I saw this PSA on the Facebook page of the City of Cedar Rapids Bicycle Advisory Committee. I thought this is a good start to help change the attitude about cycling. But this kind of PSA needs to be combined with a bicycle safety program that targets the elementary and driver education group. I believe in order to help change the public view point and to help alleviate the animosity between motorist and cyclist there must be a bicycling safety program reestablished in the elementary and drivers education programs.

As a child in elementary school I remember when the local police officer came to our school with a miniature working stop light to teach bicycling safety. This day would come at the end of a weeklong class about road safety. When the officer arrive to our class he would have a half an hour lesson in the classroom that would cover the do’s and don’ts of the road. Then in place of gym class we would instead all get our bikes and assemble on the playground at the start of a make shift course. We would be told the rules of the course and what was expected of us then we would be allowed to ride. The cool thing about the course was that working stop light. We would have to obey it just as you would in actual traffic.

As we would ride through the course the police officer would stop anyone who was not following the rules. He would not only correct them but let them know the consequences of their action in traffic. The officer would spend a total of at last an hour or so from the time he arrived until he left. Now were we model cyclist after the course? Maybe not but we were smarter on where to ride and how to interact with different levels of traffic. For example; I knew that riding down the middle of my street where I grew up was ok, where as I knew I could not ride down the middle of busy 42nd street.

Now that I have a teen I found it shocking that he and countless others have not been taught bike safety when they were in elementary school. And by the many I see driving their bikes with ignorance to the law, this program must have ended a long time ago. I am a firm believer in that it is the parent responsibility to teach their child life lesson and that we should not rely on the schools to raise our kids. This being said, we live in an age where video games are the predominate activity of children. Not to mention that there are a lot of parents who have been frighten in not letting their kids go out and play like we use to do. As for me, I have only me to blame of falling short on the bike safety lesson with my own son. With gas being so cheap making the car the primary mode of transportation until recently, Colin and I did not have a bike or felt the need for one to ride.

We must change that and get the bike safety program back into the schools, and by doing so we can help change the attitude of cycling as the generation grow into adulthood. In the end, if the younger cyclist will grow up knowing how to ride safely and hopefully will not do the foolish things that cause motorist grief. Likewise because they are schooled in bike safety they will better handle themselves as motorist around bikes on the road. Thus bike/car accidents should go down along with the animosity between the two group changing the overall cultural view of bicycles.




If we have learned anything from the smoking PSAs is that we need to show the ugly truth about the consequences of both the motorist and cyclist not obeying the laws. Without that shock value I don't think our cause will be served.

Cedar Rapids Bike Race

This last Sunday, July 5, I went downtown and enjoy a couple of hours of bike racing. Here is a slide show of the photos that I took during that event. If you’re interested in any of the prints or original prints of the race, feel free to e-me. Some of the prints are not standard size so price may vary.

Got Bag?

I got my new Banjo Brother’s Saddle Bag the other day. I chose it over the Bell saddle bag for two reasons. First, I am very happy with my Banjo Brother’s Messenger Bag which I have had for 2 years, and second I was disappointed with the revamped Bell Saddle Bag’s construction. Don’t get me wrong, I am a firm believer in tweaking a design to better the product. In this case their tweaking on a good design ended up cheapening the bag. After looking it over I believe the new bag design will not last as long as the old design had. Personally Bell should have improved the zipper and not replace the rubber bottom with a cheap coating.

The Banjo Brother’s Saddle Bag is a large 130ci when expanded. Translation; it holds all my repair tools along with a bike lock without expanding. Inside the bag you will find a hard bottom to hold the shape of the bag. On the bottom front of the bag there is a pocket I found that will hold the emergency money. This pocket is easily over looked against the rest of the bag which could aid in keeping your money hidden for prying eye.

The bag is constructed of heavy duty 840 denier nylon giving the bag strength to last. Denier Nylon is a unit that measures the thickness and weight of a thinly spun fiber, which is an indication of the materials durability. The higher the denier number is the more durable the material will be. Around the bag is a reflective accent to aid in seeing the cyclist in dawn or night rides. Aiding the accents is a strap on the back of the bag where you can place your blinking light. This comes in handy for those, like me, who have a fender and a bag leaving no room for a rear reflector.

The expanding pocket on the bottom has two zippers, one on each side, that once unzipped and the Velcro flap pulled back, opens to give additional room when needed. Although as you can see I have more than enough room for my tools and spare tube, I am sure I may find someday I am in need this. The zippers are made of tough plastic and appear to be a separate part of the bag instead of woven in the material like the Bell zipper was.

This bag is not cheap, it retails for $18.99 at your local bike shop. This is not a product you will find in a Wal-Mart, K Mart, or Target. If the LBS doesn’t carry the Banjo Brothers brand then check out their website to either buy directly from one of their dealers or locate the nearest shop that does sell Banjo Brother Products. In my experience the price is well worth it.

So how will the bag perform over the seasons of the Iowa year? Well that I will have to periodically give a progress report on. Because this bag is constructed similarly to the messenger bag I would make a prediction that this bag will last at least 5 years. I guess we will see.

Going to the Races?

A note about the Gold Pointe Fitness Club Criterium;

CEDAR RAPIDS, IA - July 1, 2009 - HBA racing www.hbaracing.com will host the Gold Pointe Fitness Club Criterium in downtown Cedar Rapids on Sunday, July 5, 2009. The bicycle race course will be on the 2nd Avenue and 3rd Avenue SE bridges. HBA Racing, the Hawkeye Bicycle Association and the City of Cedar Rapids Bicycle Advisory Committee are sponsoring a free, secure, staffed bicycle corral, for bicycle parking at the event, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. The bicycle corral will be in the 1st Street Parkade, located at the corner of 1st Street and 3rd Avenue SE.

For more information, please contact Bicycle Coordinator Ron Griffith at 319-286-5154, r.griffith@cedar-rapids.org.

Windblown and buzzed.

Today was a great day for a ride. The front had moved through which dropped the dew points down from the 70’s down to 50 degrees. The humidity is setting at 38% and the winds are still kicking out of the west at 25mph.

So at 2 pm I headed North up Center Point rd which is a great road to ride. It has two big hills, one that is a long gentle climb followed by a small downhill reprieve then a huge climb which rewards you with a long downward decent in which you can coast long enough to catch your breath. With the wind today the hills were just a little harder.

I usually go past County Home Rd and up to Midway where I turn right and make my way to C avenue, but today I continued on to Alice rd just off of Center Point. Just before I reached Alice Rd I was buzzed by a dork on a Harley. You would think a motor cycle driver would be a little more sympathetic and give a cyclist a break, not this jerk! He came up right behind me gunned the engine and took off ahead. Now I was 2 feet from the edge of the road. When he pulled his stunt he was no more than 3 feet from. Then as he sped ahead he pulled into the middle of the lane. What a Jerk! And he was one of many today.

For most of the ride I had the road to myself. There were only a few cars passing by and they were being respectable. Once on Alice rd I was going to ride up to Roosevelt rd which headed east right into Alburnett, but I missed the turn and ended up on Old Center Rd instead. Once heading east the ride was a piece of cake. I reached speeds of 25mph with a little effort, that was cool. I did slow down on the latter half of the road due to the amount of fresh gravel on the road.
I made it in to Alburnett and headed south to County Home rd where I would turn west to C avenue, then head south again. Heading south was just about as much fun as heading east but not as fast. I managed to keep a 17 average speed up bringing my total average speed up from 12.5 to 13.5 for the whole trip.

I made it to C avenue and Blairsferry Rd where I was stopped at a light. I was first in line and I took the middle of the lane, like you are to do. The light turned green and I proceeded across the intersection. No sooner than I cleared the intersection then a 2008 blue Mustang with dealer plates buzzed me. I had less than 3 feet between the car and me, and they had a whole lane to their left open that they could have merged into to get around me. Once they cleared a white Chevy truck with Firemen Plates on it buzzed me right after the Mustang . Again they had the open left lane to merge into but thought it would be better to not move. Wow two Jackasses in a row.

I am like most, fed up with Jerks in cars that think cyclist do not have the rights to the road. If I could I would video tape them in the act of buzzing me, but since I don’t have the equipment and the money I have decided to go about it another way. I will be starting a blog of shame where I will post the plate number, descriptions of cars, date, time and offence. It is a small start but I think it could evolve into something bigger in which my get the attention of the media. If nothing else it could be a sounding board for me to vent the frustration I have with these jerks. I may also print up a copy of the law and if events play out right, hand it to them or place it on the car. I could print on the other side the wall of shame blog address, letting them know their stupidity was noted for all to see

I Need Your Help!

Calling All Cyclist;

On August 29 and 30, 2009, hundreds of cyclists will bike 150 miles in an effort to create a world free of multiple sclerosis. I am planning on taking this challenge on, and I'm asking you to join me in the movement to end MS.

MS stops people from moving. The National MS Society exists to make sure it doesn't. They believe that moving is not just something you can or can't do, but rather is who you are. That is why the Society sponsors Bike MS - to raise funds for research, as well as comprehensive programs and services for people with MS - moving closer to a world free of MS.

I belive in the good work this organization does. The money I'll be raising will help benefit the North Central States Chapter, which serves 8,000 people with MS in Iowa, North Dakota, and South Dakota. They offer services like financial assistance, educational programs, and peer support groups. Learn more about all the chapter does at myMSsociety.org.

You can help them do even more by donating today. Or, if you are up for the challenge, why not join me at the Bike MS: Cycle Cedar Valley Ride to create a world free of MS?
Thanks in advance for your support! Check back here to see how I'm doing!

Sincerely,
David Glandon
If you'd rather mail in your gift, make the check payable to the National MS Society. Be sure to put my name in the memo line of the check and mail it to:

National MS Society
5250 North Park Place NE
Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52402

The heat has returned

The heat and humidity has returned to Iowa once again. I took a 25 mile ride looping north of the city. The road changes from smooth surfaces to gravel conditions with a good number of hills to climb. With the heat and humidity thrown into the mix I started to feel that the summer riding season has just about arrived
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The one thing I have to work on in the next few weeks is to make sure I get enough water. I know that I do not need to drown myself before I go, but just have enough in my system that I don’t dehydrate too quickly. I drank one 20once bottle of performance water and hour before I went. I did not really crave water until 16 miles later, which some experts say; “If you are thirsty then you are already dehydrated.” So the next ride I will need to make an effort to stop every 10 or so miles to drink and see how that goes. It is strange to think that you must make the time to drink, and I would have thought the problem of water was just me, but this is a problem with a lot of cyclist.

Showers and thunderstorms tomorrow so I guess I will not be riding. That is ok, after my dentist appointment I need to do some basic maintenance on the bike.