League of American Bicyclists Traffic Skills 101 class.

Today a group of us took the LAB's Traffic Skills 101 class with intentions of eventually becoming certified instructors ourselves. It was a great class with time in the classroom followed by skill development in the parking lot with cones. Finally we put what we'd learned into practice as we rode the streets and trails. We made a pit stop at MWC during their 'Spring Cleaning Party' before riding back to finish the 1-day class.

I was a little late after finding a big piece of glass in my tire about 1/2 way there. I got it fixed only to flat again hours later when my tube went through a hole in the sidewall and popped. It's time for new tires.

Today was a lot of fun and I learned a few things that made the day well spent. Today's miles = 13.3

The 2nd Annual NSFW Ride Announcement.

Date: Wednesday 4/20/11

Location: Intersection of the Billy Wolff Trail & Rock Island Trail on the North end of the Zoo.

Time: 9am

Not Sorry (for) Forgetting Work

Put in now to take April 20 off as a vacation day. Celebrate spring on a ride around Lincoln with like-minded friends. Spend the workday riding while your co-workers toil away. Meet at 9am, ride is held on city trails. 40 miles long, ride for part of the day or the whole thing. 12-14 mph average speed. Last year's NSFW Ride was a ball!

Here is the map for this year's ride.

Ride starts and ends at the intersection of the Rock Island Trail and Billy Wolfe Trail on the North Side of the Zoo at 27th & Capital Parkway.

Several Lincoln bike shops will have free refreshments, giveaways, discounts and prizes for NSFW riders! Including Joyride, Bike Pedalers, The Bike Rack, Cycle Works, & Monkey Wrench Cycles.

The route will feature stops at these shops giving riders a chance to refuel, visit, shop, register for prizes, and use bathrooms or have mechanics make adjustments.

The NSFW Ride will be a fun chance to meet other cyclist, check out new bikes and biking gear, as well as a great way to get in some miles while everyone else is stuck at work. No fee to ride, but bring lunch money, lunch will be at your choice of Havelock restaurants.

The Austro-Diamler's first commute, new Chrome bag & pot lovers.

The Austro-Diamler worked great on today's commute and felt right at home on the trails going across town. MWC called to say that the Chrome Mini-Metro bag I ordered had come in, so I stopped on the way home to pick it up. It was worth the wait. It is so comfortable, with plenty of room for my stuff. It's awesome! I was surprised to see some pot supporters set up with pamphlets and info encouraging voters to legalize recreational use.

Finally getting the work commute in the bag.

I've tried hard to buck the messenger bag trend to no avail. I've used a number of backpacks and thrift store bags and not liked any of them. I don't know why I'm so stubborn, but I finally got frustrated and decided to stop by MWC on the way home today and cough up the money for a nice Chrome messenger bag. They stock 3 styles, but they all seemed pretty big to me. So I ordered the Mini Metro, it should be here in a week. It'll be great on days like today when it's 34' and I'm bundled up in the morning, and the trip home is in shorts and a T-shirt with highs of 78' and I'm hauling all those winter clothes home.

I was slow to convert to cycling shorts, clipless pedals and narrow tires, and now I'm finally getting with the program by getting a bag that'll work right. Today's miles = 20.1

Monkey Wrench Cycles Grand Opening.

Tonight MWC held their grand opening at their new location and hosted the Ride The Lightning art show. There was live music, food and refreshments. Lincoln cyclists filled the shop, showroom and spilled out into the parking lot. If you couldn't make it out tonight, stop in and check out their new digs just 2 blocks west of the Antelope Valley Trail on the east side of downtown Lincoln.

I rode to work and back today as well as riding to MWC's party giving me 29.3 miles for the day.

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Finally, a LBS on my commute route.

For those of us riding the Billy Wolff trail West of 70th we haven't had a local bike shop along the trail since Bike Pedalers moved from 33rd & B to Pine Lake Rd.

And the John Dietrich hasn't had a shop as long as I know of.

Bike Pedalers and Scheels has the South Point Trail covered.

The Bike Rack takes care of those on the Hwy 2 Trail and the Rock Island Trail users.

Joyride handles cyclist on the Rock Island as well as those riding the Old Cheney Trail.

Cycle Works South store is there for anyone on the 70th St Trail and East side of the Billy Wolff Trail.

Cycle Works 27th & Vine store is handy for Mopac cyclist.

Well, now, Monkey Wrench Cycles has moved 7 blocks East, and is now just 2 blocks West of the Antelope Valley Trail at 19th & Q! They have doubled their space and are situated perfectly for UNL bikers, downtown cyclist, and Antelope Valley Trail users.

This is an exciting move for MWC and their new digs are already set up and ready for shoppers and bikers needing service work. Stop in and check out the new MWC shop and say "hi".

The new Antelope Valley Trail connects Lincoln's trails and has become a hub for cyclists riding from one part of the city to another. MWC is now positioned to be a handy stop for commuters to grab essentials or have quick repairs done.

I decided to sit out today's Nacho Ride. On the commute to work and back I got in 20.6 miles for the day.

The latest edition of Lincoln Ve-Low is out!

Head downtown to MWC to pick up the Lincoln Ve-Low #19 out now!