Lunch Rides
We continue to get a daily dose of snow here in Carson City. Every day it snows, and every day it melts. Just a constant cycle of snow, slush, and ice. I had hopes of road biking through January while the trails are under snow, but unfortunately I’ve gotten very little time in on my road bike due to the conditions.
This January has been a stark contrast to last January. I checked the FBC Archives, and we had very little snow last year! It was definitetly cold last year, but it appears we rode the trails and road for most of the month. On the bright side, we will most likely have a much more normal water year. Last year’s early spring and pathetic snow pack seemed to throw off the whole ecosystem around here.
Commute Report
Last Friday I got a Big Gulp thrown at me on my way home. At least I think so. It took my brain a few moments to analyze the sounds and events. First there was the splashing sound of an oversized paper cup hitting the ground behind me, followed by a green pickup truck speeding off in front of me. I was in too good of mood to let it even bother me; however, do these people think that I will never see them again?
But why to people throw stuff at cyclists anyhow? I consulted uber hipster Mike Henderson of Reno. He suggested that it’s because I look like a bum. I must admit that I’m looking somewhat feral with six months of beard growth, but still…would a bum be pedaling around with a Chrome Messenger Bag and a Nite Rider headlight? I think not! Personally, I think hanging out with former first daughters has been going to Mike’s head. Mike recently rode his bike in slacks and a sport coat to a meeting with Chelsea Clinton. Still, maybe there is something to learn from Mike’s example.
But seriously…this incident got me thinking. I can’t think of any other group of people in town that get harassed like cyclists do. I surely wouldn’t have gotten something thrown at me for walking down the street, certainly not for driving. There is something about riding a bicycle that seems to set some people off. This is a topic worth exploring in the future.
On a good note… It is noticeably brighter outside at 5:00 PM! The days are getting longer, and soon I won’t need a light to find my way home. There is hope for springtime.
New Local Blogs
I’d like to call your attention to two new cycling related blogs.
Muscle Powered – One of my first tasks as the Muscle Powered publicity guy was to get a blog up and running for better communications. At first you will probably see some overlap between the MP blog and Cycling Carson City, but soon there will be some other authors on there too, focusing on local advocacy issues for a more walkable and bikeable Carson City. The MP blog will also help coordinate the many MP walks, rides, and events to be held this year.
Nevada Bike Coalition – Next up is the Nevada Bike Coalition blog. Their mission is to “make Nevada a Bicycle Friendly State”. It looks like this Coalition is just getting started, but they already have a few Reno cycling clubs on board. This should be another interesting blog to follow. It’s great to see cyclists uniting for common causes, and there has been a lot of growth in this area in the last year.
I drove out to Stagecoach today to check on the Iron Mountain Trail. I built this trail about seven years ago when we lived at Iron Mountain and I haven’t been back since we moved into Carson two years ago. Not many people know about the trail, so I thought it would be overgrown and hard to find. Jeff F. is the only person I know who occasionally rides out there, and that’s only a couple times a year, so I was pleasantly surprised the singletrack was still in good condition. The trail is covered in snow on the northern slopes, not unusual, but I can usually ride this year round, even when Carson is buried in snow.
Though the trail is in good condition, it needs a hug. It needs to see more riders on it to compact the tread. The trail is 8 miles in length, and when mixed with doubletrack in the area it makes a 12 mile loop. Actually, there is so much doubletrack, you could easily ride 30-50 winter miles, and in mid to late spring you could increase that by 50-100 miles.
If anyone is interested in riding a new trail, I’ll be leading a ride out there in a few weeks.
