In March 2024 my sister and I biked a Vies Verde from the Costa Brava to Girona, Spain and searching for ways to navigate from the Spanish coast to the gorgeous and ancient inland city of Girona proved to be a bit of a challenge...since I didn't know what the Green Way system was called and none of the existing blogs made it clear that there is an extensive network of amazing bike trails throughout Northeastern Spain. So, this blog is for all those folks that are looking to ride through a beautiful mix of city and country on well maintenance bike routes that are well designed and easy to follow.

To save you the hassle, here's the link to the Vies Verde website: www.viesverdes.cat/en/

These routes, which are on a mix of packed gravel, asphalt, dirt, packed sand and cobble stones, connect bikers to a few of the lovely little towns just south of the French border, including Sant Feliu de Guîxols, Girona, Banyoles, Figueres, Ripoll, and you can even take them across the border into the Pyrenees Mountains in France. 

We decided to start our trip in Barcelona, so for those folks that want to figure out how to get from Barcelona to the Vies Verdes/Carrilet II, read on!

Since April of 2022 we've been putting on these Full Moon Lighted Bike Rides. It was inspired by my friend Marissa with LightMeUp Safety Lights in San Diego. She's a really amazing person who brings all this joy to the bike scene across San Diego County by hooking people up with wheel lights. Her slogan is "Get lit or get hit." That's pretty baller right?
What I love about the service that LightMeUp Safety Lights provides goes beyond just colorful bike decoration. When a group of bike riders are rolling with wheel lights, frame lights and style, drivers seem to step up their respect for bicyclists. It looks like party on wheels, a glowing parade, something that you really want to be a part of, or at least spectate. So typically drivers slow down, they watch, they cheer and they make space for bike riders. 
We started full moon rides in Upstate NY to promote that same kind of culture of safety for cyclists but it's grown into something even better.

​ Our first ride was the Pink Moon Ride in April, supported by Bike Walk Tompkins. We met at the Ithaca Farmer's Market an hour before sunset to install some wheel lights and by the time we got onto the Waterfront Trail we had about 20 riders in tow, and everyone lit up for the evening roll. So that was 7 rides ago, and out little full moon ride has caught on and created an unexpected following with a culture that's very different from the lighted bike parades in San Diego...

"Women+ are not small men!" -Dr. Stacy Sims
"Women are built for child bearing. We have 6-11% more body fat and we burn more body fat during exercise. We have more slow twitch fibers and we rely on carbohydrates as fuel.

"The primary hormones that fluctuate during our cycle of estrogen and progesterone. Estrogen increases fat utilization.
Progesterone delays our sweat response and increases our core temperature causing hot flashes inflammation. It also promoted muscle break down. This is why diets fail women more than men and certain foods can make you feel great one day and bloated another. Our hormones do all this seemingly harmful damage in the name of reproduction and species survival!"
"It's time to start thanking our hormones, stop blaming them, and work with them to achieve our fullest potential whether you're a commuter, recreational rider or elite athlete."

What is Girlz Gone Riding?
•Mission: To get more women mountain biking and ensure they have a great experience every  time
•Vision: To be the example for other women’s clubs across the globe. To inspire women to enjoy the adventure and bring their girlfriends along

This group's goal is to ensure every GGR ride is a good experience for all participants. They hold ride volunteer workshops and certify each ride volunteer to be able to lead, sweep or float a ride

Since this is a pretty divisive topic the first thing that I will ask from you is respect.
Respect towards others opinions and postures, there is no dialogue if we all think we are right beforehand so the second thing that I will ask from you is to keep an open mind, I won’t tell you what to think or what your personal conclusion should be at the end of this conversation, but I will ask that you give the chance to other points of view to spark at least a little curiosity to encourage a more constructive and positive discussion.

I will also give you a spoiler alert, I personally support Trans women in sports, and you might think that this obvious because I’m a transgender woman and I also practice sports, but you should know that it wasn’t always this way, When I first started my transition in 2010 I was a basketball player.  I was convinced that my days in competitive sports were over and that at 28 Years of age I would never set foot on a basketball court again. (Back then, cycling was only a means of transportation for me.)

A few months ago, before COVID-19 was a really really big deal, I was in New Zealand, riding bikes. A friend of mine was taking part in Love to Ride's Aotearoa Challenge. I had forgotten about Love to Ride for 2 years and suddenly there it was in my life, in New Zealand. 

Love to Ride is an online platform where you can log bike rides, get points for pedaling and win prizes. Pretty wonderful right? I actually only took part the first time because the grant prize was a free trip to New Zealand and I figured, I bike a lot anyway, I bet I have a shot at winning...

Spoiler alert, I didn't win. I had to pay for that recent trip to New Zealand. HOWEVER, Love to Ride changed how I think about biking. They use this behavior change approach to biking which is really effective. I had a friend who rarely rode bikes and she joined the challenge because I convinced her to just sign up and see how it went. Well she ended up getting a better bike, and getting into bike commuter and nothing about that shift had to do with me. The constant positive feedback that you get just by doing short, slow rides around town was really encouraging. 
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So anyways, Love to Ride seemed to really work. It turned non-bikers into bike lovers. So I wrote an email that same day, contacted the folks at Love to Ride and said, let's do this in San Diego. Well 2 months later we're about to launch a 25-day bike challenge in San Diego, amid the COVID-19 crisis and I couldn't be more thrilled for this adventure. You can participate inside on a bike trainer. You can participate by taking solo rides around your block, or you can get out and go on bigger blood pumping tours if you're in a safe place to do so. 

We're living in this strange time where suddenly we have no place to go, pollution is decreasing, car traffic has eased and biking is a beautiful option! What a better way to support those new bikers than giving them a great reason to bike...positive feedback and the chance to win prizes. 

Well I inserted some Vie Cycle into the event and yes, we're doing a full 5 days of WTF focused prize drawings. So if you're a WTF biker, get on your bike horse and ride any time between May 25th and 29th. Everyday there's a different prize to win. 
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Here's a sneaky peak....

I recently taught a workshop at Bike!Bike! Tijuana. If you've never heard of Bike!Bike! that's cool. It's only a world wide annual conference for bike lovers, and in particular people who volunteer at bike collectives. The scene is usually packed with bike punks, anarchists, nomads, bike messengers, wrenches, advocates, organizers, you know...people who do it for the love of bikes and not for money. 

If you're just here for the Multiple Intelligences zine, that's fine. CLICK READ MORE and you'll find it at the bottom of the next page. 

I played a part in organizing the event by collecting bikes, hosting bike repair parties and organizing rides to Tijuana. The day before the start of the conference I met with 30 folks from around the world (Chile, Montreal, Wisconsin...) and we took a leisurely  sunset ride to Mexico. 
Oh wait, I'm supposed to be writing about Multiple Intelligences again, right. 
Well, I'm getting there. I just thought you wanted a little lead in. 
Ok, Bike!Bike! day one. That's what this post is about. I led a two hour workshop on something that I care deeply about and I want to share it with you!

I was out on a bike ride today and thinking about the ways that people in cars pass me. On multi-lane city streets, a lot of drivers understand that it is safer for everyone if they switch lanes to go around me and then return to my lane after they've made some space between us. Sometimes on single lane road, motorists get fed up with driving my speed and they zoom around me without leaving much room between us. This is especially fun in places with stop lights, because those lights are usually timed to accommodate a slower speed limit. So when I'm riding at about 14mph, I should be able to get most of the green lights if I time it right. Whereas motorists who get annoyed by driving my speed will floor it past me, stop and wait at a light (until I catch up and pass them) and then floor it past me again. Rinse and repeat. 
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So here's my solution for people in cars who pass too close...
I give you the, "Give me 3 feet or get keyed!"

It's a prototype, so I'm open to feedback...

Recycling and reducing waste is part of Vie Cycle's mission. Turns out there are a million and one ways to reuse busted bike tubes. Shoe laces!?! That's what's up and for real, they are the best thing. Every time I put my shoe on I'm like, "woah! this is such an enjoyable experience!" Maybe you feel that way anyway about shoes. I didn't. I hate having to untie, loosen laces, scrunch in my foot and then tighten up and tie my shoes every time I leave the house. 

Bike tubes just made my Vans into slip on shoes that get instantly tight when my foot is in them.

Got chipped paint on your bike?
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All you need is touch up paint and here's how to get it!

You can visit a bike shop, request paint from the brand manufacturer or you can USE NAIL POLISH!

For the nail polish option, you just need a few unpainted finger nails and a beauty supply store.