Experiencing a little frustration with the online map service Map My Ride, I went in search of alternatives and found this thread at bike forums.  Seems my dissatisfaction is shared by others, some of whom tossed up the following as alternatives. Of the three mentioned Ride With GPS had the most mentions.

Ride With GPS
Velo Routes
Google Pedometer






Original Title ‘En forårsdag i Helvede’

Cast includes the great cyclists of another era:
Marc Demeyer, Roger De Vlaeminck, Freddy Maartens, Eddy Merckx, Ole Ritter

Chronicles one of the great one day spring classic bicycle races known as Paris -Roubaix. The film takes us from the carefully deliberate preparations of the racers, to the finish, only after passing through the hellish tests this race dishes out to its participants.

Overall a wonderful, historic film about bicycle road racing generally and Paris-Roubaix in particular. Many scenes stand out but the following two do so especially.

• Anyone who loves bicycles, especially their own, will relate to the opening five minutes.
• Anyone who has ever ridden in a group will appreciate the beauty of exquisite teamwork among cyclists as seen between minutes 34 and 35.

Running Time 1:36

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D4IDCkcnnHg

Aggressive drivers, some of whom are also angry drivers with issues, are a road hazard that cyclists must be wary of everywhere. Unfortunately Vermont is no exception.

The Story

On Thursday October 14, 2010 at 6:30pm I was riding south on lightly traveled Route 7 just past the Equinox Hotel in Manchester, Vermont. I wore reflective clothing, a helmet with a mirror, and had functioning front-facing and rear-facing lights. I rode within two feet of the edge of the road and held my line.

A vehicle approaching from behind in my travel lane began to aggressively honk its horn. There was no traffic in the northbound lane and ample room for the vehicle to safely pass. As the vehicle came alongside it slowed, and then  suddenly accelerated into my line of travel giving all indications of an intent to intimidate, or run me off the road. The vehicle came so close my left arm was brushed by the passenger side mirror. I noted a basic vehicle description including the tag number. After the initial pass the vehicle doubled back and drove by me again, without incident. This gave me a chance to confirm the number.

A Complaint Is Filed

Later that evening I  filed a report of this aggressive driving incident with both the state and local police department in whose jurisdiction the incident occurred, providing both with all relevant information. The following day I followed up with a call to the local police department asking if the vehicle had been located. I was told it hadn’t because the plate was only a temporary. Initially I found this difficult to  believe, and unsettling if true. What is the point then of issuing a temporary tag if a recklessly driven vehicle could not be identified and the owner located?

Temporary License Plates

What I have learned subsequently about temporary plates is that when someone purchases a vehicle from a dealer, registers that vehicle through the dealer and is issued a temporary tag –as opposed to a hard green plate, it can conceivably take a couple of weeks for this information to percolate through the DMV. So, if someone were to purchase a vehicle, have a paper plate issued, and then drive recklessly on the way home, a police officer entering that number into the system would find no matching number in the database, because it isn’t there.

There are a couple of reasons for this delay. First, the dealer might only submit paperwork to the DMV once a week. Second, once submitted it takes the DMV time to process the paperwork. So, between the time a vehicle is sold and registration  paperwork processed, a vehicle issued that temporary plate is invisible as far as vehicle identification by  plate number goes. As it turns out, there is a way for law enforcement to get around this difficulty.

How To Track Temporary Plates

The Department of Motor Vehicles issues blocks of temporary plates to dealerships across the state. The DMV knows at any given time which temporary plate numbers are issued to which dealers. If a law enforcement officer needs to know the name of the owner of a particular vehicle connected to a temporary tag, all they need do is contact DMV’s Enforcement and Safety Division in Montpelier and have a staff member conduct an offline search. Knowing then to which dealership a specific tag has been issued , law enforcement can next contact that dealership, request to see the temporary tag records, and identify the vehicle and  owner to whom a given number has been issued.

It has taken me five days since my incident to distill some understanding of how vehicles are currently tracked in the state vehicle registration system. In that time I dialoged with fellow cyclists subscribed to the The Green Mountain Bicycle Club mailing list (GMBC); exchanged emails with a representative of the Vermont Bicycle & Pedestrian Coalition and a representative of the Vermont Department of Motor Vehicles, and spoke with state and local law enforcement personnel. Everyone I had an exchange with, without exception first  expressed gratitude that I was not injured and then interest in seeing this system improved. Until the latter happens, it will take some diligence on the part of law enforcement to go the extra mile when chasing down information on temporary plates.

Zero Tolerance For Aggressive Driving

On that early evening in mid-October I was just a nameless cyclist to an angry driver who gave little thought to the fact that I have a family I’m responsible to, and friends who care about me. Whatever the reason, behavior that risks the lives of others has no excuse or place anywhere, and there should be zero tolerance for it. Everyone needs to understand the serious and at times irrevocable consequence of reckless and inappropriate behavior on the road whether driving, walking, or riding a bike. And while every user of the road needs to exercise common sense when following rules established for the safety of all, those who drive the biggest, most powerful, most potentially dangerous vehicles must accept greater responsibility and exercise the most caution around those who are smaller and most vulnerable.

As I have mentioned to others in the course of the last few days, my only interest in pressing this issue is to making sure the person who could have caused me serious harm or worse, is informed that such acts are not acceptable and that there are serious and very real consequences for irresponsible behavior. What more can be done?

PHOTO CREDIT: John Sutton, 2010

My bicycle helmet is the most important piece of safety equipment I own. The helmet not only offers critical head protection, but a platform for 5 additional components that add to its effectiveness and increased safety value.

Visor: The helmet I use is manufactured by Bell. On either side of the front edge of the helmet are two snaps for the purpose of attaching a visor. Some of the reasons for having a visor are that it shields the eyes when riding into the sun, keeps water out of the eyes when in a light rain, and it can block some of the headlight glare of oncoming traffic when riding after dark.

Rear Mirror: Rear mirrors come in different shapes and methods of attachment. My choice is a rectangular mirror that can be attached to a helmet visor. To keep it in place I’ve drilled two 1/8 inch holes into the left side of the visor and then secured the mirror to the visor using thin, short-length zip ties. I know some people think rear mirrors look silly. Maybe, but who cares if it keeps you safe. I’m more comfortable knowing what’s coming up on me from behind and a mirror is a handy low cost  lightweight way to accomplish that. Some drivers don’t give as much room to cyclists as they should or could, and I think it’s better to know what’s approaching rather than be startled unexpectedly, especially when the vehicle is  a logging truck.

Reflective Tape: Reflective tape is sold in packages of 3 or 4 adhesive-backed twelve inch strips.  I use strips manufactured by Peterson that are approved by the United States Department of Transportation. Designed for use on trucks and other heavy equipment these reflective strips can be cut into custom shapes then applied to areas on the top of the visor or front-facing plane of the mirror. Peterson reflective strips can be purchased at any automotive supply shop.

Front Lamp: The lamp I use is a Petzl e+lite®. This Petzel model is a compact LED lamp that rotates 360º on a ball and joint with three settings for white or red lighting in a high, low, or blinking mode. The Petzl runs on two Lithium CR2032 batteries and complements the main headlamp mounted on the bicycle as an emergency backup. It’s also very useful when it’s necessary to change a flat or perform other mechanical repairs that requires having both hands free. The Petzl is securely attached to the front of the helmet with zip ties.

Rear Lamp: Like the front lamp the rear facing red blinking tail light can be attached to the rear of the helmet using a zip tie. For the longest time my tail light was attached to the seat post. That became problematic when a tool bag was attached to the saddle rails,  blocking the lamp. I then clipped the lamp to the back of the tool bag, but then it tended to point down toward the road instead of straight back and so wasn’t as bright as it could be. The rear of the helmet has turned out to be a good place to mount it for two reasons. a) It’s much easier to turn on or off while riding b) When I roll in after a ride and remove the helmet I never forget to turn the light off; not so when the light was mounted on the bike itself.

It seems that just such a short while ago the lilacs were blooming. By late afternoon today,  September 28th,  it’s balmy, breezy, and too warm for a  September day in Vermont. Much warmer than most of us would expect for the time of year, at least. There were tornado warnings too, here in Bennington County. Fallen leaves skipped across  pavement and maple, hickory, and poplar trees appeared to be  a little more colorful –and leaf bare, than yesterday. The  soft hillside colors of ochres and ambers reach almost to the tops of nearby Red, Ball, and Equinox Mountains.  What a contrast to the young Greens of late May.

From early Spring into summer this year I rode with my friends when I could, but not as much as I’d have liked. Circumstance and other commitments –planned and unplanned, seemed to get in the way. That’s ok. I’m thankful for the generous helping of miles on the road I had;  just a few under 4k on one set of tires. There’s still time though before snow, and ice, and lack of light, to get in many more if the autumn remains dry.

My last ride in ’09 was November 26th, Thanksgiving Day. Forty five miles, into the wind, north on routes 11 and 30 through the Mettowee valley. Glorious! And a second piece of a very special pumpkin pie tasted especially good. So, I’m counting maybe two  months more outside, if I’m lucky, and already looking forward to next spring.

Left to right: Terry White, John Sutton, Matthew Moore, Erich Gutbier

Photo credit: Leyla Torres

This view is looking east on West Mountain Rd. in Shaftsbury, Vermont. At the bottom of the hill and just off the road to the right is Appleberry Farm. Up until recently, we picked blueberries in August and apples in September at the farm. For now, and for reasons that aren’t quite clear to me, the berry patch and orchard are closed to the public. Off in the distance is the tower of the Shaftsbury Historical Society Museum, at the intersection of West Mountain Road and Route 7A. This building was originally a Baptist Church, the oldest in the state of Vermont.

When I was about seven or eight my family lived in Pound Ridge, New York, on a dirt road similar to this one. I would come home after school on a fall day like this, when it was sweater weather, walk down Siskowit Pond road to my house, dump my books, and hop on my bike. I remember one afternoon coasting down a hill, mouth open to catch the wind. Unfortunately, the inch worm dangling at the end of its thread from a tree branch didn’t sense the rapid approach of my open mouth, until it was too late, for both of us.

Photo credit: Leyla Torres

In May 2006, walking in the Jordaan, –an area formerly known as the working class section of Amsterdam, I saw these two delivery bikes parked on the sidewalk. It’s been over four years now and I still remember that day. Clear skies, late morning, a little breeze on the canal –enough for a light jacket, and the trees almost in full bloom. And we were headed to a favorite little cafe for a broodje and a short beer. Heineken, of course.

In part two, ‘Festival of Beauty’, of Leni Riefenstahl’s film ‘Olympiad’ (1938), there is a scene of cyclists participating in a 100 kilometer bicycle race. Among the riders I noticed one on a bicycle with a mechanical configuration I had never seen before. What was the function of the smaller wheel under the chainring?

Apparently this chainring jockey wheel was sprung and designed to take up a slackened chain when shifting to lower gears. Here is a detail photograph of a similar setup on a 1937 Allegro Competition.

Another interesting detail on the 1937 Allegro is the tire scraper just forward of the rear brake. The function of the scraper is to removr debris picked up from the road.

Photo Credits: A collection of historic race bicycles
See also: The main page of the racing bicycle collection.
Further Reading: The Golden Age of Hand-built Bicycles
Internet Movie Database: Olympia 2. Teil – Fest der Schönheit

Pedaling in fog. Fog on the road. Fog in the feathered trees. Soft. Damp. A gentle rain. The sound of the road is silvery. Tires hissing mist a line of spray up your back and grit finding its way into the mouth. Cold wrists. Cold sweat. Cold feet. Picking up the pace for hot coffee.

Photographer: unknown