Tag Archives: cycling

Our Stories: My Rise and Fall as a Biker

Posted on by
Reply

I remember seeing the head of the black Beetle nip into the middle of the street, not at the corner, not while signaling, but while I was passing in the bike lane.  I heard my own shriek, the squeal of the tires, the crunching of the bike against the car and the thud of my own weight hitting the ground. Then for a brief moment: silence.

As I began to hear the worried sounds of inquiry around me, familiar and not, for a brief moment I contemplated whether I should just get right up and stop being a baby. Then the fact that a car had just hit me registered and I felt like I never wanted to get up, like I wanted to pass out into a sound sleep and wake up somewhere better, anywhere but lying face down in the middle of the street hit by a car.

But reality is as impatient as traffic blocked by a human barricade. “Am I OK?” I couldn’t breath. I felt terrified. I truthfully had no idea whether my head, torso or limbs were in tact – everything hurt. I had no idea how I’d fallen or landed just that I had: my eyes were open for part and closed right around the time I knew I wasn’t going to make it staying on my bike – the blood and guts part of the movie. Pass. If I had lost consciousness it would have been an indication of a more serious injury, but without this consequence I wish I had no memory of the crash.

Without the memory I wouldn’t constantly relive the experience asking myself if I could have somehow avoided the car, which I’ve been reassured tenfold by my riding partner, who gave a statement to the police, that there was absolutely nothing I could do. If the crash was inevitable what does this mean about cycling and how will I ever get on a bicycle again?

I admit it’s the first thing I thought of when the EMT’s put the neck brace on me, then strapped me to the board and put me in the ambulance. I felt unsettled as I rattled off an embarrassingly lengthy medical history to the doctors who prodded and pulled at me, while nurses stripped me naked in a room full of people. To preserve the integrity of the neck brace I had to urinate horizontal into a bedpan, like I was wetting the bed. Try unlearning that tradition. The whole time I was unsettled by thoughts not so much of “Why did this happen to me?” but “This happened to me, so is this going to happen to me again?” with fear and a loss of hope.

Biking has brought so much joy to my life. It’s not just good exercise but it has helped me considerably in shedding some difficult to lose pounds that wouldn’t budge with other regular exercise and I’d be lying if I said I didn’t love the results. After losing my business and finding out my mother had a brain tumor my long rides through Marin and soothing ferry rides home were immensely therapeutic and swelled me with pride compared to my first fumbling attempt in heels only 5 months before. Being outdoors, feeling so connected to nature was so new and enlightening for a city girl. There’s never been a time in my life where I spent so much of my days around tall trees, green grass, unobstructed sky and calm water. To be writing and photographing this blog reignited a talent I thought would die as I left my career as a fashion editor. My fiance and I bonded over the shared time we spent together in this new healthy weekend lifestyle. But was it worth this?

My neck and head hurt like the hangover from a night of a dozen mojitos AND a bottle of champagne. And in what felt like the chokehold from one of Lady Gaga’s concert headpieces I sensed soreness in my neck like the night I was rear-ended by a drunk driver and later found I had whiplash. When Morphine doesn’t make you feel better, you worry. My fiancé stood looking down at me and all I could do was stare back up at him. I wasn’t sure if I had succeeded in getting away unscathed because of the obviously unbroken bones. The lingering question in my heart was whether I was if I was ever going to be safe if I ever climbed on top of another bicycle.  I saw the urgency with which the medical professionals treated me. What were they expecting, I wondered?

Demo riding my dream bike in the same protective gear that saved me from bloody scrapes and scratches.


I wanted to tell him to find a way to cancel my $3000 dream road bike I’d gone to incredible lengths to get my hands on. I was afraid to tell him I never wanted to get on a bicycle in my life ever again. So I didn’t speak. I just looked up at him and let the tears roll down the sides of my face while the thoughts circled the drain inside my mind.

My self and skin (aside from my face) were unscathed as a result of this protective clothing that remained in tact - a North Face jacket, Specialized pants, Fox gloves and a Giro helmet.

Anything that involves spending six hours in an emergency room sucks (unless it’s where you work. Bless your hearts, I saw the other patients screaming there – whoah!) I have insulation from riding gloves, full-length riding pants, a long sleeve coat and a GIRO helmet, I would bet my life on, to thank for suffering no serious injuries other than strain to my neck, head pain and some bruising and scratches to my face (that aren’t too ugly). Whether you are religious or not, believe me that God blesses bikers with helmets on. Those riding without helmets (or as I call them “organ donors”) might as well tape their organ donor cards to their foreheads – dingbats!

 

(The helmet AFTER the head-first landing onto the street – minor scratches! Talk about a lifesaver. However, according to Bicycling Magazine June 2010’s article ‘Post-Crash Checklist’ you should replace your helmet after one hit unless you own a multi-impact helmet. “Even if there’s no visible damage to the shell the foam layer’s ability to protect your noggin from future hits has been compromised.” Although you can check whether your helmet has a replacement policy.) 

As for my relationship with cars and bikes I would be lying if I told you we’re all good now that I know I’m in the clear . . . this time. This time was my first fall.  Recognizing that the incident was not my fault and I had no way of preventing it means coming to the conclusion that the fall was inevitable and unlikely to be my last. The bike accident in your future is inevitable too. It would seem that throwing the unpredictability of bad drivers, unforeseen obstacles, lousy road work, even other overly aggressive cyclists into the mix, and like riding horses, ride for long enough and as probability will have it you will fall off your bike. The difference between a few minor scratches you might just peddle away from and a Christopher Reeves like fate (Duh (a.) helmet), riding less aggressively with greater care and caution could save you from a grizzlier fate. After all, just how much of a hurry are you really in? In which case six hours at the hospital will certainly slow you down.

Another cyclist approaching the scene of my accident.

I sincerely hope my relationship with my bike, love of biking and ability to ride will not change from this experience. As soon as my bike and I are medically able, I plan to get back on the horse. (I also call my bike Horsey. And Horsey ripped the side-view mirror off the Beetle that hit me because Horsey fights back. Not to worry the owner will paying for her damages, mine and my medical expenses. Let that be a lesson to you drivers.) Only when I ride I will do so with a newfound appreciation that in a face-off between car and bike, car always wins. Cars, like teenage girls, behave erratically, irrationally and more often than not are unremorseful for their actions. Car still wins. So in my newly formed rapport with this beast I will not just look out for oncoming traffic but keep an eye out for those “girls behaving badly” too. I’ll let you know how it feels getting back on the road.

Trail: THE JAWS OF LIFE – Tiburon

Posted on by
1

Distance: from San Francisco Ferry Building (see Golden Gateway Trail): 22.21 miles, from Marin Crossroads: 7.78 miles
Difficulty: Enough to give you saddle sores but not enough to break a tourist on a comfort bike.
Download your route sheet here: Directions – The Jaws of Life
FOR A MORE DETAILED LOOK click here for the full Geoped Map provided by g-map-pedometer.com.
From Marin Crossroads: 
There are two routes to Tiburon: Strawberry & The Quick Fix.  This is decision-time, do you have time to go the scenic route?  Or are you cutting it close to the last ferry?  If you have the time, take the Strawberry route! It is worth the time!
SCENIC ROUTE: Strawberry Fields of Heaven
 
If you make the decision to go the scenic route through Strawberry, you will make a right off of the bike path and follow Route 8 over a bridge and onto Hamilton Drive.
All you have to do in this section is stay on Hamilton Drive until it dead ends at Redwood Highway Frontage Rd, a road running parallel to US-101, at the stop sign pictured below. At the stop sign, make a right and head towards the water.
This path will wind you once again under a US-101 bridge and then back in the opposite direction.  Just watch the signs for Route 8 as you go along the road.
 
Emerging from the underpass you will reach a strip of gas stations Keep following the road here until you see the 7-Eleven.
 
Pay attention for the Route 8 sign, this will be at the corner of Seminary Drive.
Make a right on Seminary Drive and you have entered the town of Strawberry!
Though you will keep following Seminary Drive, this gets a bit confusing at the first intersection because instead of going straight, you will make a right.
 
Once you are into Strawberry, you will see marsh lands to your right, and then just up the road, you will see the bay with the US-101 bridge off in the distance.
After passing the Golden Gate Baptist Seminary on the left (yep, there is actually a seminary on Seminary Road, go figure) you will then wind around and find yourself with San Francisco in the distant foreground and Sausalito marina to your right.
This is one of the most beautiful parts of the ride to Tiburon, so take it in and take plenty of pictures!  As you can see, we did!
The Undertow Hill
 

Following the road will lead you to a hill that looks deceptively short and easy. It encourages you to charge right up only to suck you in. Fatigue at this point in the ride only makes this worse. However the lack of traffic make it manageable if you need to take it slow and you have a nice downhill ahead of you.

Once you have crested this hill, there will be a fork in the road, head to the left, this will take you towards tennis courts and Strawberry drive.

After a few more hills you will reach a point where the road becomes one lane in either direction.  Make sure to stay to the right and go in the same direction as the car traffic.

The next decision comes toward the end of Strawberry Drive, right after the road comes back together.  At that point, you will see a very inviting SuperFast downhill!

If you choose to go this way, be warned, you will have to apply your brakes quite soon after you reach the bottom because the path you take around the small peninsula is very narrow and tends to have joggers and dog walkers along it.

f you do choose SuperFast Downhill, just keep following the path until you get to the parking lot, there just head toward the 76 gas station and make a right on Greenwood Cove Drive.

 

If you chose to forego SuperFast downhill and stick with Strawberry Drive, you will go down Strawberry Drive and then intersect Tiburon Boulevard at the stop light.

At Tiburon Boulevard, make a right and enjoy the downhill section of this trip. At the next light, make a right at the 76 gas station onto Greenwood Cove Drive.

I’ll finish the route on the other side of Option 2.

OPTION 2: The Quick Fix 

If you are running a little short on time and you choose to stay on Route 5, then about half a mile from the Route 8 intersection you will come up on East Blithedale Avenue and a stop light.

 

The signs for the bike paths are a bit confusing, but just enter the road in the bike lane and follow East Blithedale Boulevard.

Be careful along this route as there are a few different intersections where cars will either be exiting the road onto a highway ramp, or just exiting the highway onto the road.  Keep following the road as it goes over US-101.  Once you have passed all of the intersections around the US-101 overpass, the rest of the ride is less dicey.

Keep straight on Tiburon Boulevard and you will intersect Strawberry Drive at a light.  At the next light, make a right at the 76 gas station (Greenwood Cove Drive), the bike path sign signals Route 10 to the right, and the rest of the route is the same for everyone (pictured above).

Options Merge:

Following Greenwood Cove Drive you will encounter another uphill area before gliding down to the end of the court.

To the left side of the court is an entryway for a path over to a parking lot.

This lot leads to Route 17 and the Tiburon bike path.  When you first enter the bike path to the right of the parking lot, you’ll see the path fork to the left and to the right.  If you head to the right, you better have a mountain bike! This is a gravel path that leads along the shoreline.

Your better option is to veer to the left and up the next hill.  Once up the hill you will see the bike path and, more than likely, a whole lot of pedestrians! Just take it easy through this section and if you have a bell, use it!

Follow this nice and easy path all along the shoreline.  Take in the beautiful scenery, take some pictures and just enjoy how much fun bike riding in this area can be!

 

The path will cross a road at a stoplight, so you’ll have to watch for cars coming around the bend.  Cross the road and the path continues for a little long, or if you’re confident enough, go ahead and get back onto Tiburon Boulevard, the rest of us will be joining you soon.

If you stayed on the path, just keep going along the path.  Eventually, you’ll make it to another intersection where you’ll have to make sure to stay to the right for the short split and just head down the path.

 

Just a bit down the way the path will end and you’ll have to merge back on to Tiburon Boulevard.  Once you’re back on the road, it’s just a straight shot to the end of this run. No worries, as a bike lane is provided the whole way to the ferry terminal.

 

From the Ferry Terminal at the round-a-bout, you have a great view of Angel Island, San Francisco and the marina.  Once you reach the ferry terminal, park your bike and enjoy one of the local restaurants before the ferry ride back to Pier 41.

Our favorite restaurant is Sam’s Anchor Cafe.  Here, there is both indoor and outdoor seating.  Be warned though, on a nice day in the spring and summer, the wait can be an hour and a half for a table outside, while you may be able to walk right in to one inside.  Just be aware of how much time you have before your ferry arrives.

 

On nice days, you’re likely to run into a long line of tourists and cyclists.  Beware that the Tiburon Ferry stacks bikes one top of one another because there is only one bike rack!! We call this the bike massacre!  It also doesn’t help that the ferries from Tiburon stop in Sausalito as well most of the time.  Even more bikes will be piled up in that mess.  Just put your gears into 1-1 in an attempt to protect your derailers. For more on how to fend for your bike read about “The Hat Trick“.

Make sure you take plenty of pictures from Tiburon.  You’ll pass by Angel Island, Sausalito, the Golden Gate Bridge and Alcatraz.

 

Fisherman’s Wharf

Once you make it back to Pier 41 at Fisherman’s Warf, you have a lot of restaurants to choose from.  We enjoying going to the outdoor stalls for dungeness crab.  When this becomes our dinner of choice, we go to Nick’s Lighthouse.

These guys have their fresh, live crab out at the steaming stall on the right.

 

It can be prepared either just steamed, or if you ask nicely at the counter, they also can prepare it in garlic butter, or our favorite, the spicy garlic butter!!!

Make sure to try not only the crab, but the crab chowder or lobster bisque as well!! Both are just amazing on a cold day.  You can get them in either a cup or a Boudin Bread Bowl.  They also serve beer and wine outside, you can see my Anchor Steam in the brown bag.  Nick’s is a great place and the service is awesome!

You might ask, “Hey, what did you do with your bikes?”  That’s a good question! The closest bike racks are down the street in front of the Boudin Bakery.  That’s a bit of a hike when you’re hungry! So what we did to ensure that our bikes were not only safe, but visible, is to lock them to the anchoring chains around the parking lot across the street.

Using the U-Lock and cables, just run the sides of the U-Lock through the chain links and your cables after connecting your cables to your rear wheel, frame and front wheel.  This is as secure as the bikes can get.

Just think of dinner as your reward for making it through the jaws of life!

Who are we and what do we know?

Posted on by
5

How we started…

Who we became!

Our view of the Caribbean Sea at the Cozumel Gran Fondo

1. We were not born or raised cycling enthusiasts.

Growing up Miko never rode or owned a bicycle and wore high heeled boots (see below) on our first ride. Somewhere between Fort Mason and Crissy Field one sunny day, on rented rides, we learned: WE LIKE TO BIKE.

 

Scenic Sausalito

Miko at Fort Point, under the Golden Gate Bridge

2. We never knew you could bike around the Bay . . . or did we?

We used to make fun of people boarding their bikes on the Sausalto ferry. Why would anyone want to work that hard when you can take the ferry there and back? The first time we made it across the Golden Gate Bridge we felt like real athletes! It’s all just opened our eyes to how many athletically challenging and beautiful ways you can bike around the Bay Area.  Now with the opening of the bike lane across the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge, you can almost bike around the the Bay!

3. We like being tourists

(in our own city)!

Just because something is frequented by tourists doesn’t mean it’s not worth partaking in, especially considering how far people travel from all over the world to enjoy it. You can cover a lot of ground on a bike and we’ll give you some pointers on some great recreational trails and trip plans that will give you a new found appreciation for this city. It may change what you consider “local” and “authentic”.

Junction just across the Golden Gate Bridge in Marin. An array of cyclists congregate there

Jon and Miko at the Marin Headlands

4. We are currently training for the Tour de Nowhere.

On our rides we savor the scenery and each other’s company at an athletic pace that gives us a good workout too. We created this blog to share our experiences and tips with people who just genuinely enjoy riding bikes. Simply that.  When you see the music videos we have created on some of our trails, these are just embodiments of why we like to bike. We encourage everyone to get out and enjoy a ride.

We do recognize there are many just out to ride for speed, who will request that you watch out “On your left” and on occasion even say “Thank you” while passing. But there are those who scowl and rant to the tune of “Move or I’ll hit you!” or “You know you’re in the way don’t you?!” and feel the need to literally brush shoulders with you on the Golden Gate Bridge. . . these are who we call bike douches. The bike douche can be recognized by their multicolored “sponsored” team jersey, custom built bicycle worth as much as a car, and menacing expression that says “I hate that you share the road with me.” They sometimes travel together in a shared silent bitterness, although we’re not sure why…And at a certain point in our riding, we started to embrace the team jerseys (especially from Mike’s Bikes, no kidding, we have four or five each, most of which are matching kit), and the amazing feeling of riding a bike that cost as much as a car.  What we did not embrace was the bitterness and scowl, those will ruin even the most beautiful ride.  If we just described you, the simple cure is to just relax and enjoy the ride, no matter how many tourist cyclists try to ruin it.

The Blazing Saddles crowd, namely tourists that rent bikes from Fisherman’s Wharf and like mosquitos tend to come out when it’s hot, are considerably slower and less experienced, hence are the natural born enemy of the bike douche sharing the same trails, especially the Golden Gate Bridge. They can be recognized by their matching helmets, trail maps, heavy bikes with comfort saddles and handlebar fanny packs marked with the name of their rental company.

[If you’re interested in renting don’t be afraid to ask them if they liked who they rented from. We had mixed experiences with Bike and Roll, whose service was good (friendly and affordable) but bikes were sometimes subpar (small selection and poorly maintained).]. Find more about our rental experiences from comfort bikes to high end road bikes here.

MY POINT (and yes I really have one) is that just like the real road has bad drivers, biking is no different. There are speedy sports cars that cut you off and unpredictable student drivers that nearly crash into you. Worst of all you have pedestrians! (Which will make you ponder the question: Why don’t you know how to WALK?) But if you spend your ride concerning yourself with other people on the road you’ll fail to enjoy the exquisite connection between mind, body and bike, with the land beneath it and the air around you.

 

This is a blog built from our shared experience learning to bike around the Bay Area and where we’ll give you information, trails and tips so you can create your own special biking memories. Please feel free to comment and share your own wisdom as well. (But if you sound like a bike douche or wannabe bike douche we’ll delete you. JK.)

 

Trail: INAUGURAL RUN – Ferry Building to Fort Point and the Golden Gate (and Back)

Posted on by
4

Whether you are just learning to bike, a tourist that want to join all those people you see riding from Fisherman’s Warf or want to experience San Francisco in a new way, the ride to Fort Point and back is a beautiful ride along the San Francisco Bay to the Golden Gate Bridge.

Distance = 11.36 miles

Difficulty = Cake! Full of easy alternatives to on-road riding for the novice or “rusty” rider.

Download the Route Sheet here: Directions – Inagural Run

You can find a detailed map of The Inaugural Run HERE.

OUR INAUGURAL RUN TO THE GOLDEN GATE

Beginning at the Ferry Building means traveling along the Embarcadero, where there is both a narrow bike lane on the street and a wide sidewalk. Drivers along the Embarcadero can be aggressive and unforgiving while pedestrians are absent minded and slow. Both ways are more congested on the weekend but it’s not unusual to alternate between the two to avoid vans or a particularly slow group of Sunday walkers.

The first fork in the road comes at the junction of Kearny and North Point where the Embarcadero ends and the straight through is the bumpy brick path of the trolly tracks.  If you feel safest on the sidewalk and have zen-like frustration tolerance for slow, absent minded tourists . . the best solution is to enter the pavement towards Pier 39 and enjoy this Scenic Route through the marina, Pier 39 and Fisherman’s Wharf.  There will be lots of opportunities to take photos, but TONS of slow pedestrians that have the right of way.

Since we original wrote this article, a bike lane and bike turn signal has been installed at the intersection of Embarcadero and North Point Street that makes taking the route along North Point Street much easier to take.  (See Run Over Route, below.)

Intersection of Embarcadero and North Point, courtesy of Google Maps

 Scenic Route

Expect this area to be extremely tiresome because pedestrians and cyclists coexist about as well as toddlers and teenagers. It’s all about me and nobody’s happy. Take a deep breath because it’s only a short span that will make you reevaluate your own habits of jay walking and walking while talking on the cell.  Just follow the road through Fisherman’s Wharf through Aquatic Park where it meets Van Ness Avenue which is where this route meets back up with the Run Over Route.

Miko with Mt. Tamalpias in the background

Miko at the Entrance to the Aquatic Park Trail

ALTERNATE: The Run Over Route

With the addition of the bike turn signal at the intersection and bike lane along North Point Street, and the thought of commingling with throngs of pedestrians makes your skin crawl, you’d best admire Fisherman’s Wharf from a distance and instead turn left at the bike signal and head up North Point Street. This is called the Run Over Route (click here) for a reason: buses, vans, taxis, even big rigs are out to run you over – for the sheer joy of crushing cyclists!

(UPDATE: Thanks to the San Francisco Bike Coalition, part of North Point is now a dedicated Bike Lane in July 2010)

Patience my friends between stop lights and aggressive drivers, make a right at Columbus (right before the uphill) then head left on Beach. You will pass over most of the detour and come out at the top before heading down towards the hill at Fort Mason (a.k.a. the Celebrity Fit Club).

Looking up Celebrity Fit Club

After passing through the short bike path at the end of Beach Street, near the Maritime Museum, keep mind of your surroundings.  It’s not because we think you’re stupid but because when you hit the downward slope at this part you want to get some speed (barring annoying, loitering tourists and cars parking) before heading up the hill (or as I like to call it the Celebrity Fit Club) towards Fort Mason.

The Celebrity Fit Club hill is the only challenging part of this ride. Some heavier bikes (and loftier fitness levels . . . ahem) may not be UP for it. Getting into a good gear setting and finding the right pace can make all the difference. In the meantime you can “like totally pause” or alternately walk your bike.

Jon taking a pause at the top of Celebrity Fit Club.

For what it’s worth, it’s genuinely joyful to reach the top and enjoy the views of Fort Mason, the Marina district, Crissy Field and the Golden Gate from this vantage point beneath the trees (and perhaps a perfect time for a water break and picture op me thinks).

The path gets more intuitive here with slews of other bikers around to follow. Coming out of the park here we suggest biking through the parking lot at Fort Mason, which runs along the waterfront – for all the reasons we like parking lots and because it’s more scenic.

After rejoining the bike path on Marina Boulevard, at the beginning of Crissy Field there’s the option to continue on the paved bike path or brave it along the dirt path along the waterfront. The views along the water are magnificent and we recommend taking this path at least once towards the bridge.

Crissy Field Bike Path

Alternately the bike path along Crissy Field is clearly marked and sufficiently wide for both joggers and bikers, for a swifter pass through the area. We recommend taking this route back.

 Where you decide to end your ride and turn back is up to you. Miko wanted as close to the Golden Gate Bridge’s underbelly as possible, while Jon wanted confirmation that Fort Point is actually one of the key buildings in Grand Theft Auto San Andreas (and now Watchdogs 2).

There are rest spots with bathrooms at the end of the road to take the weight off your saddle sore bottom, along with plenty of great places to pose for your Christmas card photo.

Jon and Miko take a quick “pause” at the sea wall near the Warming Hut

Riding back is just backtracking with two small pieces of advice: (1.) the hill through the park at Fort Mason is less steep if you take the path on the right that winds it’s way back to the hill (which is “WEEE!” fast fun on the way down compared to “HELP!” dying up).

And (2.) when returning on the Embarcadero make a choice between pavement or street based on your first encounter. On the street pay more attention to lights and traffic in this direction as there is a lot more stopping and starting and the bad drivers that will make a right hand turn from the left hand lane, as seen in the video below:

This first ride is a  satisfying run for those learning to get their bearings on a bike and to see and photograph the city’s many tourist destinations in a short amount of time. The route to the bridge will be the springboard to many of our other routes including the delectable ones into Marin . . . good thing is it never gets old.