Last year, Velomuse attended the National Bike Summit, hosted by the League of American Bicyclists, and coordinated with local advocates from Bike Pittsburgh and Dirt Rag/Bicycle Times Magazine. This year,
“We Need You More than Ever”
National Bike Summit – 2011
March 8-10, Washington, D.C.
bikeleague.org/summit11
The National Bike Summit is a three day event with more than 800 leaders of the bicycling advocacy movement and industry attending. We all converge on Washington, D.C. to share ideas and experiences about how we can make America more bike-friendly. Meetings are scheduled for all attendees with their members of Congress for the third day of the event. Delegates from all 50 states, including local bicycle retailers, industry executives, elected officials and user groups have the opportunity to speak with their elected officials and put in their asks for bicycling.
Furthermore, this is possibly the most important Summit to date. On November 2, 2010, we witnessed a political course correction of historical proportions in Congress. The 112th Congress opened on January 3, 2011, and nearly 80 new members of Congress took the oath, making this the largest group since 1992.
This Congress looks very different. Not only did the bicycling movement lose its biggest champion, Chairman James Oberstar (D-MN), on the House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee, but more than 30 members of the House Congressional Bike Caucus did not return.
This means that the learning curve is high for these new members, and the pressure is on for the 112th Congress to pass a new transportation bill. We are not certain what direction this new transportation bill will take. However, we do know that there is much work to be done in regards to educating the new members on our issues and that they need to see YOU — the nation’s bicycling advocates — next March, in Washington, D.C. Tell them about the bicycle, a simple solution to many of our nation’s persistent problems. Register for the Summit today at bikeleague.org/summit11.
Keynote Speaker Announced
Janette Sadik-Khan, the Commissioner of the New York City Department of Transportation, is the keynote speaker at the National Bike Summit’s opening plenary, Wednesday March 9. Since her appointment in 2007, the New York City has completed more than 250 miles of bike lanes and 20 miles of cycle track; passed innovative bicycle parking legislation and delivered extensive education and safety programs. Bicycle use has doubled since 2006, while fatalities have fallen to their lowest level in decades.
For more information, visit bikeleague.org/summit11.
DNS/DFL vs. DNF/DQ
What’re all those letters about? Well, the literal translation is “Did Not Start/Dead F*cking Last versus Did Not Finish/Disqualified”, and those acronyms are commonly used in bicycle race results, when no numeric placement can be identified. Having gotten my feet wet over the last few years as a professional cycling coach, I’ve had the opportunity to discuss the philosophy and psychology of racing (and goal development) with various intellectuals. It is not that I think a cyclist’s lifestyle is more quantifiable than the status quo; however, in being forced to consider the impact of one’s decisions in all actions, I believe cycling provides solutions where there would be an increasing void.
My personal interpretation relates these acronyms with an element of intention; that is, EFFORT. Basically, the largest obstacle in a race, is getting TO the event, itself. Finishing an event is the next greatest obstacle, which provides a great deal of satisfaction. The goals can also keep stacking, in smaller increments. Honor and good sportsmanship speak lengths about where your personal goals rest, and how much effort you are really willing to put forth. In essence, finishing dead last feels about the same as winning, when I look back on it. My memories are still in the smaller goals I’ve achieved, and there’s at least one thing I found to work on as a result of the race.
I have never considered numeric race results as an indication of success, as field size and conditions can vary widely. Satisfaction can be achieved with more specific goals: a particularly gnarly rockface descent, pacing a climb, nailing a twisty piece of singletrack without braking, etc. Therefore, it is important to pick events which suit your goals and skills, accordingly. And when the lack of opportunity arrives, just pick any race and focus on part of it. Numeric results may not provide the depth of satisfaction that one can achieve in a race situation, only giving a temporary interpretation. The decision to participate in the Art of Racing is a significant one. Success can be found in setting oneself against mother nature – a synergy of bike, mind and body – another good reason not to let recreational rides be replaced by competition entirely.
