TdG - High Road Express

 

Race leader Kanstantsin Siutsou (#28 in the yellow) is escorted by members of his High Road team starting into the 9th of 10 laps. They are at the front of the pelaton and about 40 seconds back from the breakaway at this point.

A group of us rode from Aurora Coffee over the the race course and got to 5th and W Peachtree just as the second lap came by. There was already a breakaway group of about 8-10 riders at this point of the race.

The rain wasn't falling when we got there, but the weather was certainly a factor. Numbers of spectators were down, the speed was down, but the excitement was still there. It's impressive what these athletes can do day after day of hard riding. The only riders I saw with a smile were the ones crossing the finish line ahead of the pack.

The race was fun even though the crowds were thin. Corners were where we found most people and they were enthusiastic. I would have been more enthusiastic if we weren't forced to ride on the sidewalks. Still, riding a bike was a good way to see different parts of the course. I recommend this again next year.

Decatur Kid's Ride - Dairy Queen

From the last Kid's Ride Feb. 2, 2008:



We're doing it again Sunday, March 30 from 1:00 to 4:30PM. This is another slower-paced Family Ride but this time we're headed to the Dairy Queen in Decatur.

The route (on bikely.com) is a little more hilly and a bit longer (16 miles) and hits the following spots:

• Start at Aurora Coffee in Virginia-Highland
  
• Proceed to PATH trail at Carter Center (like last time)
  
• Head East to Candler Park
  
• South to the AYSA Soccer fields at Arizona and the short segment of PATH trail next to the fields (tiny bit of off-road riding)
  
• Follow Hosea Williams bike route east through Kirkwood.
  
• Pass north through Oakhurst Village toward Agnes Scott.
  
• Arrive at Dairy Queen
  
• Hit the Square in Decatur
  
• Follow Church Street three blocks to Decatur Cemetery (another tiny bit of off-road)
  
• North up to Medlock Park (baseball fields)
  
• West to Emory's Clairemont Campus
  
• Shortcut to Emory's Main Campus
  
• Return to Virginia-Highland over Mount Stillwood.
  

As before, this is a beginners' level ride. We'll be moving at a speed that accommodates all abilities and any working bike would be appropriate.

This ride is also good for those who do little or no street riding. It's a treat to ride on the streets sharing the road with motor traffic when riding with an experienced group.

A Ride along the Beltline

OK, the Beltline has just begun construction, but it doesn't mean we can't ride through the neighborhoods near the Beltline's proposed route.

The Atlanta Bicycle Campaign is sponsoring a bike tour Sunday April 20 along a southern stretch from the corner of Virginia-Highland over to where the construction has started.

This ride is one of the local Family Rides coming up this Spring. Details are found on ABC's website: http://atlantabike.org

Many lament the lack of facilities, but it's rides like these that show there's already a ground-swell of cyclists, courteous motorists, and suitable routes. We're reaching a tipping point.

Kid's Ride - More Better Photos

Tom took a much better set of photos than I did. You won't see much of mine, but you'll see plenty of Tom's.

I'm still loading them to the Aurora Cycling photos page, but they are now available in full size on my Picasa album. Follow the link below to access the album.

From KidsRideFeb08

I'm also trying out the slideshow that Picasa provides here:



Thanks Tom! These are great!

Family Riding

Our Kids Ride has sparked some interest in slower-paced group rides.

I know our family would like to spend more time on bikes, and exploring our city with a few other families would be fun.

Heading toward Stone Mountain is a favorite. There are also a few slower-paced rides scheduled over the next few months.

• Intown Touring Club is sponsoring an African-American History Ride on Saturday, Feb. 23 at 10AM.
  
• Tuesday March 11 is a good day to play hooky and ride to the capitol with hundreds of other cyclists (and get a free lunch). I'll be leading a ride to the start of Decatur's group.
  
• Sunday April 20, at 1PM, the Atlanta Bicycle Campaign will be leading us around the proposed Beltline and also hit some of the trails under construction.
  
• The Tour de Georgia Circuit Race on Sunday April 27 is better appreciated from the saddle of a bike. One family I know rode the course backwards before the start of the race and while the streets were closed to traffic.
  
• A solemn Ride of Silence rides in remembrance of cyclists who have fallen on Wednesday, May 21 at 6PM. This is after Bike to Work Week and during National Bicycle Month.
  

Time Machine: a Kid on a Bike

Parents understand that raising kids is an opportunity to re-live your own childhood and last weekend's Kids Ride was another one of those opportunities. I've gone back in time riding the streets of Atlanta on bikes with our kids and caught glimpses of myself at a time I began steering my own course through life.

Rhonda talks about her son Cole's feeling of empowerment. For kids dependent on their parents to take them around in the car, it feels good to go places under your own power. Doing it on your own changes how you see the world.

Although we took an easy pace, Atlanta is still a hilly city and the legs get a good workout. The rewards of that effort however, are immediate. Cresting the hill means you can coast down the other side and catch your breath. I pay attention to hills, but I'd been missing them too. Out of familiarity, I had lost the thrill of the downhill, but was able to find it again.

Tom's daughter Carli is now choosing the bike for short trips. A simple "I can do that" carries a lot of power. It's genuine self-confidence.

We often carry into adulthood activities we enjoyed growing up. Positive experiences like these will propagate for generations.

Riding with the Kids (Rhonda's Ride?)

I think we've got a name for the Kids Fun Ride we rode today.

Because our 14-mile route exceeded what some riders have ridden recently, I told everyone we'd be stopping frequently. Stopping for flats wasn't what I meant.

We have Rhonda to thank for suggesting we do a kid's ride. We also have Rhonda to thank for picking up both of the flats! I move that we name this "Rhonda's Ride" in her honor.



Temps started out cool, but warmed up quickly. Lots of people were out so we got lots of chances to ring our bicycle bells in greeting.

After the ride, I asked a few of the girls their favorite parts of the ride. They said they liked the "mess-ups". Since I didn't capture any of these on camera, they were kind enough to provide a drive-way re-enactment of one of the "mess-ups". Carli's enthusiastic announcement of her intention to stop caused her to fall off her seat and trigger a domino effect.

No actual daughters were harmed during this re-enactment.



People asked when we could do this again, so we'll try to schedule another Rhonda Ride. Hope you'll be able to join us.

Kid's Fun Ride

It was Rhonda's idea.

Rhonda has ridden with us on many Sunday mornings and she recently mentioned her middle-school son is interested in riding. A number of the Aurora Cycling Group have kids in middle-school, so we decided to do a ride for them and invite others along as well. The more the merrier.

We had planned to ride Saturday, Jan. 19, 10AM, but the forecast for snow that day made us reconsider. We now plan to ride Saturday, Feb. 2, 10AM from Aurora Coffee in Virginia-Highland (corner of Virginia and N Highland) and hit (or at least pass) the following spots:
- Carter Center
- MLK Center/Ebenezer Baptist
- Capitol (to dress the statue)
- Old Fulton County Stadium (to run the bases)
- Zoo (with bathroom break)
- Oakland Cemetery
- Cabbagetown
- Krog Street Tunnel
- Inman Park
- Little 5 Points
The planned route is posted on bikely.com.

Bring your camera. We'll be stopping frequently along this 14-mile route.



This is a beginners' level ride. We'll be moving at a speed that
accommodates all abilities and any working bike would be appropriate.

This ride is also good for those who do little or no street riding. It's a treat to ride on the streets sharing the road with motor traffic when riding with an experienced group. We'll have a short talk before we ride to let everyone know what to look for and how to signal for courtesy and safety.

Commute Summary

Round Trip Distance: 17.8
Number of Cyclists seen: 9
In-bound Route: Lullwater/PATH
Out-bound Route: Emory via Clifton
Weather: Below freezing this AM for only the second time this season.