Adopt a bike lane designer

Do bike lane designers actually ride bikes?  How about construction workers on road crews?  I think not.

Yesterday morning, as I biked through a languishing road construction project in the dark, I encountered a temporary "uneven pavement" sign in the middle of the bike lane.  Lucky for me, I have a bright headlight and the signboard itself was reflective.  Click on the digitally-brightened photo at left for a better view (snapped from a video).  This nonsense happens all the time.

This is the same section of road where workers routinely set out traffic cones in the bike lane every month.  The crews only work a few days per month, since DOT starts more projects than it can ever finish to mollify whining legislators.  And every month, unknown unheralded cyclists routinely move them out of the bike lane into the grass, where they stand valiantly until the next month.

Earlier this week, the same crews repainted a temporary bike lane on the opposite side of this road where two car lanes merge into one.  The dotted-line bike lane crosses directly across the right lane, which results in cyclists abruptly forcing cars to merge.  No thanks.  It's already a racetrack where cars sprint from a traffic light to beat the other guy to the merge.  Now I'm not cycling anywhere near this mess with cars around.  Here's a [20-second video].  Luckily, our local cycling advocate met with DOT and they promise a fix soon.

Perhaps we should start an "Adopt a bike lane designer" mentoring program...

RUSA schwag

Medals:  $10

Letters from RUSA presidents:  Priceless

"You are a liar, and I wasn't born yesterday"

I rode the RUSA Carthage Coffee Run 200K again today.  Here are a bunch of tidbits, followed by the signature story of the ride.  Thanks to Jayjay for the photo at the finish.

- The overnight rain stopped just before the start of today's ride.  Woo hoo.
- I did not fall off my bike when my wheels slipped crossing the wet diagonal rails of the New Hope Valley Railway, where they cross New Hill Olive Chapel Rd.
- The two dozen dogs who greeted me were all friendly.
- Traffic was extremely light all day.
- I enjoyed an elusive double tailwind.  The delightful tailwind which spoiled me outbound reversed direction shortly after the turnaround in Carthage.
- At three different times, cars waited patiently for oncoming traffic before passing me safely.
- The predicted afternoon rainstorms never materialized.
- I got to pace a slow freight train, riding almost the same speed as the train, on a section where Old US 1 closely parallels the CSX mainline.
- A funny intuition made me to slow to a crawl as I approached a clueless pedestrian with earphones and dog on the American Tobacco Trail (ATT).  My shouts "On your left" and my bell went unheard just before they abruptly crossed the trail directly into my path.  Uff da.
- I did not fall off my bike while riding in the soupy 'mud feature' on the ATT in Durham County.

A dapper senior gentleman with a zipped leather day-planner book pounced on me at the Sanford checkpoint.  He asked several questions.  First, he asked if I was scouting the route for a bike race in Sanford next month.  He was disappointed I was not.  Next, he asked where I was going.  He was incredulous when I answered Carthage (20 miles / 32km away).  "CARTHAGE!" he shouted in disbelief.  Finally, after describing the last time he had been hit by a car while bicycling, he asked where I had started from.  I said Durham (42 miles / 68km away).  With that, he stared, straightened, and slowly said "Uh huh", in a tone I've heard from many Southern Gentlemen as a way of saying "You are a liar, and I wasn't born yesterday".  With that he turned crisply, said "Ride safe", and walked off.

A great day on the bike.

I'm not walking...

One day last week, I was eating lunch in the corporate cafeteria, silently listening to several of my coworkers argue over a television program.  Noticing that I wasn't talking, which is unusual, and knowing perfectly well that I try not to watch TV, a friend turned and asked my opinion of the show.  I took the bait and went into my usual rant about wasting precious hours of life spectating and watching canned entertainment rather than doing and contributing, yada, yada, yada.

After I settled down and the laughing stopped, he asked seriously:  "So what DO you do?"  I reminded him of my workaholism, then listed family activities, home repairs, DIY projects, etc, etc, etc.  Oh, and bike projects.

Which leads to the subject of this article.  I recently decided to add a few short sections of bike chain to my tool bag, with pins already in place, in case my chain breaks while on the road.  I try to carry 'just enough' tools and parts to keep me riding, instead of walking or calling for a ride, and I think this will enable a quick repair.

But as I was working on this little project today, cleaning an old chain, separating it, and getting the pins right, I kept thinking back to last week's conversation and wondering: "Am I really spending time on this?"  

Well.  Yes, I did.  And yes, I'll be ready in case my chain ever breaks.  For the first time.

Ha.

Where are the ladies?

I rode the RUSA Carthage Coffee Run 200K solo today.  The convenience store clerks in both Merry Oaks and Sanford asked where JJ and MK were today.  And the clerk in Carthage looked around disappointedly and asked if I was riding alone today.  What am I, chopped liver?

Actually, the ladies are more personable than I am, and they make a better impression with the clerks.  I just grunt, scratch, and get back on the road.  Oh well.

The last time we rode this route, MK and I encountered two big nasty dogs just north of Sanford.  Luckily, I did not see them today.  Instead, I encountered a 'dog block party' on Old US 1 west of Bonsal.  At least eight dogs greeted me and ran along both sides of my bike in the morning.  In the afternoon on my return, only three greeted me, but the rest barked from the sidelines.  See [map]

Today's temperatures started just above freezing, and warmed only slightly.  Intermittent light rain showers blew through the region on my return.  It was more like a cold mist spray booth at an amusement park in the summertime.  Water droplets stung my face, covered my glasses, and soaked my clothes and gear, but it was never really raining.  I was very cool all day, but never uncomfortably cold.

On the return, I gambled and rode the American Tobacco Trail to avoid traffic on NC 751.  The first section in Wake County is packed gravel, and was surprisingly dry.  The paved section in Chatham County had only a few puddles.  And the slimy clay mud pits in the Duham County section were no worse than usual.  It was a great choice.

Traffic was very light throughout the day, even near the finish at the intersection where NC 751 crosses I-40.

Overall, a great day on the bike.

A few boring checkpoint [photos]

Once a foamer, always a foamer

"Foamer" is a rude slang term for someone who likes trains.  The stereotype refers to social outcasts who snort and drool while taking photos of trains. [definitions]

I bike-commuted five times in the last two weeks, a recent record for me.  It's been cold.  One morning was 18 degrees F (-8 C).  Another morning was 22 F (-6 C).  But it was never quite cold enough to numb my subconscious urge to sprint to the track to take a photo when I heard the horn of an approaching train.

So on Monday, I heard the horn.  I barely fumbled a glove off and got the camera out, while still sprinting toward the gates, before the locomotive blew through the crossing.  Drat, a fuzzy photo.

Then, as I was reviewing the photo, and still coasting toward the gates, the end of the unusually short train zipped by.  Quick, another shot.  Double drat, a second fuzzy photo.  Arrgh.

A minute later as I resumed biking, I thought I felt frozen liquid covering my chin.   No, it couldn't be...

RAAM 2010 Reunion on New Years Day

A great group of randos rode the RUSA Tar Heel 200 in eastern NC today, in absolutely gorgeous weather for January.  It was comfortably above freezing at the start, and it lingered in the 60s F throughout the afternoon.  There was 'some wind' which was great for the return trip.  My stomach absolutely did not want to ride today, but randos Yungfalbz and Jayjay graciously pulled and pushed me through the entire ride.

The highlight of the day was bumping into a large group of cyclists (perhaps 30?) at the Stedman checkpoint in the afternoon.  The group included RAAM finisher Mary and crew Tom and Jen.  A happy reunion ensued.  (Click on photos to enlarge.)

PS: Do check out Yungfalbz's rad fenders the next time you see her bike.