A dollar per kilometre. This year I’m taking it to 2K. Be part of this journey. I just bought my kid her first road bike. She’s put 65km on it since we brought it home 48 hours ago. I love biking and I love hanging out with my daughter.… More
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cmkl: The cycling I’m doing during the COVID-19 lockdown
There are countries where the distancing and isolating measures enacted include a total prohibition on cycling. But Canada isn’t one of them. And until Theresa Tam or Vera Etches tells me not to, I’m going to ride outside. Read more
Continue readingcmkl: Road biking in Umbria
A world full of beautiful back roads wending their way through valleys, fields, medieval hilltop towns, up mountains. Umbria is a great place to ride. It’s known mostly for food and festivals. Where I was, the countryside is dotted with agri-turismo places — basically farms where you stay the night,
Continue readingA Puff of Absurdity: Cycling Rant
If cycling is part of your life, it looks like the NDP comes way ahead in terms of addressing cycling concerns. Extinction Rebellion is clear about the need for car-free streets as part of action to decrease the threats of climate change. And even my city claims to be moving
Continue readingcmkl: Bike trainers: one way to pedal when life intrudes
A strange question for August in Canada — how do I choose an indoor bike trainer. But life intrudes and the question came from a friend whose work precludes riding at any time other than late at night. I have another friend who has joint custody of three young kids.
Continue readingcmkl: A dollar per kilometre: Great Canadian Cycle Challenge
This June I’m riding the Great Canadian Cycle Challenge to raise money to help the Sick Kids Foundation fight cancer. Participants pledge to ride a certain distance and raise a certain amount. I’m aiming to ride 1500km and raise $1500. Read more The post A dollar per kilometre: Great Canadian
Continue readingcmkl: Cycling safety: attitudes before infrastructure
There I was, riding south down Farmers Way. I was doing a workout, going somewhere between 36 and 40km/h — half the posted speed limit — in the middle of the southbound lane. If you don’t happen to know Farmers’ Way, it could easily be called Farmers Out of the
Continue readingcmkl: Conley trial illustrates the problem with the Laurier Bike Lane
The criminal trial of the driver who killed a cyclist as she was travelling on Laurier makes me think the real crime is the bike lane itself. Read more The post Conley trial illustrates the problem with the Laurier Bike Lane appeared first on cmkl.
Continue readingA Puff of Absurdity: End of an Era: On Buying My First Car
I bought a 2009 Kia Rio. I went with a friend because I had no idea how it all worked, and I had lots of stupid questions, like: How do I get license plates before I have the car, or do I leave the car at the dealer and get
Continue readingcmkl: Garmin Vector 3 pedals kept going with baby oil and electrical tape
When my old power meter gave up the ghost, Garmin’s Vector 3 pedals seemed to be the perfect replacement. Little did I know they would be kept working with electrical tape and baby oil. This is a cautionary tale about technology and how to keep from losing all your customers.
Continue readingcmkl: Looking for your support
We’re right into the cycling season now and it’s time for me to seek your help raising money for the Toronto Sick Kids Foundation and for Parkinson’s research at the University of Ottawa. I reckon I’m heading out into the rain for a training ride today so some moral support
Continue readingcmkl: Paugan Road closure: it’s real
Parts of Paugan Road are closing while the Municipality of Denholm and the province spar over who should be responsible for the road after rainfall-driven floods washed out two stretches of the east-west road that links several West Québec towns. I went to the emergency meeting Denholm Town Council called
Continue readingcmkl: Paugan Road closing for good?
I admit it’s a bit of an acquired taste, but I like riding Paugan Road in Denholm Québec. The latest bout of severe rainfall and flooding has done away with more of it. The municipality is facing a $2.5 million bill to fix it. This is money they don’t have.
Continue readingcmkl: Road cycling shoes for wide feet: what to do when you’re descended from ducks
I have been looking for cycling shoes to fit my wide feet for years. And I’ve finally found some. I’ve always wanted to wear the cool shoes. Topsiders, Cebos, Stan Smiths, pointy Oxfords, Doc Maartens. You name it. But most of the time, they never worked for me because my
Continue readingcmkl: Do wide tires make you faster – one rider’s experience
Now I’m just one numbers-obsessed rider. No expert. But I have been following with interest the whole inquiry into whether or not the road cycling religion of Skinny Tires and High Pressure Makes You Faster is actually true. And I decided to run my own tests. What did I discover?
Continue readingcmkl: Lap the Gats: an 80km hilly crit
Lap the Gats. Done. I did well, I think. I cut about 8 minutes off my last year’s time, scored my top three results on the Fortune Parkway climb segment, and generally managed to stick with the lead group from start to finish. It wasn’t the result I was looking
Continue readingcmkl: Half way, a week away
Today my buddy Joel and I rode out to Dunrobin Shore and back — all in about 117km. I hit the half-way point for my yearly kilometre goal and I’m about half way to my Lap the Gats fundraising goal. So I’m pretty happy about that. Only I’ve got until the
Continue readingcmkl: Much pavement in my near future
I’m having a relaxing evening trying to get a decent earworm into my head in preparation for riding 420km from Ottawa to Kingston and back in the Rideau Lakes Cycle Tour this weekend. Wish me luck and please, if you can, donate to one or both of my Great Cycle
Continue readingcmkl: Pedalling against Parkinson’s again
You don’t have to join me. You can just donate. I’m riding the Gatineau Parkway ‘A’ Loop four times — maybe five — to raise money for the University of Ottawa’s Parkinson’s research consortium. The event, Lap the Gats, is in its third year. And each year I’ve been getting
Continue readingA Puff of Absurdity: On the Philosophy of Mr. Money Moustache
A friend pointed me towards this podcast in which Tim Ferriss interviews Mr. Money Moustache (MMM), a man who retired from work in his 30s to live on the interest from his investments and then got a significant following as a blogger. The podcast describes the kind of life I’ve
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