2014 Rewind

Step-through frame is my cats meow. What is your ideal bike?

I began 2014 evaluating what I require from The Ideal Bicycle, one that suits my particular style of riding. In the fall, I finally accept the Ross Mount Saint Helens on her own terms and treat the bicycle to decent tires.

I share my annual Blog Love list - those chroniclers of bike lore I like to celebrate every year. As some authors fall to the wayside, there are new, enthusiastic writers and photographers who enter the blogosphere.

In March I don woolies and warmers, to start the Errandonnee challenge. Also, I start a Tumblr blog for a marketing class: Upcycled Bike Bags. You might say, the subject's right up my alley.

My husband and I present our 2013 GAPCO slideshow to the community.

With an intensely cold winter, bike commuting to work starts in April, one month later than usual. Weekend rides are shining examples that Lake Champlain and its tributaries are slow to thaw.

I am proud of our children's acceptance of biking to friend's houses.

I've decided to not place my passion for pedaling upon our children, insisting instead that our boys ride for transportation. It is having a positive effect.

One satisfactory turnout in the women's ride series: a ride on the causeway.

In the summer I went on a mission to get more women on bikes by offering socially inspired rides. I didn't anticipate such a low turn out. Further thoughts resulted in How to Create More Bike Commuters. In 2015 I plan to research, revise, and offer a more diverse ride series.

My husband circles past me onto the Golden Gate Bridge.

We go on very few family rides these days—we have teenagers—so this ride was extra special and had surprising magic en route. Also, riding over the Golden Gate Bridge as a foursome kicked off our western vacation in high style.

A revitalized Peugeot UO 14.

A year for lots of wrenching.
I finished updating the Peugeot UO 14. It's now a zippy errand bike.

Turns out, this Peugeot was constructed just over the border from us in Canada.

I put together a commuter bike for our 15-year-old son. Side benefit: another 1980's bike is re-introduced to the mainstream. The Peugeot St. Laurent Express's two-tone color scheme sets this bike apart from the masses.

Franklin county farmland in early morning light.

Bike overnights rock!
2014 was another banner year: I completed 3 bike overnights. I asked for a birthday overnight and my family scrambled and helped it become reality. Have you ever seen the sun rise with pristine lake views from a peninsula campsite? Hazen's Notch/Lake Carmi's ride satisfied my appetite for fall colors while Tour de Ticonderoga makes me question why I often do solo adventures. With an adaptable and fun-loving companion, bike overnights can be an interesting and often hilarious experience.

During a relatively warm and dry October and November, I completed the Coffeeneuring Challenge, plus I explored the Intervale well into chilly December.

Again, I fell short of my 3000 mile annual goal, but it bothers me less and less—this being the second year in a row. Healing from a recent leg injury, I've come to realize my happiness stems more from individual accomplishments rather than miles traveled. In that regard, 2014 was a spectacular ride!

Holiday Cheer - Decorate the Penny Farthing

Neighbors hang flags to celebrate holidays and their favorite football team. My sister-in-law accessorizes a metal sailboat on the wall above her fireplace. And I decorate the big wheeled bike that hangs in a protected area just outside our front door. In the spring I tuck a plastic flower in the spokes; in fall I placed a fake oak leaf, and for the holidays: tree trimmings with velvet-like red bow. The more I ponder the possibilities the more I realize the penny farthing's potential as a bike lover's wall art dream. With multiple attachment points, I could get carried away: put streamers on the handlebars, weave ribbons in circles, hang an ornament or even lights—what fun!

Does anyone else have a bicycle fixture that gets gussied up throughout the year?

When Holiday Shopping is Quicker by Bike

I daresay my commute was faster, plus anxiety-free compared with drivers waiting in long lines!

I've made peace with the inevitable winter transition: walking for exercise when road conditions are dangerous. Three bikes are stored; one remains in the garage to appease me for those unforeseen dry, windless, winter moments, It helps that we live within 20 minutes walk to three shopping districts; I can still leave the car at home and accomplish errands on foot. It's a winter regimen that satisfies both body and soul.

But interestingly, I realized I'd spent two hours on foot the other day and was running out of time to hoof it across town to purchase one remaining holiday gift. With sidewalks now dry, I grabbed my bike and rode an easy mile past heavy traffic, sticking to safer sidewalk (a notorious area for automobile congestion), complete my errand, and head home.

There may be other excursions where winter riding may win above all else. For that simple reason, I'll keep one bike easily accessible during the cold months.

Beach Riding and Exploration

Is this shoreline rideable, I wonder?

I suppose I was feeling smug. Along with desiring to ride through the cold plus wearing thick mittens and praising the balaclava, I felt ready to tackle anything.

Lake Champlain's water level is still unusually low for this time of year, creating beautiful glass-like icy conditions on the shoreline. There are vast stretches of sandy beach too, tempting and luring me off the asphalt path. I negotiate twigs and fallen leaves to arrive at water's edge.

I dreamed of riding through tundra-like conditions: firm sand with rideable pockets of shallow, breakable ice.

However, the reality was my 2" wide tires were no match against sharp clam shells, a hazard I hadn't anticipated.

I turned around almost as soon as I started, unwilling to risk a flat in 20F temperatures, but not before encountering a web of stumps, visible above current lake level, creating a tentacle-like twisted maze, like art hovering above the sand.

I'm reminded that curiosity fuels our wanderlust. Taking one step in that direction: turning down a road never ridden, a trail never taken, may not divulge what you expect, but something just as satisfying: surprising, hidden gems.

In Praise of the Balaclava

When it's below 30F, nothing retains head heat like a balaclava.

I misplaced my neck gaiter thingy that I'd normally stretch over my head, which fits comfortably inside my helmet, so I grabbed the next best thing—or so I thought—my son's balaclava. The sizing was a bit snug, but I'm sold on it's design to cover my face and neck! I'll have to unearth my old balaclava—one I've had for 30 years —and adapt it (if I recall it had extra material that formed a widow's peak, partially blocking my vision) for use on the bike.

Between windproof mittens, a balaclava, and Ugg-type boots, I'm learning how to extend my riding season.