Thank you, Jules over at the Surly Blog, for posting a set of "Pedal Pumpers" that represent some of the varations of what a "real" cyclist looks like!

Here are a few pics of my co-workers, friends, and random cyclists who happen to work close by. Some are thin, some are thick, some are short, some are tall, some are hairy, some are smooth, some tattooed, some with freckles, some scarred, some are oddly unblemished, but one thing I know for sure – all ride bike

The topic of "Pedal Pumpers" is a photo of a woman with the tagline, "You don’t get legs like this pushing a gas pedal!"  While I undertand the initial outrage around, "Why would you use a fashion model when you could have used a cyclist?"  I don't agree with the comments that proceeded to participate in body shaming as they took down the model for not being a "real" cyclist based on how her body appears in the photo.

The ad and subsequent comments remind me of those well-meaning, but ultimately insipid, "This is what a real woman looks like," memes where the "real women" are all classically beautiful white women on display as an answer to the starving models we see photoshopped on magazine covers. (But the real women shown are certainly not fat.)

There is no such thing as a "real" woman*!

Similarly, there is no such thing as a "real biking body." If you bike, and you have a body, ding ding, you have a biking body!

I found this (NSFW- language) photo on Facebook, and posted it to the Grease Rag group, adding, "Want a hot bike-body? Put your body on a f*cking bike!  However you do it.... You're doing it right."

What's an Almanzo?

100 miles of gravel and hills, south of Rochester in Spring Valley, MN.  The race is free: a labor of love by a cyclist and organizer named Chris Skogen, supported by sponsorship and community donations and volunteers.

From the Almanzo website:

We drove this course over a period of two days. The first day was under sunny skies and a decent wind. The gravel was very soft and pock-marked north and east of Spring Valley. As we drove further south the course seemed to dry up the further we went. There were a couple of highway maintenance vehicles out along the course doing what they do best, scraping the bumps out and getting down to the soft stuff. Our expectation of the weeks to come is that the roads will continue to get maintained, smoothed out, and added to to make up for the heaves and the ruts brought to us by a long winter and a non-present Spring.

On our second day we picked up the course at 142nd St and traveled west through Forestville State Park, Cherry Grove, the  infamous and sometimes (it's currently flowing) dry water crossing and back into Spring Valley. We mention this second day because over the course of 24 hours the gravel had dried out nicely. There were a few sections of new rock that had been laid down and a coupe of corners where the truck got a little loose. As we mentioned above, the roads should be all set up and ready to roll come race day.

    Towns you'll see along the way and the services they have,

    1. Preston, Minnesota (all services) Mile 39
    2. Cherry Grove, Minnesota (soda machine, bring change) Mile 79

My 'manzo

I have never done this or any other gravel ride before, but when I went to an Almanzo fundraiser this winter, I met a lot of people that said so many nice things about the organizer and the race that I was positively peer pressured to participate!  I felt I could do the distance, but I was nervous about this "gravel" stuff, because I've never ridden on anything like 1-3 inches of pea-sized gravel laid over a hard-pack road before.  But how hard could it be, right?  Not to mention my doubts about how to ford the river where the bridge was out.  (I usually just caulk the wagon and float across if there's no ferry.)  But how hard could it be, right?  Right??  For better or for worse, I still believe that if I'm given enough time and gears, I can do anything.

Wonderful Wheels

Grease Rag, SPOKES and Beeyond a Bike are coming together to bring you this workshop for WTF (Women/ trans*/ femme) cyclists.  Read below for information on how to register!

Join us for a wheel-building and hub overhauling workshop: No experience necessary.  Register for Wheel Building, Hubs and Rims, or BOTH!

This workshop will be taught by our guest, Brenna, mechanic and traveler extraordinaire representing Beeyond a Bike, a project aimed at empowering women and underserved communities worldwide with the knowledge of bicycle maintenance and repair as a means to increase efficiency, strength, and health. 

SPOKES
1915 E 22nd St, Minneapolis
(1/2 block West of Minnehaha on 22nd)
Saturday May 25^th, 9:00 am – 1:00 pm

Schedule of Events

8:45 – Snacks and coffee

9:00 - 10:45 – Wheel Building: Learn how turn a hub, a rim and some spokes into a beautiful wheel just for you! Bring your own, custom parts* or use components available at SPOKES.

10:45 - 11:15 - Break!  Snacks provided

11:15 - 1:00 - Hubs and Rims: Together we will shatter the mystery of what’s inside your hub.  After opening and cleaning the hubs, we will repack them with new bearings and grease and learn how to make a proper hub adjustment. Finally we will head to the truing stands and discover how to straighten our wheels using spoke tension.

Cost: By donation to Beeyond a Bike (suggested $5-10) plus new parts 

Registration: Register for Wheel Building, or just for Hubs and Rims by emailing info@spokesconnect.org by May 24.

If you are building your own wheel, this is important information:

* If building your own, custom wheel, stop by SPOKES before May 20^th during open shop hours (or schedule to meet up with a SPOKES staff by emailing info@spokesconnect.org) to order your hub, rim and spokes. Visit a spoke length calculator such as http://www.prowheelbuilder.com/spokelengthcalculator/ to determine the proper spoke lengths for your wheel! 

* It is possible for participants to rebuild a used or new wheel from SPOKES to learn the process at no extra cost. You must register and let staff know that you are choosing to rebuild a wheel.

Grease Rag is this Thursday, May 16!

(This event takes place the 1st and 3rd Thursday of the month)

Join us at Sunrise Cyclery: 2901 Blaisdell Ave., from 7-9pm for a fun, free open shop for WTF (women/ trans*/ femme) cyclists

This is a very special Grease Rag, because Shayne, our Grease Rag mechanic since DAY 1 is celebrating her birthday!

So in addition to our usual fun and games, there will probably be some cake!  Bring a beverage, bring a bike.

Grease Rag U of M will be May 23rd.

Grease Rag Seward will be May 27th.

Grease Rag NE will be June 11th.

Grease Rag wants you to know...

We have an events calendar!

Lots of group rides are being organized as summer heats up- exciting!

Save the date, June 15th for a Grease Rag bike camping trip to Carver.  Beginners preferred and welcome!

Jamie McDonald is working with Eleventh-Wundr Art to create a mural along the 29th St. side of the Sunrise building.  Yay for public art!

The Ride of Silence is a ride that happens all over the world, to honor and remember cyclists that have been injured or have died while riding.

Celebrate Elyse and remember fallen riders by participating in the Ride of Silence.

Wednesday, May 15
Meet at Mississippi River Blvd. and Summit Ave. at 6:30pm 

Ride leader: Ron Schwartz

Distance: 8 miles
Notes: Ride will start in St. Paul at Mississippi River Boulevard and Summit Ave at 7PM sharp on May 15th. Begin congregating at 6:30PM as there will be a short ceremony a few minutes before 7 in memory of those who have been injured or killed while cycling. We will ride on Summit Avenue to the University Club and then back to the starting point. This is a slow, silent ride. There is no charge to participate. In the spirit of Share the Road, we will obey all traffic laws and remain in the bike lane riding single file. Riders of all abilities welcome. Helmets required.