After 3 years of endless drought, we here in central Oklahoma at least, were with desperately needed rain. It’s gotten so extreme, that our city reservoirs must release water to prevent flooding. After a tip from my Mother, Grace and I took a little photo date down to the Lake Overholser Dam to catch some photos and videos of the water release. Now if we could get some more rain for western part of the state, things would be really looking good.
When I started OKC Bicyclist in 2008, on-line communities for Oklahoma City cyclists were pretty much non-existent. There were a few mailing lists, but there was no consistent source for area cycling news including both events and advocacy. Since then, much has changed both in the local cycling community and with the ways and means to collect and distribute news. We’ve seen both large advocacy groups such as the Oklahoma Bicycling Coalition and personal advocacy efforts such as Susan Lash’s All For the Love of Bikes dramatically expand their on-line outreach. In my own small way as the VP of the Oklahoma Bicycle Society, I have tried to expand their blogging and on-line outreach as well. And then there is the technology explosion of Twitter and Facebook which has completely changed how to distribute interesting news and links. At this point, the idea of a link blog such as OKC Bicyclist is a bit of an anachronism and has become a burden for me to maintain.
I have not lost my passion for cycling or cycling news, but, for the reasons listed above, the need for a news site is much less and personal advocacy is now much more my passion than simple reporting. Now I could change OKC Bicyclist to an individual advocacy blog separate from my personal site, but that would still leave me with two sites with two different voices. The fact is that between my day job, my upcoming wedding, trying to get a consulting business off the ground and my work with the OBS and OBC, there just isn’t time to maintain two sites. Therefore, in a couple of weeks I will be merging OKC Bicyclist with my personal site Lost in OK and redirecting all links to there. This will both dramatically simplify my life and allow me to be much more personal in my bicycle writings.
With all that said, OKC Bicyclist is not completely disappearing and in some ways, it may now become much more active and dynamic. While you are free to follow me at Lost in OK or at @lostinokay, those feeds will have a lot of non-cycling stuff in them which may not really be interesting to you. Therefore, I will continue to maintain and update both the OKC Bicyclist Twitter and Facebook feeds. Without the need to write commentary on every local news link I come across, I think you can expect to see a much more responsive and active distribution of cycling news both via Twitter and Facebook in the weeks to come.
Closing a site that I have labored with for the last five years was not an easy decision, but is the only one I think that is practical and personally fulfilling. Please feel free to leave any comments or suggestions. And as always, I hope to see you out on the road!
Grace and I took the drive up to Tulsa on Friday night to see The xx at Tulsa’s historic Cain’s Ballroom this last Friday evening. Since we both had to work on Friday, we already knew it was going to be a big rush to get there and then we ran into horrendous traffic on the way resulting from a crash between a car and a bus carrying prisoners. We were over an hour late and a little stressed out, but we really shouldn’t have been worried. The modern concert style of being at least an hour late for starting the show served us well.
The opening act was a group called Austra about which I had heard great things, but in person didn’t do much for me. Thankfully, the convenient layout of Cain’s with the bar next door gave us a place to sit and a chance to run into our friend Aaron and catch up.
The xx in Rainbow Light
The xx put on a great show. Moody, atmospheric almost electronica music might not always work live, but with them it did. And even if it hadn’t, the amazing light show they put together would have made it worth while. They maintained a great emotional mood and sounded amazingly tight as a live group. While I haven’t enjoyed their second album, Coexist, much at their amazing self-titled début, but I really enjoyed both live.
My only complaint may just be an old-fogey moment, but I was astounded by the number of people who maintained ongoing, loud conversations throughout the show. Now, I must admit that this may not be a new thing, because in my youth I primarily listened to such loud bands that conversations wouldn’t have been audible under any circumstances. However, no matter how long this has been going on, it was more than a little irritating to hear an amazing din of conversation over the top of a live band.
I reported last year about 14-year-old Luke Nefus’ unique 5-Line Ride up in the Oklahoma Panhandle where, if you take on the longest ride, you’ll touch 5 states in one day while raising monies for Livestrong. Well, thankfully, he is doing it again this year, September 20 – 22nd, and early registration is now open.
The following distances will be available this year:
120 Miles, the full distance which touches 5 states (CO, NM, OK, TX and KS).
95 Miles, touches 4 states(CO, NM, OK and TX)
60 Miles, the Santa Fe Trail Route, touches 3 states (CO, NM and OK)
40 Miles, touches 3 states (CO, NM and OK)
Between now and March 31, registration is $175, between April 1st and June 30, $200 and after July 1st, $250. It is important to note that all but $50 dollars of your registration amount is tax-deductible with the remaining funds going to Livestrong.
I really think this is a unique riding experience is an area of Oklahoma few of us ever get to ride in given the lack of towns and people in that neck-of-the-woods. I personally can’t wait to ride in it this year (I didn’t have time last) and I hope this ride really starts to take off!
58-year-old Joseph Edward Helmka was struck by a vehicle around 3:00 AM last night near the corner of NW 10th and MacArthur. He was spotted by a passing motorist and was rushed to the hospital but he expired before arriving at the hospital. Police are asking anyone with information regarding this crash to contact them at 405-235-7300.
We have become a serious set of homebodies these days, so it is nice when my friend Iva comes into town. She can always get us out for an evening of fun, like a night of drinks and laughs at the ever eccentric Junior’s.
A Blue and White GT Series 4 bicycle was stolen from a garage last night in Bethany near Lake Overholser. Here is a detailed description of the bicycle.
Blue and White GT Series 4 with full Shimano 105 group set, Mavic Aksium Race wheels with light blue Michellin Kromion tires. white and silver Fizik Arione seat., black and silver Serfas seat bag with Blackburn light. 2 white Arundel bottle cages. White Cateye dual wireless computer, silver Shimano 105 clipless pedals. Blue bar tape.
Below is a photo of a similar bicycle, not the actual missing bike:
If you have any information please contact Kevin at 405-408-3090.
OSU cyclists are upset that the university has removed all bike lanes on campus:
Cyclists on campus are hoping to find a solution to the now non-existent bike lanes.
Oklahoma State University recently removed all bike lanes on campus in hopes of creating a more shared campus, according to an article in the O’Colly on Sept. 26.
Trevor Steward, president of the Oklahoma State University Cycling Club and off-campus SGA senator, said he plans to meet with a group of university faculty and staff later today to discuss some concerns that the OSU cycling community has about the removal. The meeting will include Lee Bird, OSU vice president for student affairs, university architect Nigel Jones, Mike Buchert, director of Long Range Facilities Planning, and others.
The OSU Cycling Club was never notified or contacted for consultation concerning the removal of the bike lanes, Steward said.
“This is (the students’) university,” he said. “We should have a say in how this campus is run and looks.”
More disturbing, apparently the University is encouraging the very dangerous practice of riding on sidewalks:
The O’Colly article encouraged cyclists to ride on sidewalks and outlined campus plans for shared sidewalks instead of bike lanes.
Riding on sidewalks is very dangerous because of obstacles like pedestrians, driveways and crossroads, Bruer said.
“It is just as dangerous, if not more, than riding on the road,” he said. “Most cycling communities have realized that it is dangerous to ride on sidewalks.”
Bruer also noted that the University of California-Berkley is advising OSU on adopting a campus without bike lanes.
“UC Berkley is not a recognized bike-friendly campus,” he said. “We are getting our advice from a campus that is not considered bike-friendly.”
Have you ever wondered what that crazy sculpture is called? Have you ever wanted to dazzle your friends with your intimate knowledge of our city's rich history? Sign up for one of the Downtown OKC Bike Tours! It's fun and it's free.
Sign up today for your opportunity to get a unique perspective of our city's history, art and architecture. Each tour is led by an expert guide who will reveal the people, places and stories that have made Oklahoma City rich with culture. As opposed to simply driving through downtown, bike tours give you a more in-depth look at neighborhoods and buildings. The casual atmosphere of the tours allows for more questions and interaction with the experts guiding the tours.
October 2nd: History Tour starting at the Spokies Station at the Chickasaw Downtown Ballpark
October 9th: Public Art Tour starting at the Downtown Library
October 16th: Architecture Tour starting at the Spokies Station at 9th and Broadway
All rides start at 6:00 PM and are 2 1/2 to 3 miles in length, perfect for riders of all abilities. At this time all Spokies bikes are spoken for, but you are welcome to bring your own bike.
Stillwater has formed a standing bicycle committee in an attempt to improve their bicycle friendliness:
Stillwater has taken another step toward becoming more cycle-friendly.
The Stillwater Bicycle Committee was officially established Wednesday night, following the tradition of other bike-friendly communities across the nation.
Jim Bruer, committee member and Oklahoma State University academic counselor, said this is a necessary step in promoting cycling in Stillwater.
“One of the main things you need to be approved (as a bike-friendly community) is to have a cycling committee like this,” Bruer said.
This is a step Stillwater is taking in order to join Norman and Tulsa as Oklahoma Bicycle Friendly Communities as ranked by the League of American Bicyclists.
