Tips for Windy Rides
We’ve had a calm winter overall, but this week is providing a good reminder of what it’s like to ride in harsh conditions, specifically heavy winds. With that in mind, here are some tips to help you battle the winds with finesse!
Eye Protection: With so much dust, debris, precipitation, trash, and other miscellaneous objects whipping around in every direction, you need to keep your eyes protected in order to maintain good clear vision. If nothing else, it will help prevent your eyes from drying out and itching all night.
Switch Gears Mechanically and Mentally: If you’re riding into a stiff wind, shift down and keep your cadence up. If you get bogged down in too big of a gear, you’re going to put a lot of unnecessary stress on your knees, fatigue faster, and gradually slow your pace. Mentally try to think of a headwind as a long climb, and keep your pedaling smooth. Also do your best to ignore the sound of the wind ripping past you. Just the noise alone can cause a rider to fatigue and lose motivation quickly.
Cross Wind Handling: If there’s a cross wind working you one way or the other, widen your hand position on the bars for better stability. If you have drop bars, get low in the drops to lower your center of gravity, this can also improve your stability. Keep your speed in check on descents, and try not to make sudden movements which could jerk you unexpectedly in either direction.
Seek Shelter: If it gets really nasty, look for a house, barn, or any kind of shelter to bunker down in until things ease up. This is especially important if rain or hail mixes in with the heavy winds, which makes it harder for vehicles to see you.
Skin Protection: If you’re getting slammed by a cold wind, keep as much of your skin covered as possible. Cold winds can really send chills through your body, and once you’re cold, it can be difficult to warm back up. One thing you don’t want to do, for instance, is take your hand out of your glove to take a terrible 18 second video of how windy it is.
Have a nice spring! 
Bad house transportation bill H.R.7
The House is moving a full transportation bill right now that would eliminate dedicated funding for public transportation and the tiny amount of funding that helps make dangerous streets and roads safer for children and others on foot or bike. It does not go far enough to fix our bridges and roads or provide people more options for getting around.
It’s time to kill the House’s transportation bill. You can send a message to your representative?
http://action.smartgrowthamerica.org/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=9507
Careless Driver Penalty Bill
Efforts to have a bill introduced that would increase the penalty options for “careless” drivers who actions cause the death or great bodily harm of another road user are receiving more attention, boosting the chances of having the bill heard in the Legislative session that starts January 17.
KOB-TV story on Heather Reu’s death
Santa Fe New Mexican Op-Ed
To keep pushing this issue forward though, your help is needed. If you haven’t contacted Governor Martinez’s office about adding this bill to her call list for the 2012 session, please do so today. Contacting your NM Senator and Representative is the next step. These contacts are vital to educate our elected officials about the importance of this legislation. A huge Thanks to those of you who have already contacted your elected officials.
As obvious as the problem seems to us, others have no idea. Bike ABQ is making good progress so lets help them keep it up.
Federal funding for bike and pedestrian safety is on the chopping block again
Senator Rand Paul has seized upon the very serious T4 America reports examining the woeful condition of our country’s bridges to force Americans to make an unnecessary choice: safety in our cars while crossing bridges or safety while walking or biking in our communities.
Senator Paul’s amendment would also change the TIGER program — competitive grants awarded to all kinds of transportation projects — so that projects to make walking or biking safer won’t be eligible. The amendment would also redirect a relatively small amount of funding — 10 percent of the TIGER program — into bridge repair. At the cost of safety for everyone else who uses a road, states would gain enough money to repaint a few bridges.
This amendment will be offered on the floor of the Senate tomorrow (Tuesday).
GM Blunders onto Campus
From League of American BicyclistsIf you are a student looking to add tens of thousands of dollars of long term debt, care little about the environment, and want to lump two tons of steel around campus while paying through the nose for insurance, gas, and parking…General Motors has got a perfect deal for you. Bonus: it’ll make you fat and unhealthy! All you have to do is give up that dorky bicycle that’s easy to use, practically free, gets you some exercise and is actually fun to ride.
In one of the more remarkably ill-conceived car ad campaigns of all time, good corporate citizen GM is heading to campus to actively stop you from riding a bike by trying to make it look like it sucks. Obviously it’s been a while since GM execs and their creative teams set foot on campus. Anyway, I’m sure the campus facilities people will love having to add thousands of extra car parking spaces on campus at $30,000 a pop (who needs more buildings to learn in anyway, lets fill campus with parking structures); and University Presidents will have a little bit of explaining to do when it comes to those end of year climate and greenhouse gas targets… Maybe it’ll generate more business in the gym where students can drive in to go and ride on stationary bikes. Hope there’s enough parking.
In case you were wondering, GM has a fine-sounding corporate responsibility statement – carefully crafted by the best in the business, I’m sure. One sample quote: “As a responsible corporate citizen, General Motors is dedicated to protecting human health, natural resources and the global environment.” http://www.gm.com/vision/our_vision.html
And if you wanted to send a quick note to Chevrolet or GMC, there are instructions on how to do that.
Traffic Skills 101-Las Cruces Edition
A Comprehensive Road Skills Course
Sponsored by the City of Las Cruces, the Southern New Mexico Bicycle Educators & The Bicycle Coalition of New Mexico
Sunday, October 30, 2011/On-Bike Portion
City of Las Cruces, City Hall, 700 N. Main
October 5 through 25/Classroom On-Line
Upon reservation instructor will provide link to on-line classroom
Beginner, returning and seasoned cyclist benefit from this comprehensive course that includes: on-line classroom instruction; bike maintenance; tire repair; a reflective triangle & ankle bands; and a set of tire levers with a patch kit. Learn avoidance maneuvers and how to ride with traffic. Individuals 15 + years old are welcome to reserve a place in the class. What to bring Sunday, Oct. 30: a bike helmet; a bicycle in good working condition; a pen/pen; riding clothing/shoes; a water bottle; and a snack.
Fee: $25.00 Pre-Reservation required at http://www.BikeNM.org
League of American Bicyclists
League Cycling Instructor
Tammy Schurr, M-LCI #1294
twowheeltammy@yahoo.com
The Scrabble Ride!
Come join us for a Scrabble Bike Ride!
Meeting at 1401 N Alameda (Corner of Alameda and Ethel) @ 6:00. Enter through the backyard on the side (look for the glow-sticks).
Ride starts @ 7:00…Tiles will be presented at the start/finish of the ride and at each stop.
Check the map out below!
There is a $5 entry for the event and we will be having a backyard party with beer( 21+) and water pre/post ride.
Trophies, which were donated by Cruces Trophy (thanks guys!!!) will be presented for the top 3 words!
CYCLISTS AND NON-CYCLISTS WELCOME!
We are also proud to host the debut performance of Bourbon Legend, who will be playing a live set after the ride and Scrabble games conclude.
ALL PROCEEDS TO BE DONATED TO NMSU ENGINEERS WITHOUT BORDERS!!!
View Scrabble Bike Ride in a larger map
Check out and like us on Facebook…more info and maps will be provided at the event!
Bike Lanes Benefit Drivers
By: Michael Dudley
24 August 2011 – 11:00am
Canadian Urban designer Ken Greenberg and American planner Trent Lethco argue that investing in cycling infrastructure improves driving conditions — for those times that you really need a car.
Greenberg and Lethco point out that continual efforts to increase capacity for cars has only resulted in more congestion. The solution, they suggest, is to treat all modes as complementary and not mutually exclusive: most of us are, at various times, pedestrians, cyclists, transit users and car drivers. Ironically, the more we invest in non-auto infrastructure, the better the driving conditions become:
“Every additional trip we take on foot, on a bicycle or by public transit frees up significant space for drivers, since the ‘footprints’ of these other modes are so much smaller. The cyclist beside you is not the car in front of you; the bicycle locked to a ring at curbside means one less parking space is taken. Driver, cyclist and pedestrian are complementary rather than mutually exclusive categories. Most of us are all of these at different times. What’s crucial is the proportion of time we use each mode, and creating communities where the car is needed for only certain types of trips. For other trips, we can make more efficient choices.
If we decide we want our system to be more efficient, we must…ensure it has the attributes that make the more efficient choices the attractive ones – and that comes through land use, system design, pricing and skillful urban design.”
Just in case you didnt know, Urban Aggression is also on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Urban-Aggression/138635652847875
Check it out.
Also, Plan on a Poker Run August 21, 6pm. More info to come.
Las Cruces Bicycle Facilities Map
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