One Mother of a Weekend

Some moms think Mother’s day is a day to be surrounded by their kids. But if we are surrounded by our kids, how is the day different than any other day? Is it wrong that all I wanted to do, as the Honored Matriarch, was…..NOTHING?

Actually, both my kids were elsewhere. Not because they wanted to be but because that was how fate would have it. I missed them but I reveled in the freedom of a warm spring day with abundant opportunities to do…..NOTHING.

As much as the day was grand, I was weary; the day bright, I was dismal; the day inviting, I was sluggish. Why do we do it? We know we have, and will, achieve great things each summer so why do we let that vision wane through the winter.

It’s the same cycle year after year.

April – look in the mirror with disdain and say, “Look what you’ve done.”

May – hit the cycling circuit hard to train.

June – Finally dig out last year’s kits, the ones that didn’t fit in April.

July – Achieve great things:

·         Conquer that hill you’ve been avoiding all summer

·         Effortlessly complete that century

·         Show the many layers of bike-short tan lines

·         Improve concentration and endurance

August – look in the mirror with euphoria and say, “Look what you’ve done!”

 We had plans to ride on Saturday but I was feeling the disdain from the previous season. Having trouble finding a jersey that fit my forgotten winter body I settled for a technical t-shirt. Fortunately, for Velojunkie, I was on a mission that required me to go to the market. For his part in this whole conundrum, Velo stayed positive while staying out of my way (probably because he knew there was a beer garden to visit). A true credit to his gender.

It truly is amazing how riding your bike can turn a bad day into a good one. It can turn a frown into a smile, and a chore into an adventure.

We departed from home mid-morning, the sun instantly evaporating the grey cloud over my mood. We took an awesome new route through Northside, over the Ludlow connecting bridge to Central Parkway. With the majority of the construction complete, Velo and I enjoyed our ride into Over-the-Rhine. I should mention Central Parkway follows the old canal route.  Recently the city installed a protected bike lane on this route and it makes for an enjoyable ride.

About 7 miles into the ride it was time for beer and chocolate. Velo bought me a Maverick Bourbon and Sea Salt dark chocolate bar and a Moerlein Purity. I did taste the lemon and lavender bar, but Velo being a left brain was more interested in the bourbon bar.  As I sat enjoying my delicacies and libations Velo showed up with some bones and jalapeno cornbread from Eli’s. Eli’s has possibly the best barbecue in the queen city. If you have never been to Findlay Market, or haven’t been in several years, you are missing out on a true urban gem.  On Saturdays and Sundays they have the beer garden, music, plenty of food vendors along with some interesting booths selling locally crafted wares

I think I could have sat in the open beer garden all day but then I wouldn’t have accomplished what I set out for. I was at the market to pick up a Bandi for a graduation gift. Mission accomplished we decided to add miles by riding south on Central Parkway to Plum Street and on to the riverfront. This was one of those journeys you make up as you go, but Plum St. has some extraordinary buildings. First we came across City Hall. Cincinnati City Hall was designed by renowned Cincinnati architect Samuel Hannaford and was completed in 1893. Next is the Isaac M. Wise Temple built in 1866, and the St. Peter in Chains Cathedral, completed in 1845. We were graced with a light sprinkle of rain as we rode past the religious houses but it subsided as we headed toward the river.

I told Velo I wanted to see if the roses were in bloom in the International Friendship Park. A slow ride through the park’s winding path was just what the soul needed to realize the gift of nature we have here in Cincinnati. I am including many pictures of the park because I do not feel my words could do it justice. 

In addition to the many flowering bushes, colorful trees, and spring blooms we met two very well behaved dogs taking their people for a walk through the gardens, making sure to stop to smell the flowers. Proof positive that dogs are our best friends!

A short video of my ride including a trip through the International Friendship Park and views of City Hall, the Synagogue, and the Cathedral. 

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How Many Cyclist Fit Under a Bridge?

Ahhh, one of our favorite times of the year – Spring. Opening day for Baseball had come and past and now it was time for biking. The morning arrived for the Cincinnati Cycling Club’s Spring Opener, and what a glorious morning it was. The air was cool and moist when Velo Junkie and I left home. Within the first several miles of our commute the clouds were dissipating and the warm rays of the sun were vaporizing the chill of the morning dew. By the time we reached the assembly of cyclists the sun was high in the sky and folks were already shedding layers of cycling gear to let the warm rays caress their skin.

The original plan was for all to meet in the archways under the Purple People Bridge, a large, open park that would easily handle a large number of riders. Unfortunately the park was occupied by the Cincinnati Flower Show, another iconic spring event. It was too late to move the event so the only option was to meet just outside the gates of the festival…On the sidewalk…Near the road…

Everyone was courteous to leave the sidewalk as unobstructed as possible but the great weather brought a large number of cyclists. The occasional jogger or baby stroller had to maneuver to get through all of us but, since everyone was enjoying the day, the atmosphere was congenial and they took the large number of brightly clad riders in stride.

Velo agreed to appease me and go with the short group, especially since we would have an extra 12 miles or so due to our commute to and from the ride. We headed east on Riverside Dr. toward Lunken Airport. It was a well matched group of riders and we managed to keep pace, single file, in the bike lanes. 

We made it to the halfway point and regrouped at Armleder Park, passing and waving at many other groups of riders on the way. The park was all a bustle with runners, families, dog walkers, and golfers. The trees were laden with colorful blooms and the tulips, animated by the wind, bobbed along the bikeway.

One wrong turn, which is always compounded with a large group, resulted in a climb up a short hill, crossing some very rough railroad tracks, and a brief stint down a rather bumpy alleyway. No harm, no foul, we were back on track to be one of the first groups to the watering hole. It was smooth sailing to the Purple People Bridge.

Hofbrau Haus had just started to buzz with the early spring patrons ready to enjoy a tasty German pint in the outside beer garden. Our little band of cyclists was no different. Velo imbibed in a Hefe Weizen, I in a Dunkel. A sausage platter t share and we were refueled for the commute home.

There is something truly gratifying about sharing a meal with a group of enthusiastic cyclists. You may not know their names but they become comrades-in-arms none the less.

After lunch and a little friendly banter with some old and new friends Velo and I readied ourselves for the commute home. It’s nice when you can just jump on the bike to ride home.

I guess we will have to wait till next year to answer the question “How many cyclists fit under the bridge?” - and maybe pay the toll to the troll! 

Here's a short video of the short Ride

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She Thinks My Bike is Sexy

I had decided to finish a project at work which put me on track to get home about 45 minutes late. Velo was (im)patiently waiting with a website open showing a local bike show that was going to start in about 15 minutes.

Q1: Do you want to go to the bike show?

A1: Duh

Q2: Should we take bikes for the competition?

A2: Duh

Q3: Can we load bikes and drive there, find parking, unload bikes, and find the show in time to enter the voting?

A3: Ummmm…Damn

Atrium, Tangeman Student Center

The show was in the Tangeman Student Center at University of Cincinnati. Parking is inconvenient at best and the weather had turned really cold and really wet. The campus itself is not far from home but finding the right garage to park in and then walking across campus for two old blokes not familiar with the layout curbed our enthusiasm, but only slightly.

We compromised and took only one bike. We loaded Velo’s Mercian onto the roof of the Subaru and headed in the general direction of the university. There is constant construction and reconfiguring of the driveways, roundabouts, and streets in and around UC. We, of course, doubled back a time or two before finally sighting the garage we wanted. But wait…we had a bike on the roof! We sort of knew we were going to have to unload the bike before entering the garage, we just didn’t know we would have to do it in the driveway. Solid teamwork resulted in quickly and efficiently removing the bike and securing a convenient parking space.

Feeling good about our accomplishments thus far we began the search for the venue. We walked to the building we knew the show was located in but had one little setback when we realized we had no idea what the design of the building was. This wouldn’t have been too bad except that we didn’t even know the floor, room, or wing we were looking for.

Since when has the lack of vital knowledge ever stopped a cyclist from reaching his destination? Of course we found it and only 30 minutes late for the start of the voting. There was still 90 minutes for the Mercian to be on display.

There are several really cool things about this bike show.

•       It is put on by the University of Cincinnati Sustainability Department. http://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.uc.edu%2Fsustainability&h=MAQGlqvs9&s=1
•       Only local bike rentals, shares, co-ops, and teams sponsor it.
•       The students have an easy opportunity to show and discuss their bikes with like-minded students and residents.

Velo placed his bike in line with the rest of the specimens. There were single speed, utility, racing, commuting, and custom built bikes of all sorts. Cincinnati Red Bike, our local bike share program, had one of their bikes on display. The UC Bike Share had one there as well. Our local, downtown bike rental and sales, The Garage OTR, had several of their specialty bikes on display. MOBO, an urban bicycle co-op, had a booth, as did UC’s Sustainability folks.

Best Utility Bike

Best Paint Job

Promptly at 8:00 the ballots were collected and tallied. All of the contestants anxiously awaited the reading of the winners. Those with strong wills and those with fragile egos all waited in trepidation to hear which finely tuned and well-loved machine would bring great pride to its owner.

Now, to be honest, I thought Velo’s Mercian would definitely take home a prize. I was banking on best paint job or something of that sort. Well the King of Mercia did not disappoint! But the SEXIEST BIKE?! For real?! For Velo the award, a gift card to Spun Cycles, didn’t even come close to the bragging rights of owning the SEXIEST BIKE.

Help me out here. Take a minute and describe what you think a SEXY BIKE is in the comments.

Thanks for reading and riding. 

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