SDOT Creates On-Street Bicycle Parking
New bike parking a first for Seattle

SEATTLE – Working to support the city’s growing number of bicyclists, the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) will create on-street bicycle parking in neighborhoods around Seattle. With a goal of having one to two per neighborhood, the department will install these unique bike facilities at three locations starting next week.

Taking the place of one to two motor vehicle parking spaces, on-street bike parking will be filled with bicycle racks and surrounded by a raised curb. Bicyclists can enter the parking area from the sidewalk and each car-sized space will accommodate up to eight bikes.

This new program addresses the expanding need for bicycle parking and is part of the ongoing implementation of the Bicycle Master Plan, which seeks to triple the number of people bicycling in Seattle over ten years.

By mid February the new bike facilities will be installed:
· Mid block of Broadway E between E Harrison Street and E Republican Street (by Broadway Market)
· At the corner of 12th Avenue and E Spring Street (by Stumptown Coffee Roasters and Café Presse)
· At the corner of Woodlawn Avenue NE and NE 70th Street (by the Greenlake Condominium)

SDOT is planning additional on-street bicycle parking locations for 2009. For more information or to request bicycle parking in a neighborhood, please contact the Seattle Department of Transportation at (206) 684-7583 or bikeracks@seattle.gov.

The Seattle Department of Transportation builds, maintains and operates Seattle's $8 billion transportation infrastructure. To further Mayor Nickels’ goal to get Seattle moving, the department manages short- and long-term investments in streets, bridges, pavement and trees, that better connect the city with the region.

SNOW!

Wednesday Night World Championships

April 1 to August 26th. South Sea-Tac. Wick-Nasty.

Check it out here

Call it Training if you must

This is going to be a lot of fun. The prizes are looking great- And there will be a 7pm FREE showing of Council of Doom as well as some film shorts that recently played at the NYC Bike Film Short Fest. You should really be there. If you don't know where the I-5 Colonnade is yet (the Monument Race started there, as well as the ill-fated Christmas Race)- it's under I-5, the google-able address being: 1816 Lakeview Blvd E As the flyer says: Bring a bag, a lock, a pen (or other writing utensil) The Council of Doom Screening and Film Shorts will be at the Boxcar Alehouse, which is all ages until 11pm. The screening will start at 7pm. The Boxcar serves food and drink, and has lots of bike parking. It can be found here: 3407 Gilman Ave W, Seattle, WA Black out with your bike out as opposed to Rock out with your Cock out.

Fluid Ride Cup Announced and other nonsense

Here's Kevin for no other reason than he climbs like a scalded monkey. I hate that.

2009 Race Schedule - Fluid Ride Cup
*this schedule is subject to change due to weather and other considerations.

FR Cup 1
Port Angeles, WA.
April 3rd - 5th
FR Cup 2
Port Angeles, WA.
May 1st - 3rd
FR Cup 3
Silver Mt, Kellogg, Idaho
June 12th - 14th
FR Cup 4
Mt Hood, OR.
June 26th - 28th
FR Cup 5
Mt Hood, OR.
July 10th - 12th
FR Cup 6
Port Angeles, WA.
August 21st - 23rd
FR Cup 7
Mt Hood, OR.
September 25th - 27th

If you want to get your little "season" off to an early start, The Olympic Dirt Society will be hosting the Port Townsend Super D

PORT ANGELES SUPER-D ANOTHER Olympicdirtsociety PRODUCTIONDATE: FEB. 22ND: TIME: Practice @ 9AM, Racing @ 11AM(approx.)COST: $30, Includes practice, racing, and lunch.LOCATION/DIRECTIONS: This will be on the Foothills trails, south of Port Angeles. Follow Hwy 101 into town, go L on Lincoln St., past Albertsons take a R at the next light. At stop sign go L onto Black Diamond Rd. Follow for about 3-4 miles to Lake Dawn Rd., go L (turns into a dirt road). Follow about ½ mile and take your first road to the left.COURSE: The course will be mostly downhill (as you might expect), with couple of mellow climbs and one steep one. It ends with about 1.5 mile fast downhill. Approx 4 miles long, and very fast and flowy. This is a cross-country trail system that you can access anytime to practice as well, but shuttles will be limited to Sunday morning at this point. Course prep help on Saturday might(?) include a run or two, but only if you contact us prior to the weekend. This is the epitome of grass-roots racing, so, no license required, just sign a waiver, and if you are under 18, you must have a guardian to sign your waiver as well. Volunteers will be needed, so if you have any interest or know someone, please contact us via olympicdirtsociety@yahoo.com Special Thanks to the WA Dept. of Natural Resources for the use of these killer trails.

20 years of BBTC

BBTC is not one of those acronyms that you can't figure out in the personals, it's the largest mountain bike organization in the Pac NW. And they are going on 20. And they're having a party at Golden Gardens. Now go get drunk.

& now from the "No Dope, No Hope" posse:

The acceptance of drug-taking in the Tour de France was so complete by 1930, when the race changed to national teams that were to be paid for by the organisers, that the rule book distributed to riders by the organiser, Henri Desgrange, reminded them that drugs were not among items with which they would be provided.

I could do this all day.

Carpet Fibers

Giant has issued a voluntary recall in conjunction with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission for 2009 model year TCR Advanced SL and TCR Advanced SL ISP bikes and frames. According to the official recall notice, the carbon steerer tubes may crack or fail completely although Giant reports just a single cracked fork reported to date with no associated injuries.
About 1000 bikes and frames are affected by the recall, all of which were sold in the U.S. between August 2008 and December 2008. Specific models recalled are the 2009 TCR Advanced SL Team, SL 1, SL 2, and SL (ISP) bikes and frames. Fork steerer tubes are directly stamped with the serial number and “B”, “N”, and “P” suffixes are not included in the recall. Other TCR models are also not included in the notice.
Consumers are advised to discontinue use of the affected bikes and frames immediately and to contact their local Giant dealer for an inspection and replacement fork, which will provided free of charge.
Giant has also set up a recall hotline at (866) 458-2555.

Train Like a Dog

we are actually alternating between the hilly and flat courses Wednesday nights and you recieve one extra free race if you sign up in January for any 2 races you do between now and March 27th. Schedule:
5pm is 2 x 5 mile flat
6pm is long 10 mile hilly
7pm 2 x 5 mile flat
8pm long 10 mile hilly

Even if there is low turn out we will run these the next two weeks and dropping in last minute is fine and will count toward the 2 race special. Try to get there 15 minutes early to get set up.

To get the special you will have to sign up for the 2 races in January for any races until March 27 and we will schedule your free race via e-mail or when you come in. Go here to sign up: http://clients.mindbodyonline.com/ws.asp?studioid=3476&stype=-7&sDate=1/14/2009
Cycle U has a new location, 5440 Sand Point Way NE in the City People's building. Park between City People's and WaMu but not in the City People's designated parking stalls.
The Friday Night 6.2 mile race series at 4pm, 5pm, 6pm, 7pm and the same special applies. This is a series with series prizes.
The first one is tonight. Hope to see you,

Craig Undem
www.CycleU.com
Cycle University
1-800-476-0681

Gin, a razor and misplaced love......

Amongst other news I may have mentioned in the past that a certain "acquaintance of mine" has gained fame or perhaps notoriety by running alongside pelotons of professional cyclist with longhorns mounted to a football helmet. Not a racer or anyone who's been around racing. Never pedaled in anger. A complete athletic supporter. You may recognize him.........

I will refrain from any subjective commentary and leave it to the masses

You think you're cold bitch?

Beard and Stache Fest

Part of the month long Beard & Stache Fest, the Beard & Stache Dash is a 2 wheeled dash around Seattle on Sunday, Feb 8. A combination of alley cat race and scavenger hunt, the Dash will start with a wholesome brunch at Linda's Tavern at 11am. The Dash is about 20 miles long, is man versus machine themed, and is open to bicycles, mopeds and scooters. Awards for both motorized and non-motorized participants. Facial hair not required to participate in the fun! Costumes are encouraged! Dash packs will be distributed at 12:30pm and the Dash begins at 1pm promptly. Registration fee is $5 and all of the proceeds benefit Treehouse. Anyone that registers will also get free admission into the show later that evening at The High Dive.

More info here.

Who do these Children think they are playing with?

INVITE '09
Roll in the new year with an off - bike team bowling challenge of oily lanes and beer frames. Plenty of fun, suds, and surprises.
~assemble three of your strongest rollers for a single elimination smack - down of sweaty ball hole glory.
(if ya got six people, we can organize two teams)
Friday January 30th
AMF Pro 3oo Lanes
3031 se Powell Blvd.
$10 plus beer $$!
7:4o sign in - 8:oo we roll
~Team Beer~Super Relax~Grundelbruisers~Hup United~Iron Clad~Gentle Lovers~S&M~Veloshop~Bike Central~River City Recycled Cycles Racing!!!

In other news:

Bike Swap on Feb 21 is down to 10 spots left for hawking your cracked aluminum frames and 3 season old carbon fiber bars. Check it out:

2009 Seattle Bike Swap
Saturday, February 21, 20099 AM to 2 PM
Same Location - Magnuson Park Hangar #30
The Seattle Bike Swap, now in its 13th year, is a bike bargain hunter's paradise with up to 100 vendors under the same roof! Expect great deals on new and used bike related goods of all types and sizes. Don't miss this one-day only sale!
Admission
General Adult Admission is on a sliding time scale:
9 AM to 1 PM - $51 PM to 2 PM - FREEKids under age 15 are FREE all day!
Best to arrive early because the really good stuff goes fast!
Note: the Bicycle Expo has moved to March 14 - 15 to Magnuson park Hanger #30 – plus more rooms.
Sellers
Anyone with a surplus of road, mountain or track bike stuff (components, frames, clothing and complete bikes) can rent a seller's space at the Seattle Bike Swap. Due to the high demand, only pre-paying confirms your vendor space.
Selling space options:
Before January 23, $40 for a floor spaceAfter January 23, spaces increase to $50. So book early and save!
10' x 10' area, includes two vendor passes. Space is limited and is available on a first come first serve basis so reserve early! Space does NOT include a table. Tables can be rented for $10.
Vendor Registration
Again this year sellers can reserve a selling space online with a credit card via Active.com (service fee of 7% applies).

Speaking of shit that is ready to fail at the worst possible moment:

Magura safety recall (Yes, that's my fork)
IMPORTANT SAFETY RECALL
MAGURA Durin Race 80/100
Magura USA today announced that long term product testing has revealed a structural flaw in the lower leg assembly of the Durin Race 80 and 100mm suspension forks. The recall only affects early production runs of the fork. If your fork is found to be within the recall serial numbers please do not use it from this point forward. Further use of this product may result in failure and pose a possible risk of danger to the user.
Durin Race forks affected by the recall will be identified by their serial numbers. Durin Race serial numbers can be entered and checked on a specific web page dedicated to the recall. Follow the recall link on magurausa.com home page.
Once a fork is identified as a recalled product, it must be sent to Magura USA headquarters in Olney, Illinois for repair. Not all Durin Race forks are affected by this recall so it is essential to check your serial number on the site.

and:

Mavic announces R-SYS recall
Mavic has determined its R-SYS front wheels are at risk of spoke failure.
Mavic has issued a voluntary recall of its R-SYS front wheels, the company announced this week.
Mavic is advising consumers not to use the front wheels from any of its R-SYS wheelsets (R-SYS, R-SYS Test and R-SYS Premium) because of the possible risk of spoke failure.
The system relies on a unique set of tubular carbon spokes. While front wheels rely solely on the tubular carbon spoke, the rears combine those with Zicral spokes and the risk of failure is, therefore, lessened.
According to Mavic, consumers should immediately cease use of the front wheels and return those to a Mavic dealer. The company has promised to deliver “a new upgraded R-SYS front wheel” at no charge beginning on March 31. Until the replacements become available, the company will also provide consumers with a set of Aksiums wheels that they can keep even after they have received the replacement R-SYS front wheel.
The company advises anyone with further questions to contact their Mavic dealer or call 800-664-9228 for further information.

The King is Dead

He would have been 74 today if the booze, barbiturates, twinkies, broads, guns, peanut butter - bacon - and banana fried sandwiches, demerol and coke wouldn't have stolen this angel from us.

At least he kept good company:

Old School

RIDER ALERT

Bicyclists - Please Note :
Repair work on the Burke Gilman Trail & Jose Rizal (12th Ave) Bridge
Starting today, Tuesday, January 6, a Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) crew will begin two weeks of repair work on the Burke Gilman Trail in the 6900 block of Seaview Avenue NW. During the work, bicyclists will be diverted into the adjacent northbound curb lane of Seaview Avenue NW and pedestrians will be sent across the street to the western sidewalk. While the right northbound curb lane is temporarily in use by the bicyclists, the lane will be closed to motor vehicles. Signage will clarify the brief detour; the work hours will be from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. SDOT expects to complete this work by the week of January 19.
SDOT will be closing the southbound right lane of the Jose Rizal (12th Avenue) Bridge on Friday, January 9, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m in order to pour the new concrete sidewalk on the SW corner of the bridge.
Please share this notice with others who may be interested in this information.

Moving is a Bitch

Just finished moving. I'm exhausted.

Happy New Year

All's well that ends well. I hadn't seen this before but the Aerotryke is hilarious! It has inspired me to train for next year. The jackass who runs along side the peloton and wears the horns? A guy I knew before he thought shit like that was a good idea. It's scary because he builds

airplanes. Big ones. I'll take the bus.
Also, the question came up about Life Before Segway or LBS as the historians will reference. Whatever did we do?

And of course, New Year festivities were as joyous and jubilant as ever-