enfer du nord westchester

so i didn't recap D2R2,
which i rode 90 miles of in september.
it brutally destroyed me.
i limped the last 30 miles back to deerfield.
from vermont.

it was a beautiful ride.
not as beautiful as i thought it was going to be,
but really wonderful giant hills and valleys and trees.

9000 ft of climbing later,
and my knees were toast for almost two weeks.

so when i found this route, enfer du nord westchester,
mixed terrain, unpaved roads, some sizable hills,
and not far from where i lived,
i thought: it's been a whole month.
i should be good to go again.

60 miles later, and ~5500 ft of climbing,
and i was, once again, thoroughly thrashed.

it's actually much like a mini D2R2.
not as steep, which i am thankful for,
but still pretty damn challenging.
terrain was a good mix of road and dirt.
the dirt was not too loose or rocky,
except for one or two tougher climbs.
like i was told about the area, lots of washboard.
good variation in ascent and descent.

one of the roads was a gated farm road,
that, unfortunately, was closed so we had to reroute.
we also missed a couple turns; 
road signs up there aren't easy to read.

but man, the fall colors are starting to come in.
more yellows than reds right now, still great scenery.
also, TONS of horses. equestrian country up there.
giant houses. mansions? mad money.

all said and done, i'd ride up there again.

here is the link of the route and what our route ended up as.
go do it!

to the edge

when limits are exceeded,

things either break, or become greater.

that outer boundary, beyond the edge,

can be terrifying or beautiful.

positive contribution

one could say a solid basis for non-conflict
would simply be not pissing people off.
this can be done passively and actively.
like keeping to yourself, or holding your tongue.
this can also be done reluctantly.
because some people try and start it,
and your ego has a hard time letting it go,
even when letting it go is the safest choice.

i want to organize a structure of positive creation of non-conflict.
a lifestyle of compassion and care for all the everythings.
sure it's been written and said and purported in all kinds of ways.
and pushed forward by all kinds of organizations and agendas too.
but let's cut all those strings and simplify it for our needs.

here's simple:
just care about people.
if something is wrong with someone, offer to help.
help as best you can without getting taken advantage of.
do good things within your means.
put yourself out there, but not too far out.
get along. stand on principles, but be flexible,
as long as nobody gets hurt.
get everyone home safe.

ideally, if these things are done all the time by everyone,
we as people don't create unhealthy, angry, and upset people.
if we don't inflict pain, the pained don't have it to share.
but we're in an imperfect world, and some people are messed up.
we have to deal with them, and if we do it human to human,
by giving and doing good to others, things may work out nicely.

and if they don't, you have your training. i hope.

enforcement

i try not to run red lights or stop signs anymore.

back in the day, and even on a good present day,

you can get away with a bit of wild riding in NYC.

plenty of people do it daily. sometimes i wish i did.

today was a good one; fast paced and on the edge.

in traffic, lanes split, ahead of the pack.
faster on the outside, tucking away from obstacles,
floating over bumps and hopping over plates.

with the increased enforcement,

and camping cop cars at high traffic corners,

i have a hell of a time going with instinct.

i end up slowing way down, sitting at the line,
even for empty intersections, meanwhile trying not to huff exhaust.

bike moving violations are something like $275.
no rights on red, no rolling stops, zero tolerance.
they'll toss other things, like no lights or bell, on top.
these tickets can cost more than some peoples' bikes.
i have to remind myself, "i can't afford that shit".

i would say that i begin to ride more like a motorist.
but the fact is that motorists pull all kinds of wild shit too.
and they end up maiming, murdering, and destroying all kinds of property.
these are things you cannot easily do to people or things while you're on a bike.
for some reason the cars get away with way more damaging shit too.

most riders can just as safely get from A to B,
stopping for cars, pedestrians, pets and city animals,
whether or not they stop at the next red light or sign.
i've come across pedestrians who even expect me to run it.
i stop, smile, and wave em on, saying "it's your light!".
and when it isn't their light, they're in the street anyway!
so isn't like everyone is doing the right thing,
and only cars or bikes or people or whatever need to tighten their shit.
it's the cumulative effect of all the people in this city,
getting where they need to be on time and safely.

a couple weeks back i saw a bus chase a light and run a red.
a nearby cyclist shouted at him "did you see that red light?".
the bus driver played dumb, and the cyclist continued "the one you just ran!".
the bus driver denies it with conviction, but i back up the rider. it was red.
the cyclist goes on and says something about throwing rocks.
i simply say to the driver, "we all have to be more careful".
he made a face like he didn't expect that kind of comment.
and i hope that he took it into real consideration.

taking risks is very rarely an individual cause and effect.
not when we live and move in cities like these.

back behind the lens

recently my friend frank, the traveling ironman, went to get his camera cleaned. this is something i'd been planning on doing for sometime, but i'd been very lazy, shooting with my G12, not shooting with my G12, shooting with my iphone, and not shooting with my iphone. instagram is helping a little, but the limited resolution is tough for someone who was, at some point many years ago, used to RAW files and DNG processing.

so i jumped on the chance to return to high resolution, and gave frank my 10 year old rebel XT to take with him to the magic men at nippon photo clinic. who are apparently THE guys you bring your camera gear to when it needs sorting. my sensor had never been cleaned, and i'd shot on rooftops, on bridges, on mountains, on islands, on boats, and on bike. it was dirty. and after months of sitting on a tripod baseplate, it also had a nice glaze of sticky cork crustiness on the bottom of the body. frank relayed the receiving technicians remarks regarding my camera, "this is disgusting". it wasn't untrue.

four days later and the camera is back in my hands, 50mm 1.8f lens mounted, and the images are so clean you eat off them! if they were tangible like that. but really, it is so noticeable how well they did their job. and i am elated with the first handful of images that are popping off this sensor. i am definitely going to be shooting much more this year. like i promised myself i would. now, to find the subject matter.

mia!

IMG_8155, a photo by mo yun on Flickr.

my 2-yr-old niece.

downtime

after last monday i was so amped to get weekly longer rides going.

then this past sunday i got a head cold.

i didn't even know what it meant until i got one.

in short, they suck.

so instead of teaching class on sunday,

or going out for a ride monday, 

i took it super easy and ate a lot and healed.

and watched a bunch of videos on the internet,

so i could pretend i was outside.

even if outside was snowing, hailing, and raining,

all on the same day. that was monday.

maybe the cold saved me from a miserable ride.

or maybe the cold kept me from an amazing one.

we'll never know!

that said, these videos are pretty sweet:

Kurt Sandiforth - A World Around the Bike from Super9 Films on Vimeo.

i met kurt in oakland maybe 5 years ago, 

when he worked at the bent spoke bike shop.

he rode an xtracycle setup faster than most people rode normal bikes.

he was talking about going on a crazy tour, and i'd probably never see him again.

then last summer i ran into him at the brooklyn bicycle jumble. holy shit!

i don't think he really remembered me, but i was glad to see him,

and we caught up a bit and he told me how his tour was on hiatus for a minute.

i had no idea he was up there in beacon, or that there was a video about his story.

but i'm glad there is, and i'm glad he's back on the road. 

his endeavor is a big one, bigger than most people can dream.

to take on something like that doesn't just earn, it almost commands respect.

i wish him a great journey.

Teaser - ALL or Nothing from Pira Dirtyflows on Vimeo.

this one is just a fun mix of all kind of play bikes.

makes me want to move. which kind of riding inspires you most?

Juliet Elliott - On the other side of the night. from Met Board on Vimeo.

and this last one. this one is very simple.

some might say it's nothing too special.

but it recalls to me something from my early days of riding.

something i mentioned in my last post, how my friends and i would keep riding,

long after the sun went down, and on until it came back up.

those were special times, beholding the quiet city when it's least awake,

exploring parts usually kept from us. having the city to ourselves.

even a nice, long, late night, moonlit ride would do me, and probably most riders,

some deep, unconscious good.

that'll have to go on the calendar.

first ride on the OCA

today's ride.

i guess i haven't really done too many long rides.

at least where the miles have been tracked.

(there are lots of fancy toys now, to do that kind of thing)

i had a cyclocomputer once. it stayed on the bike for maybe a week?

with all the numbers constantly changing within eyeshot, it was distracting!

but frank had his edge 705 mounted for this ride, so i didn't even have to think about it.

i didn't turn on strava, or charity miles, or any other app on my phone that i hardly use.

we just rode and rode, and ate, and rode until the sun went down.

growing up a bike rider, sure, i'd spent many days, all day, on the bike.

but i also grew up on bmx and mountain bikes, in new york city.

so our riding mostly involved cruising from spot to spot,

looking for fun street transitions and ledges around the city,

or steep dirt and rock features within city parks when you could still get away with it,

sessioning the fun spots until we got bored, and then continue cruising, 

all day long, sometimes all night long, until we were tired and hungry,

or it was morning and we should get breakfast. 

today's ride wasn't quite like that.

this was a hard man winter ride.

temperature was in the 20s, there was wind, and daylight was short.

we were layered up, heavy gloves on, and wanted time on the saddle and not on the trainer.

i think this is what some people call "base miles."

at least i'd made sure that the route would be interesting.

i was looking for the old croton aqueduct trail.

an unpaved trail, that offered varied terrain from dirt to gravel to grass, 

with rocks, roots, and some snow and ice and frozen mud mixed in; the seasonal special.

the trail winded some 15 miles through seemingly historic, if not landmark, westchester land.

i'd been told that the trail was disjointed, connecting here and there over streets with curbs.

but, coming from my background, i decided it would be a fun bunnyhop feature!

my traitor ruben seemed perfect for the trail.

(i'd permaloaned my road bike out a couple years ago, having only had it a year.
i liked fatter tires, riser bars, and disc brakes. i guess i have a type.)
with frank also on a cyclocross bike, we were rolling on wheels
that basically guaranteed a worry-free adventure.

so we started out over to elmsford. normal street riding, gradual uphill.
a few highway on-ramps and off-ramps, but mostly usual.
we were to hop onto the south county trailway to find yonkers.
this was a flat, well-paved, fairly boring stretch into a decent headwind.
triathletes like frank have no problem with this kind of work.
i would have preferred my track bike. but pacing this trail wasn't my goal.
my 35c tires were hungry for some crunchy brown earth.

we warmed up slowly, me realizing my gloves (meant for ice-climbing)
were not so suitable, while frank enjoyed the warmth of his lobster mitts.
my torso and legs were doing just fine in my softshell and winter tights.
anyways. noted.

once we got near yonkers,
i remembered that between the hudson and bronx rivers,
lay a good number of broad and stiff rolling hills.
we carved down a fast swooping descent, past a cop car,
several cars worth of oncoming traffic, and a blocked lane,
before rolling right up to a bay area style ascent; short and steep.

frank spun up, but 44:32 on my setup didn't allow me to sit.
that's okay. i was fresh, and our next heavy climbs were at least 20 miles out.

we were getting close to the dirt, but not all the neighboring streets connected to it,
so it took a wrong turn or two, and a cold dead end,
before we decided to just dismount and scramble down the rock wall to the trail.
the rocks were like loose, wet bowling balls, and we hoped for no sprains.
we set our bikes down safely on the crispy trailway and,
although our toes were beginning to chill,
we knew we had good miles ahead of us.

the OCA had some tracks frozen in the dirt, probably from days earlier.
i could tell someone had ran larsen mimo cx's. probably perfect for when it was wetter.
i was happy with my razes, cushy and exceeding expectations for grip in this weather.
we were rolling at a decent clip, though it probably felt quicker than it was.
the trail sloped slightly here and there, held off camber in some places,
and pulled us through a variety of scenery and dilapidated architecture.
huffing quickly-dissipating steam through our balaclavas, we did not stop.
off to our left was a high, steep view of the dark blue hudson river.
across the water was i think the palisades of new jersey.
there was one face of the cliff, unlike the others, much of its rock surface fallen off.
i wondered if walking the bank, if not riding it, was feasible.

being by the water is something i've always taken for granted.
the rivers of new york city were always near, above, or under us.
in oakland, we had the extensive bay trail and adjoining parks and marinas.
in white plains, the bronx river is tiny and quaint;
it was exciting to finally make my way over to the hudson by bike.

the trail stayed fun, and the curb interruptions were hoppable.
nearby traffic was sparse and slow-moving, and connecting the trail wasn't too hard.
there were a handful of joggers and dog-walkers, but otherwise
we had the trail to ourselves, to thread through the trees and small grassy fields,
crunch over occasional snow and break through occasional ice to free some mud.
this was a real winter ride. we soon craved lunch.

tarrytown was quiet. everywhere was quiet. but tarrytown was especially so.
only two restaurants were open. it was MLK day after all.
luckily one of the two was vegetarian friendly, and today was their meatless monday.
without locks, i arranged for us to have a table by the window,
and we warmed up with vegan shepherd's pies and some sweet potato fries.
the waitresses were curious where we'd come from, and where we were headed.
we could have arrived in a spaceship, from the looks they were giving us.

with maybe another 20 miles left before sundown, we got back on quickly,
and headed north to search for more OCA, knowing we had to head east soon.
we completely missed the OCA, instead finding ourselves on a long asphalt descent.
this would explain why our next turn back towards the county trail, and homeward,
placed us at the bottom of long hill road through briarcliff manor.
having taken a cab through briarcliff manor before, i knew we were in for it.
not that the name of the road gave us any indication.
and even luckier for us, the steepest grade was the first one.

frank got into his spin, while i started mashing. for as long as i could.
it would turn out that i wasn't even in my smallest gear. i just thought i was.
after what might have been equivalent to the 14th story of the climb,
in less than half a mile of distance, with no end in sight
and probably several more climbs later on, i gave in to my gearing.
my single front chainring was really telling me it told me so.
i stepped off and walked the last several yards to save some energy.
frank caught up to me just before the crest,
and told me how painful it was to watch.
i remounted and we continued uphill.

none of the following hills were even close to that first grade,
but the longer, more gradual ones elicited a few groans and complaints. from me.
frank was a seasoned climber, having attempted both the deathride and the 6 gaps.
i wasn't a sucker enough to ride those with him. and my bike clearly wasn't equipped.
i still managed to keep up a good pace, and we made it through the climbs
to enjoy some of the long, curvy descents that rolled us swiftly
down to the trailway back to elmsford.

the rest of the ride was straightforward, darkening, and getting perceptibly colder.
good thing we decided to bring our lights. there were more cars on the road now.
laughing about how silly it was to be out in such weather,
i looked back at the cars behind us at a red light.
a women in a passenger seat shook her head, wide-eyed at us;
i was tapping my fingers together to keep sensation, and i smiled at her.
we hugged the curb, to pass all the traffic the rest of the way back,
reminisced through the parking lot where we did barrier practice the year before:
the single preparation for our first cyclocross race, with no prior training.
the last hills up to my apartment were babies compared to our big new friends.

we'd done the ~45 miles we loosely planned on riding.
a year and a half back in new york, after four years in california,
my skin now felt like a native east coaster's ought to.
we changed into warm clothing, headed back out to get dinner,
and considered next monday's weather.
looks like snow. i think we're still riding.

experiencing over recording

rode bikes with a friend today. took no pictures.

covered about 20 miles. ran no apps on the phone.

don't own a gps. haven't used the one i was lent.

not like i wouldn't be interested in reviewing the data.

but once i know i'll be riding my bike shortly,

like a dog barking and jumping in a car arriving at a park,

i'm so stoked to hope on and get rolling

that i don't really think of much more than the ride.

wheels spinning, cranks turning over,

corners carved and curbs hopped,

climbs crested and downhills sprinted,

pavement, gravel, puddles, dirt, and cobble;

a couple hours of delight.

also, it was 55 degrees out and lovely.
hard to imagine i've complained about that temperature before.
next monday will be 30 at its warmest..
but i think i'm still going riding!

and people are so worried about dangerous cyclists

early 2013 motor-vehicle carnage. it's only january!

9 deaths. a multitude of injuries and severe moving violations.
i mean look at this asshole:

and of course, very few charges or follow-up investigations.
no confidence.

but, uh, stay safe?

why i'll keep the knobbies on.

on good days

thankfully, sometimes my students will meditate.

efficacy of law

i can't fight the media bombardment and spewing rhetoric from all sides.

it doesn't matter which side you support.

the agreement must be on this:

laws and restrictions are only band-aids.

they attempt to stop things that have already gone wrong.

violent crime can only go away with better education and a mentally healthy society.

the gov't can build as many jails, hire as many cops, and pass as many laws as they want.

as private citizens we can train defensives, own as many protective tools as we want.

but as long as violent, unstable people are being produced, they will find a way to harm others.

lobbyists and advocacy should move towards preventing people from going off that deep end.

then it won't matter what dangerous weapons are available to whom.

i mean, someone ate someone's face off last year. will we ban TEETH?