The League of American Bicyclists ranks each state annually in terms of bicycle friendliness based on a questioner completed by a state official. http://bikeleague.org/content/ranking Idaho is currently ranked number twenty. This may or may not be accurate. It is tough to tell based on what does not appear to be especially rigorous methodology. We had a great ride this morning which ended with a very close encounter with a Dodge pickup. The majority of motorists treat cyclists with a reasonable degree of courtesy, but there are plenty of motorists with a very bad attitude toward cyclists. I guess the message is don’t let your guard down any time you are interacting with traffic.
I have been thinking about Lana’s post which talks about the food the pros are eating at the Giro. As you probably know if you have watched live coverage of the Grand Tours, the traditional beverage for late in a race is Coca Cola in cans handed up from the team cars. The combination of sugar and caffeine has gotten generations of riders to the finish line. The simple sugars in Coke burn fast and typically produce an insulin spike, so the benefit of that sugar is fairly short-lived. This is the reason that the race ends with Coke instead of starting with Coke. You may have seen stories recently about a much more ominous trend, a late race bottle laced with potent pain killers including tramadol.
I will be away from the computer for a few days. I hope everyone has a good Tuesday Night Ride.
Here is a little curiosity to end the week, a hubless folding bicycle.
Photo copyright Gizmodo.com
