Tour de Fat Features Bikes, Folly and Fundraising

Tour de Fat, New Belgium Brewing Company's traveling festival in celebration of bikes, rolled into Seattle on Saturday--and what a celebration it was!  Around 4000 revelers, many in costume, participated in the festivities at Gasworks Park.

Tour de Fat brings bikes, beer and entertainment together to raise money for bicycle advocacy and education.  This year's Seattle event raised nearly $14,000, which will benefit the Bicycle Alliance of Washington and Bike Works. 

A special thank you to the 60+ volunteers who helped the Bicycle Alliance run the beer garden and staff our info booth.  You guys rock!

Missed out on this year's fun?  Here's a synopsis:

Hundreds of bicyclists of all ages gathered at Gasworks Park Saturday morning to participate in the bike parade that launched Tour de Fat.

And they're off to ride through the streets of Fremont and visit the Troll!  Check out this YouTube clip of the parade. 

Bicycle Alliance volunteers checked IDs of visitors entering the beer garden,

and sold beer tokens...lots of beer tokens!

Bike Alliance volunteers were busy pouring and serving beer.

Volunteers staffed a water station, our info booth, and helped with set up and tear down.

Tour de Fat featured wacky folks in wacky costumes,

wacky bikes to try out (a You Tube video shows them in action),

and a Car for Bike Trade (also captured in a video clip).

And the festivities ended with a group hug from Tony Danza!

Need more Tour de Fat?  Check the coverage on Tubulocity, the Seattle Bike Blog, and Bikejuju.  And more pics on our Facebook page!

Saving the View, One Ride at a Time

Riding across the I-90 bridge on my morning commute, I reveled in the mountain views. What a beautiful place I have the honor and pleasure of calling home! Yet the view saddened me, too: After a day or two without rain, the smog buildup begins obscuring the mountains. This morning, after a dry week, I could barely make out Mt. Rainier. It looked like a mirage, faint white and blue brush strokes painted onto the blue-brown horizon. The Cascades hid in the hazy distance, and the Olympics shyly showed only a faint outline to the west.

This saddened me because I remember how stunning, even breathtaking, I found the same vistas in January. When the clouds and rain gave us surcease, the mountains came out looking close enough to touch. The Cascades and Olympics stood out vividly, their snow-capped peaks cutting boldly across the wintry blue sky, their foothills definitively black and navy and purple. Sunrise light (which coincided with my morning commute) gilded Mt. Rainier and its shawl of wispy clouds, later turning the snow the colors of a Dream Come True.

Comparing my memory of the crisp winter mountain views with the summer's smoggy blur reinforced my top reason for bicycling: reducing my environmental impact. Cutting carbon footprint isn't on the forefront of most bicyclists' minds. People usually ride to save money -- that's the number one reason. Other reasons to ride include:

• Building exercise into your day (don't pay for a gym membership, don't have to exercise the willpower to workout after a long day, don't have to fit it in time-wise);
  
• Not needing to buy gas (which goes back to money, not supporting foreign nations, and contributing less to horrific environmental disasters);
  
• Easier parking (park in your cubicle, against any fence or post, in pretty much any secure place, or, in Pioneer Square, BIKE PORT); and
  
• Faster commuting (in the city riding often outpaces taking a bus or driving; see here and here)

The added bonus of reducing CO₂ emissions is a maraschino cherry atop the sundae of reasons for bicycling for many cyclists. But for me, living in Seattle and loving the place itself, bicycling is about doing my bit to keep Washington beautiful. This place is my home. I'm responsible for caring for it, so I ride my bike.

First Thursday Open House and Photo Exhibit

Louise Kornreich photo

The Bicycle Alliance of Washington is turning our office into a photo gallery for the Pioneer Square First Thursday art walk on August 5. We're hosting an open house from 6 - 8 pm and featuring the photographic works of Bike Alliance members Louise Kornreich, Carla Gramlich and Susan Hiles.

Louise Kornreich, Seattle, has pursued photography almost as long as she has pursued cycling.  She finds that the two activities fit well together.  With a camera, she can supplement her memory of a place or an event, making it more meaningful or beautiful.

"I like to travel, by bicycle or hiking boots, to destinations near and far, often writing about them on my blog," stated Louise, who is the President of COGS - Cyclists of Greater Seattle .

Carla Gramlich photo

Tacoma resident Carla Gramlich developed a passion for photography when she was in grade school, but recalled her father being unhappy that she was "wasting" film.  She did a photography internship when she was in high school, then worked for awhile at a photo lab in Portland.

Carla enjoys nature and urban photography.  She plans to retire next year and is looking forward to some travel time on her bicycle.  She has outfitted  her touring bike with an Ortlieb case so can carry her photo gear with her.  Carla is a member of the Tacoma Wheelmen's Bicycle Club and sits on their board.

Susan Hiles photo

Susan Hiles of Bellevue became interested in photography in the early 90's when an attorney she worked for gave her a camera.  She has since moved on to digital photography and is active with several local camera clubs.  She enjoys macro photography, and has spent a lot of time photographing flowers and butterflies.

Susan is a member of the Cascade Bicycle Club and she has coordinated the Bike Expo Photo Contest for 5 years.  She has also served as the volunteer photographer at the Bicycle Alliance's Annual Auction.

Biking is Provocative

"Hey you!  Get off the road!"

Sound familiar?  Your presence on the street has provoked a motorist who shouts this epithet and flips you off as he roars by.  His behavior provokes feelings in you.  Maybe fear if he passed you too closely; maybe anger and indignation because you know have a right to the road.

Biking is provocative.  The act of riding a bike provokes a spectrum of feelings in us as cyclists.  Biking can be liberating, exhilarating and joyous--bringing out the inner child in us.  It's a simple pleasure that can bring an instant smile to your face.  Conversely, navigating an urban arterial at rush hour can make you feel vulnerable and intimidated.  Getting buzzed by an oversized pickup truck or chased by a snarling dog on an otherwise quiet country road is also unnerving.

The act of biking can provoke reactions from others, many positive.  I was biking home from work recently when a pedestrian yelled "yay, cyclist!" at me.  Her cheery response prompted me to smile and wave.  I have also been given a "thumbs up" from motorists, and waves of acknowledgement from fellow cyclists and motorcyclists.

My all time favorite reaction came from a preschooler standing at a street intersection with his mom.  As I approached, the boy started doing a happy dance, pointed my direction and said, "Look!  That lady is riding a bicycle!"  I stopped to share in his delight and learned from his mother that he had just received his very first bike.

Not all reactions are positive, as evidenced in the opening example.  A recent Pemco Insurance poll confirmed that most motorists are uneasy drving around cyclists (see previous blog post).  They aren't sure how cyclists should behave and they don't necessarily know how to share the road with bikes.

We cyclists can do our part to reduce negative reactions from motorists by riding safely in traffic and following the rules of the road.  If you're new to biking, check the Bicycle Alliance website for information on bike commuting, bike maps, local clubs and Washington State bike laws.  Some bike clubs and bike groups offer classes and rides to help you become comfortable biking in traffic.  Contact us if you have need help finding such a class.

The Bicycle Alliance is working to ensure that the next generation of bicyclists will have the proper riding skills through our Safe Routes to School program.  We are training middle school teachers around the state to use our bike skills curriculum with their students.

We are also busy educating motorists on how to share the road with us.  The Bicycle Alliance has developed a Share the Road curriculum that has been incorporated into all drivers education programs in Washington State.  We are now working to have this curriculum included in Traffic Schools (defensive driving classes for motorists who receive traffic tickets).

I like that biking can be provocative, and I do my best to elicit the positive reactions.  What kind of reaction does your riding style provoke?

I want to drive my bicycle, I want to drive my bike

I first heard someone say they were going to drive their bicycle about 3.5 years ago in my League Certified Instructor seminar. I found it odd at first and didn't really think much of it until the last year or two. Since a bicycle is defined as a vehicle under the Revised Code of Washington, a bicycle driver has the same rights and responsibilities as the driver of a motor vehicle. This is why it makes sense to use the word 'drive' instead of 'ride'. It also seems to make the act of bicycling sound more official and serious when you use the word drive.

I'll admit I still say ride sometimes, try as I might, I can't catch myself everytime. I try and use the word drive when I'm teaching bicycle commuter classes, it reinforces the notion that the bike is a vehicle and should be treated as such.

I don't know if the nomenclature will ever catch on fully, perhaps if we all start saying 'drive' and teach our kids how to drive their bikes it will.

Have you ever heard someone say they're going to drive their bike? Do you ever say it? What are your thoughts on the wording?

Pancakes of Champions

This is a very serious bicycle advocacy blog. You're here to hear about all the latest, hot-off-the-press advocacy news.

But why do you care about bike advocacy?

I'd bet my bottom dollar it's because you're a bicyclist.

And if you're a bicyclist, you probably share one of my interests: Food. That's why I'm sharing this pancake recipe. I found it a while ago and found it makes delicious, heartier-than-normal pancakes that keep me riding for many miles (the picture shows some of the miles I rode fueled by these pancakes). It’s almost like oatmeal in pancake form — truly a cyclist’s dream breakfast.

Ingredients
1 C. milk
3/4 C. quick-cooking rolled oats (My note: I use a very grainy oatmeal called Vermont Morning for this – mmm, hearty, slightly crunchy still, all-round fabulous, delicious, and wonderful oatmeal for normal oatmeal eating, cookies, or in pancakes as described below)

3/4 C. all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon baking soda

2 beaten eggs
1 tablespoon cooking oil

Instructions

1. In small sauce pan, heat milk until warm. Stir in oats; turn the heat down to simmer or turn it off entirely and let stand, covered, for 5 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, in a medium mixing bowl combine flour, brown sugar, baking powder, salt, and baking soda.
3. After 5 minutes, stir the oat mixture into the flour mixture.
4. In a separate container, stir together beaten eggs and cooking oil.
5. Add the eggs and cooking oil all at once to the flour-oat mixture.
6. Stir mixture just until blended but still slightly lumpy. Do not over-mix!
7. Heat a griddle or pan on medium-low. For each pancake, pour about 1/4 C. of the batter onto a hot, lightly-greased griddle or heavy skillet and let spread to about 4-inch circle.
   My note: Sprinkle freshly-poured pancake with fresh or frozen berries, chocolate chips, sliced apples and walnuts, or other deliciousness to add a little more flavor.
8. Cook pancakes until they are golden brown, turning to cook the second side when the pancakes have a bubbly surface and slightly dry edges. My note: these tend to burn easily. Cook slowly at medium-low or they will end up dark brown or burned rather than golden brown.

Serve with real maple syrup, buttered with powdered sugar, topped with fresh-sliced fruit or microwaved frozen fruit. I find just two of these pancakes gives me enough energy to ride 20 or 30 miles easily.

Cool any extra pancakes on a cookie cooling rack and store in a Ziploc baggie (refrigerated if > 1 day). You can even carry them in your back pocket for on-the-road nutrition. Reheat in the microwave or eat cold as a quick, hearty snack.

Yum.

Come Enjoy the New Month-End Work Party Hours!

Calling all helpers who work a normal 9 to 5 schedule!

Just for you, we have moved our always-popular Month-End Work Party, which features food, fellow cyclists, and lots of envelopes to stuff, to new hours!

The new Month-End Work Party hours are 4:00 pm to 7:00 pm.

This means that you can stop the Bicycle Alliance office by after work, hang out with your bicycling friends for a while, have a delicious and healthy snack, and improve bicycling for all Washingtonians by helping us get our monthly mailings out on time.

And, as if that isn't enough, we're adding another new feature to the Work Parties: Regular orientation for all new or interested helpers. If you've come a few times, or even lots of times, but want to learn more about the Bicycle Alliance's mission, goals, and achievements, this is your opportunity. We also talk about what you get out of giving your time for us, and how we work to maintain the best possible environment for volunteers.

I look forward to seeing you all this evening!