Author: Ken Steinhoff

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First Annual Christmas Cruise

When I invited rider friends Anne and Osa to the First Annual Velo’s Cyclery Christmas Cruise, I warned them that we might be the only ones to show up.

Organizer Juan Orellana had the same thought. “I didn’t expect but about 10 people to show up, so that’s all the maps I made up.”

As it turned out, about 42 riders showed up at Phipps Park in West Palm Beach to take a tour of the famous (in this area, at least) decorations around Gabriel Drive in suburban West Palm Beach.

Juan led the charge

Riders of all shape and ages, riding tandems, tall bikes, expensive road machines and beaters, some decorated to the hilt, pulled out of the park shortly after 7 p.m. for the roughly 6.5-mile ride.

Most riders wore helmets

Most riders wore helmets, although these guys opted for style over safety for the evening.

Spectacular decorations

The neighborhood has been known for its extravagant decorations for as long as I can remember. Wife Lila insists that we make a pass through there almost every season. Traffic is usually a hassle, so I’ve considered riding on my bike, but dismissed the idea because I was afraid that motorists would be distracted and would run into me.

As Juan pointed out, “In numbers is better.” It helped that we made such a spectacle of our own with all the blinking lights and strange costumes that motorists were VERY aware of us.

My friends are ready for next year

Anne and Osa enjoyed their rides very much. They’re already looking forward to next year. Both of them managed to come up with excuses for missing the Freakbike Militia Choppernite 30 ride the night before, when temperatures were a bit more on the chilly side.

Juan said the event worked out so well that he’s considering doing other family rides.

Christmas Cruise Video

Photo Gallery

Click on any photo to make it larger, then click on the left or right side of the image to move through the gallery.

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Freakbike Militia’s Choppernite 30

Dec. 15,2010, was the West Palm Beach Freakbike Militia Choppernite 30 holiday ride. Riders were asked to bring a new, unwrapped toy to donate to the Salvation Army. (I noticed a pretty big pile after the event was over.)

This has been an early winter for South Florida. We’ve already had at least two hard freezes. The temperature for the night of the ride was going to be around 50 degrees at the start, and dipping lower as the evening went on.

The nap magnet had captured me late in the afternoon. I was all snuggled up under warm blankets enjoying the sleep of someone who has a clear conscience when a phone call woke me up. I looked at the time and realized that I had a decision to make: blow off the ride and stay all toasty or try to find my bike stuff that was still scattered all over from my trip to Missouri.

Decorated bikes

When I got to the start of the ride at Southern and Flagler, I was glad I opted to ride. The wind was calm and it wasn’t as cold as I had feared. Seeing all the familiar faces and decorated bikes warmed my spirit, too.

Problems cleared up

I missed the June ride because of my high school class reunion, and we were in Missouri for my mother’s Birthday Season in October. The last Choppernite ride I was on was last year at this time and I raised some serious safety concerns.

I’m pleased to say that Wednesday night’s ride was a vast improvement over last year.

  • Most of the bikes had lights fore and aft. Those that didn’t were generally tucked securely in the group.
  • Helmet usage was up and the organizers encouraged their use.
  • Riders were more disciplined: they stayed within the lane and generally rode responsibly.
  • The “corkies,” riders who would block the intersections so the ride could go through as a group, were dressed with reflective vests and did a great job of engaging with the motorists. I heard several of them explaining what the ride was all about and thanking drivers for their patience. I didn’t hear any of the impatient horn honking that happened at last year’s Choppernite.

I did another holiday ride the next night. Look for those photos and videos in the next day or so.

Video of Choppernite 30

Other Freaknite events

Here are some links to other Freakbike events I’ve covered:

Summer of Love ride

Halloween Choppernite XXV

Friday the 13th Ride

First Aid, Freakbike Militia-style

Kenny Prather has a manly kickstand

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December 2010 Bike Rides

This month has flashed by too fast. There are several rides coming up in the next few days that I don’t have a lot of information on, but I’ll try to cover the basics.

Freakbike Militia Choppernite 30 Toy Drive Dec. 15

Meet at the Greek Church near the corner of Southern Blvd. and S. Flagler Dr. at 7 p.m. Dec. 15. Ride starts at 7:30 SHARP, rain or shine. Headlights and taillights required, helmets encouraged (mandatory for those 15 and under). The ride generally passes through City Place, stops for some silly games at the Fountain on Clematis where the old library used to be, then returns to the Greek Church.

You’ll see bikes of every size, shape and description. Despite the name, it’s a family-friendly event. Speeds are a leisurely 10-12 mph.

Bring a new, unwrapped toy for the Salvation Army. (Don’t worry about carrying it. Some of the folks ride cargo bikes with spare capacity.)

Bad news: temperature is predicted to be 50 degrees at 7 p.m.. Good news: winds are going to be light and no rain is expected.

Velo’s Cyclery First Annual Christmas Cruise Dec. 16

This is a new one for me (and a first, so, it’ll be new for everyone.) Here’s all I know about it from the Freakbike website:

Join us in our first annual Christmas light bicycle ride thru Lake Clark Shores. This will be with whatever bike you have, unicycle, your Miami sun trike, your best cruiser bike or even your full blown racing bike. Bring the kids out for this one, have them enjoy a great time on the bike with spectacular views of West Palm Beach best Light show in the world.

You are encouraged to add your own lights to your bike to add more bling and flavor to the ride. You can even dress like an Elf or even Santa Clause.

Date: Thursday December 16, 2010
Meeting location: Phipps Park 4715 S. Dixie Hwy. West Palm Beach, South of Southern on Dixie Hwy.
Time: 6:30pm Bring Lights and helmets.
Distance: 5 miles
Speed: as fast as a snail

[Note: the truck won’t be in the ride. It’s one Bro Mark shot in St. Louis a couple years ago.]

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Hills: Two Beats Short of a Fountain

I’m back in Cape Girardeau, where the weather was too nice not to get on my Surly Long Haul Trucker for a short jaunt. I almost always end up at the riverfront so I can see who is hanging out watching the Mississippi River roll by.

Daniel Atwood was stretched out strumming his guitar. You can read about the eBook reader and other characters I met on my Cape blog.

Wow, that hill is steep

Cape is built in rolling hills east of the Missouri Ozarks. On my way home, I had gone up several steep hills (for a flatland Floridian) and thought I’d take a shortcut through Southeast Missouri University that I thought would save me a long climb.

It turned out that I had traded a long, gradual climb for a short, steep one. I was about two-thirds of the way up the short road behind the dorms at the left-center of the photo when I decided to admire the scenery. OK, I wanted to catch my breath.

Never seen a red fountain before

While I was stopped, a coed walked by.

“This hill wasn’t this steep when I was a third my age and half my weight,” I told her.

She looked at me with concern and asked, “Are you all right?”

I glanced at my heart rate monitor and said, “I’m OK. I’m still two heartbeats below the point where I become a red fountain on the side of the road.”

She hurried off, but she kept looking back at me. I guess she’d never seen a red fountain before.

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Treating Fire Ant Bites

Levitra low priceom: 10px;” title=”West Palm Beach skyline from Southern Blvd. 09-22-2010″ src=”http://www.palmbeachbiketours.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/West-Palm-Beach-skyline-from-Southern-Blvd.-09-22-2010_7500-500×106.jpg” alt=”” width=”500″ height=”106″ />I posted some photos of a Palm Beach Full Moon ride the other day. In it I mentioned getting attacked by fire ants while shooting this photo of the West Palm Beach skyline from the Southern Blvd. causeway between Palm Beach and West Palm Beach.

Here’s a link to a sunset photo of West Palm Beach, the full moon and The Breakers Hotel taken during happier moments of the ride.

Stabbed with red-hot ice pick

Here’s the photo I shot just as I thought someone had jabbed my ankle with a red-hot ice pick. If you’ve lived in Florida, and, I suspect, most Southern states, you know that feeling. You’ve have managed to tick off a mound of fire ants.

I quickly did the Fire Ant Shuffle, grabbed a light and started brushing them off my legs around my ankle area. You do NOT want to spray them with water. That just makes them grab on all the harder.

(The Fire Ant Shuffle is not to be confused with Mathilde’s Frog Dance performed under a Lake O Full Moon.)

Fire ants attack without provocation

Suite101 has some great info about fire ants: Fire ants bite without provocation; simply walking within 15 feet of a fire ant’s anthill is enough to spur an attack from these aggressive ants. The fire ant sting is painful and understandably so, as the ant uses its mandibles to literally bite away a tiny chunk of skin while simultaneously injecting a venom. According to eMedicine.com, if left in place, the fire ant will pivot and begin to inflict bites in a circular pattern.

First aid for fire ant bites

I didn’t realize that I had been nailed so many times. I always carry some Sting-Kill insect bite swabs on the bike. They’re designed for bee stings, but I’ve found them effective for jellyfish and fire ants, too. They are a plastic-covered glass ampule with a swab on one end. You crush the ampule, which causes a mixture of Benzocaine, Menthol and Isopropanol to flow onto the swab.

Swabs last forever, are easy to use

I like them because they are one-use-only, last forever and work to relieve the symptoms of a bite.
I didn’t bother to pull a swab out this night, because I thought I had only been nailed once.

Where can I get Sting-Kill Swabs

Some folks have said they are available at Walmart, but I haven’t been able to find them locally. Sting-Kill Swabs are available from several vendors through Amazon.
I’m going to try a different brand, Soothe-A-Sting Insect Sting Swabs, that looks the same as the Sting-Kills, but is cheaper. I’ll post an update when they come in.

What do fire ant bites look like?

I’m going to run this photo small. Click to enlarge at your own risk
The evening after I was bitten, my ankle area began to itch and burn. When I took a closer look, I saw about a dozen bites, indicated by red marks and white pustules. Just rubbing against the sheet was enough to trigger the burning and itching sensation.
My first attempt to reduce the symptoms was to wash the area carefully, then apply Benadryl Gel to the bites. That didn’t help much.

Cortisone cream provided relief

Then I remember that my dermatologist had prescribed a cortisone cream for a rash some time back. He said that it would be good for insect bites, as well. He was correct. The cream brought the itching and burning down to bearable levels.
I told Wife Lila that the bites almost look like perforations ar0und my sock line. I hope my foot doesn’t break off along the dotted line.

Don’t squeeze the pustules

One thing I WON’T do is squeeze or break the white pustules. I’m told that will only push the infection deeper into the skin and increase the chances of scarring. If things don’t look better by mid-week, I’ll head off to the doctor. Generally, though, these things usually start to clear up in about a week.