard about the race several years ago. Every ride—long or short—ignites some small fantasy that I’m cresting a pass in Montana or rocketing down into a New Mexican valley. I’ve listened to virtually every MTBCast for the last five years and have watched the movement of many a blue dot. Clearly, I need professional help.

But when Jill announced she was writing a book on her experience riding the Divide, I knew I wanted to read it. Maybe to live vicariously, maybe to fuel the obsession.

Be Brave, Be Strong starts with Jill’s Iditarod trail invitational race and her recounting, with striking and beautiful detail, her experience there and what lead her scratch. That race sets the stage for the rest of the book and reminds the reader that ultra endurance bike races aren’t for the faint of heart; they’re for the fit, the prepared, and the lucky. And maybe the crazy.

The book also recounts other lead-ins to her decision to race the Divide: her work-a-day life and her relationship (and ultimate break-up) with her long-time boyfriend Geoff. Some have said that this part of the book was wholly unnecessary, but I disagree. While some of the story made me squirm for Geoff and Misty (I’m glad I never dated any authors…awkward), this glimpse into Jill’s mind helped later to understand where some of the fire and drive to finish came from. (Dang right she’s not dropping at Kremmling!)

I did have mixed feelings about how much detail needed to be shared about the other relationship showcased in the book—that of Jill and John Nobile. The pair toured together for a good portion of the route and it was an important part of the overall story. But, again, there were many a part that made me thank my stars I never dated an author; I couldn’t help but feel for the guy.

The rest of the book give the reader all fodder he or she needs to breathe life to that stunningly crazy notion to ride the route themselves. Jill describes—almost poetically—the beauty, the exhilaration, the loneliness, the slog, and the fear she experienced while on route. I especially enjoyed the telling of how she managed to cross the Great Divide Basin despite a crippling mechanical and almost cheered as she later rolled into Pie Town New Mexico and enjoyed a meal at the almost never open Pie-O-Neer Cafe.

The ups were equally balanced with the downs, however. The endless slogging through mud, the accident involving Pete Basinger, and the hippy convention in the woods served as a reminder that the Divide can be brutal, unforgiving, and just plain weird.

All-in-all it was a great read for anyone interested in the race, the route, or bikepacking in general. Nice work, Jill.