Admirable-'Cycling is like brushing your teeth'

North American cities and drivers, please stop aiming so low. This just makes sense on EVERY LEVEL!!!!!!!

Copenhagen's 'best city for cyclists' goal

Copenhagen street scene

By Maddy Savage
BBC News, Copenhagen

Rush hour in Denmark's capital seems anything but rushed.
City workers glide through the streets - trousers tucked into their socks and briefcases slung on to the side of their bicycles.
Some even have children following on behind, wrapped in waterproofs and perching on special trailers known as cargo bikes.
The air feels fresh and there is not a traffic jam in sight.
With less than four months to go until Copenhagen hosts the United Nations climate change summit, the city has announced its vision to become the world's best city for cyclists.

In Copenhagen, a third of people already cycle to work, school or university.
There are about 350km (217 miles) of cycle routes around the city.
Cyclists have priority over cars and pedestrians at many major junctions and traffic lights.

Cyclist Bettina
It's a big part of our culture and with all the environmental problems, even more people are starting to use a bike instead
Bettina, cyclist

City officials have just announced their plans to get half of commuters using bikes by 2015.
"The city has worked consistently to improve things for cyclists," said Andreas Rohl, who is in charge of the city's cycling programme.
"Everything you see in Copenhagen today is due to decisions taken back in the 70s and early 80s.
"For people here, going on a bicycle is a bit like brushing your teeth, you don't think much about it!"
He said the new targets for cyclists were "realistic but very ambitious".

Common to be car-free
Two of the city's main bridges have recently had a makeover to help encourage more people to cycle.
One is now completely car-free, the other has been developed to include double cycle lanes on both sides.
The city is planning to widen other existing cycle lanes.

It is also considering congestion charging although the legal procedures to do this are not yet in place.
Bettina, a student, uses her bike several times a day.
"It's a big part of our culture and with all the environmental problems, even more people are starting to use a bike instead," she said.

In Amsterdam, residents already use bikes for more than half of all journeys under 8km.
'Cycling is like brushing your teeth'
But, while the Dutch city has long been thought of as the cycling capital of Europe, Copenhagen has beaten it to the top spot in recent surveys by both green campaigners and travel companies.

"I think it's quite convenient and you are faster than with a car or a bus," said Kristina, another keen cyclist.
"It's not so common to have a car here, even for a whole family, and it's highly taxed."
Research shows that the more people who travel by bike, the safer it is for each individual cyclist.

Five cyclists were killed on Copenhagen's roads last year, half the number killed a decade ago when there were fewer bikes and people cycled less often.
Copenhagen's safety record also compares well with other similar sized cities in Europe.
Six cyclists died on the roads in Dublin last year, even though the city has more than 80% fewer cyclists.
"We are very focused on the safety. Since the mid-1990s we have reduced the risk of having an accident when you travel by bike by 65%," said Andreas Rohl.
"The health effect of going on a bicycle is seven times higher than the actual risk of going on a bike."
But what about driving in the city? Most roads are clean and smooth, and most car owners you speak to will not complain about cyclists, mainly because many of them ride bikes too.

"It could be difficult for a new driver in this city but you get used to it!" said Ibrahim, a taxi driver.
"The Danish government advertises that it is good to have bikes. Good for the health and good for the community. It's very green. No pollution."

Changing mindsets
Officials believe they are on track to reach their new cyclist targets within the next six years.
Cycles in Copenhagen
Cycling is safer in Copenhagen than many other European cities

They are hoping to share their ideas with the world at the UN climate change talks in December and at the city's first international cycling conference next year.
There are signs that other European capitals are already looking to follow Copenhagen's example.
Paris, Barcelona, Montreal and London are among the cities openly committed to improving cycle routes.
But it may be much more difficult to persuade countries like China.

Once known as the world's kingdom of bicycles, it is now a growing car market, so achieving investment in cycling there could be a much greater challenge.
"It's all about changing people's mindsets," said Mr Rohl.
"But it really can be the easiest and the most flexible way to get around."

Finishing 113 miles of racing

It feels oh so good. Well that is a lie, it actually just plain hurts, but, as the motto says, you can "Find out what's inside...outside"

Posting while tired

Wow, I just re-read my race report. Despite my (apparently misguided) belief that I do my best work while half asleep, that was rough.

I have been suffering from some horribly swollen feet the past few days, which has made walking very uncomfortable and has pushed any thoughts of running out of my mind this week.

Speaking of feet, these are my heels after stage 2-Aaron had his face smashed in that day, so I can't complain too much.


Some other camp pics:

Quickie

Just a quick recap while I sit at the airport.

Talk about highs and lows. Luckily, there were more highs than lows and the race will stick with me for a while.

Both Aaron and I trained hard specifically for this race and we were both in incredibly fit. But with such a unique and challenging race format, we knew that we would have to face some demons. It was inevitable.
It seem like Aaron faced them for both of us. He suffered some severe cramping on stage 1 and we had a long walk home as he struggled to breath. Funnily enough, it gave us a chance to get to know each other a bit better. I knew that he was suffering and was digging deep just to finish, I actually admired that a lot.
what I admired even more was his ability to dust that off and toe the line the next day. I knew that he was a bit embarrassed and worried with how his body reacted, but after about 20 minutes of running on stage 2, as we filed in behind the leaders up Hope Pass and he said I feel good, I was stoked to have him back. We both resolved to fight as hard as we could and to salvage a positive experience from the event.
We went up and over the pass and as we chased our fellow "Crazy Canucks" down the back side, Aaron decided to kiss a rock at full speed. As I pulled him up off the ground, he dusted himself off, his face covered in blood and with chipped teeth and simply said "Let's run".

He took off like a wild man down the hill, with me hanging on for dear life. We somehow got the ultimate redemption, as we somehow managed to pull off a stage win, passing Team Salomon Canada about a mile from the finish line, putting 2 Canadian teams on the podium.



Stage 3 was long, but flattish. Once again, Aaron and I had a tonne off fun rolling along the single track. It was quite amazing how evenly matched we were although we had never run together before. We were able to pass team Rogue Valley Runners around half way and hold on for second. Whittling away some time from the leading teams.

Stage 4 turned into a gun fight. 3 teams, Run Flagstaff (the class runners of the field), Rogue Valley Runners and us all hit the water at the same time, with 2 miles to go and it became a full on drag race. Team Flag rolled away from us, but Rogue Valley and us traded punches for a while, before we finally rolled away from them, claiming another second and stealing more time from the teams ahead of us.

Stage 5 was nothing but pain. It was cold and were all sore with lots of miles still to run. It finished with 9.5 miles of downhill and I felt pain in almost every step.
Once again, Aaron and I were able to pull out a second place finish.

Stage 6-the final day-we were all barely holding together after 5 days of racing and I knew that there could be some carnage. I asked Aaron how he was feeling and he said, not too bad, all things considering, so I made the decision to press a bit. We gambled and luckily, the gamble paid off and we were able to pull off a stage win.


We managed to claw our way back onto the overall podium, finishing 3rd overall.

I would recommend this event to anyone who is considering it. It is an incredible physical and mental challenge for everyone. The race organizers put on a world class event, which seems seamless. The courses are tough and varied in spectacular venues. The food is good and the camraderie of so many people suffering and living together for a week makes for a unique experience. They also schwag you out, which is cool!

It was great to get to hang out and run with Aaron and all the other runners that we shared the trails and experience with. Happy trails.

Buena Vista and TR day 0

I arrived in Buena Vista yesterday.
It is a cool town, which seems to have a big white water paddling scene and is appropriately named with magnificent views of the Collegiate Peaks.

It has been stinking hot here. I love the heat, but it is definitely an interesting way to start a hard 6-days. Any mistakes with hydration tomorrow could have some serious consequences down the road.

I met up with Aaron today and although we didn't know each other overly well, I can tell that we won't have any personality issues. We seem to share a similar world view and sense of humour, and I know that we have both trained hard.

We listened to the inevitable rounds of speeches tonight in a gym and tomorrow the production/village/circus takes the show on the road.

I am not sure if I will have any internet access over the week. I am not bringing my laptop, so will do a recap post-event.

There are still a lot of variables and unknowns and the race has a lot to throw at us, I can't wait!

In Boulder

I have been in Boulder since Monday and, as always, have been loving every minute of it.
I have been trying to run up in the mountains as often as possible.

I was reminded on my first run why we have to carry a jacket on each stage, as the temperature dropped dramatically and I was hailed on quite hard. I was up at Indian Peaks, by a beautiful mountain lake, surrounded by steep scrambles and was really enjoying being out there.

From what I understand, they have had quite a mild and wet summer. The beautiful flowers and green hills confirms this. Normally it is quite brown and dry this time of year.

Here are some pics from my tempo effort up at Switzerland trail yesterday (followed by a scramble up Sugarloaf).

Gear

I own a lot of it!!!


I wish I knew what to bring. All a part of the process I guess.
Lots of variable weather. Highs in the 30s to possible snow, means some guess work.
I probably want clean shorts every day. Despite common perceptions, I do think about cleanliness occasionally! Then again, maybe there will be streams to clean off in?

Respect speed!

Coffee at Habit this AM, then ran at Mt. Finlayson (*2):
Mount Finlayson is a 419 m (1,375 ft) mountain located on the border of Highlands and Langford, British Columbia, about 14 km northwest of Victoria. It is located within the Gowlland Range (part of the Vancouver Island Ranges). It is bordered by Goldstream Provincial Park and Gowlland Tod Provincial Park, and forms an imposing feature looming above Saanich Inlet for those travelling south on the Malahat Drive portion of Highway 1. A (sometimes steep) trail leading up to the summit is easily accessible from Goldstream Park.(Wikipedia).

Always a fun spot to run. I then met up with Lauren and Paula for a few kms in the pool to flush out the legs.

Hung out in the inner harbour to watch mom rock the Blazing Paddles at the Victoria Dragon Boat Festival. They do a great job at creating atmosphere and getting people involved. What a venue (and day) for it.

I am now trying to sort out my gear for the trip. Well, I am doing what I call my passive sorting. Which means I am sitting here trying to think up ways of not actually doing it. Blogging seemed like a mighty fine alternative. I am sure that subconsciously I am making lists and when I finally get to it, things will move seamlessly!

Time

Eclectic 3.0: The Roads Less Traveled from Ross Ching on Vimeo.

Just as with this time lapse video, time has suddenly sped up.
We are 1 week out from the Trans Rockies run. The Trans Rockies bike is just finishing up, probably as I type this and I head off to Colorado on Monday.
I will be in Boulder for a few days, staying with a friend and starting to acclimate. I will try and do my runs higher up in the mountains and then head up to Buena Vista 2-3 days before the start, as it sits a bit higher up on the altitude charts.

I am really looking forward to the race. It is a daunting challenge and a bit of an unknown, as I have never done a stage race and there are some long and hard days.
Here is the race profile:






I do know that my partner (you race in a team of two), Aaron Heidthas been killing it. He set a course record at the Knee Knacker and he has been training hard.
I have enjoyed corresponding with him and sharing sessions. We send each other weekly round ups of what we have done and I know that he is fit. He will be a great partner. I hope that he doesn't snore though, as we are sharing a tent for 7 days! or maybe I'll be so tired every night that he could listen to some crazy Swedish hardcore beside me and I wouldn't care.

I have really enjoyed training for this race. There is nothing more enjoyable to me than picking a challenging goal and working towards it. I have been winging it a bit, how exactly do you train for a 6 day, 113.5 mile race with 20,788 feet of elevation gain and loss at altitude?
I have run more than ever and have discovered some great new trails along the way. I have also been biking a bit with the triathlon crew and have even done some bricks. I am not sure how much more I could have done.
Now it is time to start resting up and getting in the last few tune-up sessions. I can't wait to head down to the mountains and for the race to start. Looking at the videos from previous years, we are going to get in some great suffering and are going to see some amazing sites. Add in the people that I will get to share the experience with over the 6 days and I know that it will be a memorable event, which is what it is ultimately about.

All about performance

Extreme multi-tasking

I have sensory overload just watching this:

The Multicolored Multitask (Guitar Hero + Rubik's Cube)

Ode to cross-training

I have been having some fun recently mixing it up with the tri-crowd. I happen to know them all quite well and they are kind enough to let me tag along on some of their sessions.

It's a great way to mix it up and keep things interesting. It's also the only way for me to spend time with any of my friends since they always seem to be training!

I love running and plan on doing it for a long time and I figure the best way to keep the body up to the task is to throw in some different sports from time to time. The runs are the bread and butter of what I do, but other sports take some of the stress off of the body and allow me to push myself in a fun new environment.

With running I have a great deal of awareness as to how my fitness is going and how fast I am running, which is not always a good thing. With the other sports it can be more like playing. The feeling and effort are somewhat foreign, so you just go for it. Form and expectations (re-occurring theme) be damned.

Having been fortunate enough to meet some truly world class athletes, the one thing that always strikes me is their general athleticism. It is not surprising that a great athlete has good body awareness, but what seems to distinguish the top level performers from the merely good, is their competitive spirit in all aspects of their lives and across sports.

While I realize that I will likely never win an Olympic medal (I may still find a latent talent in some obscure event), I can try to adopt some of those lessons. There is only so much running that my body can take, but "the heart and lungs only know effort"(Greg Bennett), so why not squeeze a bit more fitness out of the body and have some fun while doing it?


So here is to swimming, biking, hiking, skiing, climbing, kayaking, snowshoeing, trampolining....

Hydration Pack (sneak peek)

I have been lucky enough to test this pack on some rides and short runs. So far I am impressed.

I have never run with a pack and most likely won't all that often, unless it is for long hike/runs in variable weather, but this new offering by Arc'teryx hits all the right features:
-light
-doesn't chafe
-breathable
-very adjustable
Big plus is the mesh back and shoulder straps.
Not a surprise that once again, they have hit the nail on the head.

Here is a review post Outdoor Retailer from: Feedthehabit.com

Arc’teryx: Aerios Hydration Packs

While Arc’teryx has made an excellent name in outerwear and backpacks, hydration packs are a new offering. Coming Spring 2010, the Aerios hydration pack lineup will launch consisting of 7, 10 and 14 Liter designs. The 7 L and 10 L designs look to be the most promising for highly-aerobic adventures like mountain biking or long-distance trail running. As with all Arc’teryx products, the key is the laminating process with sleek lines and smooth transitions between seams and fabrics. The semi-rigid back panel is a unique, porous design for breathability and stability under use.

The waistbelts are removable or re-positionable for a variety of activities and the interior sports a variety of stash pockets for pumps, tools, keys, phones, etc. It doesn’t come with a bladder–that way you can select your favorite one. Expect the Aerios hydration packs to arrive in Spring 2010 with $89-$119 price-points.

Expectations...

If you don't have any you can never be disappointed!

While true, it is also pretty lame. You would miss out on a whole bunch of opportunities.
Rather, adjust your expectations to fit the situation. Keep challenging yourself, it feels good, but adjust the expectations to things you can control. It will help you eliminate nasty surprises.
As for those those things that you cannot control, well a bit of uncertainty is why life is interesting no? We all want to know what lies around the next corner and up the next hill.