Philly Gets the Green Light

Philadelphia cycling fans (I know you're out there somewhere): You can breathe a collective sigh of relief today. The race is on.

Citing the economic crisis, the TD Bank Philadelphia Cycling Championship was in jeopardy of being called off. Sponsors were lost and the city faced a monetary mess of its own. Ten days went by before a decision was made.

Yesterday, two new sponsors—which will be identified at a news conference next week—provided the necessary $250,000. (Half of the $500,000 budget gap.)

This year’s race, which will take place June 7, marks the event’s 25th running. Go for the chance to watch the largest single-day, professional cycling race in North America—or for the daylong block party alongside the Manayunk "Wall."

2 Days; 200 Miles

This past weekend Justin and I rode from Plumstead to Jim Thorpe and back—200 miles in two days. I rode my cross bike, and Justin pedaled his full-suspension Fuji. Pavement, grass, gravel, dirt, woodchips, railroad ties and, in some parts, impassable rock beds—you name it, we rode over it!


We followed the Delaware river for a bit with plans to pick up The D&L Trail in Easton. From there, we'd ride alongside the Lehigh river. It was about this time a trail angel appeared wearing a wife beater and tube socks riding a Huffy. He showed us the way to the trail—and showed up again a few minutes later at a perplexing junction.

We found ourselves in Allentown at lunchtime, and stopped for pizza at Big Woody’s—where Monday night is clam night. A while later, we stopped for a snack in Slatington’s own Sunoco APlus. From across the store I yelled to Justin to pick out some Combos. An APlus employee (of the month) must have misheard since he yelled back, “You guys looking for rubbers?”

From Lehighton, it was a 10 or so mile climb to Mauch Chunk Lake Park, our lake-front camping spot for the night.

We anticipated covering a lot of ground—both days—by means of The D&L Trail. But it turns out, “Open, travel at your own risk” translates to, “Suckas!” We altered our route home to include more roads; however, we should’ve paid more attention to street names. Riverview and Rising Sun made for exhausting hill climbs.


Our trip proved both pleasurable and purposeful: Justin got some long days in the saddle in preparation for his big race, while I was just along for the ride. And what a ride it was.

'Love me, hate me…'

Say what you want about me, but I rock out to Britney Spears when I ride the trainer. And I imagine I look like this when I sweat:

If Brit did ride (a bike), my guess is she'd cruise around on one of these solid gold creations—and not what's currently affixed to my trainer:



Don’t hate. I’m also partial to punk rock. So there.

2-Wheelin’ Out West

I met a fella on the trail today who commented on my Poison Spider jersey. (He had the matching socks!) We reminisced about riding in Moab for a while and when I got home, I dug through some videos of my Moab/Fruita vacation a few months back.

Hold on to yer hats—we tore it up in Fruita…



…and hit up Slickrock, Porcupine Rim, Amasa Back and Sovereign in Moab:

Yep, I think I’m about due for another western experience.

A Glossy for the Girls

It’s a heck of a time to be in the publishing industry. Ads are down, page count is low and layoffs are plentiful.

In the midst of magazines shrinking and folding, one rag is just stepping into the ring: Women’s Cycling Magazine.

Yes, women edit major bike magazines. But we rarely grace the inside pages—save for a few glamour shots or result rundowns.

Until now. Marian Hunting, editorial director of Women’s Cycling, promises women-specific race coverage, charity rides, commuting and bicycle lifestyle themes.

“When is the last time you heard the tactics of a women’s race spelled out in a mainline bicycle magazine? Usually it’s either the results list or a sentence or two about who won at the end of the story. This is not enough coverage for me,” she said in a recent press release.

Start-up pubs aren’t unheard of in today’s economy, but they face a “survival of the fittest” fight. Let’s hope Women’s Cycling is victorious.

Looking for a Good Time Ride?

I rode the new cross bike from Plumstead to Philadelphia last weekend via this route.


View Larger Map

It was the first time I’d ever ridden (my bike) on much of these roads, and the rolling 30+ mile ride was phenomenal—even in the misting rain. We cycled through Peace Valley Park (Doylestown), past centuries-old stone farmhouses (Fort Washington), next to the Whitemarsh Valley Country Club and ended up on Forbidden Drive in Fairmount Park.



Put our thang down, flipped it and reversed it the next day.

Sign Me Up!

As a kid, I never went away to summer camp. I hope it’s not too late! The May issue of Bicycling showed up in my mailbox this week (free with my IMBA membership) featuring a story on ladies-only cycling camps.

At the moment, my "coach" is my boyfriend—who rides too close, too fast and too effortlessly behind me. I'm instructed to “hold the line” through rock gardens, “keep pedaling” on steep climbs, and “let go of the brakes” during descents. He says he’s helping me become a better rider. (You don’t want to know what I say back!)

In truth, I would welcome coaching from other women on wheels. Something about “no boys allowed” sounds way too fun. (Sorry, guys!)

Maybe I'll try out one of the all-women camps Bicycling highlighted:

• British Columbia--Dirt Series by Rocky Mountain Bicycles. Mountain bike camp that increases technical skills and teaches maintenance and proper bike fit.
  
• Colorado Springs, CO, and Asheville, NC--Carmichael Training Systems Women's Cycling Camps. Three-day road riding camp for beginning to advanced riders.
  
• Fruita and Vail, CO--Maverick Women's Weekends. Mia Stockdale, former World Cup pro racer, and her crew teach fit to advanced mountain bikers.
  
• Castagneto Carducci, Italy--La Dolce Vita Tuscany Cycling Retreat. Elite athletes guide riders of all abilities.
  
• Santa Barbara, CA--Revolution Coaching Women's Camp. Six-day instructional tours of California's Santa Ynez Valley for intermediate riders and up with Colavita/Sutter Home pro racer Dotsie Bausch and other coaches.
  
• Rossland, British Columbia--Devine Mountain Bike Camps. Cindy Devine, former downhill world champion, teaches skill-building sessions.
  

Ruff Ridin'

On the weekdays, I spin 15 or so miles after work from the rural ridge of Pipersville to the river banks of Lumberville and back. The perfect way to unwind after a demanding day at work. (OK, maybe a cold beer would do the trick—but it tastes even better after a ride, anyway!)

Yesterday, 10 miles into my ride and on a 20 mph downhill, I ran over a dog! A first for me—and probably the dog. In lieu of swerving and taking out my riding partner and myself, or colliding with Fido’s middle and flipping over the handlebars, I braked—a bit belated—and clipped the pooch’s paw. A distraught shriek escaped my throat, and the dog hightailed it home unharmed.

Turns out I'm not the only one who's hit a dog and lived to tell about it...check out Tour de France rider Marcus Burghardt's close call!

Back on a Bike

As a writer for a national healthcare magazine, I interview a lot of people—prominent doctors, professional sports coaches and athletes, former Olympic competitors—and I can count on one hand the number of times I’ve lost my cool.

Interviewing professional mountain bike racer Tara Llanes for a story on her rehabilitation following a bike crash that left her paralyzed from the waist down was one of those times. A champion and a charmer; a knockout who could knock 'em out. My cool didn't even put up a fight before it up and left--and I hadn't spoken a single word to the woman yet.

Turns out I had nothing to worry about. Quick-witted, fascinating and full of life, Tara answered my questions about her road to recovery with brutal honesty and a bit of humor. “I would forgo the whole walking thing as long as I could ride my bike again,” she told me, half-joking.

That’s why I was thrilled to see her on a bike again last week. It might not have been her bike—but it was a bike. And she looked like a champion riding it.