Life in the Bike Lane Tom Frady Somewhere between clipping in and cursing at your bike computer, there’s a secret code of conduct that governs the world of the Avid Cyclist.  It’s not written down anywhere— until now -- and yet we all know it. Or at least we think  we do. The trouble is, some parts of this previously unwritten etiquette are so unwritten that half the peloton seems unaware they exist. So, in the spirit of public service and self-preservation, let me shine a li

Life in the Bike Lane Tom Frady It’s easy to tuna fish, but if you could teach it to ride a bike, you’d really have something. I was thumbing through my latest issue of Scientific American the other day when I ran across two-page chart (and you seven loyal readers know how I love charts) comparing the moving efficiencies of various forms of animal and mechanical locomotion. If you are reading this you will be happy to know you are a more efficient runner than a rat.  I am ass

Life in the Bike Lane by Tom Frady There’s a rhythm to a good social ride, and at the heart of it—the steady backbeat that keeps the whole thing in time—is the donut stop. We might call it “refueling”, but the donut stop isn’t just a pause in the ride; it’s the reason for it.  It’s the reward, the gathering, the understanding that all roads, eventually, lead to caffeine and conversation. When I’m the ride leader, I first decide which donut shop I need  to experience, then bui

Life in the Bike Lane Tom Frady When I first started to get serious about cycling, I almost always rode alone.  I lived in a small mountain community with no bike club and I don’t think I ever saw anyone on a road bike.  One of my early goals was to do a solo century, which I did, on a cold February day. After retiring, moving and joining an active bike club, I have found I enjoy the company of my cycling friends. The chatter, the friendly competition, the mid-ride donut and

Life in the Bike Lane Tom Frady I sometimes wonder what non-cyclists must think of us. (Not that I really care, but you do like me, don’t you?  Don’t you?)   We’re seen bent over our handlebars with contorted faces, sweat dripping, crawling up Baxter Grade or Ridge Road, roads better suited for goats than retirees on bicycles. We look miserable. And yet, at the after-hammerfest debriefing at the coffee shop, we all agree it was a great ride.  In fact, my experience has been t

Life in the Bike Lane Tom Frady Every time I get on my bike, I wonder if what I’m doing is closer to science or closer to art. Well, not EVERY time.  But often.  Sometimes.  Occasionally.  Maybe rarely.  Just for this column. On the surface, it seems pretty straightforward—push one foot, then the other, and off you go. But once you’ve spent thousands of miles in the saddle, you realize cycling is a strange blend of formulas and feelings, physics and poetry—and a fair amount o

Life in the Bike Lane Tom Frady I’ll admit it — I have a distorted view of age, at least when it comes to cycling. Ninety-nine and a half percent of the folks I ride with are in my general age group (70++), and about 78.49% of them are better riders than I am. If every one of the mountain goats in our group came down with the flu and I showed up feeling 110%, I might almost  be able to not keep up. Out in the real world, people are often amazed when they hear we rode 25 miles

Life in the Bike Lane Tom Frady For avid cyclists, being off the bike for a protracted period feels like losing a piece of themselves. Cycling isn’t just a hobby — it’s a routine, a source of joy, a mental reset, and often the highlight of the day. One misses the wind in the face, the sun on the back, and maybe the satisfaction of cresting a hill once dreaded.  Conversations while riding are necessarily short or oft-interrupted (Car back!) but no less missed.  And the donut s

Life in the Bike Lane by Tom Frady I know it’s hard for you seven loyal readers to believe this about a far-from-professional columnizer like me, but I sometimes (read: almost always) have difficulty coming up with a topic that might be of interest to the Avid Cyclist and the casual rider/reader. I was so desperate this week that I went to “Ask Jeeves” for some help.  Jeeves wasn’t all that helpful.  So, I tried A1, but got only recipes for marinade. So, I ventured out on my

Life In the Bike Lane By Tom Frady We knew it all along, didn’t we?  Cyclists are just smarter.  But what does cycling actually do for our minds? Answering that question has been difficult for psychologists and neurologists.  As early as 1896, which is roughly when the first modern-like bicycles were invented and I was in grade school riding my first bike, it was said, “In the nature of the motion is another unique combination.  With the great speed there are the subtle glide

Life in the Bike Lane By Tom Frady After over 30 years, June 1 -7, 2025 will be the last AIDS/LifeCycle, a charity ride from San Francisco to Los Angeles to benefit AIDS services, education and research, not only in California, but the rest of the US and the world. I tell you this because ALC is what changed me from a bike rider to a cyclist.  Initially, I had to train to be able to ride 60-100 miles a day for seven days.  I had to think about nutrition, exercise, rest, equip

The Bike Column By Tom Frady Recently, I took a couple of hours of my precious retirement time to observe motorists at stop signs.  I sat at three 4-way stop intersections (McCourtney and 12th, 3rd and L, and Sun City and Stags Leap) in Lincoln.  I tallied 100 vehicles at each location.  I counted only behavior that was not influenced by other cars at the intersection.  Admittedly, this is only semi/quasi-scientific, since some of my judgements were a bit subjective, but I th

Life in the Bike Lane By Tom Frady   Bike riding is freedom.  No matter your route, you’re getting away. Like many, if not most people, I have always had a bike.  I remember my dad helping me to learn how to ride on a hand-me-down bike from my sister.  No gears.  No brakes.  No paint.   A true fixie. Looking back, I am amazed how much freedom I had on my bike.  My first “neighborhood” was actually on the grounds of the California Institution for Men, a prison in Chino, CA. (M

Life in the Bike Lane By Tom Frady I was reminded recently during one of our usual morning rides, what a beautiful area this is.  Recent rains have greened-up everything, there is wildlife running across the road (some skunks didn’t make it) and plenty of interesting domestic animals to see, including the free-range cattle we were able to stampede.  Even the rocks and trees seemed extra vibrant. If you ride in this part of Placer County for much more than 10 miles, you will f

Life in the Bike Lane - Tom Frady Several years ago, when I was brand new to bike riding, I traveled to San Luis Obispo to visit my sister.  I took my bike with me (My first road bike, a Bianchi Eros) to allow me to take a couple of rides in my former home town. My sister arranged for me to ride with some friends of hers and a rendezvous was set up for one early morning, meeting in the Food-for-Less parking lot.  I had not met the folks with whom I would be riding, but had no

Life in the Bike Lane - Tom Frady Mrs. Bike Lane and I had driven down to Folsom last week and I was feeling a little down because I have not been able to participate in my usual rides due to weather, holidays, family and (mostly) a nagging injury keeping my mileage down. I started to show her where a bunch of us got flat tires from thorns left in the road from some maintenance work about ten years ago, but held off.    Just a bit farther down the road was where Dave hit a cu

Life in the Bike Lane - Tom Frady I’d like to ask you nine loyal readers help me to delete a few tropes from the general argot in the debate about bikes vs cars, misinformation that is used over and over again to assert that cars take priority.  While I am both a driver and a rider, I will admit my bias might skew a bit toward cycling.  After all, this column (with apologies to the Eagles) in not called “Life in the Fast Lane”. Let’s look at a few of the most common “pro-auto