Nader

I forgot to mention that I saw Nader at Hudson News in Union Station just before Christmas. That makes the third time this year. It seems a little depressing to me that such a distinguished man should be reduced to holding book signings at what is essentially a convenience store. Nestled between the candy rack and the peanut display, Ralph signs books as tired bureaucrats hurry to purchase a soda and a magazine for the train ride home. I know he gets a bad wrap, but it seems strange to see a former presidential candidate reduced to such conditions. Maybe next year he'll get upgraded to Dalton Books.

Miami Christmas

Jeff and I have been enjoying the holidays in my hometown of Miami. In addition to getting in some good family time, it is also nice to have a brief reprieve from the snow and freezing rain. Getting dressed for a cold ride really is a big time commitment. Working up the nerve to put on a cold heart rate monitor, the chilling surprise of ice-cold chamois cream, running around the house to find that missing glove; that's about 30 minutes of prep time right there.

Unlike last year, we have decided not to log in the big miles over the holidays. During the 2008 holiday season one of our big rides was out to Key Largo, which might sound like a good idea, but actually amounts to miles and miles of shoulderless, monotonous roads with limited ocean views. This year we have finally accepted the reality of the lack of bike friendliness in south Florida and have resigned to the one decent road ride in Miami ...out to Key Biscayne. This is also a fairly hectic ride, with very little shoulder available until you finally reach the Rickenbacker Causeway. What a dirty trick, that such a warm place to live should be so intimidating for bikes and pedestrians. (photo: notice the lack of shoulder)

Aside from riding, we have enjoyed doing some tourist stuff. Last night we enjoyed a night on South Beach. Rosa was especially excited to take us to Opa, a Greek restaurant where management regularly encourages customers to dance on the tables. By the end of the evening, even Rosa found herself taking advantage of this rare opportunity to live it up on the table tops. I found Miami Beach to be much more bicycle friendly than I ever remember; however, I was a bit disturbed by the frequency of cyclists riding against traffic while in the bike lane. No really ...it really bothered me ...I'm still irritated just thinking about it.

So, Jeff and I will again head out for a ride to Key Biscayne tomorrow. I'm working on my jersey tan while we're here.

USA Cycling Annual Report

Is it narcissistic to link to yourself? I'm not sure. Either way, here's a link to my recent post on the League Blog.

Kelley Acres in the News!

Kelley Acres Speed Shop in the Frederick Post!

(Me & Joos at Kelley Acres)

Wicks Poetic

In my opinion, Barry Wicks is the best creative writer in the men's pro field.

Cross Nats Reflections posted on VeloNews

Snow Ride!

Originally I had hoped to get in eight hours of ride time this weekend, but now that our free cable has been disconnected and the snow has reached over twenty inches, I really can't bring myself to log in big hours on the rollers. With a brief hiatus from winter training, I was able to enjoy a leisure Saturday morning snow ride. Mr. & Mrs. Outlaw rallied the troops and together we plowed our way around the streets of Frederick. Post ride libations were had at Brewer's Alley. It was a good day.

Frederick Bicycle Coalition

It's official! The Frederick Bicycle Coalition is up and running. Now all we need is a logo and some members! Maybe it's time to brush the dust off the 1999 Frederick County Bikeways and Trail Plan. Those lanes aren't gonna paint themselves. Some other exciting items on our agenda include a pump track proposal as well as ambitions to become Maryland's first BFC (Bicycle Friendly Community). More details to follow...

Climate Summit

Now that I'm also blogging at work, I might as well get my money's worth. Here's a link to a piece on the Climate Summit in Copenhagen: From Climate Summit to US Climate Bill. (photo by J. Peel)

Eatough's Retirement

Last Saturday Jeff and I headed over to Ellicot City for Chris Eatough's surprise retirement party. The gathering was not only a celebration of his racing accomplishments, but also of his character and model sportsmanship throughout his career. Leaving his mark on the mountain bike world, Chris continues his passion for cycling as BikeArlington's program specialist.

More Here>>> "Chris Eatough wraps up storied career"

CoreHaus Grand Opening

James and Sheba announce the GRAND OPENING of the CoreHaus in Petworth on Saturday from 4pm - 8pm. According the the Thrillist their shop specializes in "raw, burly, and unfinished home décor, either found as-is or crafted from discarded objects, all in furtherance of a refined aggro aesthetic he calls industrial vulgar. " I have always admired the rugged elegance of their home decor (especially the giant gear) and look forward to browsing the CoreHaus inventory of industrial vulgarities.

When: Saturday, December 12th
Where: 825 Upshur St NW, Washington, DC.
Time: 4pm -8pm

Food & Refreshments provided
Learn more about James and the Corehaus at the Thrillist.

Gripped Films

A Ride with George Hincapie will be showing this evening (7:30pm) at the Arlington Cinema Drafthouse! Proceeds will go towards the making of Gripped Films upcoming movie, Chasing Legends, scheduled to come out in the spring. Show your support for DC's local talent! More details HERE

Brookings Cycling Symposium

Last night my colleagues and I attended a symposium at the Newseum entitled, "Cities, Bicycles, and the Future of Getting Around". The event gathered some of the most active, passionate, and forward thinking bike advocates in the country including Tim Blumenthal from Bikes Belong, Portland's Bicycle Coordinator Roger Geller, and even our very own Chris Eatough from BikeArlington. (photo courtesy of League staff)

The symposium opened with David Byrne of the Talking Heads, who recently published his book, Bicycle Diaries. David began with a photo of Columbia, MD where his elderly parents now live and are stranded due to the autocentric design of the community. He then went on to highlight some of his favorite books including Twenty Minutes in Manhattan, The Death and Life of Great American Cities, and hmmmm ...damn it, I can't remember the third book. At any rate, he continued with a photo diary of his travels around the world on bike, identifying those places that have successfully created streets with people and community in mind.

Following David, Congressman Earl Blumenauer (an icon in the world of bike policy) opened with what he proclaimes to be the universal question of bike advocates ...and it goes something like this: "How many people are currently stuck in traffic on their way to ride a stationary bike at the gym?". A perverse notion, indeed. He then went on to talk about the new bill he recently introduced to congress that would create $2 billion dollars in federal funds for investments in active transportation. Blumenauer described the cyclist as an indicator species of a healthy community. The hobby ecologist in me loves eco-metaphors.

Jannette Sadik-Kahn, commissioner of the New York city Department of Transportation, closed things up with the announcement the launching of "Cities for Cycling", a new coalition of cities pushing for rapid improvements in bikeway design. Recognizing the lack of federal attention to the issue, the coalition aims to assist transportation planners as they create innovative bikeways by providing them with technical guidance on best practices that have been observed in some of America's most bicycle friendly cities.

Sadly, I forgot my camera at the office and missed a photo op. with David Byrne. Hopefully my quick sketch will suffice. I drew it from memory, so it might not be very accurate.

The Season Ahead

For the upcoming season I have finally decided to simplify my life. Now that I am thirty, I think I am ready to listen to that still, small voice that says to me "Anna, for f#@! sake, stop spreading yourself so thin". So, in honor of my inner wise woman (and the prodding of friends and family) I have finally decided to focus entirely on mountain biking for the 2010 season. As hard as it will be for me to let go of the road scene, I really believe this is the best decision for my mental and physical health.

As one of the newest team members on Gripped Racing, I attended the team's first meeting of the season at Conte's on Thursday night. I've actually never been to any of the Conte's shops, and was very impressed with their overall shop morale and enthusiasm for the team. Team manager, Jason Berry, really has done a great job of putting together a well run team.

Preparing for the season ahead, the 2010 Kenda Cup race schedule has been posted. Although the current organization is a bit confusing, it looks like the 2010 schedule has some good races. I'm especially looking forward to Tsali and Windham.

In other news, good times were had at James and Mel's ugly Christmas sweater party last night. The cherry bomb launching was a real crowd pleaser. Not to brag, but I was among the few to catch the cherry. I think it's a sign of a promising racing season in 2010.

Cherry Bomb Slingshot

BFF

The Bicycle Film Fest kicks off at Asylum (Fri. 9pm) with the infamous goldsprints. Screenings are on Saturday at United States Navy Memorial Theater - 701 Pennsylvania Ave NW. This is the first year the BFF has made it to DC! Very exciting! Should be better than the Bike Porn Film Festival a couple years ago.