pedal 1 hour, electricity for 24 hours

On January 11, 2016January 9, 2016 By Rick McIn cycling, economics, ethics, health & fitness, product endorsements, things getting betterLeave a comment

Pollution free energy. 🙂

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Billions in Change is a movement to save the world by creating and implementing solutions to the most basic global problems – water, energy and health. Doing so will raise billions of people out of poverty and improve the lives of everyone – rich and poor.

That’s the mission of founder philanthropist Manoj Bhargava, born in India, educated in the U.S.

Bhargava has committed to giving away 99% of his $4 billion dollar net worth and signed the well-known Giving Pledge in 2012.

Thanks to Doug Davis for the link.

documentary – Bikes vs Cars

On January 9, 2016January 6, 2016 By Rick McIn cycling, economics, governmentLeave a comment

Traffic congestion worldwide must be getting worse.

Istanbul, Mexico City and Rio are three of the most congested.

I don’t own a car. Love public transport. And cycle commute as much as I can.

Sadly, our world promotes motor vehicles. Not bicycles. 😦

Bikes vs Cars depicts a global crisis that we all deep down know we need to talk about: climate, earth’s resources, cities where the entire surface is consumed by the car. An ever-growing, dirty, noisy traffic chaos.

The bike is a great tool for change, but the powerful interests who gain from the private car invest billions each year on lobbying and advertising to protect their business. In the film we meet activists and thinkers who are fighting for better cities, who refuse to stop riding despite the increasing number killed in traffic.

Click PLAY or watch it on Vimeo.

Former Toronto mayor / crackhead Rob Ford is one of the bad guys. 😦

(via Treehugger)

power generated from a bicycle

On November 16, 2015November 14, 2015 By Rick McIn cycling, economics, internetLeave a comment

This looks promising. Fitness and internet. 🙂

60 Minutes On This Bicycle Can Power Your Home For 24 Hours!

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

cycling Khardung Pass, Ladakh

On September 14, 2015 By Rick McIn best bike rides, cycling, travel, travel India

Cycle high, sleep low. The best way to acclimatize to altitude. 🙂

… Khardung La is 5,359m (17,582ft) … The summit signs incorrectly claim that its elevation is in the vicinity of 5,602m and that it is the world’s highest motorable pass. …

Still … it’s bloody high.

Normally cold and windy, on September 14th when we were there it was sunny and mild. The Gods are smiling on me of late.

It’s 39km from the Pass back to Leh. Entirely down hill! 🙂

Dangerous? Nah! They have safety precautions in place.

Summer Holidays is the company that pioneered downhill mountain biking out of Leh.

My day trip only cost about $25. No fancy support vehicle. They pile the bikes on a jeep.

It takes about 2 hours to drive up the mountain on switchbacks.

There are plenty of slow downs as vehicles inch past one another.

Landslides and washouts are common. Heavy machinery (driven by men) and small hammers (driven by women) make repairs.

Glorious.

Argentina highlights

On August 25, 2015August 24, 2015 By Rick McIn cycling, travelLeave a comment

Click PLAY or watch it on Vimeo.

(via Mike Howarth)

cycling Parksville parks & trails

On August 18, 2015August 16, 2015 By Rick McIn cyclingLeave a comment

Over the years I’ve been exploring trails near Englishman river. Those within riding distance of my parent’s place.

A good half day is getting dropped at Englishman River Falls Provincial Park. Cycling back via quiet back roads and trails.

The Missing Link was too technical for me. But I proceeded anyway, with caution, until I happened upon a dog on the trail.
It was a bear. The first I’d ever seen near Parksville.

Bear aware, I did the right thing. Looked around for mama. Happily, there was no mother bear. Unhappily the young one sprinted out of sight before I could snap a photo.

One time I needed to haul my bike up from the river, lift it over this railing.

These are some fantastic trails. This is temperate rain forest. But the best you find randomly dispersed. There’s a master plan, but cycling trails are not all connected.

Best case scenario the local train tracks will be converted to trail some day. Everything else linked.

In the meantime, the Englishman River Regional Park is recommended. Very few people as road access is limited. You’ll find me in there most days.

cycling Fisherman’s Trail, Vancouver

On August 5, 2015 By Rick McIn cyclingLeave a comment

When I visit Rockin’ Ronnie in North Vancouver, we invariably hit his favourite bike trail.

This time we were surprised to see that much of Fisherman’s Trail, which runs along Seymour River in the Lower Seymour Conservation Reserve, had been turned into a road. Work crews needed this kind of access to replace a bridge that had washed out.

Still, we enjoyed the (much easier) ride. And won’t be giving up on Fisherman’s anytime soon.

farewell Carbondale, CO

On July 27, 2015July 26, 2015 By Rick McIn cycling, friends, hiking, travelLeave a comment

Thanks Brion and Betsy for hosting. I had a great time hiking and biking out of your mountain town.

We met in Nepal 2013 trekking the Manaslu Circuit.

Since then they’ve added a new hiker to the family. 🙂

lowest tide of the year – Parksville

On July 4, 2015July 3, 2015 By Rick McIn cycling, McCharles family, travelLeave a comment

Parksville is famous for some of Canada’s lowest tides. I cycled out to Rathtrevor Beach to wade the lowest tide of the year. It’s way, way out there.

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