Thursday, June 21, 2012

"Media Week"

This week, cycling for a year took on a more public posture.  Monday was media day.  The folks at New Belgium asked if I would do a TV spot and, wanting to be helpful, I said yes!  Except that the station was in Raleigh.  So I took the morning DRX (Durham/Raleigh Express Bus) with the bike on board and cycled up to NBC17 for their morning "My Carolina Today".  But first it was a meeting with a couple of cool folks from The News and Observer for an article about the Tour de Fat coming in this Friday's paper.  We met at the Benelux Cafe for the interview/photo shoot and just happened to run into a few New Belgium regional folks working away at a table nearby.  What a fun coincidence.  If you live in the Raleigh area, Benelux has a great cycling theme and supports a weekly ride from their shop.  Its right in the heart of downtown.

People ask how cyclists handle bad weather.  My usual response is the standard, "There is no bad weather, only bad gear."  The heat this week reminds me that this axiom holds true for everything but the heat!  I guess in that case, good gear = a change of clothes, a washcloth, and some deodorant!  But hot weather commuting can be a pretty big obstacle.  You can do a couple of things to help!

  1. Slow down!  If you are a "pace pusher" like me, give that up when you are going to the office or off to a meeting.  You sweat less and the evaporation can better keep up with your output!
  2. Leave time for cleaning up after you arrive.
  3. Pack a microfiber towel to dry off and a shirt to change into.
  4. Be willing to look sweaty - make yourself the brunt of your own jokes!
  5. See if your employer will accommodate cyclists by adding in some showers to the facility so you can clean up when you arrive.  Kudos to Duke University for identifying showers on campus and for arranging for registered bike commuters to be able to swipe into the campus gyms before 9:00AM in order to use the showers.
For those who read this, please plan on coming out to the Tour de Fat.  Spend some money there and the proceeds will go to local bike charities.  Even the car for bike trader will get money to spend at a local bike shop to design their dream commuter bike.  All the money stays local!  Join the parade (BE the show), and enjoy the show provided by this cool event.

Saturday, June 9, 2012

Two Weeks to Go!


Two Saturdays from now the Tour de Fat returns to Durham.  It will be a fun, zany festival of all things motorless and two-wheeled.  For those who missed last year, the "Tour" can be described as "street theater", vaudeville, and festival all rolled into one.  It is most definitely a bike festival with beer, really good beer, on the side.  Its sponsored by the New Belgium Brewing Company which makes its signature Fat Tire Beer (hence the "Fat" in Tour de Fat).  The TDF raises money for local biking advocacy and development.  All the proceeds stay local.

They've changed things around this year so that the "Car for Bike Trader" (that would be me, last year) receives not a bike, but money to put together a tailor made commuter bike at a local bike store.  That way even more of the money stays local and you can design a commuter to suit your particular needs.  So put your name in the pot to give up the old gas guzzler (they sell it and donate the money locally) and commit to riding for a year on your new leg powered vehicle.

For a bit of fun tune in to NBC17 for My Carolina Today on Tuesday, June 19 at 11am.  I'll be doing a bit of an interview to talk about the Tour and the bike trade.  Fun!