Bike the Bricks 2014

Last night was the local annual Bike the Bricks criterium.  Because DH was not feeling well, I took just myself and the Monkeys downtown to watch.  We've been in years past, and always enjoyed the racing.  There are certainly some extremely skilled racers participating.

After snagging a prime spot on the final corner, I proceeded to shoot pics with my phone, as it is still the best camera I have.  With enough light and in Sports Mode, it will shoot fast and stop action.

Cadence, being chased by Fiat and Sun & Ski.

Of course no trip downtown is complete without a stop at the local bike shop, Cadence Cyclery.  They're a good shop, one that is even willing to deal with those of us on the dark side of cycling--recumbent riders!  It's nice to feel welcome in a bike shop.  It reminds me of the one I worked in, back in the 1990's, in Kansas.  And it turns out, the old-school way of bribing your mechanic with beer, coffee and bagels still works!

One of the women's races.

We snagged some new Camelbak Podium Chill bottles for the kids, the short style, to better fit their smaller bike frames.  We try to throw a lot of our small parts/acccessories orders to the local shops rather than the net, because to be honest, bike shops do not make a lot of money on the sale of a new bike.  Their money comes from the accessories--helmets, gloves, socks, tires, tubes, shorts, jerseys, bottles, shoes etc.  I also ordered DH a new helmet, one like mine, in headache yellow...anything to try to break into the mind of a distracted motorist.

Fiat's team kit is easy to spot.

McKinney Velo rider charging through the corner

Not bad, for a cellphone camera!  Luckily, we only witnessed one crash, and both riders were able to continue.  We also saw evidence of some other crashes, but again, the riders were still riding.  I did not hear of any serious injuries, like in past years.  We had a good time, and plan to return again next year to watch the racing.