Cycle - 2/4 - i should log off

Great Places to Rent a Bike

May 18, 2011 By Jillian

Even if you aren’t an avid cyclist, there are times when it’s just nicer to be on bike than in a car or bus. The ability to ‘stop and smell the roses’ so to speak and go at your own pace is an aspect of travel that can’t be ignored. Here are a few places we were glad to rent a bike:

1. Florence, Italy. I lived in Florence in 2004 and when it came time for high tourist season the downtown area was packed! Unfortunately that’s also when we had our visitors so we had to think of something different and fun to do that would give our visitors a sense of Italy. Fortunately we found this great Italian-American guy who was just starting bike tours. He took my roommate, her mom, aunt and I on an unforgettable journey through the Tuscan countryside through Fiesole and into Arezzo. We went through historic villages and stopped at a delicious little restaurant for lunch. Admittedly there was plenty of wine at lunch, but thankfully the road back to Florence was downhill.

2. Cappadocia, Turkey. Although we got a little lost, cycling through Cappadocia was amazing. We were able to stop and explore all the different formations, fairy chimneys and caves, and despite the fact the area is so touristy, we were alone all afternoon! We rode through farmers vegetable plots and nearly ran into a horse on a cart. It was a lovely afternoon, even though we ended up hiking a lot!

3. Berlin, Germany. We didn’t have to rent a bike in Berlin, our CS hosts had extras, but boy were we glad. It was incredibly easy to zip around the city on bike and having our own transportation meant we could hit more museums and sites in a day. We found the city really bike friendly, and no one looked at us twice when we walked into a shop holding our helmets.

4. Vang Vieng, Laos. Admittedly Vang Vieng is renown for other things besides biking, but the area has a lot more on offer than ‘Happy Menus’ and reruns of ‘Friends’. Renting a bike in Vang Vieng meant we could see the Limestone caves on our own, meaning we could go to the ones that the tour groups didn’t go to! We made it to the Blue Lagoon very late in the afternoon, just before closing. It was a special experience to be inside the cave at dusk, with light just touching the reclining Buddha statue inside. Unfortunately we also got a flat and Danny ended up riding into town on the back of a tractor.

5. Mendoza, Argentina. There had to be at least one wine region on our list didn’t there? We got off the bus in wine country and bike tour touts approached us, the first and only time that ever happened. Although we rented independent of a tour, we did get a map. Had we made it to the area earlier in the day I would have enjoyed going to some of the further away wineries where there was more of a country feel. Ultimately we ended up passing hours at a winery at the furthest end of the wine region. A good bottle of wine, a picnic lunch and our bikes, nothing could be better!

Taking the Bike to Work

May 16, 2011 By Danny

I love cycling to work. I avoid road rage and replace it with my daily exercise. Overall it saves me tons of time and makes me a happier person all at once. Add to those wonderful things that I also save money and it’s really a no-brainer for me. Every time I share with someone that I bike to work I’m greeted with shock and dismay. How do you do that; aren’t you smelly at work? Isn’t it dangerous? For many, seeing a different way to do things (like taking two years off in your 20’s to travel) is scary and therefore they’re unwilling to give it a try. For the rest of you, keep on reading.

By the way, this week is bike to work week in the USA. Go ahead, give it a try, now is the time.

There are a few things you need to be sure of before hopping into the saddle:

1. Endurance. Make sure you can bike that far in one go, and that you’ll still have energy at the end of the day for the return trip. I find that my energy levels are higher when I exercise but I still have to take my mileage into account. My current ride is about 7.5 miles each way. At one point in DC that one-way distance was closer to 12. It might take time to work up to doing a round-trip multiple times in a week so be sure to try just one day first, or even a practice ride over the weekend.

Checking out the Map — I thought it was a left at the interstate…?

2. Scout a route. For me, I prefer sidewalks because there aren’t cars. Still though, I usually try to ride on the right hand side of the road so that cars trying to enter the roadway are looking my direction. The route you drive might not be the best route to take on a bike. Seek roads with less traffic or wider sidewalks, many areas even offer bike trails. You may find that your bike route is shorter on the miles.

3. A person is smart, people are stupid. Same rules apply to drivers. You can never be sure what they are thinking or doing or whether they see you or not. Be careful. Check out the League of American Bicyclists five steps to riding better.

4. Know what you need. Invest in yourself and your gear, but first figure out what it is you actually need. If you bike a couple of days with a backpack you’ll soon feel the need for a rack system to put over your rear tire. Don’t just go out and buy all the stuff first, instead get to know what you have and buy it for yourself as a reward. You’ll be more likely to ‘use it in good health’ rather than to regret all the cash you threw down. (Just for the record, you don’t need a $1500 bike and a lot of spandex. My bike cost me just $100 on Craigslist, I’ve been using it for years, and a normal wicking t-shirt does me just fine.)

Kids race at the 2010 Tour de France — These kids are starting early with spandex.

5. Shower before work. Many office buildings have showers, you just need to ask around and you’ll eventually find them. If not, try to find a gym nearby…some even offer ‘shower’ memberships to cyclists. Don’t be that gross guy in the office.

6. Enjoy! A few of my favorite things: the morning mist on the ranch I pass at the start of my morning ride. The kids waiting for the school bus. People walking dogs. Time yourself and make the ride into a race, try to beat your speed from the day before. Whatever it is, just make sure you enjoy the ride.

Biking really is a nice way to start and end a day. My 7.5 mile commute, in traffic, takes about 20 minutes and will take about $3 in gas each day. My bike ride takes about 25 minutes (I tend to ‘avoid’ traffic signals) and costs nothing. I love it, and you will too!

Dirt the Skirt

May 2, 2011 By Jillian

Gleefully I shared my second place trophy with Danny. Threatened perhaps by my success, he reminded me that only three women competed in the off road adventure triathlon. A fair point, but nothing was going to take down my spirit that afternoon.

Winning trophies is great, but it still feels like a lonely world for women in off road sports. I’m surprised at how few women participate in sports like mountain biking or off road triathlons. I’m insulted when I see women’s gear descriptions from manufacturers that focus on how stylish a pair of bike shorts is, not mentioning anything about their construction or material. It’s been decades since our emancipation from the kitchen, so where are the ladies?

To be fair, there are usually more than just a handful of women at these events, especially if it’s a team event, where the rules often require a female team member, but I’m not exaggerating when I say the ratio is easily ten to one male to female at an off-road bike race or off-road triathlon. I regularly get asked by the other racers if I’m married, seeing anyone or have a girlfriend who also mountain bikes/whitewater kayaks that is single. I kid you not, I was hit on during a race once while fixing my tire. The man was so persistent to know if I had a friend who also rode, he came up to me again after the race to ask a second time.

So, why aren’t more women willing to dirt the skirt? Is it a fear of being stereotyped? Why do we still feel that the woods and these off road sports are a man’s place? I’ve had friends say things to me like “I would NEVER do that” but, why? What is it about off-road sports that makes us think it’s ‘unlady’ like?

Based on my experience, women looking for a challenge and perhaps some attention, would do well to participate in these sports. I see more and more women participating in trail runs, maybe it’s just a matter of time before it’s trickles down.

Last weekend we rode some new sections of trail near our house. Riding the intermediate/expert track, we came upon a middle aged woman and her daughter. About to go down a steep ramp on her bike, the girl shouted with glee at her mom waiting at the bottom. “They’re not coming up here!” she said as we took a cut through. I yelled out a word of encouragement, smiled at her mom and tore down the trail.

Maybe we just have to teach ourselves to dirt the skirt. So, how about it? If you’re interested there are women’s only riding clubs and training groups all over the country. Give one a try and be an example!

Cappadocia: A bike trip to the moon

September 2, 2010 By Danny

Picture this: two volcanoes. One explodes and spews soft rock. The second explodes and covers that soft rock with hard rock. Over time water eats away at both rocks, but the hard protects the soft below it. People arrive, want to hide from various empires and dig themselves into the soft rock. That is a short history of Cappadocia.

Arriving in Cappadocia before 6am we were practically still dreaming when we walked off the bus and saw a sky filled with hot air balloons floating over buildings built into cave walls and mountainsides. Taking advantage of the cool air of the morning, we set out for a hike through one of the nearby canyons and found ourselves alone surrounded by cave homes. Near each dwelling, up high in the rock were curious holes, home to pigeons, all decorated to help the pigeons find their way back. Strange rock forms abounded, and we had the entire place to ourselves. Arriving back in town as the heat set in, we checked into our hotel room, or err cave. For the same price as a couple of dorm beds back in Istanbul, we booked a private cave room. Feeling like the Flintstones we slept like “rocks.”

Our tour of Cappadocia continued like this for two days, visiting strange rock formations and staring at the incredible power of wind and water. We visited tremendous underground cities. Yes, I used the word city, each one once held several thousand people. The Goreme Open Air Museum was a collection of cave dwellings and monasteries carved into the cave walls with byzantine frescoes adorning the walls and ceilings. Strange towers rose from the ground where the hard rock on top protected the soft rock below from centuries of water, and souvenir shops were never in short supply.

We did manage to do more than just some site-seeing. We rented mountain bikes for the first time since we biked Kruger NP in South Africa. Against the suggestion of our rental agency, we took those bikes through one of the narrowest canyons in the Cappadocia area, without a decent map or a compass. Don’t worry, it doesn’t end badly. In fact, we pulled, hoisted and hiked those bikes along a precarious trail. At one point we had to use ropes to pull ourselves and those rental bikes up and over giant rocks. The few times we were able to ride, we took those bikes through caves and under gorgeous arches. Pulling our bikes up a rather steep hill at the end, we caught an Italian tour group off guard. Staring at us in disbelieve, the souvenir shop owner offered us water and juice (for a price of course) and tried to sell us her hand made lace. Opting instead to celebrate with baklava and yummy pides, we coasted downhill back to Goreme, arriving two minutes before the bikes had to be returned.

IF YOU GO: We were lucky enough to be traveling with a pair of Aussies from our Blue Cruise and shared a car rental for about $60 for a very nice 24 hours. This probably worked out in our favor but not by much. The tour prices are reasonable if you want to see everything but Cappadocia is a perfect place to just go for a walk through the surrounding canyons (if you base yourself in Goreme) and take an occasional bus trip to a nearby city to see an underground city. We stayed in the Nomad Cave Hotel and had a very nice time there in our own cave room with breakfast, dormitories were also available. We took a direct overnight bus from Olympos to arrive in Goreme but there are connections to Goreme from all major cities such as Istanbul and points further east. You might have to connect through one of the nearby larger cities such as Kayseri, however, which is also home to the main airport.

Berlin: Something’s different here.

June 17, 2010 By Jillian

We landed in Berlin bleary eyed after getting up at 2 o’clock in the morning for our flight. (Danny never went to sleep) and immediately something was different. No less than 10 minutes after getting off the plane, we stood in line to buy train tickets, customs and immigration completed, luggage in hand. Right on schedule the train appeared, opened it’s doors and we were whisked away to the center of Berlin. It worked like clockwork. “German efficiency, welcome to Europe,” I thought.

There’s a lot to see and do in Berlin, but first on our list was actually the Egyptian museum. Crazy, I know, considering it has been two weeks since we stood in the Egypt Museum in Cairo. Of course we wanted to see Nefertiti’s head after reading the rather belligerent request for it to be returned on a billboard in the museum in Cairo. For the record, her head was very nice, but not nearly as incredible as we had hoped. In the Sudan we slept under the stars next to the pyramids of Meroe, almost all of which have been destroyed by an Itialian fortune hunter in the 19th Century. Taking the gold jewelry and treasure back to Europe, we assumed while at the pyramids that it had been sold and lost to history. You can imagine my surprise and frankly excitement when I stumbled upon her treasures in this museum. Like a kid in a candy shop I examined every piece with such excitement that I think I scared the guy next to me.

Honestly we spent most our time in Berlin at the museums, given that there are more than 70 of them and both of us are history buffs isn’t too hard to understand. We saw Checkpoint Charlie, remaining sections of the Berlin Wall, road our bikes around the Bradenburg Gate, the German History museum, the site where the Nazi’s famously burned books, and spent nearly three hours exploring the Isalmic Art museum in the Pergamon. By the time we left we were museum-ed out.

Besides the more traditional museums, we also spent a lot of time at museums and sites dedicated to World War II. As Americans it was interesting to see the scholarship and academic work on World War II from a German perspective.

Having hosted, traveled and met several German’s along the way, we were not surprised at the frank and sometimes painful displays related to World War II and the Holocaust. We found the Topography of Terror Museum, on the site of the old SS headquarters in Berlin to be particularly interesting for the displays told a complete history of the SS’s actions during the era with facts and images that we had never seen. We appreciated that the Jewish Museum didn’t focus only on the Holocaust when telling the story of Jew’s in Germany, instead providing a chronological history since the medieval period. We ended our visit to Berlin at the Holocaust memorial located symbolically near the Bradenburg Gate.

Somewhere in there we had time to grab a pretzel, a few beers and cycle all over Berlin. In fact the couchsurfers we stayed with kept us out late each night, not that we’re complaining, beer tasting in the park, barbecuing with friends, playing cards and having some rather deep political conversations. We thought Europe would be a relaxing break for us, but if Berlin is any indication we’re going to be exhausted by the time we leave this continent.

Great Places to Rent a Bike

Taking the Bike to Work

Dirt the Skirt

Cappadocia: A bike trip to the moon

Berlin: Something’s different here.

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