winter 2012 quick release
DESCRIPTION
New Bici Centro Space, and wintery bike tales...TRANSCRIPT
QuickReleaseSANTA BARBARA BICYCLE COALITION
Our New Home!
Winter 2012 • Volume 22 / No. 3
Want to help create this new community space? Check out page 4
2 Quick Release Winter 2012
BOARDErik WrightDavid BourgeoisByron BeckMichael ChiacosRobert CaizaCarmen LozanoHector GonzalezTim BurgessCourtney DietzJohn HygelundMike VergeerDavid Hodges
STAFFEd France, Executive [email protected]
Christine Bourgeois, Education [email protected]
Shawn Von Biela, Karen Blakeman, and Brooke Treanor, shop staff [email protected]
GOVT. LIAISONS & ADVISORSMatt Dobberteen, AdvisorCounty of Santa Barbara805-568-3576
Kent Epperson, AdvisorTraffi c Solutions805-961-8917
Ralph Fertig, President Emeritus805-962-1470
GRAPHIC DESIGNCynthia [email protected]
EDITORHolly [email protected]
CONTACT US506 E. Haley St.Santa Barbara, CA 93103
PO Box 92047Santa Barbara, CA 93190
www.sbbike.org805-617-3255
CONTRIBUTEYour time:www.bicicentro.org/volunteerIn-kindwww.bicicentro.org/wishlistFinancially:www.bicicentro.org/donate
Our VisionThe Bike Coalition vision is that Santa Barbara will be a leader in creating a bicycle-friendly
community and transportation system. Extensive on-road and separated bikeways, a
coordinated transit system, parking, and amenities allow us to enjoy a culture where
the majority of daily trips include a bicycle. As a result, our community is healthier and
encourages balanced living within our resources. universal cycling education for all ages
supports the development of safe and respectful road behaviors from both motorists and
cyclists. Widespread community and political support for bicycling is in place. By 2040,
because it is a cycling-centered county, Santa Barbara is both a great place to live and
work and a nationally acclaimed cycling destination, boasting a year-round calendar of
successful, fun, and inclusive events.
cover photo by shawn Von.
Our new home! The SB Bike Coalition is thrilled to show off this storefront. Located on 506 East Haley next door to Muddy Waters, the new
headquarters will host Bici Centro, DIY shop extraordinaire, as well as the coalition’s many educational and outreach programs, allowing SB
Bike to beef up its off erings to Santa Barbara’s diverse cycling community.
Letter from the EditorFor many, winter symbolizes an end of a cycle. As the air
turns crisp and holiday décor fi lls our streets and homes,
something inside us knows it’s time to purge—to clean
out that which no longer serves us and make way for the
bounty that comes with starting anew. We create space for
springtime and rebirth.
This year, many of us have refl ected on the end of an even
greater cycle. In 3114 BC, the Maya created a numerically
predictable calendar called the Long Count. Its celestial
cycle would end 5,126 years later, in 2012 AD. I, for one, am
boarding the metaphorical ark on which rides a shift in our
collective consciousness. In this new cycle, we individuals and communities—the spokes
that support our global wheel—will renew our relationships with each other and with our
planet and her cycles. Why am I boarding? Because mindfully setting out toward a goal is
the fi rst step to accomplishing anything.
Case in point: SB Bike’s board envisioned a new location to support our cycling
community’s growing needs. The board set out to fi nd a place that would host extended
shop hours, more education opportunities, and enhanced outreach and advocacy
programs.
Thanks to perseverance and the help of the many spokes that support this community,
that spot is well under way. Each time I visit the budding new headquarters of SB Bike
and Bici Centro, I am fi lled with the joy of new birth. Fresh paint and the dedication of
volunteers—one even made a brave off er to his FB friends to match all volunteered hours—
brighten the walls. And enthusiasm fi lls the space with visions of this new community
center—this fresh cycle for Santa Barbara’s biking community.
Happy cycles and cycling,
Holly Starley, QR editor
Happy cycles and cycling,
Holly Starley, QR editor
www.BiciCentro.org 3
CONTENTSBici Finds Home 4SB Cyclists on the Rise 5Spokes and Bones 6Open Streets in SB? 7Everest Challenge 8Lighting the Night 9Events Calendar 10Ask Dr. Dan Column 11
Mike Rodgers goes the
extra mile for bicycling
and his Santa Barbara community. After a
full week managing the uCSB AS Bike Shop,
Mike chooses to give an extra shift each
week to help Bici Centro improve its service
here in downtown Santa Barbara. Mike has
taught our mechanics series multiple times
and is one of the most skilled and positive
Bici crewmembers around. He has been
volunteering at Bici Centro for almost two
years. Thanks, Mike, for what you do!
Favorite bike: My favorite bike is one
I built this summer at the united Bicycle
Institute in Portland. I love it because I was
intimately involved with every part of it, and it
was built to fi t my body dimensions. The frame
geometry is similar to the Surley Long Haul
Trucker I used to own—long wheelbase, low BB, slack head and seat tube angles—
but with slightly more fork rake and a 55 cm seat tube, which is not available in a
commercially built frame.
Favorite thing about the shop: I love volunteering on Saturday
afternoons because I can share my mechanic skills with other like-minded people
in a friendly and supportive environment.
Mike Hodges refurbishing a bike for SB Bike’s Bite Size Bikes giveaway last year. CHRISTINE BOuRGEOIS
Dons Net CafeEye SpecialistsService ObjectsRoddick Foundation
The Santa Barbara Bicycle Coalition and Bici Centro would like to thank all our supporters and business members!
VOLUNTEER BIKE LIGHT
Orfalea
On December 6, a group of cyclists took to the streets of Santa Barbara dressed in white, red, and green for SB Bike Moves’ “Frosty the Snow Moves.” Some riders sported carrot noses; one decked-out chariot provided a regal ride for two lovely ladies. This biking enthusiast, Jason Summers, along with his son Kai, 7, decorated the back of Summers’s extra-long ride, a Kona ute, to the nines. Santa sat atop a winter scene in the snow globe fashioned from a recycled aquarium bowl and a 12-volt battery powering an inline fan that recirculated the “snow.” Kai decorated the snowman fl agpole on the back. HOLLY STARLEY
4 Quick Release Winter 2012
BICI UPDATE
No Place Like HomeHector Gonzalez, Bici Centro Chair
Hello, bicycle friends and family. As many
of you may already know, the Santa Barbara
Bicycle Coalition (SB Bike) has recently
acquired a new home for Bici Centro and all
our SB Bike activities.
Our previous location at 601 E. Montecito
Street has adequately served us for many
years. From our humble beginnings, this space
afforded us the opportunity to turn scarce
capital into essential services for the bicycle
community as we grew as an organization. And
now, we are ready to expand both our vision
and our reach.
Thanks to a targeted search, we have found a
new location, situated very close to the same
community we have been serving all these
years. But to move forward with the new
location, we’ve had to produce significant cash
up front for moving expenses, increased rents,
upgrades to the property, and rent, while our
revenue-generating programs are reduced
for the move. A generous donor has offered
a $10,000 matching donation, making our
$40,000 target even more attainable and your
donation go even further. We have achieved 77
percent of this goal.
For your donation, the returns are enormous!
Imagine, a Bici Centro that is open five or more
days a week so that you can grab the essential
bike part that you absolutely need for your
commute to work. Need help fixing up your
bike? Not a problem. The new location for Bici
Centro will help us accommodate more open
shop days and longer hours to help you learn
how to keep your bike in prime condition.
More kids taught about bike safety, more low-
income residents met in their neighborhoods
for bike repair, and more free lights distributed
to needy cyclists—these and more are the
future with an improved and expanded space.
Any donation is helpful, and we are
encouraging gifts at all levels, as we need your support today. In addition,
we would love your help building our new cycling community center. Please
continue to partner with us and know that, the next time you are in need, it
will not be the back of our head you see as you wait on the side of the road
with your bike. We will be there extending a pump, a spare tube, a helpful tip,
or a patch kit. This is what happens when Bici Centro empowers cyclists like
us. This is community. This is Bici Centro.
Help Build Our Home
Volunteer Wish list• **Top priority item** Help design signage – Bici needs signage both
for the new shop and for directions from the old spot to the new one.• Offer your construction and commercial layout skills – During the
first year at the new locale, everyone at the shop will undoubtedly be improving the shop layout to best accommodate parts and workspace. The goal is to get as much as possible right on the first try. From now until the end of January, Bici will need help building, modifying, and moving shelving, workstations, and all types of shop material.
• Share your artistic abilities and contribute to the shop’s aesthetics – Bici’s new home creates a wealth of new opportunities for art projects, such as murals and much more. Lend your creativity to improve the look and feel of the community cycling center.
• Help build youth bikes –A constant demand combined with and an increasing supply of kids’ bikes make refurbishing these rides a shop priority. Working on youth bikes is a great way to gain wrenching experience, as these bikes are fairly straightforward and not as complicated as many adult bikes.
• Clean, sort, test, and service donated components – Help make ready the supply of wheels, shifters, brakes, cranks, etc. that the shop will provide for inexpensive repairs during DIY Open Shop hours.
tools and equipment Wish list• Bench vise – the bigger the better (alternatively, a machinist to repair
the current vise)• Tap and dies of bike sizes (the shop already has 9/16 pedal taps and
M5X1 and English BB taps)• 15 mm open wrenches; cone wrenches (especially 15 mm and 13 mm)• Smaller road bikes (48 – 54 cm)• Steel road and touring bikes (20”, 24”, and 26” aluminum wheels only,
please)• Good old parts off bikes (stuff you upgraded but is still good)• Freewheel tool – two-prong; Regina/old school, non Suntour• Spoke tools• Truing stands• Chain tools – good ones (they wear out and break quickly)• Derailleur hanger straightener• Trainer (bike holding stand with flywheels)
To offer your help or donate in kind, please contact Ed France, executive director, at 805/203-6940 or [email protected]. Find an up-to-date wish list at www.bicicentro.org/wishlist.
www.BiciCentro.org 5
Spokes and Bones: Honoring Lost CyclistsEd France
El Día de Los Muertos is an important holiday in Mexico and much
of Latin America; on this day, celebrants pray for and remember the
deceased. The Santa Barbara Bicycle Coalition participated in this
beautiful tradition, honoring and remembering the cyclists killed—
tragically—in preventable collisions and accidents. We were proud to
have the opportunity to collaborate in the creation of two bicycle-
related altars—one through our long-term partnership with Casa de
la Raza for their “Viva La Educación” Día de los Muertos event. Our
second altar was part of Santa Maria’s annual Día de los Muertos
community celebration. Our participation in the Santa Maria event
was our first time ever collaboration between SBBC, Pueblo, THRIVE
Santa Maria, The Cutters Cycling Club, and Santa Maria Parks & Rec,
and it was very important to us because we wanted to show that we
remember the three tragic deaths of cyclists in North County this year.
This is why the work of our bicycling advocacy is so critical. It is a matter of life and death.These altars symbolized the lives of those gone, while at the same
time serving as a vehicle to increase awareness, provide education,
promote safety, and spark the advocacy flame in our community. We
know education is our most powerful tool. This year, nearly 5,000
people will die while biking or walking, which is disproportionately
high compared to other nations and other modes of transportation.
Additionally, our Santa Barbara community is among the most
dangerous in the state.*
These deaths are preventable. In fact, we know from other
communities, both internationally and right here on the West Coast,
that it doesn’t have to be that way. We can vastly reduce these deaths
to nearly none, simply by improving our roadways and increasing the
mode share of bicyclists and pedestrians. This is why the work of our
bicycling advocacy is so critical. It is a matter of life and death.
*Please note: Despite the inordinate risk of collision in the United
States, the health benefits of bicycling—giving over an hour of
increased life expectancy per hour of cycling—far outweigh the risks.
Ride proud and ride confident, and remember those who have fallen
while making bicycling a normal part of our culture.
IN OUR COMMUNITYSB Bike invites all Santa Barbara cyclists to come and check out the new Bici Centro shop location at 506 East Haley St. Help create our new and improved community cycling center!
SB Bike invita a todos los ciclistas de Santa Barbara para visitar y conocer nuestra nueva locación de la tienda Bici Centro en 506 East Haley St. ¡Ayúdanos a crear un nu evo centro para nuestra comunidad de ciclistas!
FELICIANO AGuILAR
6 Quick Release Winter 2012
IN OUR COMMUNITY
More People are Bike CommutingRalph Fertig
According to data from the uS Census Bureau, biking to work is steadily
increasing in the uS, in California, and in Santa Barbara County.
The “Bike to Work” graph shows how our county vastly outperforms both
the uS and the California numbers for years between 2000 and 2011.
Our bicycling increase for the county refl ects growth from 4,822 to 7,859
bicyclists over those twelve years—that’s an increase of 63 percent, six
times the 10 percent increase in the total number of county workers!
Bicycling mode share increased from 2000 to 2011, so what mode
did people switch from when they chose to bicycle? It turns out that
county commuters are driving 3.5 percent less. They are not only biking
1.3 percent more, they are also working at home 1.3 percent more,
and taking the bus 0.9 percent more. (Walking, however, remained
unchanged.) This welcome trend means less congestion, cleaner air,
quieter communities, and better health. Good for us bicyclists and good
for everybody!
Data from the Census Bureau consists of two types—the Census “Long
Form” that was sent to one in six households each decade and its
annual American Community Survey (ACS) that queries one in thirty-fi ve
households. Both surveys ask the same question, “How did you usually
get to work last week?” to workers at least sixteen years old.
The Long Form stopped with the year 2000 and was replaced a few years
later with the ACS to give people frequently-updated data. However,
because of the smaller sample size, the ACS data
are less reliable for small sample sets, like smaller
cities.
For the ACS counts, the bureau releases data
each year for cities of over 65,000 residents. For
smaller cities, they instead aggregate the data
over fi ve-year periods. So while we get annual
data for Santa Maria and Santa Barbara, we have
to wait for the aggregated versions for others.
The “Bike to Work 2006–2010 graph shows
the most recently released fi ve-year numbers.
As expected, bicycling to work is considerably
more common in the South Coast than in the
North County. The surprise may be that both
Goleta and Carpinteria have a much higher bike
commute share than Santa Barbara.
The Census Bureau continuously releases its
ACS data, so the measure of what’s happening is
always being updated. With bicycling increasing
all over the uS, we look positively toward an
increasingly bright future.
0% 1% 2% 3% 4% 5% 6% 7%
Bike to Work 2006-2010
Goleta
Carpinteria
SB County
California
Santa Maria
US
Santa Barbara
Lompoc
0%
1%
2%
3%
4%
5%
2000
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
Bike to Work 2000-2011
SB County
California
US
www.BiciCentro.org 7
ADVOCACY
CicLAvia Field Trip: Should SB Open its Streets?Kent Epperson, SBCAG Traffic Solutions
CicLAvia is a biannual event that
temporarily closes down streets to cars
on about 10 miles of major arterial roads
in downtown LA and opens the streets
up as a public park for the community
to enjoy, with the goal of encouraging
physical activity such as bicycling,
walking, or just enjoying the city car-free.
More than 100,000 people of all walks
of life attend these events. October 2011
participant, Lori La Riva said that she
“loved the freedom to enjoy the wide and
far stretching spaces, riding side by side
with a good friend, laughing together,
and enjoying the view of small shops,
houses, and tall office buildings—all with
no worries as everyone around us was on
foot or two wheels too!”
Many of us have wondered if something
similar could be organized in Santa
Barbara. So on October 7, forty-seven
community leaders piled into a bus
(donated by Santa Barbara Airbus) and
headed to LA with bikes in tow, on a fact
finding mission to experience CicLAvia
firsthand. The field trip was co-organized
by Traffic Solutions, the Santa Barbara
Bicycle Coalition, and COAST. Ant it
was perfectly timed, since the CicLAvia
organizers and the LA mayor’s office put
on a public briefing that day for leaders
from surrounding cities to learn what it
takes to put on an Open Streets event like
CicLAvia.
The field trip was such a hit that the SB
organizers decided to spread the word
and share what they’d learned at an Open
Streets Forum held at the Faulkner Gallery
on November 7. Over forty community
leaders, including bicyclists, business
owners, public health officials, city of
Santa Barbara Staff, law enforcement,
architects, and sustainability leaders
attended the event. The forum featured
presentations from Aaron Paley, executive
director of CicLAvia, and Saskia Lucas,
organizer of the first annual Open Streets
Santa Cruz. Much was learned from the
presentations, and the audience was left
feeling both inspired and humbled by the
level of effort it takes to put on such an
event.
The concept and term Ciclovia (Spanish
for “bike path”) was first put into practice
in Bogotá, Columbia, at a weekly Sunday
event that started in the late ’70s. Now, every
Sunday, over two million people enjoy 70
miles of open streets by bike, foot, and roller
blades, while other participate in dance or
exercise classes.
This concept has spread around the world in
cities large and small, with more than eighty
similar events in the united States alone.
The new term for these kinds of initiatives
is Open Streets. Open Streets initiatives
look very different from place to place, but
the common goal is to encourage physical
activity and the exploration of a city without
a car. Other activities can include games,
sports, dance classes, bicycle rodeos,
public talks, live music, food, art, and more.
There is a DIY aspect to these initiatives,
encouraging the community to use the
streets in creative and fun, active ways.
Open Street events with longer routes tend
to encourage bicycling and rollerblading,
whereas the shorter route events attract
more stationary sports, games, and
activities.
Should we bring an Open Streets initiative to
Santa Barbara? If so, when and where should
it be held?
A follow-up Open Streets meeting was held
on December 4 at 6:30 p.m. to discuss this
topic further. For more information about an
Open Streets even in Santa Barbara, e-mail
Eva Inbar at [email protected].
From top: Chicken style? – The group from Dons Net Cafe is ready to roll. Family style – Mom and Dad hold hands on the handlebar, and the little one naps. Tall style – This tall biker wows a crowd with his tricks. Zebra style – Kent Epperson leaves the Soto Station Hub, boom box in tow, and ready to enjoy the open streets of LA. CHRISTINE BOuRGEOIS.
8 Quick Release Winter 2012
Amy with team at Century. CHRISTINE BOuRGEOIS
FEATURE
Mt. Everest on a Bike? Pedal Power Instructor Climbs to the Challenge
Amy Benner, up-and-coming racer extraordinaire and
enthusiastic SB Bike Pedal Power instructor, placed third in
her division (Category 4) in a grueling, aptly named race—the
Everest Challenge—this September. A two-day, 206-mile
stage race based in Bishop, California, the Everest Challenge
takes its name from the fact that it includes 29,035 feet of
climbing (the height of Mt. Everest). After the weekend race,
Benner was back at La Colina Jr. High on Wednesday, a little
sore and all the more in love with bikes and racing.
The Quick Release caught up with Benner to get the skinny
on the race, her training and nutrition choices, and why she
chooses to share her love of all things cycling with local
youngsters.
QR: How was the Everest Challenge?
BENNER: I haven’t been racing long, but this race was
definitely the hardest race I have ever done and the
most beautiful. The Eastern Sierra Nevada and the Inyo
White Mountains are spectacular to explore by bike.
QR: When did you first start biking? What was your first
bike?
BENNER: I started cycling pretty much when
everybody does—around 5 or 6 years old. I commuted
by bike to and from college, but the road cycling
obsession didn’t start until about two years ago.
My first bike was from a garage sale, I think. I can’t
remember what kind it was. I think it may have once
been green and pink, but it was so faded it was hard to
tell.
QR: How long have you known you wanted to race?
What or who was your inspiration?
BENNER: My first road race was in January of this
year—the Poor College Kids Road Race, in Santa Ynez.
I don’t think I really knew how much I loved racing
until the official blew the start whistle and we all took
off. The more I raced, the more I loved it. I have to say,
though, that I really lucked out. I went into my first race
with a lot of support. I had my B4T9 teammates to help me, and my coach, Jill
Gass, to tell me exactly what to do. Cycling is first and foremost a team sport,
and team B4T9 is the most inspiring group of people I have ever met.
QR: Tell us a little about your training. What does it involve? How much of your
time is dedicated to it?
BENNER: My training varies, depending on the time of year and the type of
races that I’m preparing for. Right now, it’s off-season, so I’m doing more base
training (longer/slower rides, climbing, etc.) and a lot of strength training (on
and off the bike). During the racing season, the focus shifts to higher intensity,
speed-driven workouts—lots of interval work and fast-paced group riding. The
local group rides are excellent race practice. On average, though, I spend about
fifteen to twenty-five hours per week on the bike and maybe three to five hours
a week doing off-the-bike training.
QR: Nutrition – what does it mean to you and how has racing changed that?
BENNER: Nutrition is huge. If I’m not training or working, chances are you’ll
find me in the kitchen. For me, nutrition means real food, and lots of it. It’s
appalling how much I need to eat. Having the right food at the right time is
absolutely crucial to performance. The Everest Challenge was what really got
me cooking; gels and energy bars don’t cut it on a ride like that, and once you
get used to eating real food, you never want to look at a Clif bar ever again. Jill
let me borrow her copy of The Feed Zone Cookbook by Dr. Allen Lim and Biju
Thomas when I was training for the EC. If it wasn’t for Jill’s advice on training
and nutrition, I never would have survived. Now, I have my own copy of the
cookbook, and I use it pretty much every day. My favorite training food is fig and
honey rice cakes and Nutella sandwiches.
QR: What was your favorite race and why?
BENNER: Don’t know. Haven’t raced them all yet. So far, though, probably the
Everest Challenge. It was for sure the most beautiful. Plus, endurance events
like that are really empowering because they really blow the cap off what is (and
what is not) possible.
QR: What kind of bike do you ride?
BENNER: My road bike is a Trek Madone 3.1, and I borrow my teammate’s
Specialized Transition for time trials.
QR: How does your racing relate to/inform you as you pass your love of biking
on to the youth in your Pedal Power classes?
BENNER: I started learning about bike safety as an adult. I really wish I’d learned
it as a kid. Taking bike safety classes made me feel safer on the road and made
me confident enough on the bike to try racing. If I’d started as a kid, I could’ve
started racing sooner! Racing is just one of the many things you can do with a
bike, and I try to present Pedal Power to young people as a gateway to all that is
great about bikes.
QR: What, if anything, would you change about the world of bicycle racing?
BENNER: I’d like to see more attention given to women cyclists. We’re making
progress though. I could talk about this forever, but I’ll just say that this is a really
exciting time to be a girl on a bike.
QR: What are your goals for yourself as a racer? Is there any race/place that
would be the penultimate achievement?
BENNER: For now, I’d like to do well as a Cat 3 racer next season and earn
enough points to become a Cat 2. Once I’m a Cat 2, we’ll see if I’m good
enough to spend all season getting dropped by the professionals.
www.BiciCentro.org 9
OUTREACH
“Light the Night” Makes Local Cyclists Safer!When Daylight Savings hits, many cyclists are left in the dark during
their commute. During the first week of November, SB Bike’s Spanish
Language Outreach committee partnered with the city and county of
Santa Barbara to organize the second annual Iluminando La Noche
(Light the Night). Over thirty volunteers distributed more than 800 bike
lights at five different locations—Westside, Eastside, and downtown Santa
Barbara, as well as in Goleta and Carpinteria. Three cheers for more
visible cyclists!
Lights on the bridge – Volunteers, including SB Bike’s Robert Caiza (left), launched the five-night giveaway on the Micheltorena Bridge. CARMEN LOzANO
Get Involved and Practice Your Spanish!The Spanish Language Outreach Committee combines the
resources of SB Bike, Bici Centro, and Traffic Solutions.
The committee meets on the third Thursday of each
month to discuss outreach programs for Santa Barbara’s
vibrant Spanish-speaking cycling community. Meetings are
conducted bilingually and open to everyone, so this is a great
opportunity for Spanish speakers and those of you who are
learning the language alike. Upcoming meetings will be held
on February 21 and March 21, 2013, at 7 p.m. at Bici’s new
location on 506 E. Haley St.
Lighting Old Town – During the giveaways, volunteers conducted a survey to ascertain (1) how SB Bike can best advocate for cyclists’ needs (What keeps you from biking? unlighted roads, difficult intersections, etc.) and (2) recipients’ knowledge of cycling laws and safety (Is it legal to ride on the sidewalk? Nope). Here, SB Bike’s Mike Vergeer and this Goleta survey recipient are all smiles. CARMEN LOzANO
Lights for the family – This family is ready to ride after dark! CARMEN LOzANO
Lights with flames – This Iluminando volunteer shares a moment with a young biker after attaching front and rear lights to brighten up his flaming ride (check out the saddle). CARMEN LOzANO
Lighting Milpas with smiles – A happy volunteer and cyclist show off his new lights. CARMEN LOzANO
10 Quick Release Winter 2012
EDUCATIONstreet skills: the 4-part series for the prepared and aWare bicycle commuter
Clinic 1: Get Your Bike Ready to RideJan 15, 7–9 pm; freeClinic 2: Become a Confident RiderJan 17, 7–9 pm; FreeClinics 3 & 4: Bike Handling Skills & Group RideJan 19, 10 am–3 pm; Free
learn your bike series Join us for our much-acclaimed 8-week bicycle mechanics primer. Jan 29 – Mar 19, 7–9 pm (8 Tuesdays)
$95 non-members/$85 members/volunteer training (free work trade)To register for or learn more about these classes, visit bicicentro.org/events.
priVate Group instructionScout troops, work groups, and others, schedule your own group training in bike handling and mechanic skills taught by American League of Bicyclists Certified Instructors.
Your convenience; prices varyContact Christine Bourgeois at [email protected] to schedule.
third annual youth bike summit in nycSB Bike is hoping to send a group of high school students to the conference to represent Santa Barbara’s young biking community and is looking for interested cyclists, including mountain bikers.Feb 15, 16, and 17$20 youth/$35 adultsContact Christine Bourgeois at [email protected] or visit recycleabicycle.org/about-us/youth-bike-summit to learn more.
BIKING OPPORTUNITIESsolVanG century
Choose from 50, 63, & 100 mile courses. Register at bikescor.com/solvang_century.html.Mar 9
bike moVesJoin a fun group ride on the first Thursday of every month. Dress up yourself or your bike, if you like. Check sbbikemoves.com for upcoming themes (not an SB Bike event).
Jan 3, Feb 7, Mar 7, 7:30 pm, Free
COMMITTEE MEETINGSJoin us to plan our proGrams!
AdvocacyMonthly, 2nd Thurs, noonwww.bicicentro.org/AdvocacyEventsMonthly, 3rd Tues, 6 pmwww.bicicentro.org/EventsComSpanish LanguageMonthly, 3rd Thurs, 7 pmwww.bicicentro.org/SpanishcomEducationMonthly, 2nd Wed, 7 pm*www.bicicentro.org/EducomBici Centro ShopMonthly, 2nd Tues, 7 pmwww.bicicentro.org/BicicomMembership & CommunicationMonthly, 3rd Thurs, noonwww.bicicentro.org/org/mc*Meeting with Tailwinds Bicycle Club of Santa Maria (Bike Education in North County)
The Jan Education meeting will be held at a special location in conjunction with the Bike Education in North County group, and all are invited.Jan 9, 7 pm; Edwards Community Center, 809 Fremont Dr.
WINTER CYCLING EVENTS
Promote yourself here!Show Santa Barbara cyclists what you have
going on.
To flaunt your stuff in the spring issue of the
Quick Release, contact Ed France at 805/617-
3255, [email protected].
www.BiciCentro.org 11
Dan Fishbein is a physician and public health
practitioner who has loved bicycles since
his childhood in Los Angeles. Since moving
to Santa Barbara, he is proud that he usually
does all his commuting on a bike, logging
many car-free weeks. “Ask Dr. Dan,” one
of the QR’s two favorite columns, features
cycling-related medical information. And like the column title
suggestions, you can send Fishbein your health questions. To ask
Dr. Dan, e-mail [email protected] with the subject “Ask Dr. Dan.”
COULUMN
Ask Dr. DanGo easy on those pain medicationsColumn by Dan Fishbein, MD
Over-the-counter pain relievers can be divided into those
with anti-inflammatory properties—non-steroidal anti-
inflammatory medications (NSAIDS)—and those without
anti-inflammatory properties. NSAIDS include ibuprofen
(sold under the brand names Motrin, Nurofen, Advil, and
Nuprin); naproxyn (Aleve); and aspirin. Acetaminophen
(Tylenol) is the most commonly used pain reliever that
does not have anti-inflammatory properties. Nonsteroidal
anti-inflammatory are commonly used by cyclists to
prevent or treat exercise-induced pain, thereby making
cycling more enjoyable and possibly improving physical
performance. However, these drugs have a number of
potentially hazardous effects on health that all of us should
be aware of.
NSAIDS have a number of side effects. They can lead
to bleeding of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, high blood
pressure, and kidney disease. Moreover, a recent study
showed that cyclists (and presumably other athletes)
who take NSAIDS while exercising are more likely to have
gastrointestinal damage than those who take them at other
times. It is believed that the cause was shunting of blood
from the GI to the muscles.
While acetaminophen is much safer, you need to be very
careful how much you take, especially if you enjoy your
alcoholic drinks. In higher-than-recommended doses, this
medicine can damage your liver, potentially quite seriously.
People who don’t drink (or have only a few per day) can
take up to three regular strength (325 mg) or two extra
strength (500 mg) tablets three times per day, while those
who have “a few too many” should take no more than two
regular strength or one extra strength tablets thrice daily.
Here’s a dose of the science behind this recommendation.
Chronic alcohol use activates enzymes that transform
acetaminophen into chemicals that can cause liver
damage, even when the medicine is used in standard
amount. But if you’ve had a few too many and taken
acetaminophen, don’t worry. The trouble starts when
regular heavy drinkers take a lot of acetaminophen over a
period of time—several days, at least, and maybe longer.
A very healthy and effective alternative to these drugs is
yoga, which relieves pain by stimulating a secretion of a
natural pain reliever called g-Aminobutyric acid (GABA). I’ll
write more about yoga in a future edition of “Ask Dr. Dan.”
Join Now!Why should you register or renew as a member of the Santa Barbara Bicycle Coalition?1. it helps us assert our collective rights as road users.
2. power in numbers helps us influence local
government for better bikeways.
3. We help you stay in the loop of local bicycling-
related events.
4. We offer discounts with our local bike shops, as well
as for our classes and events.
5. membership enables you to volunteer at premium
opportunities like bike valet at the sb bowl.
Membership Rates:individual, 1-year $30individual, 2-year $55household*, 1-year $45household*, 2-year $85business*, 1-year $100business Gold*, 1-year $250a business Gold membership includes advertising!*household and business memberships may include up to four members.register online today at www.bicicentro.org/join.
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