And among other things, Bike Week 2013 happened

Whew, that was a long two weeks. Work got a little nuts and last week was Bike Week in Indianapolis which included a busy schedule of events so no time for updates.

Bike Week started  on Saturday May 11 with IndyCog’s Two Wheels One City festival which celebrates and promotes bicycling in Indianapolis. The event included bands, vendors, beer, and various cycling related competitions that seem to be won by the same three bike messengers each year. This also coincided with the opening of the Cultural Trail, a dedicated pedestrian and cycling path which loops throughout downtown Indy.

 

SIDEBAR RANT: While I have been using the Cultural Trail for the past two years, the official opening was on Friday May 10. That same day, as I was riding to work on the Monon Trail (which connects with the Cultural Trail), I happened to think how I had not had any close calls with cars lately. Not 5 minutes later a woman ran a stop sign at an alley that crosses the Cultural Trail and I came within inches of going over her hood.  It was the closest call I've had in a while, and my legs were actually shaking afterwards. No way this could happen again right? Wrong. On the way home, not far from the morning incident, a woman made a much too fast turn into a parking lot adjacent to the trail, just as I was passing. Two times in one day was too much and after barely avoiding her front bumper and riding through some trail side landscaping I turned and let loose a string of profanity at her open window. Not terribly civilized, but at that point I did not care about maintaining cyclist/motorist relations.

Anyway, continuing with the Bike Week events was a special showing of the movie Reveal the Path presented by both IndyCog and the Hoosier Mountain Bike Association with proceeds from ticket sales going to both groups. The movie was produced by the same folks who did Ride the Divide, and followed a group of mountain bikers as they rode through several countries in inhospitable terrain. While the scenery was nice, I liked the added drama that the racing atmosphere brought to Ride the Divide. Reveal the Path was heavy on deep thoughts about cycling, but was a bit light on the thrill aspect. Still, the event was well attended and I met many new cyclists as I was working the IndyCog table.

The final event of the week was Bike to Work Day on Friday May 17. My wife had been helping to organize this so I had seen this thing from the inside out. Despite the stress in planning and watching the weather, Friday dawned with perfect weather and a great turnout. Here are a few pics from the event.

 

 

 

 I also ran into this little piece of history (excuse the poor photo):

 

 

A 1984 Specialized Stumpjumper. A classic early mountain bike in great condition. In speaking to the owner I had mentioned that I had seen one on Craigslist in Fort Wayne earlier this year and had considered buying it. Turns out this was that bike. Wish I had gotten some more pics.

 

Overall, Bike Week was a great success, although the organizational aspect was at times stressful. However, I do have a few ideas on how to improve the events for next year which hopefully we (IndyCog) can incorporate as we plan for 2014.

In race news, this season is starting out with sort of a whimper. Following the Barry Roubaix, the next race was the DINO series practice race at Town Run. Unfortunately, this was canceled due to water logged conditions from recently receded flood waters.

The next race was the DRT XC Time Trial at Brown County State Park on May 5. But, since the weather gods are not being kind, rain moved in and the outlook was bleak. At first the rain was positioned over Bloomington and seemed to spare the park. However overnight the rain pushed north and that was it. Two weekends in a row with a cancellation.

Fun note, the time trial was rescheduled to the same weekend as the 24 Hours of DINO at Versailles State Park in September. The DINO event is on Saturday, while the DRT race is on Sunday. I'm planning on doing the 6 Hour DINO race on Saturday, which ends at 6 pm. Considering how destroyed I was last year following the 6 Hours I'm wondering whether I will be up for both races.

The next race for me is the Brown County DINO race in a week and a half.  I plan to get several hill workouts in before then, primarily at Crown Hill Cemetery. This holiday weekend I am planning on driving south and hitting the French Lick trails for the first time, with a stop off in Bloomington to ride their Wapahani Mountain Bike Park on the way back.