11 posts tagged “biking”
My Friend Neil and I boarded the 9am Ferry to Victoria and arrived at Schwartz Bay around 10 30 A M got on the Lochside bike trail which is great trail- mostly-away for the main roads.
The Lochside Trail does take you along the water for a few kilometers and has a mild incline all the way to Victoria but you hardly notice it when pleading your bike.
Neil’s bike computer said it took us 2 hrs and 9mins to get to Victoria. Were we met Neil’s daughter and guests for lunch at Pagliacci's Victoria’s only New York Italian Jewish style Restaurant.
The Restaurant featured a display of Shirt and Denim Jacket that actor Javier Bardem wore playing the role of Anton Chigurh in No Country of Old Men.
At about 10 minutes to 2pm we said our good byes and hit the streets of Victoria back to the Schwartz Bay Ferry Terminal we decided take the freeway back for the last 15 k of the ride so the we could catch the 4pm ferry back to Tsawwassen. Although we had to push it a bit we made back to the terminal with about 10 mins to spare and ferry left the dock at 4:03pm and we arrived back at Tsawwwassen by 5:45pm. It turned out to be a very nice day trip which I be happy to do again.
Photo by Luton.
I understand the Sky Train Line to UBC will not being going down Broadway but will be underground line that will underground like that will under 10th West. This does not sound like a good idea to me not only will ruin the best bike street in Vancouver but displace lot of good rental housing that is currently on 10 Ave West. Just thought you want to know.
Funny thing this item was left our of Georgia Straignt Urban Cycling which feels the big issue in Vancouver Bike is Burrard Bridge Upgarde which is a non issue for me.
Here a quick summary of my first at shot leading a Vancouver Bike Club Leisure Ride.
Saturday Leisure Rides Back On Track (Sardines Fairly Safe)
11 Bikers turned out for Sept 1st Leisure Ride. Based on the group we
stuck to the classic 3 hour ride format. Thanks to Mark of Mountain
Bike ride leader fame who lead a mini escargot ride with one of our
members.
So off to Iona Beach the group went after a nice break and hearing about the
Great Success and Adventures that Owen had this summer in his first
season of bike racing. The group headed back to Vancouver. Cameron and
Teresa had the hearts set on the Sardine Festival so they turn off
towards Stevenson.
The rest of the group went over the Arthur Lang Bride and we stopped at
Granville and 60th street for coffee where we ran into another club
member who had been out with Victor earlier that morning. The group
made it back Kits at about 1:30 it was very nice ride thanks for
everyone turning out. Next Leisure Sept 8 at 10am Teresa leading.
Saturday Leisure Rides Live on. Brian S
Well for the first long ride of March I met some Vancouver Bike Club members and we rode from Vancouver to PoCo to Port Moody via the Barrent Highway Back to Vancouver for a cool 70k. It was great ride and I was able to keep up on the flats and my hill climbing is improving. Club member was geat help and fun time. Since I bike 20K on Saturday it was a 90 k weekend.
Last Fridays Night Critical Mass got off to a great start the weather was clear and temp was mild the turn out was good and the speeches were short.
As you can see from the photo no really cared about the Olympic Countdown Clock that was at the Vancouver Art Gallery.
The Ride zigged and zag around down town for about hour and then crossed the Burrard Bridge west to Kits were some undercover cops confronted the ride put did not pull anyone over. Which is a very good thing people seemed happy and we rode over the Granvilie Bridge where Critical Mass run into a sit down protester of its before turned off the retail core to Yaletown were the big condos keep breeding past GM place were some of did a little informal sprint racing and up the hill to the Anza club were the ride broke up. It was fun evening ride.
Its was action packed 24hrs. Shelley and I danced Saturday night after meeting a whole bunch of Vancouver Fellow Americans. Although I don't really think of Commercial Drive as a hot bed of Blue Grass Music, but I was wrong.
What could only be called and Orchestra of Blue Grass Hillbilly Music Called the Cornbinders were playing at Coffee House on Commercial Drive. I was told by the band leader that I was not allowed to leave and must move the tables to make a dance Floor. Well it sounded fun so I moved a couple of chairs and band started playing.
Shelley my official dance partner for life was bobbing on the side so I did what any man with two feet should do ask her to dance. We were joined by another American who seemed have a sense their was a dance style to fit the music but with my two left dance feet and a fairly underdeveloped understanding of beat I did my best. While Shelley keep the beat perfectly as always. As the songs changed I got to feel of the full Wall-of-Sound that are the Cornbinders. After a fun slow dance it was time to call it a night and say good-bye to the Americans that I met which was the reason to go out to begin with. The BandLeader thanked up for coming. I drove home with Shelley and our friend Linda in soft rain after fun night out.
The Vancouver Expiates first Meet Up was a big success people who called a lots of different parts of the United States home. Spent of Couple of hours Drinking Beer and talking about what got them to Vancouver while keeping a clear focus on trying to make our time in Canada the best it can be without forgetting America is a really special place.
Everybody I met at the meet up were great and it was a much better Saturday night then renting a movie or Watching Hockey Night in Canada. It was over before it started but the good news it that we can call do it again if we want to and certainly I like to meet-up again.
Well it time to go sleep and get ready for another week but I must say Sunday was also really great. I took the longest bike ride in very long time today with the Vancouver Cycling Club. We rode From Vancouver to Richmond to New West thought Burnaby and across East Vancover back to West Side were I 65k in all. Now it time to get some rest.
Brian
Their I sit on asphalt delivery guy gets our his car apolgizing. It a short 2.5 k ride with slight incline. I normally take the 10 Ave bike street home. Today was different I decided to stop at the store and get some dinner. It was about 5:30 and it was dark. I was riding with my helmet and two small but working bike head lights. I rode up 13 Ave at a normal speed holding a quart of milk and sandwich in small shoping bag. A door up opens quickly and I tired to move around but before I new it I was feel down. Hitting my Right Shoulder first. It hurt and I was a bit shook up. I could feel my shoulder and knee burning. The man in the 1980' BMW got out of his and apolgized. Although that it was nice that he apologized. I felt that he was selfish for not looking before he open his door and threw my off my bike
Well I now at home with a sore shoulder and a bruise ego but I think hopefully I be ok.
Brian
Last nights Critical Mass ride started with the air of a party. The First Biker I met came by with an open box of chocolates. Of course there was normal talks about bike and the holidays. It really was not a massive group about 30 bikers were at the Art Gallery. One female biker was talking about trip she taken to Mexico were she was acting as observer journalist. Her skills likely came useful later in the nights ride.
For the benefits of readers that do not live in the Vancouver area our City will be Hosting the 2010Winter Olympics and Vancouver's Mayor has made cracking down on social disorder a top priority. Biking with-out a helmet was named as a top cause of social disorder in Vancouver. In this backdrop there increased reports of Bikers in Vancouver getting tickets for running stop signs and not having lights on bikes at night.
At about 6pm the group of Mass rides grew to about 80 rides. I always amazed the range of people that come to ride on Critical Mass. There are the people you expect Young Bike Messengers riding their fixed gear bikes. It the riders you don't except that make the ride so joyous. A guy used his bike as RV with BBQ and cooler attached to a extra long frame. Their are older folks that ride 3speeds with mental fenders and young guys riding an extreme mountain bike with disk brakes rotors that rival the size and stopping power of a full size SUV.
At the start of the ride there were a few announcement about a party at local club with a cover charge that seemed like the main concern to the ride leaders. I always wondered if the people make that important annoucement get a cut of the door take. There was very short safety briefing by a guy who told us that all riders were part of one big bus.
The group was off we went down one set of blocks and turned up Granville Street and then past the Main Library down to Hastings street up the hill toward Commercial drive no real problems except that the riders has spread out over about three blocks.
All of a sudden a gray unmarked police car blocks traffic for the ride at a Commercial Drive intersection at this point I knew the ride was going to have problems I have never seen VPD help a Critical Mass ride before so I decided to speed up and catch up with the pack next thing I know women tells the pack to pull over and we stop by old body shop and wait.
Reports and rumors fly someone got a ticket for not having a helmet, someone else got a ticket for not having lights on their bike and then after about five mins a clean cut guy who has said he was from Toronto a few mins before ride started rode by the pack yelling out "I going home this is getting weird".
The pack talks about if bikes should go back to the police site to support the rider(s) that got sited. No one really seems to want to turn the ride into an all out confrontation and group stays put for about 10 mins listing to box radio playing dance music. Then another cell phone call comes in and its reported to the group women making the announcements at the start of the ride had been arrested and being taken away in a wagon.
The women with cell phone asked people to go back the site of the police incident but there were conditions and well I broke off with a group of about ten riders that decided to the club that was hosting the after ride party that really was not going to be much of party after all. When I got club a young guy that ride a home-made that put him high up in the air started tried to make everyone feel bad because we did not go back to support the other riders.
I decided to nicely tell this guy I did not agree with him and last thing I heard out of his mouth was I glad I did not get a ticket. Which was how I felt myself and I decided to ride home and eat dinner.
Updated Jan 1pm
A rider that was corking (or interacting with drivers) stopped an un-marked police car he was ticketed and two other riders intervened on the corke's behalf were ticked by police for not wearing helmets. One female rider that was very vocal was hand cuffed by police and taken by wagon and later released before being brought to the station for booking. (This is a typical tactic of VPD. Vancouver riders will have to wait for the next Mass to if this type of incident occurs again.
I took this dutch bike for a ride. To be fair I took women's bike since I have short legs it was the only that really fit me.
The bike has very upright ride and good tries, but i felt its really not a bike Vancouver with the type of hills we have here. It great bike for riding short distances on flat ground. The I rode had 8 internal gears which would work good for riding over bridges and up some hills, but the bikes internal shoe brakes do not have the kind of stopping power I have grown to enjoy with current bikes hand pull disk brakes.
The bike has very good fenders and pump and lock built-in.
But for over 1000.00 you could likely but two good bikes with disk brakes for the price of the 8 speed model.
On sunday instead of driving to Costco I rode the bike the 3k and put 65 bucks worth food in my saddle bags. I got a workout and deal on some steaks. Brian
