About JP
Salt tram, sunset by Lynne Buckner
Jacquie Phelan was born In San Francisco, circa 1955, kicking and screaming–with a vigor portending future Greatness.
Part rodent, part marsupial, and all too disappointingly human, Jacquie writes, races , commutes by bike, cooks, sews badly, tirelessly gollyplots , thinks she’s a chanteuse.
Odd are, she’s goofing off as you read this.
This “compulsive gamboler” was born the first of six black sheep in an alcohol-spiked Irish dynasty. Emphasis on the nasty.
Hence all those the faux families —WOMBATS, the Knobby Nobility (folks I raced with in the eighties are all ‘royal’), you, my cherished reader/riders, and Salivation Army leftenants. Any of which is almost as good as having flesh-and-blood relatives when it comes to good company, good eats and long-term amity & enmity. Dangerous Aunt Jacquie has four amazing nephews: Jacob and Jon Wilson (Jill and Bill’s PBC choirboys) and Conrad & Wib (Greg & Becky’s sports team) Phelan.
Phelan lives with her very non-noisy husband, framebuilder and inventor Charlie Cunningham. They have lived in peaceful squalor at Taj Mahovel (Marin) for the last thirty years, and expect to remain until they’re carried out.
Charlie’s mom is book artist Carol Cunningham, a woman so amazing that I will simply refer you to the Book Club of California, where you can at least page through her 85 editions.
JP, also known as Alice B. Toeclips (or Gloria Stitz when playing the fretless banjo, and Her Royal Mudjesty when sitting around opining) stars in her very own situation comedy, complete with cheesy laugh track.
To her, “life” is simply an improvised performance that began around 1955 when she used all her charm to get a terribily distracted mom’s attention.
These days , Phelan’s laying down train track as fast as she can pull it from her bag of trucs, and where it stops nobody knows….
If you write a comment, there’s a good chance you’ll get a reply from this ecotistical wild woman with a little too much “time honor hands”.
Listen to this Europop song, ALL BEHIND, a ditty about an un-catchable racer who leaves them “all behind”… by Swiss punk rocker and man of many strings Olivier Vuille.
Or catch the 1/29/07 Josh Kornbluth Show “Choppers and Breezers” and see JP and Joe Breeze share their views of pioneer-osity.
Favorite food: cheese & bread
Favorite drink: before noon: black tea. After noon: decent beer.
Favorite past time: take a wild guess.
Favorite artist: Ronald Searle, wizard of pen-and-ink.
Favorite place to ride: that area I happen to be in.
Favorite color: iridescence on an abalone
Favorite human (besides self): initials: CC
. With an RSS feed
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Jacquie Phelan's Weblog 
🙂
What a delicious drink of bombastic proportion! I’ll be back for more…oh yes…I’ll be back.
A few of my favorite things wrapped up so neatly in this little package of a blog: bikes, tea, wordsmithing, style, food, living life out loud…Thanks, Jacquie. You keep me going.
hi jacquie,
just finished watching “how to cook your life” (for the second time- great movie). saw your name roll through the credits, looked you up on the ‘net to see what you were up to these days. have followed your career/life with interest and some commonality. i’m also youngest of 6 kids, born in ’54 in san francisco of irish catholic parents. recently– 2 weeks ago– lost our mother to alzheimer’s disease.
i’ve raised 4 kids, all have ridden our various tandems one length or another (as far as 900 miles in one tour), currently ride my folding bike daily 25 miles to work/back and take the bus another crazy number of miles, but happy not commuting in a car anymore (for a year and a half now), 911 dispatcher for past 19 years graveyard shift. so does that make me crazy enough too? starting to get involved in childrens’ bicycle safety courses (now that my last is off at college at sfsu), and of course table a bike to work site here in santa cruz county.
you’ve been an inspiration to me for years. i’ve seen you at some bike events, most recently, although a few years ago, the cinderella classic (that i rode with my daughter on our recumbent tandem trike). anyway, just wanted to say hi, love your blog and your life’s work.
anni
boulder creek, ca
Jacquie… thank you for this site.
First time in, and I’m blown away.
I am so glad you can let it all out for everyone to share.
Loved hearing about Charlie, he’s been such a mystery to me.
I’ll be checking in regularly. Love ya.
Rita
I don’t recall having visited this blog before, but your comment box already has all my data, website, etc. How odd. I stopped in because of the article in City Cycling. That and the name seemed familiar somehow, have we worked together in the mid 70s? It would have been a cheesy low budget monster/sci-fi flick that I did because I was the only one stupid enough and also the right size to wear the heavy rubber monster suit in the middle of a Utah desert summer. My name back then was John, but I have had so many aliases and stage names since then that I don’t know who I was “professionally” for the credits.
ehy baby lets bike around and benjoing siempre SLEGANDO!!!!
HI Jacquie……way too cool meeting you yesterday at Tim’s party out on the coast. I look forward to meeting up with you again. My son was stoked to learn that I met you and have a chance to borrow the “too small for me” stump jumper bike. I’ll be back in touch with ya and we can compare fashions. It’s always nice to meet another woman from my tribe and a “certified lunatic” YAY! to boot!
Barbara Slone
Oh, I like this.
-B
hi jacquie,
i read your interview with jan heine in bq tonight. i am very moved by what you had to endure from the conformists. i am very happy you decided to stand out and be the best you can be!
you are an inspiration to me.
peace 🙂
-chandra…
yo, Chandra, it’s actually interesting that I’ve come to understand that they had legitimate fears. I was an unpredictable rider (still can be, but I work to be more steady, and not stop at each intereting flotsam, or mushroom on the side of the road)
Hi Jacquie,It’s good to see that you are still out there and riding bikes.I watched you race at the Ross three day stage race in Western Mass.hmm now was that 85’or 86′ with drop bars if my memory serves me correct. Flash
Right on, Jacquie 🙂
Scentchew an e-mail this morning – hope it reaches you thru all the various firewalls – essence being – YOU’RE really cool. And, I’m not like all the others, trust me! I say I will…then I do.
JP, You did actually become a doctor like your dad! Bikes are your medicine and cycling is the script. Your patients are healthier because of you. I own one of your bikes, a purple lugged roady with yellow details…your name is on the top tube. her name is Bella. My sis has been riding her for 8 years. Thank you for winning it. HS
One of my most treasured possessions is my race number signed you “In it for the beer! Alice b Toeclips” from the Tahoe Roubaix back in the late 80s. I can’t tell beautiful it is to stumble upon your blog!!! best, beth
Hi jacquie… riding my phoenix in the bayous of Washington DC – missing Marin and SF which I left 4 months ago after 30 years – your blog brings me home…
well well lady, how do i get to know all this about you on this site? you really are a word wizard arent you. so im hoping you get to be at dons 60th bday – 4th of july party. trust you got the invite. ill bet you could write him a poem you can read, play that fiddle or whatever crazy thing you cook up … anything goes . guess im just figuring this is naother way to make sure you know your invited. 4th of july, 2pm-10 on apple blossom ln ooxx marian
Back in my day, I rode 50 miles uphill both ways….er, no, no, wrong curmudgeon. (Hell yes, that’s a verb, sheesh.) Back in the day you were my favorite racer because you not only kicked ass on the bike, but did so with humour and style. Today I was squishing my brain to think of a name for a new bike in my rental fleet. (I’m a Canadian ex-pat living in rural Australia where my wife and I own a small bike shop.) Alice B. Toeclips popped into my head, a quick scribble with the paint marker and woila, another bike got its soul. She’s snuggled up with others now, no doubt hearing all the awful things tourists get up to from those other ungrateful wretches in the rack. You’d think that they would appreciate all the love, attention and lube I give them, but nooooo….er, I digress.
I just wanted to say thanks for all the enjoyment your riding and writing career has provided me. Thanks too for the use of your alter-ego’s nom de dirt. Sorry I didn’t ask first but when inspiration comes, google waits.
All the best.
Oh, and while I’m being all grateful ‘n shit, thanks for this here fine addition to my blog roll.
Please send pix of yur Alice B. Eh? And…the precise name, address of your shop! Someday SSWC will come to OZ.
Right on Sista, still using those roller cams too CC!
Sam.
[…] was one bright ray of sunshine in this sea of testosterone. A former racer named Jacquie Phelan started a group primarily aimed at women who were put off by all this chest thumping. The group was […]
Mountain Biking Grows Up | Our Days Are Just Filled said this on November 19, 2011 at 12:02 pm |
come descrivi la tua vita è commovente!
slega!
I am in San Francisco how do I get in touch w/you?
I’m in Sacramento nowadays 🙂
but…Beth Lucas…did you used to be Kim?
Nope! Wrong Gal!!!
Jacquie, This is Greg Drobnis. Yes I was at Taft. I was even in your house! I wrote to the wordpress address but realized that you might not get it or get too much. Please feel free to contact me at my email. I remember you with fondness and well, g
To Your Mudjesty,
Hi! This is your brother John’s friend, riding buddy, and enthusiastic listener, Deni. Thank you for the post card, I think it’s beautiful. John Kinko-ed me a copy of the poster with the Rock Shock that went directly into a frame (looking for a better frame) and next to the picture of John, Ruthe (my favorite partner in climb) and myself having a shot at One Shot Charlie’s in Harrison, Idaho. I think John tipped the waitress to fill his with water. I always regretted not getting one from you at the Humbug Hurry-Up 25-ish years ago. My best girl Ruthe told me about you when I first met you and so you know 3 out of 3 people I mentioned your picture to in the grocery checkout knew of you. One guy gushed more about Charlie but…
I hope Charlie is doing better every day. We’re thinking of you. I keep an eye on John and Sean because I live up the road. I wish I could see them more often,but I usually drop off cookies for John and something from the garden for Sean if I have something. Great guys! Cheers from Yreka, Deni
JP, This, like most of my lives, will prove to be a non sequitur but, I truly loved you once upon a time. We were children but not childish as I recall. I wanted to wish you a happy Solstice: we have vanguished the dragon one more time so let us use this time wisely. Remember, please, that you contacted me and so I will deliver this unsolicited advice with a clear conscience: keep an close eye on the international news and your tires inflated. There are clouds of thousand year old anger gathering and the world is going to shake when she redraws herself. I guess I am still in love with you. Yours in the infinite down hill gluide, gregory D.
Hi Jacquie
Your back is back.
I’ve just watched Mountain Biking – The Untold British Story and that ad we did of your back hogs the screen for a bit.
You’ll recognise some of the characters.
They’ve put it online – Pay per View – here: https://vimeo.com/ondemand/mtbuntold/174599395
Speak to you later
Drew x
Well I always wondered what happened to the young woman with lots of personality, true opinions on life that was so natural In making humor from what life threw at you. Today my stomach was practicing retching and erupting. So as not to waste the afternoon, I decided to go through my iPhone address book. Yes I thought, call Jackie, “Where did she go?” No answer for your number but hey thanks to Google, you have a site! I never knew you were into biking as much as I love it. We are talking about 17- 20 years ago. Do you remember me – Yvette with long blond hair who lived in Gramercy Park area? Well you were always memorable Jackie. So do get in touch w me, besides me posting to the world! Haha. Yes I am in the big apple. My daughter is in college this year. Time flies! Hope to speak to you soon!
i fear I don’t even know you…never heard of gramercy park, either… please send picture. My name is spelt diff than the way you spelt it…sorry about error
you
are
my
spirit
animal