Saturday: Rode to Davis! I chose the Bullitt so our friend, Randy, could take his kids on the Mundo. The ride there was quick and pretty painless, even going across the causeway. I love this ride. It's not very pretty--lots of urban cycling through West Sacramento, stinky highway, noisy cars, and a recent obstacle of Caltran's takeover for a section of the trail. 

Big Brother got squirrley around mile 18 and since we were on the bike trail, I decided to let him move around. It was rough for all of our bottoms and I didn't want him to be too uncomfortable. Little Brother loved cuddling with his big brother. 

When we reached the Farmers' Market, we were greeted by Chris and Jon from Cool Davis with strawberries, pastries, and ice cold water! We even got new tee shirts! It was awesome! 

Plenty of delicious food, fresh fruits and veggies, and playground time followed and created some very exhausted children. It was getting really warm by afternoon--93 degrees. My boys were cozy in the Bullitt and Randy's son quickly passed out in the Peanut Shell. However, his daughter was sitting at the stoker bars and started looking pretty tired. She was resting her head on Randy's back and starting to doze when we decided that we needed to move her into a secure seat--the Bullitt. 

Yep, we had three kiddos in the Bullitt bucket. Little Brother was not happy to have been woken up but after some very loud singing and distractions, he realized that we were the party bike. Fifteen miles with a 120 pound cargo and a slight headwind. It was a good thing they were so cute or I might not have made it. The kids were quite squished but had fun. Everyone was really tired and uncomfortable.  

We made one last stop about 2 miles from home. The little ones were worn out and we didn't want to leave them with grumpy memories about our long adventure. So, we stopped at Suzy Burger for dipped ice creams. That revived everyone to last all the way to home where the sprinklers were waiting. 

Sunday: CycloFemme! Last year's CycloFemme wasn't quite what I was envisioning so this year, I enlisted the help of some awesome ladies. We planned a route that had two sections. The first was a bit easier and the second was more challenging but ended at the Sunflower Drive-In in Fair Oaks--13.1 miles total, each direction. We started with 28 riders, coffee, Doughbot Doughnuts (thank you!!!), and lots of bikes. 

There were some new-to-riding folks, some new-to-the-area folks, little ones on their own bikes, little ones on their parent's bike, and everyone was ready to ride! It was so wonderful to meet such great new friends and catch up with old friends. Everyone cruised at their own pace, ranging from speedy to strolling, whatever was comfortable and fun. 

Our second stop was at William B. Pond. We lost a couple of riders, one due to a bee sting and another to a little bike crash (she's okay). The little ones on their own bikes headed back to meet back up in Fair Oaks while their mama giddily zipped back and forth along the bike trail, kid-free. There were cookies (made by my own mama!), fresh fruits (thanks, Randy, for hitting up the Farmers' Market before the ride!), and more coffee (I was begging folks to drink it up. Next year, we go with cold mimosas!). 

The next 7.9 miles had more rolling hills but we pushed on happily, again at differing comfortable speeds. The last half-mile of pure uphill made the ride even more satisfying and the Sunflower Drive-In even more delicious. 

The way home was a lot harder for me. It was hot again--95 degrees today and even though the ride had more downhill in this direction, we had a headwind again and long stretches of tree-less path. I think the two rides in a row got to me, too. My legs felt like goo. I made it back home in our little break-away group of Jen (kid-free now!), my sister-in-law Eliana, and our new bikey friend Mary. 

I am so grateful to be a part of this great biking community and to be constantly meeting new folks who are already in or just joining the biking fun. I'm already looking forward to start planning CycloFemme 2014 and bringing more people into it so Sacramento CycloFemme can continue to grow and evolve into something huge! 

Davis ride tomorrow! We're leaving from Grant Park (22nd and C st) at 8:30am--sharp! The Cool Davis team is going to meet us there with refreshments and t-shirts. Then, we'll hit the Farmers Market for goodies. If you want to stay longer, Whole Earth Festival is also happening. 

Sunday is Cyclofemme! For more info: www.facebook.com/events/465273203563939/ It's the perfect way to spend Mother's Day! 

May's Kidical Mass ride is on May 26th at 5pm. We'll meet at Discovery Park near the archery field for a BYO picnic followed by a family-friendly loop on the American River Parkway. 

I took the boys out to REI this evening to get some sunglasses to prepare for the rides this weekend. I want to figure our a way to create some shade for the Bullitt and am totally up for some suggestions. I don't have the rain cover and would prefer to not spend $300 until the bike is at least paid off (in about 2 months...way better than a car!). I would also prefer not to drill into the box too much, it's still so new. Although, Little Brother did spill half a cup of icee in it when we stopped to chat with friends at a little league game. 

Our dear friend Bekah showed up early this morning for an extremely quick visit before she had to hop back on a plane. We had to get to my mom's house to get the car and drive to the airport so of course, we went by bike. She had come straight from work and had all her crew gear, not her usual light-packing job. Thank goodness for that awesome rear rack! The perfect way to start a day--Bekah and bikes! 

Next, my mom and I rode over the Freemont Park for the May Is Bike Month Kick-Off! Cassidy was there showing folks how to replace their car with a bike. I left the Bullitt hanging out there to show how easy it is to replace the family minivan. Our friend Jarrod showed up with his crew on his decked-out Mundo. Big and Little Brothers found the fountain and thoroughly enjoyed it. The Big guy was hand-selected by the Mayor-of-Davis to choose the raffle winners. He also got to throw out a few pairs of socks (although not to me) and to an aspiring Buster Posey, this was heaven! The best part was when he threw raffle ticket and then also threw the prize. What an arm! 

It was a long, busy morning. I knew that Little Brother was going to fall asleep on the way home but didn't realize just HOW cozy he'd be. I ended up leaving him in a shady corner in our backyard for about an hour so he could get a full nap. 

Big Brother told me that he couldn't sleep so I said that he could take a book and rest. A minute later I found him like this: 

My final trip this evening was another 4 miles on the BionX Breezer for a meeting. 11.7 miles total today. I have a ways to go to reach my pledge of 500 but it'll be a fun adventure to get there! 

May is my favorite month! Mother's Day, our anniversary, and my birthday all within a lovely set of 31 days. 

It's also chock full of May Is Bike Month swag! I love May Is Bike Month! Two years ago, I won my beautiful Linus at the Bike Fest (and it just happened to be on my birthday, too). Last year, I reached my pledge of 600 miles by the skin of my teeth and won 3rd place for the most Errand Miles! 

This year's going to be even better than the last! They've even started the Energizer Stations already! However, I need some help. Jose's threatening to drop my Tiny Helmets bike team unless we start racking up some real points. That means, I need as many folks out there who are willing to log miles for our team. I don't care if you pledge 10 miles or 1000, just join our team and log your miles! Our goal is to beat 350 Sacramento's team. I think we can do it. Who's in? Go to www.mayisbikemonth.com and sign up. If you've already joined a team, ditch them and ride with us! You can be a part of your Employer's challenge and still be on our team. Sign up your kids! Both Big Brother and Little Brother pledged 500 miles, who's going to challenge them? They're really competitive. I might even have them challenge each other. That would be pretty funny. 

We're the most fun team, ever! Today, my mini team and I ran off to check out an Energizer Station (although we had the day's location wrong) and then hit up Doughbots for some delicious goodies. Bacon chocolate doughnut and an iced mocha is the best way to start a day (although admittedly probably not the best way to keep a day going). We rode around in the Bullitt together quite a bit, getting used to our new set-up. 

The boys already love it. They are so happy to jump in the box. I still need to get the seat dialed in and add a rear rack. Similarly to the Mundo, once you add two kids to the bike, there's not a huge amount of room for anything else. Adding the Bread Basket to the Mundo was what made it more functional so I'm looking forward to getting a rear rack and adding panniers/bags to even out the load. The Bullitt rides even better with the boys onboard and it's very entertaining to have them up front. 

Oh, and we saw a raccoon today. How awesome are we? 

By the skin of my teeth, I made my May Is Bike Month pledge--600 miles logged! Jose won by 7 miles, Big Brother made it to 470 and won a $20 gift card to Mike's Bikes from the raffle, and Little Brother got to 455. Our Tiny Helmets team was in 81st place out of 395! The boys and I were 3rd, 6th, and 7th out of the top errand miles logged. That was an intense month but super fun! Even today, without a mileage goal to reach, I found myself trying to go the long way home and fit in extra miles. I had to stop myself and remember that I'm taking it easy this month. I still managed to log in 13 miles today running around doing errands and going to the train museum. 

Good news, I got a letter saying that my x-rays came out fine and my foot isn't broken. I think it's going to need a nice trip to the chiropractor as soon as the bruise heals but I'm happy to hear that there isn't more damage. I still am amazed at how lucky I was to come out of that with as little damage as I did. 

Some pretty awesome news: Thoughtful transportation choices can help create healthier populations and more sustainable communities. Internationally renowned transportation expert Todd Litman, director of the Victoria Transport Policy Institute, will offer insights and new ways of thinking about transportation at two events on Wednesday, June 13. Seating at the evening event is limited--register early. 

Todd happens to be my uncle and an incredible inspiration for healthier transportation planning. He was biking around with his little ones (who have now graduated college) way before it was cool (it is cool, right?). He is a very widely sought after speaker and Sacramento is very lucky to have the opportunity to gain his insight. I am already signed up to go! This is going to fill up quickly, register now! It's free! 

My "mishap" or as I call it "incredibly terrible lack of judgement on my part" has left me with a terrible mood and a yucky looking bruise on the bottom of my foot. Surprisingly, I'm not in a ton of pain which I keep thinking that I should be. The Dr. couldn't tell from the x-rays if anything was broken so she gave me the crutches and told me to act as if it was. I'm not very good at that. The swelling has gone down considerably but the purple is starting to shine through. I am, however, irritable, tired, and really irritable. Also, grumpy. 

I managed to not lose any biking days and rode 1 mile--literally around the block--the first day. Yesterday, I had a couple of bike trips adding up to 13 miles, including one where I hauled all my event supplies (including EZ-up canopy) across town. It's amazing to have a bike so comfortable and practical that I can do all that, even when I'm not in tip-top shape. 

Today, I was going totally stir-crazy and frustrated about being 50 miles away from my pledge with only two days left of May so I went on a 25 mile ride to Hagan Park with the boys. That was my limit. I definitely feel my foot now. Still pretty sure it's not broken because I can move it just fine and riding actually feels better than walking but that whole "don't overdo it" is ringing more true to me now. At this point, I am really excited about June coming and not riding with the same obsession that I've had this month. 

However, a new goal has come to light after these last two months of constant biking. I want to do a 365 day challenge! I'm excited about the idea of riding every single day for a year and see where it takes me--both literally and figuratively. At this point, it really doesn't seem difficult at all. If I can still get on my bike with a bum foot, there shouldn't be much that can stop me. My one hiccup is that I have a couple of overseas trips that I am taking this year and that got me thinking about how I would travel (especially by train or plane) with a bike. Amtrak doesn't allow cargo bikes which makes things difficult but an airplane is a totally different story. Packaging up a bike, paying insane charges, then putting it all back together at the airport is a bit beyond my abilities. I started perusing the bike section of Craigslist.org (which I actually do anyway, even when I'm not actively "looking" for a bike) and came across an awesome little folder--the Mobic. It is very reasonably priced and made here in California. They had some "demo" bikes available with some extra accessories and I got in touch with them immediately. I was set up to do a test ride this weekend but Michael's wife's water broke so we are rescheduling for next week. I love that the bike has some great components and folds easily. My folks ride Bike Fridays but they are well out of my price range. The reviews on the Mobic are pretty great and from my discussions with Michael, the founder and CEO, they are on par with Brompton and Bike Friday. It would be pretty great to have a little bike to go with my big bike. As my dad says "the formula for the number of bikes a person should own is n+1, n being the number of bikes the person already owns." I'm pretty sure that for all you bike lovers out there, there is always that "one other" bike that you are just dying to have. 

Anyway, enough drooling, I am very excited about having a new challenge to face and I plan on setting up some goals for the year--less about mileage and more about destinations and activities that I can go to/do by bike. I'm planning some more camping trips and explorations around the Sacramento area, really looking forward to doing some vacation/travel biking (hopefully on a nifty wee folder, maybe), and working on getting more car trips turned into bike trips. 

Also, if you're in the Sacramento area, it looks like next week the Mundo and I (with the wee ones if they cooperate) will be featured on News10 at 9 am! We're part of a section on the Cool California Challenge and they want us to talk about what we're doing to reduce our carbon footprint and how we're managing to lessen our car-dependence. Nervous! I think I'll let the Mundo do most of the talking. And Big Brother. They're really great at getting all the attention. 

I've been meaning to write this post for a while. A couple of things this weekend decided that it was time for me to do so. 

The first incident was when we were setting off on our Folsom trip and happened upon the scene of a recent, gnarly crash. Five roadies on one side of the trail, one down in agony and on the other side of the trail, a mother with her children still standing in the lane, a very dangerous place to be as it's on a blind corner right after a steep decline. We pulled off the road to see if we could offer support. Road rash galore. I went though my bag for some Neosporin and tissues. It was all I could really offer but was surprised that his riding group didn't have anything in terms of a first aid kit between the group. They were standing there waiting for the downed rider to make a decision as the whether he could get back on his bike or not. He was clearly slipping into an injury fog as the adrenaline of the crash was wearing off. I kept encouraging them to call someone to pick him up and they kept looking at him for direction. Finally, we headed back on our way as they were realizing the severity of the situation. This was an older gentleman who was clearly not capable of getting back on the bike (not that anyone probably should after an accident like that) and it was amazing to me that there was a distinct lack of knowledge about what to do in this situation. I'm definitely not an expert but I've taken first aid courses in the past. The truly reaffirmed my belief that a first aid kit and instruction booklet should be standard cargo in your biking bag. We all know not to leave the house without a patch kit, why do we forget about a patch kit for people? 

Some ideas for your kit:

• Bandages in various sizes
  
• Gauge pads
• Gauze wrap
• Bandage tape
• Antiseptic
• Hand sanitizer
• Benadryl/antihistamine 
• Styptic pencil/blod clotter
• Rubber gloves
• Handkerchief
• Rescue Remedy (homeopathic stress/trauma relief)
• Arnica (topical pain relief)

Or, a pre-made fancy one here and a simple one here. 

I'm guessing that one of the kids of the family had swerved into the other lane causing the roadie to swerve and slide out. Ouch! The mother was riding with a kid in a seat on the back of the bike, not buckled in and without a helmet. Her other kid was about 7 or 8, riding his own bike, no helmet, shoelaces dangling precariously close to the crankarms/spokes. They were a moving accident waiting to happen. The poster family for the need of Kidical Mass rides to teach families and children how to ride properly and safely, not just on the street but everywhere. Not knowing what actually happened, it is also safe to mention that there are too many bikers on the trail who also think it's their given right to go as fast as possible even though there is a stated speet limit of 15 mph. They seem to forget that families and slow riders also use the paths and plow right through anything not wanting to ruin their cadence. 

The second incident is a bit more painful to talk about. Not necessarily because it hurts that much but because it was caused by a hugh lack of judgement on my part. I wouldn't mind skipping over this completely but since this is part of my experience, you get the low down. 

Recently, I've been trying to teach my dog to run alongside my bike (right, I can hear you all sighing). I wanted to pick up my Linus from my folks' house and thought I would take the dog to the park and then we'd all ride home together. What's the worst that could happen? I ride slowly with him and stop if he gets distracted. What I didn't really take into account is that we'd be going on busier streets than he's used to and he's a pretty skittish dog. My next brainfart involved my choice of footwear: little flats that have a tendency to slip off. Put the two together and we get a dog that jumped in front of the wheel, I went to put my foot out to keep him from running into the wheel, my foot went into the wheel, shoe fell off, and my foot goes around with the spokes and into the fork. I swear I watched my foot fold in half. Somehow, I managed to get my other foot on the ground and we were safely across the busy street. I hobbled back to my car (about a half mile away) and drove home. Rest, ice, elevation, compression (RICE: see how that first aid training came in handy?). 

I have a big, fat swollen foot, funky spoke-shaped bruises, and a possible fracture. They couldn't tell from the x-rays so they have me treating it as if it was and put me on crutches. That's fun. I specifically asked if I could ride my bike and she didn't really say no. It was more like "take it easy." I can do that. This might be a week of drive-way bike rides, unfortunately. I'm at 536 miles out of 600 for the month--3 more days to go. So close! 
So, bike accidents happen to the best of us. Of course, I wouldn't have been as negligent with my kiddos on the bike but you never know what/who is going to cause you to swerve out or crash. The best you can be is well prepared and aware. I wouldn't have such a lackadaisical attitude if it had been one of my children in this position but hopefully, I learned this lesson the hard way so no one else has to. Dogs + sandals + bikes = a bad idea. Staying calm and together helped me enough to get home so I could treat myself as needed. Of course, if it had been worse, like the fellow on the trail who was dripping blood and laying prone in the dirt, other action would have been required. 

I wil be the first to admit that I got too cocky on my bike. I was too comfortable and letting my guard (and common sense) slip. Just as the drivers in cars need to remember that they are driving a deadly weapon and to treat it like one, I let myself get distracted and unsafe. Hopefully, not everyone has to learn to be cautious the hard and painful way but it is important to realize the inherent dangers of the things we do. I am thankful that I didn't hurt anyone else in the process and I am thankful that I didn't do more damage to myself, that could have been pretty ugly. 

I'm sure my next post will be about brushing off oneself after falling down and not getting scared away from riding just because something goes wrong. 

A major disappointment--the campsite I had reserved for our Memorial Day Folsom trip turned out to be unbikeable. It was on the other side of the lake and at least 50 miles to get there, the last 25 being on dirt forest service roads. I was not up for that this weekend and didn't want others to follow me into a situation that I wasn't sure about. I really like a challenge, but this time, I had to let this adventure go...for now. 

Instead of wallowing in non-biking pity, we planned an alternative trip for the day up to Karen's Bakery in Folsom. My parents came along and our favorite biking family joined us, at first thinking it was just a picnic trip to Hagan Park, but when they found out we were planning on continuing to Folsom they jumped onboard! I was totally impressed at their willingness to go farther with the kids than they had ever been. Jen only has a homebuilt Mixte with 8 gears but she took on the rolling hills to Folsom with ease. Randy pulled a trailer that they bought from Costco a few weeks ago. We all played a little bit of swapping children. Their 5-year-old daughter really loved being up on the Mundo's Peanut Shell since she was a little cramped in the trailer with her almost 3-year-old brother. We had a fantastic time chatting and singing our way to Hagan Park. Big Brother and his buddy hung out in the Chariot together giggling up a storm and wreaking havoc. They were wild together and having the best time. Little Brother took a bit of a rest in Randy's Costco trailer. 

At the park, we all took a break and the kiddos ran free. While we were there, someone called my name and I turned around to meet a fellow cargo biker, Seth, from Sacramento, whom I had communicated with via email. It was so great to meet him and his family in person! Have I mentioned how much I love being a part of this Sacramento biking community? It's a funny experience to be recognized from my website but great nonetheless. 

After the park, we loaded the kids back up. Randy took the crazy boys, I had Little Brother back in his Mini Yepp, and passed off my singing companion to Jose since we were about to hit the hills and I had never taken a 5-year-old up hills. Turns out that I shouldn't have been worried, the Mundo takes inclines like it's nothing and we flew up them without a problem. I could have easily carried more weight on the bike and I shouldn't wuss out so quickly next time. 

Once we were at Karen's we sat down to a fantastic lunch. I thought it was silly that while we were waiting for our food, I was snacking on the goodies we brought. Typical biking me--constantly eating. My burger was amazing with its blue cheese and wedge fries. Yummy! I got a s'mores brownie to go (which I've already eaten) since we didn't get to go camping and make s'mores ourselves. 

After parting ways with my folks and our friends, I was so happy to have had such a wonderful group of riders today. No one had complained or fussed (even the children). It ended up being about 56 miles in total, much more than any of us (except my dad) do on a regular basis, and Jen had never even done that much before. It brought me up to date for my May Is Bike Month pledge: 528/600! I have another ride out to Hagan Park tomorrow so I should actually make my goal! For awhile I didn't think I'd do it.

I'd imagine that we are now all off in our respective homes resting our weary bodies but I hope that they all feel the same amount of appreciation and pride in our little band of bikers as I do. I look forward to more rides with these guys soon! 

I am absolutely stunned that another month is about to pass by and I still haven't stopped riding. It is coming more and more naturally to me each day. We have things to do, we go by bike. It's that simple. Although, that's not to say that my body isn't sore each day or that sometimes I get a little frustrated that biking means I have to plan things out more than I used to. It just means that biking is cemented into our lives in a way that it hasn't ever been before. It is "normal." 

I had my first real "uh oh" moment this week when I had to drive to a work appointment in Elk Grove but my car was at my parents' house. I had run out of the door and zoomed to their house on the Linus thinking that I could leave it there and drive straight home--I had even thought as I ran out the door "I won't need my keys, I don't need to lock anything up." However, I got there and my parents weren't home and it was the ONE time I needed a key to their house. Bummer. A bit of frantic calling and waiting around for an extra 20 minutes while they cut their bike ride short for me and another call to my appointment telling them I would be late and that was it. The world didn't end because I messed up and it didn't shake my resolve to continue using bikes as our main form of transportation. Everyone was understanding and I just felt a little silly. Lesson learned--bring the keys anyway. 

Also, with May Is Bike Month and with my pledge sitting at 600 miles, I am struggling to reach my average of 20 miles per day. Of course, there are days that I go over that goal but more often than not, I am under. Right now, I'm sitting at about a day behind schedule. I have a bigger riding weekend ahead but I am certainly pushing my limits right now. During the 30 Day Challenge, it was hard enough to ride every single day. Now, I am riding every single day--A LOT! My body feels the struggle, I am sore each morning, and I am hungry constantly. Today, I pushed through 17 windy, heavily loaded miles just doing errands around town. It is, however, a good feeling to know that my body is working and moving. I am feeling stronger each day and noticing muscles that hadn't been used for awhile. 

The boys are still happily riding along as if nothing has changed. Big Brother loves to ask which door we will be leaving from and when I ask him which he'd like, he shouts "the back door!" We've all probably been in the car only 2 or 3 times this whole month. We haven't even had to put the carseats back in since Jose picked up screen doors two weeks ago. We come up with new games and songs every day along the road. Even our "1, 2, 3, OW!" song gets Little Brother shouting out "OW!" along with us. We are goofy and crazy and we don't mind who sees us. I love that we can be so close--Big Brother tickles my back and tries to put things in my pockets as I ride and Little Brother holds onto my thumbs and dings the bell. You can't do that in a car! 

Just like life, biking every day has its ups and downs. I will take down days on a bike over any day in a car, easily. 

Our Sunday was a lovely day of riding with friends, both old and new. We met up with some friends who had also ridden to church that morning and rode back together, stopping for some ice cream on the way. They are a fantastic family who has also recently put bike riding into the forefront of their transportation needs. Both parents have started biking to work as often as they can and the family invested in a trailer and helmets for their kiddos to ride around in. They're also planning on joining us for their first ever bike camping trip this weekend! I'm so excited and in awe of them! To go from not having/using bikes to being regular commuters is a fantastic step. An even better step, my friend got a pretty special Mother's Day gift in the form of Carsick Design's gorgeous hot pink pannier set! Now that is a supportive husband! I am so happy to have such wonderful friends who not only think that I'm NOT crazy but they decide to join me along the way. 

Jose got stuck at home with a case of the Sacramento Allergies so Big Brother and I ditched him and Little Brother (who was ready for a nap by 9am). After our ice cream stop, we waved goodbye to our friends and met up at Kit Carlson Middle School for Sacramento Kidical Mass. The goal of a Kidical Mass is to make kid-friendly group rides to help teach parents and children how to ride safely in the streets (Kids are traffic, too!). Sacramento has only had about three KMs and this was our first one. We spent some time decorating our bikes and a lot of time ogling other bikes (including Kate and Warren's Mundos. It's amazing how the same bike can become very unique for each individual family's needs). Another family pulled up in a Madsen cargo bike. There were kids with training wheels and those without, some on trail-a-bikes, some in baby seats. Big Brother was out running around on his Strider. They got to go around a little obstacle course with ramps and cones, there was a sllllloooooooooowww race, and then the group ride around the neighborhood. 

We had such a great time getting to know other biking families from Sacramento. Kate and I talked with the organizer, Warren (of the other Mundo), and we are planning to make it a regular event in Sacramento. There is definitely the need and the interest for monthly rides for families and I am excited to be a part of the planning. 

Big Brother was fast asleep by the time the short group ride was over. We headed home, visiting with Kate along the way. This is such a wonderful community to be a part of!