I have a complicated relationship with the maps on my phones. Between my two phones I have four maps, each good for particular things at different times. Some things no map will say, like that the last few miles of both county roads 020 and 004 have fallen into disrepair and are practically impassable after a rain. Usually I don’t have map problems, but yesterday I seemed to find some kind of interruption of space […]

Have you ever had a route you thought you knew, only to find that you had no idea what was only a few blocks away? That happened to me last week. I thought I had finally established a good Nuwa temple loop to the north when I saw some spires poking above the rooftops of Xihua. I went closer to investigate, and was shocked to discover a whole previously unknown temple complex only a few […]

Around Lincoln when you think of riding gravel during harvest time you may think of combines and corn pickers on the roads in the fall. They probably take up most of the road and if you’re lucky you squeeze around them. Around Zhoukou the wheat harvest is happening now, with pint-sized combines and by hand. I crossed paths with probably eight convoys of around six combines each just last Wednesday. American sized combines would be […]

These are the key words for this week’s adventures. The first two could be taken as buzz kill but really, they had redeeming elements. All year long I’ve had issues with the rubber cement sold as patch glue here. Steve has a theory that it’s missing a key ingredient found in what we use in the U.S. which makes this glue less toxic (less huff-able), but more apt to fail. At least half my flats […]

Only a month remains for us here in Zhoukou. I’ve enjoyed my time here and Steve really loves it. They very much want us back next fall, especially as they have no other native speakers lined up (the other three are retiring), so who knows? While biking around the city and countryside this past academic year I’ve noticed many local practices that I never would have seen if I wouldn’t have been riding a bike. […]

  If you weren’t able to make it to the Bike to Work Week kick off this morning, you can download your Bike Bingo cards here:  Bicycle BINGO Please return completed cards at the Bike Fashion Show on Wednesday, May 17 from 5 to 7pm at Ploughshare Brewing or Friday, May 19 from 4:30 to 6pm at the Ice Cream Social at the Jayne Snyder Trails Center. Completed cards can also be sent to Mike […]

The city of Lincoln is partnering with local bike shops, BicycLincoln, a local bicycle advocacy group, The Great Plains Trails Network, and the Nebraska Bicycle Alliance to encourage residents to participate in Bike to Work Week, May 12 through 19. Several events are planned at The Jayne Snyder Trails Center in Union Plaza. A free kick-off rally is set for 7:30 to 9 a.m. Friday, May 12.  Cyclists are encouraged to stop by the Jayne […]

I did it again. The last time I dragged someone through the pain cave, it was “David,”who underestimated the requirements and effects of a 100(+) km ride. He was back for more the following week, but he’s young. This time it was “Peter.” Peter missed the dirt levee ride to the Beichangshediancun pagoda last week, which was a blast, so he cooked up a plan to ride to Huaiyang to visit a project at the […]

Some of us are both destination riders and ramblers at different times, but when trying to entice others to go on a ride with you, knowing what kind of rider they are is useful. Both my husband and son are destination riders. They like to commute and will go on the occasional trail ride, but find their bicycle joy mainly in utilitarian cycling. I like utilitarian cycling too, but hey, I like all cycling. If […]

In 2016, Lincoln won its second championship in the National Bike Challenge and the state of Nebraska won its first. Let’s defend and repeat! This year, Strava will be the data collection service. Register at nationalbikechallenge.org (Yes, you must register again, even if you rode last year.) Log your miles from May 1 to September 30  For every 5 days logged, you’ll earn a raffle ticket for challenge prizes! Each day you ride, the first mile […]