It’s fall. The National Bike Challenge is over. Mornings and evenings can be a bit brisk. But if you’re thinking about putting away your bike until spring – wait! The riding is still great, if you dress and prepare for the weather. Some basic principles for fall riding: Don’t overdress. You should be a little bit cold when you first head out. This one might be the hardest to achieve, because it feels so wrong. Trust […]

Well, since last week Zhoukou’s finest have been cracking down on traffic scofflaws. Owning the road doesn’t mean you’re not responsible for what you do on it. There have been traffic police and/or crossing guards at every major intersection and some frontage road/bike paths. I’m still not sure if some know the rules at all. A cargo moto with a load of bricks will cut you off looking neither left nor right and a motorist […]

Almost daily, as I’m absorbed in the homeward commute routine – packing my bags, strapping lights on my bike, buckling and zipping my helmet and my bright jacket – I’m startled by someone calling out behind me: “Be safe!” Sometimes I know the coworker saying it; more often, I don’t. They’ve seen my bicycle. They’re about to drive home. They look at me wide-eyed and grave, with a mix of fear and reverence, as though they’re sending off a soldier to […]

I was wondering at the impression I have that the operators of the electric three-wheel cargo motos, scooters and bicyclists act like they own the road here, and don’t wear helmets. They only relinquish their lane (I use that term loosely) when a truck or car is laying on their horn in an “Outta my way, I’m coming through!” kind of way. Then I remembered the articles I’ve read this past year or so about […]

As it turns out riding from Zhoukou to Luyi , philosopher Lao Tze’s https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laozi hometown here in Henan province is like riding to Omaha from Lincoln, about 100 kilometers. Last week we had a fall break for Golden Week, China’s anniversary of nationhood. We didn’t travel much because it seems everyone else does, and in China that’s reason enough to stay home. It wasn’t a total bust however, as we got in some rides, did […]

First of all, congratulations Lincoln and Nebraska on coming in first in the National Bike Challenge! It’s been exciting to watch it unfold from far away, and I wish I could come back for the party. But now back to my ride. Last Thursday dawned cool and clear after three days of rain so I decided to take advantage of a little free time and check out what’s beyond the T at the end of […]

It’s almost a daily occurrence, if you ride residential streets: You’re first at a stop sign, waiting to cross a busier street, when you hear the rumble of an engine behind you. You want to cross, to get away, but once the steady stream of traffic coming from your left clears, another stream starts on the right. You’re trapped. The engine gets louder. There’s a vehicle behind you, and its driver cannot wait to get you […]

It’s been almost a month now that Steve and I have been in China, teaching English at Zhoukou Normal University. In that time I’ve bought a bicycle and have been exploring. It took quite a while before I figured out how to record rides and log miles since google products including maps don’t work here, and apps like Strava that use them don’t either.  I’m using the Chinese Baidu map that has a measurement feature […]

This Week’s Calendar: Monday (September 19) Chit Chat Ride – Joyride Bicycles Time: 6pm (meet at 5:45pm) Start: Joyride Bicycles Route: Varies (usually south) Friendly Road Ride – Bike Rack (Lincoln) Time: 6pm Start: Bike Rack (Lincoln) Route: Varies (1.5-2 hour) Tuesday (September 20) Dirt Church Time: afternoon – sundown Location: Branched Oak Lake – Area 7 Info: Informal MTB meet and ride out at Branched Oak Lake. Tuesday Night Nacho Ride Time: 5pm – ?? Start: Trailhead […]

It’s time to recognize the National Bike Challenge leaders for July and August! Why both July and August? Well… due to some technical difficulties with the reporting feature we were not able to pull July’s totals until a couple a days ago, and we felt it would be unfair not to notice our July leaders. So, we’ll just double up with this month. First things first, we want to recognize all of you in Lincoln […]