january 2008 seattle spin newsletter, cyclists of greater seattle

8/9/2019 January 2008 Seattle Spin Newsletter, Cyclists of Greater Seattle

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Seattle SpinMonthly newsletter of the Seattle Bicycle Club, Seattles Friendliest Bike ClubFlatlander Tour

Holland by bicycle and barge, written by Allan Blackman

At my bicycle clubs programon international tours in 2006,the pictures of the bike bargetour in Holland were very ap-pealing. Still, I did not think Idgo to Holland until I was a little

more decrepit. But early in2007, friends organized agroup to bike barge Hollandand I did not want to miss theopportunity to go with people Iknew.

My friends contracted with theowners of the barge Elodie fortheir tour of North Holland.Our 7-day loop tour in Augustbegan at the Oosterdok inAmsterdam and went throughEdam, Hoorn, Enkuizen,Texel, Den Helder, Alkmaarand Zaanse Schans, wherethere is a wind mill park. Ourbarge generally docked in old

port areas which had lots ofbuildings and churches fromthe 1600s and earlier.

We had unusually goodweather for August in Holland.It was usually dry, sunny andin the 70s. Our bad weatherconsisted of one day with 45minutes of rain, one day with a

strong head wind on the islandof Texel, and one day whenwe got close to sea sick.While Holland is more humidthan Seattle, it did not getreally hot until the last twodays.

Holland is covered with bikepaths, signed as Fietspad inDutch. Fiets is the Dutch wordfor bicycle. There were pavedbiked paths running through

forests and sand dunes andon top of dikes as well as inurban and suburban areas.Some of them are as narrow

as three feet, thoughstill two-way, while others are

much wider. The Elodiepassed through a three partdraw bridge where two partswere for bike paths and thecenter part for cars.

Bike paths are shared withmotor bikes, pedestrians andthe occasional horse. Therewere a number of roads with

Seattle Bicycle Club www.seattlebike.org January 2008

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IN THIS ISSUE:

Tour Holland............1

Series Rides...........3

Daily Rides...4

Upcoming Rides..5

The Revolution....6

About SBC.....................6
http://www.seattlebike.org/http://www.seattlebike.org/http://www.seattlebike.org/


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one center car lane and two

outer bicycle lanes. Carswould pull into a bike lane inorder to pass. In Amsterdamand elsewhere, there were of-ten very narrow and oldstreets shared by bicycles,cars and pedestrians. Some-times traffic felt crowded andchaotic but we neither saw norheard about accidents involv-ing cyclists.

I was pleasantly surprised athow smooth all the bike pathswere. Many are paved withbrick or concrete blocks butare not bumpy. I was riding asteel Rodriguez travel bikewith 650 x 28 tires and wasquite comfortable. Nobody inAmsterdam wears a helmet orrides what serious cyclistswould consider a decent bike.When I cycled along the Am-stel River before the tour, Ibegan to see helmets and Bi-anchis about five miles out of

Amsterdam.

Holland is as flat as adver-tised. We had some small roll-ing hills in a sand dune area

for part of one day. Otherwise,it was flat, flat, flat.The Dutch do all sorts ofthings on bikes hold hands,

carry open umbrellas in the

rain, carry children and adultson racks, carry children andfreight in truck bikes, selldope, and of course talk oncell phones. I saw one biketaxi and one beer bus, a de-vice on which six people pedalto propel the bus and drinkbeer as they pedal.

The Elodie provided us withone of their regular guides,Bram, so none of us had toworry about maps. Bram hada cell phone and called Hans,the captain of the Elodie, tomake arrangements whenplans changed. Still, it is asmall country with lots of signsand the Dutch are friendly andspeak English. The localswere happy to help me when Iwent astray.

The food on our barge and inrestaurants was very goodthough the Dutch idea ofbreakfast leaves something tobe desired. I was able to buy

some excellent three year oldEdam cheese in the town ofEdam. In addition to cheeseand herring, the Dutch like tosnack on French fries whichare available everywhere.There is no decaf in Europe,not even at the airport Star-bucks. You will have to makedo with bad herbal tea.

Since we cannot import Hol-lands flatness and compact-

ness, I do not expect the USAto import Hollands bike cul-ture. However, whether youare a realist or a romanticabout cycling, it is a charmingdelight to spend a week ob-serving the Dutch bike culture.Throw in the friendliness ofthe Dutch people and somewonderful art museums andyou have several good rea-sons for taking a bike bargetour of Holland.


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RIDESSERIESGasworks Wednesday NightRide: Training SeriesEvery Wednesday Night unlessotherwise noted

Ride Days: WednesdayEvenings

Ride Start: Gasworks Park, Se-attleMeet At:6pm, start 6:15pmsharpRide Pace: High Moderate/Brisk

Ride Distance: ~20 MilesRide Terrain: Mixed / HillyRide Coordinator: Jennifer 206-325-0319,[email protected] Leads: Arnie, Bill, Bob A,Charlie, Dan, Garry, Garth, Gary,Howard, Jimmy, Martha, Ron L,Ron T, Stacey, Tom, et al.Rain Policy: Heavy rain cancelsRide Description:On this is a mid-week trainingride, we will vary the routes fromweek to week and sample Seat-tles neighborhoods, parks andwaterfronts. We will climb lots of

hills to strengthen our lungs andlegs, but the ultimate goal will beto catch sunsets from high andlow. There will be an optionalget-together at the establishmentof our choice after the ride.

Did you remember to renewyour membership?Renew online!Click Here to renew online:


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DAILY RIDES and Other Events

Tuesday, January 1st2nd Annual New Years North HalfStart Location Cascade offices, Magnuson ParkMeet by:9:50 a.m.Start at: 10:00 a.m. sharpPace: Brisk: 16-18 mphRegroup: where appropriateRide Distance: 38 milesRide Leader: Vicky and Jim [email protected]. Day of ride call Jims cell:206-890-8411Rain Policy: Really bad weather cancelsTerrain: Half hilly, half flatCue Sheet: NoDetails: Ring in the new year with a not-too-early start for a ride around the north half ofLake Washington. We will do a clockwise loopthrough Kenmore and Juanita, with a stop forhot beverages in Bellevue before returning viaMercer Island. We promise to provide justenough hills to keep you warm. Tandems areencouraged, we will be riding ours.Directions to Start: From Sand Point Way, goWest into Magnuson park 74th St NE entrance.Turn right immediately into the parking area infront of the Cascade club entrance.

Tuesday January 1stNew Years Bowl BoycottStart: Leschi Starbucks. Park North or South of the business district.Time: Meet at 10:30Miles: About 35Pace: Moderate --ride leader recovering from injuryTerrain: Some hillsRain: Rain cancelsMap: Not this time, but will regroupLeaders: Howard Strickler 206 669-4917, Gary Strauss 206 948-9024Description: An in-City ride where Cougs and Huskies can come together to ride into the newyear.. Begin at Leschi, go over hills to Beacon Hill, drop down to Duwamish, then over to WestSeattle, Alki, than back to Leschi. We will regroup at top of hills. Great views and a lunch breakin Alki. About 35 miles with some hills to keep your heart beating.


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The Revolution!

Byrne by Bike

Talking Heads cofounder David Byrne has written a new book, BicycleDiaries. Byrne, for whom cycling has been a principal means of trans-portation in New York City since the early 1980s, has also pedaledaround many of the world's major cities. In chapters set in London,Berlin, Buenos Aires, Paris, Belgrade, Manila and San Francisco,Byrne will muse on topics ranging from visual art to globalization, offer-ing a panoramic view of urban life from the bicycle seat. In October,Byrne headlined a New Yorkerfestival event titled How New YorkersRide Bikes. Go to:http://journal.davidbyrne.com/2007/10/10072007-how-ne.html to readhis blog. Viking will publish the book in 2009.

Got Photos? Bicycle Alliance Wants em

Calling all photographers..we want photos!We're working on redesigning our web site and would like to include many more photographicimages. Recreation rides, family outings, commuter trips, trail rides, races - if it involves bicy-cling in Washington State, we'd love to see your photos. We're particularly keen to show thediversity of Washington's natural and urban landscapes with bicyclists in them.Please be selective and send only your very best shots in jpeg format. Be sure to include yourname and day-time contact information. Any photos you submit must be taken by you (i.e., youown the copyright.) There is no payment for photographs we use on the Bicycle Alliance website but we shall list the name of the photographer.

Send your medium resolution (600x800 pixels) jpeg images to [email protected]. Pleaseput "photos" in the subject area, and include a description of the photo (location, identify peopleif you can, etc.). If you have more than a few photos to send us, please consider putting themon a disk and dropping it off or mailing it to the office. We will continue to accept photographsthroughout the next four months.


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SEATTLE BICYCLE CLUB IS A PROUD MEMBER OF THE LEAGUE OF AMERICAN BI-

CYCLISTS AND THE BICYCLE ALLIANCE OF WASHINGTONWho We Are: The Seattle Bicycle Club Inc. is anot-for-profit membership organization dedicatedto the interests of recreational cycling enthusiasts.Our interests are recreation, safety, fun and cama-raderie.

We Ride Bicycles: We have two activities weride bicycles and we have fun, all at the same time.We have rides for those training for events likeRAMROD, to rides for anybody who has a bike ingood condition and a body that would like to getout there.

Everyone Is Welcome To Join: Our yearly mem-bership fee is $16 (or $20 per household 2 adultsand all minor children), which gets you monthlyissues of Seattle Spin and all of our rides, sum-mer tours, parties and our spiffy website,(www.seattlebike.org).

Audition Us: Were sure that if you ride with us,youll want to be a part of our club. Come see howmuch fun it is!

Out of town visitors are welcome on all rides!

2008 Board Members

President: Dan Wakefield

Vice President: Michele Morgan

Secretary:Judy Kraemer

Treasurer: Rick Stolz

Past President: Mary Jo Gerst

Contact any board member for more information

Non-board Volunteers:

Membership: Mark Peterson

Newsletter: Louise Kornreich

RAPSody: Bob Nyberg

Rides Director:Jim Stewart

Seattle Bicycle Club, Inc

PO Box 34123

Seattle,WA 98103-4123

http://www.seattlebicycle.org

[email protected]


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RULES TO RIDE BY:

All riders are expected to obey therules of the road and show properetiquette towards vehicles, othercyclists and pedestrians.

For example:

Come to a complete stop at stopsigns, look both ways and proceedwhen safe.

Stop before, not within or ahead, ofall crosswalks.

Heed a car back call by calling itforward and riding single file to theright to let cars pass.

Regroup well away from cars.

Riders who show flagrant abuse of

traffic rules will be asked to leavethe ride.

Read On...

Please bring ID specifying emergencycontact name and phone number,blood type, and a list of any allergiesand/or specific medical needs.

All riders under the age of 18 mustbe accompanied by a parent orresponsible adult.

Please arrive 15 minutes before theride starts to sign in, review the ridemap, and get ready to ride. If youhave any questions about the ride, askthe Ride Leader before the ridebegins.

Everyone is welcome on rides.

Ride Pace / Regroup Frequency:

Leisurely (10-12 mph) / constant

Social (12-14 mph) / frequent

Moderate (14-16 mph) / regular

Brisk (16-18 mph) / occasional

(Pace refers to the speed on the flats)

EMERGENCY CONTACTS

When signing the SBC waiverform, please consider who youdlike to have as an Emergency

Contact. It is an importantnumber that the ride leaderneeds to have. In case of anaccident, who will take yourbike home? Who will notify

your loved ones or your boss ofyour whereabouts? Try to

choose someone who has a cellphone and your house keys.

FREE CLASS!

Learn to Fix a Flat

at Recycled Cycles

Wednesdays at 7pm

They welcome cyclingnewcomers as well as veterancyclists.

The class is limited to 10students so that they can offer

personal attention.Call Recycled Cycles at206-547-4491, sign up at thestore, [email protected]

To secure a spot, send your:Full nameContact Phone #Email address

www.recycledcycles.com

Board Meeting in

JanuaryAll are invited to attend thesummer SBC Board Meetingat Hales Ales

Get involved with your club

Drink a beer with the Board!

Date: TBA

Time: 6:30pm

Place: Hales Ales on LearyWay

Want the insidersview of Bike Expo,

March 8 &9?Volunteer at the SBCbooth (free admissionincluded)! Email:[email protected]


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january 2008 seattle spin newsletter, cyclists of greater seattle

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