Bicycle Friendly Community

The City of Oxford is pleased to announce on behalf of the Oxford Pathways Commission that The League of American Bicyclists has designated Oxford a Bicycle Friendly Community at the Bronze level. “The Pathways Commission worked very hard to earn this recognition,” said Mayor Richard Howorth. “And we are thrilled to have this designation, and will continue to work toward improvements for bicycling and pedestrian access throughout the community.”

The coveted award is given only to cities that have excelled in a two-step application process. The first step is an online application, followed by an extensive audit of the “5 E’s” of being a Bicycle Friendly Community: engineering, education, encouragement, enforcement and evaluation/planning. Oxford is recognized in the bronze category with cities like Austin, TX, Ann Arbor, MI and Denver, CO; and is the first city in Mississippi and one of only seven communities in the Southeast presently designated as bicycle friendly. This is a four-year designation that can be maintained by providing updates to the BFC committee.

Mike Mossing, Chairman of the Oxford Pathways Commission, partnered with Oxford City Planner Tim Akers on the initial application in January of 2007. After recommendations from the review committee with the BFC program, several members of the commission reapplied to receive this designation. “This is a great honor for the present commission and the many dedicated citizens who have worked for well over a decade to make Oxford a safe and inviting place to ride a bike. In revising the application for 2008 to include the opening of the Oxford Depot Rail/Trail and the Safe Routes to School Program, it was immediately apparent how far we had come. Tim and Mayor Howorth, City Engineers - David Bennett and Bart Robinson, Kevin McLeod of Elliot and Britt Engineering and Bennett Construction have done a fantastic job of translating the aspirations of the Pathways Commission into first-class facilities for cyclists, walkers and runners. The Oxford Cycling Club also played a huge role by providing a supportive and fun community for all cyclists,” stated Mike Mossing.

The Pathways Commission was established in June of 2007 and has been tirelessly working to provide safer streets and enhanced access for Oxford cyclists.

The Bicycle Friendly Community program was established in 2003 and helps to promote May as Bike Month, Bike to Work Week and Bike to Work Day. Being designated as a BFC recognizes that a city has a desirable high quality of life and is working to reduce traffic issues by a more efficient means of travel – which is a growing concern with the increase in fuel costs. The designation also will afford new grant opportunities for Oxford.

Sperling’s Best Places

I was playing around on the internet the other day and happened upon Sperling’s Best Places. There is a test on this site where one can answer a few questions to determine their “best place” to live. My best place for major metropolitan city is San Francisco, California. My best smaller city (less than 300,000) is Boulder, Colorado. I’ve never been to San Francisco, but it is a place I’d very much like to see. I’m not sure about living there since it’s so big. I’d probably prefer to live just outside the city. Boulder is a place I’ve actually visited. I have to admit to being a little disappointed because the city, at least what little of it I saw, didn’t live up to the hype. Boulder is actually very flat, and I didn’t see one mountain the entire time I was there. There’s also a lot of traffic in Boulder. I was amazed at all the congestion. The city bike paths were also congested with roller skaters, people walking, joggers, and the occasional cyclist. This is all based on a visit of about half a day, though.

San Francisco, California
As of 2007, San Francisco’s population is 744,041 people. Since 2000, it has had a population growth of -4.21 percent. The median home cost in San Francisco is $958,700. Home appreciation the last year has been 1.53 percent. Compared to the rest of the country, San Francisco’s cost of living is 87.23% Higher than the U.S. average. San Francisco public schools spend $5,874 per student. The average school expenditure in the U.S. is $6,058. There are about 18 students per teacher in San Francisco. The unemployment rate in San Francisco is 4.00 percent (U.S. avg. I (4.60%). Recent job growth is Positive. San Francisco jobs have increased by 2.31 percent. People live in San Francisco because they are passionate about the city, willing to work two jobs and sacrifice while developing other creative or artistic pursuits. Quality of life is paramount in this environmentally conscious city, ranked among the top five cleanest in the US in 2005. Perpetually on the brink of the next wave, change is both embraced and inevitable, be it political upheaval, earthquakes, or a new social or spiritual movement. Tolerance for all ways of life is perhaps the city’s keynote, and people are constantly reinventing themselves. A city of cultural diversity ever since the Gold Rush days, San Francisco is not a melting pot, but a salad bowl. Her irresistible charm that captivates all who visit is perfectly echoed in the words of the song ‘I Left My Heart in San Francisco’. One would be hard pressed to name another city positioned so glamorously, between the ocean and Sierra Nevada mountains to the east and west and redwood forests and the California desert to the north and south. Alistair Cooke, the British-born commentator, summed up this most beautiful and breathtaking of American cities as a ‘fortuitous mating of marine grandeur and terrestrial snugness’. It remains the best summation on record, of this city, perched precipitously at the edge of the world.

Boulder, Colorado.
As of 2007, Boulder’s population is 91,481 people. Since 2000, it has had a population growth of -3.37 percent. The median home cost in Boulder is $660,600. Home appreciation the last year has been 1.75 percent. Compared to the rest of the country, Boulder’s cost of living is 40.21% Higher than the U.S. average. Boulder public schools spend $5,161 per student. The average school expenditure in the U.S. is $6,058. There are about 17 students per teacher in Boulder. The unemployment rate in Boulder is 3.30 percent (U.S. avg. is 4.60%). Recent job growth is Positive. Boulder jobs have increased by 3.24 percent. Boulder is a very unique city located on the footsteps of the Rocky Mountains in Boulder County. Boulder is located virtually in the middle of Colorado, only 28.6 miles from Denver. With a modest population at nearly 95,000 residents, Boulder is one of the largest cities in the state.

A Hard Weekend

I placed 7th at the MS/LA championships. I could have done a lot better, but I ran out of water on the fifth of eight laps and began to implode from there. I started to cramp on the sixth lap and popped off the main group in lap seven. Everyone else had support in the feed zone, but I had to grind it out solo since there was no neutral support, at least none that I noticed. Still, one should never underestimate the value of having a girlfriend, relative, or teammate working the feed zone. Heck, I think someone’s mother was even out there. However, on a positive note, I did beat a guy in a sprint to the line at the end.

Immediately after my race, I drove down to Biloxi for race two of the Mississippi Mountain Bike Championship Series. The drive down was long and miserable. This probably added to my problems since I don’t like long drives. I was also tired, thirsty, and stiff. The worst part was having a queasy stomach. I stopped at a McDonalds, a sure sign I was desperate, for a hamburger, fries, and a shake. It helped a little, but I honestly didn’t have much of an appetite.

I was still dehydrated and felt a little queasy on the start line for the mountain bike race. The race was not pretty for me. I was slow off the line and last into the single track. The Biloxi trail is generally non-technical, except for the sand and one root-studded climb through a half-pipe carved into the side of a small hill. Two people spun out at the top of the “Clay Climb” as I was making my way up. I managed to get around them by rolling my front wheel along the wall of the climb and shooting myself past them. That was pretty much the highlight of my race as I placed sixth in a small field of seven.

I will never race in two different cities on the same weekend again. It’s just too much traveling and extremely exhausting.

The King of Packing

I managed to pack a large 29er mountain bike AND my road bike in the back of my little car. I also have a toolbox, first-aid kit, floor pump, suitcase, cooler, and trash bag. I am, indeed, the king of packing!
I am now set for my grueling weekend of racing. My first stop will be Natchez, Mississippi, for the LA/MS road championships. Immediately after that race, I’ll be driving down to Biloxi for the second race in the Mississippi mountain bike series.

BUMP and GRIND at Oak Mountain

I’m waiting just outside the staging area for my group to be called when some big guy rolls up and bumps my rear tire. Naturally, I turn around to see what happened and just as quickly turn my head back. No big deal, I think.

“Get used to it, dude”, says the big guy who bumped me.

“Just wonderful”, I think to myself. “I have to race with an asshole”.

I can overhear him laughing as he repeats the mindless quip to his friend.

I’m half-tempted to turn around at this point to say, “Yeah, I’d better get used to that because you’re going to be looking at my back tire all day.” I decide to just ignore him and let my bike do the talking. He apparently has more testosterone than talent because I smoked him at the start and never saw him again.

My group gets the call to the staging area, so I work my way to the front and find a nice spot on the far left by the barriers. The start is a mini version of the Oklahoma Land Rush. There’s a countdown and a sudden cloud of dust as riders launch off the line to an open wooded area in hopes of being first to the single track. I end up going into the single-track section in lower mid-pack range, which is what I pretty much expected. After a few miles, the trail turned into a wide gravel road. I attack and pass several riders before going back into the second section of single-track. The lineup stayed rather tight and constant throughout this section before going onto the 5.5-mile climb to the top of Oak Mountain via a rock-covered road. I absolutely LOVED this section of the trail. In fact, I owned it! Several riders instantly fell off the pace and found themselves in difficulty during the long climb. I passed more people than I could count, eventually catching three teammates who started in the two groups ahead of mine. There was a neutral feed zone along one section of the climb where volunteers passed out water bottles and sprayed riders with cold water from garden sprayers. There were also several spectators cheering, ringing bells, and running along side the riders like they do in the Tour de France. I was in Heaven! I’d like to do that section again!

By the top of Oak Mountain, I moved into a top five position and possibly a podium spot. However, this would not last long. The jeep road eventually joined with the BUMP trail; a twisting piece of single track littered with large rocks and loose soil. It also boasts the infamous Blood Rock section. I wasn’t very worried about negotiating Blood Rock since I did it the previous week while scouting the trail. My big worry was someone in front of me crashing and/or having someone right on my wheel during this section of trail. As it turns out, someone in front of me botched it, and I had to dismount and wait on the side of the trail like a stranded motorist during rush hour. I should have just run down this section, but I rode it last week and knew I could do it. I also didn’t want to have my picture taken doing the chicken walk on Blood Rock. It’s an ego thing. My big mistake, however, was trying to remount in the middle of the section. The boulders and roots bounced me all over the place and I couldn’t clip in. As a result, I prematurely separated from my bike and did a nice endo on the rocks. Not only did I have to do the chicken walk, I now had to do it with a bloody knee. Oh, the shame of it all! I remount cyclocross style and continue down the trail.

A half mile after Blood Rock, some guy tried to pass me on a narrow corner and hit my front fork with his rear tire, sending me into the bushes. To his credit, he did stop to see if I was okay.

The last miles to the finish are just steady pace to the line. I try to keep a medium/high tempo to hold my spot without chancing a washout on one of the dusty corners. I pass stragglers from other groups, but spend most of my time riding alone. Upon reaching the 1-mile marker, I start to hear the faint click, click of shifting gears in the distance behind me. Not wanting to take any chances, I quicken my pace and head for home. I can soon see the finish line through the trees and immediately feel relieved that it’s almost over. Making my final turn down a grassy hill, I sprint hard for the line in an effort to shave a few seconds off my final time.

I end my day with 9th place.

The highlight of the day came when I learned Betsy took first in her category.

My front fork with tire burns

Blood Rock