Coming To My Senses

A lone poppy stands out in a field of ripening rapeseed between Tuchoměřice and Cernovicky.

I'm catching up on two rides with this one post.

Both rides were pretty typical. Nothing particularly exciting happened, but that's not necessarily the point. When you're on the bike, the pleasures are to be found in just being, in seeing and smelling and hearing, in being exposed.

I saw ducks and coots and swans and magpies and hawks and countless unseen songbirds. I heard the trickle of water over the rocks in the creek in Divoka Šárka. I saw poppies and roses and fields full of the green shoots of new wheat. I felt the hush of a country cemetery. I felt the sun hot on my neck.

My first ride, yesterday, was from Prague 6, down to the Vltava, to Podbaba, up the road called V Šáreckém údolí, where I met a work colleague of mine, Rob Coalson, an avid cyclist (he's nearing 1,500 km for the season already), who'd already been out. We cycled up and down V Šáreckém údolí and then parted ways. He tackled the Hill of Doom, while I cycled through Divoka Šárka all the way to Evropska, and then down Evropska to home.

RIDE STATS
Length of ride: 27 kilometers
Average speed: 18.5 kph
Maximum speed: 36.3 kph
Time on bike: 1.27.15


My second ride, today, was the usual route out to the village of Okoř -- from Prague 6 to Roztoky, then hooking up with the 0082, 0079, and 0081 trails to Unetice, Statenice, Tuchoměřice, and then to Okoř. With one slight deviation, thanks to Stewart. And that's taking the 0081 out of Tuchoměřice, but then veering off down a road/path to Cernovicky and Čičovice and into Okoř the back way.

It's a great path, almost all downhill and through some lovely country.

I savored a cold, crisp Pilsner Urquell at the Family Hotel Okor & Restaurant before heading back, this time through Lichoceves and Statenice, and then on to Unetice, etc.

RIDE STATS
Length of ride: 47.5 kilometers
Average speed: 19.2 kph
Maximum speed: 47.8 kph
Time on bike: 2.27.38
Distance ridden in 2007: 758.5 kilometers

I took quite a few photographs along the way. I'm going to print many of them along with this post. I think they'll give you a very good idea of how interesting it is to ride in and around Prague.

Even if nothing exciting happens, it's still a hell of a lot of fun.


This is the view looking down the Vltava from Sedlec toward Roztoky. The road snaking its way through the middle is picturesque, but dangerous, since there's no shoulder for cyclists. Me no like. Stewart really no like.


It'll be a hard slog for the next person who tries to take this rowboat out on a small, overgrown pond in Unetice.


A small, quiet country church and graveyard in Cernovicky.


Many of the gravestones in the Czech Republic feature compartments that contain little tableaus, including pictures of the deceased. It's nice but also kind of spooky.


A field of wildflowers in Okoř.


A fading sign for a kavarna, or coffee shop, recalls times gone by on a barn in the middle of Divoka Šárka park.


The swimming pool in the middle of Divoka Šárka park on the outskirts of Prague. The pools are spring-fed and icy cold, even in the middle of summer. On weekends, it's hard to find a spare patch of grass for all the swimmers and sunbathers (many of them topless).


An old man orders a couple of cold ones at the little občerstvení, or snack bar, at the Divoka Šárka pool. As you can see from the sign, a .5 liter glass of Krušovice beer is 20 Czech crowns, or about 95 cents. And I just love how you can go back to your towel and sit down with a big glass of cold beer. Who needs plastic cups!?


Cycling isn't just seeing and smelling and hearing. It's also tasting.

The Pitts'

Villa Brangelina.

I vowed when I started this blog that I would record all of my rides, whatever the distance, duration, or sites (or lack thereof) along the way.

Well, I did go out for a short ride last night.

From my flat in Prague 6, Dejvice, through Stromovka park, down the Vltava, to Podbaba, turned left, along the road, V Šáreckém údolí, that runs through Dolni Šárka below Hanspaulka, past the Hill of Doom (but not up it!), to the entrance to Divoka Šárka, at the restaurant called Chorvatsky Mlyn (another great restaurant, by the way) on Horoměřická.

I just wanted to get out and get some exercise, but I'd been out pretty late the night before, drinking lots of Georgian wine and eating lots of unbelievable Georgian food (it's incredible what they do with walnuts) with lots of wonderful Georgians, and I wasn't feeling my usual self. (I'm talking here about the nation of Georgia, by the way.)

I took the same basic route back, and don't have much to report, other than I rode past the villa in Prague 6 where Brad and Angelina are staying for the next month or so, while she films a movie, "Wanted," at Barrandov studios. I think they're in Cannes at the moment, however.

A whole forest of bamboo fencing has been put in place around the terraces and outside walls to prevent paparazzi and folks like me from disturbing their peace.

Who can blame 'em?

RIDE STATS
Length of ride: 19 kilometers
Average speed: 18.2 kph
Maximum speed: 38.8 kph
Time on bike: 1.01.49
Distance ridden in 2007: 684 kilometers

A Beautiful Day In The Neighborhood

The restaurant called Koliba in Roztoky.

Daisy and I went on a quick trip on Saturday (May 19) from Prague 6 to Roztoky, to have dinner at one of our favorite restaurants, Koliba. I've written about it before. It's a charming chalet set amid the forest just on the outskirts of Roztoky, at the end of a street called Tiché údolí. Turn left just before the Victoria restaurant on the corner of the main street in Roztoky and go all the way to end.

Koliba is situated at the beginning, or end, of one of our favorite trails, so it's a perfect place to have a beer and some food while out cycling.

Especially on a day like Saturday -- sunny and very warm.

Koliba is known for its grilled food. I ordered grilled sardines (I don't recall ever seeing that anywhere on a menu in Prague!), and Daisy ordered grilled salmon. We also had a plate of grilled vegetables -- potatoes, peppers, and onions.

That may not sound all that spectacular, but restaurants in the Czech Republic (especially in this price range) are not exactly known for their selections of fish (unless you're talking about carp or trout), or for offering a selection of vegetables, for that matter. My sardines, for example, were 100 CZK, or about $4.75. Our entire meal came to $27.

It was delicious. We washed it all down with two half-liters each of Budvar beer.

So it wasn't so much a ride for exercise as it was a ride to get somewhere where we could sit outside and eat and where I could have a few beers and not worry about driving home (there's 0% tolerance in the Czech Republic). Koliba is the perfect place.

We cycled from Prague 6 through Stromovka park, where we saw a new fountain that's been installed. I also took a picture of a house in our neighborhood that's being swallowed by monster ivy (see below).

We then cycled along the Vltava to Sedlec, past the Riverside School, and along the highway that takes you into Roztoky. It's a beautiful stretch of road, with the river and cliffs on the far bank, but it can be a bit dangerous, since the cars are always going too fast for conditions. And there's no shoulder on one stretch, so cyclists are particularly exposed.

Be careful.

RIDE STATS
Length of ride: 24 kilometers
Average speed: 15.8 kph
Maximum speed: 38.9 kph
Time on bike: 1.30
Distance ridden in 2007: 665 kilometers

It's Just A Flesh Wound (Honestly)

I had my first wipeout of the season today. I never saw it coming.

I was following Stewart down a path around Motol that neither of us had been down before. Mark was riding a good ways behind.

Instead of watching where I was going, I had my eye on Stewart, who was already descending, his back wheel skidding, a pretty steep dropoff ahead of me.

It all seemed to happen in slow motion. I was flying through the air, I hit the ground, and then my bike landed squarely on top of me.

Turns out there was a huge hole camouflaged by long grass. My front tire went right into the hole, and I went right over the handlebars.

I laid there motionless for a few minutes. I figured I must have broken something. Mark arrived and pulled the bike off me. (He re-creates the bike hitting the hole and flying through the air in the photo below.)

I landed on my right wrist, tearing my glove and leaving me with a few cuts. My right shin also got battered a bit. As I write this, my lower right back feels a bit sore.

For such a spectacular crash, I have little to show for it. In fact, these pictures look pretty pathetic.

Stewart was feeling a bit bad about not warning me about the hole, but the crash was all my fault. I should have been looking where I was riding, instead of watching Stewart.

It was a gorgeous day today, sunny and around 61 degrees (16 degrees C.) We took what Stewart had told us would be a modified Bakerloo Run. We ended up just calling it The Loo. We cycled through thorns and fields with no trails and behind factories and up hills and across highways.

It wasn't the most pleasurable run I've ever been on, but it had its moments.

Stewart has been taking this basic route from his flat in Prague 6 to Barrandov movie studios, where he is playing Lord #11 in the second "Narnia" movie, "Prince Caspian," which is being filmed right now in Prague. He's had to learn how to ride a horse like an expert for the film, and will soon be going to Slovenia for some shoots. Very cool.


Stewart and I strike a pose at the hidden lake in the Hlubočepy park.

We rode up to Barrandov today and he showed us around some of the sets, indoor and out. Lots of massive castle interiors made out of Styrofoam and wood, but which look absolutely real -- until you touch them.

(I've actually been up to Barrandov a few times myself. I do a little voice work, in English, when the need arises, which sadly is not often enough. I actually recorded the part of famous "Guard #1" in the upcoming "Love Story Bathory," by the famous Slovak director Juraj Jakubisko. It's reputedly the most expensive Czech and Slovak film yet made, with a budget of around $12 million. I had about four or five lines. I can't wait to see if I made the final cut. It's supposed to be released sometime soon.)

Also on our ride, Stewart and Mark showed me a hidden lake in a park in Hlubočepy where we like to ride (part of the original Bakerloo run), and came upon a motocross track with some impossibly steep hills. It took ropes and climbing gear just to walk our bikes up them, let alone ride. (See photo at bottom, which doesn't do the hill any justice at all. It was straight up!)

Stewart also got a flat tire along the river near Radlice. Luckily, I had a couple of spare tubes with me and a pump, and we were back on the trail in no time. I think that's Stewart's second flat of the season so far.

We saw a very depressing zoo hidden in a forest below Barrandov, full of some pretty sad-looking animals, including an Arctic fox, alone in a small enclosure, that must be constantly wondering how in the hell it ended up here.


We came back through the center of Prague, dodging tourists, in full sight of Prague Castle and Charles Bridge. I must have passed that view 1,000 times by now, and I never get tired of it. It never fails to inspire a few goosebumps.

We parted aways at various points in the center, and I ended my ride with a cold one at the beer garden in Letna park, overlooking the city.

All in all, one of the more memorable rides of the season so far!

RIDE STATS
Length of ride: 40 kilometers
Average speed: 12.3 kph
Maximum speed: 45.7 kph
Time on the bike: 3.14.18
Total distance for 2007: 641 kilometers

Across The River And Into Some Trees

It's my blog, and I can put a cool action shot of me and my new bike slicing through an icy mountain stream on it if I want to. OK, I admit it. I did it twice. The second time was for the cameras.

Sunday (May 13) was a day of firsts.

It was my first 50-kilometer ride of the year so far (52k, to be exact).

It was also the first time that I've been on a ride with five people. If you're keeping score, they were Stewart Moore, Mark Baker, Nino Tasca, and a new guy, Luke Allnutt, another work colleague.

Riding in such a large group was interesting. Definitely a different dynamic. It was great to pair off and talk about different stuff with different people. It was, in a word, different.

I would have predicted a much slower average speed, since there's a bit more talking and socializing, but it was actually 15 kilometers per hour, which isn't that much slower than my usual.


Gang of Four (from left): Mark, Nino, Stewart, and Luke, at the end of it all. I'm always amazed at how Mark can cycle for a whole day with that weird thing sticking out of his helmet. I know I couldn't do it. The aerodynamics alone!

We had to be careful on the roads, though, with so many cyclists in one group. You're not supposed to ride side by side on the roads, but when there's no traffic, we do, of course. When a car comes, we quickly go back to single file. But sometimes it's not as fast as it should be and I feel a little guilty, being such a stickler in this blog about obeying the rules.

But even when you're following the rules of the road, it can be crazy out there.

On Sunday, Luke and I were riding single file on a country road near Tuchoměřice when some guy basically sideswiped us and then cut sharply and swiftly in front of us. It was a definite intimidation tactic.

I shouldn't say intimidation. That's not the right word. It was a definite move on his part to be a complete bastard for no reason whatsoever. He could have killed us if he'd misjudged his distance by a few centimeters. As it was, I would have liked to have killed him.

When you ride in the Czech Republic, though, you get used to crap like that.

I still can't comprehend what's going through these peoples' heads, though.

Anyway ...


We had a great ride. We went from Letna on the classic run to Roztoky, Unetice, Statenice, Tuchoměřice, and then to Okoř. We took a more circuitous route back via Velké Přílepy.

We ran into lots of walkers, lots of cyclists, and lots of horseback riders out in the countryside, including two youngsters on the most beautiful ponies I think I've ever seen. They looked like miniature Lipizzaners.

Hey, we got to splash through a stream, drink a few beers, and share a few laughs. Not a bad way to spend a sunny Sunday.

A special tip of the helmet to Luke, who was out on his first real cycling excursion. Doing 50+k on your first time out is impressive. I was hurting after doing just 17k back in February. And even though he was hurting at the end (actually, he was hurting in his end), he never quit.

It gets easier, Luke. Trust me.

RIDE STATS

Length of ride: 52 kilometers
Average speed: 15 kph
Maximum speed: 43.2 kph
Number of flat tires in 2007: 3
Time on the bike: 3.25.58
Distance for 2007: 601 kilometers


I love this portrait I took of Stewart at the Family Hotel Okoř and Restaurant (a great place, btw). I think it captures his warm, voluble personality perfectly.

Lunatic Fringe

Rob sent me links to an amazing story and video clip from Toronto.

Turns out some 12th grade students were investigating the use of CCTV cameras and ended up recording a troubling incident involving a motorist and a cyclist. A driver -- apparently angry at a cyclist for making him wait a few more minutes at a red light -- ended up getting out of his car and assaulting the cyclist.

Watch it here.

Unfortunately, this is just the type of incident I can see happening (and which I'm sure *has* happened) here in Prague.

I was out on Sunday with some friends and two of us were sideswiped by a car traveling at very high speed on an empty country road. There is no doubt that the driver was trying to scare us or intimidate us by driving so close.

Fortunately, he didn't actually hit us. Of course, if he had, we'd have been killed.

How to explain the behavior of these lunatics??

Anyway, back to the Toronto story.

What's more amazing than the video itself is the follow-up story, in which the identity of the motorist is revealed.

I won't spoil it. Check it out for yourself.

Hiking, Not Biking, But Who's Complaining?

The village of Vernazza as seen from high on the trail to Monterosso al Mare.

One of the many advantages of living in Prague is the ability to travel just about anywhere in Europe. I never tire of spending long weekends in places that most people have to sacrifice two weeks' vacation and a month's pay to visit. Rome. Vienna. London. Scotland. Ireland.

I am a lucky man.

Daisy and I just returned from three nights in Vernazza on the Cinque Terre, the name given to five minuscule, barely accessible, villages on the Italian Riviera, between Genoa and La Spezia. It was our second trip to the Cinque Terre in as many years.

That's why I haven't posted anything here for the past five days or so.

No, we didn't do any cycling, though the idea did cross my mind. But since it's my blog, I thought I'd share a few photos and tips about the area. (I think you can bike in the region, but the villages of the Cinque Terre are perched so precariously on the cliff sides that I can't imagine cycling up from one to get to the next.)

We flew from Prague to Bergamo's Orio al Serio airport (near Milan), spent the night in central Bergamo, then took the train (www.trenitalia.com) the next morning from Bergamo to Milan, Milan to Sestri Levante, and then from Sestri Levante to Vernazza. It was about five hours on the train.

The great thing about the Cinque Terre is that the five villages encapsulate almost everything you dream about when you dream about Italy. Sun. Sea. Great food. Cool, crisp local wine (in this case white). And ridiculously picturesque villages that, from afar at least, you would be forgiven for believing are as yet undiscovered. Villages that, seen from afar, make you feel like a traveler, rather than a tourist.

They're far from undiscovered, however, thanks in large part to a certain travel writer whose name is on the lips and whose guidebook is in the hands, I swear, of almost every person strolling the streets of Vernazza.

I'm not sure if the five villages should erect a statue to him or burn him in effigy. Then again, I'm not sure if I'd even heard of the Cinque Terre before he made it famous, so I guess I should keep my mouth shut and just appreciate that I know about it at all.

But the great thing about the Cinque Terre, and Vernazza in particular, is that there never seem to be enough people to really spoil things. Many of the tourists disappear in late afternoon, heading off to larger town or cities, perhaps, where it's easier to find a room.

Those "travelers" who remain imbue the village with a certain energy and vitality. It's just fun to be there, to sip a glass of white wine and watch the sun set while nibbling at a plate of the local anchovies drizzled in lemon and olive oil.

In other words, there are many "life-is-good" moments when traveling in the Cinque Terre.

In addition to the food, the wine, the sun, and the sea, the other prime attraction of the Cinque Terre is, for us, the hiking. A narrow, rocky path snakes along the cliff sides, linking each of the five villages -- in order, from west to east, Monterosso al Mare, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola, and Riomaggiore.

The hikes between Monterosso and Vernazza, and Vernazza and Corniglia, are the most challenging, and each takes about 1.5 hours in one direction.

You'll work up a nice sweat, and some of the steep stair climbs will leave you breathless. The paths' biggest attraction is that they make you feel like you've earned your pasta, wine, and gelati at the other end.

We've yet to hike from Corniglia to Manarola. Both times we've been there, the trail has been closed for various reasons. So I'm not sure how that hike compares with the other two.

The hike from Riomaggiore to Manarola is a cakewalk, but lovely, nonetheless.

A local train makes frequent runs between each of the villages, so you can hike from one village to the next and take the train back to where you're staying. Or do as we did and hike both ways in a day, with a sumptuous lunch in between.


Corniglia, as seen from the path connecting it to Vernazza. That's Manarola, clinging to the cliff in the far distance.

Though the region is currently experiencing some rain and clouds and coolish weather, we mostly lucked out during our visit. We hit some heavy showers on Sunday while hiking from Monterosso back to Vernazza, but the lightning and thunder only made the scenery feel that much more dramatic.

The rest of our visit was blessed with blue skies and sun.

Where to sleep

On this trip, we booked a large room with lovely antique furniture and a view and private bath for two nights at Nicolina's for 70 euros a night.

Sadly, Nicolina didn't have a room for our third night because we'd booked so late, so we moved to a small room overlooking the harbor that had been recommended by the owner of another pensione in the village. The view was spectacular (that's the view from our room above), and the price was right at 50 euros a night, but the room was barely bigger than our bed, and we had to share a bath with the apartment's charming owner, Lilli.

In our previous visit, we stayed at Francamaria, in a cute room that also overlooked the harbor and harbor square (that was the view from our room in the picture at right).

We also had to change rooms after two nights during our first visit, too, and ended up in a large, very pleasant series of room overlooking the main street at Rosa Vitali (rosa.vitali@libero.it).

Where to eat

We had some wonderful meals in Vernazza and Monterosso al Mare, and gelati to die for in Corniglia. I convinced my friend Brewsta (who's been doing some traveling of his own) to let me post a few lines about Cinque Terrean cuisine on his Prague food blog, Czech Please. You can find my food post here.


Daisy and I in a self-portrait somewhere on the trail between Vernazza and Corniglia.

Ghosts of Bikers Passed

The "ghost bike" memorial to Jan Bouchal on a traffic island at nábřeží kapitána Jaroše in Prague 7.

I made a pilgrimage a few days ago.

I cycled to the intersection of nábřeží kapitána Jaroše and Dukelských hrdinů, near the Vltava River in Prague 7. I don't normally head down that way on my bike. It's not a welcoming place for cyclists. It's one of Prague's most dangerous intersections, where cars and trucks and trams converge from three different directions.

Journalist and cycling advocate Jan Bouchal was struck by a car there on January 6, 2006, as he was riding his bike home from work in Mala Strana. He died in hospital six days later.

A "ghost bike" memorial has been set up in a traffic island at the intersection in Bouchal's honor, to let drivers and passersby know that a tragedy occurred there. I visited in bright daylight, but the memorial still left me feeling sad and unsettled.

I didn't know Jan Bouchal, but by visiting the site I somehow felt a connection to him, and to all cyclists who've been killed while riding.

I did know Brian G. Bourke. I worked closely with Brian at the Syracuse Herald-Journal in Syracuse, NY. I was the Arts & Entertainment Editor. Brian was the newspaper's music writer and critic. He was as passionate about cycling as he was about music.

It was September 1992. Brian had just finished a hard summer's work of writing and reviewing and decided to take a biking holiday. He chose to ride from Syracuse to Kentucky, if I remember correctly, to visit friends. I shook his hand, told him what a great job he'd done all summer, and wished him a safe journey.

A few days after he left, I got a call at work from the Pennsylvania State Police. Brian had been hit by a car. I had to tell his mother that her son had been killed. He was 30.

Brian wasn't wearing his helmet when he was struck by that van. Because of Brian, I never go on a ride without mine on.

I've tried to do some research about Jan Bouchal's accident (that's him at left), but I haven't been able to find out very much about the tragedy itself, other than that Bouchal was struck by someone described as a "reckless driver." Was the driver charged with any crime? Was Bouchal in the proper lane and wearing a helmet when the accident happened? What time of day did the accident occur?

I've heard that Prague ranks last among European cities when it comes to people walking or riding to work. There are too many cars and too many jerks driving them and not enough bikes and bike paths.

Hell, Czech drivers don't even stop for pedestrians on zebra crossings, let alone pay much attention to the fate of cyclists sharing the same road with them.

According to an article on Jan Bouchal in the "Prague Post," the rate of fatalities per million people in 2004 was 40 percent higher in the Czech Republic than the European Union average. And that in 2005, 337 cyclists and pedestrians were killed on Czech streets. I could go on and on.


If Prague had some decent bike paths, there's no reason why Jan Bouchal would have been forced to negotiate this terrible intersection on his bike.

If you've been reading this blog, you know that I think Czech drivers are the worst, but that I'm not a big fan of the Critical Mass bike rallies, which Jan helped to organize. But I wholeheartedly agree that the Czech Republic, and Prague in particular, need to do more to encourage cycling as a legitimate means of transport.

There are a few hopeful signs, but there's still such a long road ahead before cyclists in the Czech Republic are afforded the respect they deserve.

I just wish Jan Bouchal was around today so I could have an energetic debate with him about the merits of Critical Mass.

News & Notes

Emma and I in Letna park today, before the training session began.

Here's a first. I'm helping to teach Emma, my 6-year-old stepdaughter (soon to be 7!), to ride a bike. I took her training wheels off this morning, and Daisy and I took her out to Letna park, on another gorgeous Prague day, to give it a go.

All in all, it went pretty well, although it's definitely going to take a few more lessons. Emma managed a few meters pedaling on her own, but didn't really get it down enough so she felt comfortable. She was quite afraid of falling, of course, even though I was always there behind her.

I also discovered that all that running around can be hard work!

If anyone out there has any helpful tips for how to do this, I'd certainly appreciate it!


Critical of Critical Mass

The debate about the merits of the Critical Mass bike rallies continues in force.

As I wrote about in a recent post, after having participated in my first CM ride, it's my belief that they do not help the cause of cyclists. That is, based on what I saw for myself here in Prague. Perhaps it's a different story in other cities.

I would like to know if there is any evidence that CM rides have resulted in tangible benefits for cyclists anywhere in the world. Is there anywhere where improvements are attributable to Critical Mass? That would seem to be the reason to continue them, it seems to me.

Anyway, in addition to a record number of comments on my own blog entry, this issue has inspired some impassioned debate on expats.cz, which you might want to check out, as well as on bikeforums.net, which is a great site in its own right.

New bike path in Prague 9

Thanks to one of my favorite sites, "Prague Monitor," I learned about a new bike path that's being planned in the city -- a four-kilometer-long stretch in a former industrial area of Vysocany in Prague 9. That's good news, indeed.

I haven't yet been cycling over in that area. Looking at my bike map, I see a few trails marked in Liben and Vysocany. The problem is getting from here, in Prague 6, to there. I can't imagine doing that without encountering quite a few cars and heavily trafficked streets.

Maybe one of these days I'll head over that way to see for myself.

The wrong way

I read in a recent issue of the free Czech newspaper "24 Hodin" that the Czech Republic (or perhaps it was just the city of Prague, I can't remember) is considering enacting a law in which cyclists would ride against traffic. That's right, against traffic.

The theory is that drivers will see cyclists better, and vice versa.

The reality is that cyclists will get killed.

Apart from that one article, I haven't been able to find out any more information about this proposal in Prague. I've found plenty of information that supports me in believing that this is a ludicrous idea.

If you know anything more, please leave a comment. Thanks.