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...but, man, the reporter guy is torture. The video in the story is the real "article", this is the blurb: It’s a story that’s off-the-bike-chain inspiring, about a Maryland high school student, who also happens to have Olympic cycling dreams. In this edition of “Matt About Town,” WTOP’s Matt Kaufax went out for a spin with Maize Wimbush, the 17-year-old junior national champion, who is breaking barriers in the sport, one pedal at a time. Wimbush is eyeing a spot on the 2028 Team USA cycling team, where she could be the first Black woman to represent the country on the Olympic stage in the sport. Part of the inspiration for her dream comes from her dad, Mark, who is part father, part coach, part motivator and a serious cyclist himself. The bond the two share is unique, and their banter will make you laugh out loud. Wimbush begins racing again this February. You can follow her journey on her social media. In the meantime, check out this video of Matt’s (attempted) ride along with Wimbush, where he got a taste of what it takes to be the best behind the handlebars!

...and prompted by @bikeman564™ doing it:

Rode the First Dozen, which is a tradition. The ride has been going on for just over 50 years. Frankie Andreu showed up and I rode w/ the lead group which was him and about 8 other peeps. Two of which I know. Speed wasn't super fast, 16-18. For a couple miles he rode next to me and we chatted I gotta say, riding next to a pro is pretty freaking cool.

...are in full force!

For the SRAM Red vs the Shimano Dura Ace Aethos - essentially the same bikes just different shifting & brakes. Is Specialized nuts or Shimano? Or both?

pretty cool https://www.cycologyclothing.com/collections/bartape/products/motown-blue-cycling-handlebar-tape# Other cool designs also https://www.cycologyclothing.com/collections/bartape

My boss is sponsoring a corporate team for the annual Wounded Warriors DC-Gettysburg ride that takes place in April. Knowing I like to ride, I was asked to join our team. It's always nice to be invited - especially as corporate will pay the registration fees, give us a team kit, cover hotel costs, support at rest areas, etc., and donate to each rider's fundraising. I'm not normally an "April is organized ride month" sort of guy. Jan-Mar are sketchy weather - at best - and April can come in like a lamb and leave a lion, vice versa, or even come in as a lion and stay a lion. WINDS!!! RAIN!!! Signing up for an event in April can result in heartbreak (or weather misery). But, at only around 50 miles a day on Sat and Sun, I don't feel like there is any stress to it. Especially at a likely "easy peasy" ride pace. And it is the end of April, so better chance for reasonable temps.

The front tire has been around 30 psi low after just a couple of days. During yesterday's ride it felt squishy. Today it was flat. Fortunately, I had a new tire and tube handy. The old tire was still OK as I could see the indented dots on the Continental tire, but not by much. I inflated the old tube and it's still holding air plus I can't find anything in the tire. I even checked the rim tape and it's OK. It's around 55°F, sunny, and just a little wind. I plan on doing at least 17 miles.

The January-February 2024 issue of Popular Mechanics magazine has an extensive article on self-driving cars, including some cars on the road with collision avoidance, and bicyclists and pedestrians. It sure doesn't look good for us or the walkers. Actually it doesn't look all that good for accidents in general as drivers are expected to take over if the system can't handle an issue. Even if the driver is fully engaged, it takes about 5 seconds for the driver to do so. If they are watching YouTube videos or asleep, it can take much, much longer. Smaller cyclists, like @petitepedal, are difficult for the systems to see. No real surprise there. However taller cyclists, like @Longjohn, are also hard to recognize. Toyota says that is true for their vehicles currently on the road. Also if you are wearing white in daytime or carrying a lot of baggage like paniers, it can be hard to recognize you as a cyclist. Self-driving and driver assistance cars have a long way to go before they are safer than even the lousy drivers out there now.

I wish that I had taken a photo of a guy's bike that I rode with for a while today. It originally was some sort of big-box mountain bike with all kinds of weird suspension. He added an electric motor near the bottom bracket but said that it didn't have much power plus would overheat on hot days and stop working. So he added a motorized front wheel and another battery! He had different control panels for each motor. He can use either motor; both at the same time; or no motor at all. He can even change which battery controls which motor by swapping cables. The original bike was heavy looking. The first motor probably weighs 15 pounds minimum. The front wheel motor added about 25 pounds, he said. Plus each battery was 30 pounds. I'm thinking that the whole thing weighs at least 130 pounds.

https://www.upi.com/Odd_News/2023/12/06/canada-Guinness-World-Records-cyclist-no-hands/6081701898411/ FYI: 80.95 miles is 130.2764 kilometers. Dec. 6 (UPI) -- An Alberta cyclist took a nearly 81-mile ride on his bike without using his hands to break a Guinness World Record. Guinness World Records announced Robert Murray earned the title for greatest distance cycled (no hands) when he rode 80.95 miles in a time of 5 hours and 37 minutes. Murray said he used his hands to massage his legs when they fell asleep during his record attempt. The cyclist said he has had a lot of practice riding without using the handlebars. "Personally, I find it to be a more comfortable position to be in rather than hunched over," he told GWR. "I can text, change the song, get anything out of my backpack all while riding my bike. It's like second nature for me." Murray's record attempt served as a fundraiser for the Alzheimer's Society of Calgary. "Alzheimer's is something that runs in my family, and I have since lost my grandma to the disease," he said. "Breaking a record and raising money for a cause near and dear to my heart was just a double win!" Murray said he now has his sights set on a very different world record. "I am hoping that in summer 2024, I can attempt the record for the world's largest ice cream party/social," he said.

Brought my taars to work so I can inflate them. I'll add sealant later. I also bought new stems from Cush Core...I wanted orange I removed the old orange duck tape because it was slightly faded. It took me about 5 hours to remove all the tape, clean the residue, and re- tape

but not fun to try

So last year I cycled 1200-some miles and this year's first goal was to break that record. Which I did, and so I reset my goal at 1500 miles. When I got there, I bumped it out to 1800. After 30 miles today I'm at 1704. So I have to average just over 3 miles a day for December. I can do that, right? (Or more practical, 20-25 per week) Hoping for some moderate weather - I'm confident that as long as it doesn't snow I will get there. It's been a great year!

temps in upper 30s, sunny & calm made for a comfortable 24 mile ride in Detroit. This is on the north end of Belle Isle (Detroit River) looking into Lake St. Claire

On yesterday's gravel ride, I met up with my buddy out in Leesburg to hit the gravel out that way. I parked at the high school where many rides begin/end, and we eventually got rolling. About 1/2 mile or so into the ride, I realized I hadn't locked the truck. I pulled over, opened the Ford app on my phone, and remotely locked it. We then continued on with the ride. Maybe five minutes saved by me not having to turn around and go back. Or, more likely, leave it unlocked and worry if that was a mistake during the whole ride.

Well, I don't really, but it does bite me in the butt or force me to make lemonade from lemons My buddy and I did a ride yesterday. Very shortly into the ride, the Garmin notified me of a low Di2 battery. The same warning I had gotten and ignored on the prior ride Anyway, I click ok and continued the ride. Not too much longer into the ride the ramifications of a truly low battery (<5%) came to roost - no front shifting! My Diverge was down to just the small front chain ring (a 32???) and the rear cassette. And we were only a few miles in, so I got to spend the next 2.5 hours or so just using my bike as a 1x with inappropriate gear options On the plus side, I developed a nice 120+ cadence, and I think it actually helped my buddy out as I couldn't push the pace on any downhills where he usually spins out first. Great ride though, and nice to see I could have single speeded it with just one gear if I had to.

I follow Caleb Swartz on Strava and he asked if anyone knew how to fix a FIT file. I replied with https://gotoes.org/strava/index.php which I've used. He used it and it worked

...all of you. I bet @shootingstar could get a lot done using this network! The brochure and this video:

...I've been paying a LOT of attention to BMW drivers I encounter while riding, and they - by far - are NOT the rudest, most selfish, nor worst drivers out there. In fact, it seems they are pretty darn "friendly" in many situations - like waiting or waving me through an intersection. It might be that they don't want to dent their cars by hitting me as that's gotta be an expensive repair, but regardless, they've been pretty good in my observations.

...ride:

I gotta look at where this thing goes and what's along the way, but it is nice to see they added to the local network and it may be pretty nice. @Parsnip Totin Jack - seen this trail? Seems a bit of a work in progress still, but getting close: Connecting Neighborhoods The new 66 Parallel Trail is 18 miles of straight, flat path; rising, falling, curving swoops; tunnel-like passages through on- and off-ramps; wide lanes across bridges; and new on-street bike lanes. The main portion is 11 miles long. The remaining 7 miles wind through interchanges and open into neighborhoods along the way. Its design reflects principles that prioritize safety and accessibility. Despite its practical and utilitarian intent, solutions to knotty design challenges created sections of the trail that are often fun to pass through. For now, the trail runs from Gallows Road in Dunn Loring to Braddock Road in Centreville, but not all paths are finished. As of early September, the Virginia Department of Transportation expected most trail segments would be open in early fall. There are plans to extend the trail to Bull Run Regional Park in Prince William County. If the trail gets the level of use that transportation planners expect, it could lead many more Northern Virginians to forgo cars in favor of trips by foot and bike.

It's back, the last day TT, first time since 1989 when LeMond won over Fignon https://www.letour.fr/en/overall-route

When he passed by me and said, “Hey, there,” I thought to myself how good it feels to be out riding again. I have to ride uphill for half a mile to get to the paved multi use path, and I felt strong again because within a few meters of starting out, the spot of stiffness in my lower back had melted away. This is a bike ride, and I’m out here on a cool afternoon with other riders. He was an older guy in a blue cycling jacket, riding an older road bike. A Bikeguy I thought as he passed by. A guy on a bike. Soon I would change his name to “bikegeezer.” I had just ridden east uphill, feeling balanced, warm, and poised to ride north now on the path at tempo. Bikeguy passed me on the right just before we crossed an intersection. He hit the light green. I was starting my northward segment. On the other side, I caught him and then he stayed in front of me while I steadily increased the speed. Alright! Bikeguy has ride. I imagined he was already 30 miles in. Had ridden the rollers through the canyon to the south. Or maybe he was riding in memory of someone close. Then I noticed he was slowing. Just a little. He glanced at me in his helmet mirror. Bikeguy has gear. We crossed the next intersection on green and hit the incline on the other side. Bikeguy stood up on the pedals. He has heart. This is a bike ride. But I was in a comfortable gear, so I rang my bell to signal that I would be passing. And then Bikeguy veered across the middle of the path. In my head I heard a faint echo of “get off my lane” as he cut off my line to pass him. And in that moment Bikeguy became bikegeezer. A geezer on a bike. With a sigh, I hugged the left edge of the path and passed him by. He didn’t match my speed. Five miles later, after turning around to head south, I saw bikegeezer still riding northbound. He was about a mile behind me. Maybe 35 miles in. Maybe riding to save his health. Maybe indulging in memories. He waved. I waved back.