About that Plain Dealer Article

I thought it would be disrespectful to include a diatribe in the same post as the one sending condolences to the Patrick Hickey family, so I have started a new post about the Plain Dealer article reporting the accident. In a nutshell, it sucks, as do the "comments" of Lt. Thomas Stacho. Here is the article in its entirety:

A 20-year-old Parma Heights man was killed in a crash Friday.

Patrick Hickey was riding his bicycle to work and crashed into a beer truck at Oakpark Avenue and West 25th Street, a coroner's spokesman said.

He was pronounced dead at 6:55 p.m. at MetroHealth Medical Center.

Police said the accident happened at 3:40 p.m., when Hickey was riding north on the east side sidewalk along West 25th. The truck was also going north.

The truck turned east on Oakpark Avenue and the bike collided with it. Hickey was thrown to the pavement.

Lt. Thomas Stacho said Hickey was riding a bike that didn't have brakes. He was not wearing a helmet. And he was wearing headphones, listening to an I-Pod.

The truck driver was not cited and voluntarily submitted to drug and alcohol testing.

As I read this, Hickey was heading north on the sidewalk and the truck was also heading north. Then truck then turned right (east) onto a side street that Hickey was crossing at the same time, still heading north.

It seems to me like Hickey had the right of way here, doesn't it?

I obviously don't know what happened, and I am not trying to vilify the driver here. Two days ago I failed to see a cyclist on the sidewalk while pulling out of a side street I regularly use. He fortunately stopped, and I let him go, but it made me realize how fast something like that could happen. It's very scary.

Going back to the article though, the part about the i-pod, the "no brakes," and the helmet is very disturbing. Was the i-pod a factor? Was it being played excessively loud? Does a person give up his/her rights as a cyclist if they are using an ipod?

Same for the helmet. Would it have saved him? Where were his injuries? It is very possible that his failure to use a helmet had zero effect on the outcome of this tragedy.

Although I cannot verify this, the "no brakes" comment is a lie. I spoke with someone today who said that Hickey was a bike messenger at some point, which of course means that his "no brakes" bike was most likely a fixed gear with adequate stopping power.

Overall, the article represents the "bikers are guilty" attitude that permeates the media and law enforcement. Including the bits about the i-pod and the no helmet without facts to verify whether these things even made a difference in the accident is very suggestive and unfair. The "no brakes" sentence is also unacceptable (assuming it was a fixed gear with braking power). Stories like these only serve to rile up readers and add to an already disturbing anti-bike sentiment. Just read some of the "comments" after the article to see what I mean.

So, after reading the article today, I called Donna J. Miller, its author. She answered the phone and we discussed the accident. She assured me several times that the driver had the right of way. She was actually quite militant about it. When I pressed her as to why this was the case, she said that the cross street where the accident happened was a "big" intersection and the truck surely had the right of way. I then got her to pretty much admit that she had no idea how big the intersection was and that she had lied to me. I later checked mapquest and verified that the street onto which the truck turned was in a fact a side street, not a "big" intersection. (not that it would really matter in terms of whether a cyclist traveling parallel with a vehicle has the right of way). After I caught her lying to me, I told her that she engaged in "bullshit journalism that fosters a biased attitude towards bikes." She didn't like that too much. We talked a bit more, and when I asked her if she had inquired into whether the driver was listening to his car stereo when the accident happened (a valid question since she included in the article the fact that Hickey was listening to his i-pod), she hung up on me.

After reading the article, speaking to Ms. Miller, and thinking way too much about this tragedy today, I have come to one conclusion: Patrick Hickey was guilty of being a cyclist in Cleveland. Who will be next?

Tragedy

20 year-old Patrick Hickey of Parma Heights was killed on Friday riding his bike to work. The tragic story ran on cleveland.com yesterday. Send your thoughts, prayers, vibes, etc. to his family and friends, who must be devastated. Also keep in mind the person driving the truck involved in the accident. I cannot imagine how that person must feel as well.

Freedom Machines.

Federal, State, and Local Spending on Surface Transportation Infrastructure, by Type, 1956 to 2004, in billions of dollars


I would call a bike a freedom machine. Others call cars freedom machines, including Terence P. Jeffrey. He is a columnist at CNSNews.com whose writings are sometimes published in major newspapers. He recently wrote an article decrying recent threats to the car, and it begins as follows:

Recent evidence that automobile use is declining in America and that some Americans are making significant -- and in some cases not readily reversible -- changes in their lives because of escalating gas prices should be worrisome signs for those who love liberty.

No device is more in keeping with the American spirit than the automobile. Privately owned cars and trucks allow us to go where we want, when want. They are freedom machines.

Still, some liberals would like to use government to force Americans out of their cars.

They believe in socialized transportation, not free-market transportation.

In a free-market transportation system, a person purchases his own vehicle with his own money, buys his own gas with his own money and can drive his vehicle anywhere there is a road -- and, if he has the right kind of vehicle, some places where there are no roads.

Admittedly, the roads generally are constructed by government, albeit with funds extracted from the earnings and gasoline purchases of drivers.

In a socialist transportation system, the government takes the taxpayers' money and purchases vehicles -- often buses or trains -- for itself or a government-funded agency. Where and when these vehicles go is determined by the government.

In a free-market transportation system, a person travels solely in the company of people with whom he has freely chosen to travel. In a socialist transportation system, a person may be compelled to travel in the company of people he does not know and who could even be a danger to him.

Whoa! Regardless of your view on the merits of driving a car (I happen to drive one myself....much more than I'd care to admit), this guy is a clown.

He calls driving cars "free market transportation." That is a lie.

According to the Deputy Director of the Congressional Budget Office in October 2007:

Spending on surface transportation infrastructure by all levels of government in 2004 was $191 billion (in 2006 dollars), or 1.5 percent of gross domestic product (GDP). The federal government provided about one-quarter of those funds, and states and localities provided the rest. Those funds were split about equally between spending for capital projects and operation and maintenance. Most of that spending was for roads.

The graph at the top (from the same source) shows that, in 2004, government spent about $130 billion on roads. Of the total $191 billion spent on surface transportation, the federal government (aka gas tax funds) covered approximately 1/4, or $48 billion of that cost. I am sure that Mr. Jeffrey would like all of that federal money to have gone to road infrastructure, not public transport. So let's assume that all federal money did go to roads (which it did not) That still means that, in 2004, state and local governments spent $82 billion on roads that was not covered by the federal gas tax ($130 - $48 = $82).

Travel by car is not a "free market" mode of transportation when you consider the $82 billion dollar tax subsidy for road infrastructure that is not covered by the federal gas tax.

This guy is a total fraud. If you love your car, then drive it. Great. Wonderful. Have fun. Just don't lie to me and tell me how I (and every other taxpayer who may or may not own a car) am not subsidizing this endeavor.

Here's another money quote from the article:

Hopefully, the 8 percent who have taken to socialized transportation represents a trend that can be reversed.

Wow again. This guy actually wants those who take public transportation to stop it because it offends his sensibilities.

His main point in the article is that America should start drilling its own oil. The funny thing is that he sabotages his argument and shreds his own credibility by needlessly lying, resorting to silly propaganda ("changes in their lives because of escalating gas prices should be worrisome signs for those who love liberty;" cars are "freedom machines;" etc.); and breeding fear through classism and racism: "In a socialist transportation system, a person may be compelled to travel in the company of people he does not know and who could even be a danger to him."

That's a really good point. The RTA rapids during rush hour are very dangerous and filled with the dregs of society. No one is safe there. Once, I even got hit in the head by a businessman's briefcase who wasn't paying attention while he was walking down the aisle and talking on his cellphone. I was so traumatized by the event that I needed to take the day off and go for a "free market" drive on our glorious roads.

Thanks to BikePortland for the heads up on this topic.

Racing in circles, then drag racing

Tuesday evening's pleasantly moderate temperature made for a pretty enjoyable Westlake race. The only problem was that things get a bit boring when you miss the break with over 10 laps/20 miles left in the race and there is no way the field is going to bring it back.

Last night, Ray, Pate S., and I also drove to Granger, Ohio to do the Team Lake Effect Time Trial. After getting lost trying to find the place, we were able to arrive on time and sufficiently flog ourselves in the sub 10 mile race. I did the time trial last year with my regular road bike and no aero equipment, which was pretty much like bringing a knife to a gunfight. This year, my Soloist road bike is pretty aero, and I managed to borrow Ray's TT bars and his FlashPoint deep dish front wheel.

The downside, of course, of having aero gear for a time trial is that it leaves you less excuses for doing poorly. Did I say that out loud?

They are putting this event on next Thursday (6-19) as well and, like usual, it is a first class event.

Firewater

A few weeks ago, Katie and I met up with Greg D. at the Beachland Tavern to see Firewater.

The band is the brainchild of singer/guitarist/bassist Tod A, who always tours with a very talented group of multicultural/multinational musicians to back up his songs, which are a mix of rock/punk/klezmer/middle eastern/eastern european/gypsy/cabaret. Greg D. took some great photos at the Cleveland show, including the one above. Below are two live songs recently recorded in Chicago during their current tour.

Mill Creek Park

Today was the Mill Creek Park race. Most people would call this race a crit, but some would argue otherwise. Whatever.

It was hot. Really hot. The 2/3 race started at 11:45 with 25-30 racers. After a couple of breaks stayed away for a bit and were eventually caught, the winning move started with six, then dwindled to four riders. Ray H. (Team Columbus) and Thom D. (Spin) were both in that winning move. The rest of the field battled for the last two paying spots over the next 15 laps/miles after the winning breakaway rode off. I felt like poop most of the race and managed to finish with the main field, which had shrunk significantly over the course of 25 laps. Props to SBR's Chris B. for racing smart and aggressively today.

In the 4/5 race, SBR had Pete S., Gary B., Rick A., Dave T., Matt O., and John V. Gary took 3rd, Pete 6th, and the rest of the boys finished in the field.

Another good race put on by Team MVC.

One of "those guys"

When I first started doing group rides, I used to think that riders who had "race only" wheelsets were total weenies. I still think that, but have now also become one of them.

The progression took some years, but the point is that it happened. I used to think that it was dumb not to use the best gear I had for daily riding since it feels the best and, after all, I am riding for fun. Plus I wanted any advantage I could get in the crazy sketchy town line sprint on County Line road or in the race up whatever hill(s) on which we chose to beat each other to a pulp.

Then, as I amassed more gear, my best wheels were reserved for only the "good" or "fast" group rides that carried a zero chance of rain.

Today I realized that I have officially become one of those weenies whose stance on race wheels I used to mock mercilessly. I can't even remember the last time I rode my race wheels on a day where they didn't see the start line of a race.

I must admit that my "race" wheels are only marginally better and lighter than my regular wheels, and they pale in comparison to the high bling hoops seen on the machines of most local racers. But that is beside the point and does not detract from the fact that I am now one of "those guys."

I could write more on this pressing topic, but I now must go prepare my bike for tomorrow's Mill Creek Park race in Youngstown. And put on my race wheels.

Liquid Gold

I have no idea about the source of the information in this graph, but if it's even close to accurate, it's hilarious. I would suppose that, with oil nearly reaching $140 a barrel today, it may be close to overtaking Red Bull.

Sex, Lies and Handlebar Tape

British writer Paul Howard recently wrote a biography about cycling great Jacques Anquetil, who won about a million races and several European Grand Tours in the 1950's and 60's. The book is called Sex, Lies and Handlebar Tape, and was recently reviewed on cyclingnews.com.

The review includes a passage from the book where Anquetil discusses his preferred way to spend a night before a race. It sounds eerily similar to my pre-race routine:

"Here's the routine I'd advise for the evening before a race: a pheasant with chestnuts, a bottle of champagne and a woman."

Cheesy downhill mtb video game

Enjoy.




Go here for full version with instructions and without annoying blogger format that cuts off right 20% of screen. Does anyone know how to fix that little problem I seem to have with the layout of this site?

Patriots

The word "patriotism" is commonly used today. Some use it as a tool to inspire and unite this country to do great things. Others use it as a weapon to tear down and create divisions.

A person demonstrates true patriotism through his or her meaningful actions. Patriotism should not be measured by one's stated stance on issues at the dinner table or on a call-in talk show. Nor should it be measured by whether a person wears a U.S. flag lapel pin or not. And no, it was not patriotic to spend money we didn't have shopping in the wake of 9/11, regardless of what the President said.

So why don't bicycle advocates use the "patriotism card" to promote our cause? A person on a bike is either riding for (1) exercise/recreation; (2) transportation; or (3) both.

Riding for reason number 1 fosters a healthy lifestyle, reduces stress, and undoubtedly reduces overall health care costs, the majority of which are paid by the taxpayers through Medicare, Medicaid, bad hospital debt tax write offs, and taxpayer funded health insurance premiums for federal, state, and local government employees and their families, as well as the military and their families.

Riding for reason number 2 decreases our dependence on foreign oil, decreases the demand for oil (which in turn will cause prices to fall, in theory), greatly helps the environment, and reduces the stress on our nation's road and highway infrastructure.

Riding for reason number 3 is, of course, a no brainer and the best of both worlds.

Given the benefits of riding to our "national security" and the state of our national health (all of which you knew already anyway), I would argue that riding a bicycle is one of the easiest things a person can do to be patriotic. If people are going to exploit this word to further political agendas, the least we can do is use it to promote something meaningful, healthy and productive.

So, if anyone from the League of American Bicyclists or Congress is reading this, go ahead and use my idea. For free. I hope to see "bicycling is patriotic" billboards by the time gas hits $6 a gallon. Just give me the credit, and maybe a few flag lapel pins.

Bike shortage = wicked

This recent article from the New York Sun talks about the high demand for bikes these days and how retailers, especially those in New York City, are quickly selling out of utilitarian commuters. I particularly loved the quote from the owner of Dixon's bike shop, who sold 25 Jamis hybrids over Memorial Day Weekend: "They're all gone. It's wicked."

The real question is whether these people will continue to use bikes as transportation when/if gas prices ever go down.

Race for Alex

Today was the Race for Alex, a circuit race held in Columbiana County Ohio.

Chris B., Gary B., Mike L., Pete S., and myself lined up for SBR at the master's 30-39 race. Did I mention that I am a bit troubled about being old enough to race masters? Anyways, I managed to join the winning break on lap 1, and then it was off to the races with two other riders from the Pittsburgh area. Another teammate of one of my breakaway companions managed to bridge to us a few laps later (what a beast!), and the four of us were never caught. I was worked over on the last lap and took 4th, the first non-paying place. Still a good race, and a good time.

Chris B., Tom K., and I also did the 2/3 race, which felt pretty comfortable until lap 3, when gaps formed all over the place. The three of us were dropped around the same time. Oh well, doing a masters race before the 2/3 race is a recipe for disaster (at least for us).

SBR also had Pete S., Gary B, Mike N., Mike L., and David T. in the 4/5 field. Pete grabbed 5th, and Gary finished in the front group. David T. finished in the field, Mike L. crashed out, and Mike N. quit to assist Mike L. after the crash. No worries though, everyone was ok. Not sure about everyone's bikes though.

Tom K. also did the masters 40-49 race and finished in the field.

I was also very pleased with the attendance at this race. Over 50 in the 4/5 field and about 44 in the 2/3 field. Like usual, it was well run, had good payouts (not that I would know personally), and raised money for Alex C., a recovering spinal cord injury victim.

BFF

This year's Bicycle Film Festival looks really good...Road to Roubaix, The Six-Day Bicycle Races, film shorts on bmx, messengers, David Millar (I hope they show him clubbing in Europe!!), etc. The above photo is from the Six Day Bicycle Races movie.

Looks like Toronto and Chicago are the two closest stops for this event.

Race!

Don't forget to check out the two upcoming Mahoning Valley Cycling Club events...the Race for Alex on Sunday June 1 (a circuit race) and the Mill Creek Park Race (a criterium) on Sunday June 8. These are both very well run events on good courses. Link to info for both races is here.

Here is a photo of the break from last year's Mill Creek Park race:

The week in pictures, W.Va style

Arrive at cabin.



Ride.



Cook.



Eat.



Hike.



Repeat, several times.

The Brave Sir Reuben...

...earned his first agility title on Sunday.

The plan has come together

Finally.

And reservations have been made. After talking about it for a few years, this is the year I'll be doing the four-day Green Mountain Stage Race in Vermont from August 29 - September 1.

Now I just need to learn how to ride hills like those New England folks.

Thanks USCF

As I've already discussed on this blog, my trip to the (canceled) Bull Run Farm road race north of Cincinnati was a pretty big debacle. To add insult to injury, I also managed to lose my USCF racing license that day when I got it back from the promoter after turning in my timing chip.

A replacement license....a piece of paper with my info printed on it....costs $15. Wow, that really gives me a warm and fuzzy feeling inside. Sure, it's a donation to USA cycling, but I prefer my donations to be voluntary, not coerced. And I prefer that they be to organizations in which I have confidence with the way they are currently being run.

Lame.

Food for Thought

I tend to eat a lot. Biking makes me eat more. No surprise there. Did you ever wonder how all of that excess eating affects the world food supply? Yea, I know, we can drive ourselves nuts worrying about all of this stuff. But it's at least worth thinking about. And discussing. While out on the next ride, burning a bunch of calories.

And yes, I know, there are a million other reasons for food shortage issues....inefficiencies in the distribution chain, bad governments, subsidies to not grow crops, etc. etc.

Here is an excerpt from a recent article in the New Yorker:

The problem is not just the number of mouths to feed; it’s the quantity of food that each mouth consumes when there are no natural constraints. As the world becomes richer, people eat too much, and too much of the wrong things—above all, meat. Since it takes on average four pounds of grain to make a single pound of meat, Roberts writes, “meatier diets also geometrically increase overall food demands” even in those parts of Europe and North America where fertility rates are low.
***
Even now, there is no over-all food shortage when measured by global subsistence needs. Despite the current food crisis, last year’s worldwide grain harvest was colossal, five per cent above the previous year’s. We are not yet living on Cormac McCarthy’s scorched earth. Yet demand is increasing ever faster. As of 2006, there were eight hundred million people on the planet who were hungry, but they were outnumbered by the billion who were overweight. Our current food predicament resembles a Malthusian scenario—misery and famine—but one largely created by overproduction rather than underproduction. Our ability to produce vastly too many calories for our basic needs has skewed the concept of demand, and generated a wildly dysfunctional market.

Deep thought

Driving through the country and watching people spend hours obsessively mowing their multiple-acre yards/farmland before the grass has hardly even grown since the last time it was mowed makes me feel better about spending several hours a week riding and racing bikes.

That thought occurred to me while driving to southern Ohio on Saturday after racing in the final Race at the Lake.

The 1-2-3 race averaged around 26.9 mph and featured a bunch of dudes much more fit than I making people like me hurt a whole bunch for about an hour. How's that for a race report?

Here is a video of the riders entering the final lap:




Here is the finish:

Well said

Cycle tracks will abound in Utopia.

~H.G. Wells

Westlake

Today was my first Westlake race of the year. We had four SBR's in the A field, including myself, John E., Chris B., and Tom K.

I managed to grab the first prime. Then, somewhere around halfway into the race, a well represented break got away without anyone from the team in it.

The field managed to catch the break with less than a half lap to go, and a mass field sprint ensued. Not much else to say, other than we didn't crack the top five.

I think we raced for about 40 miles, and averaged somewhere a bit above 26mph.

Bull Run Farms Road Race

Sunday presented many race options for those who were willing to drive 3 - 4.5 hours. A bunch of us from SBR decided to make the trip to southern Ohio for the Bull Run Farms Road race. It was closer and had a later start time than the Wilkesville to Wilkesville race that same day, and it was less likely to end in a flat tire than the Cone Azalia race (which featured 2.5 miles of gravel roads each lap) in Michigan.

The race was a disaster. After a bit more than one lap of riding around totally clustered with 60 other Cat 3's and no ability to move around because the center line rule was STRICTLY enforced and teams with riders in the break were blocking like crazy, the race was stopped because of two separate accidents, neither of which were in my field.

They postponed the race and are going to move it to a new location on a different day.

Did I mention that the second turn had cones along the center line of the road onto which we turned, right after the apex of the turn? Brilliant.

After the races were canceled, a few of us did a 20 some mile hammerfest. About 40 miles in all, including warm up, and 8 hours of driving.

I heart bike racing.

$147.77 road bike

Here is link to the bike.

Note that the GMC logo of the bike looks like the BMC brand logo, the Cionlli seat sure sounds (and looks) like Cinelli, and the style and font of the Vitesse logo on the wheels sure looks like the Easton wheels logo.

This bike appears to have more trademark violations than Wal-Mart has employees who receive health insurance.

edited: They changed the bike. The current photo is of a different bike than the one I had talked about in this post.

Justice

A few weeks ago, I received a completely bogus ticket in Euclid for making an illegal left turn into the driveway of a business. I won't bore you with the details other than saying that I had resigned to the fact that I broke the law until I took another look at the "no left turn" sign I allegedly failed to obey and realized that it was actually more misleading than I had thought. Unfortunately I was driving home from paying the ticket when I realized this.

This ticket made me think about how many times drivers dangerously pass bicyclists with oncoming traffic or on a blind hill/corner. This is pretty much a given for most motorists, and it happens in front of police officers all of the time. Has anyone ever gotten a ticket for doing this? Perhaps unsafe operation of a vehicle? Driving like a selfish jackass? This happened twice last night on a group ride and scared the life out of us both times.

I guess it's only fair that I pay $125 for a victimless crime based on a deceiving sign while drivers everyday place our lives (and the lives of oncoming traffic) at risk for the sake of saving 6 seconds...and never receive a ticket.

What's yours is mine, until I return from this errand

Here is a link to a recent Plain Dealer Article by Jim Nichols about the heavy use of bicycles in Oberlin, Ohio and the city's problem of having dozens of bikes abandoned by students at the end of the semester. I also enjoy the part about the students who will "borrow" a stranger's bike for a quick trip, then return it.

I'm down with the whole communal property thing and all, but please don't think about "borrowing" my Cervelo race bike. That could be a problem.

Tour of Perry County

I ventured to Somerset, Ohio on Saturday to do the Tour of Perry County Road Race. I was already going to be in the area, so the 2.5+ hour drive wasn't a big deal. Two laps on a 17 mile loop, which happens to be one of the hardest loops I've ever raced. There were about 30 riders total, so the promoter raced us all together and scored us separately based on categories. Dave T. from SBR was also there.

I managed to make the winning break on the first major hill of the first lap. Our group swelled to seven at one point, then fell to five riders after going through town at the start of lap two. The five of us stayed together for almost the entire last lap until someone attacked one of the many hills in the last few miles. I couldn't respond, but still maintained fifth overall, and third in the 3/4 field.

Dave T. raced really well, finishing 4th in the 4/5 field and in the top half of riders overall.

So far, all of the Team Columbus races I've done this year have been well run, safe, well-marshaled, and have featured great courses.

The roll out.




The break goes through town at the beginning of lap 2.







Dave T. near the finish.








Here is a video of the three leaders finishing. Note that the finishing hill did not even feel like a hill compared to the rest of the course. The finish is after the turn.

Wow.

While recently looking through some old pictures, I found a photo of myself from the 2003 Chippewa Creek (Brecksville) road race. At the time, I was a very recreational cyclist who dabbled in the occasional Citizen's race. And I was about 45 pounds heavier than I am now. Ouch, does that hill look hard with all of that junk.

I think I need to keep that photo next to the pantry where I keep the cheezy poofs, as a reminder.

We have a winner

Congrats to Thom D., who knew the answer to yesterday's contest question. The name of the song was Broken Bicycles by Tom Waits. Although Thom failed to read the fine print of the contest rules and e-mailed me his answer instead of posting it as a comment to the blog, I will cut him some slack and still declare him the winner.

I conducted a post-contest e-mail interview with our lucky winner Thom. Here is the text of the interview with answers in italics:

1. who is your favorite spice girl?
cardamom spice

2. have you ever romanced or attempted to romance someone while listening to tom waits?
yes, certainly. even mr. waits himself...

3. shimano or campy or sram?
ShRAMpy. (ok, campy)

4. do you consider yourself?
a) a tom waits fan
b) ambivalent about tom waits
c) someone who dislikes tom waits
d) someone who only knows about tom waits because you look cool as hell at parties when people start talking about him and you can hold your own in the conversation
answer: a

5. who has better hair, quick step's tom boonen or csc's fabian cancellara?
boonen's euro-mullet trumps all, even from history.

6. do you ever sing tom waits songs in the shower? if so, which ones?
Any I can remember. One can only imitate his voice while gargling steamy water.

7. how has winning this contest changed your life?
It has increased my daily email activity by a full 3 percent.

(end of interview)

Here is a video of Mr. Waits performing Broken Bicycles at the Montreal Jazz Fest in 1981. Look at the angle of that tipped hat!!

A contest!!

The first person to leave a comment to this post identifying the artist and name of the song with the following lyrics will win wild praise from this blog, a prize not to be underestimated. And no, you're not allowed to cheat and use the internet to find the answer.

Broken bicycles, old busted chains
With rusted handle bars, out in the rain
Somebody must have an orphanage for
All these things that nobody wants any more
September's reminding July
It's time to be saying goodbye
Summer is gone, but our love will remain
Like old broken bicycles out in the rain
Broken bicycles, don't tell my folks
There's all those playing cards pinned to the spokes
Laid down like skeletons out on the lawn
The wheels won't turn when the other has gone
The seasons can turn on a dime
Somehow I forget every time
For all the things that you've given me will always stay
Broken, but I'll never throw them away

Everyone and their mother...

...showed up for this past weekend's Race at the Lake in Munroe Falls, OH. They also all blogged about it after the race. My own mother, however, did not race. She recently had a total knee replacement. She also didn't blog about the race, because she still has a dial-up internet connection and rarely uses her computer. Neither would I if I had to wait five minutes every time I wanted to view a new page.

Anyways, the Elite Cat 1-2-3 field was full of studs (the author of this post not being one of them, to state the obvious). After it started, I was actually having a decent time. That is rare for me at a crit. Then it got fast, and the obviously unseasoned racer on whose wheel I was riding decided to quit by slowing down and pulling out of the race. This person was from a team you would not expect that behavior from, which is why I was on his wheel to begin with. I'll leave it at that.

The problem was that there were several people (including me) on his wheel when he slowed down and made his hard right turn to exit the race. At the time, I was maxed out and frustrated. I closed the gap to the next guy, who then also blew. At that point, it was game over for me. I spent the rest of the race relaxing in the team car (my Element) and spectating as the dwindling field sprinted past the parking lot every lap.

SBR's Tom K. rode very well and hung in there with the main field until the end.

Like usual, the race was run extremely well by the Summit Freewheelers. Props to them for all of their hard work.

Watch the Tour of Georgia live for free

Go here:

www.wcsn.com

Now the workplace productivity of American cyclists/bike racers this week will take a bit of a hit. Oh well. Most of us don't take smoke breaks though, so this is payback.

125 reasons to commute by bike/bus/train

A $125 ticket while driving downtown Tuesday morning. For several reasons, I couldn't ride there. But I could have taken the rapid.

Sunnava.

A showing of gratitude

Many of you may not realize that Benjamin (the namesake of this blog) provides much inspiration for the hard working writing staff here at benjacat: a blog of the bicycle obsessed.








I think he should be rewarded in some way for his services. But in a way that will allow him to continue to inspire the talented group of journalists who spend their days toiling away at their computers in an effort to bring you one of the most mediocre blogs around that boasts an average readership of, well, not that many.


I think I've just found the solution:

Want a commuting buddy?

Check out this recent story by Sarah Hollander from cleveland.com, which ran on 4/11/08:

Rideshare seeks to link bicycle commuters

Bicycle commuters can now search for fellow riders through OhioRideshare, a program heretofore focused on matching carpoolers.

By creating an account at www.OhioBikeBuddies.com, cyclists can see if anyone is traveling at similar times and to similar destinations. Users can indicate whether they prefer a male or female companion and would communicate directly through email.

Because this is a new feature it might take a while before the database grows and matches are available. The program's organizers encourage users to revisit the site frequently.

Aggressive Driver Database, aka, Mr. "19 TS" Volkswagon Golf, you are a very small man

I have an idea. I'm sure I'm not the first to think about this, but here goes.

Today, a group of us were riding west on Dines Rd., single file, somewhere around South Russell, Ohio. I was the last person in the line of six. A mid to late middle aged male driver with a late model silver Volkswagon Golf approached us from behind, pulled next to me, purposely endangered my life by coming within inches of my left handlebar, then glared at me. He stayed there for about 5 seconds. He then passed us, making sure that he came dangerously close to the rest of the riders in the group as well. His (vanity) license plate was , from what I recall, "19 TS." I came really close to contacting the police right there, but didn't.

Let's make a local aggressive driver database. It should be on the internet, easily accessible, user friendly, and 100% user generated. Like Craigslist, but for bicyclists who want to report dangerous and/or illegal behavior of motorists.

If something like this existed in the Cleveland area, I would go there right now and enter this guy's info, the date of the incident, and a description of what happened. Then, if he does this to someone else, they would know he has done this before. The next victim could even contact me and then I (and hopefully victim #2) would be more prone to report the incidents to the police.

The database could also serve as a warning to cyclists about repeat offenders so they know to exercise caution around a certain drivers who have several reported "incidents" reported on the database.

If anyone else thinks this is a good idea, let me know. It probably wouldn't be that hard to put together. Maybe we can use an already existing site. Maybe start our own...www.reportbikecrimes.com??

It's also very possible that I'm just all riled up right now and, come tomorrow, will think this a silly idea. We'll see.

The top 3 shall now pee....into a cup

According to this article on cleveland.com:

The 2008 NPC Natural Ohio Drug Tested Bodybuilding and Figure Championships were held at Lakewood Civic Auditorium Saturday, April 5, 2008. There were 158 competitors in the various men’s and women’s categories. The top three competitors in each class underwent a strict and expensive urine drug test.

I'm pretty sure these people are amateurs. And this is a local/regional event. Does that mean that there actually is a sport more tested than cycling? That's it...from now on, I want doping control at the Tuesday night Westlake crit series. Those bodybuilders aren't going to show us up on drug testing, are they?

Bodybuilding and Figure Championships

I thought I was hardcore

Until I thought about it. This weekend, I rode 80 miles on Saturday and 75 on Sunday, which amounts to about 155 miles, or 249.4 km. That is about 15 km less than the pros did Sunday alone in the Tour of Flanders, through windswept fields and 17 (mostly cobbled) climbs, all in the rain and snow. At an average over 25 mph. Sick.



photo courtesy of Graham Watson as it appeared on velonews.com on 4/7/08

Well said

The following article was written by Megan McArdle and published in TheAtlantic.com on October 19, 2007:

An economic analysis of the bike commute

In which we consider the costs, as well as the benefits, of riding our bike to work.

Riding our bike to work means that we may occasionally be attacked by marauding curbstones. On the benefit side, we are not being mugged by auto-mechanics, or unpleasant dictatorships with thoroughly undeserved good luck in geography. Overall, the bike is still a clear winner.

(If you click on the link to the article, you can see a photo of one of the "costs" of bike commuting)

Best recovery meal

Dewey's Pizza in Cleveland Heights (and soon to be Lakewood). Great pizza, ridiculously good calzones, and good salads. Good selection of draft beers also. Incredibly friendly and helpful staff.

After being dragged around like a dead dog for 54 miles this evening by Thom D. and Ray H., Chris B. and I indulged in some Dewey's. It's also the standard stop after the east side Thursday night rides.

I claim to look forward to the riding season because I like to ride. The real reason is the increase in post-ride Dewey's visits.

The Knob

Back in January, I talked about the resurrection of area mountain bike course Vulture's Knob.

Here's a video of the Knob from it's new website:

Broken Record

Gary at CycloneCross recently linked to this interesting post on Dave Moulton's Bike Blog where he discusses treating road cycling as a human rights issue and treating incidents of road rage or illegal acts towards cyclists as hate crimes.

Although I may not agree with all of his ideas, I like where he goes with the article. He also brings up some interesting points. What he omits, though, is the "how."

If I had a dollar for every time I heard a cyclist propose cyclist-friendly changes to the law (or changes in the way the current laws are enforced), I could buy myself a Pinarello Prince road bike, with cash. If I had a dollar for every time one of these same people took any action whatsoever on their idea, I'd be able to buy a few Clif Bars.

Sometimes I sound like a cliche broken record, but cyclists need to take action if they want change. It is not enough to leave it to the League of American Bicyclists (LAB), or the Ohio Bicycle Federation (OBF), or the other advocacy groups. If you want change, contact your local government officials. Call or e-mail your state representatives or U.S. Congressional representatives. Tell them how you feel about cycling issues. Remind them that you vote. Join LAB or OBF. Do something. Preaching to the choir doesn't count.

If cycling isn't important enough to you that you can't take a few minutes each month to be an advocate, then don't complain. At least to me.

Weekend race and ride

Saturday was the Tour of Richland County, aka the Malabar Farm Road Race. Chris B., Pete S., and I represented SBR in the 3/4 race. 4 laps, 40 miles, one big hill each lap with a few short and steep rollers.

I ended up taking 5th after making the winning break, which formed at the top of the climb at the beginning of lap 3.

Pete S also made the winning break, but fell off the pace after giving it his all to help keep us away from the field.

Chris B. finished 9th in the 3/4 race. He got caught up in traffic on the hill when the field split, ended up on the wrong side of the break, and played the good teammate role by not helping the chase catch us.

SBR's Mike Nies won the Cat 5/Citizen race, and Matt Tuskan finished in the field in the 4/5 race.


Today's ride started as a group ride to Willoughby. We then headed south, where a few people headed home and a few of us took the long way home through Chagrin Falls. We saw SoloGoat somewhere around Solon, then went home. 59 miles later and I'm pooped.

Stupidist Bike Lane

Anyone know of a stupid bike lane? Send it in to Slate Magazine.

In the meantime, check out what Slate considers to be the stupidist bike lane. It's pretty stupid, but there has to be one more stupid out there.




Thanks to Ben from HeightsEats for the heads up on this video.

Guess what...

All the clothes in the world can't keep you warm when the last 8 miles of your ride is in a 35 degree driving rain right before sunset in late March.

Not that I would know by experience or anything.

A Sunday in Hell

In honor of the upcoming Paris-Roubaix race, let's all take 10 minutes to watch this nifty clip from the 1976 movie A Sunday in Hell:

Spring

For bike racers and competitive cyclists, winter is the great equalizer. Then spring slaps us in the face.

During the winter, many "rides" happen indoors on a trainer, where you are as fast as your ego makes you think you are. Outdoor group rides are usually mellow, so the fast people, slow people, fat people, and skinny people all usually stay together for the majority of the ride. We obsess over our new outfits, new teams or teammates, new bikes, new wheels, and new training programs. The possibilities for the upcoming season are endless....race wins, category upgrades, offers to ride with the "good" teams the following year, the list goes on.

Despite the fact that most of us will hardly perform much differently than we did last year, winter is a time to ignore this reality and ponder the "what ifs"

Then spring comes. The social group rides become far less social, largely because everyone is gasping for air and physically unable talk for half of the ride. Then the first hard group ride leaves us wondering what everyone else did all winter that made them so fast. The first races in March/April also usually serve, for most of us, as cold, hard reality checks that maybe we won't be soaring through the ranks this year as we so boldly discussed during that one January group ride.

After about the second or third race of the year, most of us make some sort of pronouncement that we are "targeting" the later season races. That allows us to save face and provides an excuse for why we performed way below expectations in the spring races. When we bomb the late season races, we say that we are burnt out by the long season, but will come back strong for the fall cyclocross season. When that flops, it's already winter, and time to focus on how we will tear the legs off of everyone. Next season.

Two things, however, remain constant throughout this process.

1. It is a blast, because we would not be doing it if it wasn't.

2. Those who spend more time riding their bike than worrying about their clothes, accessories, or bling factor of their gear usually ride much faster than those who spend way too much time worrying about their clothes, accessories, or bling factor of their gear.

Old Ride New Ride

Sometimes a minor detour can really make a ride.

Today's early evening solo ride started like any normal ride to Chagrin Falls and back, which is always pretty enjoyable. After riding through town, I took some roads that I have either never or rarely been on. I found a new park that the dogs will like, a log cabin I plan to buy once I become old and rich, and a great side road that reminds me of a great side road for biking in the Shawangunk mountain range in New York.

This typical 1 hour 45 minute-long ride turned into a great 2 hour and 15 minute-long ride. Although it only only included about 8 miles of "new" roads, the ride seemed like it was over before it began.

And that is why I ride.

And because the chicks dig it.

It's actually closer to $3.50 these days

Some cities' "problems" are worse than others

Barack Obama recently spoke at a large convention center in Portland where one of the largest parking issues involved an insufficient number of spaces to park bikes. Article and photos here.

Now I will go retreat into my cave where I will stay until the half foot of snow that fell on my house yesterday goes away.

The Lion King

So it looks like Mario Cipollini has once again retired from bike racing. Below are two short videos of Cipo. The first is from the 2003 Ghent-Wevelgem, when he chucked water bottles at a race referee who got between him and his team car. The video then shows that same referee on the ground after a motobike crash that happened shortly after. Crazy stuff.

The second is from a brutal looking crash in a sprint in the 1994 Vuelta A Espana. Ouch.

Weekend photos from the pro peloton

Here and here (Oscar Freire, an unknown rider, and Paulo Bettini taking a "shortcut" at Tirreno-Adriatico), and here (Ina-Yoko Teutenberg playing with her dog before throwing down at Sunday's Sequoia Cycling Classic crit in California).

Cyclingnews.com doesn't allow you to import its photos onto a blog, so the links are the best I can do.

Two charged in death of local cyclist

A Plain Dealer article in cleveland.com today reports that:

Garfield Heights police said they have arrested two people involved in the death of Michael Gedeon Oct. 26, when he was struck by a car while riding his bicycle.

This is what happened, according to Capt. Tom Kaiser:
Samantha Rauch, 19, of Richfield, was driving about 8:30 p.m. on Granger Road. She struck Gedeon in the curb lane.

Her boyfriend, Anthony Hominsky Jr., 19, of Maple Heights, then got behind the wheel. He drove to an apartment in Broadview Heights. He smashed out the car's windows and removed a CD player to make it look like the car had been damaged by a thief. He reported the "theft" to Broadview Heights police and took the car to a junk yard.

Rauch is charged with vehicular homicide. Hominsky is charged with obstructing justice and tampering with evidence. Both were in jail Monday.

Twenty. Four. Miles.

I just found out that, this past fall, Mohican State Park officially opened a new 24-mile long mountain bike trail. This new trail is within the state park and is different from the other Mohican area trails that have been there for several years.

This is probably old news for many of you diehards out there, but I figured I'd still share it for those (like me) who were ignorant of it.

Here is a link to the state park website about the trails, and here's a link to a trail map.

Word is that the new trail is pretty much all singletrack, is rolling, drains well, and will be included in both the 100 mile and 100K versions of the Mohican 100 race being held this May.

Biking brings you closer to God...no joke

As I mentioned a few days ago, the Catholic Church recently acknowledged that environmental degradation is a sin.

Now, this recent AP article says that Southern Baptist leaders have stated that they too have been timid on environmental issues and have a biblical duty to stop global warming.

This BikePortland.org article also talks about the Southern Baptist developments, a church that promotes bicycling, and has a photo of a "Ride Your Bike to Church" marquee in front of a Baptist Church.

Does this mean that bicycling is now officially a religious experience? This could seriously increase numbers on Sunday morning group rides (as long as you ride to, instead of drive to, the meeting spot, of course). Only time will tell.

Speaking of Sunday morning religious experiences, this morning involved a group ride, 40+ miles, 5 big hills, a "spirited" pace, and a broken chain link halfway up the last hill that Brett D. was kind enough to repair for me with his chain tool.

The Ventoux

Cadel Evans won today's Stage 4 of the Paris-Nice bicycle race, which finished with a climb to the top of France's beastly Mont Ventoux.

I'm sure that he was going fast and all up the mountain, but was he going THIS fast:




(The video is titled MONT VENTOUX HILL CLIMB IN A F3000)

Sad

This article discusses the recent deaths of two bike racers who were killed in California while training when they were run over by a sheriff deputy who fell asleep at the wheel. It also talks about other recent and not so recent bike tragedies from that same area, as well as a close encounter the author (also a cyclist) had with a driver who nearly took him out after "not seeing him" in his multicolored cycling outfit.

On its surface, it's just another well-written tribute to cyclists killed on the road through no fault of their own. It also implores motorists to share the road and use caution around cyclists, who actually have a right to be there.

The thing that makes the article different is that it appears on SI.com (the website for Sports Illustrated), which probably has a readership of a gazillion more people than the combined readership of velonews.com, cyclingnews.com, bicycling.com, and every other bike related website where an article like this would be an exercise in preaching to the choir.

I'm sure this article will receive far fewer hits than ones addressing much more important issues like the NCAA basketball tournament rankings and what Kobe Bryant eats for breakfast. But I still give credit to Austin Murphy for writing it and SI for publishing it. Even if it only alters one person's opinion or approach to driving around cyclists, it was worth it.

It's a tragic shame Matt Peterson and Kristianna Gough will never be able to read it.

New Sins!

According to this article, the Vatican has acknowledged some "new sins," which include environmental degradation and some bioethics issues.

Absent on this list is sandbagging in local cycling races. Was this exclusion an oversight, or is it so obviously a sin to sandbag that its inclusion on the list was unnecessary?

I will get to the bottom of this and will update you on any information I may obtain, even if I have to go to the Pope himself.

Island Etude

The 32nd International Cleveland Film Festival begins today at Tower City. This is one of the coolest things to come to this town.

The movie Island Etude looks like a winner for you cyclist types. An Odyssey-like story about a deaf Taiwanese college student who cycles around the coast of Taiwan and meets all kinds of people along the way.

Tuesday March 11 at 11:30am
Thursday March 13 at 9:30pm

Here's the full description of the movie from the Film Festival's website:

During a break in his studies and with no other reason but to do it while he still can, college student Ming Hsiang decides to take a road trip on his bicycle, circumnavigating the entire coast of Taiwan. In this wonderfully simple story, somewhat comparable to Homer’s “The Odyssey“ Ming endeavors around the island on a seven-day journey with nothing but his bicycle, a sleeping bag, and his guitar. He starts at the southern port of Kaohsiung, cycling counter-clockwise around the island’s coast, up through Hualien on the east coast, and then down the west coast. Ming has been deaf since birth. But despite relying on his hearing aid and having a muddled accent, the solitary student cyclist in no way lets his disabilities impair his openness to connect with anyone and everyone he meets on his journey. Ming’s encounters en route include an eccentric but friendly film crew, a techno-hip-pop young biker from Canada who is visiting his mom amidst her divorce, a beautiful Lithuanian model armed with a camera who shares the same openness as Ming, an art teacher contemplating early retirement, pilgrims of the goddess Matsu, an early wood sculptor, and a vivacious tour guide (played by the director himself). Each vignette manages to blend, delicately blurring the line between documentary and fiction, giving us a rare glimpse into the beauty of a land and its residents in a very localized way without being stereotypically “traditional.” (In Taiwanese with English subtitles) - KL

These are the people in your neighborhood...

I enjoy reading the weekly e-mail newsletter from www.roadbikerider.com. But, these guys are a bit extreme in their bias against gear that was marketed post 1985.

In their recent newsletter, they tear apart "low spoke count" wheels as dangerous and unreliable. Their main safety argument revolves around some photos of someone hitting the deck in a race, presumably because his low spoke count wheel failed. There is no context to the photos, we don't know how old the wheels were, who last repaired them, who last tensioned them, whether they were run over by the family minivan before the race, etc.

I generally use what they consider to be "low spoke count wheels" in training, racing, and even cyclocross. I do not, however, necessarily advocate them opposed to traditional 32-spoke wheels. It is really a personal preference, and many of their arguments against non-traditional wheels are reasonable. I do take issue with them exploiting this one crash as a reason to avoid non-traditional wheels. For example, the only wheel that ever totally failed on me while riding was a traditionally spoked wheel whose rim just unraveled on a climb. Does that mean traditional wheels are dangerous? Of course not.

Then again, I'm pretty sure that one of these guys complained a few weeks ago that carbon forks are too dangerous to ride.

Wouldn't lawyers and consumer advocates be all over this stuff if it really was as dangerous as these guys claim? I don't know, maybe we should ask Ralph:

Arnold Classic

On Sunday, I drove to Columbus with Thom D. for the Arnold (Schwarzenegger) Classic crit, which was part of the annual Arnold Fitness Challenge. We met up with Chris B. from SBR and did the 3/4 race. We all had an unremarkable race and finished in the field. The race pretty much stayed together and finished in a sprint. I am no crit rat, and it shows.

For a brief write up of the other races, Arnold's brief appearance, and photos of the event, check out the Factory Rider's post.

And don't forget to vote today.

Happy Cycling

Velorution

Check out this article. In an effort to address a parking shortage, Ripon College, a small liberal arts college in Wisconsin, is giving incoming freshman a Trek 820 mountain bike, a helmet, and a lock if they promise not to bring a car to campus for a full year. Here's an excerpt from the article:

"We're a residential college with a beautiful, historic campus in the middle of a small town," said President David Joyce, an avid cyclist. "Paving it over was not an option I was willing to consider."

He hopes the 1,000-student campus' "Velorution Program" will protect it from building more parking lots.

"We obviously live in a car culture. That's not about to change," Joyce said. "But if a significant number of students learn that a car isn't a necessity at this stage of their lives, that's good enough for me."

Is this what they mean by "limited government"

Now the FBI is opening an investigation into whether Roger Clemens lied under oath before Congress a few weeks ago when he testified that he never took steroids.

This whole episode is an embarrassment. We are a country bogged down in a zillion dollar war, a good portion of our citizens have no health insurance, and the economy is in the tank. The solution: waste Congress's time and our taxpayer money by holding Congressional hearings about whether there is a steroid problem in baseball. Then start another investigation into whether a washed up pitcher lied about taking roids.

A few observations:

1. Remember when the Floyd Landis scandal broke and American mainstream media sports news people summarily dismissed cycling as a fraudulent sport while continuing to treat the Big 3 "American" sports as clean and legitimate? Now that was funny.

2. Any politician, from either party, who seriously takes part in these hearings should be ashamed of themselves.

3. Any politician who claims that he/she stands for "limited government" but supports these government hearings on steroid use in baseball (a non-governmental organization, last time I checked) should be ashamed of themselves.

4. Just ride your bike and screw all of these dirty athletes.

But why are we offended?

JimmyNick recently re-opened some old wounds by talking about the 105.7 WMJI morning show with Lanigan and Malone. These are the two who, a few years ago, commiserated with on-air callers about how bikes don't belong on the road as they discussed the best way to "take out" cyclists (throwing things at them, dooring them, etc.).

Apparently Lanigan recently got worked up on the air over another species of worthless life forms....pedestrians who have the audacity to walk on plowed streets instead of on the unplowed sidewalks in the winter.

It's pretty obvious that allowing someone like Lanigan (or pretty much any other morning talk radio dj) to get under your skin is about as much of a waste of time as listening to his crappy show. But still, many people do listen to and actually look up to this guy.

So why am I personally offended by this guy's antics? It's all an act, right? A show. Entertainment. I'm the first person to believe that humor is best when it's irreverent and offensive. I liked the movie The Aristocrats. If the Onion wrote one of its satirical articles advocating taking out cyclists, I would probably find it hilarious. Same if if Conan did it in a monologue.

So why does Lanigan burn our blood?

Context.

You just know that, to some extent, he's not kidding. You know that some people calling in really want to take out a cyclist. You know that Lanigan also knows this but allows the hateful banter to continue. You know that Lanigan really can't stand it when pedestrians want to commute to wherever they're going without walking in 10 inches of snow or treacherous ice. That's why. It's not because we're some kind of thin skinned lefties who get our spandex or rolled up jeans or cargo shorts in a knot every time someone challenges us. It's because they're not kidding. And we know it.

Watching the Tour of California and learning new things every day

Today's final stage of the Tour of California was a blast to watch. Congrats to George Hincapie on the stage win and Levi Leipheimer on the overall victory. Here is a photo from Saturday's start line courtesy of Peter Rupert, a former local racer who recently moved to Santa Barbara to escape our lovely winters. Check out Tom Boonen and Mario Cipollini discussing where they are going to go clubbing that night:





Around here, the weather was decent enough to ride both days this weekend. I'm sure glad I did, because I learned something very interesting on Saturday from a guy in a large pickup truck who passed us while we were abiding the law and riding a double file paceline on a country road. He zoomed past us, hollered at us, stopped at the next intersection, then proceeded to make up some numbers that supposedly represented the section of the Ohio Revised Code that said cyclists must ride single file. He was a pretty smart feller. Thanks for the advice, Tex.

If anyone cares, here's a link to the section of the Code that says Tex is wrong (unless you are in a city that has passed its own single file law):

(B) Persons riding bicycles or motorcycles upon a roadway shall ride not more than two abreast in a single lane, except on paths or parts of roadways set aside for the exclusive use of bicycles or motorcycles.

Dog!

A recent article in the Cleveland Free Times talks about an elusive pack of wild dogs that lives in and around Rockefeller Park by MLK Blvd. These days, the dogs are chasing cyclists and joggers on the bike path more often, there are more dogs, and the chasers give up less easily than they did in the past. Wild dogs are and have always been a problem on this stretch of road ever since I bought my first road bike in 1999 and rode MLK on my "Rock Hall and back" loop.

These days I am rarely chased by dogs on my normal routes, which include many rural roads in eastern Cuyahoga, Geauga, and Lake counties. But, whenever I ride out of town, I am always chased by at least one dog. It really takes the fun out of riding when you must approach every house you pass with caution and attentiveness and be ready at any point to engage in a 30 second sprint while hoping the dog gives up the chase.

Here's to responsible dog owners everywhere who keep their pets (and us cyclists) safe by keeping dogs off of the streets. Because my idea of sharing the road only goes so far.

Great News!

Here's some great news for Cleveland area cyclists. As opposed to being dangerously cold, as it was for the last two days, tomorrow is supposed to warm up and only be obnoxiously cold for those of us who want to commute to work or sneak in a ride sometime during the day. Hurray!!

Yield to Life

American pro roadie Dave Zabriskie has started a non-profit organization dedicated to making the roads safer for cyclists. It is called Yield to Life. He's also heavily involved in a Salt Lake City, UT Bikes for Kids organization.

Hats off to this guy...he's a real class act and not too shabby of a time trialist either.

Yield to Life's mission statement states in part:

Yield to Life will engage in a vigorous awareness campaign to promote positive attitudes toward cyclists and replace any hostility that exists between motorists and cyclists with understanding, respect, and appreciation for all life on the road. Safety for every cyclist is the top priority of Yield to Life.

Cycling is a healthy, life-affirming, environmentally-sound activity that adds value to anyone’s life. Since cyclists' lives are often in motorists’ hands, motorists must understand the vital role they play in a cyclist's safety.

Yield to Life will concentrate on road-rule education programs for motorists and cyclists alike through driver's education programs, public awareness movements and media campaigns in order to ensure a safer and more harmonious environment for all those on the road.

Yield to Life will engage in a hands-on educational program with target audiences that range from school assemblies to corporate conventions. Workshops will be created to arm cyclists with tips for navigating through traffic and tools for riding in a safe and responsible manner. Yield to Life will work on a database for cyclists to find the best, the safest and the most accommodating roads for commuting and for recreation.

Rock and Republic

Don't worry, this is not a post about doping in pro cycling.

But, I have to say that this Rock and Republic Pro Cycling Team is a trip. For those unaware, some rich cycling fanatic who runs Rock and Republic clothing company (famous for its jeans) is bankrolling a a pro cycling team. He's outspoken, he swears a lot, and he fits into cycling culture about as well as his Cadillac and Rolls Royce team cars fit in with all of the Euro wagons normally used in pro races.* I don't know if this guy is going to be pro cycling's savior or its downfall, but the whole spectacle is sure entertaining to watch.

About as entertaining as Rock and Republic's website, whose tagline is Sexy denim inspired by rock and roll, with emphasis on modern silhouettes and sleek fit.

Because nothing screams of rock and roll's sense of rebellion and anti-establishment ethos like a pair of $326.00 blue jeans.


* I just read today, however, that the Cadillac automobile was named after a 17th century French explorer who founded Detroit in 1701. If that's true, it means that perhaps Caddies do fit in the European pro race caravan. It also means that there are a lot of red blooded 'Mericans (including Boss Hog) who are unknowingly driving around in a car named after a French guy. Now that's funny.

One Down

The first road race of the season is officially in the bag. The Frostie Toes Road Race was today just noth of Columbus. The promoter raced the 1/2/3 and 3/4 fields together but scored them separately. Around 17 riders at the line for 3 laps of a 9.2 mile circuit. A break formed about halfway through the race and, after a hard bridge by two of us, all Team SBR's found ourselves on the right end of the break (myself, Chris B, and Pete S.) We took 4-5-6 overall, 3-4-5 in the 3/4 field. Onward to Mid-Ohio.

Another good seminar (for a good cause), and (gasp) a race!

Bike Authority is hosting another bike injury-related seminar this Tuesday and charging an "admission" of one can of food for the Cleveland Food Bank. Note: If you can afford fancy bikes, you can probably pony up more than one can of food for the Food Bank, which is a very good local organization.

Bike Injury Prevention Date: 2-19-2008
Time: tuesday @ 06:00:00
Description Bike Injury Prevention: Importance of Core stability, Muscle Balance, and Flexibility by Susan Masturzo, PT Summa-Health.
Meeting at Bike Authority. Please register early as it will fill up quickly!
e-mail: BikePro@BikeAuthority.com
Admission is free, we do ask a donation of one can of food that will be donated to the Cleveland Food Bank.


In other news, people who call themselves friends are trying to convince me to do the Frostie Toes Road Race this Saturday just north of Columbus.

Friends don't let friends do February road races in Ohio...unless of course the weather is ok (supposed to be dry), and I don't have to get up too early (1:30 start), and the course is flat (check). Shoot, I may be running out of excuses here.

The Rec

Katie and I recently visited a local municipal rec center using some free passes from my sister. It was encouraging to see so many people (young and old) exercising. The experience, however, reminded me that I am NOT, nor will I ever become, a regular rec center/exercise club person.

If the weather dictates that I cannot ride, I prefer to either run outside or ride inside in the privacy of my house, listening to my own music (not on headphones), and not being subjected to watching either soap operas or Roger Clemens' bloated self testify before a Congressional Committte about Major League Baseball's steroid scandal. I couldn't care less.

If I am going to delve into the world of exercising with weights, I also prefer to do so at my own house for all of the above reasons...and because whatever chemicals that lady uses to obsessively clean off the weight machines every 10 seconds truly scares me. I'd rather take my chances of catching the superbug, thank you very much.

And is it a rule that personal trainers at places like this have to take themselves way too seriously? Just wondering.

Do they make handmade car alarms for bikes?

According to this article on cyclingnews.com:

...the vast majority of booths at this year's NAHBS [North American Hand Made Bicycle Show, being held in Portland, Oregon] had some sort of city bike or utilitarian commuter on display. Whether that stands as an indicator of growing trends in the marketplace, the local influence of the commuter-infused Portland scene, or a direct consequence of rising energy costs, it doesn't really matter: townies are still arguably the reigning genre of choice at NAHBS.

I find this fascinating and encouraging. More commuter bikes means more people using bikes as transportation, less cars, more incidental exercise, the list goes on. But who is willing to lay out the cash for a relatively expensive handmade commuter bike to beat on in the rain, snow, and sleet? A bike to leave outside the coffee shop, grocery store, or bar while dozens of degenerates and potential thieves walk past and eye your prized handbuilt, custom painted, steel lugged masterpiece as they wait for that split second when no one is watching so they can steal a bike they will never come close to appreciating.

Maybe I'm just cynical. Maybe I'm paranoid. Or maybe these people's bikes are insured.

What do you mean, "dorky?"

Lets show some love when the local media covers us

Kudos to local racer and Plain Dealer writer Jim Nichols for his recent PD article on locally based domestic/European pro roadie Brooke Miller. Anyone who has ridden with Brooke knows that she works her tail off and deserves every bit of success she has achieved at the highest levels of pro cycling.

So now is our chance to voice our support for the PD's coverage of cycling. We cyclists do a very good job of complaining about the mass media's lack of coverage of our sport/hobby/mode of transportation/life's obsession. Let's let the PD know that we appreciate this article and would love more cycling coverage, from commuting and advocacy issues to race coverage. Call them, e-mail them, do whatever. You are a target market, and your voice as a consumer is only heard when you raise it.

Sorry about that gun, sweetie!!

According to this story from the BikePortland blog, this ad ran in the "missed connections" section of the Portland area Craigslist.com:

To the girl who ran into my car door on her bike -
As you peddled away crying, I realized that I had over reacted. I was having a bad day and had just spent a lot of money on a new paint job, but pulling a gun on you was out of line. I’d like to make a formal apology in person. Over a bottle of wine and/or dinner, perhaps?

I would venture to guess that the author of this post is not too bright since he/she?? just admitted to committing a pretty serious crime on a public message board.

There is some debate as to whether this ad was serious or a joke. If it was a joke, it's really not that funny (kind of like this blog). And, the joke could actually be on him if the cops were to follow up on the ad and make him explain why he "jokingly" admitted to a crime.

The best part of the ad, if true, is the fact that the driver seems to almost be looking for a date with the girl on whom he pulled his gun. A real Don Juan. It would be like posting an ad on Craigslist that said: "To that lady I mercilessly beat to a pulp yesterday and stole your watch....please forgive me, and let me take you out for a bottle of chianti and some good conversation next week."

A bit late, and a lame name.

1) I apologize for the last minute notice....but...to those who have not heard about it, Bike Authority in Broadview Heights, Ohio is hosting this event tonight:

Common Injuries that plague people during race season
Date: 2-5-2008 Time: tuesday @ 06:00:00
Description: Renowned Dr. Nilesh Shah from Summa-Health will discuss common injuries (tendonitis…etc.) that plague people throughout the race season that they ignore… but focus on recovering and rehabbing to set them up for a good season next year. Attendance is strictly limited to 28, please sign up early! Meeting held at Bike Authority Store.
E-mail: BikePro@BikeAuthority.com Admission is free, we do ask a donation of one can of food that will be donated to the Cleveland Food Bank.


2) According to this article on cyclingnews.com, pro road race squad Team High Road (formerly known as T-Mobile) has changed its headquarters from Germany to San Luis Obispo, California. This appears to be great news for cycling in America, as the more UCI pro teams HQ'd in this country the better.

So, I'm reluctant to be a Negative Norby here, but Team High Road has to be the most banal and self righteous team name...ever.* I applaud the team's extensive doping controls, which is the reason for the name. But, the name itself seems to invite derision from other teams, as it implies that they and they alone are the high and mighty "clean" team of the pro peloton. Plus, the name incorporates no humor, irony, modesty, or any form of self awareness that it sounds like it was coined by someone in a government propaganda program.

The team has a sizable budget from which it could have a paid a halfway decent creative marketing person or firm to come up with....well anything better than Team High Road.

C'mon guys, I really dig the message, but the name has to go.

* I do realize that some may accuse me of hypocrisy for mocking the name of Team High Road while recently criticizing those who took issue with the name of the Portland volunteer organization called Portland Bike Militia that provides bike escorts to those who feel safer riding with a companion, especially at night. To be honest, I have no defense to these accusations of hypocrisy, but I stand by my position that Team High Road is the lamest name imaginable.

Post Industrial

Today Chris B, Dan M., and I did a version of what we call the Post Industrial Ride. The ride involves catching the Metroparks and taking the Bedford/Tinkers Creek Reservation down to Canal Road, where we catch the bike path near Rockside Road and head towards town. The path goes to Harvard, then restarts near the Steelyard Commons shopping center and takes you towards Tremont. The ride then goes through downtown, then home. For me, it was about 55 miles today.

The name of the ride originates from the aesthetically pleasing but unpleasant smelling stretch of the ride between Granger Rd. and downtown. The old railroad bridges, giant fuel tanks, steel mills, and other assorted industrial detritus along the bike path create a neat vibe. We also rode over those two pretty nifty zillion dollar pedestrian/bike bridges by Granger.

Another fun fact of the industrial part of this ride is that once, a few years ago on a night ride, a friend and I encountered a 50 pound beast plopped squarely in the middle of the bike path next to the canal. When I called the Metroparks the next day to inquire about what we may have possibly encountered, the excited woman on the phone congratulated me for my sighting of a giant beaver. No joke.

A multiple choice game

Area cyclists must not be hip to the idea of riding on a 30 degree Saturday with slight flurries and a 101% chance of black ice. On my little 3, and then 4, and then 3, and then 4, and then 2-person group ride today, we encountered only one other cyclist the entire 3 hours we were out there, and that cyclist was local endurance pro Ernie of Solo Goat fame.

Does that make us:

a) dedicated;
b) stupid;
c) sexy;
d) stupid sexy; or
e) any combination of the above?

I hope...

...that there is special place in the afterlife reserved for those who do things like steal the Michigan Mountain Biking Association (MMBA) Kids Trailer.