This spaghetti of pavement constitutes the famous 5-mile descent into the hamlet of Sa Calobra.
posted by: susi
An early-spring road cycling training camp is one way to jump-start the season. Even if you’ve been able to ride all winter, as we have in the New York City area this year, a concentrated outdoor effort on challenging terrain under the guidance of experienced ride leaders can boost motivation, help build fitness and improve bike handling skills and confidence.
Recently I parked my city bike and hung up my commuter jeans to attend my first-ever training camp in Majorca, Spain. As mentioned in a previous post, the mild climate, challenging terrain, well-paved roads and accessibility of this Mediterranean island attract an estimated quarter of a million cyclists each spring. (And by the way, you don’t have to be a road cyclist to enjoy everything Majorca offers — springtime bicycle touring is another popular option.)
Ascending in the welcome shade of a forest in Majorca, Spain. photo: Pete Drinkell, others velojoy
My goals: 1) to build my fitness base and endurance for some upcoming cycling events through ride volume and climbing, and 2) to improve my bike handling skills on descents — I admit to tentativeness and wussy bilateral brake-squeezing.
The trip that I signed on for is an annual week-long camp organized by New York City fitting studio and bike shop Signature Cycles and led by GPM10 Training. Read more…
photos: david august trimble
Pro cyclist Neil Bezdek, who’s in Italy to race the Red Hook Criterium Milano on Saturday, shared these wonderful photos from a weekend ride on the streets of Milan.
Shot in and around the Piazza del Duomo, the largest square in Milan, they capture Italian citizens of all ages at their Sunday leisure on two wheels. Pour yourself a cappuccino and enjoy the view of the cobbled streets: Read more…
I’ve been spending some vacation time at the beach in these final days (sigh!) before Labor Day. One of my favorite cycling destinations and hang-outs is Montauk, where a surfer vibe flows from funky T-shirt shops on Main Street to hot new boutique hotels to the storied shores of Ditch Plains Beach.
Bicycles, especially beach cruisers, are a great way to enjoy the ocean breezes and to sail past traffic congestion. To get you to the beach and back with ease, I’ve posted a few finds from out East: Read more…
photos: velojoy
In a recent opinion piece in the New York Times, “The Dutch Way – Bicycles and Fresh Bread,” Russell Shorto, an American writer who has been living in Amsterdam for several years, contrasts car-centric culture in the U.S. with a European mindset that “hard wires” transportation alternatives into its culture. As part of his comparison, the author sheds light on the connection between using bicycles for daily transportation in the Netherlands and eating fresher, more healthful food:
“Cyclists can’t carry six bags of groceries; bulk buying is almost nonexistent. Instead of shopping for a week, people stop at the market daily. So the need for processed loaves that will last for days is gone. A result: good bread.”
Shorto’s observations were on my mind when my son and I shopped Amsterdam’s Noordermarkt, one among many neighborhood green markets, the way the Dutch do — by bicycle. In Amsterdam, a network of 249 miles of bike lanes and paths supports accomplishing daily routines, including food-shopping, on two wheels. Read more…
photos: velojoy
If you love cycling and you believe in its potential for improving the quality of life of city dwellers, then riding a bicycle on the streets of Amsterdam for the first time is like awakening to find that all your dreams have come true.
Even without having paused at one of Amsterdam’s famous “coffee” houses, I’m still on a high from the five days I spent last week in the capital of the Netherlands and the kingdom of the citizen-cyclist. That’s not just because bicycling along the city’s picturesque canals and bustling thoroughfares with my son was such a great vacation, but also because I came to understand — in a way that reading or watching videos on YouTube can never quite convey — what it means for a city to have woven cycling into the rich and satisfying fabric of urban living. The kind of living that we do here in New York City.
Read more…
The new Bike NYC, The Cyclist’s Guide to New York City will appeal to anyone who wants to experience, from the seat of a bicycle, the richness of New York City’s storied urban landscape, historic neighborhoods and vibrant cycling culture. That includes not only visitors, but also casual riders out for weekend recreation, as well as the growing numbers of people who use bicycles for everyday transportation.
Three authors bring a wealth of cycling experience to the new book, out this month from Skyhorse Publishing: writer Marci Blackman and photographer Ed Glazar are avid riders and bicycle tour guides, and Michael Green is a filmmaker and creator of the popular New York City bicycling blog www.bikeblognyc.com.
The compact volume gets rolling with essential safety tips and NYC cycling rules. The authors’ advice on how to avoid getting “doored” by parked cars, the most useful that I’ve ever read, may alone be worth the price of the book.
But the main attraction is the rides. Bike NYC lays out eight routes, ranging from 10 to 40 miles, that offer fun and adventure in all five boroughs. Most aren’t the usual suspects, so look elsewhere if you want a Central Park Loop outing. In sharing their favorites, the authors have assembled a uncommon selection of scenic and lore-laced journeys. Among them: Read more…
photos: velojoy
To kick off the weekend, we headed to Borough Market, the renowned source of exceptional produce and haven for London foodies.
A short walk from the London Bridge underground station led us to a bustling enclave of 130 food stalls selling vegetables, fruit, meat, fish, prepared foods and more, all situated in and around the arches of the railway viaducts between Borough High Street and the Thames River.
Where to begin? Gustatory delights, not only from the London area, but also from around the U.K. and the world, shown from tables and shelves and refrigerated cases. Velvet-skinned fresh figs (below). Delicate filets of Dover sole. Hefty pucks of creamery butter. Fat green olives that held us captive in their fragrance. I almost regretted not having had access to a kitchen in which to transform these exceptional ingredients into a home-cooked feast.
The manager of a popular London restaurant had recommended that we visit the Borough on a Friday morning to avoid the weekend crush of tourists. And the early-bird approach is right on.
First, in the relative calm of a weekday morning, it’s still possible to engage some of the vendors, who are often also producers, in conversation. For people who are passionate about food, there’s lots of knowledge to be gained here.
Second, you can skip breakfast, The samples offered by the vendors easily add up to a meal. Example: the stall that sells curries, cooked on premises in gargantuan pans, was dispensing tastes of three dishes alone.
Still, we resisted the impulse to freeload and made a few purchases. A sticky pastry stack of a nut-stuffed baklava was my choice. My husband, preferring savory fare, bought a “Mixed Grill Butty,” (below): sizzling sausage and bacon, with a Portobello mushroom to infiltrate the cholesterol convention, all slathered with mustard and squished agreeably between two halves of a buttered bun.
Here are a few additional photographs of the Borough’s bounty. Warning: Viewing them is likely to increase appetite.
Read more…
Having switched now from tennis fans to London tourists, we’ve had a day on the streets to observe the London cycling scene in action. So far, it looks a lot like New York City’s, right down to the “tribes” of upright, road, commuter and fixed-gear riders pedaling around town.
One big difference though, is the width of the streets in general. Historic London’s generally narrower thoroughfares present substantial challenges to sharing among cyclists, pedestrians and automobiles – even when bike lane markings are present. And yet, cycling seems remarkably popular, encouraged here, as in New York, by a mayor who has championed cycling as a transportation alternative.
Not surprisingly, the cab drivers whom we spoke with had their share of complaints, but they weren’t against cycling in general. Their main gripe was with bicyclists who run traffic signals at high speed. (Sound familiar?)
photos: velojoy
In the East London section of Islington, where we started the day early on Wednesday, cyclists bound for the city center (above) poured through the intersection of St. John and Own Streets. Read more…
photos: velojoy
velojoy street scene
Bicycles provide fast and efficient transportation, so why not use them to extend the reach of motorized ambulance service?
While wandering the back courts at Wimbledon in London on Tuesday, I met (above, from left) Gabriel and Alastair, volunteers manning the London District Cycle Response Unit of the St John Ambulance. This radio-dispatched team can speed to medical emergencies on the Wimbledon grounds to render medical treatment or stabilize patients until an ambulance arrives. Their Specialized Hardrock mountain bikes are fitted with custom-designed panniers stocked with equipment for resuscitation, pain relief and first aid. EMS Star of Life bike bells (below) stand in for sirens. (Note to the United States Tennis Association: What a great idea for the U.S. Open.)
On Monday, when temperatures at Wimbledon reached the high 80s F., the ambulance service tallied its highest single-day number of calls on record: 247, mostly heat-related.
According to the St John Ambulance website, 42 volunteers staff six first aide posts to provide care to visitors from around the world who crowd The Championships. St John is a not-for-profit organization that teaches first aid to community volunteers and provides ambulance service to large public events.
photos: velojoy
We’re spending some vacation time in London this week, and as soon as I can get some tennis stuff out of the way, the real fun can begin: You know, checking out the bike share (or bike hire, as it’s called here), sipping coffee at the cycling cafe Look Mum No Hands, shopping at Bobbin Bicycles for a British rain cape.
But in the mean time, my husband thinks we’ve traveled here for Wimbledon, so I’m humoring him. Here are a couple of photos from our first day at The Championships, where we watched Marion Bartoli, the sassy ninth-seed from France, upset four-time Wimbledon champion Serena Williams, and where third-seeded Roger Federer (near player above) brought down Mikhail Youzhny of Russia, but not without a four-set fight.
Yes, you can ride your bike to The Championships, the only Grand Slam tennis event still played on grass courts. It’s about 8 miles from the northeast corner of Hyde Park. The bicycle racks, which are located at Car Park 8, inside the entrance to Wimbledon Park, were already filled when we arrived at 11:30 a.m. The toddler in the foreground played drums on the helmets while his dad locked up the bike on which they had arrived. Read more…
