BYO Big Wheel Report

BYO Big Wheel: The day when giggling adults take over Potrero Hill on tiny, ineffectual tricycles. Many sport viking costumes as they line up in waves to vanquish the steep and winding Vermont Street over and over again, all Easter Sunday long. It’s not enough to say that I love this event. If it happened every day, I would be there, rain or shine, with my red big wheel in tow.

It’s Easter, 2012 when I roll up to the starting line for my first attempt. My legs splay out awkwardly, and my heart is in my throat. I’d joked with friends that I’d at least have a great story to tell if I lost an arm. But what if I do lose an arm? Had I knocked on wood when I said that? Should I knock on wood now? But I’m surrounded on all sides by big wheelers, and there’s no going back. The countdown begins, and the steep road pulls us forward.

A word about Vermont Street: its 14.3% grade is no joke. It has switchbacks much like Lombard Street (where BYO Big Wheel began), but wins the curviness contest with a sinuosity of 1.56, versus 1.2 for Lombard Street. The switchbacks are lined with hay for the occasion, and they’re a very necessary precaution.

As soon as we round the first corner, the pack picks up speed. Some bounce off of the hay bails, others become entangled in one another, and I dig my heels into the ground, skidding around accidents. I’m riding behind a witch and a ninja turtle, when a unicorn comes blazing past on an adult-sized big wheel. Who knew big wheels could be so speedy? By the third switchback, I’m squarely in the middle of this pack. The truly reckless are out of sight or amid pileups, and my initial terror starts to melt away. 

The last switchback leads into a fast & straight final stretch to the finish line. My costumed comrades let out whoops of triumph, and I manage a happy squeak. As soon as I can stop, I’m up with my trusty red steed over my shoulder, scrambling back up to the starting line.

Top 3 International Shenanigans on Ice

3) Ice Sailing: started in Poland, it's by no means new. Ice sailing has been used for transportation since the 17th century, but it's definitely faster now than it was then. Chuck Nevitt holds the record at 150mph, clocked at a race on Lake Winnebago.
Also available in New Jersey!

2) Swedish Ice Hotel
As the 1st commercial ice hotel, it's been rebuilt every winter since 1990. Its latest reincarnation is 5,500 sq meters, a far cry from their first 60 sq meter igloo. They have some pretty amazing activities too, including ice sculpting classes, reindeer sled rides, and northern lights tours on horseback.


1) Harbin International Ice and Snow Festival
This annual, month-long event is held in Harbin of Northeastern China. 1/5 - 2/5, 2012 marks it's 27th anniversary. Buildings and slides are all ice!

Bike the US of A

"The best way to start a cross-country bicycle trip is to pretend you're not doing it." That's the best advice Calvin Woodward has to offer, at least. Not exactly the inspiration I was looking for.

The closest I've come to this kind of journey was when I drove across part of the country with a bike. I threw it in as an afterthought and rode around in happy circles in pretty parks. There was one serious ride: Dante's Peak. It's 13 miles of climbing 3,500 feet on a steadily increasing incline. I was dying by mile 11, and by 13 I was going so slowly my bike just tipped over. I walked the last quarter mile, obliviously stepped over a rattlesnake, and took in the amazing view at the top.

Fortunately, quite a few groups have completed the entire 3,000+ mile journey and blogged about it. Here's "Nathan and Kelli Bike Across America!", "We're really doing it", and "Judy's Journal".

There's even the Race Across America (RAAM), which will start in June, 2012 for the 31st time. Instead of taking a few months, soloists often take only 8 days. Teams ride 350-500 miles a day, while soloists ride 250-350, and are given 12 days max to finish.

Regardless of how many miles you have in your legs, the RAAM decision making section has some great pointers on how to deal with a racer who says "I have to have a pickle or I'm quitting." Also applicable to toddlers.

Happy Riding!

Candola down New River

"When you build crazy boats, and somehow they float, that's Candola!", or at least that's how the over-caffeinated geniuses at Red Bull put it.

This hilarious, disastrous competition encourages brave teams of 3 to construct and propel homemade boats down a 1/3-mile course, no motors allowed. If you don't know anything about boat-building, you qualify!

To properly prepare for victory or the swim to shore, teams have 30 seconds to perform a skit beforehand. Win the coveted cup, possibly made from recycled cans, with a sassy dance, stylish craft, and a fast crew.

When: April 14th, 2012. 10am - 3pm.

Where: New River in Fort Lauderdale, FL

Qualifications: Boat must float, at least for a little while.

The inaugural 2011 Candola included teams like the "Italian Stallions," who handed out mustaches, the "Techno Vikings," who won, and a crew that didn't make it to the finish line on their sinking air mattress.

This video is worth watching, and you can enter the competition here. Only 30 teams get to compete, but anyone else can come to this event for free.

Insane Urban Biking Video

Picnic Dash

Since I spend too much time thinking about races or racing, I thought I'd try to set one up. Easy, right?

Enter The Permitting Process: what an enormous pain in the ass. I spent many afternoons talking to city and park officials about how to do something affordable, and they started suggesting using linguistic gymnastics. "Don't call it a race." "I'll pretend you didn't say 'fundraiser.'" "What if you just get a picnic permit?"

Filling out the paperwork was like trying to rent a venue for a circus without using the words "tents" or "animals."

With a picnic permit in hand and weather permitting, I'll be hosting a 5 mile "Picnic Dash" on Saturday, March 19th in Golden Gate Park. Proceeds will go towards the Brighter Sky Foundation, which pays the salaries for social workers in struggling public high schools.

Registration is on RaceIt.com, and here's the Facebook event page. Now I just have to get people to come!

Zip Lines in the US of A

And here I thought these things only grew in rainforests. This gateway adventure sport lets you fly without all those inherent parachute/kite risks.

They're everywhere. Colorado, California, North Carolina, Tennessee, Georgia, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, Idaho, Texas, Utah and Hawaii all have lines in the "best of" category. Many places are only open during the summer months (especially true for ski resort lines).

So strap yourself into a harness, step off the platform, and remember to slow down eventually. Just don't slow down too soon. Pulling your weight to the next platform is especially fun if you're afraid of heights.

Caption: "Lindsay, stuck on a zip line"

"upside down crouching tiger, hidden dragon" pose:

Ninja Scuba Divers

As seen on Google Maps:

Relay Report

I first read about The Relay in Dean Karnazes’ Ultramarathon Man, where he describes running the entire 200 miles by himself, and, notably, ordering a pizza en route. I tried out The Relay in ’09 for its cocky name, great location, and perfect timing. The May 1^st start gave me just enough time to finish finals in Nashville, meet up with a team that needed a sub in San Francisco, and get to the starting line in Calistoga, CA.

Like other distance relays, The Relay is divided into 36 sections. Everyone on a 12-member team runs 3 legs, which range in length and difficulty. I was Runner 8, with an easy, medium, and hard leg over 18 miles.

Leg 1: As the eighth runner, I had plenty of time to worry before lacing up. I went from being excited to imagining having to be wheeled across the stage at graduation. As it turned out, the worst thing about Leg 1 was the light drizzle coming down on the picturesque, vinyard-coated landscape.

Leg 2: By the time my second leg came around, it was definitely dark out. The team van was littered with Clif Bar wrappers, Eye of the Tiger was blasting on our stereo for the thousandth time, and our most prized possession had become the rapidly emptying bottle of Febreze. Teams were spreading out more and more as the race progressed. After setting out from the transition area, it was just me, my headlamp, and some saintly volunteers for the next six miles.

Glowing gear plus a napping coordinator:

Leg 3: My legs felt like sandbags, but the looks of relief on my teammates faces after they’d finished and the mimosas they were drinking were enough to get me on the road again. Fortunately, the van had made a crucial 5am grocery stop; a double shot of espresso can work wonders, even when it comes in a can.

Next Time: I'll be packing waterproof clothing (would’ve been nice), Advil, Febreze, and caffeinated snacks. Can’t wait to do it again this year.

The team I crashed, aka Superfeet:

Best Endorsement: "The race was awesome, more awesome than you could possibly imagine. It was a wellspring of untapped limitless awesomeness. Nothing beats the view of San Francisco from Bridgeway under a full moon, or ghostriding the whip of a 15-person van in the middle of the night, or warming up for your run in someone else's bathrobe at 5am, or running downhill a winding road to the sound of squealing breaks because the truck's behind you and can't see you until you have taken up residence in their fenders." -Devin (whole report here)

Skibiking

Running across the "Federation Internationale de Skibob" website was very confusing for me. A) I don't know German, B) clicking their "English" button does nothing, and C) there's a skibike World Championship?

The sport has apparently been around for a while: the first race was held in 1954 and the first World Championship happened in 1964. Here's some more historical evidence:

Europe still takes this sport seriously, while the US of A has reduced its involvement to a couple of skibike festivals. Colorado's Purgatory Skibike Meet is in the Durango Mountain Resort (Feb 25-27, 2011), and Oregon's Spring Fling takes place on Hoodoo Mountain (April 2-3, 2011).

Compliments of the skibike cartoonist

See if there's a skibike-friendly resort near you.