#30DaysOfBiking, Day 3: Biking to Breakfast, and Zelda Defies the Wind

An early fundraising breakfast makes for an early bike ride. The morning was cool and overcast and the forecast suggested the possibility of some liquid sunshine later, so I took my rain skirt and rain jacket along in case I…Continue Reading

Introducing Zelda the E-Bike

Guess what I get to pick up tomorrow? Tralala, tralala. Hint: I’m going to @GoFamilyCyclery. More hints: Good for 🌎, makes me 😍, gets me up 🏔️ more easily. — Barb Chamberlain (@barbchamberlain) March 14, 2019 I’ve been talking up…Continue Reading

How #30DaysOfBiking Rolled in 2024

Research tells us that when we commit out loud in some way we’re more likely to follow through with whatever it is we’re trying to change. That’s certainly been true for me with bike challenges. Adding something like a blogging…Continue Reading

Just Ride. Every Day. It’s That Simple.

The title of this piece echoes what the great bike racer Eddie Merckx said: “Ride as much or as little, or as long or as short as you feel. But ride.” As March wraps up I’m looking ahead at April…Continue Reading

Thank Heavens for Kind Strangers and Transit

Ride #1 of 2024: Sunny, happy, delightful. Ride #2 of 2024: The reason I’m glad Olympia has transit. A few days after ride #1 I set off in the sunshine for a trip to a meeting with Lee Lambert, executive…Continue Reading

First Ride of 2024

Today I pedaled along East Bay Drive, smiling because I was riding my bike in the sunshine. So far this month we’ve had days of rain interspersed with sun and I’ve been getting in some long walks in Squaxin Park.…Continue Reading

Coffeeneuring 2011-2022: My Track Record for Bike Rides to Coffee Just Because

In 2011 when Mary Gersemalina created coffeeneuring as a mash-up of the words “coffee” and “randonneuring” I jumped at it. That came along during what I might think of as my “peak challenge” period. I had founded Bike to Work…Continue Reading

Wheeling Sea to Sound, Day Two

A longer, harder day, and a new perspective from which to view a trail: That was Day Two. Longer and harder meant 27 miles with a lot more climbing. That’s where Zelda the e-bike shines, though. Both yesterday and today…Continue Reading

Wheeling Sea to Sound, Day One

What a wonderful first day of Sea to Sound! Yes, we got rained on a bit, but that’s what it takes to have those lush green and mossy forests we rode through. The Olympic Discovery Trail is an absolute treasure.…Continue Reading

Setting My Own Pace

Bicycling offers a unique combination of attributes in the array of transportation modes: The ability to choose your pace while getting places efficiently. This came to mind as I pedaled slowly home from an appointment that I had pedaled toward…Continue Reading

Riding Thoughts: Privilege Is a Tailwind

I’ve written before about the many ways that privilege I’m not always conscious of underlies my bicycling. Riding my road bike Sweetie and thinking about how that differs from riding my e-bike Zelda gave rise to these thoughts about structural…Continue Reading