HEY EVERYONE! Thursday, May 12th is Bike to Work Day!

I actually get really excited about Bike to Work Day. I don’t know why – I bike to work EVERY day (well, almost every day). My first year in the area I lived in El Cerrito and commuted to San Francisco, so I couldn’t fully participate (moved in 3 weeks later), which meant 2009 was my first (and so far only) time. And it was surprisingly awesome! People really get pumped up about riding their bike to work, and apparently a lot of folks get inspired to ditch their car, or skip public transport, or whatever and just join the mob mentality for a day. I’m not sure why these folks don’t always bike to work, but the point is that they got really excited and that was infectious.

So by May of 2010 I had been getting gradually more and more excited about Bike to Work Day. I was set to volunteer afterwards outside of Rainbow Grocery. And then I got sick. Horribly sick. I did not bike to work last year on Bike to Work Day. I didn’t bike anywhere. I took Muni to the doctor, and it sucked. So 2009 is my only year so far!

Despite how much it sounds like I might be jinxing myself here, this will not happen again. Yours truly will be biking to work on May 12, and I’ll even be participating in the Bike to Work Day Challenge – that is, to dress up on your ride and throughout the day. I decided to do this since a)I bike to work everyday and b)my job is SO casual that this will actually stand out! (I usually wear a t-shirt and a second-hand pair of pants, usually with some bike grease on them)

I’ll also be volunteering after work at the Bike to Work Day party, relishing in the excitement (and hopefully recruiting a new member or too). I am totally pumped for Bike to Work Day 2011, and want to spread the enthusiasm. Biking to Work is awesome! The only thing more awesome then Biking To Work, is Biking To Something Cooler Then Work!

May 10th, 2011
Categories: Biking, Featured Home . Author: Severe . Comments: No Comments

This Labor Day my friend Josh suggested we take a bike ride to Sausalito, which struck me as a great idea. I’m at least partially responsible for Josh’s interest in biking – I “conned” him into volunteering with me at the Tour de Fat last year, and then again at Winterfest, where he ended up buying a new bike at the auction, so it was cool for him to come up with the idea. I met him at Polkers (on Polk St of course) and we took off. All in all the trip was about 28 miles (17 miles from Polkers to Tiburon, with 5 miles to Polkers and 6 home from the Ferry, but I’m getting ahead of myself).

The ride was pretty easy for the most part, although it took me a little to get used to the constant cycling (I’m used to stoplights and the like). Honestly, the biggest incline we took was getting to Golden Gate Bridge (aside from an unnecessary detour – fuck that road sign that veered us off the main road in the North Bay!). Riding over the Golden Gate Bridge was most enjoyable, and packed full of people (many of them tourists who obviously rented their bikes, but whatever).

The above picture was actually taken on the boat ride home a few hours later, but you get the point.

Once over the bridge, we pulled over for a quick beer in Sausalito, and then casually rode through the rest of the town. I especially enjoyed the houseboats – although I don’t think I’d want to live on one. This part of the ride was especially scenic.

And we found a public stretch of “beach” that was just too cool not to take a group picture at!

After realizing the North Bay was actually pretty nice, we settled in for some real riding. After passing through Sausalito and the outskirts of Marin City (at some point stopping to get some free tea from the Sausalito Art Fair), it was pretty much straight riding until the end. It was nice, but somewhat empty or industrialized, at least until we got around the bend before Tiburon:

By this point, we were thirsty and starving, so after meeting up in Tiburon we grabbed some food and some weak Tanqueray and Tonics from Sam’s Anchor Cafe (we ended up getting an extra shot apiece). Unsatisfied, then we grabbed chips and more beer from another place in the Ferry mall (where I saw plenty of those rented bikes NOT locked up at all…tourists), and hopped on the Ferry back. The ride was $10, which was a little steep, but the ride was gorgeous and they served beer, so I guess I can’t complain. I snapped the above photo of the Golden Gate bridge, and a few others. Josh grabbed this one of me:

After that, it was just a quick ride home on familiar territory through the embarcadero.

Josh and I lost each other at the end, but in both cases I think our heads hurt more then our legs the morning after….

The End.

September 14th, 2010
Categories: Biking . Author: Severe . Comments: 2 Comments