henrys's blog

I am in bicycle nirvana -- or rather, Copenhagen.

I am attending a conference here, but because I have family here as well, I have been able to bike some on each of the past three days.

Most roads I've been on -- all the major and minor arterials -- have space for bikes. It is often to the right of a parking zone for cars, and has a small curb separating it from the rest of the roadway, and a slightly larger curb separating it from the sidewalk and pedestrian zone. So you are in a protected space.

Today and tomorrow are Ozone Red alert days for the Atlanta area, highlighted in various news reports. We've already had a number of “Yellow” alerts, that warn people with sensitive respiratory conditions not to spend time outside. With the Red alert, everyone is warned to stay inside, and asked to avoid pumping gas until the evening hours, and (ideally) to carpool or avoid driving as much as possible. Being Americans, most of our citizens pay not attention.

You may have seen or heard the little news item this week; aggressive drivers are more likely to have bumper stickers on their vehicles.

Why is that? The theory is that these people are more territorial than average (or possessive about their private spaces). By putting stickers on their car, they proclaim it as Mine Mine Mine! Regardless, those with bumper stickers blew their horns an average of two seconds faster than those without such claims of ownership. (To get them to honk, researchers put a driver in a turn lane who stayed stopped after the light turned.)

What does this mean for cyclists? Well, it's useful for us to have a clue about who might be more aggressive. But we can assume all drivers can be aggressive, and position ourselves accordingly.

The Bike Ride Across Georgia, or BRAG, is riding this week, out of Oxford to Griffin and Macon and on to the coast. I rode BRAG a few times in the past (usually with kids) and have a few more ideas to share based on that experience.

I ran a bike magazine test this weekend. They suggested weigh yourself, bike for an hour without drinking, then re-weigh yourself. All weights are done nude (which is French for naked, I believe).

I did it. Waited until 3 pm when it was nicely warm (probably in the low 90's) covered myself with sunscreen, and headed out the door, riding an hour, trying to imitate the end of a century or other ride, when you've lost that cool morning excitement when you felt that you could do anything, and instead you're trying to NOT think about the ride, or where your body aches.

It's June, and it's hot! Not like when I was a kid – of course, but then, we're changing the climate, so we can expect things to get even hotter.

What's a poor cyclist to do? ADD WATER To WIND CHILL!

I hope you enjoyed Bike-to-Work Day on Friday! It's been a staple of cycling activists for decades, though with mixed success.

It's very odd. Here is the bicycle, advertised and used for recreation as much as bowling or tennis, common in most homes, something fun to do – and we have to can't get people to ride it to work, even though it is fun. We have to push and cajole, even when the benefits are clearer every day. Who knew?

The Atlanta Bicycle Campaign started because a couple of in-town riders, Jeff Tiller and Greg Ramsey, called a meeting to talk about the problems of biking in Atlanta.