Albany Bicycle Coalition

It’s nice to see more cyclists on the road as the weather gets warmer. Yesterday on my way home from work I had an impromptu ride with someone down Western Ave. just for fun. Short as it was it was enjoyable to not be the only one out there.

With more riders on the road you see things that you should not. I’m talking about people riding with out helmets, on the other side of the road, in an incorrect lane position. I don’t know when Clair, Bert, or John are offering their next class, but I encourage everyone to take it. Riding a bike is not like any other vehicle on the road and it should be ridden accordingly.

Don’t think I am so pretentious that I believe that I am perfect when it comes to road skills, but all I am saying is be safe out there. Not just safe for yourself but for pedestrians and motorists as well.

Also check your bike regularly to make sure that it is in good working order. You don’t want to be riding down State St. and have your brakes break on you.

Written by Chris Belsole

Do you remember Capital Coexist? Well their back with some new and interesting articles on what to do while riding in the road along with a bike parade on Earth Day.

Here are the links:

Earth Day Bike Parade

Sharrows

Cycling Signage: What do You Prefer?

How to Bike Through a Roundabout

What is a Sharrow?

Written by Chris Belsole

Anyone who knows me knows that I am really into nutrition. I don’t just like nutrition. I live nutrition. The reasons for this being many, although I am not going to go into them now, when an article like this comes along I have to take notice. This one comes to us from bike hacks and without really reading the article that much I can tell you why they reccomend these foods.

Fish, Eggs, Bananas, Broccoli, Yogurt, Steak

1. Fish: Fish is a great source of protein and contains vitamins that help your body.

2. Eggs: Eggs are a great source of protein that helps build strong muscles. Although I would go with something more in the line of egg whites because you get less fat that way. Plus if you throw some veggies in there you have a nice omelet with all the carbs you need.

3. Bananas: Bananas contain a rich source of potassium which helps relieve muscle ache after a good workout. Personally I don’t like these yellow fruits unless they are in bread form.

4. Broccoli: With broccoli it’s all about the vitamin C. Personally I like a nice orange, and I get my veggies from other places. But hey, that’s just my opinion.

5. Yogurt: This is a nice one because not only does it help with digestion, but it is also a good source of protein. I go with the Greek yogurt mixed with some cereal in the morning for that protein boost that wakes me up before my ride to work.

6. Steak: The nice thing about steak is that it is a very dense protein. This means that it will sit in your stomach longer and you won’t get as hungry. Depending on which cut you go with you can end up getting a lot of fat too.

This list is a good way to start you off on your cycling nutrition. So am I wrong or dead on?

Written by Chris Belsole

You can all thank Bert for this one.

In a study recently published by the University Transportation Research Center entitled an “Analysis of Bicycling Trends and Policies in Large North American Cities: Lessons for New York” they take a look at what strides different cities have made in terms of cycling infrastructure and how it has effected each respective population. In contrast to these cities they compare what NYC has done and the quirks that it has due to factors outside of bicycling infrastructure. Here is an excerpt from the study, and I encourage everyone to read the summary if not the entire study:

We analyze aggregate national data as well as cityspecificcase study data for nine large cities (Chicago, Minneapolis, Montréal, New York,Portland, San Francisco, Toronto, Vancouver, and Washington). The number of bike commutersin the USA rose by 64% from 1990 to 2009, and the bike share of commuters rose from 0.4% to0.6%. Over the shorter period from 1996 to 2006, the number of bike commuters in Canada roseby 42%, and the bike share of commuters rose from 1.1% to 1.3%. From 1988 to 2008, cyclingfatalities fell by 66% in Canada and by 21% in the USA; serious injuries fell by 40% in Canadaand by 31% in the USA.

…

New York is a special case. Not only is New York by far the largest of the case studycities, but it has the most mixed record on cycling policies and accomplishments. Althoughcycling has almost doubled in New York City since 1990, it lags far behind the other case studycities in almost every respect.

Written by Chris Belsole