Remarkably, everyone got back on their bikes.  The guy who flew into the barbed wire got 33 stitches. 

1) "Who Ya Gonna Call?" 

2) "Elwood Blues"

I'm talking none other than Mr. _________.

That's right, while I am eating "Rubber Biscuits" smothered in gravy at  Bike Virginia, Chantal, your Far and Away Cycling Head of Marketing is schmoozing with Dan Akroyd, making him an honorary "Friend" of Far and Away Cycling.

Chantal split from BVA early to help welcome Mr. Elwood Blues to the Canadian Embassy in Wash DC (he's from Ottawa).  It's hard to argue with that, especially when Elwood personally autographs the product of his current ventures (wine and Vodka) for you.  That's a nice "Crystal Skull" bottle of vodka  (my skull might be in jeopardy if I ever open one of these bottles by mistake).

I guess it would be kind of hard to open a skull shaped bottle by mistake....

Chantal reports that Dan A is very personable, witty and charming.  No surprise there.

In honor of the occasion, I am pulling out some personal favorites of mine (I wish Joliet Jake was still with us!).

"Who Ya Gonna Call?"

"Rubber Biscuits":

And finally…..Chantal with Mr. Akroyd.  Thanks Dan!  We wish you all the best.

Chantal with Mr. "Elwood Blues" aka Dan Akroyd

Everyone needs to give just a little.....

If you spend much time on the road (or on-line), you are well aware of the potential for disaster when it comes to pedestrians, bikes and vehicles all sharing the same right of way.  

There are situations where being more aggressive is actually safer (e.g., taking the entire lane when there is no shoulder), but my usual strategy is best described as staying out of harm's way.

I make no claims on being any better or worse when it comes to etiquette, but I generally try to abide by these:

1)  Don't squeeze past vehicles on the right at any speed other than maybe a crawl.   You are not expected to be there and it won't take much for an antsy driver to decide the shoulder looks pretty good. Drivers are generally looking for cars and cops, not bikes.  On top of that, it irritates drivers by forcing them to pass you twice.

2)  Don't unnecessarily block traffic by riding 2 or 3 abreast.  Chatting up a fellow rider is not a good enough reason to inconvenience cars that outweigh you by 30 times.

3)  If your entire group of riders can't make it through before that car in the distance gets to the intersection, wait.  Riders are like lemmings…one goes and they all go.  Do the guys behind you a real favor and don't force them to make a "go or be dropped" decision.  Try to wait until everyone can make it through.

4)  Say something when you are passing riders and pedestrians.  Otherwise you surprise the hell out of people.  "On your left", "on your right", whatever..especially if you are on a bike path.

5)  If you are riding in aero-bars on a bike path, you really need to rethink where you are attempting to time trial…and why.

6) If you are in a pace-line, ride at a constant speed, point out the holes and make sure people behind you know it if you are going to slow down…for anything. 

7) Yes, it's irritating to have someone drive behind you, but don't signal to cars behind you to pass.  Drivers need to make their own decision on when it's safe.  It may seem safe to you, but if it's Grandpa Jones in a 24 HP Volkswagen passing from behind and Parnelli Jones comes around the bend in front at 90 mph in a Porsche, do you really want to be responsible for the result?

Don't make obscene gestures.  If you feel someone intentionally endangers you, get a license plate number and file a report.  When something awful happens it will be there waiting for them.  

I will admit that I (with others) once raced after a car with the intention of ripping someone a new one after being intentionally run off the road.

The end result of that incident was a fellow rider spread-eagle on the hood of a cop car (tazer drawn).  It's a long story….but to make it short….we didn't manage to catch the car; what we did catch was the attention of a cop who said we violated some traffic laws while we were in our hot pursuit.  

That turned out to be pretty expensive for the biker/defendant member or our group.  He chose to claim innocence/extenuating circumstances in front of a judge…..unsuccessfully.  

If you have some rules/pet peeves of your own….let's hear them!

Apparently, Australian  Pat Farmer thinks about it too.  He's trying to raise $100 million for clean water projects in developing countries by running from the North Pole to the South Pole.  Wow.  Talk about stretch goals.  That would not have been my solution….for a whole lot of reasons.  

That doesn't mean I don't support it.  I'm in with my wallet.  Pat's website points out that as little as $10 can provide clean drinking water to a person for 10 years.  That's a way better use of my my dough than buying a $4 gallon of gas (which I am NOT griping about either). 

Pat's run starts about 10 hours from now (if weather permits).  You can follow it here:  http://poletopolerun.com/

We just biked a short stretch of the Inter American Highway in Panama.  I can't imagine running that…. and it is the least of his run.

More power to you Pat and good luck!

He's going to run across the Darien Gap! with a group of 20 security guards!

If you don't think he can do it, take a look at his resume. I think he can.

It is pretty easy.  All you do is set up an account and tie it to a bank account.  You can pay on-line or with  iPhone/iPad or 'Droid apps.

I am all for taking costs out of accepting payments any way I can.  Most people don't realize what it costs to pay with a plastic card.  That's because the fees are all buried.   The airline miles, or whatever else one racks up, are dwarfed by the cost of card transactions.

If you don't want to carry around a wad of cash though, it's hard to avoid….up 'til now. 

Enter Dwolla.  Here we are (and proud of it!): 

Yea for us!

To reinforce the point, if you sign up for one of our tours using Dwolla, I will rebate to you what it costs in fees to accept a $300 cc tour deposit….about 3%, so I will round that up to $10.  Dwolla costs $.25 per transaction…in any amount. 

We have other discounts….I don't really expect $10 to motivate anyone, but it's the principle.  

You can get a Dwolla account here.  Dwolla is integrated with Facebook and Twitter, so it is easy to move $$$ to/from friends and followers, provided they are on it also.  If not, they probably should be.

More on  Dwolla:

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Wistia

Hello? Anyone there?

Here are our tips for staying connected (inexpensively) by phone when traveling abroad.  If you have a tip, let's hear it! 

Do what the locals do
Buy a local sim card.  You need an unlocked GSM phone that is compatible with the local system for this (you can check on-line).  Sim cards are usually inexpensive and you can then make domestic and international calls just like the locals do.   Make sure you put your old sim card in a safe place and make note of the PIN of the new card.  Some phones will ask for the pin of the new card (unless that feature is disabled) every time you turn the phone on.  Also, don't forget to write down your new phone number and keep it handy.

Payphones still actually do exist
Buy an international phone card that you can use at a payphone.  You can buy these in different denominations and payphones are still prevalent in a lot of places.  Look at name on the phone booth you want to use and buy the card with the same name.  Usually there will be vendor nearby.  In a pinch you can use your credit card, but you'll pay dearly for that.

You'll see these if you look
Find a business (sometimes co-located with internet shops) that has a little phone booth (sometimes it is just a phone…no booth) for overseas calling.  You may have never had occasion to use one of these before,  but it is a competitive business and you only pay for whatever minutes are used.  A real bargain.  After your call, you will be told what you owe.

Virtually free
Get Skype on your computer and learn how to use it.  Or use Skype from an internet shop.  Set up your account before you leave home.  It's virtually free and you can use it wherever there is a decent internet connection.

What you can't do without
This will seem basic, but make a list of the important phone numbers you want to have and keep it with you at ALL times.  International Directory Assistance can probably assist, but it's MUCH better and cheaper to have your number.

The guy with the camera did it in about 3 and a half minutes, but the winner, Filip Polc did it in 2:40.

I especially like the dog on the course. 

The city of Valparaiso is also responsible for South America's first volunteer fire department, Chile's first public library and South America's oldest Spanish language newspaper–so why not an urban downhill mountain bike race?  If I were a spectator, I would keep a respectful distance…..

VCA 2010 RACE RUN from changoman on Vimeo.

You have to admit, this looks like fun….at least to watch.  There is something to be said for indoor bike racing.  It's fast and it's furious.  Unfortunately, events are few and far between in this country. 

It reminds me a lot of  "The Rotor" at the old Riverview Park in Chicago.   

This is relatively safe to watch…plenty of crashes but it is splinter free!

#1 Where?  Don't throw a Dart. 

Throw it only if you must

As a starter look at "Ride the Road". Sally and Peter Blommer have cycled the world for the last 30 years and have ranked each of their destinations based on a 15 factor scorecard. This site caught my attention when I noticed that the Lao PDR was ranked #1 Ride the Road Website .  Also google "cycling in _________(fill in the blank)". You will get, among other things, trip reports, blogs, etc. that will give you both ideas and a feel for the places. Dig deep into the search listings to find the gems.

#2 What? Build your criteria.  

Keep it kind of short unless you are a research guru

After you have considered the "where", narrow the field further by considering the "what". Define the ideal tour for you. You may have to relax a few constraints in the end, so categorize the list into "must haves" and "nice to haves". Use your "wish list" as your benchmark. You might hit everything on the nose. Start here for a primer on the kinds of things available.

Look at the Bike Tour Reviews site. It's a good resource even if you stay at home

#3 Who? Put the Pieces Together. 

Now, evaluate the fit between what's available and what you want. Google "cycling tours in _______" and you will turn up options. Go to the sites, look at the tours, look at the pics, find the guestbook. Talk to the folks at the company. Talk to a customer. Score each option based on your checklist. Most of all, "listen" to the people that have been on the tours, or better yet, have been on many tours and with several different companies. Also look at Biketour-reviews.com which specializes in receiving input from riders and making the info available to all.

*******

PS.  Don't forget to consider self supported. 

Solo Rider

If all else fails, toss in pool.

I've learned over time.  Sometimes the hard way.

1. Don't under-estimate the lowly cardboard bike box.   A cardboard box is the least expensive bike packing option and, if your bike is packed properly, pretty darn safe.   Also, if need be, you can ditch the box completely and replace it for the trip home. 

2. Consider having your local bike shop pack your bike.  Most will do if for a small charge.  The downside is that you don't really know what they have done to pack it and occasionally they will dismantle about twice as much as needed.  I've seen headsets and other surprising stuff in pieces.

3. Remove your rear derailleur.  It's easy enough to do.  Tape the chain to the chainstay so the chain doesn't get all twisted up (or remove it entirely with quick release links).   This will ensure you don't arrive with a bent derailleur hanger.

4. Put something between the dropouts after you remove the wheels.  New bikes come with a little plastic piece that is light and works very nicely.  This will prevent the spread of your dropouts from being converted from a 130 to 125 should someone pile something on the box or it gets caught up in the luggage conveyor.  I fashioned something that works from an old broom handle.  Tape it on so it doesn't pop off.
   

5.  Likewise, put a protector on the outside of your wheel hubs (after removing the skewers) that will prevent them from poking through the cardboard all the time.  Airline people generally don't like it when there is a metal part sticking out from your box.  New bikes come with them or you can fashion your own from pretty much anything and tape it on.  Without it your box will soon like like a piece of swiss cheese.

6. Put all your little pieces and parts (skewers, pedals, etc etc)  inside of something that is sturdy and large enough that it won't fall out of a hole in the box.  It also helps ensure you can find everything on the other end.

7. Remember that both your pedals come off with downward pressure when the wrench is to the rear of the bike and that they both go on in the opposite direction.  I've seen pedals stripped out of crankarms…..multiple times….by the same person…..on the same trip.  Expensive.
   

8. If you are using a travel bike with S&S couplers or a Ritchey or a Rodruguez or a Ravello or whatever, congratulations!  You've made a good decision.  Your biking travel life just got a lot easier.   If you haven't packed your bike much though, make sure you bring some notes or pictures or whatever it is you need to remind yourself how you got your bike into the travel case in the first place.  It is always easier to do at home then on the road and people often simply forget.

9. If you are packing more than one bike, do them one at a time and concentrate on the mission at hand rather than performing other stuff at the same time.  Multi-tasking is not your friend when you are packing a bike.  Chantal and I once arrived in Darjeeling, India where I made the unfortunate discovery that I had packed two clip-in pedals for her…both rights.  I made the mistake of trying to address a sticky pedal she was complaining about at the same time I was packing.   I did fix it for her, but then I had two rights. 

10. You often have limited time, but try to tackle packing and unpacking when you are fresh and up to it.  Little things, like reversing the small springs on skewers, can drive people nuts.  You don't even need those springs, but, if you don't know you've done it you can have a hard time figuring out why your wheel doesn't fit in right.

Trace unpacking his bike in Laos.