A Personal Challenge: Cycling At Least An Hour A Day For 10 Years
Written on 08/24 at 11:14 AM by Andy Posner
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Al Gore’s Challenge Inspires My Thesis, and My Own Challenge
Al Gore recently challenged the U.S. to get 100% of its electricity from renewable energy within a decade. I was so excited and inspired by the challenge that I decided to switch my thesis topic in order to look at some of the issues raised by that challenge; specifically, I want to understand how to address the intermittence of renewable energy sources through geographic distribution, energy storage, smart grid technology and innovative demand side management.
Around the time that I read Al Gore’s challenge, I came across a completely unrelated article about a guy--Jim Langley, the former technical editor at Bicycling Magazine--who, in 1990, set a goal to ride his bicycle at least an hour a day for ten years. Not only did he meet his goal, but the streak is alive to this day. After I read that I thought to myself, hmm, wouldn’t it be interesting to spend the next 10 years devoting myself to meeting Al Gore’s challenge and eradicating poverty through my micro-credit initiative, while at the same time riding my bike at least an hour a day? And so it was that I decided to challenge myself to achieve the goal of riding an hour a day for 10 years. Hopefully by the time I have accomplished it the planet and human society will be as healthy thanks to clean, renewable energy that doesn’t impact global geopolitics as I will be from the riding. Read on to find out why I’m doing this and for details of the challenge.
Photos of Some Upgrades to My Bikes!
Written on 08/11 at 05:00 PM by Andy Posner 0 comments
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Cycling
Okay, so I’m pretty obsessed with bicycles. For one thing, I have three (a touring bike/car, a mountain bike/winter bike and a racing bike). Secondly, when I’m not riding my bike, well, I generally find myself thinking or writing about cycling. Given that paradigm, it isn’t surprising that I’m extremely excited about some new upgrades to my racing and mountain bikes. I recently had my entire gear set on the race bike switched from Shimano Ultegra to Campagnolo Record. For those of you that aren’t familiar with bicycle gears, Shimano is made in Japan and is extremely functional, but Campagnolo is made in Italy and, apart from being functional, is drop-dead gorgeous. I am literally physically attracted to the gears on my bike. Campagnolo Record is the top of the line gear set, and my new bike looks absolutely fantastic with it (photos after the fold). For my steel mountain bike--a 2006 Surly Karate Monkey--I just installed a new, massive front tire, as well as a neat clip-on rear fender.
Greetings from Tulsa, Oklahoma
Written on 07/27 at 06:12 PM by Andy Posner 0 comments
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travel
Jared and I arriving in Kentucky on our 3,800 mile bike trip across the U.S., September 2005
I’m currently in Tulsa, Oklahoma, in the apartment of one of my closest friends, Jared Auld. Three years ago I rode across the country with Jared and a woman named Nicole, who is also a good friend of mine. The first time Jared and I met was at the airport in Newport News, Virginia, and we quickly became close friends as we rode West across the United States, exploring valleys, hills and vast expanses of countryside. Jared and I have stayed in contact since the end of the trip, talking on the phone at least once a week, and I decided to take a few days to come visit him in his hometown of Tulsa.
Cycling, My Saviour
Written on 05/20 at 12:07 PM by Andy Posner 0 comments
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During the last few weeks I’ve been riding my bike with a religious fervor. Despite feeling stressed about RISD classes, the fact that my best friend continues to ignore me, my grandma’s fall, and doubts about how to proceed with my thesis, cycling has served as a constant, steady anchor point. I know that so long as I get up in the morning and will myself on the bike, by the time I get back home I will feel energized, productive and ready for the day. It isn’t just the fact that I love bicycling (though I most certainly do), nor is it that riding the bike gets me outside into the fresh air (though I love that feeling as well), but rather it’s the fact that by cranking out 20,30, 40 or more miles I feel like I am progressing, making my muscles and lungs and heart stronger, my mind crisper. It is very rare for me to go for a bike ride and then feel sad during the rest of the day, yet I often struggle with sadness on days that I do not ride.
Disaster Strikes Again At My Second Bike Race
Written on 10/07 at 10:29 PM by Andy Posner 0 comments
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Cycling
After my first bike race in August, which went rather poorly, to say the least, I decided I would spend the next two months training for the last road race of the season in Jamestown, Rhode Island. During those two months I rode at least 5 days a week, did intervals, recovery rides, group rides, and I even played some tennis for cross-training. All that training paid off: I lost 8 pounds, rediscovered my once-sculpted legs, and generally felt much fitter, faster and stronger on the bike. In other words, I was all ready for my second bike race.All week I have been tapering off my mileage while still throwing in a few hard efforts, just as all the training manuals recommend.
Welcome. On this blog things get a little more personal. This is where I chronicle my struggles and triumphs, my attempts to better myself and my world, my poetry, my prose, my bike rides, my travels, my day-to-day activities. If you want to know more about Andy Posner--that amalgamation of poet and monk--you’ve come to the right place. So have a look around, and enjoy the opportunity to learn what goes on inside my mind--only beware, my mind is quite a place!
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- Green Microfinance: Advancing Social Equality and Environmental Sustainability in the United States (Ideas)
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Green Microfinance: Advancing Social Equality and Environmental Sustainability in the United States
Click here to download a PDF of my complete thesis. Questions and comments are much appreciated!
My masters thesis in Environmental Studies at Brown University looks at how microfinance--the provision of small…
A Solution to the Limited Success of Micro-Credit in the United States?
Micro-credit has undoubtedly been a runaway success in developing countries as a tool of both poverty alleviation and economic development. To date, some 100 million people have been reached by micro-loans, and Muhammad Yunus, the founder of the Grameen Bank…
Tonight, the Oneness of Things
It is late and my mind should be drifting through the colorful abyss of deep sleep, yet instead i find that tonight sleep will not come. I am like a hungry flower who dreams of bees so ardently that all…