Goodbye Kansas

I complain about this state often.  I complain about the lack of cycling infrastructure.  I complain about the politics and the weather.  But truth be told - Kansas is my home state and I'm always going to love it.  And don't worry - I'll forever be a Jayhawk fan!

Kansas has been good to me and my memories growing up here are largely wonderful.  But - now is the season for change.

Today was my last day working for Networks Plus.  They've been a wonderful company to work for and I greatly appreciate all they've done for me.  In five days John and I are driving across the country and moving into a condo in Raleigh, North Carolina.  I'll be looking for a new place to work, and if I can find a company half as wonderful as the one I left, I'll consider myself very lucky!

In that respect, I thought I would use this time to reflect on the wonderful things about this state (and town) that I'm going to miss, and the (hopefully) wonderful things I have to look forward to.

I'll miss...

• my fenced in backyard and quirky little house
• Kaw Valley Bike Club and the local rides I participated in and people I met (I wish I could have done more!)
• The Burger Stand
• Spot, our adopted stray kitty
• Walking to Schlotzsky's for lunch
• the Shunga Trail
• the Topeka Farmers Market
• Boulevard Beer - someone PLEASE tell me that it's available in North Carolina.
• bike riding with Joe and Staci and my sister, Ashley
• my friends and former co-workers at WIBW - I know I lost touch the past couple of years, but you were all a joy to work with!
• trips to the Legends in Kansas City
• my cycling route to and from work - it took me a few weeks to get the "perfect" route nailed down, and now I'll have to start from scratch!
• John's family - his mother, father, sister, brothers, in-laws, nieces, and nephews, step-dad, cousins, and everyone else!  They've been so welcoming of me and treated me like one of their own.  I've really appreciated getting to know each of them.
• my friends and (now) former co-workers at Networks Plus.  I've enjoyed working with each of you, and I appreciate you humoring my lack of technical expertise and working with me until I caught on!

I'm going to miss my wonderful freethinking friends (you know who you are!).  There is nothing I could say that would ever be enough thanks for the love and kindness you've shown me.  You let me be myself without question or judgement, and I owe you more than I'll ever be able to repay.

And most importantly, my family.  My aunts, uncles, cousins, brother-in-law, nieces, and nephews.  I love you all so, so much!  My grandpa Roberts and my Abuelo and Abuela - I hope you know how much I treasure you.  And finally, my beautiful mother, and my sisters - Christy, Ashley, and Lindsay.  You all are so dear to my heart and I want only the best things in the world for each of you.  We've made some amazing memories together that I'll cherish always.  I know we'll be in touch often, but I love you all!

Maybe it's a little melodramatic, but this is the farthest away from Kansas I've ever been.  Even though I plan to visit often, this feels like a big goodbye!

I have so much to look forward to out in Raleigh.  New adventures with John and our hyper-active dog Bosco, trips to the beach, new bike paths to explore, and spending time with my best friend Ashley and her husband Eric.  I plan to keep cycling and keep this blog going, but updates may be sporadic until I get my feet firmly planted.  Thank you to everyone who's been reading, commenting, and encouraging me.  You've all been wonderful!


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99 degrees!

My last post was somewhat pathetic.  I had given up on keeping my regular cycle routine and instead was using a borrowed car to make it through this epic summer heat wave.  I'm happy to report that since that time things have improved - somewhat.  A couple of weeks ago I did get one full week of daily cycling accomplished.  Since then I've been biking two or three times a week, depending on weather and other factors.  I do feel like a bit of a weakling, considering I know people who are still cycling daily in this weather.  But ultimately, I'm going to do what I feel is best for me.

Today however, was picture-perfect!  A high of (only) 99 degrees, and the morning ride was wonderful!  It was cloudy and cool, and I was even briefly sprinkled on - which I didn't mind in the slightest.

Now this is Kansas weather that I can get behind!  I was running early this morning (a rare feat), so I took a nice slow ride in to work and enjoyed the scenery. 

How could I not be happy on a day like today?  I'm keeping my fingers (and toes) crossed that this weather will stick around for at least a few days!  Maybe Mother Nature will be nice to us - we've certainly earned it!

It's HOT in Topeka

I've got to admit - I've been slacking lately when it comes to riding my bike.  This heat makes me miserable, and when I step out of the house in the morning and it's already close to 90 with a predicted heat index for the day of over 100, my motivation to ride my bike completely drains out of me.  Does this happen to anyone else?  From my [very] limited experience, I've found the winter to be more tolerable than the summer.  Granted, we did have a mild winter this year.

So, as a result of the weather and my motivation levels, I've been driving to work instead of biking.  My sister is on a trip this summer and her car was sitting unused at home.  It's a manual transmission, so no one else in the family can drive it and I've "adopted" it for a few weeks as an alternate to riding my bike.  To make up for not riding to work, I've been doing short weekend rides and trying to get a little bit of riding in each evening after the sun has gone down.

I am very ready for the temperature to go down - even 10 degrees would make a huge difference!

What are some other preferences out there - Winter vs. Summer, which would you rather ride in?

Capitol Classic

Every year the Kaw Valley Bike Club here in Topeka hosts the Capitol Classic event.  They have three ride options - 36, 62, and 100 miles.  Last year was my first year to participate - and the first organized ride I'd ever done.  I rode 36 miles and it was extremely difficult for me.  Towards the end I had to walk up a couple of hills.  I finished after about four hours - it was brutal.  This year I decided to participate again.  I thought this would be the perfect "last ride" event for me here in Kansas before I head to North Carolina in August.  I started with the Classic and I'd end with the Classic.  It's a beautiful ride starting at Lake Shawnee and heading up through Lecompton.  I've ridden a lot since last years event and felt much more equipped for it this year.

Kansas is known for our flat-lands, but we have our share of hills as well.  I tried to photograph a couple, but I don't think this picture can adequately capture the enormity of the hills we climbed.

This was only one of many large hills.  My "granny gear" was in almost perpetual use!

About 15 miles into the ride I came up on Eddie.  I found that my pace matched his pretty well, so we made introductions and rode the remainder of the event together.  I learned a lot about Eddie - he's from Manhattan, KS and his daughter lives in North Carolina, currently stationed at Fort Bragg.  I'd never met Eddie before, but we had a lot to talk about and encouraged each other throughout the ride.  Every time we'd hit a large hill he'd say "it's just a bump in the road", making it seem easier to conquer.  He told me he's turning 72 next month and he'd ridden in eight MS 150 rides!  I hope I'm just as bad-ass as Eddie when I'm 72.

Eddie and I at the end of the ride.

Eddie and I got lost together, we missed one of our turns near Lecompton and wound up having to backtrack a bit.  As a result, we wound up doing 43 miles together instead of the 36 mile route.  This year I finished 43 miles in 3 hours, 15 minutes (no walking!).  I'm proud of the improvement I've made in a years time.  I biked home from the end of the event at the lake which added on 8 miles, so I did 51 miles total for the day in four and a half hours.

I consider myself a "transportation" cyclist.  I use my bike in place of a car to get me from point A to point B.  I focus on practicality and comfort, not speed.  I rarely do long distance rides.  However, this ride reminded me how much I enjoy pushing myself to complete a long ride.  The next time I'm ready to invest in another bike I think I'll need to get myself a full road bike.  It'll go nicely with my Cocoa upright.  After all, a girl's allowed to have variety, right?

Adventures

This past week has been busy for me bike-wise!  I joined the Endomondo National Bike Challenge, during which I track the miles I ride and accumulate points for myself and my team.  I am biking as part of the TCCP #2 team, and I'm proud to say we're doing really well!  As of this writing we are in first place locally and 5th place nationally - out of 1,950 teams!  Now, I'm at the bottom of our team as far as contributing to our miles.  I mostly commute to and from work and to errands, so it's hard for me to get the distance in that some of my team members are able to accomplish.  For me, 20 miles in one go is a lot, so I really admire my team members who are putting in those long miles and keeping us in the lead during this challenge.

One of the bike adventures I participated in this past week was a Tour of Topeka, hosted by the Kaw Valley Bike Club and the Topeka Community Cycle Project.  Almost 50 people turned out for a 20 mile, family-friendly ride through the city.  I chose to take my Trek Cocoa, with only three speeds, because I thought it would work well for the slower pace I was intending.  I'm really glad I took it!  It performed well for over 20 miles, the longest trip I've taken it on so far.  I kept up my speed with the rest of the group and managed hills just fine.  I'm really happy with the way this bike has worked for me so far.  My favorite part about it - I'm able to wear dresses and skirts, an essential part of my spring and summer wardrobe.

This is me tackling a small hill on my Cocoa, during the Tour ride!

picture taken by KVBC, additional photos can be found here: Tour of Topeka

This is my "trainer" Joe and his nine year-old son, Joey.  This ride was the longest Joey's ever done, he should certainly be proud of himself!

picture taken by KVBC, additional photos can be found here: Tour of Topeka

We had two stops to refill water bottles and take a breather.  This was at the Kansas History Museum.  My Cocoa is parked in the foreground, pannier and all.

The next day (Monday) the weather was so beautiful that John insisted we go for a ride after I got home from work.  We needed to run a couple of errands, so we thought why not do them by bike?  We took the Shunga to the Dillons over in Brookwood to get some groceries and some wine (for me) at a local shop nearby.    

Our bikes parked at a local Dillons store.  I'm always thrilled to see racks at local shops!  

On our way back from Dillons we were alerted to deer nearby.  Sure enough, right there in the grasslands on the Shunga Trail, was a herd of deer!  I counted at least three.  Of course John and I had to stop and take pictures!  This was the closest I'd ever been to a deer.  We were right there on the paved trail, and it was right in front of us.

This picture was taken by John.  I'm amazed at how calm the deer was with us so close.

I'm loving these local adventures!  Today I should get in about 15 miles by bike.  For me, that's a lot.  I'm using this bike challenge to build up my endurance and soak in the city.  After all, there's only a few months left before John and I head off to North Carolina.  Three months, to be exact.  I'm ready for a new challenge!

May is National Bike Month

My hometown of Topeka is honoring National Bike Month with activities for all types of riders, starting with a family-friendly ride this Sunday, and ending with the Cottonwood 200!  I'm constantly amazed by the community of riders in this town.  Members of the Kaw Valley Bike Club and the Topeka Community Cycle Project have effectively lobbied our City Council to begin improving our streets for cyclists.  Last week they returned and the council and our mayor issued a public declaration that Topeka would celebrate May as bike month.  On top of that, as a celebration of bike month, the Topeka Metro service is allowing cyclists to ride the bus for free all month as long as they bring their bike along.

Local cyclists are working hard to raise awareness and their efforts are certainly paying off.  Next week the City Council will debate the entirety of the Topeka Bikeways Master Plan, which will implement bike routes throughout the city for cyclists.  Progress is being made, and I'm so proud of my hometown and area cyclists who have spoken before our council, written their council-members to express support for this plan, and who are out there riding and raising awareness.

As a rider, I'm participating in the National Bike Challenge for this month through Endomondo.  I'm using the GPS on my smartphone to track my mileage and contributing to the TCCP2 (Topeka Community Cycle Project 2) team.  I got a late start (I didn't join until yesterday) but hopefully I can catch up with my other teammates soon.  I have to admit that I've never been down to TCCP, although I keep intending to find a time to check it out.  I know what services they provide though, with their earn-a-bike program, and I think it's an amazing project!  I hope the fellow members of my team don't mind my joining up, even though I've neglected to check the shop out.  Maybe that's something I can do on a Saturday this month and add a few more miles to my National Bike Challenge amount.

Regardless of how you are choosing to celebrate Bike Month, I encourage you to make the most of it!

Young Americans are Driving Less

According to a recent study, 16 - 34 year olds have decreased the annual number of vehicle miles driven by 23% between 2001 - 2009! When the facts come in, it's clear that today's young adults no longer view driving as a necessity.

Young people are also making more use of transit, bikes, and foot power to get around. In 2009, 16 to 34-year-olds took 24 percent more bike trips than they took in 2001. They walked to their destinations 16 percent more often, while their passenger miles on transit jumped by 40 percent.

There are several reasons for this shift.  The major one (the one that got me) is the cost of owning a vehicle.

The report calculates the average cost of owning and operating a car as north of $8,700 dollars a year, and that was before gasoline passed $4.00 per gallon. In the wake of the financial crisis, many underemployed young people have decided that they either can’t afford a car or would rather spend their money on other things.

Once you factor in gas, repairs, insurance, and maintenance - aren't there better things you could be doing with that $8,700?  Of course, going without a car isn't realistic for everyone.  Most of our communities are built around streets and highway systems that are car-centric.  But, with more and more people choosing alternative transportation (or who want to choose alternative transportation), the focus on our cities needs to turn towards making them more user friendly for everyone.

My hometown of Topeka is beginning the transition to be more bicycle and pedestrian friendly.  I attended a city council meeting recently along with about 30 other bicycle enthusiasts, and the city council voted 6-1 to dedicate $300,000 towards a few of the changes recommended by the Topeka Bikeways Master Plan.  It's only a small step, but it's a step in the right direction.  I'm thankful that our local council members were able to recognize the importance of safe streets for everyone, and I'm especially grateful toward my council member, Chad Manspeaker, who voiced enthusiastic support for the project.  

A sampling of the many bikes parked outside the city council meeting.

It was wonderful to see so many friends and fellow cyclists at the meeting.  I have no doubt that the letters we sent in to our council members, and the helmets among the crowd, played a role in positively swaying that vote.  Seeing my "trainers" Joe and Staci there with their three kids (all in helmets) was adorable, and the bicycle advocates who spoke to the council on everyone's behalf did an excellent job.

Next week the city council will be voting to adopt the entire Topeka Bikeways Master Plan, so if you're a Topekan - contact your city council member and voice your opinion.  Let's make our streets safe for all users!