Saturday, September 30, 2006

Back on my feet again

I was down for the count
I was down
I was beat
I was cryin
I was cornered and hurt
I was hidin my face
Sittin there cryin
I was so lonely until I met you
Told myself I'd get by without love
Drowning my sorrows
Avoiding tomorrows
Kind of felt that I just had enough
And here I am
I'm back on my feet again
Here I am
I'm back on my feet again.
Yes here I am
I'm back on my feet again
Here I am
I'm back on my feet again




Looks like someone has leaked some of the lab documents from those infamous tests done after stage 17. Interesting, even if I don't exactly get it.

OTT: Gillian Welch, One Monkey

Friday, September 29, 2006

useless information dept.

cx lab 3, the early edition went down this morning. Full report courtesy of Dave L. The late edition goes tonight, after a pit stop to fuel up at Academy Rd. Starbucks between 6:00 and 6:30.

Just got back from a lunchtime messenger run downtown and back. That makes three this week. The poosher better start looking for some new treats.

Together with the regular 15 km of commuting, that adds up to 60 kms in the old legs so far.

Not bad for a work day.

OTT: Elliott Brood, Bowling Green

Thursday, September 28, 2006

checkin in

well, got a little wifi here in the b&b in Providence, Rhode Island... hung out in the college section of town for a bit... lots of fancy fixies chained up...

might have some time on saturday... which bike shop was I supposed to check out in the Farmersville area?

hope there's another catwalk competition before the snow flies...

hip

As in Floyd's got a new one. As of yesterday. Sounds like the surgery went well. His doctors are talking optimistically about him being ready for the 2007 TdF, so long as a small legal wrinkle can be ironed out first. See the full story here.

As far as the hearing goes, interesting to note what Martin Dugard had to say following a recent conversation with Floyd: "Let me just say that I know more now than I did before, and that I'm confident he'll be exonerated." Now Dugard is a bit of a cycling sycophant. His lips must permanently taste like chamois creme given all the ass kissing he's done with Lance and the rest of the American pros. But he's also a serious enough journalist and writer that he wouldn't put it so strongly if the evidence did not back it up. Then again, you never know. At the very least, that hearing is going to be interesting.

OTT: Shad, I Get Down (courtesy of CBC Radio 3)

Wednesday, September 27, 2006

cobbled

Not cx per se, but a good picture nonetheless--from the Pez interview with Graham Watson, which is worth checking out for some other legendary shots. I think this is from Gent-Wevelgem. You can see why there is a cx - Belgian connection, since this is how they were used to handling their bikes even when it wasn't offroad and muddy.


One of our major disappointments with the Westminster/Wolseley sidewalk rejuvination project this summer (aside from the fact that it's just generally lame), is the disappearance of the cobbles (at least that's what we called them) on the sidewalk by the Tall Grass bakery. Little M loved bouncing through them, especially the sound her training wheels made as they rolled over the cracks. Always put a huge smile on her face. I guess we'll have to do laps on the patio of the new bookstore & cafe, which is finally open and looking great.

Tuesday, September 26, 2006

cx lab 3 update

Sounds like the cx ride has moved to Friday. Same place, same time. But it's been scheduled for almost every day of the week at some point, so best to check in with Paddy or Dave L in case it changes yet again.

Some of us watched Pure Sweet Hell before the derby yesterday. Nice videography (Super 8) and great soundtrack. It never occurred to me to think of slogging through cold and mud as sublime. Masochism as romanticism. Lovely.

derbied

as dr. h. stated a fine derby event was held last night. paddy wins the overall and the bottle of wine (hope it was good).

dr. h. eludes to the roller derby. yes i was the worst performer on said instrument of destruction. went down like a ton of bricks. in self-defence, i was trying it on a fixie, but then so did dr. h., so there really was no excuses. crap. below is jonny g showing off his wheelie technique - where were you mr. secretary

derby = delightful

Good times at the derby last night. My lungs are still burning from my failed attempt to hold off Paddy in the lapfest around the backstops. The botched turn that almost took me into the bleachers on the final corner didn't help either.

I'm sure Hal will post all the gory details. But in case he fails to mention it, make sure to ask him how things went in the crowning event--the roller derby. Not that anyone else did much better. Let's just say it's harder than it looks. A video camera would have been appropriate.

cx lab 3 goes Wednesday evening. Meet at Academy Rd. Starbucks at 6:30 pm. Too bad I have to teach on Wednesday evenings.

OTT: Gram Parsons, Drug Store Truck Drivin' Man.

Sunday, September 24, 2006

derby details

meet at dr. h's house at 8:45. dog fest to follow at juan eppstien's. weather bad = fox and hound. if you have lights you might want to bring 'em.

for those who don't know what dog fest is - wiener roast (veggie dogs okay). bring your own dogs, buns and beer; chips if you want to.

Saturday, September 23, 2006

cmu cx lab 2 redux

cx lab2 was a hoot. where was every one? come on people cross is fun, give it a try. okay, maybe i am a little liberal with the concept of fun but you should give it a go.

too bad for the lower turn out at the cmu homecoming race. not too suprised, after all this is canada and were talking mennonites here. south of the border hoemcoming is huge - we just don't do that home coming thing that well here. any ways, those that showed up had fun - even though it was painful (too many freaking logs - definately not what you want to do the day before a mca race). i think elizabeth said it best that dr. h is just a biking bully; he totaly kicked everyone's ass. i would like to blame it on poor choice of tyres, yadayadaya. fact is he's just getting too fast; i guess we'll have to take him down a few notches at the derby event. speaking of which, my mind has been turning furiously - hope to have something that will appeal to everyone. also thinking that we should end the evening with dog-fest. will post details tomorrow.

Friday, September 22, 2006

friday file

some musical notes...

went to the prine concert last night and had a lot of fun. i'm a bit of a priney-come-lately, which is too bad because i should have been paying attention a long time ago. dylan and young are the only other two who come to my mind (are there others?)in terms of being able to fashion political, subtle, ironic, humours (prine stands alone here) and sweet lyrics. a living legend.

if you haven't seen it check out funtwo. story is he made this video as a bit of an audition because he wanted some help with his playing. a friend released it on youtube (funtwo was not amused) and it has been making the rounds ever since. a little bit corny, but worth the effort of watching.

dan reeder, another singer-songwriter, opened for prine last night. nothing deep, but damn funny, and a very engaging performer. check out his "work song" from his myspace site. warning - if you are in a sensitive work space you might want to shut the door, or wait till the sensitive have left the building (not much in terms of lyrics, just 8 words repeated, but still expresses a sentiment we all feel from time to time).

see you all a cx lab2 tomorrow (come on - you don't have to be hard core, you just have to get out of bed).

ciao.

Thursday, September 21, 2006

Bike Saturday

Saturday is shaping up to be a nice day for bike ridin.

Start it off nice and early with a cyclocross ride to Woodhaven Park. Meet Starbucks, Academy and Lanark at 7:00 am.

After that, you'll be all warmed up for the CMU Homecoming bike race. Little kids go at 10:30, big kids at 11:00. Meet on South Campus (old CMBC) quad.

Unger, Paddy, Tomek and myself are going on a little reconnaissance mission to plan the race course tomorrow (Friday) morning. Meet at Roca Jacks (across from Ass. park), 9am if you want to join us.

OTT: Tom Waits, Bone Machine

Beware the Marshall

Wednesday, September 20, 2006

messengering

Beefed up the resume today with a new part-time job: bike messenger. The knowledge factory I work for regularly sends packages back and forth between its two campuses. As of today, I get the first opportunity to do the delivery. Did the first one today over lunch. Hammering away for 20 kms sure beats the heck out of having to endure the inane conversations that usually occur in the lunch room. And it might help me pay off the poosher too.

Hugo Chavez delivered a message today too: "The devil came here [to the UN] yesterday. He came here talking as if he were the owner of the world.” Hint: he wasn't referring to the speech by Ahmadinejad. Now that's some straight shooting. Or maybe he was listening to Steve Earle on his ipod during his flight over from Venezuela and wanted to test things out.

derby days

proposing derby event for the final ride of the monday night series. have some ideas in mind, and there will be something for everyone. details to follow.

stay tuned kids and vic (i only say that because vic is actually older than me).

its all smoke and mirrors

...so this is the strategy some riders were employing before monday's koth race

Bike to the Future

Got this by email just now. I teach a class tonight, so can't make it. But here it is in case anyone else is interested.

Cycling in the City: Where to next?

Background: On the heels of a summer of intense interest in cycling advocacy events, a group of concerned cyclists are organizing "Bike to the Future" , a citizens' forum to share information and encourage recognition of cycling issues at the policy level. The event organizers hope to make cycling issues prominent in the upcoming October 25th civic election. Please join us for a lively evening to share positive ideas on improving conditions for cyclists.

Event Details: Wednesday, September 20th, 7pm - 9:30pm at the Bulman Centre, University of Winnipeg. All are welcome and refreshments and childcare will be available.

The evening will involve:

·Information sharing about what other Canadian cities have done on cycling, along with the City of Winnipeg's 2005 Active Transportation Study

·How can we make cycling better and safer? Participants will be invited to break into groups and share ideas about cycling in Winnipeg. This will be brought together in a final large group discussion.

·A visit from the future by time traveling cyclists who have come back to warn Winnipeggers about the bleak result of poor urban planning and inadequate cycling infrastructure. This satirical, media friendly skit will begin and close the evening, providing a humorous tone for these serious issues.

Proceedings from the evening will be compiled in a report that will be shared with City Hall and the Provincial government. This report will be cycled from the Manitoba Legislature to City Hall on September 26.

Tuesday, September 19, 2006

cyclocross is upon us

if you had fun last night at the koth, you would love cyclocross (i looking at you mr. dr. h. divisive). come out and give it a try


"click here for more"

king for a day

Good times at the dump last night. 9 of us braved the cold, rain, and howling north wind to race up Garbage Hill. The biggest challenge was figuring out how to fit 9 people into an 8 person double-knockout bracket. Actually, to suggest that something was figured out might be a bit of a stretch. But somehow everything got sorted out in the end.

And the king of the hill is . . . yours truly, Dr Divisive himself. Paddy was runner-up.

It wasn't a course that favoured the spinners. Fast starters were usually overtaken by the big gear mashers once we turned the corner and headed into the teeth of the wind for the home stretch.

My leg hasn't turned entirely purple and blue yet, but it's heading in that direction. I've got a nice baseball sized lump to show for my tumble over the bars in the opening round.

Vic joined us at the F&H, which was in fine form as usual. Some dude managed to take down four chairs while stumbling from the bar back to the VLTs. And those of us who stayed later were rewarded by Glen (aka crowbar), who not only serenaded us with mining tunes, but shared his $1000 VLT winnings with us in the form of a pitcher of FGD. We politely declined the second offering, not to mention his offer of breakfast and a place to sleep for the night.

I believe Penner will be posting some pictures.

One more Monday gathering before Hummelt Hockey begins and the festivities shift to Tuesday night. No concrete plans for next Monday as of yet. Proposals welcome.

Looks like another cyclocross ride is shaping up for Sunday afternoon. Stay tuned. And of course the CMU homecoming race is Saturday at 11 am.

OTT: Southern Culture on the Skids, The Great Atomic Power (via Boot Liquor radio)

Monday, September 18, 2006

race tonight

Garbage Hill Head to Head Extravaganza, presented by Dr. Divisive. Full on antagonistic showdown. Winners and losers at every turn. A double knockout battle to determine the king of the hill. Rain or shine. Meet at my place tonight at 9 or at Garbage Hill a little later. Peace will be restored over FGDs at the F&H post-race.

On the Turntable: Old Crow Medicine Show, O.C.M.S. (thanks Hal).

Sunday, September 17, 2006

back in black


Look who showed up in Madrid today. Floyd made an appearance at today's concluding stage of the Vuelta, ostensibly to say a proper farewell to his teammates at their last race in Phonak green and yellow. Here's what he had to say: "The Tour's doping tests are full of irregularities. I'm innocent and I think my lawyers are going to be able to prove it, though they've had lots of difficulties gathering information." The USADA could respond to his motion for dismissal as early as this week.

Rode for about an hour today in and around St B, Waterfront Dr, Lyndale Dr. Starting to feel like fall in a big way. It feels like my riding time has dropped off the map since school began, and getting ready to ride is becoming an exercise in layering.

Sounds like Unger did pretty well today in his first half marathon.

On the other hand, things didn't go so well for Paddy at Chequamegon.

Finally, time to debut a new feature: On the Turntable (or iTunes in this case), OTT for short. Today: Propagandhi, Less Talk, More Rock.

annals of style

As much about style as function, it would seem. But with a conscience too, as they're made from recycled truck tarps, bike innertubes, etc. And also trendy as hell in Switzerland. The Europhiles among us will want to keep their eyes open for Freitag messenger bags. See the article in the NYT. The story, in their own words, runs like this:

Saturday, September 16, 2006

from the grass is greener dept.

First Copenhagen, then Qatar, now the Netherlands--Ijmuiden to be exact. Check out the article on two-wheeled culture in Holland, courtesy of the NYT (registration is free; everyone should read it daily anyways).

Friday, September 15, 2006

bike tree

Stolen from here.

Kind of like those steel trees that line Portage Ave. on the way to Olympia, except that these are nicer.

I'm thinking that the Monday gathering this week should involve a race--a king of the hill race. This is a modified version of an idea Hal suggested while munching on bland nachos at Carlos and Murphy's during Aiden's birthday party earlier this week. We return to Garbage Hill. Put everyone's name in a hat. Draw pairs of names from the hat and run a series of heats racing up the road to the top. The winner advances to the next round. The loser is out, left to cheer, toss cabbages at the remaining racers, ride fixies up the wall, whatever. Last one standing is the king of the hill, to be duly honoured at the post-race festivities at the F&H. Meet at my place at 9pm.

Thursday, September 14, 2006

cyclocross sunday

Tomek is organizing a cyclocross ride this Sunday.

St. Vital Park, 9:30 am at the pond.

jerseys ordered!

yes, it is all out of our hands now... maybe Christmas...

Wednesday, September 13, 2006

holy crap

Vinokourov took the jersey at the Vuelta today, with a Floyd-like screaming downhill run into the finish. Wish I could have watched that one. Scroll down through the live report to see how it unfolded. He's now 9 seconds up on Valverde. Should be an exciting finish.

research - what is it good for

Heard on the CBC last evening - A British traffic expert claims that cycling with a helmet can be dangerous to your health. In a study of traffic patterns and bicycles, the research noticed that cars would not give as much clearance when passing a cyclist who was wearing a helmet as opposed to those who did not wear one. After conducting some interviews, he discovered that motorists viewed helmet wearing cyclist as more competent and non-helmeted cyclist as more erratic; thereby deserving of more room. He also noted that women cyclists were given more room when being passed (he tested this theory by donning a wig – he could not find any woman willing to ride his specially designed bike which measured the distance of passing cars).

Yikes – I'm on my way to MEC to buy a skort and to find a wig.

Tuesday, September 12, 2006

dope

Our boy Floyd seems to be emerging from his recent self-imposed media exile. His legal team filed a motion to dismiss the case against him yesterday, claiming that "the analysis in this case is replete with fundamental, gross errors." He also made an appearance at a race in Pennsylvania and is heading to the Vuelta to watch his teammates as they close the book on Phonak's dubious history. It sounds like he's hopeful about how this is all going to play out: "I do feel confident," he said. "Things are going to be fine, for sure. First of all, I'm confident because I know I'm innocent. Secondly, if, like I've been told, they're going to give me a fair hearing, then things will be cleared up." It's also good to hear the fight back in his words: "I have to win the Tour de France again so I can celebrate it the way I was supposed to."

Full coverage and here and here. For more on the filing, click here. All this and more--way more--catalogued in Trust but Verify.

Darryl promises to make a pilgimage to the Landis household when he's in Akron sometime in the next little while. Shall we add another jersey to the order for him to take as a gift?

Meanwhile, Frankie Andreu and another anonymous Postal rider have admitted they took EPO while riding in support of Lance at the 1999 Tour. Long story in the New York Times. Something tells me this is going to get ugly.

And yet David Millar won the time trial at the Vuelta on Saturday without even so much as an IV needle in his arm. Or so he claims.

Back to more important matters: nice ride last night. A bit of a mixer, as FGBC regulars Johnny G, Johnny N, Darryl, Vic, and myself were joined by Paddy, Tomek, and Dave. Climb-fest at Garbage Hill. Ask Paddy how high he got up that first big dirt hill on his fixie. Don't bother asking me how far I got. F&H was hopping for a Monday evening. They still look to be giving this sports bar thing a go, as MNF replaced the good music we have come to expect. I suspect this experiment is doomed to fail. But maybe we can convince them to run the Tour next year and the F&H can become the 2007 TdF headquarters. FGD at 6am as Floyd wins atop Alpe d'Huez!

The jersey order will be placed today. Start the countdown.

Monday, September 11, 2006

an ounce of prevention

At last Monday's jersey-fitting--just after the screaming rabbit being chased by the viscious dog tore through the fabric of our serene little gathering--the talk turned, as it often does, to saddle sores. There are plenty of preventative creams out there, but they can be pricey. Here is Kieth Bontrager's alternative--lifted from his cyclingnews.com diary earlier this summer. Think of it as a kind of More-with-Less approach to nut butter:
Saddle sores are a bitch. They are not as bad as swollen, infected molars, but they are close.

If you are planning to ride a multi-day event and you don't have a plan to prevent saddle sores, you are setting yourself up for a serious quantity of extra suffering. These things are hard enough as they are.

Here's my take on how it happens. You abrade the part of your crotch that comes into contact with the saddle when you pedal. Small lateral movements are inevitable and they cause the abrasions. The chamois does a little to help, but not much, and in some cases makes it worse. If the abraded area is exposed to bacteria, it gets infected. Then you get boils, they get worse, and then you can't sit on the saddle. That can be a problem on a 150 kilometre day.

Notice that this is not a pressure related thing. You can prevent that by getting out of the saddle regularly. You need a saddle that fits you well too, and that takes some experimentation. But fancy saddles will not prevent saddle sores. It is much simpler.

Don't think you can do something about it after the fact if you get them going. That's the wrong way to think about it. It doesn't work. Prevention is the key.

Here is my recipe for avoiding them. As is my tendency when looking for solutions, it is not expensive to do and the ingredients are widely available. There are no ingredients from a bike shop involved.

Also, this whole thing is almost entirely empirical. I have not twiddled variables, or researched alternatives. There might be problems for some people, though it is unlikely. But it works.

There are two aspects to the plan - cleanliness and lubrication.

Cleanliness is a matter of cleaning off your crotch before you put on your shorts. I use antibacterial wipes. You might think you have everything as clean as can be, but you probably don't. Try them. You'll see.

Lubrication is simple. Mix up a large vat of petroleum jelly with some antibiotic ointment and some pain reliever. The latter is probably optional, but I use it because I always have.The trick to effective lubrication for a long stage is to use a lot.. Smear the stuff onto the chamois in a large quantity - three fingers worth, minimum. It should feel weird when you put you shorts on. That won't matter. But you want it to last all day, so you need a lot. That's why I don't want to use any expensive Swiss stuff. It would cost a fortune.

The quantity thing came from an observation I made at the TdF in 2000. I was walking around in the pits on a rest day in Courchavel, France with some German journalists, weighing bikes. I noticed a lot of saddles were glistening, covered with fat. I'd been playing with chamois preps for the TransAlp, and had moderate success with them. But the appearance of the pros' saddles gave it away. They used copious quantities of the stuff.

Other than that observation I have no idea what pros actually do to prevent saddle sores. But I bet they all do something, and I bet one of the common methods is not too far off this one.

The petroleum jelly is a little difficult to wash out of the shorts. That is unavoidable. If it was easy to wash out, it would be washed out too quickly by sweat and that would defeat the purpose.

monday evening ride

sounds like stage A will begin at the gates of Fort Gibralter, Whittier Park @ 7:30. (Hoping for a little daylight so the president can work the phat air)
stage B to begin at dr. h's place @ 9:15... possibility of taking in a bit of Garbage Hill...
stage C to begin when we're good and ready at the clubhouse.

Sunday, September 10, 2006

fight club

Cycling is more popular in Europe than Canada. But here and here are a few ideas for how it might be possible to market cycling to an audience more familiar with hockey and all the extracurricular festivities that accompany it.

eden

70 kms in the Pembina Hills = a perfect way to spend a Saturday in fall.

Hal, Johhny G, Jonny S, and myself, accompanied by lovely ladies Charlene and Cheryl (who has recently stated that she wants to reclaim the portfolio of bike club wench) braved an early and way too chilly morning to ride in support of Tinker James' fundraising efforts. John L. won another bike (is that four for four?) and I picked up a set of Michelin comp s light tires for my efforts. Hal, riding fixed, opted to take the gravel road back. Me and Johnny G took the trail. Along the way we payed our respects to Paddy, observing a moment of silence at the hole he plunged into earlier this year during a botched skid demonstration. I still can't believe he walked away from that one relatively unscathed. Stopped in at my Uncle Ken's for an FGD on the way back to end the day right.

The trees are starting to change colours and the trails are in great condition, even if a bit on the dry side. We should make an effort to get out there again before the hunters take over in November.

Thursday, September 07, 2006

the journey begins

okay, i am a self-admitted bike junkie. like chris, i am weak before the pusher. maybe i shouldn't have tried those gateway drugs...you know, those frames made in china or taiwan. well, they just don't cut it anymore; i need something more powerful. so the journey begins down the path of the custom made frame. there is something about having a bike made to fit you, your riding style and aesthetics that is too hard to resist. after all, this will be a lifer - a frame that you want to keep and perhaps be buried with.

so the journey begins. initially, i thought i would get the soulcraft plowboy, but then i found quiring cycles, and his scandium mountain frame kinda interested me. after all, if you are in for an ounce you are in for a pound. but then, tomek, the ultimate pusher, talked to me about a frame builder in squamish named mike truelove. mike has the shit; and its cheaper.

stay tuned as the journey progresses.

Wednesday, September 06, 2006

multitude

The multitude, as power, is not a figure that is homologous and opposed to the power of exception of modern sovereignty. The constituent power of the multitude is something different, it is not only a political exception but also a historical exception, it is the product of a radical temporal discontinuity, and it is ontological metamorphosis. Then, the multitude presents itself as a powerful singularity that cannot be flattened in the Bergsonian alternative of a possible and repetitive vitalistic function; neither can it be attracted to its pressing opponent, i.e. sovereignty, because the multitude, by existing, concretely dissolves the concept of sovereignty. This existence of the multitude, does not seek a foundation outside of itself, but only in its own genealogy. In fact, there is no longer a pure or naked foundation or an outside: these are illusions. --Antonio Negri
It would probably be a stretch to suggest that today's uncritical mass came anywhere close to Negri's conception of the multitude. But still, it appears to have been a huge success. I'm not good at estimating numbers, but there must have been over 500 people there. A long, snake-like and essentially differentiated collection of singularities pulsing and undulating its way toward City Hall. And maybe its fair to say that sovereign power was suspended for just a moment. A fleeting interruption of the time of empire by some other temporality and its alternative concept of power. Or maybe it's just that I haven't seen that many people at City Hall since the Bombers won the Grey Cup in the mid-80s. Good turnout by FGBC and friends.


tonight

Don't forget to show up for the ride tonight. 6:30 pm at the Zoo. Call your friends.

pics from springride now up

so, at yesterday's jersey fitting, which was a fine time, I promised I'd put my springride pics up... i did no editing or tidying... just threw them up... wow, our website needs a redo.

www.fortgarrybikeclub.com/media

Tuesday, September 05, 2006

riding saturday

many of the FGBC are off to Morden for the "Head for the Hills" ride in support of Eden Mental Health Org... should be a fine time in support of a good organization. A number of us can not make that work, so...

another ride is shaping up where a few families (ours, the HPs, the Rempel-Sniders) are going to meet at Bur Oak at 2:00 with a dogfest (family style) at 5:30. For those unable to make it to Morden, you are certainly welcome to join us.

new aquistion

Came back from Ontario with by brother's vintage racing road bike. He used to road race in the middle and late 80's. The bike is a Colnago with 'campy record' and 'dura ace' from that era.
He told me that the bike was tight and a bit twitchy so I should " be careful"

I need to get some wheels built, I have his good hubs though. (still need rims, spokes & rubber) More $$ ...eeks.

The bike has been raced alot (and crashed) and it looks it, but it works and is mine.



penner

the uncritical mass . . .


. . . Otherwise known as S.P.I.N. is tomorrow at 6:30pm. I'm hoping to be there. Would be nice to see the FGBC out in full force. Click here for more info, and see below--stolen from the MCA site.

S.P.I.N. Ride Wednesday Sept. 6th - 6:30pm

Words from Lindsay Gauld

I'm sure most if not all of you have followed or taken part in the Critical Mass rides this summer. I'm very much in favor of bringing the lack of cycling facilities in our city to the attention of the city politicians. I think the turnouts that they have been getting points out the frustrations that many cyclists feel when it comes to the lack of cycling lanes or paths.

That being said, I've had some concerns that the rides have not accomplished their intended purpose as the focus in the media and any comments from the police or city officials have dealt almost completely with their actions, with little or any mention of their aims.I feel that a Mass Ride that attempts to obey the laws will force those groups to deal with the cyclists concerns.

Therefore, I am inviting all of you (and hopefully your friends as well) to join me for a ride on Wednesday, September 6th at 6;30 pm. The ride will start at The Assiniboine Park zoo parking lot and proceed down Wellington Crescent, over the Maryland Bridge, up Sherbrook to Portage Avenue, along Portage to Main Street and up Main to City Hall.

We have applied for the necessary permits and hope to work in co-operation with the police. By starting the ride at 6:30 we will not be disrupting rush hour traffic.We have sent invitations to all of the councilors, the mayor and hope to have a large media presence as well. The aim of the ride is to have a SIGNIFICANT NUMBERof concerned cyclists. In this way, we can show the politicians that there are real concerns about the cycling infrastructure in our city. We will be putting together a wish list in terms of the types of cycling related projects and presenting it to the politicians as well as the media. I'm not naive enough to think that one ride will solve all of our concerns but a large rally of law abiding cyclists will make people take the cycling community seriously.

Saturday, September 02, 2006

keep your head up

so...i'm cycling home from bethania (laura's oma has her 100th birthday this weekend) and i am coming through the exchange on donald. at ellice, i am in the right lane, i see a van and car ahead of me, as the light changes to green i see the white van ahead of me start to move forward. i do a quick shoulder-check so i can pull into the next lane in order to get around the van - what i didn't see was the car ahead of the van stopped causing the van to stop. can you see where this is going. because i thought the van was moving (giving me more room to make my lane change) i was quite unprepared when i looked up to see the van stopped. oops. well i crashed into the back of van. crap. it was more of a glancing blow than a head on crash. i look at my bike and the handle bars are twisted, but otherwise everything appears to be alright. oh well, better go to talk to the driver and appologize for hitting his vehicle. as i walk around the van i see some lettering on the side of the van, p-o-l-i-c-e. f*$#. expecting to get an earful from the officer, i was pleasently surprised by his very sympathetic concern for my well being. he said he saw the whole thing unfold and was not surprised by what happened. he made sure i was alright (physically yes - ego wise; not so good), and we exchanged information - protocol on his part - and then continued on our ways.

maybe i really am crash

(this post has been edited upon recommendation of laura who thought the first version sounded like i experienced some brain truama as a result of the collision - such a harsh critic)

Friday, September 01, 2006

dodging bullets

hmmm...so vj's had a little problem with e-coli in early august. just goes to show you that dogs are always the way to go because you never hear stories about that nasty bacteria in the cured meats; no e-coli in them pig lips and snouts. i for one will still go to vj's. long live vj's.

vuelta

The last of the grand tours is well under way. One final distraction before cyclocross season starts to heat up. No Mennos to root for this time around. But there are a few bad-ass Canadians to follow. And one of them is off to a rather impressive start. Ryder Hesjedal, another former mountain bike racer, now races with skinny tires for . . . you guessed it, Phonak. He put in a strong ride on today's mountain-top finish, coming across the line just over a minute behind the winner, and now sits 13th in the GC at 3.05.