Monday, February 05, 2007
Bikes Inside party, the brief version
It started 20:30 Sat 3rd, ended, that is to say I left, @ 04:47 Sun 4th., I finally felt recovered ca. 16:00 Mon 5th. I don't have enough time left in my shift for the full story and work both.
Un-Race
So a while back on the "fixedvancouver" forum (www.fixedvancouver.com) there had been a bit of discussion of an informal race in traffic, only start and destination predetermined. It boiled down to a "lets meet 17:30 at the art gallery fountain fri feb 2 and see what happens".
I went there, so did a few others (about 8 total) but some of them did not come to "race". With excuses like "I didn't bring a helmet" or "I brought the bike with no brake" or "I have to be somewhere else at XX:XX, and there isn't enough time" or "I can't race, I'm too old" (I guess I covered all their excuses). Of course my sarcastic side came out immediately to ask why s/he didn't bring a helmet/bike with a brake, quit wasting time because if we had left by even 18:00 the "race" would have been over by now (we didn't actually leave till 1845), and as to age, the over-the-hill decrepit person was some mewling wet-behind-the-ears 29yo.
The four of us who decided to make a go of it were "Alex", a 17yo on a 'cross bike; "Camillo", a mid 20's (I guess) bike messenger on a fixie, "Clancey", a 36yo (I think he said, but maybe 35, mid-30's anyway) high-school teacher on a flip-flop SS/fixed hub, and I on my Brodie (a significant disadvantage technologically unless a lot of hill-climbing AND soft ground is involved). The destination we chose was the UBC pool, by the old bus-loop.
We headed off down Howe St in some very heavy traffic, I was the last one to hit the actual street, but by the time we got to Davie St, I was ahead by several car lengths. It was quite a thrill, zipping along at the edge of the curb past the stopped cars, between two lanes of moving traffic, but only moving 1/2 the speed of the bikes (eeeeyyikes! that was close! A transit bus on one side and an SUV on the other!), nipping around the right-turner... I was still in the lead as I was crossing the Granville St bridge, and a couple of times I thought I heard something behind me, but still nothing. Then, as I turned my head to do a shoulder check before moving into the lane to take the Fir St off-ramp, I see him. It's Camillo, draughting me, and the he passes as we take the off-ramp. I almost catch him at Broadway, but he is just a bit ahead. I catch him at Burrard St (red light, lots of traffic), and we blast off again ASAP (just before the light actually goes green). Same thing happens at Arbutus. I looked behing us both times to check for the other 2, but no sign. Did they have worse traffic luck, or take a different route? Unfortunately, the sprinting and icy cold air was not a good combo for my lungs. At Vine I had to back off considerably, to a slow cruise pace to be more precise, about 24km/h. My right lung felt like it was going to explode with every exhale (inhaling wasn't too bad, oddly enough). My legs were fine, but my lungs were done. After a little while I was able to speed up a bit, but not very much. Broadway was a mess because of roadworks in the Macdonald area, which slowed me down to a sub-lung pace. Single lane, stuck behind a mini-van which insisted on hugging the curb, but was too erratic in its lane placement to risk a left-sided pass (traffic was only 1 lane each way). Finally I was able to get by when she had to stop for a person who didn't know how to turn his wheel for a right turn (or so it would seem. There was nothing to prevent him from completing the turn).
I plugged along, past Alma, zig-zagging at Highbury to 10th Ave and on to UBC. I stopped at the lights at Wesbrook Mall. There was no traffic at all except for the 2 vehicles beside me also on 10th W.bound. I couldn't see any of the other cyclists there, so I decided to wait for the lights. I shouldn't have. It took 2 minutes, no lie; I checked my watch. So when I got to the pool, Clancey and Camillo were already there. No Alex. Clancey got ther 1st (he went Cornwall, Pt Grey, 4th, Blanca, Chancellor) and Camillo arrived 2 mins later (according to Clancey) and I another 7 mins after that. Alex arrived about 3-5 mins after me. If it hadn't been for the icy air and waiting @ Wesbrook, my timing would have been much better. But at least this "old" geezer wasn't DFL. We all agreed that the 1st bit in all the traffic was the most fun, and decided to do something like it 1st & 3rd Fridays. We all rode back, more leisurely, and I said goodbye at 6th & Granville, to wait for the bus home.
I went there, so did a few others (about 8 total) but some of them did not come to "race". With excuses like "I didn't bring a helmet" or "I brought the bike with no brake" or "I have to be somewhere else at XX:XX, and there isn't enough time" or "I can't race, I'm too old" (I guess I covered all their excuses). Of course my sarcastic side came out immediately to ask why s/he didn't bring a helmet/bike with a brake, quit wasting time because if we had left by even 18:00 the "race" would have been over by now (we didn't actually leave till 1845), and as to age, the over-the-hill decrepit person was some mewling wet-behind-the-ears 29yo.
The four of us who decided to make a go of it were "Alex", a 17yo on a 'cross bike; "Camillo", a mid 20's (I guess) bike messenger on a fixie, "Clancey", a 36yo (I think he said, but maybe 35, mid-30's anyway) high-school teacher on a flip-flop SS/fixed hub, and I on my Brodie (a significant disadvantage technologically unless a lot of hill-climbing AND soft ground is involved). The destination we chose was the UBC pool, by the old bus-loop.
We headed off down Howe St in some very heavy traffic, I was the last one to hit the actual street, but by the time we got to Davie St, I was ahead by several car lengths. It was quite a thrill, zipping along at the edge of the curb past the stopped cars, between two lanes of moving traffic, but only moving 1/2 the speed of the bikes (eeeeyyikes! that was close! A transit bus on one side and an SUV on the other!), nipping around the right-turner... I was still in the lead as I was crossing the Granville St bridge, and a couple of times I thought I heard something behind me, but still nothing. Then, as I turned my head to do a shoulder check before moving into the lane to take the Fir St off-ramp, I see him. It's Camillo, draughting me, and the he passes as we take the off-ramp. I almost catch him at Broadway, but he is just a bit ahead. I catch him at Burrard St (red light, lots of traffic), and we blast off again ASAP (just before the light actually goes green). Same thing happens at Arbutus. I looked behing us both times to check for the other 2, but no sign. Did they have worse traffic luck, or take a different route? Unfortunately, the sprinting and icy cold air was not a good combo for my lungs. At Vine I had to back off considerably, to a slow cruise pace to be more precise, about 24km/h. My right lung felt like it was going to explode with every exhale (inhaling wasn't too bad, oddly enough). My legs were fine, but my lungs were done. After a little while I was able to speed up a bit, but not very much. Broadway was a mess because of roadworks in the Macdonald area, which slowed me down to a sub-lung pace. Single lane, stuck behind a mini-van which insisted on hugging the curb, but was too erratic in its lane placement to risk a left-sided pass (traffic was only 1 lane each way). Finally I was able to get by when she had to stop for a person who didn't know how to turn his wheel for a right turn (or so it would seem. There was nothing to prevent him from completing the turn).
I plugged along, past Alma, zig-zagging at Highbury to 10th Ave and on to UBC. I stopped at the lights at Wesbrook Mall. There was no traffic at all except for the 2 vehicles beside me also on 10th W.bound. I couldn't see any of the other cyclists there, so I decided to wait for the lights. I shouldn't have. It took 2 minutes, no lie; I checked my watch. So when I got to the pool, Clancey and Camillo were already there. No Alex. Clancey got ther 1st (he went Cornwall, Pt Grey, 4th, Blanca, Chancellor) and Camillo arrived 2 mins later (according to Clancey) and I another 7 mins after that. Alex arrived about 3-5 mins after me. If it hadn't been for the icy air and waiting @ Wesbrook, my timing would have been much better. But at least this "old" geezer wasn't DFL. We all agreed that the 1st bit in all the traffic was the most fun, and decided to do something like it 1st & 3rd Fridays. We all rode back, more leisurely, and I said goodbye at 6th & Granville, to wait for the bus home.
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