When we transferred from NYC to Seattle three years ago — not entirely willingly — our smartest move was to join the Cascade Bicycle Club immediately. We knew that was the path to quickly forging lasting friendships. Cycling’s shared moments of delight and (let’s face it) some pain and agony have that effect on people.

We also knew that Cascade’s Free Group Rides would provide the best introduction to our many and varied new roads, hills and mountains.

Now, as Cascade ride leaders, we’re delighted that the Seattle Art Institute has produced this video, high-def version highlighting some of the great things about Cascade and its rides program.

Check out the video, and come join us for some rides!

Warm temps and sunny skies bring that tingly feeling that can mean only one thing: Track season is upon us!

But this is one good thing that requires even more waiting: the newly renamed Jerry Baker Memorial Velodrome in Redmond is in need of repairs, and those got started yesterday and will last for two weeks or so. Those of us craving a track fix RIGHT NOW in this wonderful weather are going a bit stir crazy — I was quite sad to find the track already locked when I returned from California on Monday (they later reopened it for the evening, but by then I was in I-405 hell).

Since discovering the thrills of track racing last year, I’ve marveled again and again how fortunate I am to live in a place that has a velodrome (there are only 28 in the U.S.) and that this velodrome has such an outstanding program and administration. Plus, racing around a track with a view of Mount Rainier is not a bad thing.

We tracksters are very grateful to King County and King County Parks for taking such good care of our treasure!

A few weeks ago I claimed to be restarting EmeraldPedaling.com, then promptly ran out of time to do any more updates even from the Sea Otter Classic — which is perhaps just as well, since that amazing event is in California, not Washington, and somehow it doesn’t seem right to restart a Washington cycling blog with not one but two posts from separate California trips. Even if California was unusually emerald-looking on these trips.

Now life has staged further complications and I find myself having to do duplicate entries in both WordPress and a temporary Blogger  version. Don’t ask why.

In the meantime, last week some of my Team Group Health teammates and I traveled to lovely Seaside, California, for Sea Otter. Some of the team raced; I, having experienced the horrifying hills of the road course last year, joined the part of the team doing just training rides. Of course these rides included the requisite scene shots from Asilomar State Beach. I do love emerald pedaling, but this seaside pedaling sure was nice for a few days.