i'm getting neutered

the green machine is getting fixed - they say it will be done by saturday; its natural cycle and seeing is believing.

kudos to the president for becoming a single white male.

bicycle auction

Small gathering last night: Unger, Hal, Chris, Penner, Jonny G were all present at one time or another. Some jersey design discussions took place. Things seem to be coming together. Just waiting for a time to get together to finalize everything for the order form.

Short but sweet inaugural pre-meeting Tuesday night ride, punctuated by a brief pit-stop for fries at VJ's drive in. Previewed the course for the next race on the way back to the F&H. Call it the Louis Riel secession classic if you need a title. Consider it a celebration of springtime in Winnipeg if you need a reason to participate. This race requires what may turn out to be a relatively small window of time, namely that brief period of time between the melting of the snow and the river overflowing the river walk. Get your datebooks out: festivities will take place sometime during the weekend of April 8-9. Precise time to be finalized at next week's meeting. Penner is working on prizes.

Penner picks up his new bike on Thursday. Word at the clubhouse is that things are looking up for the secretary on the new bike front as well. Good news.

Speaking of new bikes: I received a flyer for the annual bicycle auction at work today. The dates are April 22 and 23. Once again it will be held at the Maples arena. Jonny G. picked up his Monterrey for something like $25 a few years back. That bike has taken him farther than the half a tank of gas he could have spent that money on.

Tuesday night ride

Due to a scheduling conflict, this evening's meeting of the jersey design sub-committee has been postponed. The good news is that this frees up some time for a ride before the F&H. Meet at my place around 8:30. Perhaps we can start out by heading to HSC to pick up Hal from work.

BHP ride

Riders: Hal, Chris, the McLaren brothers, with brief cameos by Paddy H and Dallas S
Dist: 64.19 km
Avg: 26.6 km/h
Max: 54.9 km/h

Good times.

bike lanes

There is an article on the MCA site right now, reprinted from the Free Press a while back, about a series of grass roots groups working at improving the bike lane situation in Winnipeg. This is in response to the rather chilly reception that bike-related matters have received from City Hall under the Sam Katz regime. Of course, more bike lanes in this city would be great. But the cynical side of me suspects that in classic Winnipeg style we'll end up with some sort of half-assed compromise. Something like the bike lanes in this picture from the UK. We all know hom much fun it is to ride in and around trees. Riding through them, however, is less enjoyable. I've tried it. It sucks.

Also on the MCA site is a list of planned road consturction projects for the summer. Nice to see that Pembina is finally receiving some attention.

the future of the FGBC

I saw this guy riding in fairly heavy traffic on Grant so I had to take a picture. Serene. Knows his destiny. Has great luggage space.

mutant bikers

A follow-up on the bike culture wars in NYC and the possible connection with the cabbage throwers, courtesy of the Village Voice.

minutes march 21

Well, it was the last post hockey meeting of the season. The bad news is that hockey's over, the good news is that we can start meeting a bit earlier... incorporating some bike riding, even... (yes, I know, some haven't stopped riding.)

So, Hal, Chris and I will meet earlier next tuesday to firm up what our jerseys might look like... I expect we'd be at the clubhouse by 10:00. See ya'll then.

Here's a link to a blog post with a video of a nice skid competition. Looks like a good blog in general if you're interested in the very urban side of biking.

bikes and coffee shops

Spent a good part of the evening yesterday delivering about $600 worth of coffee to friends and fellow cyclists. Bikes and coffee somehow just go together naturally. One day in Girona, when he was riding with US Postal, Floyd Landis skipped out on a training ride by hanging out at a local coffee bar and drinking 15 espressos in one afternoon. While our sponsorship and other identity-constituting efforts have thus far looked to alternative beverage forms--equally a natural fit with the bike--it would be a mistake to overlook the significance of the roasted coffee bean. A number of bike-related coffee shops have opened up recently. One of my favourites is Jet Fuel Coffee in Toronto. But there are also some worthy models in Minneapolis, both of which also sell bikes: One on One Bicycle Studio, where Hal got his new wheels, and more recently the Cars-R-Coffins Coffee Bar opened up. If you ever find yourself in Minneapolis make sure to pay them a visit. Check out the article on them both from the St. Paul Pioneer Press.

Perhaps we should look into opening up the FGBC coffee bar. Then again, perhaps not.

Bike Culture Wars

Things are getting ugly in New York. Bikes are cool, it seems. But cool = commodified. And so bike culture purists are starting to fight back in order to keep corporate culture at bay. Must be those guys with the cabbages. Or maybe Aiden and Will took a trip to NYC recently. Read the story here.

Spring is here. Which means it's time to ride as if it were nice outside, even if the conditions are not appreciably different than those we've come to associate with winter. So Hal and myself, along with Kevin B. of Tinker Creek fame, froze our toes while riding three relatively relaxed laps of the road circuit at BHP yesterday. Nothing to brag about, but at least it's a start. In addition to the arrival of spring, hockey ends tomorrow. So bike-riding season is now officially upon us. Not that it ever stops being bike-riding season. But it's time to ramp it up a bit--if not all the way to 11, then at least to 3 or 4. From here on out, the weekly Tuesday gathering at the F&H shall be preceded by the Tuesday ride. At least until ultimate begins.

Paris-Nice Video

Velo News has put together a nice little video report on last week's Paris-Nice race, which Floyd won. Click here to watch it.

Tourney Time

March Madness starts this Thursday:

1. print out a bracket.
2. fill it in.
3. bring it, along with your $5 entry fee, to the F&H tomorrow.
4. hope your teams win.

Same scoring system as previous years: 1 pt for correct 1st round picks, 2 pts for 2nd round, etc. 7 points for picking the champion. 60% of the pot goes to the winner, 30% for 2nd place, 10% for 3rd.

Floyd wins again

Floyd held on to take the overall win at Paris-Nice today. Two races so far this season and two wins. Not a bad way to start a season. What's even more impressive is that in California he did it by dominating the time trial, whereas in France he simply rode away from the bunch in the mountains. It's that kind of well-rounded ability that has many thinking that "Floyd can win the Tour." Next up is the Tour of Georgia in April. See the results at cyclingnews.com.

Hell on Wheels

Not a reference to my dismal bike handling abilities, but to the movie that Woodcock is showing this Monday at IMAX. Hell on Wheels is a behind the scenes look at the 2003 Tour de France. See the summary below. For the polyglots among us, more info is available in German at the official site. Hal and myself are going. Feel free to join us. Tickets are $10 and are available at Woodcock. Showtime is 7pm.

The Movie: Hell on Wheels

This Film follows Team Telekom/T-Mobile in it’s quest for victory in the Tour de France.

The Tour de France – the toughest bicycle race of all, celebrated its 100th birthday and Academy Award winning German based director Pepe Danquart was there to produce a terrific film on the T-Mobile Team. Danquart tells about the torture and the pain, the fear and the weaknesses of the men. Hell on Wheels offers a true insight into the Tour and stars the Telekom/T-Mobile team. We see the tears of those who are out of the race and the joy of those, who suffered but fulfilled their biggest dream, to reach the finish line....The film follows two German stars, Rolf Aldag and Erik Zabel, six-time winner of the sprinters jersey as he battles out every stage with his Aussie rivals. Danquart picked a great year to document the race, as this year provided the most dramatic and exciting race for many decades. At 123 minutes, there’s plenty of time for history, for racing and for gorgeous French landscapes. But ultimately, it’s the rider portraits that make the film unique and rewarding.

The film gives a review of the genesis and history of the tour in its hundred years of existence, and shows the gigantic organization of the tour, the fanatic crowds along the route and in front of televisions worldwide. Hell on Wheels presents an outstanding inner view of one of the world's biggest sports events.

Principal Cast Erik Zabel, Rolf Aldag, Andreas Kloeden, Alexander Vinokurow, Steve Zampieri, Mario Kummer, Serge Laget, Lance Armstrong, Jan Ullrich.

helmets mandatory, everything else optional

In case you missed it in today's paper:

By The Associated Press
Friday, March 10, 2006

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — The mayor of a New Zealand town wants a nude cycling race to be called off — because the participants won't be wearing helmets.
Mayor John Hurley of the Tasman District said police would look like "fools" if they allowed the race to go on for the third straight year, despite the objections of local residents.

Police said they investigated the legality of the race and found they cannot take any action.

"We have taken advice on the legality of their proposed action and have been advised that it falls short of an offense," Sergeant Arthur Clarence said.

About 100 people are expected to take part in the "clothing optional" race Sunday around Golden Bay on the southern tip of New Zealand's South Island. The race aims to promote safe cycling and alternative energy.

Hurley said police should enforce laws that require all cyclists to wear safety helmets.

"They have ridden bikes in the past down the road with no crash helmets, no nothing on, and people say that's a double standard," he said.

Floyd in France

Though still very early in the season, Floyd is off to such a blistering start that he's generating a lot of buzz about what could happen in July. Fresh off his overall win at the Tour of California, he rode away from the bunch today on the first real mountain stage in Paris-Nice. Though he let his companion take the stage win, he takes the overall and now looks to be in command to hold his lead for the remainder of the race. Though Basso and Ullrich have yet to take to the start line, Floyd is clearly the dominant stage-racer of the spring so far. See the report at cyclingnews.com.

Altona Race Retrospective

Altona Race Convenor extrordinaire, David S, has put together this fine montage of memories from the Altona Open event... Looks like it was an excellent event. The file now resides on our fgbc webspace and you can link to it from here. (Note: I had to install a newer version of Windows Media Player to make it go... make a note in the comments if you can't get it to work, and we'll see what can be done.)

Altona Race Retrospective

Altona Race Report

Good times at the first ever FGBC race held out of town. The Altona crew put on quite a show. Cool prizes (including urination devices, DVDs, and a martini set), rink dogs galore, and an FGBC-style stage race: a bike race followed by a knockdown. Mr. Sawatzky and Co. deserve another turn at hosting. And they deserve more serious consideration from Winnipeg folks wary of making the long, bumpy trip to the deep south.

The race portion of the event was short and fast, featuring highlights of the heralded Altona "trails system," a snow-covered mountain, and a bridge crossing. A perfect course for the red Raleigh Ltd., which is to say minimal bike handling skills were required. Just pedal hard and go. Stage 1 results were as follows:

Chris
Johnny G
Curt
Johnny S
Jeff R
Cheryl
David S
Brenda
Rachel

Where's the Duker?

Stage 2 was the knockdown--Altona style, which is to say in a cage, with no fixed direction, and with knocked-down riders and wandering toddlers serving as obstacles: 7 rounds with the top three finishers in each round scoring points to be combined with the race. After switching the Softride for his townie bike, Johnny S. proved once again to be the king of the knockdown. He won three and never finished lower than third. The big loser of the knockdown was Johnny G, still reeling from trying to race with his brakes engaged on his back wheel, perhaps. He failed to get any points during the knockdown portion and as a result was knocked down and off the podium, dropping from 2nd place to 4th. Johnny S., as predicted, rocketed upwards. But not quite high enough. In fact, though it only became clear well after the fact, it all came down to the final round, where I beat Johnny in a knockdown for the first time ever and held on to first place overall by a mere point. Johnny S. took 2nd, and Curt rounded out the podium for 3rd place.

Overall standings

9th place - Brenda Schritt (8th in race, 0 knockdown points)
8th place - Cheryl Koop (6th in race, 0 knockdwon points)
6th place (tie) - David Sawatzky (7th in race, 3 knockdown points)
- Rachel Klassen-Huebner (9th in race, 5 knockdown points)
5th place - Jeff Rempel (5th in race, 0 knockdwon points)
4th place - Jon Koop-Guenther (2nd in race, 0 knockdwon points)
3rd place - Curt Falk (3rd in race, 10 knockdown points)
- prize pack included assorted DVD's, insulated coffee mug and strap-on urination bag
2nd place - Jonny Sawatzky (4th in race, 16 knockdown points) (mildly disputed due to vague ruling on single bike entry)
- prize pack included assorted DVD's, Manchurian Candidate DVD, strap-on urination bag, home spa
1st place - Chris Klassen-Huebner (1st in race, 8 knockdown points)
- prize pack included assorted DVD's, THE WHO LIVE DVD collection, portable martini set and CD

Oh yeah . . . there was a basketball game of sorts too. The Devils lost to the Heels. Uggh. Hopefully they'll be pissed but refocused and ready to play in the tournament. Or else what looked like it was shaping up to be a dream season is heading for a disappointing finish. Get ready for the annual March Madness pool.

First race for Cheryl, Jeff, and Rachel

Johnny S, showing he's not just a knockdown expert

Johnny G getting passed by Curt

Knockdown!

The final podium

Curt's backyard

note from Altona Race Co-ordinator

Hello all,

Just a quick word to let you know about the upcoming Altona Bikeathon this Saturday, March 4th. We'll be having the race portion of the event starting at 4 PM at the South side of the Altona Park (right across from Rachel's parents place). There is lots of parking right there on the North side of Parkside Junior High School. After the race we'll proceed to the knockdown tournament and then head South to the Hiebert/Sawatzky household for some dogs and stuff (BYOB). There will be prizes and for those who think the winners are a given fear not! The grand aggregate is a combination of placings in both the race AND knockdown so even if you're not that fast, your balance might earn a victory!
We're hoping a bunch of folks can make it out but we ask that if you are planning on coming just let us know ASAP so we know how much food we'll need. We may also ask some folks to bring some chips or things.
If you need directions I'm sure Hubie can help you out or I'd be glad to help too. Hope everyone can make it and we'll surely have a good time. If you know of anyone else who'd be interested please pass along the word (just let us know who's coming please!)

David

p.s. Hubie - Duke-Carolina - 8 PM

Floyd's Win, Altona, Icebike

Floyd held on for the win at the Tour of California. Not a bad way to start the season.

Closer to home, the Altona Open goes this Saturday, March 4th. The race organizer down there reports that things are coming together nicely. He is also wondering what kind of numbers to expect--for planning purposes. Check your calendars, talk to whichever interested parties need talking to, and let's have another attempt at a tally at Tuesday's gathering.

Does anybody remember what time the race starts?

Also, check out this video for a different approach to racing bikes on ice. Think the Altona cage rink would be big enough?

Floyd = First

Floyd kicked ass in the time trial today at the Tour of California. Dave Zabriskie can really fly in the TT, but Floyd bested him by almost half a minute over 27 km. This gives him the overall lead and puts him in good position to hold on for the final GC. The race continues through Sunday, but the more decisive stages are done. See the brief report from velonews.com.

Makes the Team Canada implosion a little easier to swallow.

Bergen's Cutoff Race Report

Bit of a smaller crowd than we've had at recent races. Plenty of underwhelming excuses were offered up by the absent ones. And of course these were duly mocked by the few, the proud, the hard core who did brave the long, lonely journey to NK for the race. But the continuity has been preserved. The race season goes on. There is even talk of extending the once-a-month race schedule into summer. This was, of course, a sponsored event. So loyalty was duly rewarded with donated FGD and toques. The secretary will post a picture.

As for the race itself, a nice little course that looks promising as a repeat venue. Several endos were performed--the result of a rather steep dropoff down the old rail bed and the diminishing snow conditions in later laps, not to mention poor bike-handling skills. But no major injuries to report.

Results:

Chris
Darryl
Vic
Penner

Next race is the Altona Open on March 4th. Perhaps our goal should be at least to match the participations numbers that Altona will put up.

In other news, Floyd sits in 4th place after the 3.1 km opening prologue TT at the T of CA. The race continues this afternoon. Check out the latest interview with Floyd from cyclingnews.

Sunday race update - new time: 9:00pm

As the president has mentioned, we did plan a loop for sunday's race.

What you need to know:
1. If there's no moon, it could be quite dark. Should be interesting.
2. New start time: 9:00 pm so Dr. H can make it. Meet at my place... check the google map in the previous race post to find it. Note the instructions if you arrive a little late. You'll easily find us.
3. There will be a $5 draw if you're interested... as per last time... I've heard there will be a prize or two.
4. Boil-up. Bring dogs and buns, we'll have basic condiments.
5. There will be a bike toss, and hopefully a knock-down event if Hal brings the cones. The little mermaid would have been a perfect toss... sorry Miriam.

Little Mermaid, RIP

Good day for bike buyin' yesterday, it seems.


In addition to Penner, Miriam and Jonah both picked up some new wheels. In M's case, a Norco Mity Macho. This means that the Little Mermaid has been laid to rest. Actually, it's back at that great little bike shoppe on Portage waiting to make some other kid happy. She served us well, but evidently it was simply time to move on. It was tough for Miriam to decide between the Macho and the pink, flowery Trek with the white faux-wicker basket. But the Macho won out in the end. Whew.


Nobody is happier about this exchange than Jonah, since the Mermaid essentially became the more male-friendly Shogun in all its yellow (or at least not-pink) splendor. His masculinity is now appears to be safely secured, at least for the time being.



Looking forward to the race on Sunday. The course looks good. Let's hope it warms up a tad by then.

New Ride

Thanks to some networking by Dr. H. I will be making a significant upgrade.

Darryl, Chris and I planned out a sweet little loop for Sunday's event but I will be riding my current wheels for this event.

See you there
penner

Motorist vs Cyclist, part II

It's not only couriers who get into trouble with car drivers. Pros (or perhaps former pros in this case) have thier share of run-ins too. Check out the latest instalment in an ongoing litany of poor relations between motorists and cyclists, courtesy of cyclingnews.com. Not clear who's to blame in this one, but either way it's the cyclist who bears the brunt of the damage:

German rider Danilo Hondo, currently in training while serving a two-year suspension, was injured on Monday when struck by a car in what appears to be a road-rage incident in Somerset West, near Cape Town, South Africa. Tony Brown, an acquaintance of Hondo, and Matthias Kessler, were training with the German sprinter on the Paarl Vallei Road when a car drove past and abused the riders. Both Brown and Kessler said the driver, aged around 65, waited for them to pass before ramming Hondo's bike "with intent".

The extent of Hondo's injuries is not yet known, and Hondo himself isn't sure when he'll be riding again. "The doctors will have to check me out," he said. "Sometimes you get internal injuries from a fall like that - I'm not so worried about crashing, you can crash in any country. The problem is that drivers can do this."

In a strange twist Somerset West police said that the driver of the vehicle called the police station after the incident and reported the cyclists attacking him, something denied by both Brown and Kessler. Hondo is reported to be taking action against the driver.

Keep riding. But be careful out there in the jungle.

Floyd at the TofCA

A new high-profile stage race on North American soil is set debut this weekend: the Tour of California. It runs from Feb. 19-26 and will mark the start of the race season for many of the big names. This is a nice compliment to the Tour of Georgia, which happens in mid-April. One thing that makes this latest race interesting is that it is sponsored by Amgen, otherwise known as the world's leading manufacturer of EPO. Our man Floyd will be at the start in San Francisco and he's bringing a strong team. Sounds like he's approaching this as a race rather than a mere training exercise. Good news. Stay tuned for updates. In the mean time, check out the article on Floyd from velonews.com. He's now the clear leader of the team and looks to be poised for a big year, with the Tour being the main focus.

Just back from a weekend in Ontario and it feels like forever since I've been on a bike. Then again, it's a nice break since I'm still bruised and banged up from the comedy of errors called Icebike. I did manage to stop in for coffee at Jet Fuel Coffee, messenger hangout and sponsor of Canada's only pro cycling team. Check it out if you're ever in Toronto.

sponsors etc

A rather lengthy report from the Jersey Committee

I am not quite sure how the figurehead leader has taken on this portfolio, but just as I am about to retire my efforts with this endevour, I am pulled back into it by some very faint glimmer of light.

The Fox and Hounds is in!! They are giving us $200.00. They would like a 3-4 inch logo. I said that we can easily accomondate that.

I am hoping that Snider othodics will come onboard as well as Eppsiepman!

On a similar note, Wayne, the other sales guy at FGBC returned a call I made weeks back. I indicated his counterpart was less forthcoming than hoped for. Anyway, we got to talking and Oerst is out, Wayne is in, but we still do not have any cash. It seems that FGBC has been burned in the past with sponcerships like this, teams not even buying jerseys. That being said, Wayne would like to "foster a relationship" with us and would like a letter or at least an email about "us". (Maybe someone could assist me with that.) He needs this to bring his boss onboard. He will see what he can do about some cash. It is easier to get FGBC shirts and beer than money right now (and that he offered)..."we are in a beer war!!" We talked about our needs etc, If all the planets line up we might get 150 -200 if his boss gives him the green light. In the fostering of a relationship, he sincerely offered the occasional use of the FBGC board room for the use of planning big events, like our spring ride. I am going to try to get a FGBC Tshirt or hoodie for the prize on the 19th, failing that, it will be the twin rivers touques.

Since we have a sponcer, Who is in??? 15 jerseys are about $720.00 Canadian (10 are about $550.00) There is NO duty so therefore no brokerage fees. They require a 50% deposit before work is started. A designed committee has been formed, Darryl, Chris and Hal. Let me(your presedent) know if you are in!

penner

velo artisan bread

let me know if you want a "velo artisan bread singlespeed cyclocross racing" shirt. i'll probably be getting both synthetic and cotton t-shirts from mec.

Other interesting bike stuff : a piece from the nytimes magazine about Jan Robic, a sloveanian soilder who is the world's best ultraendurance cyclist. Some of Jan's achievements: winning the 3,000-mile Insight Race Across America (RAAM), setting a world record in the 24-hour time trial by covering 518.7 miles,.last year following up his RAAM victory with a victory six weeks later in Le Tour Direct, a 2,500-mile race on a course contrived from classic Tour de France routes - Robic finished in 7 days and 19 hours, and climbed some 140,000 feet, the equivalent of nearly five trips up Mount Everest.

velospeak

From time to time it has been suggested that FGBC is more a vehicle to talk about cycling than it is actually about riding bikes. The pendulum seems to be swinging back to the riding side of things, if this winter's race participation is any indication. But lest we lose sight of our roots, I offer the Cycling Dictionary, made available by T-Mobile (Jan Ullrich's team), in order to facilitate future bike-related discussions. More road than mtb, but it's a start.

Next race - February 19 - Bergen's Cut-off

So, it seems we've confirmed that there will be a race at Bergen's Cut-off on February 19th. We'll meet at my place (see the google map here) at 8:00pm. The race area is in the green space just north of my place. (If you are a bit late, go to Kildonan Drive, hang a right (North) and where it ends will be race epicentre.) The race director is planning a trip out next week, to help establish an adequately rigorous course.

There is also a strong rumour that related activities (will not include rotten vegetables this time) may include a bike toss. Stay tuned.

It seems the draw and boil-up were popular enough last time that they may take place again... that will likely be confirmed at our next meeting.

Don't forget to keep Mar. 4 open for the Altona Open.

darryl

New Event?

Could this be a new event to work into future rides and races? As a whole, FGBC seems to prefer more of a slow-ride ethos. I've even heard one of us talk about the importance of slow-food. But 163 kmh on a bike has got to be a rush and I heard someone say once that you don't know what you're missing until you've tried it. I hit around 70 kmh once riding down a mountain in Utah. That was pretty cool. Finding the right spot would pose a problem. That hill in Altona probably isn't big enough. This event has Jeff R written all over it. Definitely not a slow-rider, that guy. Clearly the problem with the rocks and all a few years back was due to the slowness imposed by the conditions--tight trail, obstacles. But this definitely wouldn't be a Penner-friendly activity. It would no doubt suck on a fixie too. I love it that the dude is wearing a heart-rate monitor. Wonder what it registered when he noticed his bike start to disintigrate?

Motorist vs. Cyclist

Carrying on in the same general vein of attempting to purchase self-legitimation through stories of victimization . . . Actually, I find this sort of gesture--a kind of manipulative wallowing in self-pity that is blind to the power it seeks--to be perverse and morally repugnant. Egghead that I am, I've even written an essay on this topic. But this isn't that kind of forum. In any case, I will wallow away and participate in it anyway. Not all of us are as sophisticated as James in the dialectical rhetoric of disclamation/legitimation, so why not just acknowledge the contradition straight up? A different, though not entirely unrelated, social convention. At any rate, the following photos of a confrontation between a bike courier and an angry motorist in Toronto have been making the rounds lately. That dude needs to chill out. Watch out Johnny G. The next time you flex your muscles at a car full of young punks, they might not be as intimidated by you as the rest of us are.

Still We Ride

More treats from the world of NYC bike culture. See this trailer for Still We Ride, a documentary about the police crackdown on the NYC critical mass in August 2004. Bikes + cops = trouble.

Closer to home: Check out this picture of the secretary plunging to what looks like certain death.

ICEBIKE 2006

A huge success by any measure!

Lots of pictures to be seen. Start here:
shots Krista took at the finish line and a bit more.

Then, check out the bigtime FGBC representation in this guy's collection of pics. Beauty.
Pics from the BigDadoo. You have to be patient and wade through... it's worth it. My fav (besides multiple shots of the president's wound), is a close-up of dr. h with our logo gleaming brightly.

Full race results are available on the Icebike 2006 website!

Altona Bike Festival

More from David "give me some posting privileges" Sawatzky on the Altona Race:

Just a short update from the Altona race-planning commitee...

The race course has tentatively been determined for March 4th. Exact course distance has yet to be determined but we can tease you with the following course features: a unique start (void of push-ups, burpees, jumping jacks, etc.), bridge crossings, full-on hill assault, hairpin corners, and wide lanes (at least wider than lanes previously described to me).

Prizes are yet to be determined but there will be prizes! (probably)

For now we're hoping for a 4 PM meeting time followed by a quick course run-through. Then the race. Then the Southern Manitoba-style cage-match knockdown event.

The grand aggregate point system will determine the eventual event champion. This means that even if you kick ass in the race an equal domination of the knockdown by someone else could win the title. More on that later.

The days festivities will be capped by some grub here at Casa Hiebzky and the Duke-Carolina basketball game at 8PM. Festivities will conclude sometime the next morning. All are welcome and arrangements for overnight stays can easily be arranged!

We hope theres some interest out there from our Northern brethren (other then just Hubie) so let us know who's interested.

Thanks!

For the record, I plan to be there. We have had races with as few as 5 riders and knockdowns with a mere 4. The race shall go on.

Icebike conditions

Just back from a spin at the Forks, trying to figure out where the course is going to run for Sunday. If what we found is even close to being correct, it promises to be a fun course. Many of the same parts as usual, but all on land--unless we missed some river bits here and there. My guess is that it should be a rather fast course. The snow is packed down hard on the paths, and the trail is cleared to the grass, which means little loose snow to push through. The president's comment notwithstanding, fast = good. The same amount of energy spent will get you closer to your desired goal. Juan Eppstein could probably supply a formula that would corroborate this. In any case, all of this may turn out to be moot if the snow that is forecast for tomorrow turns out to be significant. We'll see. Either way, it will be a good time, as usual.

I still hope to get out again tomorrow afternoon, if only for a little while. Not sure when. Call if you're interested.

Johnny and I also scouted out a new potential race course for the FGBC series. This will have to be a late one, since we will want to make sure there are no pedestrians to compete with. Details forthcoming, but for now they must remain top secret. One thing we can safely promise though: no pushups. Burpees or jumpingjacks, maybe. But no pushups. And definitely no flexed arm hang. Bike racing isn't supposed to require any upper body strength. Ever see those guys? The cartoon characters in Triplets of Belleville were only slightly exaggerated. But with all the other race talk going around these days--Bergen's cutoff, Altona--it might be hard to find a time that works. Will see.

Friday Night Ride

Head's up: Johnny G and myself are planning a light ride tomorrow night (Friday)--probably around 9pm or so. Will check out portions of the Icebike course and maybe more in and around the Forks and Whittier. The more the merrier.

I'm also hoping to head out for a short ride sometime during the day Saturday. Call if you're interested in joining me.

The good news is that it will be warm Sunday. The latest forecast is calling for a high of 0. The bad news is that it will be warm on Sunday. That kind of weather will make for a bit of a slower course than would be desirable.

Old Lady and the Mercedes

Perhaps not explicitly bike-related, except in so far as we can all appreciate an asshold driver getting what he has coming. This video came up in discussion at the meeting last night. May or may not be genuine, but is still worth a watch. Click here to watch.

Sponcership woes

Several items to report on from the office of the figurehead.


I have made an effort into making some contacts in the hopes of generating a little sponsorship for "the team". The specific goal is/was new jerseys. After several conversations with Orest. I made a trip down to the brewery. I must say that it was rather dissappointing to say the least. I was informed previously that there was essentially no money, but made the trip anyway because I was promised some 'products' as well as maybe a brief discussion about future endeavours . He fell a fair bit short of his orginal 'products' offer. Orest was not even there in the end! He left me a case of dark and 4 touques, twin rivers at that!! I did spend a short while with Dieter, the accountant, who reiterated that funds were slim but directed me to Wayne. Wayne, he said, has the ability to make these sorts of thing happen.

On a somewhat similar note Craig Vidal, cousin in law, is the manager at BRANIGAN'S at the forks. He is very interested in making some sort of relationship with us there. He has strings to pull with FGBC(he and wayne are tight) and would pull some on our behalf if a positve relationship could be established. My concern is I am not sure that this is a direction our team wants/needs to go in. Branigans?? Wings and beers could be OK ??

The last item of note, I spoke with Chantelle today as well. She is the manager of the Fox and Hounds. She was pleasantly intrigued with us. She mentioned that the laws changed 3 years ago with respect to sponsoring teams, uniforms, drinks etc. They had not sponsored any teams since then BUT she has an interest in us and will give us an answer next week with regards to helping us. She needs to check on it with the legals and of course $$ concerns. She was indeed positive. She gave me a logo for artwork purposes! This logo would fit nicely on a sleeve indeed.

I think that we should race at the BERGEN'S Cut off and return to BARG's house, to consume the free case, raffle off the bad touques and whatever 50/50 contributions are gained and reprise the boil up at which point we can discern if new jerseys is what the FGBC is about. :) The race should be in february before the altona open

president penner
figurehead president FGBC
acclaimed by default.

More on the Altona proposal

Writing again on behalf of the Altona chapter, it now seems that March 4th has become the number one date of choice. The reason? This would facilitate a post-race viewing of the Duke - Carolina game at Swatty's place. Pencil it in and we can talk more on Tuesday.

Proposal from Altona!

Jonny S. and I (David S) were mulling over a possible date for a similar event here in the big A. Saturday Feb. 18th?

The line-up here would feature an afternoon race time followed by a Southern Manitoba-style knockdown tourney (to quote the Duker, "You haven't really done it 'til you've done it in a cage!" I hope he was talking about knockdown.) To cap off the day we'd have a little supper (Unger? Rink dogs?) and fun and fellowship well into the evening.

Hopefully a late afternoon start/early evening finish will encourage those who plan on heading back to Winnipeg (although all are welcome to stay, we can always find floor space/beds).

So, Winnipeg FGBC'ers, can we make it happen? The initial invitation comes in the comments down on the race report... Dr. H has replied negatory do to a prior commitment... Any other thoughts?

Spring ride date changed already

The most significant news from Tuesday is that the ambitious effort to peg down a date for the spring ride has already fallen apart.

New date (for now): The weekend of June 11.

FGBC sponsored knock-down derby

Icebike

Next event is Icebike: Jan. 29 at the Forks. For more information, click here. Last year 4 FGBC members were able to participate: Hal, Unger, Juan Eppstein, and myself. Hopefully we can improve on those numbers this year. With all the racing we've been doing, we should collectively do alright. It's a low-key race with a big group of people (150-200) and is always lots of fun.

Full Results and Series Points

Here are the full race results for Sunday's race:

Hal (ss)
Chris
Johnny G (ss)
Loren (ss)
Darryl
Juan
Nathan
Jon F
Aiden (ss?)
LeAnn
Penner (no pushups!)
Unger (chain problems)
Vic (-1 lap)
Elizabeth (-3 laps)
Stuart W (-3 laps)
Johnny S - DNS?
Jess - DNS

And, if we were to total the results from race to race according to the standard point scoring system, this is how things would add up. Bear in mind that you must finish a race to qualify for points.

Chris - 27
Hal - 20
Johnny G - 17
Darryl - 12
Mark W - 9
Nathan G - 9
Unger - 8
LeAnn - 8
James - 7
Loren - 7
Jeff - 6
Juan - 5
Jon F - 3
Aiden - 2

Brief Race Update

Good work, boys and girls. An overwhelming turnout last night: 17 riders started in each event--though not the same 17. Less a race than bike carnival, albeit lacking mattresses and rotten vegetables. Here are the bare bones details: Johnny S. retained his title in the knockdown event, as the one rider to win more than once. As for the race, here's the top-five (if memory serves).

Hal
Chris
Johnny G
Loren
Darryl

Full race results, report, and pictures to follow.

That's a lot of bikes

Courtesy of the New York Times:

PEDAL POWER "Retailers predict that they sold close to 20 million bicycles in 2005, a number not seen since the oil embargo of the 1970's," Bicycling reports.

While the media coverage Lance Armstrong received for winning his seventh consecutive Tour de France certainly deserves some of the credit, it seems clear that a good number of them were bought for commuting, something that the magazine could not be happier about.

"By using a bike instead of a car just one day a week, the average American (who drives 29 miles daily) would save $609 in gasoline, maintenance and depreciation costs per year, reduce auto emissions by 24 pounds per week, and on that ride, even at a comfortable 12-m.p.h. pace, burn an extra 1,315 calories."

better late than never

bike race - january - 2006

here it is folks, the schedule for the january bike race:

1) bike derby; 7:00 pm at vimy ridge park
2) race; 8:00 pm at omand's creek
3) hot dog boil-up; 8:30ish at dr hubie's - bring your own buns, dogs, lawnchairs, beverages, etc.

prizes or prize to be awarded at the boil-up

i know this was not discussed at the meeting last night, but i suggest an entry fee of $5. we will then put everyone's name in a hat and draw for the cash (minus any costs incured from prizes). if you like this idea, say so - if you don't, say so.

minutes jan 3, 2006

good attendence. two very significant points were covered:

• derby and boil-up - Jan. 15. The derby will take place in the Wolseley area, with dogs boiled over a fire to follow. time tba, but an early evening start has been suggested.
  
• Hal has written a date for the spring ride into his palm. The weekend of June 4. This is breaking very new ground as far as even proposing a date... check your books.

Last Ride of 2005

Good turnout for the New Year's Eve Ride. The ride itself quickly degenerated into a lengthy knockdown derby, cage match style--on ice. Not sure of the final tally, but the boys from Altona pretty easily dispensed with the out of town guests from the City. Defensive riding was the key under the circumstances, and Johnny's townie and David S's general penchant for conflict avoidence suited the conditions to perfection. Home ice advantage didn't hurt either. There are hints that enthusiasm in Altona is trending upwards. There is even talk of them hosting a race. The potential combination of a toboggan run finishing on an ice rink seems particularly promising. Stay tuned.

christmas comes late

got home late last night and had a message on the machine...

"hal,
gene-o at one on one bike studio....in snowy minneapolis, minnesota.
your bike is here - its ready.
anytime, we'll be ready for you - all right.
have a good one.
goodbye"

sweet.

other minneapolis news: looks like cars-r-coffins is getting a retail space...one more reason to go to the twin cities.

New Year's Eve Ride

Location: Altona.
Time of departure to be determined.

All are invited, including El Presidente, and the President too, for that matter.

minutes, dec 27, 2005

present: dr. hubie, hal, unger, secretary

a relaxing, post family-gathering type meeting.

an initial survey on the christmas bike crap (please feel free to add your items in the comments):
secretary: mec samurai riding shorts, VDO bike computer, assorted lights. no new bike.
dr. hubie: a fancy headset and hubs to build some new wheels.
hal: I can't remember
unger: maybe next year.

there was more discussion on future shirts... and the funding options that could facilitate something higher end. we were hoping someone would be able to provide a report on the status of the fundraising bonspiel... maybe next time.

the Texas hold'em fundraiser took a bit more shape... this may be more a way of levying dues in a fun way. we all put in $10 to play. the winner gets his $10 back, the rest of the cash goes into the common jersey pot. then we repeat on a few more nights.

Race Results

Another fine race took place this evening. A bit more cyclocross style this time around. This perhaps explains why Hal schooled us all. Another record turnout, with a total of 9 racers showing up. And a better showing from the FGBC, with 7 folks present. The course consisted of 4 laps of climbing and descending at Omand's Creek. The loosening of snow on the toboggan runs led to a series of endos and other forms of spontaneous dismount. There has been some discussion concerning the need to clarify starting procedures, but all in all it seems like another successful FGBC event.

Results:

Hal (ss)
Johnny G (ss)
Chris (fixed)
James
Darryl
Nathan
Vic (-.5 laps)
Elizabeth (-1 lap)
Penner (-2.5 laps)

The President's excuse for this poor showing is that the potential for footage was too good to pass up. So he played the role of videographer and photographer. Videos and pictures to be posted not later than 2007.

The next event was originally scheduled for Jan 1 at the school across from Hal's place. But in light of some potential scheduling conflict, there is a possibility that this may be rescheduled. The particulars will firmed up at the clubhouse Tuesday evening. In addition, the president promises to be present to request the official Christmas accounting of the numbers contained in The Book.

Race #2

Race #2 is this Sunday, Dec. 18 at Omand's Creek. Meet at Omand's Creek (on the Wolseley side) at 8pm. Post-race festivities at my place. I tested a potential race course on my way back from work this evening. 5 cm of wet snow is not conducive to fast riding. Let's hope it doesn't snow too much more and that it gets colder. But either way, the race will go on. Hope FGBC participation is better this time around.

and now for something completely different...

we have a long long way to go regarding bike derbys; as received from ian hall....

"In my heaven, this would be every Sunday afternoon (and I wouldn’t have to work Mondays).

Oh. My. God."

http://homepage.mac.com/rachelmeyrick/iMovieTheater8.html

lost and found

apparently, someone at this evening's meeting left this behind. anybody guess who's it is? i know i don't really want it...


possible future FGBC events as discussed at the meeting:
- bike and street hockey derby
- biathalon: ride your bike, throw a frisbee to hit a target

Night Riding

First night ride of the winter last night. Just me and Johnny G. Went out to Whittier Park, etc. Not enough dog walkers there, evidently. Or at least it was too dark to see the trail, if there was one. Everything else was fine though. The red Raleigh made her maiden off-road voyage. Only went down once--a block and a half from home. Only other incident was when I crashed into Johnny. Shoulder hurts a bit from where it impacted his saddle. Better than last year when, for a time, I thought a tree broke my femur. Did some scouting for the next race. Will look to throw in a decent amount of trail. Hope to confirm when that takes place at the meeting this evening.

Plan to get out for night rides on a semi-regular basis (e.g., twice a week), at least for the next little while. Co-conspirators are always welcome.

minutes nov. 29

...felt like we were back to usual in the attendance department. nice. a good complement of bikers and hockey guys. Even Luke was there.

Reports on the race were positive, although the lack of FGBC members was unfortunate.

A few ice related wipe-outs from the last few days were described.

Sounds like the next race could be on the weekend of the 17th/18th. A number of folks seemed to prefer evening.

It also seems like something is brewing for Jan 1.

Speaking of brewing, the dark was different last night, but the true supporters stuck with the home team. Wow, it won't be long before the thrift stores are full of useless Rickard's glasses.

Race Results

Good turnout for the first race this morning. Seven riders showed up. I believe that's a new record high for racers. Miriam was the lone fan. FGBC participation, however, hit an all time low. Only Unger and myself showed up. The race consisted of 15 laps around an oval in Vimy Ridge Park. The course featured a mix of untreaded snow, sanded walking path, a token technical dropoff, with a few sections of bumpy ice. It took a few laps for the snow to pack down, but by the end the laps were going pretty quickly. Will look to have another race in a couple of weeks, before everyone scatters for the holidays. A short loop of single track in Whittier Park might be nice. After sorting out some confusion on lap counts, the official standing are as follows:

Chris H
Mark W
Dave U
LeAnn F
Jeff F
Jess K
Elizabeth B

Venue Change

There is a venue change for the race tomorrow morning. It will take place at Vimy Ridge Park. Same time. Same setup. See you all there at 10am.

Snow Crit

Did a little scouting on the ride into work this morning. I'm thinking our race this weekend should be a snow criterium: short laps around an oval in the formal gardens. The first few laps will be a bit slow, and might even require a dismount or two. But it will pack down as we go on, and so the speed will gradually pick up for what will no doubt be an exciting finish. Hal, can you bring your markers? Meet at the formal gardens in Assiniboine park (not the gardens by the duck pond, but the one in the southeast corner) at 10 am. Non FGBC racers welcome. Gears and brakes optional.

Race

I don't see any compelling reason to assume that the race is not on. The conditions do seem to be ideal. There is snow on the ground, after all. And some ice too. So let it be declared that the race is on. Saturday at 10 am. Location to be determined. Will be posted on the blog. Feel free to recruit other racers.

Race on Saturday?

has anyone heard from the race director? We were tentatively on for something Saturday morning. I've now discovered I can't be there... Maybe post comments here as to whether you might be available and interested. Conditions seem ideal.

trainer for sale?

David Sawatzky dropped me a note wondering if anyone knew of an old or unused bike trainer for sale... Does the MCA site every have such? Put your responses in the comments.

CX Hal

A few more pictures of our cyclocross star and poster boy. Would look nice in an FGBC jersey, don't you think?

Belgian Club and links

Further info on the Belgian Club is available here. Seems I was mistaken about the number of five Belgians. Honorary membership is available for $10 so long as a mere two Belgians (who need not be members themselves) are willing to vouch for someone's freindliness towards the bike crazy land of Belgium. This still poses a problem. I know only of one person of Belgian descent, and after the fiasco that was the Team Time Trial, I doubt he'd be willing to sponsor us. Maybe if we promise to ride with drop bars and brakes on our bikes. In any case, we'd likely all need to get memberships. Not only would this mean $10 a person not headed towards our savings plan at the F&H, it might require more collective leg work than we can muster. Looks like we're doomed to stay loyal to the F&H for the time being. And why not. They have been good to us lately--e.g., the good tunes last night: Yes, Styx and even the post-Skynyrd collection known as the Rossington Collins Band. I believe I have their entire catalogue available on vinyl if anyone's itnerested.

My right knee hurts from Tuesday's commute--not to mention "Mark Messier" knocking me into the boards after another failed breakaway Tuesday night. 46x15 is too much for 27 cm of snow. So for the time being I'm spinning along on 36x15. Is fine so far, but once it's less icy I'll want a little more.

Stumbled on a couple of websites that some folks might be interested in:

Patrick Humenny's blog. Dig around a little and you will also find his account of the Bird's Hill TTT fiasco referred to above.
The Bike Dump.
And also a list of bike blogs.

First FGBCBC race - November 26

Our first race of the new winter season approaches rapidly:
November 26, 10:00am, location to be announced by the race director no less than an hour before the race.

minutes nov. 15

a rather core gathering. all attendees were actual bike club members:
president, hal, dr. h, jonny g, vic, dunger, secretary.

hal reported on the cyclecross race in Minneapolis. Do you have a link to results/pictures/anything for that event hal? maybe a link to that bike shop where you'll be spending more money would be good too...

unger's glutes are not firing.

set date/time for the first FGBCBC (Fort Garry Bike Club Bubba Cup) race of the winter season... yes, the title is a bit of a carry over from a previous era. there was some discussion of considering a biathalon further down the road: biking and curling.

calling all Belgians... dr. h figures we need five Belgian sponsors to get into their club for future post race gatherings.

the new, longer lasting precipitation precipitated discussion on preparing one's single speed for such riding. dr. h reports decent results with his new tires. (note to non-club readers: while this blog may suggest that the FGBC is an extremely hard core group of riders, it semi-regularly needs to be reported that we are diverse. All riders in the club are not so serious, as much as we like to talk the talk... I, for example, am not examining new tire options. I was thinking about maybe brushing a bit of the mud off my bike from the spring ride the other day...)

Winter

Cars and winter. A deadly combination. Had to push out three cars on my ride in to work this morning. Dumbass drivers. At least when I get stuck, I can pick up my bike and walk out of trouble. The early verdict on riding fixed in winter is promising. My new CX tires arrived in the mail yesterday. Good timing. They worked to perfection on the snowy ride in. Omand's Creek was a bitch, and the combination of hard packed car tire tracks in the midst of loose snow presented their usual challenges. But so far so good. Tonight's ride home in the dark could be interesting.

Now that the snow's here we can start talking about the winter race series. Put it on the agenda for the F&H tonight.

drag races and media watch; all things new york

ever wonder what it is like to be a messenger in NY?

from the NY Times...

November 8, 2005
Proselytizer for Pedaling Acts on His Words
By ANDREW JACOBS

Michael de Jong wants you to take your bike to the plane.

It might seem like a loopy proposition, but Mr. de Jong, a Dutch-born millionaire, real estate developer and cycling maniac, is on a worldwide crusade to get industrialized man out of his car and onto the saddle seat. One prong of that mission is to convince otherwise sensible people that taking two wheels to the airport and back is less daunting than it seems. Cyclists, after all, never get stuck on the Van Wyck Expressway, and they do not have to lug their baggage quite as far as they would if they took the subway to the AirTrain.

As part of his pedal-power mission, Mr. de Jong promotes a 100-day bike race across Africa, sponsors bike ownership in the developing world and invents whimsical biking accouterments, among them a traffic-parting air horn and a tent that overnight travelers can suspend from the trees.

"Imagine how much better the world would be if more people rode bicycles," he said with the dead-on earnestness of someone who regularly cycles from Cairo to Johannesburg and Paris to Geneva.

Go here for the rest of the article

Icebike 2006

From the MCA homepage:

Icebike 2006:

Good news! It looks like Icebike 2006 is on and the tentative date is January 29th. This will be confirmed at a future date.

Still to be confirmed, but at least worth putting it on your calendars in pencil. The winter race series will help to ensure a strong showing at this important event. Look for the first race to happen in about two weeks. Perhaps something in the vicinity of Whittier, with post-race festivities at the Belgian Club. Or would that be a missed opportunity to add to the impressive progress we've made in "the book" at the F&H? Stay tuned.

links

the link to the icebike site is fixed.

there was some interest in seeing my first go at designing a new website for my friend Marvin at Marvin's Foods... this is a test so far... totally not complete, nor are the pictures final.... but if you really want to see it...
the Marvin's test site
Marvin's current site This is nice... I asked Marvin why he got the domain name "marvinsfood" rather than "marvinsfoods". He told me, because the guy who did it for him doesn't pronounce "s" very well. Apparently this will be fixed.

minutes, november 8

an intimate gathering of five. hal, jonny, dr. h, juan, secretary.

of note:
1. newest merch idea. black hoodies with the logo high on the back. nice. yes.
2. our book total was tallied. approx. $350 spent at the clubhouse to date. things are coming along very nicely... it would be nice to see a few more folks out... if not to talk to, at least to boost our tally.
3. further to team brown discussion... we might not fair entirely well in a full on race, but a haiku down could give us an edge. would be nice to see the vp external weigh in to make contact. we would need to prime jeff r for a haiku down.
4. november is the first month with snow. the race season is upon is. the commitment from the race director has been one a month...
5. hal's bike light no longer reacts to the usual inputs. it no longer turns off when invited to by the switch.

Fixed Gear 101

For those of you struggling to find a gift for that special someone this holiday season, here's a suggestion: download and print this fine little booklet, courtesy of Puma, of all things. This would even pass the stringent criteria set by those Buy Nothing Christmas scrooges--though the Puma sponsorship might leave enough of a consumerist trace to cast that in doubt.

Winter is coming. Will try to make good on the promise of at least one snow race per month. Consider it training for Ice Bike.

Had a conversation with a member Team Brown (though he says they're not called that anymore) this weekend. The idea of a TB vs. FGBC competition of sorts was floated. This strikes me as an idea with some potential, provided we can find an event or two that we might stand a chance at. Perhaps a post-race bullshit contest or some other event not involving a bike.

cyclocross pics and new world disorder

Some good pictures from the psychocross race last Sunday. Note: there is a huge difference between riding in the A and B categories.

Anyone interested in riding and bike porn in Morden this weekend; let me know.

And from the department of shamless-self promotion (preparing to dismount):

off topic - totally - in spite of it all

i have scammed a bit of our fgbc web space, since the site kind of stinks these days anyways, to put up a little Paul Bergman music video i created. I know there are a few fans in the Bike Club... so I thought you might enjoy it. It won't be there forever, so enjoy it while it lasts.

darryl

the bogus Paul Bergman tour announcement page

New World Disorder 6

some of the Morden locals have arranged a showing of "New World Disorder 6: Unchained" on Saturday, November 5th, at the Morden Legion Hall. The show starts at 7:30. If the weather holds (as long as we don't get 3 feet of snow) there is some momentum for a ride Saturday before the show. Here's your chance to get a Tinker Creek ride in before the end of the season. Discussion to follow at the Tuesday meeting.

observations from the belgian supercross

Here are a few things that I observed at the belgian supercross:

• the Belgian Club is way cool; if the Fox and Hound were not so damn convenient, this would be the place to meet - imported Belgina beers are only $4.25
• cyclocross rocks and is the most spectator friendly type of bike racing around short of velodrome or a knock-down derby
  
• you can get mayonaise with your french fries
• wet leaves + mud on pavement + generally wet conditions = plenty of spills (+ the occasional tossed bike because of frustration - neat)
• spd pedals + mud does not = successful pedaling
• folk dancers during the awards ceremony, no podium girls, just folk dancers
  
• did I mention they had Belgian beer
• its embarrasing to hear your name called for a prize and your in the can - couldn't figure out why Scott from Olympia did not want to shake my hand???

Psychocross is this Sunday - if your at all interested in trying a race

Derby Pictures

So I found a picture of our Knock down derby. I'm not sure who won this round but as you can see both riders have the maniacle smile of a "post dog" Fort Garry Bike Clubber.

post-turkey ride and derby results

yes - there are actual results, becuase this way no mere ride; but a full-blown competition.

in the team trail event:

Charlen and John in 34:37
Leanne and James in 35:49
Rachel and Chris in 36:36
Alex and Hal in 38:11

in the knock-down derby (waiting for pictures from johnny g)

hal was the winner of the first event and chris won the second event. enough fun was had in the knock-down that it will become a standing event for all future fgbc events (i think juan eppsteins backyard is just big enough....)

stay tunned for the next race/derby

limpy?

Hal's comments about cycling and impotence seem to have struck a chord. LeAnn, in particular, seems to enjoy bringing it up.

See below for a little more on the matter, courtesy of cyclingnews.com's fitness column:

Cycling and impotence

I was reading the Globe and Mail (Canada) yesterday, and came across an article (see attachment) claiming there is new research supporting the notion that cycling causes impotence. Is this fact, or is it more of the same old sensational news that has cropped up in previous years?

The article states that 5% of cyclists will experience impotence problems. What's the statistic for non-cyclists?

I'm in my mid forties and have been cycling regularly for the past 15 years. I have never had any problems having fun on or off the bike, nor do I know of any problems any of my cycling buddies have experienced. The only comment I hear from my wife and other spouses is that endurance increases after years of cycling. Maybe all that interval training is worth it? Thanks.

Ira Birt

PEI, Canada

Kelby Bethards replies

Ira,

That is an interesting statistic on impotence. I am not sure how they arrived at that number. There are many places to find info, but I just looked it up. The article I read states that about 33% of males over 25 will experience sexual dysfunction at some point. This percentage increases with age. HOWEVER, that is not strictly impotence. That number includes psychological reasons also.

There is merit to the claims. It's not cycling though, it's the seat you set you and your stuff on. If a seat is not fitted correctly it can cause pressure points in the pudendal area and cause nerve damage that would result in true impotence. Someone that suffers from this would not be able to do "as well" with an erection, and possibly not be able to obtain an erection, even without psychological problems.

The other part of what you are speaking about in terms of "prowess" does also have some merit. Fit people tend to have a bit more "lively" sex lives. So, ride hard and protect your stuff.

post-turkey ride and derby is on

looks like good weather, so on with the show. meet at bur oak trail between 3:30 and 4:00.

apologies for my first attemp at posting pictures. hopefully the yellow shoes will be more apparent in this shot

penner

movies from the fall ride

so the president got a few of the little movie clips going from the fall ride.

Right-click on the links and "save target as" or "save link as" or whatever and then they shall be transported to your harddrive.

Jonny examining his rim in the parking lot.
Darryl crashing on aiden's steps.
Chris being bested by aiden's steps.
Fancy repair work on Ryan's bike.
Testing the fancy repair work.

arcade fire review

fucking unbelieveable...

Post-Turkey Ride and Derby

kudos to the secretary for the last post and pics. hope we can gets some pics from dog-fest (or is dogfest one word?)

proposing that the post-turkey ride become a post-turkey ride and derby event. we'll meet at the burr oak trail on monday, october 11 at 4:00 and have a couple of derby events and races on the trails (we'll make em handicapped or team events so that everyone is part of action).

just throwing out the idea - discussion to follow on this site and/or at the next meeting.

weekend ride and dogfest

A fine evening at Juan Eppstein's around the fire... started off with a big group ride... to NK to pick me up, and then back out to St. James. Sweet. Except for the loser in the backseat of the 4x4 downtown... and even then, that was mildly entertaining.

The weekend ride at Ingolf was stellar. Seven riders... a few minor injuries, a bike wheel repaired with a few bangs on the rocks... good times. Started off a little slippery with the rain, but that just added to the fun. Aiden's steps claimed another victim, this time on the way down... Starlene banged her ankle up pretty good... and earlier, new (to the club) rider Ryan managed to turn his front tire into a pretzel at battery rock. See the pics below. Hal shows how battery rock is done, and then the president shows us how it's not done. First "too much front" which delivered him into the drink in fine style, and then "too much back" gave him the butt breaker...

...looks like a ride at Assiniboine Park, but it's actually slippery Canadian Shield.

Hal showing how it's done at battery rock.

The president with "too much back" on... sliding sideways down battery rock. No, he did not pull out of this...

Fall ride update

We're meeting at the Tim Hortons/Wendy's on Fermor at 8:30. Grab the vitamin c's... caffeine and carbs, and be off. The hope is to be home for a lateish supper.

Let's not forget the dogfest at Juan Eppstein's on Tuesday. We'll try to start a shade earlier if possible... maybe 9:30. Bring dog supplies, beverage, and chairs if possible.

There are numerous, less consequential tidbits that could be posted as minutes... I doubt I'll get to them at this point... I will be scanning a lovely "Bike Dump" poster to be posted at a later date.

Observations from the singlespeed championships

A few random thoughts from the singlespeed championships:

sunday at 6:00 is a strange time to start, didn't finish until 10:00 and there was still a windup to be done.

a 50 meter oval with 22 riders is nuts

if you are not a courier you are at a huge disadvantage in the messenger and road race events (you are at a even higher disadvantage if you get paired with a guy named steve who only moved to the city three weeks ago when you need to find specific addresses)

always carry a pump and tube...flatting sucks when your 4km from the finish; just ask john...

couriers are a weird bunch of people...or, are 43 year-old librarians racing in singlespeed events weird?

you gotta love "the bike dump," a socialist bike repair and counter culture place on main street (in an old deserted store front) where any one can go and use their tools to repair your bike, donate used bikes and bike parts, hold wind-ups for singlespeed championships, etc.

riding home on portage during cruise night is different...i just don't get the cruising and setting up a lawn chair to watch thing

gotta love the chopper bicycles in front of the burger factory on cruise night...note to self: a chopper would be a supreme vehicle for tuesday night fgbc events.

Fall ride and Dogfest dates

Things came together nicely in the discussion over a fall ride and dogfest:

Fall Ride. Ingolf. Sat. September 24.
It seems entirely possible that Westgate is having their cyclathon on the same date which is too bad for Vic and James...

Fall Dogfest. Juan Eppstein's. Tues. September 27.

minutes, september 13

Six members out: President, Hal, JonnyG, Juan Eppstein, VicP, and me, the secretary.

Most primary in the reporting has to be what we've learned from our fair hostess about the arrangements know as being "in the book". The president made the call last week, and sho'nuff, we're "in the book". It seemed prudent to learn a bit more about the arrangement, since the president's good name and phone# are recorded there. The dividend amounts to 15%. Really. At the end of our season, our purchases are totalled, and we receive a voucher worth 15% of that total to spend in one shot next door at the vendor. Some rough tally work brought us in the ballpark of $130-$150. The only limiting parameter is that we are only on Tuesday night, and, while not entirely explicitly said, it seems it would be nice if we were a larger "team" than one person. The hope is that someone will bring a digital camera soon to prove our presence in the ringed notebook know as "the book".

Five out of six rode. We don't really understand why so many people shoot left in hockey, yet 95% of golfers shoot right.

A quick shout out to Ida Jeane Friesen Bergen for having been born... ...new daughter of Glenn and Lisa.

Some good planning took place for the fall ride and fall dogfest. That will go in a separate post to highlight it.

Staying Put

Phonak reported yesterday that Floyd has decided to stay with the team for another year. This is an interesting move, as he most certainly had some good offers from some other top teams. A few of his teammates took advantage of the opportunity to leave, leaving them with fewer big names. But this could end up being a good thing, as they suffered a bit this year from having too many potential leaders.

Though Floyd is long gone, as are 56 other riders, there is still a pretty exciting race going on in Spain. As expected, Roberto Heras lost his early lead to Denis Menchov in the early time trial. Then Menchov was able to stick on Heras' wheel in the subsequent mountain stages--assisted no doubt by a nasty crash that left Heras with 14 stiches in his left knee. But that all changed in a dramatic way on Sunday, as Heras blew the race apart. He attacked on the 2nd last climb, over 50 km from the finish and ended up taking 5 minutes from Menchov. He now holds a comfortable lead and should be able to hold on for his 4th Vuelta victory despite the remaining time trial on Saturday. Michael Barry is one of four Discovery riders still in the race. Despite riding with a cracked rib, he's having a strong race, currently sitting in 50th place while largely riding in support of Tom Danielson (8th).

Minutes and other stuff

Well, the first meeting of the year has come and gone. Present: Penner, Chris, Jon G, and Hal. Various topics discussed, including: the absence of Dave, ultimate, John's adventures with clipless pedals, soft-tail mountain bikes, and a fall ride at Ingolf. Apparently there is some sort of book at the Fox and Hound and we, the FGBC, are going to be added to this book. This should result in some sort of discount or savings for a year-end party (Penner said he would follow-up on this).

Other stuff: The Manitoba Single Speed Championships are on Sunday, Sept 18th. Meet at Fort Gilbrater @ 6:00 PM. Bring a city map, bag (messenger or knapsack), lock and light. First prize - a tattoo administered at the finish line.

Other other stuff: Cyclocross is upon us. Skill rides commence on Sept 25, with the first race on Oct 16. Big event this year is the Beligan Supercross taking place on Oct 23. The Beligan Club in St. Boniface is celebrating their 100 year anniversary and the final event of the celebration is the cyclocross race. There is even talk of podium girls being there for the awards - this could be your only opportunity to be on a podium with podium girls.

First FGBC meeting of the year

There was talk of this yesterday at the Legends windup...same time, same place. See you there.

Don't try this at home.

Ingolf

Although it wasn't in the bone dry conditions that Morgan led us to believe it was in, I have never seen Ingolf in better riding condition. Rode it twice this weekend, with Jonny G, Johnny S, Unger. Anita also joined us on Sunday. The creek with the flat rock crossing was completely dry, and so easily ridable. So was the so-called steep rock, which usually has a nice puddle that makes your tires slip just when they should be gripping. Each of us was able to clear it--some with more do-overs than others. Also dry was the long wet spot where Luke has taken a few noteworthy spills. Now that we can see what's under that boggy mess, it's easy to see why nobody could make it all the way through. There's nothing but rocks with no discernible line to ride. A new trail has been cut to bypass the logging road, and Jonny G found some more at the end, so that we can avoid the road altogether. It seems there is all kinds of trail left to explore, and hence a discussion about a possible fall ride has been initiated. A few more highlights:


Johnny S ditched the Softride for Cheryl's new Fusion and, among other things, the promise of clipless pedals. The early verdict? You decide.



Unger and his new NRS demonstrating the benefits of full suspension for climbing.



Johnny S, having figured out the new pedals, determined not to be outdone.



Jonny G nailing the hill back up from the lake. It is much trickier than it looks. This is also where we met the first two of a group of 20 or so riders from Gords. This pair, along with their dogs, demonstrated the irredeemably bad form of bombing down the hill while a bunch of us were riding up it, thus violating the rule "always yield to those on the way up." I wish this would have occured to me at the time, but I was mostly taken aback by the dogs hurtling toward me to fire any verbal daggers at them. In fact, I think I may have actually said something nice. I should say that the rest of the Gord's group was much better, and there's something to be admired by their ability to get people out riding. But this only affirms my decision to stay away from that store. Perhaps we should adopt this as a general FGBC principle, in effect placing it under the ban.

More on Floyd's Exit

An update on yesterday's post. Team Phonak now has this to say about Floyd's departure from the Vuelta: "The injuries (hand, arm and hip) that the American suffered during a crash while training last week made riding very uncomfortable." Then they add, in italics, "Floyd Landis struggled with pain the entire time during this year's Vuelta." He sure looks like he's hurting in the picture they supply. Somehow I interpreted the word "morale" in a psychologist fashion, whereas it was clearly intended more in a physicalist way. How thoroughly American of me--I mean to assume that his somehow has to do with feelings and emotions. And I don't even watch Oprah or Dr Phil. I should have known better, good materialist that I claim to be. Floyd's own website puts it this way: "Floyd Landis has abandoned the 2005 Vuelta Espana. After having a frustrating stage 4 where he had a mechanical at the base of the final climb and finished 8 minutes down, Floyd stopped midway through the 5th stage citing fatigue."

In other news: Though not exactly an officially sanctioned FGBC event, a number of us are off to do some riding at Ingolf this weekend. Word from Morgan at Olympia is that the trail was actually dry when he rode it a few weeks back. Hope the rain from the last couple of days hasn't screwed up this rare opportunity. Will try to remember a camera to record any Aiden- or Penner-like incidents.

Abandonment

At km 138 of today's stage, upon reaching the feed zone, Floyd decided it was time for some beer and a Big Mac--or at least something a bit more substantial than the goo that normally passes for food in these events. And so he got off his bike and quit the race. Phonak's website provides the following explanation: "American Floyd Landis withdrew from the tour today due to reasons of morale." Interesting how they feel the need to point out that he's American, as if to distance themselves (they're a Swiss based team) from such a questionable excuse. Morale? Sure, he lasted longer than anyone in the FGBC would have (though Vic with those new pedals and cleats?), but clearly something wasn't right with Floyd over the last few days. He went into the race with high hopes, despite a crash in training two days before the start of the race. Apparently, yesterday's disaster was due to an ill-timed mechanical at the base of a climb, so maybe it wasn't the legs. Losing 8 minutes in a relatively easy stage has got to be demoralizing. In any case, it wouldn't be altogether surprising if he would end up wearing different colours next season. Wherever he ends up, let's hope he's given the opportunity to be a team leader, as his performance in the Tdf this year definitely demonstrated that he's capable of a high finish.

Floyd's former teammate, Roberto Heras, winner of the last two editions of the Vuelta, rocketed into the golden jersey in today's first mountain stage. He simply left the peloton in tatters, dropping riders one by one, before eventually winning by 0.13 over Denis Menchov. Francisco Mancebo who, like the Living Legends, finished in 3rd place last year, put in a respectable showing, finishing 0.49 back, and 1.20 in the GC. Mancebo is one of my favourite riders because of the sheer torture it looks like he's suffering through as he pushes his bike up those hills. He's definitely a contender, as are Menchov (2nd at 0.06) and Carlos Sastre (3rd at 1.01). Michael Barry finished 4.53 back and now sits at 6.45 overall. His teammate, Tom Danielson, billed by some as the next great American hope, couldn't quite hang in there with the big guns today. He finished 1.40 behind Heras and now sits in 11th place at 1.57, despite being ahead of Heras going into the stage.

Still lots of excitement to come. For some reason, the Vuelta alwas ends up being a dramatic and hotly contested race. In the last few years, the GC hasn't been decided until the last stage or two. Heras is a climber, pure and simple, and so will lose some time, and and most likely the lead, in the long time trial coming up Sunday. With another 39 km TT on the last day, things could very easily remain up in the air until the very end once again. Too bad the Canadian version of OLN doesn't broadcast this. Will have to get working on a satellite TV hookup for the clubhouse.