2009 Bike Routes

Updated December 31 (YTD 6741.693)

01.01.2009 – Having exceeded my 3,000-mile goal for 2008 by 3,608 miles, I’ve decided not to peg a 2009 finish line to any specific number. Instead, my resolution for the new year is simply to Bike Every Day — whether it’s one mile or 100 — and see how far it takes me.

02.01.2009 – Well that didn’t take long, exactly one full month to be exact. I decided today it was entirely without merit or meaning to do those silly little 1/2-mile, around-the-block rides just for the sake of putting my ass in the saddle every day of the year. So I didn’t. Life goes on.

Commuting Recreational

Jan. 01
New Year’s Day Ride
10.642 miles (YTD 10.642/10.642)
Notes: 110 Freeway Ped/Bike path really overgrown in parts
Video: Timelapse of entire ride

Jan. 02
Angelino Heights Quickie
4.202 miles (YTD 14.844/14.844)
Notes: Out and back. Thought about stopping at the new Stories book shop in Echo Park, but it was too cold.

Jan. 03
Elysian Valley River Loop
5.051 miles (YTD 19.895/19.895)
Notes: Nice bike ride with my baby

Jan. 04
New Tire Check Ride
3.682 miles (23.577/23.577)
Notes: Out to Vermont Ave. and back.

Jan. 05
Rountrip Work Commute
30.293 miles (YTD 30.293/53.870)
Notes: Took Jefferson Blvd. to Sepulveda Blvd. instead of Ballona Creek to Inglewood

Jan. o6
Roundtrip Work Commute
31.195 miles (YTD 61.488/85.065)
Notes: Instead of 4th, took 3rd Street from Commonwealth to Oxford
Video: Timelapse of morning commute

Jan. 07
Roundtrip Work Commute
29.621 miles (YTD 91.109/114.686)
Notes: For all its channelizing concrete, Ballona Creek really is a nice little waterway — especially after a rain comes through and gives everything a good scrub.
Video: Timelapse of evening commute

Jan. 08
Roundtrip Work Commute
31.128 miles (YTD 122.237/145.814)
Notes: Ballona Creek was suddenly busy this morning with numerous peds and cyclists. Uptick in aggressive, inconsiderate motorist encounters on the way home.

Jan. 09
Roundtrip Work Commute
31.115 miles (YTD 153.352/176.929)

Jan. 10
Hardware Store/Trader Joe’s Ride
4.829 miles (YTD 158.181/181.758)
Notes: On Rowena between Hyperion and West Silver Lake Boulevard, I got my first “Get off the fuckin’ road!” drive-by from a passenger in a nondescript champagne colored econo-sedan. It probably goes without saying that the vehicle was speeding by in the No. 1 lane and I was in the door zone of the No. 2 in no way impeding it. It probably also goes without saying that I gestured for the buttstick to come back and he did not.

Jan. 11
Around The Block Ride, Literally
0.614 miles (YTD 24.191/182.372)
Notes: Sometimes, it’s not about the quantity. It’s just about getting on your bike and riding.

Jan. 12
Roundtrip Work Commute
31.782 miles (YTD 189.963/214.154)
Notes: Just about the most beautiful morning I’ve seen in a while.

Jan. 13
Roundtrip Work Commute
30.906 miles (YTD 220.869/245.060)
Notes: Downtown route this morning, all the way across town via Jefferson. Traffic’s back up to pre-holiday levels, and the impatient/unaccommodating vibe is the worst I’ve seen in months — possibly due in part to the continuing uptick in gas prices from their record lows. Return route this evening: my first flat — rear tire — of 2009 on Crescent Heights, just south of Pico.
Video: Timelapse of flat tire change during evening commute

Jan. 14
Roundtrip Work Commute
31.243 miles (YTD 252.112/276.303)
Video: Timelapse of morning commute

Jan. 15
Roundtrip Work Commute
31.083 miles (YTD 283.195/307.386)

Jan. 16
Roundtrip Work Commute
31.860 miles (YTD 315.055/339.246)

Jan. 17
Echo Park Roundabout
5.041 miles (YTD 29.232/344.287)

Jan. 18
Around The Block Ride, Literally
0.620 miles (YTD 29.852/344.907)

Jan. 19
Roundtrip Work Commute
31.507 miles (YTD 346.562/376.414)
Notes: Predominately deserted streets thanks to the MLK Jr. Day holiday.

Jan. 20
Inauguration Day Work Commute
33.254 miles (YTD 379.816/409.668)
Notes: Downtown to L.A. Live to watch Obama take the oath and give his first speech as the 44th President of the United States. Then took a route into work that crossed Washington, Adams, and Jefferson Boulevards before detouring past Jackie Robinson’s Los Angeles residence during his rookie year in Major League Baseball. After that I decided it appropriate to head west along Martin Luther King Jr Boulevard, where I encountered a stray pit bull who accepted the food I had to offer. Later on I encountered an SUV with Nevada plates that liked crowding me. Probably a disgruntled McCain voter.
Video: Timelapse of morning commute

Jan. 21
Roundtrip Work Commute
31.128 miles (YTD 410.944/440.796)
Notes: One-year anniversary of the death of The Phoenix

Jan. 22
Roundtrip Work Commute
31.159 miles (YTD 442.103/471.955)
Notes: Nice amount of rain on the morning run. The bike and I got good and wet and dirty.

Jan. 23
Roundtrip Work Commute
28.934 miles (YTD 471.037/500.889)
Notes: A reverse of yesterday; much drier going out and wetter coming home.

Jan. 24
Mountainbike Test Ride
1.061 miles (YTD 30.913/501.950)
Notes: Having gotten my long dormant mountainbike outfitted with long overdue new front shocks and in preparation for tomorrow’s ride up the Verdugos — my first there in more than three years and my first offroad ride in more than 2.5 years, I took her for a quick roll around just to make sure the rest of her worked and I remembered how to shift gears and stuff.

Jan. 25
Verdugos Ride
5.872 miles (YTD 36.785/507.822)
Notes: First time back on the Beaudry North Fireroad in more than three years. Nothing much’s changed but my legs are stronger than ever before.

Jan. 26
Roundtrip Work Commute
31.552 miles (YTD 502.589/539.374)

Jan. 27
Roundtrip Work Commute
31.216 miles (YTD 533.805/570.590)

Jan. 28
Roundtrip Work Commute
31.447 miles (YTD 565.252/602.037)

Jan. 29
New Shoe Test Ride
0.616 miles (YTD 37.401/602.653)
Notes: Staying home today to nurse a sick dog left me off my bike until the evening when I did the obligatory and mostly meaningless ride around the block and decided to try out a new pair of bike shoes/cleats to see how they worked. They did fine.

Jan. 30
Roundtrip Work Commute
31.380 miles (YTD 596.632/634.033)

Jan. 31
Verdugo Beaudry Loop Ride
5.989 miles (YTD 43.390/640.022)

January Total: 640.022 miles

Feb. 02
Roundtrip Work Commute
31.228 miles (YTD 627.860/671.250)
Notes: The most harrowing irate motorist incident in a long time occurred on 4th Street during the ride home. You can read about it here.
Video: Timelapse of evening commute (confrontation begins around 3:18, but its severity doesn’t translate at a frame a second).

Feb. 03
Roundtrip Work Commute
29.716 miles (YTD 657.576/700.966)

Feb. 04
Roundtrip Work Commute
31.907 miles (YTD 689.483/732.873)
Video: Timelapse of the morning commute.

Feb. 05
Roundtrip Work Commute
31.121 miles (YTD 720.604/763.994)

Feb. 08
Beaudry Loop
5.883 miles (YTD 49.273/769.877)

Feb. 10
Roundtrip Work Commute
31.891 miles (YTD 752.495/801.768)

Feb. 11
Roundtrip Work Commute
31.240 miles (YTD 783.735/833.008)

Feb. 12
Roundtrip Work Commute
34.302 miles (YTD 818.037/867.310)

Feb. 13
Roundtrip Work Commute
31.223 miles (YTD 849.260/898.533)

Feb. 13
Midnight Ridazz “Take The Fifth” Ride
22.219 miles (YTD 71.492/920.752)

Feb. 18
Roundtrip Work Commute
31.576 miles (YTD 880.836/952.328)

Feb. 19
Roundtrip Work Commute
30.094 miles (YTD 910.930/982.422)

Feb. 20
Roundtrip Work Commute
31.624 miles (YTD 942.554/1014.046)

Feb. 21
Tour of California Ride (Part 1, Part 2)
30.146 miles (YTD 101.638/1044.192)

Feb. 23
Roundtrip Work Commute
31.471 miles (YTD 974.025/1075.663)

Feb. 24
Roundtrip Work Commute
31.289 miles (YTD 1005.314/1106.952)
Notes: Swapped out the old chain for a new one this morning. Two flat rear tires on the morning commute. The first one at Venice Boulevard and Ogden, and the second one on Hughes at Culver Drive. The first one I swapped the flat tube for a new one, the second flat I patched. Total commute time: 1 hour 45 minutes.

Feb. 25
Roundtrip Work Commute
31.336 miles (YTD 1036.650/1138.288)

Feb. 26
Roundtrip Work Commute
31.380 miles (YTD 1068.030/1169.668)

Feb. 27
Roundtrip Work Commute
30.089 miles (YTD 1098.119 /1199.757)

February Total: 559.735 miles

Mar. 02
Roundtrip Work Commute
31.272 miles (YTD 1129.391/1231.029)

Mar. 03
Roundtrip Work Commute
31.451 miles (YTD 1160.842/1262.480)

Mar. 05
Day-Off Errand Ride
10.213 miles (YTD 1171.055/1272.693)

Mar. 06
Roundtrip Work Commute
29.344 miles (YTD 1200.399/1302.037)

Mar. 07
Bike Summit & Lance Armstrong Rides
18.807 miles (YTD 120.445/1320.844)

Mar. 08
Camera Memory Disk Recovery Ride
9.226 miles (YTD 129.671/1330.070)

Mar. 09
Roundtrip Work Commute
31.405 miles (YTD 1231.804/1361.475)

Mar. 10
Roundtrip Work Commute
31.231 miles (YTD 1263.035/1392.706)

Mar. 11
Roundtrip Work Commute
31.269 miles (YTD 1294.304/1423.975)

Mar. 12
Roundtrip Work Commute
31.298 miles (YTD 1325.602/1455.273)

Mar. 13
Roundtrip Work Commute
34.678 miles (YTD 1360.280/1489.951)

Mar. 16
Roundtrip Work Commute
31.283 miles (YTD 1391.563/1521.234)

Mar. 17
Roundtrip Work Commute
30.350 miles (YTD 1421.913/1551.584)

Mar. 18
Roundtrip Work Commute
33.401 miles (YTD 1455.314/1584.985)
Notes: Fourth flat of the year. If I continue to average one every 396 miles, then I will end the year with 19 flat tires.
Video: Timelapse of my morning commute; evening commute.

Mar. 19
Roundtrip Work Commute
31.467 miles (YTD 1486.781/1616.452)
Notes: Ha. So after calculating yesterday the number of flats that I might incur across the entire year, I need to recalculate. As I moved the bike out of the office to go home  I noticed the rear tube had deflated. So I took it off and inspected it for leaks — even submerged it under a sink full of water — and found not so much as an air bubble. Just to be safe (or so I thought) I replaced that tube with one of the two spares I always carry. After finishing up and washing my hands, I came back to leave again — and that tube was now flat! Removing it I found it was a previously patched tube that had now sprung a new leak at the base of the stem — gah! So I took that off, replacing it with my other and last  spare tube and was on my way. Bottom line, I’ve now technically had six flats this year. So now I’m averaging a flat every 264 miles, which means I potentially could be looking at 28-29 across all of 2009. Greeeeeeeaaaaaat.

Mar. 20
Roundtrip Work Commute
29.432 miles (YTD 1516.213 /1645.884)
Notes: No flats this morning, yay!

Mar. 23
Roundtrip Work Commute
29.723 miles (YTD 1545.936/1675.607)

Mar. 24
Roundtrip Work Commute
30.679 miles (YTD 1576.615/1706.286)

Mar. 25
Roundtrip Work Commute
29.780 miles (YTD 1606.395/1736.066)

Mar. 26
Roundtrip Work Commute
29.703 miles (YTD 1636.098/1765.769)

Mar. 27
Roundtrip Work Commute
30.041 miles (YTD 1666.139/1795.810)

Mar. 30
Roundtrip Work Commute
31.233 miles (YTD 1697.372/1827.043)

Mar. 31
Roundtrip Work Commute
30.161 miles (YTD 1727.533/1857.204)

March Total: 657.447 miles

Apr. 07
Roundtrip Work Commute
31.214 miles (YTD 1758.747/1888.418)
Notes: First ride after a six-day layoff (due to a business trip to Dallas). Rain soaked me on the slippery ride home, and after plowing into a deep pothole on 8th Street, I got a flat front tire at 6th and Cochran — my seventh of the year.

Apr. 08
Roundtrip Work Commute
30.035 miles (YTD 1788.782/1918.453)

Apr. 09
Roundtrip Work Commute
31.283 miles (YTD 1820.065/1949.736)

Apr. 13
Roundtrip Work Commute
29.747 miles (YTD 1849.812/1979.483)

Apr. 14
Roundtrip Work Commute
31.929 miles (YTD 1881.741/2011.412)

Apr. 15
Roundtrip Work Commute
30.580 miles (YTD 1912.321/2041.992)
Notes: Today was probably not the best circumstances for me to ride. In addition to dealing with steady winds coming from the north and east, I was also had to compensate for an injury to my left thigh muscle, sustained from a fall in the backyard while chasing Ranger around. One never quite knows how much a muscle is needed until you have to function without it at 100%. It helped on the evening ride home to support the angry muscle by wrapping the offended area of the leg up tight.

Apr. 16
Roundtrip Work Commute
30.240 miles (YTD 1942.561/2072.232)

Apr. 17
Roundtrip Work Commute
28.426 miles (YTD 1970.987/2100.658)

Apr. 20
Roundtrip Work Commute
32.925 miles (YTD 2003.912/2133.583)
Notes: Weird night ride home. The heat brought people outside all over the city only to mill about listlessly like zombies lacking hunger. Plus I encountered a Ballona Creek recylables scavenger coming onto the bikeway with a huge bag of cans who thought my name was “Faggot!” because he ended every sentence with that word as I bike past managing to ignore his crazy ass. Best part of it all was the baseball-sized chunk of asphalt I encountered in my line on Crescent Heights north of Pico. Unseen, I nailed it perfectly — and while upright with my hands off the bars. If I hadn’t hit it so square I most certainly would have spilled but instead I had to endure my 8th flat of the year, along with a slightly splayed out but otherwise unbent rim that thankfully I was able to pinch back in with a pair of pliers when I got home.
Video: Morning commute from my dentist’s office in; Evening commute from hell.

Apr. 21
Roundtrip Work Commute
29.463 miles (YTD 2033.375/2163.046)
Notes: One of the best bike rides ever. Cars yielded without fail or exception, lights were on my side, potholes even got out of my way. A rare and remarkable roll.

Apr. 22
Roundtrip Work Commute
31.269 miles (YTD 2064.644/2194.315)

Apr. 23
Roundtrip Work Commute
31.240 miles (YTD 2095.884/2225.555)

Apr. 24
Roundtrip Work Commute
32.336 miles (YTD 2128.220/2257.891)

Apr. 27
Roundtrip Work Commute
31.247 miles (YTD 2159.467/2289.138)

April Total: 431.934 miles

May 1
Roundtrip Work Commute
29.557 miles (YTD 2189.024/2318.695)
Notes: Ninth flat going into work this morning — my fault: I over-inflated the front tube with a new floor pump I bought. Gah! Tenth flat on the way home from a previously patched tube. Double gah!

May 2
Around The Griffith Park Horn Ride
20.727 miles (YTD 150.398/2339.442)

May 3
Verdugo Mountains Beaudry Loop
5.844 miles (YTD 156.242/2345.266)

May 4
Roundtrip Work Commute
31.144 miles (YTD 2220.168/2376.410)

May 5
Roundtrip Work Commute
31.338 miles (YTD 2251.506/2407.748)

May 6
Roundtrip Work Commute
32.031 miles (YTD 2283.537/2439.779)

May 7
Roundtrip Work Commute
30.496 miles (YTD 2314.033/2470.275)

May 8
Roundtrip Work Commute
29.724 miles (YTD 2343.757/2499.999)

May 9
The “Not The L.A. Marathon Bike Tour” Ride
37.492 miles (YTD 193.734/2537.491)

May 10
The 10K Loop
6.203 miles (YTD 199.937/2543.694)

May 11
Roundtrip Work Commute
29.769 miles (YTD 2373.526/2573.463)

May 12
Roundtrip Work Commute
33.407 miles (YTD 2406.933/2606.870)
Notes: Includes morning visit to Good Samaritan Hospital’s 6th-Annual Blessing of the Bicycles.

May 13
Roundtrip Work Commute
31.216 miles (YTD 2438.149/2638.086)

May 14
“Bike To Work Day” Roundtrip Work Commute
42.034 miles (YTD 2480.183/2680.120)

May 15
Roundtrip Work Commute
30.594 miles (YTD 2510.777/2710.714)

May 16
Ten Bridges Ride
21.509 miles (YTD 221.446/2732.223)

May 17

The 10K Loop
6.203 miles (YTD 227.649/2738.426)

May 18
Roundtrip Work Commute
32.181 miles (YTD 2542.958/2770.607)

May 19
Roundtrip Work Commute
30.197 miles (YTD 2573.155/2800.804)

May 20
Roundtrip Work Commute
31.318 miles (YTD 2604.473/2832.122)

May 21
Roundtrip Work Commute
31.268 miles (YTD 2635.741/2863.390)

May 22
Roundtrip Work Commute
35.653 miles (YTD 2671.394/2899.043)

May 23
Black Dahlia/Historic West Adams Mosey Ride
25.344 miles (YTD 252.993/2924.387)

May 24
Memorial Ride
32.854 miles (YTD 285.847/2957.241)

May 25
LA Marathon Bike Tour
33.872 miles (YTD 319.719/2991.113)

May 26
Roundtrip Work Commute

30.341 miles (YTD 2701.735/3021.454)
Notes: With today’s ride I shattered — and counting — my previous mileage month record of 717.860 miles set in October 2008.

May 27
Roundtrip Work Commute
31.592 miles (YTD 2733.327/3053.046)

May 28
Roundtrip Work Commute
31.442 miles (YTD 2764.769/3084.488)

May 29
Roundtrip Work Commute
29.932 miles (YTD 2794.701/3114.420)

May 30
The Frank Lloyd Wride Ride
17.630 miles (YTD 337.349/3132.050)

May 31
The 10K Loop
6.203 miles (YTD 343.552/3138.253)

May Total: 849.115 miles
A new single-month distance record

Jun. 01
Roundtrip Work Commute

32.991 miles (YTD 2827.692/3171.244)

Jun. 02
Roundtrip Work Commute
29.745 miles (YTD 2857.437/3200.989)
Notes: I’d just been thinking I “went more than a whole month without a flat, yay!” So much for that streak: 11th flat of the year, discovered upon leaving office for ride home. Culprit found still poking out of tube was a little sliver of steel, smaller than the diameter of a staple, like a bristle from a wire brush. Poor patch job left me stopping to refill the slow leak twice, once at Larchmont Village and again at Sunset Boulevard and Bates.

Jun. 03
Roundtrip Work Commute
31.235 miles (YTD 2888.672/3232.224)
Notes: 12th flat of the year; knew about it ahead of time as it’s a continuation from the poor patch job of yesterday’s flat. Swapped out tubes this morning and did a long-overdue cleaning of the crud-caked sprocket’s teeth ‘n gumline. Also, a cut-off low system brought thunderstorms to the region. Thankfully the rains had stopped by the time I left for home, leaving me only needing to deal with the still-slick roads.

Jun. 04
Roundtrip Work Commute
31.284 miles (YTD 2919.956/3263.508)

Jun. 06
L.A. River Ride Sign Posting Ride

38.822 miles (YTD 382.374/3302.330)

Jun. 9
Roundtrip Work Commute
30.251 miles (YTD 2950.207/3332.581)

Jun. 10
Roundtrip Work Commute
31.906 miles (YTD 2982.113/3364.487)

Jun. 11
Roundtrip Work Commute
31.475 miles (YTD 3013.588/3395.962)

Jun. 12
Roundtrip Work Commute
30.011 miles (YTD 3043.599/3425.973)

Jun. 13
Hot Dog Death March Ride
14.210 miles (YTD 396.584/3440.183)

Jun. 15
Roundtrip Work Commute
29.746 miles (YTD 3073.345/3469.929)

Jun. 16
Roundtrip Work Commute
28.810 miles (YTD 3102.155/3498.739)

Jun. 17
Roundtrip Work Commute
29.813 miles (YTD 3131.968/3528.552)

Jun. 19
Roundtrip Work Commute
30.119 miles (YTD 3162.087/3558.671)

Jun. 22
Roundtrip Work Commute
29.755 miles (YTD 3191.842/3588.426)
Notes: Did some major bike work Sunday so today was my first ride on new tires, seat, bottom bracket, and chain. I also swapped out my 48-tooth chainring for a 52-toother and my 170mm cranks for a set of 165mms.

Jun. 23
Roundtrip Work Commute

31.202 miles (YTD 3223.044/3619.628)

Jun. 24
Roundtrip Work Commute
31.088 miles (YTD 3254.132/3650.716)

Jun. 25
Roundtrip Work Commute
30.269 miles (YTD 3284.401/3680.985)

Jun. 25
Roundtrip Work Commute
31.897 miles (YTD 3316.298/3712.882)
Notes: On the way home, I was stopped and cited by an LAPD officer for failure to stop at sign while making right turn from Larchmont onto Clinton.

Jun. 29
Roundtrip Work Commute
31.343 miles (YTD 3347.641/3744.225)

Jun. 30
Roundtrip Work Commute
31.283 miles (YTD 3378.924/3775.508)
Notes: 13th flat of the year, deflation of the rear tire occurred on the way in to work, on Sepulveda just after turning right from Centinela. Sigh: 14th flat of the year came after patching the rear tube before leaving the office. I decided to pump up the front tire a bit and in the midst of doing so broke the stem off.

June Total: 637.255 miles

Jul. 1
Roundtrip Work Commute
25.762 miles miles (YTD 3404.686/3801.270)

Jul. 1
Positively 4th Street Ride
12.109 miles (YTD 408.693/3813.379)

Jul. 2
Roundtrip Work Commute

31.478 miles (YTD 3436.164/3844.857)
Notes: 15th flat of the year. Picked up a piece of glass somewhere along Jefferson across town, and it worked its way through the tire and into the tube just past Hoover in front of USC.

Jul. 6
Michael Jackson Memorial Ticket Pick-Up Ride
5.125 miles (YTD 413.818/3849.982)

Jul. 8
Roundtrip Work Commute
29.855 miles (YTD 3466.019/3879.837)

Jul. 9
Roundtrip Work Commute
29.815 miles (YTD 3495.834/3909.652)
Notes: 16th flat of the year, a snake-biter on the way to work coming through the rugged pot-holey terrain of 2nd Street between Hoover and Commonwealth.

Jul. 13
Roundtrip Work Commute
32.084 miles (YTD 3527.918/3941.736)
Notes: 17th flat of the year. Found the patched tube from my 16th flat freshly deflated over the weekend. Changed Sunday evening (Jul. 12). Water immersion found initial patch holding but no telltale bubbles escaping anywhere else on the tube left me unable to locate source of new leak. Replaced with new tube.

Jul. 14
Roundtrip Work Commute
29.826 miles (YTD 3557.744/3971.562)
Notes: Sigh. 18th flat of the year — and fourth this month. My patch kit is working overtime. Another snakebite puncture with the tube’s deflation occurring during this morning’s commute on Jefferson Boulevard near Leahy Street (near NPR’s Los Angeles studios).

Jul. 15
Roundtrip Work Commute
29.718 miles (YTD 3587.462/4001.280)

Jul. 16
Roundtrip Work Commute
29.825 miles (YTD 3617.287/4031.105)

Jul. 18
The Gun Butt Ride
68.462 miles (YTD 482.280/4099.567)
Notes: A four-flat day: Nos. 19, 20, 21, 22. Things started off on the wrong foot (or tire). Before I even left the house I found the patch I’d put on the rear tube had failed. Then I found both new tubes I had on hand were defective (one the stem broke right away and the other stem was clogged and unfillable). So I patched the patch on the rear tube and loaded it back in. It served me until about the 57th mile of the ride when it flatted again around 23rd Street and Santa Fe, just a few blocks from my long-for oasis of Blue Star Restaurant in the scrap metal district. Replacing that with a another patched tube, I rolled to Blue Star where I camped out for a couple hours. Unfortunately I’d locked my bike up in the direct sun and by the time I left I found it was about 15 degrees hotter than when I’d arrived and the rear had flatted again — the patch had pretty much melted in the inferno. So I swapped in my last spare tube (also patched) and it flatted barely two blocks away. Miracle of miracles, the clogged new tube was my only hope of biking the remaining eight miles home and for whatever reason its stem unblocked and I was good to go the rest of the way.
Video: 07.18/2009 AM Ride

Jul. 23
Roundtrip Work Commute
32.630 miles (YTD 3649.917/4132.197)

Jul. 24
Roundtrip Work Commute
31.152 miles (YTD 3681.069/4163.349)

Jul. 27
Roundtrip Work Commute
31.369 miles (YTD 3712.438/4194.718)
Notes: A sad ride home. Le Noir needs to be retired. Whether it’s an actual fracture or just the metal fatigue that comes with a 220-pound dude riding a bike 10,000-plus miles over the last 1.5 years, I don’t know. But either way, the creaking sound and the feeling of instability that is eerily similar to the sound and feel The Phoenix made before her frame cracked is still there despite a new chain and new pedals and tightening up of everything related to the drive train. I certainly got more than my money’s worth, but I’m still sad to have to say goodbye.

Jul. 30
Roundtrip Work Commute
30.217 miles (YTD 3742.655/4224.935)
Notes: As I consider my single-speed options — entire new bike, Mercier frame replacement, or none at all) I’ve outfitted my trusty 2001 Giant OCR3 road bike with a much less elongated stem so the handlebars don’t seem quite as long a reach. I rode it that way for years without complaint but it wasn’t until this last year or so that the position suddenly felt so foreign. The new stem that’s at least four inches shorter is a huge improvement in comfort, and this is the first ride on Old Yeller in a long time that I’ve truly enjoyed.

Jul. 31
Roundtrip Work Commute
30.048 miles (YTD 3772.703)/4254.983)

July Total: 479.475 miles

Aug. 04
Roundtrip Work Commute
31.901 miles (YTD 3804.604/4286.884)

Aug. 05
Roundtrip Work Commute
29.839 miles (YTD 3834.443/4316.723)
Notes: The bottom bracket, original to the 2000-model year Giant OCR3, is finally on the verge of crapping out. Attempts to remove it myself failed and so I was forced to seek professional assistance. Estimated completion of work: August 12, which means a week with no riding unless I get on my mountainbike this weekend.

Aug. 12
Roundtrip Work Commute
31.664 miles (YTD 3866.107/4348.387)
Notes: Work was completed a day ahead of schedule, thankfully sparing me this day without a bicycle. I’m going to have to work hard to make this month into one with even an average amount of mileage.

Aug. 13
Roundtrip Work Commute
29.596 miles (YTD 3895.703/4377.983)

Aug. 15
The Village Idiot Ride
12.449 miles (YTD 494.729/4390.432)

Aug. 21
Roundtrip Work Commute
31.578 miles (YTD 3927.281/4422.010)

Aug. 22
Ride To Mack Reed’s Birthday
4.768 miles (YTD 499.497/4426.778)

Aug. 24
Roundtrip Work Commute
31.298 miles (YTD 3958.579/4458.076)

Aug. 25
Roundtrip Work Commute
32.221 miles (YTD 3990.800/4490.297)

Aug. 26
Roundtrip Work Commute
32.718 miles (YTD 4023.518/4523.015)

Aug. 27
Roundtrip Work Commute
31.522 miles (YTD 4055.040/4554.537)

Aug. 28
Roundtrip Work Commute
30.125 miles (YTD 4085.165/4584.662)

Aug. 31
Roundtrip Work Commute
29.836 miles (YTD 4115.001/4614.498)

August Total: 359.515 miles

Sep. 1
Roundtrip Work Commute
31.043 miles (YTD 4146.044/4645.541)

Sep. 8
Roundtrip Work Commute
31.311 miles (YTD 4177.355/4676.852)

Sep. 9
Roundtrip Work Commute
29.878 miles (YTD 4207.233/4706.730)

Sep. 10
Roundtrip Work Commute
31.265 miles (YTD 4238.498/4737.995)

Sep. 11
Roundtrip Work Commute
31.753 miles (YTD 4270.251/4769.748)

Sep. 14
Roundtrip Work Commute
31.111 miles (YTD 4301.362/4800.859)

Sep. 15
Roundtrip Work Commute
29.743 miles (YTD 4331.105/4830.602)

Sep. 17
Roundtrip Work Commute
29.794 miles (YTD 4360.899/4860.396)
Notes: Broke a spoke on the front wheel. Replaced it.

Sep. 18
Roundtrip Work Commute
29.774 miles (YTD 4390.673/4890.170)

Sep. 21
Roundtrip Work Commute
33.099 miles (YTD 4423.772/4923.269)
Notes: My longest stretch of the year without a flat has ended, with my 22nd one of 2009 occurring July 19. Today, I experienced three more this morning. While attempting to top off the front tire at home, part of the stem broke off. Upon examination, I found the disconnected valve could be screwed back into the stem and it looked like it was holding air when I reinflated it. But no, flat No. 23 came when I left for work about 30 minutes later and a slow leak had brought it low again. So I changed out that tube only to find my first spare had a hole in it. Patching it and putting it on the front wheel, that didn’t last long. Flat No. 24, happened when the cheap patch came unglued almost right away. So off came that tube again to be repatched with a better quality patch.  And before leaving I attempted to wrench the valve tightly bck onto the stem of the first tube just to see if that might stop the leak. Flat No. 25 came when the patch I put on that second tube failed at Western and 4th, and so I decided to replace it with the first flatted tube. Surprisingly it stayed inflated the rest of the way in to work.

Sep. 22
Roundtrip Work Commute
31.109 miles (YTD 4454.881/4954.378)

Sep. 23
Roundtrip Work Commute
32.291 miles (YTD 4487.172/4986.669)
Notes: Participated as a volunteer for the First LA Bike Count oranized by the LA County Bike Coalition. In the middle of the ride in to work I parked myself at the intersection of 8th & La Brea between 7 – 9:30 a.m. this the number of pedestrians and bicyclists came through.

Sep. 24
Roundtrip Work Commute
31.207 miles (YTD 4518.379/5017.876)
Notes: Yay! Finally got out of the 4000s, which I’ve been in forever… or at least since mid-July.

Sep. 25
Roundtrip Work Commute
29.898 miles (YTD 4548.277/5047.774)

Sep. 29
Roundtrip Work Commute
31.366 miles (YTD 4579.643/5079.140)

Sep. 30
Roundtrip Work Commute
32.101 miles (YTD 4611.744/5111.241 miles)

September Total: 496.743 miles

Oct. 1
Roundtrip Work Commute
29.949 miles (YTD 4641.693/5141.190)

Oct. 2
Roundtrip Work Commute
33.010 miles (YTD 4674.703/5174.200)
Notes: Today’s commute included a trip downtown to attend David Byrne’s “Cities, Bicycles and the Future of Getting Around” in Little Tokyo thanks to Ted at BikinginLA sharing his extra ticket with me.

Oct. 5
Roundtrip Work Commute
29.779 miles (YTD 4704.482/5203.979)
Notes: Chain break experienced this morning at Wilshire and Western. 15-minute fix thanx to me being a boyscout and having the proper tools and spare parts on hand.

Oct. 6
Roundtrip Work Commute
29.846 miles (YTD 4734.328/5233.825)

Oct. 7
Roundtrip Work Commute
31.288 miles (YTD 4765.616/5265.113)

Oct. 8
Roundtrip Work Commute
31.315 miles (YTD 4796.931/5296.428)

Oct. 9
Roundtrip Work Commute
30.738 miles (YTD 4827.669/5327.166)

Oct. 12
Roundtrip Work Commute
29.624 miles (YTD 4857.293/5356.790)

Oct. 13
Roundtrip Work Commute
30.471 miles (YTD 4887.764/5387.261)

Oct. 15
Mission Bay Ride
26.844 miles (YTD 526.341/5414.105)
Notes: Of all the places traveled and cities been, with a few minor exceptions, this is the first time my bike and I have pedaled outside the greater Los Angeles area. And I must say, after this first 24-mile meander, San Diego is a great bike town.

Oct. 16
San Diego Mission Ride
10.532 miles (YTD 536.873/5424.637)

Oct. 19
Roundtrip Work Commute
33.837 miles (YTD 4921.601/5458.474)

Oct. 20
Roundtrip Work Commute
32.121 miles (YTD 4953.722/5490.595)

Oct. 22
Roundtrip Work Commute
31.263 miles (YTD 4984.985/5521.858)

Oct. 23
Roundtrip Work Commute
33.523 miles (YTD 5018.508/5555.381)

Oct. 25
Haunted Speakeasy Ride
3.817 miles (YTD 540.690/5559.198)

Oct. 26
Roundtrip Work Commute
31.335 miles (YTD 5049.843/5590.533)

Oct. 27
Roundtrip Work Commute
31.473 miles (YTD 5081.316/5622.006)
Notes: One of the windiest rides home in recent memory resulted a significant amount of blacked-out intersections and neighorhoods and also in me rolling teh bike over a ridiculous amount of tree debris, which resulted in Flat No. 23 for the year on Garth Avenue in between Cadillac and Guthrie in the southeastern section of the Crestview community.

Oct. 28
Roundtrip Work Commute
31.425 miles (YTD 5112.741/5653.431)

Oct. 29
Roundtrip Work Commute
29.783 miles (YTD 5142.524/5683.214)

Oct. 30
Roundtrip Work Commute
32.025 miles (YTD 5174.549/5715.239)
Notes: Flat No. 24 for the year on Mesmer north of Centinela followed a chain derail on the same block of my previous flat: Garth between Guthrie and Cadillac. A close inspection of my rear tire shows me pocks and slashes and such that mean it’s time to replace them.

October Total: 603.998 miles

Nov. 02
Roundtrip Work Commute
32.966 miles (YTD 5207.515/5748.205)
Notes: Flat No. 25 from leaky patch of Flat No. 24 found in office as I was preparing to leave for the evening.

Nov. 09
Roundtrip Work Commute
31.260 miles (YTD 5238.775/5779.465)
Notes: First time back on the bike in 6 days due to respiratory illness, brought on more from airway irritation due to inhalation of particulate matter during yard/house work than to exposure of any viral infection.

Nov. 10
Roundtrip Work Commute
31.097 miles (YTD 5269.872)/5810.562)

Nov. 11
Roundtrip Work Commute
30.854 miles (YTD 5300.726/5841.416)

Nov. 12
Roundtrip Work Commute
31.392 miles (YTD 5332.118/5872.808)
Notes: Flat No. 26 this morning was patched just north of Venice Boulevard on Dunn Street.

Nov. 13
Roundtrip Work Commute
31.534 miles (YTD 5363.652/5904.342)

Nov. 16
Roundtrip Work Commute
43.950 miles (YTD 5407.602/5948.292)
Notes: Flat No. 27 discovered this morning; yet another patch failure. It’s getting to the point where I’m just going to give up patching and swap out flat tubes for new ones. As to the extended mileage of today’s route, after a dentist visit this morning, the day was just too spectacularly gorgeous not to take the long way into work afterward. Flat No. 28 happened on Ballona Creek about a quarter-mile from the Duquesne exit on the way home. No bad patches to blame this time, just a straight up rear tire pick-up of a shard of something that was sharp enough to penetrate the tread and poke the tube.

Nov. 17
Roundtrip Work Commute
31.550 miles (YTD 5439.152/5979.842)

Nov. 18
Roundtrip Work Commute
31.488 miles (YTD 5470.640/6011.330)
Notes: 6,000th mile for 2009 achieved crossing the intersection of National and Venice boulevards. Now let’s see if we can get to 7,000 before the end of December 31!

Nov. 19
Roundtrip Work Commute
34.150 miles (YTD 5504.790/6045.480)

Nov. 20
Roundtrip Work Commute
31.062 miles (YTD 5535.852/6076.542)

Nov. 23
Roundtrip Work Commute
31.359 miles (YTD 5567.211/6107.901)

Nov. 24
Roundtrip Work Commute
31.727 miles (YTD 5598.938/6139.628)

Nov. 25
Camper Van Rental Pick-Up Ride
16.644 miles (YTD 5615.582/6156.272)
Notes: Biked from home to Hawthorne to pick up our rental camper for the long weekend.

Nov. 28
Death Valley Junction Roll
2.089 miles (YTD 542.779/6158.361)
Notes: Weren’t much more than a lazy out-and-back lookarounder, but every mile counts and this was two of ’em!

Nov. 30
Work Commute
26.130 (YTD 5641.712/6184.491)
Notes: Not a roundtrip because the pedaling commenced from Hawthorne, after dropping our camper rental off and settling the bill. Broke another front spoke at the corner of Rosecrans and Prairie and because my spares are sitting on my desk at home I’ll have to ride slowly there to make repairs.

November Total: 469.252 miles

Dec. 01
Roundtrip Work Commute
30.282 miles (YTD 5671.994/6214.773)

Dec. 02
Roundtrip Work Commute
30.124 miles (YTD 5702.118/6244.897)

Dec. 03
Roundtrip Work Commute
31.636 miles (YTD 5733.754/6276.533)

Dec. 04
Work Commute
27.571 miles (YTD 5761.325/6304.104)
Notes: Not a complete roundtrip because I biked to Larchmont Grill, the location of my wife Susan’s office holiday dinner. In anticipation of the large dinner to be had I’m planning to have Susan drive me and the bike the rest of the way home afterward.

Dec. 08
Roundtrip Work Commute
32.009 miles (YTD 5793.334/6336.113)
Notes: With my ability to flake on my plans to bike both Saturday and Sunday, coupled by yesterday’s storm keeping me off my bike, I’m officially canceling any official hopes of reaching the 7,000-mile mark by year’s end.

Dec. 09
Roundtrip Work Commute
41.184 miles (YTD 5834.518/6377.297)
Notes: Long and cold way home via Venice up to Santa Monica and inland. Flat No. 29 heading towards Marina Del Rey on the Ballona Creek Bikeway about a quarter mile west of Centinela Avenue. I bought a set of Gator Skins tires last week, but I’m desperately trying to make my badly beaten-up Hutchinsons last to the end of the year. They might not make it.

Dec. 10
Roundtrip Work Commute
31.443 miles (YTD 5865.961/6408.740)

Dec. 11
Midnight Ridazz All-City Toy Ride
20.080 miles (YTD 562.859/6428.820)
Notes: No good deeds go unpunished. While my bike was parked and locked at the Toy Ride after-party, some parasitic scoundrel jacked its taillight.

Dec. 14

Roundtrip Work Commute
31.358 miles (YTD 5897.319/6460.178)
Notes: Near miss left-hook at 1st and Lucerne in Larchmont Village on the ride home.

Dec. 15
Roundtrip Work Commute
31.119 miles (YTD 5928.438/6491.297)
Notes: Flat No. 30 on 4th Street west of Plymouth in Hancock Park this morning. It doesn’t make things any easier on the tube when the tire’s got what amounts to pretty much a gaping hole in the tread that I keep trying (and failing) to keep patched. So stoopid of me to sit on the fresh set of Gatorskins I bought last week trying to make these rapidly deteriorating Hutchinson Equinox tires last through the end of the year.

Dec. 16
Roundrip Work Commute
31.141 miles (YTD 5959.579/6522.438)
Notes: Excessive creaking from the bottom bracket area led to the discovery last night of the loss of the right crank bolt which had loosened and fallen out sometime on last night’s ride home. Of course, I had a spare bolt handy. Also replaced the chain and finally got rid of the long-done Hutchinson tires for my brand spanking new Continental Gator Skins. Have issued new decree that rather than patch flats with glueless patches I will heretofore always replace flats with new spares and then take the time to properly apply a glued patch to the flattened tube, if feasible.

Dec. 17
Roundtrip Work Commute
31.780 miles (YTD 5991.359/6554.218)

Dec. 18
Roundtrip Work Commute
31.268 miles (YTD 6022.627/6585.486)
Notes: It’s old history that I surpassed 6,000 miles for the second straight year, but this is the first time the commute portion has exceeded that milestone.

Dec. 21
Roundtrip Work Commute
31.274 miles (YTD 6053.901/6616.760)
Notes: Another front wheel broken spoke at the outset of the morning commute means its time to get a new pair of Os for my baby. Changed it out at work. On the milestone tip, I surpassed last year’s total of 6608 miles on the evening’s ride home, pretty much right here in the South Carthay neighborhood, around 22.684 miles into today’s total commute.

Dec. 28
Roundtrip Work Commute
31.377 miles (YTD 6085.278/6648.137)
Notes: Both sides of left clipless pedal are now genuinely clipless. A few rides ago one side broke, and this morning the other went, leaving me fighting to keep my shoe in place as I crank. Prior to leaving work I resolved the problem by removing a flange from the intact right pedal and installing it on the left.

Dec. 29
Roundtrip Work Commute
31.053 miles (YTD 6116.331/6679.190)

Dec. 30
Roundtrip Work Commute
31.140 miles (YTD 6147.471/6710.330)

Notes: Damn the rain, full steam ahead on this milestone of my 200th bike commute day for the year! But damn if reaching such a milestone didn’t come with another: Flat No. 31, just after leaving work — but it’s not the new Gatorskin tire’s fault! I put the rear wheel square onto the sharp edge of a pothole I failed to avoid and pssssssssssssnakebit the tube.

Dec. 31
Roundtrip Work Commute
31.363 miles (YTD 6178.834/6741.693)
Note: And lastly, on my final ride of the year:  one more broken front wheel spoke on Jefferson Boulevard that I stopped and fixed on Hoover just north of 30th.

December Total: 556.806 miles