My water was hot, I was hot and thirsty and I still had miles to go. Nebraska decided to skip early summer and go right into late July heat and humidity. I made it finally and quickly took a cold shower to cool down my body temp and clean up. I did some things right. I paced myself against the 20-30mph wind. I was drinking water. I stopped in the shade to cool down. At 91 F, high humidity and full sun it’s easy to get overheated. I was not expecting toward the end of my ride the 80+ F water in my water bottle. I filled it with ice on leaving work, but it was hot when I really needed it. My last 3-4 miles are along brick business buildings (radiate a lot of heat with no wind) and up hills. I couldn’t drink it anymore (too hot), so I started pouring in on me to cool down. It actually didn’t make that much different. I made many stops in those last miles and was able to keep from getting overheated. I now have a plan B for those kind of days. Along my way home is a gas station, I will make it a habit on these hot/humid days to stop there and recharge my water bottle with cold water even though it’s not empty.
When bicycling in heat it’s important to do the following things:
- Stay Hydrated!!!!!
- Pace yourself.
- Be very aware of the condition of your body! Are you sweating, dizzy, losing focus, feel like your head is going to burst, abnormally high heart rate, overly fatigued?
- If you notice any of the items in #3, take immediate action to correct.
- Rest in shaded areas preferably with a breeze.
- Sunscreen
- Know when to call it quits. Call a cab or a friend, go into an air conditioned building, etc…
- Have multiple options for maintaining water and keeping cool.
By keeping cool in the heat, even summer afternoon rides can be fun. I really enjoyed “flying” with the wind on part of my route home.
Have Fun and Happy Riding!
Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood mentioned the idea of a nation-wide interstate biking system. Awesome! Some states have already started for example the Katy Trail which covers 265 miles across Missouri , the Cowboy Trail which covers 195 miles so far (321 when complete) across Nebraska, and the Wabash Trace Nature Trail (62 miles) in Iowa. I am glad to see the federal government joining with what is already happening on the local level. Mr. LaHood is incorporating the idea of multimode travel when building roads. I know this will encourage me and many other bicyclists to ride more often. I believe this will also help people to take that first step in using their bicycles as transportation and not just recreation.
Have fun and Happy Riding!
My family wanted to meet at a local ice cream parlor this last Sunday on a beautiful day. I had been working hard on removing some sod in our back yard and was getting pretty tired. My first thought was ‘I better cleanup and run down there in the car I don’t have much time’. But then I remembered the parking situation. The parlor is in downtown ‘Old Market’ Omaha and parking is a nightmare, especially on weekends. How about the bicycle I thought. I should find parking then. I then pulled out my bicycle, grabbed my lock, keys, helmet and I was off. The ride there is mostly downhill, so about 10 minutes later I was in front of the parlor. I found a place right next to the building to lock my bike and went inside. My family had to park 3 blocks away and walk there. After some wonderful ice cream, I went to my bike and headed home (uphill mostly). I arrived at the house before the rest of my family did. I have to remember this! Front row parking guaranteed with a bike and it doesn’t take any extra time!
The time to get somewhere always includes
- Time to get to the location
- Time to park
- Time to walk from nearest parking location.
I often forget to include the last 2 items when comparing traveling by car versus bicycling. So for those of you (and me) who are strapped for time don’t automatically assume just because you can get to the area faster, that it will take less time to actually step into your destination.
Have Fun and Happy Biking!
I must admit I have one big pet peeve when it comes to cyclists, ‘Disregard for the road rules!’. I am a firm believer of following the rules of the road while bicycling on the road as much as possible. I have seen the following already: Riding the opposite way to the traffic, riding through stop signs and red lights, cutting across lanes/traffic without signaling, and not signaling when turning. Now I know some cyclists have not been trained and others don’t like the inconvenience of following the rules.
Instead of just venting about it to others, I have decided to start at home and have my kids learn the proper rules. My oldest daughter has a keen interest in cycling. So we went on 3 mile ride around town. I started on the residential quiet streets, then down to a trail, then on the way back we went a few blocks on a busier street. We practiced braking, staying on the right hand side, demonstrated how to go around parked cars (to avoid opening doors), proper etiquette on multi-use trails, and practiced on taking the lane on a busy street. We traded off on taking the lead as well. It was a lot of fun, plus she is learning a safe way to ride her bicycle. A lot of it is simply leading by example.
I believe that if more people were training their kids on proper street cycling, then we will see less accidents and less confrontations with autos because everyone knows what to expect. Perhaps someday, we will have a cycling education program in the schools, but until then it’s up to us to ‘Pass it on’.
Have fun and Happy Riding!
National Bike Summit is currently going on in Washington DC. Bicyclist from around the nation are gathered there to encourage our representatives for improved infrastructure for cyclist. Also a lot of idea are being exchanged amongst the cyclist themselves on ways to improve their local community for cyclist. One such idea has already hit the ground and is gaining traction. “People for Bikes” at peopleforbikes.org is a website where you can pledge your support behind cyclist nationwide. There is no cost or membership, unless you want to donate, to be apart of this. It will be used to demonstrate the volume of people that are currently using there bicycle in cities around the country.
Get involved locally. Actually, it is the cities and communities around the nation that are leading the charge in this area (versus state and national influences). For example Denver has committed 7 million for bike repair and improvement to help solve traffic congestion. Chicago has opened a bike station for commuters to provide safe bicycle parking. Fort Worth is adding 900 miles of bicycle paths and lanes to the city. Even here in Omaha, we are adding bike lanes on streets to connect existing bicycle paths.
Businesses are also getting involved. Many businesses and shops here have added bicycle racks to accommodate the increased bicycle traffic. Google has added a bicycle feature to it’s google maps.
Don’t forget check for upcoming events.
Talk with your local bicycle shops, they usually are informed with the latest local bicycle happenings.
Have fun and happy biking!
After 88 days of “official” snow cover and setting a new record, I can finally see the ground along the roadways and front yards. I still have 4+ inches of snow in my back yard, but it is also protected from the sun a bit. I am also seeing an increase number of cyclist about during my commute. Before I jump on my bike to take it for a spin, I will do my annual spring checkup. Here is a list of the items I like to do for my spring clean.
- Clean the bicycle. I have a lot of road grime on it from the bit of cycling I did in the winter still. This includes brakes, chain, cables levers, frame, wheels, racks, lights, etc…
- Inspect the gears and chain for wear. Most websites encourage riders to change chains and cassettes every 3000 miles. I think it depends greatly on your environment that you ride in. So check for wear on the cassette, cranksets, and the amount of wear and stretch on the chain.
- Tires. I like to check for cracks, slight bulges, wear around the stem, and wear on the tire tread. Also make sure the wheel doesn’t wobble or have a grinding noise coming out of it.
- Brakes. If the brakes are uneven, cracked or worn down, then the pads need replaced and re-centered.
- Cables. Lubricate if needed, make sure that when pulling the cables they operate smoothly.
- Check lights. Clean and put in fresh batteries as needed. Or if using a generator, then clean that and test that it is operating correctly.
- Check all bolts, nuts, screws. I almost ruined my back wheel once when a screw holding my rack worked itself out.
- Do a test. Make sure it shifts smoothly and evenly. Brakes operate properly. Seat and handle bars are adjusted correctly.
- Accessories. I always forget this one, but clean up the panniers and any other accessories. Get your bicycle clothes ready (in case they are in storage or are getting worn). Inspect helmet.
I tend to be a do-it-yourself kind of person. So I don’t mind working on my bicycle. However, the local bicycle shops will also do full maintenance and inspections for a reasonable price. This is also a good time to starting finding out trail conditions, road conditions and any upcoming events. I like to check various bicycle blogs and neighborhood event calendars.
Have fun and happy biking!
GO
SET QUOTED_IDENTIFIER ON
GO
CREATE PROCEDURE [OLTA].[usp_GetBatchCountOfNotReleased]
@parmSiteBankID int,
@parmSiteLockboxID int,
@parmDepositDateStart datetime,
@parmDepositDateEnd datetime
WITH RECOMPILE
AS
/******************************************************************************
** WAUSAU Financial Systems (WFS)
** Copyright ? 2010 WAUSAU Financial Systems, Inc. All rights reserved
*******************************************************************************
*******************************************************************************
** DO NOT DISCLOSE THESE MATERIALS TO ANY THIRD PARTY.
*******************************************************************************
* Copyright ? 2010 WAUSAU Financial Systems, Inc. All rights reserved. All
* other trademarks cited herein are property of their respective owners.
* These materials are unpublished confidential and proprietary information
* of WFS and contain WFS trade secrets. These materials may not be used,
* copied, modified or disclosed except as expressly permitted in writing by
* WFS (see the WFS license agreement for details). All copies, modifications
* and derivative works of these materials are property of WFS.
*
* Author: JNE
* Date: 03/02/2010
*
* Purpose: Query Batch Summary fact table by Bank, Box, Deposit Date Range for DepositStatus 825
*
* Modification History
* 03/02/2010 CR 29153 JNE Created
******************************************************************************/
SET NOCOUNT ON
BEGIN TRY
SELECT COUNT(OLTA.factBatchSummary.GlobalBatchID) AS BatchCount
FROM OLTA.factBatchSummary
INNER JOIN OLTA.dimLockboxes ON OLTA.factBatchSummary.LockboxKey = OLTA.dimLockboxes.LockboxKey
WHERE OLTA.dimLockboxes.SiteBankID = @parmSiteBankID
AND OLTA.dimLockboxes.SiteLockboxID = @parmSiteLockboxID
AND OLTA.factBatchSummary.DepositDateKey >= CAST(CONVERT(varchar,@parmDepositDateStart,112) as int)
AND OLTA.factBatchSummary.DepositDateKey <= CAST(CONVERT(varchar,@parmDepositDateEnd,112) as int)
AND OLTA.factBatchSummary.DepositStatus = 825
END TRY
BEGIN CATCH
EXEC OLTA.usp_WfsRethrowException
END CATCH
Looking for ways to make your bike part of your everyday life? Wondering about commuting by bike to work or for shopping? Starting in 2010, you’ll be able to get all the info and advice you need to make your bike work for you.
In the meantime, take a look around, register on the blog, subscribe to the RSS, and find me on Twitter and Facebook. It’s going to be a great ride!