CD's Saturday cycling tip: go toward the light

How tired are you of approaching a traffic light and standing and standing while traffic just keeps zooming by perpindicularly or — even worse — the traffic coming at you gets a turn or two? Well good news. There is a way to approach that light and keep rolling. I've tried it and it works. A couple of times, when I timed it just right, it was so smooth my foot didn't even come out of the pedal as the signal changed. It's not necessary at every intersection but at some lights these techniques are a life saver. The article's on the website for a local group, the North Carolina Coalition for Bicycle Driving. Some of these guys have heard of me (in a noncycling capacity) and, obviously, I've heard of them. Don't be surprised if we all get to know each other better.

A Virginia flier

In the mailroom here at cycledork central we receive untold volumes of bike-friendly offers, solicitations and propaganda. One of the most recent was a brochure extoling the Bike Virginia Captain John Smith Adventure scheduled for June 22 through June 27. The basic cost is $230 per adult. Though you may not have received a leaflet describing the tidewater opportunity, you can register for the ride here. Adventure indeed. Imagine what thrills Captain Smith or Powhatan or Pocahontas could have had on a two wheeler.

The Electra challenge

Cycledork isn't talking about who has the hippest cruiser with tassels coming out of the handlebars (although that might happen some other time). No, this is all about the hilliest three miles of road in Cary. And Electra Drive sits dead center in the middle of the route. Besides, "The Evans to Trinity Up and Down Cycle Ride" would sound, well, dorkish and "Five Laps of Death" is just a touch too melodramatic. Here's the first part of the challenge: five full laps. Thirty miles. Obey all traffic lights and stop signs. Last one in picks up the first round, winner gets the second. Part two: if you've got a more rugged three-mile stretch of road west of Raleigh and east of Jordan Lake, cycledork wants to hear about it and will honor the challenge there as well. Throw the gauntlet and the date and time, once agreed to, will be posted here. Show me what you got.

The secret weapon …

Like so many other solstice miracles, arrived today. A pair of Sidi Hydro GTX. Ah, the magic of Gore-tex. And what a perfect day to see what they're made of — pouring down rain, about 50 degrees. I haven't seen it rain this hard since Tropical Storm Ernesto. Anyway. So I get my gear on, do about a mile. The boots are bulletproof from the outside. Once I figure out how to keep water from getting in — and it was only light seepage into the right shoe — I'm golden. And again, about those Illuminite pants. Reflective, warm, yes. Waterproof, no; another wet-ass four-minute ride. I'll be looking at Plan B and beyond to protect myself from the elements below the waist.

CD's Saturday cycling tip: go ahead — peek in that window

Every now and then, on our way to the open road, we find ourselves driving through areas with cars that are parallel parked, among other urban auto hazards. To keep those clods from clotheslining us with their doors, use your right eye to look in their rear and side windows. Think of this as the cycling equivalent of using the mirror and watching the road at the same time. If you see the driver or a passenger on the left-hand side, slow down or give a wider berth or both. But give props — and a wave — to the folks you see who are actually watching out for traffic before getting out of the car.

C'dork's Friday ride guide — Plan B

Here's the plan, after confirming with cyclebuddy: same route but at 11 a.m. in an attempt to avoid the rain. Bonus: more sleep.

C'dork's Friday ride guide

This Saturday, assuming no rain and that I get confirmation from cyclebuddy, is going to be cycledork on the 2100, cyclebuddy on the recumbent and anyone with the fortitude to join us on our homemade, somewhat scenic and partially predictable ride through western Wake and northeastern Chatham counties. Meet at 8 a.m. at the ATT trailhead on White Oak Chapel Road. From there, south along White Oak to Green Level Road. West on Green Level to Wimberly Road. Then east on Jenks Road to Davis Drive (one big hill). South on Davis Drive/Salem Street through Apex (caution: traffic and parallel parked cars) to Old U.S. 1. Hammer on to Beaver Creek (south of US 64)/Farrington Road (north of US 64), where we turn north. Depending how studly we're feeling we can go all the way to Durham, where we turn east on Stagecoach Road, come south on NC 751 (hilly) and then east on O'Kelly Chapel Road (cyclebuddy's recumbent will hit hit 35-40 mph), south on Green Level to Durham (two hills) and back into Cary Park. If we're feeling merely mortal, we turn east on Hollands Chapel Road, jog along 751 for a second and onto Lewter Shop Road and back to White Oak Chapel. My guess is that these rides are in the 50 and 40 mile ranges, respectively, at a speed between 17 and 19 mph. There may be a Plan B to deal with the rain, in which case I'll pass that on.