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Category Archives: News
Davis Double Century – Resurrection rest stop

Davis Bike Club member Diane Richter, right, pours water onto a rider to cool him off at the Resurrection rest stop at mile 136 of the Davis Double Century near the Colusa County line on Highway 20 on Saturday afternoon.
The 43rd annual Davis Double Century was held on Saturday, May 19. The afternoon temperatures ranged in the mid-80′s, and when riders arrived at the Resurrection rest stop on Highway 20, many were getting quite hot. Using a variety of methods including a garden sprinkler can, a hose, a spray bottle and ice-filled tube socks, volunteers helped cool the riders.
Bike to Work day is today

Cyclists stop at the fueling station outside of Old Soul Coffee and Edible Pedal in the alleyway between L Street and Capitol on Bike to Work Day in Sacramento on Thursday morning. The “Engergizer Station” was hosted by the Employees of the California Department of Public Health and Department of Health Care Services. For a comprehensive look at May is Bike Month in the Sacramento area, check out Blair Anthony Robertson’s story in today’s Sacramento Bee.
Posted from Sacramento, California, United States.
The Ride of Silence
A photograph of CSUS student Arlene Sasse remains attached to a light pole at the entrance to the university in Sacramento. Sasse was killed on her bicycle in the early morning hours of April 1, 2011 in a collision with a car as she crossed J Street at the entrance to the campus.
From the Hammerin’ Wheels Bike Club website: Wednesday evening at 6:45 p.m., cyclists will gather at Fremont Park at the corner of 16th and P Streets for “The Ride of Silence”. This is in conjunction with an event held throughout the United States and North America to honor cyclists who have been injured or killed, raise awareness toward cyclists and ask that everyone share the road.
The local ride will take cyclists to the intersection of J and H Streets at Carlson Drive, where previously two “Ghost Bikes” were located at the sites of fatal automobile / bicycle collisions. The most recent accident involved California State University, Sacramento student Arlene Sasse, 22, who was hit by a car while crossing J Street in the early hours April 1, 2011. Although the “Ghost Bike” is gone, a photograph of Sasse sitting in a chair playing the guitar is still attached to the light pole at the intersection.
For more information about the ride, go to this link at the Hammerin’ Wheels website.
By the way, the Sacramento Area Bicycle Advocates will be holding a special “members preview” of the new SABA Carlson Corridor Bicycle Friendly Design at a meeting at the Presbyterian church at the intersection on Thursday evening, May 17. For more information about the meeting go to the SABA website or contact amy@sacbike.org.
Posted from Sacramento, California, United States.
May is Bike Month Capitol BikeFest
Nathan Carnahan of RackNRoad and Park-a-Bike of Sacramento lifts a bike off one of the racks in the Bike Valet area at the May is Bike Month Capitol BikeFest on the west steps of the Capitol in Sacramento on Thursday, May 10, 2012. The annual event included local bike shops, bike clubs, and other booths with information on bicycling, walking, transit and more. Click here to see a gallery of images from May is Bike Month in Sacramento.
Posted from Sacramento, California, United States.
Warm bike trail attracts snakes
A warning painted on the bike trail alerts trail users to watch for snakes.
I noticed about a week ago someone has been painting alerts to watch for snakes on the American River bike trail. The paintings appeared and then most of them were painted over or removed (I assume by Parks Dept. employees).
Springtime is when snakes begin appearing on the trail. Consider this entry by Robin Donnelly in her book, Biking and Hiking the American River Parkway.
“As you travel the Parkway in springtime, you might see a snake sunning in the path. After its winter hibernation, it is absorbing heat from the warm surface in order to hunt longer at night. Snakes “hear” through vibrations picked up from their underbelly in contact with the ground, as a result, it is likely they will know you are there and move out of the path.”
Posted from Rancho Cordova, California, United States.
In the news: making Sac a “cycling Shangri-La”, a Tour walk-up and more
A group of cyclists, some of whom are part of the SACOG after work workout ride group make their way along the American River bike trail last month.
Plenty of cycling news in The Bee over the weekend. On Friday, reporter Tony Bizjak focused his entire “Back Seat Driver” column on May is Bike Month in Sacramento. On Sunday, in the Forum section of the paper, former executive director of the Sacramento Area Bicycle Advocates, Walt Seifert, authored a column listing his top 10 steps to making Sacramento a cycling Shangri-La.
“So why don’t we lead the nation in the share of trips made by bike? Why do cities like frigid Minneapolis and puddle-prone Portland outbike Sacramento?” Siefert asks.
Also on Sunday in the Travel section of the paper, Bee contributing writer, James Raia, penned a walk-up to the Amgen Tour of California headlined, “Plenty to eat, drink and do along Tour of California route.”
Posted from Sacramento, California, United States.
Warmer and drier weather

It was a gorgeous day on the bike trail today as you can see from this image of a cyclist headed west on the trail on the south side of Lake Natoma on Sunday afternoon. The weather for the week will be drier and warmer according to the latest weather story on sacbee.com.
Posted from Rancho Cordova, California, United States.
Water flows in American River increase
A cyclist looks at the swiftly flowing American River from the bicycle bridge at the William Pond recreation area. The river is flowing at a rate 50 percent greater than last week. According to a story on sacbee.com, the river flows were increased last Friday by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation. The increase will continue through the middle of May.
Posted from Carmichael, California, United States.
May is Bike Month kick off event, more than a million miles pledged
In the photo above, Sacramento Wheelmen bike club members Bob Backer, left, and George Koch, right, listen to T.J. Windmiller, a mechanic at Mad Cat Bikes, (on stage above and in the photo at the left) explain how to change a flat tire at the the May is Bike Month kick off event at Fremont Park in Sacramento on Tuesday.
Several hundred people came out to Fremont Park for the official launch of Bike Month. There were free bike safety checks, raffles and presentations on subjects like how to properly lock a bike and how to change a flat tire. As of 2 p.m., 5,371 bicyclists had pledged 1,049,187 miles, according to a news release from the Sacramento Area Council of Governments. This is the eighth year volunteers, public agencies, businesses, and bicycling enthusiasts have partnered to promote bicycling as part of May is Bike Month, according to SACOG. All trips by bicycle count, whether a ride to work, school, shopping, or for recreation in the region which includes El Dorado, Placer, Sacramento, Sutter, Yolo and Yuba counties.
Posted from Sacramento, California, United States.
Morgan Territory rest stop time-lapse video, DMD
It’s an amazing sight to watch a rest stop at a cycling event take shape. It seems almost like a Flash Mob, but with a purpose. A group of volunteers converge on a location, set up tents, tables and coolers. Slowly riders start to arrive, then in a flash the rest stop is jammed full. Soon it empties out and the volunteers pack up their supplies and move on, leaving little to indicate they were there other than footprints and tire tracks. Above is a time-lapse video of the Morgan Territory rest stop on the Devil Mountain Double Century on Saturday morning, April 28. It compresses 3 hours and 16 minutes into one minute 17 seconds.
Posted from Livermore, California, United States.
Video of Berkeley cyclists hit by car
Update: 8 a.m. 4/30 — It appears the driver was arrested on Friday by police. He was booked on other charges and the police are still investigating. See the report on KTVU.
Update: 4:30 p.m. 4/29 — KGO-TV out of San Francisco has this report on their website.
Update: 6 p.m. 4/27 — SFist reports the hit and run vehicle has been found and is apparently a stolen car.
This is scary video of a car sideswiping two cyclists in Berkeley. The crash happens at 2:40 in the video. The motorist took off after hitting them. They seem to be okay – standing and moving around after the incident. The video is posted to YouTube by brunogfmtube
Update 2:30 p.m. 4/27 – From the YouTube site where the video was posted:
Bruno posted this, “Thank[sic] guys for your support! Yesterday I went to the police department and I reported the crime. I also gave the video to the police officer. It was possible to identify the number of the car on the video. The police have located the car and the owner. Now I’m waiting for the return of the police on the case.”
In the news: Weather update, bike accident legal tips and funny biking tips
Cyclists ride through, and around, a puddle that covered the American River bike trail next to the Campus Commons Golf Course Thursday evening.
The rain has passed and the weekend weather forecast from the National Weather Service predicts sunny skies and temperatures over 80 degrees for both weekend days. It looks like a good weekend for riding. If you are looking for tips on what to do in the event of a bike accident, check out this blog post by Sacramento injury lawyer and cyclist, Jessica Grigsby. You can find more information on her blog. If, however, you are looking for a laugh, check out this post of biking tips from The Onion. Stick your tongue firmly in your cheek before reading.
Posted from Sacramento, California, United States.
Devil Mountain Double Century staff ride
The Devil Mountain Double Century staff ride took place last Saturday, April 21. It was a hot day and a challenging ride, but well worth the effort. Scott Halverson and the Quackcyclists put on an amazing show of force to get the riders through the course. This is a video of highlights from the ride. If you are planning to do Devil Mountain Double Century this Saturday, have a great ride and I’ll see you at the Morgan Territory rest stop.
And, as always, thanks to Kevin MacLeod for the music titled, “Noble Race” from his website, www.incompetech.com. The music is used under the Creative Commons license.
Posted from San Ramon, California, United States.
Cool GPS mapping illustrations
This is a pretty creative way to get in some bike miles. Baltimore bicyclist Michael J. Wallace has created illustrations using his GPS mapping device and carefully plotted routes. He has made everything from a hammer to a shark to a giant Angry Birds illustration.
“Think of each of these images as being akin to a giant Etch-a-Sketch. Once the recording begins, a continuous line is drawn,” Wallace says on his website.
This video from Slate gives you an idea of some of his work.
Bicycle safety is the topic of KQED Forum radio show
A cyclist heads west along P Street across the intersection at 15th Street in Sacramento during the Wednesday evening commute.
If you haven’t listened to the Forum piece on public radio on bike safety in San Francisco that aired on KQED on Monday, April 9, you’re missing out. It was a great program. Although it focused on San Francisco, there is much to be learned from the program by cyclists in any community.
I downloaded the podcast from iTunes and listened to it on my morning commute – with only one earbud, which is legal.
Michael Krasny hosted the show with guests that included the executive director of the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition, the executive director of Walk San Francisco, a captain in the San Francisco Police Department, the chair of the Bicycle Advisory Committee and a concerned San Francisco resident.
You can listen to it here:
or go to the KQED site and listen to the show.
Posted from Sacramento, California, United States.
Energizer Stations promote upcoming May is Bike Month
In the video above, morning commuters, Matt Schott of Placerville and Kevin Keady of Folsom ride into the May is Bike Month Energizer Station on M and 48th Streets in Sacramento Tuesday morning. In the photo at the right, Schott and Keady help themselves to food and drink at the station as Scott Anderson of Sacramento, right, pulls into the station.
The station was set up by Sacramento Area Council of Governments employees A.J. Tendick and Jeanie Hong to promote “May is Bike Month.”
May is rapidly approaching and with it, May is Bike Month, the annual event that promotes bicycle commuting. This year, the regional program is sponsoring “Energizer Stations” along key commuting routes in the Sacramento area. Most of the stations will be set up along the American River Bike Trail for two hours at a time, but they will also be erected in Roseville and Davis on certain days, according to A.J. Tendick a public information coordinator for Sacramento Area Council of Governments.
As an added incentive to stop at the “Energizer Stations,” commuters can “friend” them on Facebook and learn of the daily keyword. Mentioning the key word at the station gives commuters a chance of winning free socks or a t-shirt.
The May is Bike Month website has a list of upcoming “Energizer Stations” on the calender page of the site.
Posted from Sacramento, California, United States.
CA committee to hold hearing on three-foot-passing legislation
The state Senate Transportation & Housing Committee with hold its first hearing on the reintroduced three-foot-passing legislation, Senate Bill 1464 on Tuesday. California Bicycle Coalition Communications Director Jim Brown sent an email out on April 3 explaining the bill and asking for support. You can read the email here.
The legislation would require drivers to give bicyclists at least three feet of clearance when passing from behind, like the guy in this video who was probably less than a foot away from me when he passed me on Hwy. 49 south of Auburn last August.
PA police video of car hitting bicycle
This is video released by the Bethlehem, Penna. Police Department shows a car hitting a cyclist Frank Pavlick from behind and then trying to leave the seen of the accident. A quick-thinking bus driver used his bus to block both lanes of traffic, preventing the car from leaving the scene. The crash happened on the Fahy Bridge in Bethlehem on Monday, April 2. Police charged the driver with multiple offenses. The police department’s press release provided a picture of Pavlick’s damaged bicycle at the right. Pavlick was able to stand up and flag down a passing motorist but was later taken to the hospital with leg pain, according to a story in the The Express Times.It’s ironic, that the accident came on the day Pennsylvania’s new law went into effect to protect bicyclists. The state law requires motorists passing bicycles to give the cyclist a four-foot buffer.
Thanks to Dale Crozier of the Bike Hikers for pointing me toward this video.
Posted from Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, United States.
Looping around Placerville

I rode one of my favorite rides on Saturday. It’s a ride with a huge amount of climbing, but one that’s well worth the effort because of the amazing scenery. It’s a ride that I found years ago on Richard Zipf’s website. Over time, I have modified the ride to avoid a stream (Weber Creek) that is usually a overflowing and to exclude a climb up Shoo Fly Road because I never seem to have the legs for it.
It begins at the El Dorado Hills park and ride and goes through Coloma (with a quick climb up Prospector Road). The next leg goes to Placerville, then on to Camino. Next is a return to Placerville, then a drop to the south fork of the American River on Mosquito Road. Then comes the best part of the ride, crossing the river on the Mosquito Road suspension bridge and climbing out of the canyon. Many spectacular views grace the climb and the following descent along Rock Creek Road.
The photograph above is of my riding companion, photographer Martin Christian, as he heads down Hwy. 193 toward Chili Bar on Saturday afternoon. The photograph at the right was taken by Martin from Rock Creek Road. It shows the south fork of the American River east of Chili Bar.
You can view a map and profile of the ride at the RideWithGPS website here.
Please be aware that this is a difficult ride. It is 107 miles long with almost 12,000 feet of elevation gain. The great thing about the ride, though, is you can delete some of the loops and do only as much as you want.
You can view a gallery of images from the ride here.
Posted from California, United States.
Eye of the Tiger

For more than a week, local mural artist, Alex “Cabron” Forster has been working on a mural entitled, “El Tigre” on a 17-foot by 85-foot wall at the office of Born Free USA at the corner of S and 12th streets.
Born Free is an animal welfare and wildlife conservation organization based in Sacramento since 1968.
“This mural packs a huge punch combining the power of animals, art and sheer size to move people,” said Sharie Lesniak, Born Free USA Creative Director in a prepared statement.
The organization plans to host a Second Saturday “Off the Wall” mural opening event on June 9, from 4:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. in the parking lot in front of the mural.
Posted from Sacramento, California, United States.
In the news: 3-foot passing bill returns, bike commuting tips and fatal accident in SF
A cyclist heads across the Guy West Bridge Thursday evening as clouds billow overhead.
The three-foot passing bill is has returned. The new bill, SB 1461 is very similar to the previous bill that Gov. Jerry Brown vetoed, according to the Davis Bike Club’s monthly newsletter, “Changing Gears.”
“SB 1464 does not contain the exception found in SB 910 that required drivers to slow to 15 MPH when passing closer than three feet. The CHP opposed that provision, which was the reason Gov. Jerry Brown cited when he vetoed the bill. So for now SB 1464 doesn’t make any exceptions to the three-foot requirement,” according to the story in the newsletter.
Pennsylvania enacted a four-foot passing law just this month, becoming the 19th state to add a bike passing law to the books, according to an article in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
In other news, if you’re looking for an article about bike commuting in these days of exorbitant gas prices, the Sacramento Bee published a brief article by veteran TV meteorologist, Terri Bennett, titled, “Do Your Part: Top 7 secrets to commuting by bike.”
“”Don’t expect the pain at the pump to end anytime soon. That makes it the right time to grab your bike and use it to get to work and run errands,” Bennett writes.
And last, sadly, there was a report this morning on SFGate concerning a pedestrian who was hit by a cyclist. A 71-year-old San Bruno man who was hospitalized after being hit by a cyclist last Thursday died Monday, the website reported.
Update – Things to do this weekend:
Tonight (April 6) is the Team LIVESTRONG Happy Hour and Course Unveiling for the Davis Challenge. The route will be unveiled at 7:00 PM. The event begins at 5:30 and runs through 8:30 PM at Sudworks in Davis. The LiveSTRONG Challenge will be held in Davis on Sunday, June 24th.
Saturday is Party Pardee in Ione. The Sacramento Bike Hikers signature ride has been sold out for months, but SABA is looking for volunteers to help with their valet bike parking from 10:30 am – 1:30 pm or 1:30 pm – 4:30 pm in Howard Park in Ione. They are looking for 6 volunteers to park bikes and a super volunteer with a truck to transport the compound to and from the event. If you can help, email Larry Robinson at volunteer[at]sacbike[dot]org.
And then on Monday night, the film Bicycle Dreams will be showing at 7:00 pm at
the Varsity Theater, 616 2nd Street in Davis. Tickets are $11 in advance, $15 at the door. The award-winning film by Stephen Auerbach takes an up-close look at what RAAM riders go through.
Moskowite Corners store closes again

The store at Moskowite Corners closed a few weeks ago, making it more difficult for cyclists climbing over Cardiac Hill on Hwy. 128 to find water and supplies. The nearest store to Cardiac is now the Turtle Rock Inn, five miles farther north on Hwy. 128.
The Moskowite store, “The Crossroads at Lake Berryessa,” was in bankruptcy in 2008 when it was purchased by Jim Keller of Napa, according to a story in the Napa Valley Register. Keller fixed the place up and found a new tenant, Jim Winchell, to run the place in 2010, according to the Register story. Winchell ran the market, restaurant and bar with his family until last month. On March 11, they closed the doors to the store for the last time and sent out a letter on the internet to their customers. They also posted a large copy of the letter in the window of the closed store. Read the letter.
Posted from Napa, California, United States.
In the news: Gran Fondo in Davis
Nice article on sacbee.com and in the Living Here section of The Sacramento Bee today on the Legends Gran Fondo on May 6 in Davis, sponsored by the U.S. Bicycling Hall of Fame. The article, penned by Blair Anthony Robertson, takes a look at the growing interest in gran fondo rides.
“A mass-start bike event with origins in Italy, gran fondos, or big rides, are a booming new style of cycling activity in the U.S.,” Robertson writes.
Trashy behavior
I’m not sure how all this trash ended up alongside the road on Hwy. 193 in Greenwood, Calif., but it’s a stunning display of disrespect for the environment. I came across this scene while riding in the hills near Georgetown on Sunday.
Posted from Greenwood, California, United States.
Long Beach is becoming a bicycling community

Lots of stories in the news these days about the efforts in Long Beach, Calif. to become a more bike friendly community. Consider the New York Times travel story by Freda Moon with the headline, “36 Hours: Long Beach, Calif.” which chronicles the transformation of the port city.
“As part of Long Beach’s push to become the most bike-centric city south of Portland, Ore., the city has built bike boulevards and a Bike Station (bikestation.com/longbeach), developed a weekly “Bike Saturday” incentive program (bikelongbeach.org/events) and begun an annual bike festival (longbeachbikefest.org), held each May,” Moon writes.
Then there was the January story in Grist, an environmental-advocacy website headlined, “Cycles and cents: One city sets out to prove that bikes are good for business.”
And finally, Long Beach has a great cycling website, if you are planning on cycling in the area. The website professes to have something for every cyclist.
“Looking for a way to get around Long Beach on your bike? No problem. Bike Long Beach has the answer. Explore the website to discover the latest and greatest on biking in Long Beach. Whether you are an avid cyclist, a college commuter, or simply curious about biking, this website has something for you,” it states.
So, if you’re headed for Long Beach anytime in the near future, take your bike.
Website posts list of 20 Yolo County bike rides

The Yolo County Visitors Bureau has added a new page to their website with a list of 20 bike rides on various routes throughout Yolo County. The routes include Davis, Woodland, Clarksburg, the Capay Valley and more. There’s even a route from Davis to the Martinez Amtrak station, a ride I’ve always wanted to do. Another of the rides goes up Cantelow Hill, which is featured in the photo above taken by Martin Christian.
The page has brief descriptions of the rides with links to an interactive map created on the Ride with GPS website which includes cue sheets and elevation profiles. They were created by members of the Davis Bike Club. the visitors bureau and the DBC plan to collaborate on adding future routes to the page.
“We also intent to add routes from events that are held in our area, such as the U.S. Bicycling Hall of Fame Gran Fondo, the LiveStrong Challenge and the Davis Double Century,” said Alan Humason, Executive Director of the YCVB in a prepared statement.
Most of the rides start in Davis and Winters and there are options for all skill levels, Humason added.
Posted from Vacaville, California, United States.
New York City filmmaker steals his own bike, no problem
This is an amazing video by filmmaker Casey Neistat published as an “Op-Doc” on the New York Times website. As the video introduction says, “…filmmaker Casey Neistat conducts an experiment in New York City, where he locks up his own bike and brazenly tries to steal it, to determine whether onlookers or the police would intervene.” First he uses a hacksaw, then a crowbar, then he has his friend use bolt cutters to steal his bike. Passersby appear oblivious. Finally, when Neistat pulls out the power tools in Union Square, the police take notice. Check out the video.
Cow t-bones cyclist in Fresno
Yikes. Check out this story and pictures on KFSN-TV out of Fresno of a woman who was hit by a cow while riding her bike during a training ride for RAAM.
“As soon as I come around the corner, he just barrels and t-bones me. Sends me about 30 feet down the hill,” Melanie Spigelmyre told the TV station. Amazing she wasn’t hurt worse.
Sign, sign, everywhere a sign
I was riding with friends in the Volcano – Plymouth area on Saturday and chuckled when I saw the sign at the left in downtown Volcano across from the park. The sign above, is always a welcome sight after climbing Slug Gulch Road northeast of Fair Play. Slug Gulch is one of the tougher climbs around, covering about 5.4 miles and a little over 1,300 feet of elevation gain. It is part of “The Century” ride and “The Challenge” ride that are offered at the Sacramento Wheelmen bicycling club’s Sierra Century which is back in Amador County this year on Saturday, June 16
Posted from California, United States.
Sacramento gives NAHBS its biggest year ever
Nice wrap-up of the North American Handmade Bicycle Show in the Bike World News. The site is reporting that the show had the best attendance ever with more than 8,000 people showing up for the three-day event. And, congrats to local bike builder Steve Rex (his booth is in the photograph) for winning “Best Road Bike” at the show. You can view the story here.
Also, there’s an interesting article by Jerry Hirsch in The Bellingham Herald about the bike show and the growth of cycling businesses even in the bad economy. Hirsch writes, “Though the entire industry probably doesn’t have much more of an economic effect than a couple of Target stores, one indicator of its popularity is that colleges and universities are starting to teach frame building.”
Posted from Sacramento, California, United States.
North American Handmade Bicycle Show opens today

The North American Handmade Bicycle Show rolled into town yesterday. The show, which opens at 11 a.m. today, has more than 150 exhibitors showcasing custom bike frames, apparel and cycling accessories. In the photo above, Paul Sadoff, left, owner of Rock Lobster Custom Bikes of Santa Cruz, chats with Chris Igleheart of Igleheart Custom Frames and Forks out of Wenham, Mass. while setting up on Thursday. Sadoff was featured in an article by Sam McManis in The Bee this morning. In the photo at the left, award-winning bike builder Kent Eriksen of Kent Eriksen Cycles of Steamboat Springs, Colo. sets up his booth. You can get more information about the bicycle show here.
Posted from Sacramento, California, United States.
Pedaling peddlers in Davis

Check out the article, “Bike-crazy Davis spawns peddlers who pedal,” on sacbee.com by Bee reporter, Hudson Sangree, about the growing number of pedal-powered businesses across the nation. Sangree even interviewed realtors who peddle homes by bicycle. Consider the following quote from his article, “Today, Davis residents can get around by pedicab, have their yardwork done by landscapers who pull trailers on bikes, and sip Roth’s organic fair-trade coffee, delivered by bicycle to their doorsteps each week in reusable Mason jars.”
Read the complete story here.
In the news: weather coming, trail detour continues, interesting editorial

Cyclists ride under the Hazel Avenue bridge recently with the American River slowly moving along behind them. The river is obviously low for this time of year, but an approaching storm should add some much-needed water to the river and snow to the Sierra’s.
In other news, Sacramento Area Bicycle Advocates member John Whelan reports the bike trail detour at mile 3.5 has been extended until Friday. “The scope of the work has doubled because the beaver burrow was much more extensive, and the levee engineers and staff were deeply concerned about the beaver burrow affecting the flood worthiness of the levee,” Whelan said in an email to members.
Lastly, a letter to the editor in the Davis Enterprise by Davis resident John Whitehead brings up some interesting issues about cyclists not stopping at stop signs.
Posted from Rancho Cordova, California, United States.
Bike trail detour update

A cyclist makes the turn near mile 3.5 on the American River bike trail where repair work is about to begin Thursday morning forcing trail users to detour the site by going on top of the levee. Repairs are needed because the trail has been undermined by beavers, according to Sacramento Regional Parks authorities. The detour will be in place during the day as work is done on the trail, but in the evenings and on the weekend, the trail will be open through the site.
Posted from Sacramento, California, United States.
In the News: Bike trail detours, stylish bike rack, Bee editorial
There are two bike trail detours scheduled this week, according to an email sent out by SABA. Starting Thursday, Feb. 23, there will be a detour from mile 2.5 at Del Paso Blvd. to mile 3.5 for trail repair. Construction should be done by Monday, Feb. 27. Then, On Saturday, Feb. 25, the Guy West Bridge will be closed to all traffic for bridge inspection and repair.
Speaking of SABA, if you are a volunteer, tonight, Wednesday, Feb. 22, is their Volunteer Appreciation Party at Broadacre Coffee beginning at 6 p.m.
In other news, Sacramento Bee writer Blair Anthony Robertson penned an interesting article recently on local carpenter and furniture maker, Steven Tiller, who crafted a stylish new bicycle rack called a Bike Valet.
“Tiller’s elegant, sculptural Bike Valet came to life once he decided he wanted to store his bike and still have something nice to look at – something more than a bike leaning against a wall or hanging from a hook in the ceiling,” Robertson said.
Also in The Bee this week is a compelling editorial about the transportation bill currently in the House of Representatives. The piece, entitled, “Transportation bill should be roadkill” starts out like this, “Apparently the Republican leadership in the U.S. House of Representatives doesn’t walk or bicycle much, or spend time riding subways or trains. They definitely don’t spend much time riding buses.”
Spring blossoms in February?
A cyclist passes a blooming pear tree along the American River bike trail Friday morning. Kind of strange to see trees blooming in mid-February. According to an article in The Bee, by Debbie Arrington, the warm weather, intensified by reflected heat off asphalt and cement is causing trees in the city to begin flowering. Although, most trees in the countryside surrounding Sacramento are not blossoming yet, Arrington wrote.
Posted from Sacramento, California, United States.
Vote on highway bill delayed
According to “The Hill” website, Speaker John Boehner has delayed a vote on the $260 billion transportation bill …”a clear signal GOP leaders lack the votes to win approval of the package,” Keith Laing and Russell Berman reported in their story.
The League of American Bicyclists says, “We remain opposed to the overall bill, H.R. 7, because of its regressive attacks on transit, environmental protections, planning and bicycling.” In a post on their website, the league said it has written letters to, “…members and supporters in a few key House districts to ask for their help in getting the votes needed to pass the Petri/Johnson amendment.”
Bike commuting story in The Bee
Writer Blair Anthony Robertson of The Sacramento Bee penned an interesting article recently about bicycling in Sacramento. The article, published last week, focused on bike commuting in midtown and downtown Sacramento.
Here’s how it begins: “All over town and out in the suburbs, folks hop on their bikes for the simplest of reasons, leaving their cars behind.
They make it look easy, because it is.”
Posted from Sacramento, California, United States.
Weekend bicycling activities
There are lots of cycling events and rides going on this weekend. Every Second Saturday the Sacramento Bicycle Kitchen closes its shop to host a fundraising party from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. with local bands and breweries.
Then there’s the Second Saturday Bike Tour hosted by Broad Acre Coffee. The rides go to places like Insight, Temple, Chocolate Fish, Old Soul and Naked.
And Saturday is the official launch of Artbike!, a bicycle-centric art exhibition, with self-guided tours of local establishments that are hosting the artwork.
If your looking for bike club rides, The Sacramento Bike Hikers have a couple rides scheduled including a spring training ride. The Sacramento Wheelmen also have a variety of ride choices listed on their calendar and the Davis Bike Club lists a some interesting rides on their calendar as well, including the Spanish Flat Century and the Hill Climb Series #2.
Inspiration for bicycle reuse
Thinking of reusing bicycles? Check out this link at the Inspiration Green website for some ideas. Very cool site.
In the news
Two interesting articles in The Sacramento Bee and on sacbee.com during the last week. The first article, written by Sam McManis is about the Savage Sprints event held twice a month on Sundays at the midtown Sacramento restaurant, Hot Italian.
“This, of course, was not a normal night at the restaurant. More cyclists, along with friends and loved ones, milled about than diners intent on tucking into a briatore calzone or spooning Ferrero Rocher gelato,”McManis wrote.
The event is an effort to raise money by the organization, SacValleyVelodrome.org, to build a velodrome in the Sacramento area.
The second article is about the drop in crime along the American River Parkway. The article, written by Sam Stanton, points to a number of possible factors for the drop, including the weather.
Stanton interviewed Chief Ranger Stan Lumsden, who said,”We had seven straight months of rain last year, which probably contributed to the low numbers. The other issue we had is the last three months of the year we did a full-court press on the illegal camping at the lower end of the parkway,” Lumsden told Stanton.
Weekend events – ultra run on the bike trail
The 34th Annual Jed Smith Ultra Classic run is this Saturday. If you’re out on the trail, the ultra runners will be on both sides of the river between the Watt and Howe Avenue bridges.
In Davis, the Davis Bike Club is holding two rides in conjuction with the Team LIVESTRONG Challenge Davis Kick-off Party.
Bikeway standards bill approved by state Assembly
The state Assembly has approved a bill to modernize bikeway standards in California according to a report by the California Bicycle Coalition. The bill, Assembly Bill 819, was authored by Assemblyman Bob Wieckowski, D-Fremont, in early January. It was later amended by the Assembly Transportation Committee, “…removing our proposal to allow communities to follow standards such as those developed by the National Association of City Transportation Officials,” the coalition reported. The full report can be found here.
Slight chance of rain this evening

Warm weather continues over the region and fog often shrouds the morning commute as it did this morning along the levee overlooking the Campus Commons Golf Course. There is a 20 percent chance of rain overnight tonight and into tomorrow, according to the National Weather Service.
Posted from Sacramento, California, United States.
House to vote on key transportation bill on Thursday
League of American Bicyclists and American Bikes alerted their members last week to contact their representatives in the House and ask them to preserve funding in an upcoming transportation bill for bicyling and pedestrians.
“Next Thursday, the House Transportation Committee will vote (see timeline) on the American Energy and Infrastructure Jobs Act, a bill that eliminates crucial funds for biking and walking. Representatives on the Transportation Committee are key positions to save dedicated funding for biking and walking,” said an article on bikeleague.org.
For more information about the act and how you can become involved, go to the this article at bikeleague.org or this article at dc.streetblog.org.
Change a flat in under a minute?
Check out this youtube video of a guy changing a flat in less than a minute. Granted, it’s the front tire, and, he doesn’t inspect it to find the cause of the flat, but it’s still impressive.
Winter rain finally arrives in Sacramento

Rain finally arrived in Sacramento last night. It was cold and wet and breezy for the commute home. This morning it was warmer with a few small showers dampening the ride to work. Puddles lined the streets, like this one at the corner of 16th Street and Capitol Avenue reflecting a pedestrian with an umbrella. The National Weather Service forecast is for rain after 10 a.m. with a high temperature of 56 degrees. It will be windy with gusts as high as 23 m.p.h. and there is an 80 percent chance of rain. Bundle up for the commute home.
Posted from Sacramento, California, United States.
“Bikes Make Life Better” video recognized by TED
The peopleforbikes.org blog just announced that their “Bikes Make Life Better” video has been recognized by TED as “a 2012 Ad Worth Spreading.” Congrats to PFB. Nice video.















