D&F 7/09/23

200K! Yesterday I completed my longest bike ride (last weekend my second longest) with 200 kilometers (130mi) of epic adventure climbing 3543m (11,634ft) around the north bay. I never doubted that I would finish until the extremely windy Golden Gate Bridge at the finish nearly blew me over, but it was tough all day. The weather, other than a strong head/crosswind was nice and cool, albeit sunny, and the friend vibes were high.

Feel free to skip this next bit, but I’m including the ride report I wrote for a bike Slack I’m in:

Ride report. Waking up was the hardest part. PBJ and coffee. Met up with pals and started at 7 when the bridge was not windy, but a bit wet. Almost slid out on a metal grate. First climb felt hard but mostly just woke up my legs. Loved all the descending on the coast. Just views for days. Cars mostly decently behaved and no honking. Brutal head/cross-wind all the way to freestone with a hit of cow shit. Chips and more water and coffee at Point Reyes st. Skipped the bakery bc I was already up a hill before I realized I’d passed it. Started getting some toe pain and stopped a few times after this point to stretch my feet. At this point I’d been solo since before Tomales and was making good time (19k/hr avg). Loved the waves and brief chats when passing or being passed by randos. Made it through a bunch of passes to the fire station, following Kitty and her friend Sandra, and refilled my water again, then carried on to whites hill. Bombed the hill to Fairfax with the idea of a rest, and a vegan brat. Refilled my energy meter, peed for the first time, and put my feet up. After thirty or so minutes hopped back on my bike and took off for Corte Madera, where @nicoles caught up to me and rode the rest of the way back to GGB together. The wind had somehow gotten even worse and was blowing us nearly back down the climb to the bridge. Crossing the bridge was one of my least favorite bike experiences ever. 32mm wheels + 30mph wind plus the screaming noise of the bridge meant I walked sections to avoid crashing.Finally made it past after being passed by many braver or shallower section wheeled cyclists and downed a Pepis. It got cold fast.

The fun of yesterday (other than waking up at 5am) almost makes up for not being in Copenhagen with Coops and Mark. I really should go back to Europe soon. If, like me you’re a bit tired today, I bring you many links to read while you put your feet up on the ottoman.

Links

• I enjoyed this article by former Snapchat employee/journalist/current Browser Company employee. I’m a child of AIM and forums, and an early adopter of Twitter, Snapchat, Facebook, Bourbon (Instagram), Beluga (FB Messenger), and many other sites, and over time I’ve realized that if I want to enjoy a place it needs to focus on users and not ads, because:

When a company submits to digital advertising, there’s no avoiding the tradeoffs that come with it. And users get put in the back seat.

• Content warning for people icked-out by medical stuff, because this one is a doozy. I’ve never understood the desire for a dick of any size for many reasons, but the sort of cursed body dysmorphia that makes men desirous of an “epic hog” is just beyond the pale. What would you do for a beer can d?

• Climate change is impacting the entire planet, and this summer’s incredible heat is just one of the signs. What should we do? What should our communities do? Rebecca Solnit attempts to answer in part in this essay. Instead of focusing on “giving up _____” we can instead think about what we gain and enjoy by participating in community and fostering sustainable practices in nature. I am still pessimistic about countries like the US making any real headway into averting climate disaster, but if enough communities and families push and build we might turn this shit around one day.

What if we imagined “wealth” consisting not of the money we stuff into banks or the fossil-fuel-derived goods we pile up, but of joy, beauty, friendship, community, closeness to flourishing nature, to good food produced without abuse of labor? What if we were to think of wealth as security in our environments and societies, and as confidence in a viable future?

• How do you keep cyclists and pedestrians safe? Keep cars away from them. I was reminded of this article yesterday while doing 200k on mostly unprotected roads, passed by huge trucks going 60mph with only their attention and consideration of my humanity keeping them from pancaking me. Personal cars have little to no place in our future, and their deadly and destructive part in our world right now is calculably horrific. Whenever removing cars and trucks from cities and streets is suggested, pedestrian-death apologists love to bring up imagined farmers and folks who use wheelchairs or have differing abilities. For the latter group, well-funded, efficient, and free public transit and safe streets are by far the best way forward. If a person with limited sight can cross a road without fear of a 5.25 ton Hummer EV deciding a text message is worth more than a life, the world is better. Farmers, while largely a corporate affair at this point, can do the same work with speed-limited utility vehicles to carry hay and supplies, or transport vegetables to market. Even in farm country yesterday for every truck hauling horses, I saw 50 hauling ass with lift kits and not a speck of mud in sight. Trucks, especially, are a virtue signal for MAGA chuds and the same sort of men who seek surgical penile enhancement. Instead of a truck, these boys should get therapy and a relaxing hobby. With all that said, the official position of this newsletter is: pedestrians, public transit, and cyclists are great; cars and trucks are a deadly, climate destroying scourge that should be limited to 15mph or to museums and race tracks.

Closing

That last set of links got me fired-up (while also watching the Silverstone Formula One race, ironically). Tomorrow I get to see the latest Mission Impossible with cool dad Drew, and we’re even having BBQ before the movie. AMERICA! This summer was so busy already I’m looking forward to a calmer fall and a bit of traveling. I’m not sure how, but my body feels solid today, despite my 11 hours of bike riding yesterday, so I’m off shortly to test a new handlebar and see the Berkeley Hills. Sorry this one was late, but after my ride yesterday I could barely watch tv. Challenge yourself to do something you didn’t think possible this week, space cowgirls~