The Tower Bridge is scheduled to be closed to all forms of traffic from 9/17/07 - 11/20/07.  This shutdown will allow a widening of the pedestrian and bicycle sidewalks that, according to the Bee, are like skinny calves on a body builder.  (Let’s all absorb that for a moment)  Alternatives to crossing the river are the Pioneer Bridge and the I Street Bridge.  To stay up-to-date on all things bridge related, click here.  Or, if you have questions about the status of the bridge, please call the Tower Bridge Pedestrian and Bikeway Improvements Project information line at (916) 492-6454.  I’m quite sure that they’d like to hear from you about your not using the bridge for two months.  By the way, this whole issue prompted the following conversation in the office today:

Person 1: Man, they’re closing the bridge for two months?  How am I going to get to West Sac?

Person 2: West Sac?  Where’s that?

The Mrs. and I haven’t been riding our bikes much this summer. Ok, to be honest we haven’t ridden our bikes at all this summer. Mainly because they’ve been stuck in the back of the garage since the move and all the tires were flat. So, any thought of a bike ride first started with the concept of attacking a Jenga-like mound of garage detritus, then pumping up the tires (only to find that the tires had leaks, in all probability), and then giving up out of sheer desperation. This was, until last week. With a free weekend day, we attacked the garage, pulled out the dormant velos and piled them onto the car so they could be examined by professionals.

For no other reason than proximity, we schlepped the units over to Carmichael Cycle on the corner of Arden and Fair Oaks Blvd. Contrary to previous raggers’ general cyclery experiences, our transaction at this bike shop was great. The staff was extremely friendly, knowledgeable, and didn’t look down on us at all for not wearing tight shorts with gel inserts. By the time our repair jobs were finished on our three separate bikes the bill came to a only a modest amount. On the way out, the staff helped us load the bikes back onto the car and told us in parting, that we had the “coolest bikes ever.” Sure, he says that to all the people not wearing gel shorts, but it gave us the warm fuzzies anyway.

Carmichael Cycle, 5141 Arden Way, Carmichael- Highly Recommended

I want to ride my bike. Watch out people, I’m all hepped up on Endorphins.  Is anyone else riding his or her bike to work these days? I am lucky enough to access to a bike locker and locker room at my work, which is a completely awesome perk that no one else seems to use. I always have the whole place to myself.  So, after a totally refreshing and fun commute to work I have a nice little bit of alone time to drink coffee (yes, I have a latte holder on my handlebars) and shower before facing the office. Just wondering how many other SacRaggers out there are commuting with bikes these days. Any odd experiences? And another question, most likely to be answered by RunnerGirl, any ideas of how to get that Queen song out of my head? (… I don’t wanna be a candidate
For Vietnam or Watergate
Cos all I want to do is
Bicycle bicycle bicycle …)

For the cycling enthusiasts among(st) you: make sure you’re prepped for the AMGEN Tour of California which is happening February 20th.

The world’s top professional teams will compete over an eight-day, 700-mile race on a route that includes the California redwoods, wine country and the Pacific Coast.

And yes, that includes the Discovery Team. Stage 2 is from Santa Rosa to Sac (that’s 116 miles, and if you could stretch that out over like 3 days I think it would be really fun). They’ve got a nice page about Sacramento, highlighting popular attractions and such:

Since its founding in 1849, Sacramento has grown into a cosmpolitan (sic) state capital while retaining its Gold Rush flavor.

That ’bout sums it up, I’d say…

I know that title makes little sense but I’ve been absent from SacRag for a while and I guess I’m a bit rusty. Anyhoo (a phrase I hate), I don’t know whether it’s just that I’ve been living in Sacramento for a while now, or the subliminal pressure of past SacRag posts on the subject, or all the talk of “the environment”, but I’m obsessed with getting a bike.  And not the kind of bike that would give people any chance of mistaking me with an athlete either. I’m in the market for a super-vain cruiser that can only get me to Burr’s ice cream and back, people. The obsession is so strong that it’s finally motivated me to have that garage sale I’ve been talking about for months. So it’s coming up. The date and location have been intentionally ommited so as to preserve our hallowed SacRag from becoming a craigslist substitute. I’m not plugging my sale here, I’m wondering: Any good tips out there for pulling off a blow-out garage sale, Sacramento style?

This morning I arrived at my stop along the new “Gold Line” (formerly Sunrise line) on the light rail. You know, the one that’s been expanded to go to Folsom. When it runs. Everyone was milling around and there were about 5 times as many commuters as normal. After a few minutes it was clear that a) the train was not coming and b) it had not come for a while, leaving so many extra commuters waiting at my stop. Rumors were flying - that the train had just stopped one stop up, that there was some kind of threat to the train, etc. There was an RT truck parked but no RT worker and no sign posted with information. Finally, just as I was contemplating the bus map to figure out an alternate way to work, a bus driver came up and shouted that the whole line was down both directions and had been for over an hour. She said the stop before ours had at least 100 people waiting, so even when the train started again it would take several passes before we could fit on.
Continue reading “GOLD LINE DOWN! But Sac driver saves the day.” »

Much the same way the now infamous photo of Sasquatch was engrained in our minds as youngsters, I couldn’t believe my eyes this afternoon when I came across a gaggle of cruiser chicks on Alhambra. As promised, I quickly reached for my low resolution camera phone to capture this moment for eternity. As you can imagine this illusion departed as fast as it arrived. But not before my Sprint LG went to work thus pulling back the curtain on one of the most puzzling mysteries in Sacramento history. Cruiser chick, I’ve outted you!

Cruiser sans chick

Way back when, you know, in April we did a post about The Walking Dude phenomenon. Well, today as I walked to lunch with a co-worker I cemented a new phenomenon, The Cruiser Chick. This gal or gals (you can be the judge) is seemingly everywhere in midtown at once. She has black hair and wears bangs and a ponytail. She has a piercing or two along with various tattoos, sometimes obvious, sometimes not so obvious. The bike morphs from having a basket up front to being green to having fenders and back again. Where is she going? How did she get from Alhambra and Capitol to BeachHut Deli in less than the time it took me to get there by car? And why was Locke so calm with a gun pointed at his head…oh, sorry, wrong blog…I will bring a camera with me, I promise, and photograph our two wheeled maiden of midtown. I challenge you to do the same.