1st annual Taco Truck Time Trial ride

Posted on March 29, 2008 -- Edit Post
Filed Under Bike Kwak, Maps, Rides | Leave a Comment

I’ll preface this with – out of 41 competing riders, I came in 34th. HA. I’m so slow.

THREAD HERE

Mo betta pictures HERE

Hella pictures HERE (Compliments of Laura)

Turn out was good. Approx 40 riders all told. After yesterdays unseasonable snows, it was surprisingly sunny and pleasant today.

Upon registering we were given the list of checkpoints. We then spent the better part of 45 minutes mapping it.

We were required to ride the Conference Bike as part of our registration. How hilarious. 7 jerks pedaling their little legs off. It totally ruled.

Chunter summed it up pretty good in his LJ post… I’m shamelessly editing it to fit my perspective.

Sorry/thanks Chris.

The Taco Truck Time Trial was a lot of fun. and by fun, I mean it was ludicrously difficult at times and downright malicious at others. here’s how it went:

1st checkpoint: do a shot of Brazilian Liquor
2nd: ride a zipline, acquire a barf bag
3rd: eat a taco, ride up a big hill
4th: eat another taco, ride up a big hill
5th: eat another taco, ride up a stupid big, really steep hill


This wasn’t the biggest hill.

Those things were brutal. Yes, thats a veteran cyclist walking his bike to the top there, to remain unnamed.

Then meander along Lake Washington, hit a last checkpoint, and ride up a reasonably graded, but long hill. There were lots of other random smaller hills liberally interspersed throughout the course as well. If you threw up in your bag, and presented it at the end, you got your entry fee refunded.

for my trouble, I got:

a trip down the block on the Conference Bike
a commemorative shot glass
a barf bag
a couple pieces of candy
a homemade power bar
a cunt cap*
3 small tacos, which weren’t bad at all.
my first spoke card

The guy who got 1st place beat me by more than 50 minutes, and was riding a fixed gear (I was not, because that would have sucked more than I could have imagined)

Pictures compliments of Laura: Me and Eliot chillin at our 3rd taco truck.

I CAN HAZ TACO?

NOM NOM NOM NOM NOM NOM NOM

Alas it was a good ride. Professor Dave did a fine job. Much fun was had. Everyone walked out with a prize, and everyone had a great time.

The one weird thing was the Madrona Ale House, and I GOTTA comment on it.

It was like freaking Chucky Cheese in there. For the life of me I’ve never seen so many kids at a bar before. It wasn’t bothersome, but it was a little strange. Definately risky piling a crew of exhausted alcoholic cyclists into what was apparently a family joint.

So we distracted them with the Conference Bike. HA.

Alas we all minded our manners and got out intact.

Now,how I managed to not take a picture of a single taco truck station baffles the mind. Alas heres a couple we hit, pictures compliments of lostacotrucks.com.


The closest I got was Kat mowing down a taco at the first Taco Bus station.

Anyhow, thanks again Professor Dave for a most excellent ride. I think its fair to say we all look forward to next years ride. I’m sure there will be more updates on his blog 327 words as time goes on.

One last picture to leave you with. These kids showed up on a tandem taco bike. Huzzah!

You can see my whole photo gallery HERE.

Tomorrow, Slo Sunday.

Onward!


Critical Mass, Thursdays .83 & The Taco Truck Time Trial Race

Posted on March 28, 2008 -- Edit Post
Filed Under .83, Bike Kwak, Critical Mass, Rides | Leave a Comment

Okay, so I got up this morning and it was snowing-raining so didn’t ride into work. Call me a wuss, but I’m making a conscious decision to not ride in the rain. I don’t like it, and there are plenty of killer days to be had in which to ride.

That also means I probably won’t be doing Critical Mass tonight either – since it would involve me bussing it home early, grabbing the wheels and hauling ass back to downtown .

Sorta bummed about that, but so be it.

Last night was the weekly Thursday .83 ride.

Went down and around out to Georgetown and terminated at the Jules Mae Saloon. I’d never been there – very cool place. Left a little early with a posse of others because Dave wasn’t feeling so well. Rode the final leg with this crazy fucker named Nick – who was riding home to friggin Everett. Heck of a nice guy, but crazy as hell. Said it took him a little over 2 hours to get there on the Interurban trail. Who knew?

I was home by 11pm and in bed by 11:45. Not too shabby.

Tomorrow however is the first (and probably only) annual Taco Truck Time Trial.

“…a checkpoint-themed alleycat-style bike race starting at 20/20 Cycle, 2020 Union St., Seattle, WA, on March 29th, 2008, beginning at 3:27PM, with signups commencing about 2:30.”

READ ON

“..Riders will leave, time trial mode, in staggered starts, and head in a southerly direction to somewhere on Rainier Avenue where they will have the option of downing, for time bonus points, a taco or other comestable at one of Seattle’s finest taco trucks. (For additional bonus points riders, may also have the chance to abet their meals with New Belgium pale ale.)”

Theres details about prizes and schwag and the like in the article, so go read and plan to attend.

For the record, I’m not racing. I’m just riding it.

Onward.


No bikes at Garfield High

Posted on March 27, 2008 -- Edit Post
Filed Under Bike Kwak, In-the-news | 1 Comment

School district uninterested in building bike community

RICHARD TRUAX
GUEST COLUMNIST

“Garfield High School in the Central District is nearing completion of a two-year, $100 million remodel. The changes to the building are dramatic, but one major change is dramatic for all the wrong reasons: It will have little to no bike parking and no secure covered parking for bikes…”

— the hell?

“…In addition, Garfield will have no yellow bus service next year, so students will have to find their own way to school. The YMCA Earth Service Corps at Garfield is committed to promoting bike commuting and encouraging many of the students to choose bike commuting. In addition, Bike Works is working hard to provide bikes to those with the least amount of means to attain one and the Cascade Bicycle Club is working hard to promote bike commuting to schools regionwide.

“There is a lot of interest and energy from a variety of groups to help create a great long-term bike-parking model. Unfortunately, the mayor isn’t interested and suggests applying for a grant….”

READ ON


Home Movies – Bike Crash

Posted on March 25, 2008 -- Edit Post
Filed Under Bike Kwak, Videos | Leave a Comment

A little comedic relief. I love Home Movies.

[youtube]http://youtube.com/watch?v=Qn-ap9MZl-c[/youtube]

[youtube]http://youtube.com/watch?v=PMzUvy-jJps&feature=related[/youtube]

This is posted without permission of any kind lalala…


Slo Sunday abandoned! – cargo bike ride picnic

Posted on March 25, 2008 -- Edit Post
Filed Under Bike Kwak, Slow Sunday | 1 Comment

Sunday I got up and and promptly abandoned my Slow Sunday ride. (And so did everyone else apparently). I was hung over and it was totally pissing out. Getting caught out in the rain is one thing. Going out into it is something totally different. Evidently everyone else bailed too.

Around 3pm Aden called me and told me to come down to Gasworks Park where the annual Cargo Bike ride had terminated. It’d stopped raining by then and the sun had come out so I stopped by Eastlake Market, loaded up on PBR and hotdogs and dry socks and headed out there.

There were quite a few people out there. I didn’t stay long, and was getting creeped out by the homeless guys hovering around the outside waiting for us to leave. They were getting braver as time went on – they’d dart in and help themselves to beer or cider and food or whatever and then dart back out again. I don’t really care, but it was strange. They sort of hovered on the outside, as if saying “yeah thats great, bring your food and booze in and have a little party here, but this is our home and we’d like you to go now.”

Interestingly enough I sometimes had a hard time determining who was homeless and who was part of the ride. I had this older guy talking to me at one of the fires sort of crazy like, and realized after a bit he was actually a cyclist. I think. HA! I headed home, stopped by the Zoo for a couple pints and then to home where I racked out early (9:30?).

I need to ride more.

Onward


.83 ride

Posted on March 20, 2008 -- Edit Post
Filed Under .83, Bike Kwak | 4 Comments

It rained.

I can tolerate the rain but I don’t really like it. It starts to rain and I’ll put up with it. Personal comfort and steamy glasses aside, its slippery and dangerous and that makes it less fun for me. Just sayin.

derrickito on the pointythree forums summed the evening up best.

“i left my house at 725pm. made it to westlake at 734. nine minutes to downtown! (aurora is scary but fast)
ivars for 1.13 cups of chowder and fries. drink jobies whiskey
up beacon hill and almost puke up jobies junk
down beacon hill to rainier. ride cripple carts around qfc
downtown to gasworks, play with hobos and fire.
home, sleep.”

And so it goes. Onward.


Slo Sunday – Seward Park and points unknown

Posted on March 17, 2008 -- Edit Post
Filed Under Bike Kwak, Slow Sunday | 4 Comments

It was an overcast day for Slow Sunday starting out. Felt good to move in it, didn’t want to stand still because you’d get cold.

Many things were discussed – among them Ray’s bike which had a different geometry than I’m used to seeing. It wasn’t a time trial bike, it’s a pursuit bike, which led me to talk about Derny Racing, which I’d blogged about back in the day HERE. If you haven’t seen the video or seen the bikes, go take a look – its pretty interesting.

Anyhow, to the run. We left Cal Anderson, biked up Beacon Hill, found some crazy bike trail that took us through the burbs of South Seattle, dumped us down onto MLK Blvd where – at the light – there were something like 15 cop cars with full lights and gunning engines hauling ass for the project houses to our right. We were stuck there for about 10 minutes as one after another would come screaming up to the intersection.

After we finally got through the intersection we headed down MLK until we cut over to Rainer and over to Bike Works out in Columbia City where we stopped at a nearby pub for bloody marys. We also lost half our crew at that point. The rest of us headed out for Seward Park, where it started raining. We made our way north through the rain, got a little turned around in the neighborhoods down there, Ben pulled us out of it and showed us super secret 28th ave shortcut to the U-District where we parked our soaked asses in front of the fireplace at the CIP to dry out and proceeded to pour beer and pizza bread into us until almost midnight.

We also talked about Uncle Dirty – if you haven’t seen this, then GO. Really interesting.

All in all, it was a good ride.

Onward.


Uploading Pictures

Posted on March 17, 2008 -- Edit Post
Filed Under Bike Kwak | Leave a Comment

Yeyo, Aden, Nova, etc – please email me at

scott@sweetbike.org

And I’ll send you login information and instructions on how to upload pictures.


Bike Trivia – Awareness Test

Posted on March 16, 2008 -- Edit Post
Filed Under Bike Kwak, Videos | 2 Comments

[youtube]http://youtube.com/watch?v=oSQJP40PcGI&feature=related[/youtube]

Totally rad.


Slow Sundayz – Sickie

Posted on March 9, 2008 -- Edit Post
Filed Under Bike Kwak, Slow Sunday | Leave a Comment

I’d like to start out by saying – I have good friends. Seriously.

This morning I rolled over and grabbed my watch to check the time, and was vaguely surprised to see it say 1pm. My internal clock must be off because it felt like noon. I didn’t even have a chance to put the phone down when it rang – it was Aden.

“Hey are you at the park already?”

“Uhm, no. I just woke up and am in bed.”

“Well I’m at your front door – get up and let me in and lets ride bikes!”

heh

So I got up, let Aden in, coughed up a lung, got dressed and biked up Capitol Hill. I did not fare well. I’m still sick. We got to the park to many many cheerful hellos – I’d missed last weeks Slow Sunday ride – and I proceeded to collapse in the grass in self imposed quarantine to cough my head off. We socialized a bit, said hello, waited for people to show up. Last night was the time zone change so it turns out my internal clock wasn’t off – it really was only noon. But I wasn’t the only one caught out by the zone change and we waited for people who might have also been caught by it.

Slightly after 2pm everyone got tired of waiting and hit the road. Sadly I had to say my goodbyes and come back home. I was obviously in no shape to ride. I really wanted to go, but couldn’t – I’m a coughing mess.

Next Sunday I’ll be better, and it’s on. J, Aden, Ben, Jeff, Juliet, Meg, and everyone else it was really nice to see you all again. Aden, you rule for stopping by my house to pick me up.

Someone should register here on the site and post an update of todays ride. As for me – well it did feel good to get on the road, even if it was an abbreviated trip up Capitol Hill and back.

Enough whining.

Onward!


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