Share YOUR TBC Stories
Now that the Team Bike Challenge is in full swing, we want to hear from you! We want to hear the good, the bad, and the ugly. Tell us about your experience with this heated competition and how you and your team are getting motivated to RIDE RIDE RIDE. What we are looking for here are stories about your riding experiences and team spirit. Got a digital camera with video clip capability or have a digital video camera? Think about doing a video log documenting your experiences during the Team Bike Challenge. Send us a QuickTime Movie to post on our website.
14 comments:
Ok, so this weekend I rode much more than I ever do. Why you ask? Well the TBC of course. The Team Bike challenge has given me an excuse to get my wife on a bike on the weekend. Normally we just slug along in our car from place to place, but not this past weekend. We rode on Sunday to take a hike, to lunch and then to a movie. My wife loved it! A persuasive tactic I used was to suggest that we take the MTD bus (equipped with bike racks) home if we got tired by the end of the day. It worked and yes we did end up taking the bus home which was fun too.
I have ridden to two meetings that I normally drive to and I have made some lunch bike trips that I never had made before. I have also been bike commuting much more than I usually do. It almost feels like the days when I did not own a car :)
The Bike Challenge has gotten me out of my SUV and onto my bike. I have enjoyed riding my bike down State Street in the mornings! I am committing to continue riding after the challenge is over. Thank you for the motivation!!!
One aspect I like about this mailing list is reading about other cyclist's experiences on their commute. Although not always funny at the time, some events are pretty funny to think back on. Thought I'd share my experience from this morning.
TEAM BIKE CHALLENGE 1st Day
12:01 AM Still trying to put slicks on mountain bike and finish tune up for the ride in the morning.
12:02 AM Just realized it *IS* tomorrow.
12:15 AM Jump in bed and lay there wishing I'd put some time and money into building a commuter bike BEFORE team bike challenge rather than using my mountain bike with slicks
5:15 AM: Alarm goes off
5:16 AM Hit Snooze button
5:25 AM Alarm goes off and I hit the ground running.
6:00 AM Head off to the Bus Stop
6:20 AM 21x bus pulls up and has two bikes on it already
6:21 AM I ride farther up the route to get on a line 20 bus
6:30 AM Line 20 pulls up and I try to put my bike on the rack. Front tire (Maxxis Hookworm 2.7) doesn't fit and driver kicks me off
6:31 AM Ask the driver if he can erase my TAP card swipe since I can't ride. He say's he can't. I tell him that Jamey Wagner is going to send me one of his mean letters. Driver says better you than me. (ok that last sentence isn't true)
6:31 AM I head back to the house reciting every expletive I know in my head.
6:40 AM Decide to use anger to power me all the way to UCSB on my bike.
7:05 AM Conquer Ortega Hill on the mountain bike the whole time thinking, "That new path is going to be nice".
7:08 AM Almost killed at new stop sign on Via Real between San Ysidro and Sheffield Dr. Speeding truck wasn't paying attention, slammed on brakes at the last minute, and did an uncontrolled skid into the bike lane in front of me YEEEEE-HAWWWWWW. I love the smell of burning rubber in the morning.
7:09 AM Decide that I'll start wearing my helmet on the street again (at least for the commute between Carp and UCSB).
7:20 AM Pass Winchel's Donuts on Milpas and REALLY want a donut
7:22 AM Decide to ride down Gutierrez as punishment for REALLY wanting a donut.
7:23 AM Riding down Gutierrez makes me feel better about commuting on a mountain bike.
7:30 AM Get pinched by a car deciding to make a last minute right turn on a side street
7:45 AM Make it to De La Vina and State. Pretty much all downhill from here!
7:46 - 8:00 AM Catch every red light on State all the way to Old Town. Yes I know there's a bike path and I think its boring.
8:01 AM Run into my friend who is also riding into work. Pain subsides a little thanks to good conversation.
8:10 AM Tempted to hold on to his messenger bag while he goes up the hill into campus
8:20 AM Hang bike up on the wall of my office, change clothes and start my day.
8:21 AM I realize, "OH CRAP I HAVE TO DO THAT AGAIN THIS EVENING".
Total Mileage 27.71 (Includes riding in opposite direction in hopes to get a spot on the bus)
WOOHOO
VIVA Los Picadores
-matt
Wondering Said on 6/06/2006 5:32 PM:
Hey, how come you only count one of my rides per day when I go out of my way to use the bike frequently during this month? I thought you would count every round trip........
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Good question!
There are individual prizes for the most trips taken by an infrequent rider and for any rider who logs the most miles during June. We added multiple trips and mileage this year based on feedback from participants last year. However, we wanted to retain the fairness of 1 trip per participant for the main Team Bike Challenge contest in order to keep the playing field fair for infrequent and frequent riders alike. Our FAQ and Prizes pages has more info about this, if you want to check it out.
We are working on a page that will show the standings for these contests, so hang tight!
Thanks for wondering :-)
I want to know about the trips being made by infrequent riders...especially those trips that you've made and afterwards thought, "Hey, that was fun, why have I never done that before?" Ride on! And then tell us about your experiences here.
The pressure is killing me. I'm already a frequent bike commuter, but now I don't feel like I can take a day off. I even feel like I have to add trips I wouldn't normally even make at all on the weekend. But alas our team is slipping further and further behind.
Now I open the garage and instead of taking the Vespa when I need to stop at the store, I take the mountain bike because it's got a rack. The rest of the time I take my recumbent trike because I prefer to Dominate the traffic from the throne of my Catrike.
The TBC is fun and my co-workers seem to be enjoying it, too, even though we're going to lose.
So... I'm 8 miles from home on my commute today, and what do I do? I break my frame. Yes folks, I am so powerful that I crush steel with my legs. Can't call for a ride tho -- that wouldn't be TBC-correct. So I limped it gingerly home at an average speed of 8mph, getting home fine, but one hour and one frame down.
Team Spanky Pants Rocks! We take the whippin' and keep on trippin'!
We are having a blast! My daughter rode with me on our 1969 Schwinn Twinn to the grocery store, and Block Buster video, and my wife came along on her single. We had that old Schwinn's baskets overflowing with groceries! A couple gallons of milk, a bunch of produce, several bread products, rock salt to make ice cream when we got home, coffee, ...all kinds of stuff. A bike ride is much more of a fun way to go to the store! The fuel is better too!
Even I am riding more than my usual to try to keep up. I went to the Bay Area this weekend and brought along my foldup bike. Riding to a grocery store in Oakland I decided that a lock wouldn't be much protection so I just simply folded her up and stuck it the shopping cart and walked up and down the aisles with it. I got lots of positive comments and stares. It worked great.
Here is an idea for a REAL Bike Challenge:
Let's make this a semi-annual event with one month in June like now and one in January. This would separate the men and women from the boys and girls. Extra points for riding in the rain, dark, under 45 degrees, over 10 miles, or a fixed gear bike!
I think we should continue logging rides throughout the year to see who really is serious about riding their bikes. This might help Traffic Solutions track how many "infrequent riders" kept riding after the contest is over. I am an infrequent rider for this contest and plan to continue riding when its over.
I love riding down State St. before the businesses have opened in the morning. It's like watching the City wake up. If you have the opportunity to take that route to work, I recommend it. I've been able to enjoy our beautiful City so much more since riding my bike.
I learned a few lessons today: (1) Don't cut through parking lots! I almost got run over. Need to slow down and take the proper routes. It's not the first time I've almost got run over hot dogging it. Which leads to Lesson (2) Learn how to use the brakes so I don't (almost) end up on the pavement. And finally Lesson (3) if you get in a fight with the bike lock, the bike lock may win (I ended up with a cut lip). I would like to see some kind of continuation of TBC when this is done. This is so much fun!
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