Gravel

The nice thing about owning a capable “all-road” bicycle is the ability to ride all roads.  And trails too.  For the past year and a half I’ve been exploring the unpaved roads and trails in and around Seattle.  I recently used a bit of what I learned to sew together a mixed media route starting […]

Since hearing about the much-anticipated opening of the Renslow Bridge I’ve been eager to give it a crossing.  When Michael P contacted me about doing a ride in central Washington I suggested riding the Palouse-to-Cascade trail up to and over the freshly opened bridge. The Renslow Bridge, a former Milwaukee Road railroad trestle, spans Interstate […]

One aspect that I enjoy about exploration and adventure is that one project often leads to another.  While researching an upcoming trip a door typically opens to a new undiscovered opportunity. While doing some casual online research on Troy Hopwood’s XWA (Cross Washington) route I stumbled onto a map of the Willapa Hills Trail: a […]

Forgive the lack of photos in this post; it was all I could do to stay attached. On the penultimate day of February my partners in gravel crime – Mike R, Ryan H and Mykenna I – joined up with Seattle strongwoman and 2020 CX National Champ Julie Robertson Zivin for a second helping of […]

When Trevor, Paul, Larry and I rode from Rattlesnake Lake to Tekoa on the Ironhorse and what was then known as the John Wayne Pioneer Trial we encountered half a dozen obstacles: three minor and three major.  The three major obstacles were detouring around the closed Renslow Bridge which crosses I-90 east of Ellensburg, crossing […]

I recently learned two new words: vindskydd and raststugor.  Both are Swedish words for a type of backcountry shelter.  A vindskydd is a three-walled, roofed lean-to style structure, while a raststugor is a fully enclosed hut.  A vindskydd can either be floored or bare earth, the former suitable for sleeping the later being simply a […]

I’ve learned that if you’re gonna ride here in the Pacific Northwest you’re gonna have to adopt a regular bicycle chain maintenance program.  Few things in the cycling life are as irritating as a crunchy chain. Chain lubrication does two things: reduces friction between moving parts and prevents corrosion, neither of which require large amounts […]

Over the past ten years I’ve developed a love/hate relationship with bicycle road racing.  I love the camaraderie, the thrill and the on the edge of your physical limit intensity of the sport, but what I hate is the built-in duplicity. There’s a saying in bicycle racing “don’t work harder, work smarter.”  In other words, […]

A Pseudo Review I’ve been a subscriber to Bicycle Quarterly for upwards of eight years now (I read each issue cover to cover), and when I saw that editor-in-chief Jan Heine was publishing a catch-all book entitled The All-Road Bike Revolution I submitted my preorder.  I was stoked when the blue hardbound book arrived.  At […]