Seattle Bike Blog

Friday: Cascade Bicycle Club is hosting a ‘Solo Scavenger Hunt’

By

Tom Fucoloro

| Posted

March 18, 2020

See the event listing.

Cascade Bicycle Club organizes community biking events, so the social distancing protocols make so many of their regular activities impossible right now.

The organization already postponed their annual Bike Swap has been moved to June 14, the Bike Everywhere Breakfast has been moved to June 3, the Washington Bike, Walk, Roll Summit has been moved to September 20 and 21 in Spokane, and their very popular free group rides program has been suspended until the end of March. And all these new dates are obviously subject to change depending on the status of the pandemic at that time.

So Cascade is trying out something different Friday: A “Bike, Walk or Roll Solo Scavenger Hunt.” You are not allowed to participate in a group (families are OK). Instead, you are supposed to head out into your neighborhood any time between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. and “find” a list of challenges and take a picture of them. Then post your photos to the event page on Facebook or Instagram with the hashtags #FridayRideDay #FridayScavengerHunt #CascadeBicycleClub.

And of course, maintain safe social distancing at all times.

More details from the event listing: (more…)

tags: cascade bicycle club

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Let’s talk about responsible biking during this pandemic

By

Tom Fucoloro

| Posted

March 17, 2020

So I have been working on a video for several days now about biking around Seattle amid the COVID-19 outbreak, but I keep changing my mind about what it should say.

On one hand, I wanted to make something wildly different than the deeply troubling contents of your news feed. I wanted to make something happy, to show that joy and wonder still exists outside your home. The news and the virus hasn’t killed the trees and moss surrounding Interlaken Blvd. And you can still go bike adventuring in Seattle without getting within six feet of another person.

But I also don’t want to downplay the seriousness of what’s happening in any way. I don’t want to come off as if I’m saying, “It’s OK, you can still live your life like normal.” Because you can’t.

And during the past five days, the public health recommendations and government rules have changed dramatically. What seemed well within the guidelines just five days ago — going for a bike ride and keeping your distance from others — now feels like it is brushing up against the limits. It’s still within the guidance, but only if you are careful about where and how you bike. So let’s talk about that.

There is a decent chance that the guidance in Seattle tightens again soon, and the next step is ordering people to stay indoors. This is because people cannot be trusted to avoid gathering in groups. I mean, I saw it many times on a recent ride. We are social beings, and it’s just so hard to resist. But we need to. The Bay Area just instituted a “shelter in place” rule (PDF), and we should expect that to happen here, too. However, the Bay Area rules specifically exempt “outdoor activity” including walking, biking and running, so long as people follow the social distancing guidance.

So why go on a bike ride right now? This is an extremely stressful and anxious time. Being sedentary is not good for your health. And biking is a way to get out, blow off some steam and get some exercise while keeping a safe distance from others. It’s a chance to stop reading the news for a just a bit and take some time for yourself in the great big world outside your home. And it’s good for your mental health, which is also extremely important right now.

Of course, like any activity, you can be irresponsible while biking. It’s not magically safe. Being on a bike doesn’t make you immune. You have to be smart. (more…)

tags: coronavirus, covid-19

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Sound Transit didn’t finish work as planned, so reduced downtown light rail and bike ban still in effect

By

Tom Fucoloro

| Posted

March 16, 2020

You know, in an alternate timeline this would be a really big story.

Sound Transit was not able to complete all the work needed to fully reopen downtown light rail service as was planned, so Connect 2020 continues. That means train service will remain reduced downtown and riders will still need to change trains at Pioneer Square Station. See our previous story for more details on why and how that works.

This also means that bikes are still banned between International District/Chinatown Station and University Street Station. That ban was supposed to be lifted today. You can check out this helpful video by Robert Svercl and friends Bri and Nick for a video guide to biking around the light rail closure.

Another weekend closure will be required once a fix is found, but there is currently no schedule for that work. So stay tuned.

Of course, there may not be a need for that bike ban since light rail ridership has dropped so dramatically due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Overcrowding on trains is no longer the problem we need to worry about. Well, not for the same reason, anyway.

The Connect 2020 project is needed to connect the existing tracks to the under-construction line that heads to the Eastside via Judkins Park and I-90. That line is scheduled to open in 2023. But the agency wanted to do this work now to avoid disrupting service even worse once the U District, Roosevelt and Northgate Stations come online in 2021.

More details from Sound Transit: (more…)

tags: connect 2020, downtown, sound transit

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New bike path under SR-520 opens in Montlake

By

Tom Fucoloro

| Posted

March 13, 2020

Just in time for a virus-news-escaping bike ride, WSDOT has opened a long-awaited biking and walking trail that crosses under SR-520 between the start of the 520 Bridge Trail and Lake Washington Boulevard.

This is a “temporary” path, but you can get used to it because it should be here for a few years as the agency builds out the massive Montlake section of the multi-billion-dollar freeway project.

It is likely still faster and more direct to take the existing detour on the Montlake Blvd sidewalk if you are traveling between the bridge and the Lake Washington Loop bike route. But the new trail is likely more scenic and open. If you turn down E Hamlin Street toward the 520 Bridge Trail, you can catch the new trail and take it all the way to E Roanoke Street to get back to the Lake Washington Loop route on 25th Ave E.

This new trail should also make it easier and more pleasant to bike to the Arboretum. Hmm, sounds like I’ll need to go test that out just to be sure…

More details from WSDOT: (more…)

tags: arboretum, sr 520, wsdot

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Biking during the pandemic

By

Tom Fucoloro

| Posted

March 11, 2020

Cascade Bicycle Club’s Paul Tolmé recently found light traffic during the downtown Seattle evening rush hour. Read the post.

With the announcement that Seattle Public School will close for at least two weeks and gatherings of 250 people of more have been banned, our region has reached a new level in its social distancing efforts. Events venues have been shuttered, and many businesses are voluntarily shutting their doors. Bike Works, for example, is closed until March 29 and Cascade Bicycle Club’s annual Seattle Bike Swap has been postponed from March 22 to June 14.

The pandemic has also shaken up how people get around. Though public health officials have not (yet) told people to avoid transit, people are clearly feeling uneasy about using it. But people do need to get around, and many people rely on transit.

New York City is encouraging people to walk or bike to get around, and that’s not bad advice for the Seattle region, either. In fact, biking might not just be good way to get around, it might also be one of the best ways to stay healthy and active when so much of the city is closed. After all, being sedentary is also not healthy for your body or your mind.

If you are thinking about biking to get around for the first time (or starting again after years off the bike), you may find that much of the city is much easier to access by bike than you expect. This is especially true of downtown where the city has nearly completed a fully-separated bike route from Lake Union Park (and the Fremont Bridge) to the International District. You will also likely find that traffic is much lighter than usual thanks to so many people working from home. That’s what Cascade Bicycle Club’s Paul Tolmé found one recent evening rush hour downtown.

One possible complication to biking now is that some bike shops may follow Bike Works’ lead and close. No bike shop (except maybe REI) is anywhere close to reaching the 250-person limit health departments have imposed, but that doesn’t mean they will stay open.

Years ago, we published a “How to bike in the Seattle rain” guide, and that may be useful to any fair-weather riders out there. But this is probably a good time to put together a more general “how to start biking” guide. What questions do you think are important to include in such a guide? If you are just getting started, what questions do you have? Ask in the comments below or email me at [email protected]. I’ll not only try to answer it, but your question will also help me put together a more useful guide for others.

This might also be a good time to share some great just-for-fun bike rides for those who are feeling antsy at home. What are your favorite resources or methods for finding a good recreational ride? Let me know.

Take care of yourself, and take care of your community.

tags: cascade bicycle club, coronavirus, covid-19, paul tolmé

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Watch: Why Anne-Marije Rook is biking the Tour de France route one day ahead of the men

By

Tom Fucoloro

| Posted

March 10, 2020

Automated transcript (.txt)

It’s the year 2020, and the world’s most famous bike race does not have a comparable event for women.

That’s why women have biked the route of the Tour de France one day ahead of the men for half a decade now. They aren’t only demonstrating that women can ride the grueling 21-day, 2,200-mile route, but also that there is interest in a women’s race.

Anne-Marije Rook is a biking journalist who worked for Cascade Bicycle Club, the Ballard News Tribune and even wrote a freelance piece for Seattle Bike Blog before moving to Portland. Now she’s joining the Dutch team Peloton Orange (website in Dutch) to bike ahead of the 2020 Tour.

We spoke via video chat recently, and you can watch our conversation in the video above.

Of course, it is quite expensive and logistically complicated to ride the route as a team of amateurs without the massive sponsorship deals and official support that Tour racers get. So that’s where you come in. Peloton Orange is seeking sponsors and crowdfunding to help with their costs. You can contribute via GoFundMe.

And be sure to follow Anne-Marije’s writing on her website and on Twitter at @amrook.

tags: anne-marije rook, peloton orange, tour de france 2020

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