Coffeeneuring Challenge 2015!

Coffeeneuring 2015!

As you might expect, I am sitting down with a wonderful cup of coffee to write this up.

Theme within a theme: I rode 3 different bikes for my 7 rides. Not all the bikes that I own, but I didn't have an occasion to ride the mountain bike or my winter bike, and the single speed and the beater/don't- care- if- it-gets- stolen bikes are currently out of commission. So hey, I coulda done 7 different bikes, but I was lazy.

#1 10/3

Rode downtown to see the Tour de Corgi, then rode across town to The Wild Boar Cafe http://www.wildboarcoffee.com/ for a small Americano.

Bike friendliness rating: 5/5

Total Mileage: 6

Bike: 1990 Cannondale Road

#2 10/11

Beautiful day, so Paula and I took a ride downtown to have coffee and a snack at Mugs Coffee Lounge. I had, as usual, a small Americano. http://www.mugscoffeelounge.com/

Bike friendliness rating: 5/5

Total Mileage: 4

Bike: 1990 Cannondale Road

#3 10/17

Brought out the Yuba Mundo cargo bike, “Mr. Big Stuff”, and went for a ride to the county Farmers Market. Great coffee there from a number of vendors, I prefer the Brazilian guy. Bought a cup of Farmers Market blend drip coffee, and also a bag of beans. Yum! http://www.caferichesse.com/

Bike friendliness rating: 5/5

Total Mileage: 5

Bike: Yuba Mundo

#4 10/24

On vacation in California, visiting a friend in Oakland. Took a ride through the city streets to the World Ground Cafe, a really nice shop on McArthur Blvd near 38^th Av. Awesome pastries, I had my usual Americano plus a croissant. http://www.worldgroundcafe.com/

Bike friendliness rating: 3/5 (some marked bike lanes on side streets, but McArthur Blvd is awful, and no bike racks at the cafe)

Total Mileage: 6

Bike: 1990 Cannondale Road

#5 10/31

Halloween ride with Mr. Big Stuff. Went to B's Coffee on Prospect, a shop that caters to the commuters who take the Max bus (a dedicated, high speed bus line in Fort Collins). Combined coffeeneuring with errandoneuring because I was taking our down comforter to the laudromat. Americano to go! https://www.facebook.com/Bsfoco/

Bike friendliness rating: 5/5

Total Mileage: 8

Bike: Yuba Mundo

#6 11/8

A fabulous day, Paula and I took a ride along the Spring Creek trail, connected with the Poudre River trail, then headed downtown to The Bean Cycle, my original favorite coffee shop in Fort Colllins. I went for a shot of espresso, and Paula got a fresh juice, some kind of ginger/carrot/beet/kale concoction that was superb. http://www.beancycleroasters.com/

Bike friendliness rating: 5/5

Total Mileage: 12

Bike: 1990 Cannonndale Road

#7 11/15

Another beautiful day in northern Colorado! Took my fav road bike, the Alu-Boo (made by a company here in Fort Collins) for a longish spin north of town, ended up in the lovely village of LaPorte and had lunch at Me Oh My Pie. A fantastic place where you can get pies of any sort made with (mostly) local ingredients. I had yet another Americano, a veggie pot pie, and a cup of some New England Clam Chowdah that was actually pretty good and I think it could pass muster in Maine.  http://www.meohmypie.com/

Bike friendliness rating: 5/5

Total Mileage: 28

Bike: Alu- Boo

Coffeeneuring Roundup

Time to put this caffeinated ride series to bed.  Thanks to @coffeeneur from the Chasingmailboxes blog for putting this together!  Riding bikes and drinking coffee just totally go together.  And hey, have you noticed that most of the great biking towns and cities are also known for their coffee culture?  Yup.

Americano, soy milk, Dazbog!

In summary: 7 rides, 7 weekend days, 7 cups of coffee, and approximately 40 miles of riding!

10/5 - 2.1 miles, Outdoors coffee with The Coffee Registry, Fort Collins Farmers Market
10/13 - 4.5 miles, The Steaming Bean in Steamboat Springs
10/20 - 2.1 miles, The Alley Cat Cafe, Fort Collins
10/27 - 2.4 miles, The Bean Cycle, Fort Collins
11/3 - 11 miles, Dazbog Coffee, Fort Collins
11/10 - 3.5 miles, Little Bird Bakeshop, Fort Collins
11/17 - 14 miles, The Wild Boar, Fort Collins

The first four rides are documented in previous posts, but I neglected to put in one of my favorite pics from the Bean Cycle ride (not to document coffee, per se, but to emphasize the coffee/bike/dog friendly atmosphere here in Fort Fun, aka: Fortlandia).

Just trying out the Halloween costume.

My trip to Dazbog happened on a really nice day, and since their shop in Fort Collins is over by the Poudre River Trail, I took a long and leisurely ride along the river before getting my coffee.  Today was so nice, in fact, that I took the old Cosmos Mariner out of hibernation.  I love all my bikes, of course, but this is the only one with a name, and nothing rides like Reynolds 531 steel.

Along the Poudre Trail on my way to Dazbog Coffee.

The following weekend I went to the Little Bird Bakeshop (Little Bird, Big Love), certainly one of my favorite places and a regular stop on the coffeneuring tour of life.

This is the definition of pleasant!

Fabulous french breads and pastries, and the most beautiful espresso machine in Fort Collins (IMHO).

It even lights up from the inside!

Enjoying my afternoon americano and a delicious "Financier", a sort of cake thing with fruit that is quite sublime:

I got there just before they closed, so they gave me a to-go cup.

And for the final coffeeneuring run, I took a nice long ride prior to stopping at my totally local shop, The Wild Boar.

Lots of Boar paraphenalia at the Wild Boar, a fabulous, college-centric shop that has great coffee, yummy food, and local brews on tap. Fast wifi, too.

Today's ride brought out the Cannondale.  Yes, the Cosmos Mariner has a sweeter ride quality, but for shorter rides I love the quick feel provided by the stout aluminum frame, and who wouldn't love the 2-tone blue paint?

Mad bike parking at the Wild Boar

One of the reasons I love the Wild Boar (besides the fact that it's only about 3 blocks from my house) is the coffee card - always working toward that free coffee, gotta love it.

Small coffee in my large travel cup

So hey, that about sums it up, lots of fun trips, and I look forward to another *.*o-neuring challenge in the future!

If this was the World Series, we would have won by now...

It just occurred to me that this is coffeeneuring #4 out of 7, _and_ it will be the 4th game of the World Series tonight.  I'm sure that is a fabulous piece of good luck for the Red Sox (you know, Boston being Beantown and all???).

(I started writing this post last Sunday, before the Red Sox won the World Series, so I'm sure that this bit of prescience (along with having a beard) was an invaluable contribution to the glory the Sox have achieved).

So anyways, October 27th was a beautiful morning.  2 days after my wife Paula's birthday, and 4 days before my daughter Rowan's birthday.  (I guess I'm drawn to Scorpios...)

Aspen leaves, late fall in Colorado

 The look of the sky and the aspens portended a really pleasant day, and for the first time in a long time, I was heading out to have my first cup of the day at a shop (instead of the usual carefully constructed coffee at home).  Due to my obsession with our favorite brew, if I were to trust someone besides myself with the first cup, it had to be the Bean Cycle.

Outside the Bean Cycle

The Bean Cycle was, fortuitously, the first coffee shop I ever went to in Fort Collins (while visiting many years ago).  It has been a favorite ever since, despite the plethora of excellent bean roasters and espresso machines in this town.  One of the things I love about it is that it is built around coffee, books, and bicycles.  How can you go wrong?

The Bean Cycle shares space with the bookstore and Wolverine Farm Publishing

The bookstore features used books, new local art, stickers, and great publications such as The Boneshaker Bicycling Almanac and the The Matter Journal, a compendium of local interest.

One of my intentions this fine morning was to partake of the "Toast Bar" at the Bean.  Sure, I got the americano with soy and croissant, but I had been waiting with great anticipation to try out the local bread from Ingrained Bakery.  Yes, I often get a baguette from Callie at the farmers market, but I've never tried her other offerings.  Today I tried the polenta bread with homemade apple butter, and it was sublime!

Polenta bread with apple butter, croissant, and americano: Heavenly!

The Bean Cycle boasts many coffee making musts: they roast their own of course, and they also make amazing coffee treats with the chemex drip brewers (my favorite at home) and the slow drip cold coffee that I love during warm weather:

Fresh!

Chemex Brewing!

Crazy cold coffee system!

Coffeeneuring is essentially what bicycling is about - being able to stop at a shop after work, or before, or on the weekend.  Traveling by bike is what I do, and chillin' at coffee shops is what I love.  Thanks @coffeeneur!



local

Coffeeneuring Week 3!

A cold and rainy day here in Fort Collins, 45 degrees with a steady drizzle when I went out on the Mundo for some coffee and munchies at the Alley Cat Cafe before heading over to the Bike Co-op.  (The Mundo is my go-to bike in bad weather, with the waterproof bag and fenders to keep me dry).

Despite the rain, lots of bikes at the Alley Cat Cafe

The Alley Cat Cafe is a Fort Collins staple.  It's on the 2nd floor of a building that yes, is on an alley off Laurel St across from Colorado State University.

Entry to the Cafe, and always open means 24/7/365, people.  Yeah.

Very cozy place to relax and have my afternoon americano before going to help out at the Bike Co-op.
Downstairs from the Alley Cat is another favorite place: Damn Good Tacos, featuring fast, fresh tacos for $3 or 2 for $5.  Tasty cheap eats, but closed on Sundays, sad to say.

You can't go wrong at Damn Good Tacos

Had a good sandwich from the Alley Cat menu instead to go along with the coffee, and then it was back out into the rain to ride up to the Co-op (where, luckily, it was also nice and warm).

Yummy!

Coffeeneuring Week 2

Week 2 of the Coffeeneuring Challenge found me in Steamboat Springs, CO for a weekend of relaxing and soaking at Strawberry Hot Springs.  Truly one of the most beautiful places I know.

A view of Strawberry Hot Springs

We stayed for the weekend at a lodge near the mountain, and I brought along the trusty Cannondale so I could fit in a little coffeeneuring.  On a beautiful but cold (28 degrees F) Sunday morning I rode the 3 miles into town to have coffee and a croissant at The Steaming Bean coffee shop in the heart of downtown Steamboat.

The ride into town was very pleasant, as there is a great bike path in Steamboat along the Yampa River.  I came across this very Colorado-y scene along the trail by the river, and the pic came out sort of intstagram-like, and I think it's a cool portrait of my old Cannondale:

My Rad 80's Cannondale

I was able to have my coffee before the rest of the fam showed up, I love to get an early start.

Americano and a croissant - Bliss...

We took a walk around town after meeting up at the Steaming Bean, and made our own plans to have a mini Big Lebowski fest once we got back to Fort Collins.  The local theater here in Steamboat is doing some really fun stuff:

 A great weekend get-away, hot springs, good food, coffee and bicycling, yes, it's a wonderful life!

Paula, Rowan and Rob enjoying the beautiful hot springs water

Coffeeneuring Challenge starts TODAY

Coffee science at its best

Coffeeneuring: a brilliant way to combine two of the most pleasurable things in life - Coffee and Bicycles.  Thanks to fellow blogger Chasing Mailboxes for spearheading the 2013 Coffeeneuring Challenge, explained thusly:

The Chasing Mailboxes Coffeeneuring Challenge is a relaxed weekend cycling endeavor for cyclists everywhere. If you like riding a bike and enjoy drinking coffee or tea (or even hot chocolate), you should consider giving the challenge a go. (See the website for the full set of "rules")

Um, OK, I like relaxed weekend endeavors, coffee, bikes, yeah...  This is great!

So today I did my first Coffeeneuring ride, and as you might have seen in the rules, I am claiming this one as the ride to the "Coffee Shop Without Walls".  Four miles roundtrip to the farmers market where I got some delicious, fresh roasted, pour-over brewed coffee from The Coffee Registry.

The Coffee Registry's Custom Coffee Cargo Bike

The Coffee Registry is a regular stop for me at the Saturday morning farmers market.  Operated by coffee evangelist and bike aficionado David Sutton, the Registry is a portable, open air coffee shop mounted on a custom cargo bike.  WHAT?!  This is, well, my dream, so it's awesome to see my dream come true even though it's not me doing it.

David of The Coffee Registry on a chilly (but chill) Fort Collins morning.

So David and I chatted a bit while my coffee brewed.  I told him about the Coffeeneuring Challenge, and he is agreed that Fort Collins is a perfect place for coffee and bikes.  I remarked that, in my opinion, FoCo has some of the best coffee I've ever had, and a thriving culture of coffee, coffee shops and bikes.  Yes, as David said, "We're Platinum!", referring to the recent elevation of Fort Collins to a Platinum Level Bicycling Friendly Community by the League of American Bicyclists.  I would also submit that if there were a similar community rating for coffee and coffee shops, Fort Collins would be on the list.

Fun fact #1 - coffee brews best at temperatures between 195 and 205 degrees Fahrenheit. 
Fun fact #2 - in Fort Collins (average elevation about 5,000 ft) water boils at 203 degrees F. Perfect!!
(Thanks to David for this info)

My dream bike!

It is my contention that because of the perfect boiling temperature of our pure mountain water, along with the affinity of the coffee beans for high altitude, the coffee here in Fort Collins is amongst the best I know.  I admit, in deference to our Coffeneuring Challenge hosts' home city, that I have had some damn good coffee in D.C., but I invite all you Coffeeneurs to come up to Fort Collins and take a bicycle tour of the finest coffee shops and richest coffee you will ever have the pleasure to enjoy.

Bringing home the coffee :-)

Fort Collins Food Finders!

The Mundo loaded with fresh donated produce on it's way to the Larimer County Food Bank

More on what a bike can do: I belong to an organization called the Fort Collins Food Finders, one of the many programs of The Growing Project.  Food Finders, previously known as Fort Collins Food Rescue, combines two of my favorite things - Food and Bicycles!  Almost every day volunteers go to where the fresh food is and bring it, via bicycle power, to the people who need it.  Pickups include farmers markets, the Fort Collins Food Coop, and local farms.  So far, since we started in May 2013, we've delivered over 8,000 pounds of food to many of the missions and charities who feed the hungry in our town.  A lot of it goes to the Larimer County Food Bank as well for further distribution.

Tyler uses a trailer on his fixie to deliver for Food Finders

Most of the volunteers use their bike trailers to haul the bounty, but when I go out I bring the Mundo. With the Yuba Go-Getter bag on one side, a plastic tote mounted on the other, and towing my trusty old Burley trailer I can carry hundreds of pounds per trip.  Comes in handy at a farmers market pickup, when lots of the vendors donate their leftovers at the end of the market.  About 3 weeks ago Tyler and I met at the downtown farmers market and saved 108 pounds of peppers, corn, tomatoes and more. What a great way to combine biking and community service as well as being able to hang out with some very cool people.

If you think a Food Rescue operation is what your town needs (and it probably does), check out The Growing Project website for more info, and in the meantime, support your local farmers!