Passing the ‘red square’ called the Stadthuys, buildings built by the Dutch during their rule, we made a stop at the front of the church. This picturesque square has a fountain & colourful trishaws park here to wait for passengers.

The roads are very narrow, enough for just a bus to drive through it. I was a bit apprehensive of traffic & decided to veer off to the alleys only to pass interesting eateries.

There’s a quaint little cafe called Museum Cafe that serves great Durian Cendol, condiments & ice cream on shaved ice with real durian cream! This cafe showcases museum pieces & has a stall that dishes out great Assam Laksa, fish & prawn paste noodles with lemongrass & galangal. The refreshing bowl of cendol was a real treat after stopping for photos ever so often in the tiny lanes of Melaka town. 

Taking a shortcut, we went along the riverbank & rode in the narrow ‘backyard’ of shops that lined the river.

Here’s the 8km trail that I did as tracked on Endomondo:-

We made our way through the nicely decorated town till night fall before finding our way back to the car for the 2 hour journey home.

Unfortunately, I spent two days on the road half way across the state in meetings. But, today I rode to work!!!!

Well, actually, I rode to a bike commuter breakfast and media interview. Then I rode to work. I have a lovely commute of trails that leads me to the door of work.

I assume many of the people checking out the detour website and looking for inspiration and utility to make bike commuting easier or more useful. I hope the simple suggestion of ride your bike to work instills that thought in their minds.

Ride on!

The Princeton 300K is the longest ride I’ve attempted since my August 2010 accident. It’s an old favorite that takes in large stretches of the New Jersey countryside I prowled in my younger days. The Princeton 300 is also the first event of that distance I ever completed in 2007 during my first year of randonneuring. The weather forecast could not have been better on Saturday with blue skies, still air and temperatures peaking only in the mid-70s. For these reasons and more, it was a perfect day to stage my return.

After the first control, the field spread out a bit and, while I was disappointed not to hang with the big dogs, I knew that maintaining my reserves was the only way to approach this day. Riding strong throughout the event and simply finishing the ride with some gas in the tank would bring me great relief. With over 9,000 ft of climbing, this is not a ride to take casually. Although it was hard to let the rabbits go, I knew this was the wise choice. Attuned to my own rhythms, I spent much of the day riding alone which eliminated the need to feel as though I was either holding someone back or riding slower than I would like.  In all, I felt fairly steady, if not truly strong, throughout the day and finished without any noticable pain, despite the requisite suffering.

With the main work of basic recovery behind me, I’m on my way to rebuilding an endurance foundation. Completing a full brevet series in search of the Super Randonneur (SR) award issued in Paris to recognize riders who completion a full series of qualifying brevets (200K, 300K, 400K and 600K) in one season will make that return even more sweet. This weekend’s Princeton 300 also served as the penultimate ride in support of my R-12 attempt. Only June remains.

I am looking for an in-house Sales Guru!!!
Someone who believes in the brand and is excited to help grow it! We are in an exciting time with a lot of growth potential and are establishing strong partnerships and customer expansion. This could be a perfect role for someone who is not afraid to get their hands dirty, luckily most cyclists are not and likes the challenge of helping build Detours into the sweetest ride!
This person will be responsible for selling Detours products nationwide, building new and growing existing avenues, partnerships and opportunities. They will spread the Detours love through travel, training workshops, trade shows, events, phone, email, social media and various outreach opportunities of ones choosing.
If you are, or know a natural Sales Guru who rides a bike, is goal driven, thrives on interacting with people, and is generally fearless, fantastic, and can be a force of nature, please get in touch with me!!
email me, Shawn – orders@detours.us with the title: “Sales Guru”

thanks and please spread the word!
*shawn

Or is it?

Blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah.

Blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah. Blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah. Blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah. Blah blah blah blah blah.

Blah blah blah blah. Blah blah blah blah blah. Blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah. Blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah. Blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah. Blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah. Blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah!

Have you heard of The Mary Poppins Effect? Just a year ago, I hadn’t. After a little bit of my own research, however, I am a firm believer in its existence.

This theory postulates that a woman riding a bicycle while wearing a dress or skirt will be treated more courteously by those she meets along the way than if she were dressed in some other fashion.

I have the springtime weather to credit for my interest in researching this topic. This time of year in Portland can involve massive and sudden weather changes, so I often find myself dressing for winter one day, and summer the next. Sometimes the wardrobe changes can even happen during the course of the same day.

The contrast in behavior of those around me, whether they are drivers, pedestrians, or other cyclists, has become very apparent.

The rain gear I wear might as well be an invisibility suit despite its “high visibility” coloring. I am utterly and completely ignored–that is, when I am not being nearly run over. The cold weather clothing gets the same response: nada.

But put on a dress or skirt and everything changes. I seem to have earned the right-of-way at intersections even when I am the last to arrive. Older men tip their hats to me. I am greeted by smiles wherever I ride. Conversations begin spontaneously with drivers while waiting for a light to change. Children riding school buses wave at me.

I find myself left with some interesting questions. Could a dress be the most important article of safety equipment a cyclist can wear? Should men consider donning kilts instead of kits when they ride? Does anyone sell a skirt made of warm, rain-proof fabric? And finally, would a formal gown provide even more Poppins Effect than a denim skirt?

Happy Bike to Work Week!

Just unzip the size flap to expose the clips and snap it onto your rack.

sneaky flap

packed and ready to ride

At the library I packed it with 8 hardbacks and wandered around the library browsing the new book section. (The ballard also has sneaky handles that turn into backpack straps!)

Then I zoomed off to cruise around the neighborhood!

sir gentleman fish approves

I’m still kind of amazed that the balance with one pannier is great!

longer straps!

I spent about two hours playing with the video, cutting a lot of it and threw together something to check out. Still kind of long and it could use some angle variations, but it was unscripted and spur of the moment

(Warning: there is some profanity in the soundtrack.)