In my world there is some bicycle event almost every day.

(from the SFBC)

Celebrate ‘Gas-Free Fridays’ with The San Francisco Bicycle Coalition
Grab your bike and a friend or co-worker and pedal by one of the SFBC’s energizer stations to fuel up on free coffee and snacks. The SFBC wants to encourage more people to substitute one short car trip with a bicycle trip on Fridays in October. It’s easier than you think, half of all driving trips in San Francisco are under two miles in length—a distance easily travelled by bicycle.

Fuel up station locations:
Oct. 2 | 8-10am Market at 12th
Oct. 9 | 8-10am Fell at Masonic
Oct. 16 | 8-10am Seventh at Folsom
Oct. 23 | 8-10am North Point at Polk
Oct. 30 | 8-10am Market at Sixth

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(from the SFBC e-newsletter this week)

Tour de Fat rolls back into town this Saturday, September 26, 11am-5pm, with its ballyhoo of bikes and New Belgium Brewery beers! Two parts bike rodeo and one part circus, this all-day, all-green festival is full of fire-jumping bike acts, bicycle games, a bike parade through the park, live music from Sean Hayes, March Fourth Marching Band, Handsome Little Devils present: Squirm Burpee Circus, and The Dare Devil Chicken Club Presents: Honeymoon Cabaret, tasty eats and of course, great beer! Show up at 10am to register and get your spot in the Bike Parade, the parade departs at 11am, and the main ballyhoo begins at 12 noon!

Come on out and have a good time for a great cause (New Belgium Brewery donates the proceeds of the day to the SFBC and the Bay Area Ridge Trail Council). Don't forget to ride yer bike to the show! Complimentary valet bike parking provided by the SFBC and our wonderful crew of bike valet volunteers (of course).

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A new class at MIT -- wishing I was there just to take this.

SP.712 D-Lab Cycle Ventures
D-Lab Cycle Ventures explores bicycle technology to provide human power for an increasing array of other purposes including water pumping, grain grinding and transport of loads in underserved communities with the aim to offer economic opportunity. The course provides a historical prespective on innovation in bicycle technology, reviews its engineering mechanisms and draws on the ubiquity of bikes to present them as innovative tools to foster socio-economic development. The course involves lectures and two types of projects. Early in the semester the whole class tackles on a single, joint, design and fabrication project. Later, students will form teams and take on design challenges from organizations that work with bicycle based technologies around the world. Optional January travel to partner communities. Enrollment limited.

Let's talk about riding bicycles for a minute.

Wikipedia's article on Paul de Vivie is a worthy read. Of special note is his "code for the wise cyclist":

1. Keep your stops short and few.
2. Eat before you're hungry, drink before you're thirsty.
3. Never get too tired to eat or sleep.
4. Add a layer before you're cold, take one off before you're hot.
5. Lay off wine, meat and tobacco on tour.
6. Ride within yourself, especially in the first hour.
7. Never show off.
—Velocio

Which is a pretty interesting interpretation of the original French.

1- Haltes rares et courtes, afin de ne pas laisser tomber la pression.
2- Repas légers et fréquents : manger avant d'avoir faim, boire avant d'avoir soif.
3- Ne jamais aller jusqu'à la fatigue anormale qui se traduit par le manque d'appétit et de sommeil.
4- Se couvrir avant d'avoir froid, se découvrir avant d'avoir chaud et ne pas craindre d'exposer l'épiderme au soleil, à l'air, à l'eau.
5- Rayer de l'alimentation, au moins en cours de route, le vin, la viande et le tabac.
6- Ne jamais forcer, rester en dedans de ses moyens, surtout pendant les premières heures où l'on est tenté de se dépenser trop parce qu'on se sent plein de forces.
7- Ne jamais pédaler par amour-propre.

These resonate deeply, the only amendment I would make is an eighth: 8. Always carry front and rear blinkies. Since I was home sick from work all day, I've had hours to pour over the randonneuring content available online. It's mental preparation for a fine mixed-on/offroad randonne tomorrow, masquerading in name as the East Bay Allez! CX.

Back when Andrew, Howard, John and I rode most of the Tour of Woodside route as an all-day century thing, the lights played a vital point. Descending Crystal Springs in the dark, two of the four of us running the most minimal lighting, was a fright. My blinkies are always on the bike now.

Then there's a quote from Henri Desgrange, early organizer of the Tour de France, regarding the use of derailleurs.

I applaud this test, but I still feel that variable gears are only for people over 45. Isn't it better to triumph by the strength of your muscles than by the artifice of a derailleur? We are getting soft. Come on fellows. Let's say that the test was a fine demonstration - for our grandparents! As for me, give me a fixed gear!

What does Emily Post say about reading a borrowed book whilst in the restroom? Is it okay as long as the book is handled only pre-wipe and post-handwash?