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.

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.

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.

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 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.

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

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.

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)

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).

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:

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).

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.

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...

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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)

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.

Qatar

Forget Copenhagen. Let's move to Qatar. Cycling paths kept nice and cool with cold water misting. Check it out. We might want to modify things to suit our particular needs. Winnipeg does not get quite as hot as Doha, so cool mist is arguably unnecessary. But heated bike paths would be a nice touch for winter.

I have successfully probed the Ass. Forest. It looks better than I had feared it might. There's actually a decent amount of singletrack in there. What is lacking in hills is more than made up for in kidney-jarring rows of logs. Between logs and the holes left behind by the horses, there will be some bumpy sections to keep things interesting.

Also, it looks like the CMU Bike Co-op is officially a go. We've got a place to hang out and some cash to hire a student. Now I need to go order some tools.

into the Ass. Forest

Rode the XTC into work today so that I can delve into the Ass. Forest over lunch to scout out potential courses for the CMU Homecoming Bike Race (which happens on Sept. 23, 11am). I'll be leaving around 12 noon. Anyone who wants to help is welcome. And if you can supply a front end loader to help create some hills that would be nice too. Looks like it'll be a rather flat course, but we'll see what we can do.

busy day on the blog

pictures of last friday's bonfire and wasp killing event at dr. h's. pictures are of wasp killers examining the death spray; dr. applying said spray from the roof on his house; dr. h impersonation of a cat on a roof; and the said bonfire (burning of last year's christmas tree).

life is good

Arrived at work this morning to stumble upon this sublime scene. If you can make it here (North Campus) by around 10:15 this morning, I'd be happy to share. Otherwise I'll have to eat them all by myself, and take the long way home.

the next project

make your own helmet cam

jersey fitting party

the sizing kit has arrived. a full complement of club cut jerseys from size s to xxl. maybe your size is in there somewhere.

meet at dr.h's at 9:00pm on Monday. then we might ride a bit and end out at the clubhouse. thought it might be better to be modest on the sizing effort. ie. baring our buffed uppers for sizing might be better left to a private residence. some sorry people need to start working again on the next day so it likely won't be late...

what's known re pricing is that there will be a price for fgbc regulars to purchase one jersey which will reflect some of our hard work on sponsorship, but friends of fgbc and regulars who want more than one jersey will be welcome to add to our order as well, at a price somewhat related to cost.

Monday night ride report

Sweet ride tonight. Johnny N, Jonny G, Unger, Juan Eppstein, and myself put in a very casual 40 km this evening in and around our fine city. For some reason we ended up in NK. Don't know why that happened. We even rode down Irving Dr. Perhaps we were unconsciously sensing the absence of the President and the Secretary. Also hit up the Belgian Club in honor of Hal, and payed our respects by visiting the more tortured rendition of Louis Riel behind CUSB. Met up with some fellow cycling enthusiasts at the F&H on what was otherwise one of the deadest nights ever at the clubhouse. Some dude at the urinal assured me that I was doing a good thing by riding my bike. That's always nice to hear. The dark was just right. This allowed us to move on to more pressing issues like assessing the relative merits of the tube tv vs. HDTV vs. computer projection units. Not sure we reached a consensus on the matter other than to agree that it is likely best not to drop your old tv.

Not sure whether a Labour Day edition of the MNR will take place next week or not. Stay tuned.

Jealous anyone

So Johnny S. and I were at a frisbee party the other night and some how ended up with a pair of FGD glasses.

Quick hands buddy....quick hands.

I am in for a ride tonight. What is the style of ride?

Monday night rides

This might just be one of the best times of the year. Ultimate is done for another eight months (for most of us). The Living Legends, as has come to be expected, closed out the season with a win. And Hummelt hockey is still 5 or 6 weeks away (for some of us). That means that for the next little while there's an extra day each week for bike riding. This won't happen again until April. Seems like we should stick with Mondays for now, since Jonny G still practices on Tuesday. We'll try to throw in a couple of races yet--another alleycat, perhaps an inner-city xc race--but we'll start with something a little more relaxed.

So if you want to ride, meet at my place at 8pm. Not sure where we'll go, exept that we'll eventually end up at the F&H.

FGBC friends Paddy and Tomek (the pusher) and others showed em how it's done in Saskatchewan this weekend. See full report here. Nice work fellas. Then again, it can't be too surprising that some folks from MB beat out a bunch of SK hillbillies. It can't be too easy riding a bike with a banjo. Bring on the Riders. Go Bombers!

The jerseys sure look sweet. Can't wait to see how much faster they make me ride. I think I'm going to go crack a dark to celebrate the completion of the proof process.

jersey - designing is done

so, this is the final design on the jersey. now we wait for the sizing kit to come... this should work out to be everyone's fav Christmas gift... if we're lucky.

spring ride 2006 - the movie

ok, it's not going to win any awards, but after taking a bit of sass (from the Duke, no less) at Jonny S's on Saturday, I thought I better throw something down. so, here you go, 5.5 minutes of memories.

It's actually on our website... so my $35/yr is worth it...
http://www.fortgarrybikeclub.com/media

Copenhagen

Not the kind that comes in a tin. Though that reminds me of my good friend Pete.

Pete goes through about a tin of Copenhagen every day or two. Some of you met him at the F & H a while back. Pete's father is Ethiopian, his mother's from Lancaster County--Floyd Landis country. The Lancaster connection goes some way to explaining the fact that he's as redneck as they come--cowboy boots, Willie Nelson, pickup truck, and the aforementioned smokeless tobacco, even though . . . well let's just say he doesn't exactly fit the stereotype. Growing up in Lancaster can be harmful for your health, or at least your lips. Pete claims that there are all kinds of old Mennonite churches in the area with spitters for your dip.

In any case, I'm referring to Copenhagen the city--the city of cyclists. Check out this documentary on Copenhagen's efforts to accomodate cyclists, courtesy of the bike advocacy dept. Kind of makes me think Winnipeg is a lost cause, unless something miraculous happens in the civic elections this fall. But I suppose we can always dream. While we're dreaming, some of that architecture would be nice too.

My ribs are still hurting pretty good from ultimate on Monday. Makes it hard to accelerate on the bike. So it's nothing but cruising for the next little while. Hope my rickety old body is good enough to go for the ultimate champeenships on Saturday. Here's to peaking at the right time: Go Legends!

rider down

LeAnn had a close encounter of the vehicular kind this afternoon. Some dude talking on his cell while driving down Main St. decided to turn across two lanes and ran her off the road. Luckily she is okay and the bike looks to be fine too, but the dude's car got all scratched up. That's nice to hear, actually, as these sorts of encounters usually turn out the other way around.

Ride carefully boys and girls. It's a jungle out there.

erotic cycling

Yes, you read right. Perhaps we should try to get this exhibit over here for an FGBC fundraising event. Read more here.

must be the Belgian beer

More Belgian fun. Check out the crazy finish at the Benelux Tour today.

From VeloNews:

The Eneco Benelux Tour ended bitterly for George Hincapie (in the red jersey) on Wednesday after arch-rival Stefan Schumacher (in yellow) hooked him in the final 50 meters, sending the Discovery Channel leader sprawling to the ground and causing him to lose the race on time bonuses. Schumacher started the 201km seventh and final stage three seconds behind race leader Hincapie, but the German rider bounded ahead to finish third behind winner Philippe Gilbert (Française des Jeux) and runner-up Manuele Mori (Saunier Duval-Prodir) to earn a four-second bonus that nudges him into overall victory in the eight-day Benelux tour by one second.

Read the full of the story here.

And Hal thought he was taken advantage of at the race on Sunday. Either Hincapie was robbed or he's a whiner and should just shutup. It certainly hasn't been a banner year for him. Snapped bars at Paris-Roubaix, a lacklustre performance at the Tour, and now this.

okay....

jon friesen making the road gap in lethbridge. see the rest of his pics at pink bike

dude, where's my bike?

Hey man, sweet bike! I can deal with a curse that makes me speak a bit foo-nee so long as that frame helps me ride faster as well. So far so good. I heart singie speeds.

keep yer dang feet out of my spokes!

This is why I don't like racing criteriums. On the other hand, this is why they're popular in the US. It's like NASCAR without the noise. One little bump and it's all over. This took place in the Women's race at the U.S. National Criterium Championships this weekend. The good news is that she wasn't seriously hurt. Cyclists may be smaller than average, but they're tough as nails. Pics courtesy of cyclingnews.com.

race report

#9 - #9 - #9

wasn't my day. felt great at the start of day - the preride was good (except for one pitch over the handlebars). any ways, when our group went off i was feeling pretty confident, after all i had ridden well against all the guys in our group (the same ususal suspects). well 5 minutes in on the up hill lead in, i was being dropped. what the hell. for the next 20 minutes guys kept passing me (this was starting to get on my nerves) finally during a run up section i discovered that my back wheel had shifted and was rubbing against my brake - baddly. so out come the tools and i start to fix the problem - more guys pass me. as i am working on my bike this guy wearing a woodcock jersey pulls up beside me and says "can i have a drink of water, i dropped my water bottle." before I can answer the dude picks up my camel back and starts to drink from it. i can't believe what i am seeing. i tell him, "i have enough water for my race," he says okay and continues on. shit. not only is that bad form, it is illegal - i can't believe he did that. finally, i get my wheel issue straightened out and start to get back into race. slowly i start to reel some guys in, thinking all i have to do is to stay smooth, keep the pedals turning, and i might be alright. well no - how about a flat. f*#k, so now i get to fix a freaking flat. well i have a C02 inflater which i've never used and manage to discharge half of it on to my hand as i am inflating the tire - at least my hand was cool now. so i managed to finish the race with about 20lb of pressure in the back tire - but i finished ninth overall. not stellar, but still a day of racing in grand beach which is always fun.

ciao.

maah daah hey

Check out the article on the MDH in the NYT. Will have to get back there some time.

Bummed to have missed the good times at the Belgian Club last night. No doubt it would have been more fun than digging up my driveway.

A ride sandwiched between two bbq's. Does it get any better than that? I hope I can make it. Depends on how the driveway goes today. Might even have the xtc ready for her maiden ride.

friday fun file

more fixie mayhem. the fixie skid and simultaneous lighting of the cigarette is kinda cool

belgian report: no waffles (beer stew, fries and mayo), some beers = good

word is there is a bbq at tinker around noon, followed by a ride. looks like coordination with altona fest is possible.

beer and waffles

folklorama - working at the cyclocross display at the belgian pavillion tonight. drop by for some great belgian beer and waffles.

race report

the president and i both raced last night. while my front tire managed to stay inflated enough to get me through to the end of the race, the president was not so lucky - dnf city (when i got home i pulled a 1" nail out of my tire - it was at such an angle as to only slightly puncture the tube, causing a slow leak. remember kids, always check the tire before putting in a new tube).

weekend ride coordination - talked to james last night and he was talking about a saturday afternoon ride at tinker/trans. i'll be going to tinker thad day (rides anyone?). someone from altona have a cell? we should get in touch so we can meet up.

ciao

feeding the habit

They say that when you're addicted, you should try to avoid seedy places that will tempt your resolve. But they don't tell you how hard that is. I'm so weak. Goddamn the pusher man, or so the song goes. On the other hand, thanks Tomek. Still a work in progress, but coming soon.

l'il stevie

some of you may have known steve harjul from olympia cycle. steve has moved to north carolina to complete a masters in fine arts. i received an email from him yesterday; here are a few excerpts:

"My plans totally hit the fan once I landed in TO. My sister screwed up
the application for her VISA, which offset the whole schedule. Thats
the last time I make a plan. Everything is by the seat of my pants from
now on. Just like a Russian cosmonaut. The Russian space crafts are
purposefully designed ultra low tech so that the pilots can feel
everything that is happening to the space ship and in the case of an
emergency fix a problem. Its like mechanical disks vs hydraulics. My
life is a rocket ship from now on, no more overly complicated space
shuttles"

"Next thing you know, I packed up the car, and we were at the US border. Flew across it and booted it down to NC. After a couple days I found an apartment but it dosn't open up till sept1. Till then Im living under a bridge with this 3 toques
type guy."

this and that

James and Johnny are back from their transrockies adventure. Sounds like they had a blast. Check out their latest report. One of these days, we'll have to pull together a team or two.

Asked the guys who live across the street if any of them was Don. They said no. But they want us to let them know about the next alleycat anyway.

Obligatory Floyd reference of the day. A 2005 article on Floyd concluded with this quote: "The way I was raised there's no value in having something if you didn't get it honestly and through hard work. There's no reason to be proud of something you have if you didn't earn it." Read the full story here.

All of this has the philosophy professor in me thinking that this would make a fascinating case study in what is known as virtue ethics--according to which character is somehow taken to be morally basic. Might an appeal to character trump the so-called facts of the matter, or whatever it is that the tests can be said to reveal? I have to say I think it can, though of course it's important to bear in mind that media sound-bytes do not constitite a sufficiently rich account of anyone's character. At any rate, it complicates the question of what counts as admissable evidence in these discussions.

To follow up a meandering conversation that took place at VJ's around 1:30 am last night: average house prices in Portland are around $330,000. Evidently, good city planning comes at a price.

final jersey proof?

well, i'm thinking this is it... if we give them permission to move, they'll start creating the stuff they need, and have it ready to go for when we send our order. this is your last chance to register any major concerns.

math is hard

but this story is cool

minutes august 14

re this weekend in Altona:
ride, ride, barbeque, ride

i hope jonny s understood more.

don't steal the fixie!!!

why you may think twice before you try and steal a fixie

Haben Sie sich heute schon gedopt?

Or "How to Piss Off the Peloton." Maybe the secretary can get one of his kids to translate this for us.

from the bike advocacy dept

This article was in today's Free Press. Lindsay is the shit. People may actually listen to him. They'd be stupid not to.

Positive cyclists group plans law-abiding rally
Say approach of Critical Mass is misguided

Mon Aug 14 2006

By Carol Sanders

ORGANIZERS of a mass bike ride this September say there will be no confrontations, violations or outlandish costumes -- just a bunch of helmeted cyclists out to show their support for better bicycling routes in the city.
"Our goal is trying to open communication in a positive way between cyclists and people on the streets," said Scot Miller, owner of Olympia Cycle and Ski.

"Tensions are high in this city," said the avid cyclist. "Our roads aren't widening and cycling's growing," said Miller. "We've got to figure something out, or it's only a matter of time before people start to get injured."

The Sept. 6 event is being organized by Miller and Lindsay Gauld, a bicycle courier in his late 50s and Olympic cyclist who competed in Munich in 1972.

He and Gauld are critical of Critical Mass, a movement that's held mass bike rallies in Winnipeg to promote cycling and demand respect for their right to be on the road.

"A lot of cyclists have concerns about a lack of bike lanes, but they're not being represented by Critical Mass," said Gauld. "I just think it's a little too confrontational to suit my ideas for how to accomplish anything," he said.

Participants in past Critical Mass rides have had run-ins with the police, complaining of police brutality. Law enforcement officials have complained some riders flagrantly flouted the law. Deliberately slowing down rush-hour traffic and generating negative publicity threatens to set cycling back in a city that needs more safe cycling routes, said Miller. The leaderless -- and therefore unaccountable -- Critical Mass movement has created an even bigger divide between cyclists and the public, he said.

"Their main focus is to take back the street," Miller said. "That small statement suggests a struggle, and it can't be that. You're on a 25-pound craft. You're always going to be eliminated," said the avid cyclist.

"We really feel it's the infrastructure -- as far as cyclists and motorists go -- that is the culprit here."

To improve the infrastructure, you need political will, said Gauld.

"I want to get the mayor on side," said the bike courier. "Maybe we'll finish (the ride) at the Goldeyes' stadium," Gauld said, referring to Mayor Sam Katz's connection to Winnipeg's baseball team. "I want to get some politicians involved," said Gauld.

"I've ridden my bike all over the world, and this city is not very good in terms of bike lanes or bike routes," Gauld said while oh his bike after stopping on Portage Avenue. "We've got lots of space -- there's no reason we can't do better and leave three and a half-feet for bikes."

The details of the ride aren't set yet -- like what to call it. Gauld suggests SPIN, an acronym for Strength and Power in Numbers. The ride will be held Wednesday, Sept. 6 around suppertime, said Miller. They're considering a route from Assiniboine Park to Wellington Crescent to downtown, and will apply for a permit from the city. All riders are welcome as long as they wear helmets and abide by the rules of the road, Miller said.

when is a journalist not a journalist?

I'm tired of reading about Floyd too. But this article is actually pretty intelligent. Not only because it is refreshingly undogmatic, nuanced, and informed, but because it uses the whole fiasco as a means to examine the larger question of what it means to be a journalist.

johnny g vs. johnny law

Not real, apparently, but part of an ad campaign for Specialized bikes. Clever, and worth watching: click here.

damn straight

spoke too soon

hmmm, maybe crash is not dead yet (and other pics from birch)

Don

Found this note in my porch last night, along with a beaten up spoke card from the race on Monday:


Open or closed? Fair question. Not sure I want to answer it.

Muddy Waters; TC at TR

The annual Muddy Waters ride takes place this Sunday. Big ass road ride through Lockport, BHP, etc. 60k, 100k, and 160k options. Something for everybody. I'm planning to do 160 and will likely ride to the start and back home as well. Would be nice to see some other FGBC folks there. Hal, are you up for riding it fixed? Registration between 7:00 and 7:30 am. More information available here.

James and Johnny Friesen (aka Tinker Creek Farm Team) are doing the Trans Rockies race this week. After the 4th of 7 stages, they sit in 50th out of 76 teams left in the competitive open men's division (90 teams started), 12 hours back of the leaders. Not even a hopped up Floyd Landis could take back that amount of time. But hopefully they can rise up a few places over the final 3 stages. The race for the overall lead is tighter than ever this year, with only 8 seconds separating 1st and 2nd and another team only 3:15 back.

Check out their report on how things have gone so far. I think a few numbers got inflated somewhere along the line (e.g., 20,000 m of climbing and descending over 109km??), but it gives you a good sense of the race. Clearly not an event for Johnny G, since it's possible to get lost and ride extra miles. Follow their progress through the rest of the race here.

Finally, be sure to take a look at this narrated slideshow of the Tour. Reminds me why I love this sport.

alleycat results

excellent turn out for a mid summer event; 8 riders in total. final results are:

chris 59:40 + 10:00 minute penatly (1:06:40)
vic 1:16:00
juan 1:17:00
elizabeth and cheryl 1:26:00
jon g 1:19:00 + 10:00 minute penalty (1:29:00)
john n 1:38:00

the riders enjoyed the course, which included the following:

Manifest

Start and Finish: 206 Home Street

1) Legislative Building - Thomas Douglas is the ??? Earl of Selkirk (don't look for his name first). Answer - 5th

2) The Zoo - who plays on August 19th? Answer - Todd Kerns

3) The Belgium Club - What is the Belgian Club's Belgian Vetran's Association number? Answer - 107

4) Velo Artisan Bread (293 Carpathia) - Go to the front door. Riders had to pick up a water-filled ballon and deliver it the finish without breaking the ballon. Sadly, no one's water broke.

5) Main / Norwood Bridge - What is the official opening date and who is the artist? Answer - 10//19/99 and Catherine Widgery (Jon and Chris forgot the artist)

6) Garbage Hill - how many fence posts surround the tree at the top of the road? Answer - 18

7) Augustine Presbytrian Church (the village) - what date was it completed? Answer - 1903

8) The West End Cultural Centre - Danny Micheal plays on what date? Answer - Sept. 14

9) The Walker (should not be called the Burton until he is dead) - what four acts will be playing there? Answer - Yellowcard, Geroger Canyon, Weakerthans, WSO

10) Red River CC Downtown (south atrium entrance) - fill in the blanks: __ __ __ NXA, __ __ __ NUS, __ __ __ HAA (look for white numbers and letters). Answer - 208, 427, 398.

Prizes:

1st - Bottle of wine to Chris (thanks for sharing)
Last - 1/2 loaf of banana bread to John N
Draw - other 1/2 of banana bread to Vic

All riders received a shot of fine homemade Slovenijian grappa upon completion of their ride.

Post ride activies included a ride to VJ's for dogs, burgers and fries and visit to the skate park - excellent.

Look for more events in the near future.

you want a war?

Fucking French. Not that I want to make this a question of patriotism, since I have little use for that. But this is not just about Floyd anymore. It appears that war has been declared. L'Equipe, the infamously trashy rag with ties to the lab that is trying to bring down Floyd, had this to say in a recent editorial: "The parents of Floyd Landis today probably regret that the wheel was ever invented. Welcome to the 21st century, Mennonites!" To which I say: Screw you! If you're so in love with the 21st century, why are you still interested in bikes? That's more Amish than anything. Or at any rate more along the lines of the 19th century than the 21st. We here at the FGBC may not be cutting edge hipsters. But at least we're smart enough not to have to rely on inane retorts like that. So bring it on. We're ready. Just don't expect us to come at you in ways you might expect. If the 21st century is anything, it's predictable, scripted, and essentially boring. Not to mention stupid. Take a look around you. This is the 21st century. And the list of shitholes that soil our world is not limited to Buffalo, New Jersey, Hollywood, any North American suburb, Baghdad, Israel/Lebanon. As far as I understand, things haven't been so rosy in Paris recently either. So spare us the self-righteous bullshit.

Another rider down: Big Jonny of drunkcyclist fame was run over this past weekend. Be careful out there boys and girls.

Floyd's anger

By now you no doubt know that Floyd failed his B test on Saturday, has been fired by his team, etc. Apparently the whole world knows about this. And that is part of the problem. His TdF victory got some modest coverage, but the media, at least in North America, are evidently more interested in covering scandals than actual sporting events. This is particularly disappointing for sports networks. Despite their eagerness, however, the media coverage is often misleading, if not downright false. Floyd has tried to clear up some of the misconceptions in a letter posted on his website. More recently, he's just plain angry, blasting the UCI, the media, and others in a recent interview published in USA Today. That won't help him win the PR war that gets fought on the airwaves. But I don't think he cares. That's Lance's game and he plays it as well as anyone.

I really want to believe Floyd and confess that I continue to hold onto a glimmer of hope that he will eventiually be able to clear his name. All I know is that there's something about all of this that doesn't make sense. Hopefully it will get sorted out at some point.

Selfish as it no doubt is, I must admit to feeling a tad bittersweet when Floyd won the Tour. He used to be our little secret. Outside the FGBC, he was virtually anonymous. But now everyone was going to be talking about Floyd. But that's a distant memory by now. The way things are going, he will eventually forgotten, banished from our fickle imaginations as yet another failed hero, and we can have him to ourselves again. Maybe we should order up another FGBC jersey, because nobody else will want to ride with him. But that's not exactly how we'd want this to turn out either.

Can't wait for the alleycat tonight.

North Shore Jonny

Too muddy to ride the new trans canada section by Tinker yesterday. So Jonny went home and built his own place to ride instead. A few ladders to start with. First laying flat on the ground. Then higher, and even higher. Lots of fun. Look for a new bike park in Altona sometime soon. Yes we know we're dorks.



Also scouted a site for a future FGBC event: Stonehenge. Would be perfect for a 12 or 24 hour race.

Don't forget the Alleycat tomorrow. 8pm at 206 Home St.

betherebesquare

re: brake no brakes

great response/observation from "a flower called nowhere" (one of my favourite blogs). if you did not read all of the post from dr. h's posting on the brakes thing - do, because it makes a whole bunch of sense.

the post made me think a bit about this whole fixie thing. sometimes i catch myself thinking "bike snob" thoughts ('nice canadian tire 80lb bike you're riding') and being a bit of bike messenger wannabe/poseur ('look at me - i ride a fixie'). try and catch myself when this happens and remind myself: one, if you ride a bike your cool - no matter if it is $150 cdn tire special or a $2500 race bike that someone put a mirror and rack on for commuting; and two, i am librarian, not a bike messenger. having said all that - fixies are fun and a challenge, but they are still only bikes; ride what you want to ride, as long as you ride.

winning made easy

From the cheap thrills department comes this video of Japan's best kept secret--kierin racing.

when is a brake a brake?

Used to be that we only had to worry about whether or not we were cheap posers. Now, in addition to integrity issues, it appears we might be haunted by the spectre of the law. Or is it hunted? Since Winnipeg cops have a penchant for bandwagon jumping (witness their attempt to mimic NYC cops in their approach to Crticial Mass), let's hope they don't come across this news. Then again, maybe it's just pathetic self-rationalization that we suffer from.

Check out the latest obstacle for fixed-gear fans, courtesy of cars-r-coffins:

Illegal Fixies?
Rant: Dang! Out of Portland comes this crazy nooze...

Judge finds fault with fixies
Posted by Jonathan Maus on July 28th, 2006

Yesterday at the Multnomah County Courthouse the law came down against fixed gear bicycles.

On June 1, 2006 Portland bike messenger Ayla Holland was given a ticket for allegedly violating Oregon Revised Statute (ORS) 815.280(2)(a) which states,

A bicycle must be equipped with a brake that enables the operator to make the braked wheels skid on dry, level, clean pavement. strong enough to skid tire.

At issue was whether Holland’s fixed gear bicycle met this requirement. She and her lawyer Mark Ginsberg thought it did, but Officer Barnum of the Portland Police Bureau thought otherwise so they brought the matter in front of a traffic court Judge.

According to Officer Barnum, he stopped Holland at SW First and Jefferson and told her that she was in violation of the law and that she must put a front brake on her fixie to avoid a ticket. Holland disagreed. She and Ginsberg claim that Oregon statute does not clearly define what a brake is and that as long as a bicycle can perform a “skid on dry, level clean pavement” it does not need to have a separate, traditional braking device.

At the start of the trial it was clear that neither the Judge nor the Officer understood just what a fixed-gear bicycle was. To help them visualize, Ginsberg likened a fixie to a child’s Big Wheel. Once everyone was clear and the cop was finished with his opening testimony, Ginsberg began his cross-examination:

Ginsberg (to Officer Barnum):

“When you approached the rider did she stop?”

Officer Barnum:

“Yes.”

Ginsberg:

“How’d she stop the bike?”

Officer Barnum:

“I don’t know.”

Ginsberg:

“The gear itself stopped the bike.”

Officer Barnum:

“But the gear is not a brake.”

From the outset, the judge seemed to agree with the cop and it was up to Ginsberg to change his mind. The trial began to hinge on the definition of brake. Ginsberg continued to ask questions of the cop.

Ginsberg:

“What is a brake?”

Officer Barnum:

“A lever, a caliper or a coaster brake hub.”

Ginsberg:

“Can you show the court where in the vehicle code a brake is defined as such?”

Officer Barnum:

“No.”

Ginsberg:

“Did you at any time during the traffic stop ask my client if she could skid (thus meeting the performance requirement of the statute)?”

Officer Barnum:

“No.”

At this point the judge seemed increasingly exasperated with Ginsberg’s direction and pointed out that “brake” was a commonly accepted term. To end this line of questioning, Ginsberg offered to demonstrate to the court that Holland could easily bring her fixed-gear bike to a skid on dry, level pavement. The judge declined his offer.

Now it was time for Officer Barnum to ask questions. He asked Holland,

“What would you do if your chain broke?”

Holland:

“I would use my feet.”

Officer Barnum:

“What if your leg muscles had a spasm?”

Holland:

“I’m not sure…these are emergency situations.”

Ginsberg interjected with a question for Holland:

“Did any of these situations happen on the day you were stopped?”

Holland:

“No.”

Now it was time for Officer Barnum to submit his closing testimony. He continued to argue that nowhere in the statute does it say gears can be utilized as brakes (it doesn’t say they can’t either). He also said that “motorists and the public deserve to have these bikes be properly equipped,” and that a “skid is not as good or safe as a stop.” “The requirement,” he said, “has not been met.”

Now it was Ginsberg’s turn. He said,

“The state is overreaching in seeking to define a brake as a lever and a caliper. The question remains; is the fixed gear the brake? The statutes are clear that the answer is yes.”

To solidify his point, he took out a huge Webster’s dictionary and opened it to the word “brake.” The definition stated that a brake is a “device to arrest the motion of a vehicle.” It did not stipulate anything about a distinct lever or caliper. In his last few comments he proclaimed that the current statute is not well-written and that it is “frightening to require only a front brake.”

With both sides at rest, it was time for the Judge’s final opinion. His contention was that the main source of braking power on a fixed gear are the muscles of the rider, not the gear itself. To this end, he questioned how messengers—whom he’s seen riding “much too fast”—could stop safely.

In the Judge’s opinion, gearing itself and/or leg muscles are not a sufficient source of braking power. He said,

“The brake must be a device separate from the musclulature of the rider. Take me for instance. I don’t have leg muscles as strong as a messenger…how would I stop safely?”

He then turned directly to Ginsberg and said,

“If your client had a stick she could rub against her tire, you’d have a case. I don’t believe the defense has convinced me to broaden the definition of a brake. I find the defendant guilty.”

So now Holland has 30 days to either attach a hand brake to her bike and pay a $73 fine, or appeal the decision. In talking with her outside the courtroom it seemed like she did not think the Judge’s opinion was fair and I wouldn’t be surprised if she and Ginsberg decide to continue the fight.

This decision by the Judge raises some concerns and questions. Will the cops now feel emboldened to go out and ticket everyone on a fixed-gear? Are fixed-gears now essentially illegal? Are fixed-gears truly a public safety hazard?

Fixed gears have become a huge trend across the country and with hundreds if not thousands of them in Portland, I don’t think we’ve heard the end of this issue.

Still reading? Now read the (entirely appropriate) retort by aflowercallednowhere:

broke break baroque

There is a lot of talk around bike blogs and newsgroups about whether the law should require brakes on fixies and even what constitutes "brakes". I feel there are more important things the law needs to focus on, and that the decision to have brakes or no brakes is up to the rider, but I also feel that legislating common sense can't be done because people are inherently stupid and subject to the whims of fashion and herd mentality.

Some of the things that the "brakeless faction" are missing out on or rationalizing away are 1) chains snap, and no chain on a fixie means out of control. Only the people who have never had a chain snap while stomping hard on the pedals actually believe that they will be able to make an emergency stop on their bike as fast as they could without a chain. I've had 2 chains snap in my life, and both times they were absolutely catastrophic split-second rides off the seat and up onto the bars. To think I could have stopped the bike on a dime right after it happened is just stupidity. 2) Most of the braking power on a bike is on the front wheel. You know that and I know that. Explain to me how, in an emergency situation, it can possibly be anywhere near as fast to stop by doing the fixie skid as opposed to backpressure on the pedals and clamping down on the front brake. 3) Most people I know who race track don't ride track bikes on the street. Most people I know who ride brakeless track bikes on the street are following fixie/messenger fashion trends and ride maybe a couple miles to work or to the bar where they park their bike so all their fixie friends can see them. 4) I would venture to guess that a good portion of fixie riders, just like a good portion of any people that do anything, aren't exceptionally skilled at what they do. There is a world of difference in abilities between the average fixie scenester and the experienced bike messenger or experienced racer. All people are not equal in all things, to think they are is stupidity. Most people arguing that skid-stops are superior probably could not get it together enough to even begin a skid-stop in the split-second the old lady opens her door in front of you, while they may have had a chance of stopping if their fingers were on their brake levers (as they should always be in heavy traffic and dangerous circumstances).

I ride a fixie solely because it's lighter and easier on my long flat commute on bike paths and a few blocks of city streets, and also to some extent because it never breaks down or needs adjustments. The novelty and uniqueness of riding a fixie is pretty much gone for me after these thousands of miles and from riding it almost an hour and a half (20 miles, with grocery stops) every day, the quirks internalized. If the commute were easier on a unicycle, well, then I'd ride the unicycle. I could care less about the coolness factor because I'm not trying to look cool or get laid. If it were easier to ride a geared-bike to work I would ride a geared bike. Fixies, by their very nature, are extremely limiting. They only do one thing well. Turning on a dime and by body language is a function of frame geometry, not whether it is a fixie or not. Riding a fixie doesn't mean you are a better rider or a cooler person. Coolness is all inside, and if you're a loser then the coolest fixie in the world won't fix that. if you have to rely on a fixie to define social life and to get laid, then you maybe should think about your life a little bit.

The mythical fixie zen is all fine and good. Being a slave to fashion with your bars a foot lower than your seat and no brakes on a bike that never has been near a track is all fine and good. It's a free country, be whatever you want to be. Just don't be so stupid and obviously rationalizing (out of insecurity?) that going brakeless is "safer", because it's not. Accept the fact that if you ride brakeless you are tempting fate, especially if the chain snaps, and be proud of the fact. Play it up like you're hardcore and tempting death. Use it to boost your macho ego or to solve your penis envy or to get college chicks, whatever, just don't claim it's "safer" anywhere except on a closed track or risk looking like a real idiot to the majority of people who don't think being an urban bike messenger is cool and rad. Have insurance for reconstructive surgery when the chain snaps in traffic, and accept it when you are responsible for your bike accident, and not the person in the car you are trying to blame it on.

If you still aren't convinced then ask yourself if you know more about bikes and are as respected a rider/fountain of knowledge as Sheldon Brown. Didn't think so. Then Kent Peterson? Didn't think so.

"Some fixed-gear riders ride on the road without brakes. This is a bad idea. I know, I've tried it. If you do it, and have any sense of self-preservation at all, it will cause you to go much slower than you otherwise could, everytime you go through an intersection, or pass a driveway. The need for constant extra vigilance takes a great deal of the fun out of cycling. You really should have a front brake. A front brake, all by itself, will stop a bicycle as fast as it is possible to stop. This is true because when you are applying the front brake to the maximum, there is no weight on the rear wheel, so it has no traction." --Sheldon "Captain Bike" Brown

"Some young, strong and idealistic riders ride fixies with no brakes other than the fixed wheel and slow only with the strength of their legs. Most folks with a respect for physics and a desire to live opt for at least a front brake. Old, un-cool people like me have both front and rear brakes on their machines." --Kent Peterson

Like I said, ride with brakes or without, just don't try to rationalize a decision that's not based on logic and common sense. Ride brakeless all you want, it's still (kind of) a free country. Just don't believe your own bullshit, and don't blame anyone except yourself if you're unlucky enough to have something go terribly wrong. Taking possession and ownership of your decisions, and the responsibility of the results both good and bad, is power. Falling victim to your own rationalizing is weakness.

counter-consternation

I must admit I find all the speculation and soul searching about Floyd just a little bit amusing. I'm even amused at myself for getting caught up in it. We seem driven by a need to believe and to disbelieve all at the same time. And so all this ongoing talk is just a way to keep alive the paradoxes that somehow define us.

In any case, here are two more perspectives on the matter, in case you haven't heard enough already:

#1 Drugs can't ruin a good story

So then Landis goes and tests positive ... I don't feel betrayed or let down, because I now know enough about testosterone to know that Landis didn't decimate the competition on the road into Morzine by using a drug. If it had been EPO or some sort of blood doping, that would be different. But testosterone doesn't enhance performance in that fashion. I think the sadness I feel (in addition to being a little appalled at how quickly he's been crucified, and the fact that self-serving individuals and organizations are using him to further their own agendas -- I'm talking to you Dick Pound and Greg Lemond, and even, to a lesser extent, Bill Plaschke), is an almost childlike sense of innocence lost.

#2 Wash your bottles

Now the news about Mr Landis, and my initial reaction was crushing. Against my better judgement I'd been rooting for the guy, hoping that somehow this Tour would be better, that things were on the upswing. But they are not. After about 24hr I had become resigned to it. But then the scientist kicked in. One of the dirty little secrets of antibody-based testing is that the test is only as good as the specificity of the antibody, and that is sometimes not as good as we would like. The T/E test would be done by ELISA, an antibody-binding based test. Mr Landis's team need to make sure that what has been detected as testosterone is actually testosterone and not something else that cross-reacts with the Anti-T in the ELISA. They need to insist on a second method used in parallel that will give a more authentic identification of the testosterone, as well as an independent measure of the level. I would recommend Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectroscopy (GC-MS) or High-Performance Liquid Chromatograpy-MS if there is enough sample. The chief suspect for cross-reactivity in my opinion would be plasticisers (probably phthalate esters) and the most likely source would be those 70 bottles. I'm sure the team mechanics didn't carefully soak and wash them before use, the phthalate esters can be absorbed through the skin as well as through the gut, and I've personal experience of these compounds interfering with steroid assays (although it wasn't an ELISA test). Only when the high testosterone value is confirmed should there be a search for the reason for it, and Mr Landis may be doing himself a disservice with all this public speculation (now there's Jack Daniels as well as the beer?!)

proof update?

well, it doesn't really feel like much of a step forward, although they got the lettering on the collar right... the collar was the original colour they gave for the sides, then I asked them to get it closer to the logo... I guess someone's colour-blind.

Not as bad as the person who doesn't speak English or ride bikes doing the lettering on Hal's hat. The original said "singiespeed"... maybe we should have just left it.

bike club lives on monday nights

okay, the pictures are a little blurry, but here is the evidence the bike club lives; a sweet ride to vj's following the living legends game on monday.


the decision is made - no pizza -VJ's


bikes take up way less space than cars


burgers, dogs and fries at 11:00

consternation

Some sort of explanation would seem to be in order for this latest twist in the plot. Don't know why this wasn't made known earlier. Courtesy of cyclingnews.com:

The New York Times edition of Tuesday, August 1 has published information which substantiates previous reports in French L'Equipe newspaper, according to which exogenous, synthetic testosterone was found in Floyd Landis' A sample of July 20. A source "within the UCI anti-doping department, with knowledge of the result" Landis' probe returned, said in an interview that some of the testosterone in his body had come from an external source and was not produced by his system.

The Isotope Ratio Mass Spectrometry test (IRMS), which differentiates between natural and synthetic testosterone, was done after Landis' ratio of testosterone/epitestosterone was found to be more than twice what is allowed under World Anti-Doping Agency rules, the person said.

Landis' personal doctor, Dr. Brent Kay of Temecula, California, told the New York Times he hoped that the results of the test and of the initial T/E test were false positives. He did, however, confirm rumours that the initial test found a ratio of 11/1 in Landis's system. He and Landis are seeking an explanation for that high level.

The result of Landis' B sample is expected to be known before the week-end.