Second trip up Mount Hartford

I used to be part of the Hartford Landfill Post-Closure Citizens' Advisory Group. Because of that, I rode my bike up the landfill once. Well, I am now part of an elite group of people who have done it twice.

It's sad that only man-made structures offer nice views in Hartford, but what can you do? I don't want all the trees cut down.

It is looking like the site may never be open to recreation or public use, but it's nice to see that they're filling it with solar panels.

Better cell phone camera than last time I went up.

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Smiley Face

There in fact was a cyclocross race in Colt Park this past Saturday.  Supposedly there is another cross race in Cheshire this weekend, and Doug is trying to get folks to ride out with him from Hartford.  At the Colt Park race I played a small part by walking the course and tagging hazards.  I get an out-sized amount of fulfillment from spray painting route and hazard markings.  It feels illicit, but at the same time I know I'm not going to get in trouble. Is this my inner Midwesterner getting its kicks - but safely?

A young Sam Colt watching the silly cross racers scrabble up his steps.

For giggles I put a smiley face on this dirt pile in the middle of the course.  No one ran over smiley.  Right next to on both sides but not over. This is an interesting commentary on human nature that I'm still pondering.  Are smiley faces sacred ground?  Did everyone think that smiley was a hazard in disguise?  Perhaps this smiley face made the racers, teetering on the brink of anaerobic crash, smile each time they looped the course.  I can only hope. 

Making you smile despite the blurred vision and lactic acid.

In other news, I taught my first Traffic Skills 101 course as a League Cycling Instructor, co-taught with Chris Brown.  It went well, despite the cold rain that added an extra challenge to the parking lot drills.  Doing quick stop and instant turn drills on wet pavement wasn't in the original plan, but the students will be better for it.  Unfortunately I didn't take any pictures.
 

So many people that I ended up in the cheap seats.

Bike Walk CT held their annual dinner, and besides hustling a table I managed to score a pretty cool bottle opener.  Fortunately for Bike Walk CT the dinner has grown tremendously and has started to pull in active transportation advocates from across the state - not just Hartford metro.  Unfortunately for me, that means that there are no more screaming deals to be had at the silent auction.

This week I started wearing my new winter boots.  They are amazing.  What is your go to gear for cold weather cycling?  Just got an email from the planners of Winter Bike to Work Day and I'm feeling inspired.  There will be a Hartford(ish) event on February 14th, 2014.

PS - Someone should totally hook me up with some good products to review.

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Local politics are the best

My favorite kind of politics are the local kind. They're responsive, you seem them a lot and the barrier to entry is very low. Want to get elected in your community? You could probably do it by only raising $2,000-3,000. You have don't have to set up a big operation or hire much or any staff. I suppose this is different if you live in New York, but I don't want to live there.

The other reason is that you can ride your bike to the politics. I vote and poll stood on Tuesday and never had to use a car. In fact, the entire time I've done any political stuff in Hartford, I don't think I've had to use a car more than once or twice. My failed charter revision experience this past year never required a car.

This is in sharp contrast to the time I worked on a statewide race in 2006. I put more miles on my car than any time in more entire life. Just delivering lawn signs would turn into a 100 mile ordeal.

So, all you angry bike people who read this blog (all 3 of you) should definitely start preparing for your run in two years and do the whole thing by bike even though it will totally be a liability because everyone hates bikes. Read more!

Cyclocross Race at Colt Park - Really.

Cyclocross race in Colt Park this Saturday, November 9th.  
Only $25.  Race local, save gas, build the sport.

I found the poster.  You should race, or just check it out.  Tell your racing friends the season isn't over and they are wimps for bagging it and riding on their trainers in the living room.   Spread the word.  You can still register online until Thursday.  There is also day of registration, but it will set you back an extra $10.

The race director, Sean, specifically asked if Salem was coming out.  I think that is an invitation.

The Beat Bike Blog does what it can for bike racing in Hartford.

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Vote

Once again I'm donning my lucky election day shirt so that I can go do done awesome voting. Municipal government is my favorite and it should be yours, too. Unless you live in one of those weird May election towns, go vote today.

In Hartford, I recommend yes, yes, YES on charter and a vote for Robert Cotto Jr.

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Manchester Parks Tour partIII: We did it!

 Kai crosses a bridge

This past Saturday was five hours and fifty minutes of meandering around mostly Manchester's trails, parks, and other back ways that probably looked like about 75% of the earlier posted map.  I did say it was just a ROUGH outline.

The ride included a skate park (can't be outshone by the Eel), really slippery wet wood (I managed to substitute for Dario's normal crashing), erroneous "no bikes" signs, fresh pears, a garden maze, hundreds of spectators (although that might have been for the junior high running event), waterfront dining, waterfalls, and even my yard.  Five started, but Peter departed early because, let's face it, Peter Waite has better things to do than spend all day with us, and then Dario unfortunately had to part ways to meet his wife at V.I.P., although to be fully honest, that probably had something to do with his simultaneous flatting of two tubulars.

Mmm, roadside pears

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Hartford's Zoo - Found it.

While wandering around today taking in the last of the leaves and generally exploring areas Northwest of Hartford, I came across a curious "No Parking" sign on an abandoned road in Keney Park.  Then there was the animal enclosure.  Putting the clues together, I'm guessing that I stumbled across the ruins of the Sherwood Forest Zoo that closed in 1976.  Keney Park is always surprising me.  I've got to get out there for some rustic urban camping.  Maybe a weekend overnight soon to try out my new winter bag.

In honor of all the whiny folks complaining about parking woes in Hartford.

Who knows what they kept here?  

And a ride is not complete without some gratuitous graffiti peeping along the train tracks.  There were several new burners near the Hartford and Windsor line.  I'm bummed that I won't be able to make it to the ground breaking for the new skate park at Heaven on Monday (@4PM).  The neat part about Heaven having "legal walls" is that I actually get an opportunity to watch the process of creating graffiti.  Just stop by the park and there is good chance you'll find someone working on a new piece.

Riding the dike behind the dump mountain on the North side of Hartford.  They are capping the mountain with a seam sealed rubber membrane and covering that up with something that looks like AstroTurf.  The fences are down, and I'll bet (but I haven't checked) that the views from the top of the mound are pretty stellar.  I'm excited that the space may be converted to novel uses in the future, but curious where we are sending all our trash in the meantime.  Out of sight, out of mind I guess.

And you shouldn't miss the Bike Walk Connecticut Annual Dinner.  Tuesday, November 12th at Central Connecticut State University.  Get your tickets before the 5th and save $5.

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Manchester Parks Tour partII

I figured out some additions to the earlier map.  Hope to see you tomorrow morning.

A teaser from yesterday's walk on tomorrow's route 

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Northwest passage

Back in May, I went for a bike ride and ended up in this weird network of dirt bike trails north of Day Hill Road in Windsor. It was pretty cool. It was also the ride where I was face to face with a bear. Those events were so distinct that I just remembered that they were part of the same ride. On that ride, I ended up in a Superfund site, hopped a fence and end up back on the road. According to maps, where I was riding was just slightly south of Northwest Park- a giant Windsor park that I'd always wanted to visit, but didn't really understand where it was. 

Yesterday, after I finished my work, I resolved that I was going to throw a leg over my trusty bike machine and figure out where and what Northwest Park was. Using technology and maps, I figured out how to get to this park- cutting through a state park that may be made up by Google. I arrived at this Northwest Park and was dismayed to find that the trails in the woods were closed to bikes. Then, I realized that wasn't true, just like two trails were closed to bikes. The pretty and interesting trails near the Rainbow Reservoir, however, are open and I rode on them for awhile and thoroughly enjoyed myself. I followed them to the dump, cut through the dump, found that the perimeter fence of the dump ended and I could continue riding to the place I rode in May. I found the secret passageway of northwest.

Does this mean that an Eel of the Farmington River is possible? Does this mean that there's still ample room up there for office parks that drain downtown Hartford of its jobs? Does this really mean anything other than there's a lot of dirtbikers in northwest Windsor? Who knows?

What was cool, though, was that I think I rode a good 10 miles of singletrack up there. I don't think you should put your 8" travel bike in the back of your truck and go do shuttle runs there, but if you're bored and don't know what to do some afternoon with your 'cross bike, perhaps you should go get lost in northwestern Windsor.

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This Saturday 11/2: the all new Manchester Parks Tour

Inspired by Brenden's most excellent Eel-venture, I finally sat down and figured out a route through Manchester's myriad of parks, public lands, land trust holds, and other various pedestrian/bicycle cut-throughs.  Somewhat like the Hartford Discovery Tour, but free, unsupported, much rougher, and generally quite a bit more silly.  You know, one of my rides.

Here's what you need to know, and probably a bit more:

When: Saturday 11/2/2013, ride departs at 9:45 sharp.

Where: Meet at the gravel parking lot for the Cheney Rail Spur on Hilliard St.  The lot is immediately to the west of Capitol Equipment and Marine, which is 28 Hilliard.  If for some strange reason the lot fills, there is street parking nearby (and I need to start giving even less advance notice for rides or too many people are driving).  Start is about a 45 minute ride from the bridges in Hartford.

What: See the route(ish) below.  Plan on a substantial amount of time off the roads.  I'll be riding a mountain bike and will recommend one, although a cross bike or something of that ilk would be manageable if you really like mountain biking on one and don't mind having to walk a few extra times.  I'll be astounded if anyone rides everything on the route, but figure around 100yds of walking for the whole look.

How long?: I don't know.  See the picture above.  Figure on "long enough" or slightly more, and I wouldn't make plans for the afternoon.  I've ridden it all, but never as one ride all strung together.  There are options so we can make it longer by explore some of the parks more.  Also, the start if fairly central, so there will be lots of options for cutting out early.

That's about it; hope to see a bunch of the eelers and others out on Saturday.

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A wall in East Hartford

Hockanum River, a few miles upstream from the below mentioned wall. 

I generally try to keep non-bike related aspects of my life off of the beat bike blog, because that's not the purpose of this thing. However, Tony took it upon himself to air some of my clean laundry with respect to my recent experience with signing up on AccessHealthCT and subsequent criticism from the nation's conservatives. I'm annoyed, but hey what are you going to do? James Taranto wrote a whole column about me, rife with quotes that were recycled from an interview in the Courant and never called me. (If you want to read my thoughts about my experience, here's a link to an op-ed I wrote.)

Anyhow, to close the loop regarding my healthcare decisions and cycling, I will tell you a trifling story about a wall in east Hartford that probably describes my tempered recklessness. Behind the sewage treatment plant in East Hartford, the flood control levee dips down it's supplemented by this cement wall. The wall maintains the height of the earthen levee. The Hockanum River Trail goes through there atop the levee. The wall is about 18" wide and at its maximum height above the ground, it's about 5'. I discovered it awhile ago, such a while ago, that I was actually still on my parents' insurance, because I had just graduated from college. Then, I wasn't on their insurance anymore, because the wall is high. Then, I got a job working for the City and I had insurance again, so I rode the wall. After I started law school, I had the school's high premium insurance and the coverage was still pretty good, so I rode the wall. However, I can't afford the premium anymore, so I have not so good insurance and I don't ride the wall. Due to Connecticut's expansion of Medicaid, I will have good insurance starting in January. However, so as not to unduly burden the system with my dangerous lifestyle, I will continue not to ride the wall.


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Beat Bike Bloggers in the News

A couple of weeks ago Brendan made the national news cycle when he went through the hoops associated with the Affordable Care Act, tweeted about it, got quoted in the Courant and then I guess Rush Limbaugh griped about it.  Crummy poor students getting health insurance.  That and now everyone knows that there is a fiscally conservative Brendan doppelganger exactly the same age in Hartford.  I would posit that Brendan L. Mahoney is a more than upstanding Hartford resident that very much betters his community, and that Rush Limbaugh is a bag of hot air - but I don't think I'd be arguing with anyone.

One of my favorite headstones in the Old North Cemetery.

This week I managed to get honorable mention in the Courant as a Hartfordite with a reputation for doing stuff that Colin McEnroe finds exciting.  Occasionally I organize things, and like to volunteer at events and such.  Otherwise I make sure my friends know about the almost overwhelming abundance of fun events in Hartford, although Real Hartford does a better job of this.  All of these things are second nature.  I'm glad that Hartford is getting more residents that find civic engagement and creation of local events to be part of their day-to-day.   I expect that my standing out enough to get mentioned in an editorial will happen less often as the rising tide of even more interesting and productive people keep Hartford hopping.

For example, there are two Hartford based movie events this Friday.  Movies that were created in Hartford, filmed in Hartford, and now screened for the first time in Hartford.   Both on Friday night.  Serious event gravity.   A couple good friends put together "No One Wants to be the River", which is a short film that is based on the beautifully complex "Toward Union Lines" sculpture along the riverfront.  The short is the start of a planned series called "Hartford River Dreams", and will be screened at the Carriage House Theater at 7:30PM.  The other movie is feature length "Diamond Ruff" that is being shown at 6:30PM at the Bushnell Center.  I'm tempted to try and attend both, but I don't think it will work out.

So get out there folks and do the local stuff.  Organize your own local stuff.  Tell your friends, co-workers, and acquaintances about all the amazing local stuff.  Basically do your part to make Hartford awesome.  It doesn't take much, and you might even get honorable mention.

Anybody else got some local stuff they want to tell me about?  Or want to scheme on something upcoming.

FYI - Don't forget IceBike to Work at Maddies this Thursday, October 31st, in East Hartford from 7-8AM.  You can get there earlier or later, we don't care.  It's totally informal.

Keney Memorial Clock tower in Hartford's Northend

The two photos are from a stroll through Hartford's Northend.  Beautiful day for a walk.  I don't bike everywhere.  And you get to notice details like the ironwork on the gate when you're ambling along the sidewalk.


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Recovery riding

Now I don't know much about these recovery rides where you did or something and then the next day you ride like 20 miles slowly or something like that. If you're really tired, you shouldn't go for a bike ride. There need not be some mandated thing. Then again, I've heard about this training stuff, but I don't know what any of it means.

Anyhow, I had this terrible cold on Thursday and Friday. It had been a long time since I got since, so I guess I was due. It was weird because I was at work on Wednesday and a coworker was sick. All I did was look at him and I caught his cold. It truly laid me out. I didn't leave my house for like 48 hours.

On Saturday, I was feeling mildly better. I had originally planned to ride with Salem up to Robinson SP in Massachusetts for some Blowhole x3-style mountain biking. I had managed to fix the headset on my Colnago, so I was really looking forward. However, the cold sapped too much strength. Instead, I went for a much more gentler ride with Dario, Peter and a man from Sweden named Patrick. It was a good time and I went out loaded with handlebars and other miscellaneous bike parts in my messenger bag- making for a slightly backbreaking ride through the meadow. Stutter bumps with a bag full of metal on your back instead the most comfortable thing. Of course, it was my idea to do that. Dario wanted to go back through Hartford.

Today I rode to my parents' house. It was also lowkey and pleasant. The leaves are nearing their conclusion, so it was a great weekend to be pedaling around in the woods and looking at them.

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A Very Good Eel for You!

 Photo credit: Daniel

As someone once said, The Eel is a ride of attrition. From its humble beginnings, as a wet race in original and East Hartfords to the present day, generally everybody doesn't finish. Sunday's ride was no exception. We started with 11 and ended with 2. Not that there's a problem with that, but what am I doing that discourages people from coming back? I suppose I usually ride home from Glastonbury during the Detour.

Photo credit: Marko

Anyway, the ride was great. We rode on every surface that I could think of: road, dirt, grass, sand, train tracks, gravel bike path, paved bike path, highway, skatepark, farm field, water, bridge and levee. I met some new people and the new people met some old people. Injuries appeared only be cosmetic. There was also a good mix of styles of bicycle, no BMX or downhill bikes or mid-aughts fixed gear style.

As you may or may not know, it started in Hartford, went to Middletown, back up to South Windsor and then back to Hartford. The rest is a secret and that's why you have to come next time.



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Tomorrow, I wear gloves

Brendan put on a great Eel and there was much bike diversity and trail diversity.  Only at an Eel will there be a Huffy and a Peter Mooney with pretty much everything in between.  I was nervous for Dario's skinny tires, but I think he only weighs 100 lbs - and they were sew ups.  We rode train tracks, rooty single track, sheer rock ridge, flood plain powder silt, sand pits, river bluffs, mud truck stomping ground, banked quad tracks, and even some paved roads.  The length of the ride was perfect.  Tired, but not bonked.

This is a time of change.  Change of season.  Change of outlook.  Changing out my summer clothes for the bin of wool socks and layers.  Putting on gloves in the morning and considering when it will be time to christen my new winter shoes.  Cold weather is a welcome change to me.   It gives me an excuse to pull out the feather comforter and double up my socks.  Things summer just won't support.  Tomorrow morning will be in the 30's and I'll get out the light gloves.

The Eel busted my saddle rail, but Terry said they would warranty.  Excellent.

As a bicycle commuter, I've found that hands are my first priority.  Holding onto the handlebar and actuating the brakes are activities requiring at least some functionality in my fingers.  Appropriate gloves are key to keeping my hands in a condition that isn't just comfortable, but useful.  Skiing mittens are capable down to about 5F, and they seem to work with both bar-cons and brifters.  Below that, I've heard that folks use silly looking Pogies to keep the wind off their mitts.  At that point, I typically just take a walk and put my hands in my pockets.

Feet are second, and become more important if the ride gets to be more than a half hour.  During the winter in Connecticut the roads are often clear and I'll go out for multi-hour rides with the temperature in the teens or 20's.  I'm seriously addicted to clipless pedals, which are evil when it comes to heat conduction away from your feet.  This summer (looking for sales) I upgraded to Lake MXZ303 boots.  They look much hardier than any other winter cycling shoe I've ridden, and I bought up a couple sizes for extra wool sock layers.  I have a suspicion that this year will be nearly into the comfort zone for my feet, whereas last year there was some near frostbite.  I'm getting ahead of myself.  It's not that cold out yet, and if you're bagging you bicycle commute right now you are an intolerable wimp.

In honor of the change of season I'll be making the work-a-day-commute a little less lonely with the first IceBike to Work of the season.  Thursday, October 31st, we will be informally meeting for breakfast at Maddie's in East Hartford.  Maddie's is on Main Street, right across the street from Pratt & Whitney.  Anyone passing by on bicycle, walking, or just curious about non-car transportation modes can stop by between 7AM-8AM and they will find some folks to chat with.  It seems the folks in Canada really take their winter bicycle commuting seriously.  They have an international conference or some such in February - International Cycling Congress.  Registration for the conference is north of $300 - that is f'ing serious.


Reminders for some upcoming bicycle goodness:

• Aforementioned IceBike to Work on Thursday, October 31st.
• There is this mysterious under promoted cyclocross race on November 5th in Colt Park.  I live right next to Colt Park, so I guess I'll wander down there to see what kinds of carbon, cross specific curiosities show up.
• Sunday, November 10th.  Traffic Skills 101 Course.  Taught by yours truly and the honorable Chris Brown.  Registration is open, but capped at 20 students.  Last I heard we already had 11 registered.
• Tuesday, November 12th.  Bike Walk Connecticut Annual Dinner and Silent Auction.  If you want to get a seat at my table let me know.  All you have to do is hand me two double sawbucks.

Everybody loves riding the train tracks into Middletown.

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And then the days got short.

But did we stop riding?  No.  We did not stop riding.

It's pretty time.

In doing my part to extend fair weather cyclists and commuters into the Fall and Winter, I want to tell you about some upcoming events.

More pretty time.

1. Thursday, October 31st.  East Hartford IceBike to Work.  7-8AM at Maddies on Main Street.  Right across the street from Pratt & Whitney.  Don't forget to bring lights.  Rain or shine, and if there is another freak snowmagedon - we're still on.  An informal meet up of bicycle commuters (and aspiring bicycle commuters) to chat about miscellany - often bike related but not necessarily.  Something I try to organize (informally) once a month.
2. Saturday, November 9th.  There is going to be a cyclocross race less than a block from my house.  Colt Park.  Get yer bike dirty in Hartford and do your best to beat Brendan.
3. Sunday, November 10th.  Traffic Safety 101 Course in West Hartford.  Chris and I (certified League Cycling Instructors) will be co-teaching this full day course.  Classroom, parking lot drills, and a guided road ride will hone your street cycling skills and working knowledge.  Registration is now open.
4. Tuesday, November 12th.  Bike Walk Connecticut Annual Dinner at CCSU.  This years event will be even bigger and the silent auction items are better than ever.  A good time for a very effective organization.  Celebrating our accomplishments and energizing the Connecticut bicycle cognoscenti for another year of bike and ped progress in 2013.   I'm going to fill up a table of ten with friends.  If you are interested in a seat at the table, drop me a line.

Pretty awesome that the bike-ness is spilling into November.  Am I missing other bike stuff in November?  If so, point it up in the comments.

I saved like five turtles on a ride.  This one was really cranky.

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A new cyclocross race in Hartford

Remember when some people and me put together a 'cross race at riverside park? It was pretty awesome, but a ton of work. Since I'm a lone wolf without a cycling club, I've never done it again.

Much to my happy surprise when looking on BikeReg the other day, I saw a race scheduled for early November in Hartford. It's being put together by the ERRACE/Central Wheel people and is going to be in Colt Park. Colt Park is certainly an interesting place for a bike race, but it's pretty awesome that it'll be in a popular and visible park.

No single speed race, so I guess I'll just have to get my ass kicked with people who can shift.

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Eelin' and Congealin'

First of all, I want to thank the participants of the river cleanup this year. Lots of Trinity students + Joe, Greg and Rich. We cleaned up a bunch of stuff and no one fell in the river. I almost did, but caught myself.

Second, big news for people who ride the eel: I'm going to do another one. It'll be the river route from years past, because I just cleaned it up and it's safe to ride now. Oct 20, 10am, leave from Fairfield Ave section of Hyland Park in Hartford. Park on Fairfield Ave or ride your bike there. 60 miles or so. Ride a mountain bike or 'cross bike or whatever you want. It's going to be awesome again. I'm going to make a .gpx of the route at some point soon, so that you can ride at your own pace.

Oh, I took a picture of this guy who crashed his ATV into a tree and got it stuck at Mansfield Hollow State Park yesterday. Schadenfreude!

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A beat bike blog reunion of sorts

Since I live here, I ride in Hartford a lot. It's not really new and interesting any more. Last night, diverging my usual form, I went out and rode with Tony, Kenny, Chill Will and newcomer Kerry. We rode across some bridges. It was like the old days, except now we're old and everyone wants to go to bed. The above video is not really great film making or great bike riding, but sometimes it's fun to be a dork in a yellow jacket and ride around a glisteny city.

Some of us even went to Kenny's the bar and drank some beer. It was like George W Bush was still in office. Read more!

Obligatory reminder post of the river cleanup

Hey, you! Hey martial arts fans. You are reminded that the beat bike blog's pretty much annual Source to Sea Cleanup is this Saturday at the confluence of the Park and Connecticut Rivers. Park on Van Dyke if you drive. If you walk or ride your bike, don't worry about parking. 10 am and wear long pants.

See you Saturday! Special prize to the person who finds the weirdest piece of trash.

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