You knew it had to happen soon ….

Shit Cyclists Say

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Starring: Ryan Van Duzer – http://ryanvanduzer.com/

2012 Kicks Off With A Culinary Win

The last month of 2011 had me running to the market and to my Mom’s constantly. As I bought fresh foods for her, she returned to the hospital just as frequently. In the midst of this cycle my kids were here and there (read: not home for meals), Holiday celebrations cancelled plus Dave and I too tired to do anything other than grab a quick something somewhere and fall into bed for sporadic cat naps with the cell phone tucked under the pillow.

Is it any wonder that I spent New Year’s Eve scouring the web for yummy recipes that would use up the veggies-on-the-edge-of-forever in my fridge and not send me to the market, thus sending 2012 into a budget deficit?

Committed to creating a hearty breakfast or brunch that would send us to the hospital (post Football game of course) and see us through the visit with enough yummy in our belly that we did not succumb to the hospital cafeteria, I opted for VeganPiggy‘s Vegan Breakfast Burritos To Die For.

Since I had 6 packs of Tofu that I bought on sale for 59 cents in addition to all the veggies on hand this seemed like a winner. After swapping the carrots for broccolini, sautéing a few heirloom tomatoes in what I had left of shallots I had the happy experiment of omitting the salsa and using up what was left of Basiltops Vegan Pesto Habanero. We buy this at the Farmer’s Market in Santa Monica but you can get yours at their online store.

Did it work? I’ll say. MeatatarianMan Dave happily helped himself to seconds and confirmed that this was a do-again. Yay! A kitchen victory so early in the year.

But wait! There’s more. The all important Eagles game ended (Let’s not go there), kids confirmed they would not be home and there was the emotionally exhausting hospital visit. No way did I want to cook. I just wanted to sit in a dinner and be served copious cups of coffee (say that 3 times fast). Hubby had other ideas, he wanted to go home. Ugh. What to feed upon? I threw the left over breakfast burrito innards into a big bowl of wild rice that I had forgotten to serve last night and added artichoke hearts, more tomatoes and the few mushrooms I had on hand.  No photos, but trust me – it looked great and tasted great too.

Dave liked this so much that he didn’t ask for the Kelbasa he missed out on at breakfast and chose not to add the diced chicken breast I had set aside for him. Another win!

Teaching an Old Bike New Tricks

I’ve just started using a trainer – this is something I have really been resisting. With the Pacific Coast Highway so close and all my beach paths I can really get a variety of enjoyable rides in. Cycling on a trainer just seemed so boring.

But reality has finally hit home. I can not always get out there to do my mid-week rides and I am losing out on those brief 20 milers. Which makes my Saturday training ride a little more grueling on my muscles then it needs to be.  To make it worse, the weight was piling on as much as the guilt.

The solution was to place my forever old bike, Belle, on the trainer. Now Belle has a soft spot in my heart. She’s a hand me down and almost as old as I am. Certainly 40 at the very least. The gears are stuck and can only shift from 3rd to 4th. But she took me through California coastal rides and across the desert in my late teens. You know, during those times when you just rode and rode because you could.

So on to the trainer goes the bike. Took a minute to realize I was going to need a climb block or I would be riding with the back end higher than the front and all the blood rushing to my head.

The pièce de résistance was an addition of a flat screen TV with built-in DVD player (keep in mind this is all outside my bedroom doors on the patio). Now with that snazzy addition I can cycle to my new training DVD, Train to Endure! (Part 4) Mental Agony! Cycling the Bay Area Back roads (CA2)

I don’t know about you, but I think I’m stylin’

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www.CyclingVideosOnline.com provides virtual reality indoor videos for spinning and cycling training.Take a virtual ride through the Western US and discover the beautiful diversity this region has!
Keep your legs spinning and the sweat dripping. These are high intensity workouts that go the distance!  

Cooking for the Sandwich Generation

In our family hoagie, there is also a meal prep issue. At one time we had 3 different types of vegetarians in the house, plus two confirmed “Meatatarians”. Today became the day Baked Pesto Shells were born.

Give a Little; Make a BIG Difference

I’m walking to make a difference. Light The Night Walk is The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s annual fundraising walk to pay tribute and bring hope to people battling cancer. Make a difference with me donate $18 (for life)  http://bit.ly/p6NcCG

Trek Women Breast Cancer Awareness Ride

On October 8th, Trek Bicycle retailers around the United States will host the 6th annual Trek Women Breast Cancer Awareness ride. Featuring 10- and 25-mile family-friendly group rides, the event donates registration fees directly to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation. With one in every eight women in the US getting breast cancer in her lifetime, most people have a close friend or family member affected by the disease. The goal of the Trek Women Breast Cancer Awareness Ride is not only to raise funds for breast cancer research, but unite local communities in the effort to raise awareness of the importance of breast health in a fun, supportive environment.
More info

Megan Savage Memorial Run For A Cure

Megan Savage who lost her battle to Leukemia on April 2nd, 2003. Megan’s Wings provides financial assistance to families with a child undergoing cancer treatments at a Southern California Hospital or Cancer Center.

The 5k Memorial Run For A Cure will be held at McCarthy Park in California on Saturday, September 24th at 8am

Register for this event

Double Your Contribution During the Jim Swarzman Memorial Drive

Your membership or contribution to LACBC will be matched during the Jim Swarzman Memorial Membership Drive, thanks to our friends at AdventureCORPS!

When Jim Swarzman was killed by a hit-and-run driver in early April while cycling with his fiancee and a friend down in Encinitas, we were all devastated. Jim was a gifted ultra-distance racer, a great friend of LACBC, and a staunch supporter of bicycle advocacy. His killer later turned himself in, was found guilty, and is now awaiting sentencing. Many of you have already sent your condolences to Jim’s family, or honored him by contributing in his name to LACBC, and we thank you for that.

Now, for a short time, AdventureCORPS will generously match all memberships and contributions to LACBC in Jim’s honor, up to $10,000. So when you join, renew, or donate, LACBC will receive twice the amount you give. We ask that you please encourage your friends to become members now – whether they are new or long-time cyclists, whether you knew Jim personally or have been touched by hearing about his story. Big thanks to AdventureCORPS for making this possible and honoring Jim’s memory in this meaningful way!

Your contribution will have TWICE the impact in helping us create safer streets for all cyclists!

Join, renew, or donate today!

Kindle Someone’s Inner Spirit

“In everyone’s life, at some time, our inner fire goes out. It is then burst into flame by an encounter with another human being. We should all be thankful for those people who rekindle the inner spirit.” – Albert Schweitzer

Ghost Bikes?

Every now and then I pass a weird shrine looking bike that has been stripped of its rider, painted white and locked to some fence or post. I could never figure out who or what had placed such a lonely bike there and why it happened more than once. Were minimalist cyclists invading the city?

Its not new, either. The original idea of painting bikes white reportedly goes back to Amsterdam in the 1960s as an anarchist project to liberate two-wheel transport—white bikes were free, help yourself and then leave it for someone else.

Sadly, the bikes I stumbled across had a less artistic meaning. They are ghost bikes.

Ghost Bikes are small and somber memorials for bicyclists who are killed or hit on the street. A bicycle is painted all white and locked to a street sign near the crash site, accompanied by a small plaque. They serve as reminders of the tragedy that took place on an otherwise anonymous street corner, and as quiet statements in support of cyclists’ right to safe travel.

Ghostbikes.org is intended to be a site for the worldwide cycling community. For information on ghost bike work being done in your area, visit http://Ghostbikes.org

Does your community have another way of recognizing our fallen cyclists?