it happened... Clydesdale Cyclocross Champion of the Universe Race!

it happened... Clydesdale Cyclocross Champion of the Universe Race!
no... I was not there

http://cxmagazine.com

a video by Nikolas Schiller

a short video by Nikolas Schiller
15th Street Bike Lane... BOTH WAYS!
video here

Nikolas Schiller

what to road cyclists do in the off season?

I am not a road cyclist...
I am a guy on the bike
to the "road cyclist" I would more than likely be dubbed "a fred"

these images meant nothing to me since I do not know the names
but
apparently there is work for cyclists off the bike
www.cyclingnews.com

bicycle photo contest

http://www.bikejuju.com/darkdays/

who is going to spearhead the DC PUMPCOURSE PROJECT?

Jeff Peel rocking it at the 2008 DCCX Race
Gwadzilla 2008 DCCX
GWADZILLA + DCCX

DCCX is put on by DCMTB
I have ridden with DCMTB for nearly a decade
the team has changed over the years
but has always been a good group of people
www.dcmtb.com

maybe I can start the momentum at a DCMTB meeting and one of our members with more time can push forward for this objective
it would be another great contribution to the local cycling culture from DCMTB
a small team that is able to handle big ideas!

nice dreads...

I altered my route to one more lap around Dupont Circle to snap a shot of this guy on this cruiser

I heard something to the effect that... Spike Jonze announces that his is going to do a movie adaptation of Tikki Tikki Tembo

oh man!
I could not be more excited
I totally loved this book as a child
I totally dig the work of Spike Jonze

it blew my mind when I heard that Spike Jonze is going to be working on a movie adaptation of Tikki Tikki Tembo
I am not sure where I heard this... but I heard it

what a wonderfully illustrated story
the images are as powerful as the words

it would be great to see what Spike Jonze can do with that classic book Tikki Tikki Tembo
I most certainly loved how he developed the story Where the Wild Things Are

Tikki Tikki Tembo on Google Books
http://books.google.com

this blog has some interesting stuff
it came up when I Googled Spike Jonze Blog
unfortunately it is not Spike Jonze's Blog
http://weloveyouso.com/

shots on the move... it is not always as easy as one would think

advertising on bicycles?

Raul...

photo from http://fatmarc.com/
the header from FATMARC'S page
I think that this shot is from the sand pit at Rockburn Cross

in the white and red is DCMTB's Costa Rican Import Raul
since joining the team Raul has been waiting for a nickname... sometimes these things take time... they can not be forced... they tend to happen by accident rather than by intention
we still have no nickname for raul... maybe our circle of riders does not have an individual with the inherent skill of dubbing people with an appropriate moniker

I met Raul while racing the Shenandoah Mountain 100 a few years back
after the race we talked... he chased me down via email... I invited him to join the team
he seemed to fit the bill... a passionate cyclist with a family and a career living just outside of Washington DC

interestingly enough Raul was a good fit for my brother
Raul and my brother Marc are both scientists working at NIH
my brother Marc sold Raul his old Surly cyclocross bike... Raul did his first cyclocross race and was hooked
they started riding, training, and driving out to races together
then next season Raul took to the Men's Master's A and held his own

funny... within the team there are little dynamics
people use others as markers or challenges
several of us had chosen Raul as a position to hang with on the cross course
when he lined up with the A's I lost my opportunity to try and race with him
my brother had told me he was strong... then in each race when I saw him hanging on my brother's wheel or racing within two slots of my brother I realized I was out classed

GREAT SEASON RAUL!

one fast kid...

Jeff Bahnson is one fast kid

http://dccofd.org/jeffbahnson.htm

sorry Mom and Pop! ZAPPOS ROCKS!

oh man... but I should not feel so bad
cause I know that Mom and Pop shop online too!

this weekend while Lisa was shopping for shoes for the boys I tagged on a few pairs of shoes for myself
I am actually deeply in need of a few pairs of shoes
yes... my "sole" is wearing thing
and well...
it was quick and easy

the shoes arrived today after ordering them over the weekend
AND THEY FIT! and if they did not fit... ZAPPOS takes them back hassle free!

they had my size... no polite apology from the sales representative at the shoe store
no migrating from store to store
no nothing... just ordered and delivered
in case you did not know... my shoe size is not always in stock

my size thirteen feet have two new pairs of shoes
Blundstones and Vasque Sundowners.... two classic shoes
both from ZAPPOS!
ONE STOP SHOPPING FOR SHOES FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY!
no parking the car... no walking around the crowded mall!

and the boys...
they got what they needed
Dean got a new pair of sneakers and Grant got some basketball shoes

ZAPPOS ROCKS! ONLINE SHOPPING ROCKS

that said... Please support your local business
shop locally... shop mom and pop
and most importantly
SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL BIKE STORE
if you do not shop there then they will not be there when you need them
and if you LBS Sucks?
well... go to the next one down the block or take the initiative to place a complaint to someone higher than the kid with a lip ring and tattoos behind the register

I often snap more than one shot...

sometimes more than one are worth posting...

something about a new face or maybe something about a break between runs...

GENTLEMEN START YOUR ENGINES!

LIZ HATCH via here
http://chicksandbikes.blogspot.com/

video of photoshoot here
www.maxim.com
and photos here
www.maxim.com

funny... as hot as she is... I think that she is much more sexy in this shot

nice set up!

ah... the cargo bike and the Christmas Tree...

it is going to be a GREEN Christmas
http://www.oregonlive.com

make your Christmas Green... buy locally grown Christmas Trees!

this shot belongs on THE CARGO BIKE GALLERY PAGE!
http://www.cargobikegallery.com/

RAMMING SPEED!

morning traffic in washington dc

YEHUDA MOON PLEADS NOT GUILTY!

YEHUDA MOON PLEADS NOT GUILTY
www.brooklynpaper.com

yehudamoon

bridges are beautiful... this would make a beautiful bike path

bridges are beautiful... this would make a beautiful bike path
www.design-training.com

my neighbors returning home from school

tolerance

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craig's list response to an aggressive driver in brooklyn
www.craigslist.org

www.wnyc.org

my fondest memory of BIKE NYC some 12 or 13 years ago was a line of small children in garb that appeared to be that of Orthodox Jews each of them gave me a high five and said Shalom as I sped by
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a shot of someone riding their bike...

the Internet offers up such a random collection of information

I Was a Teenage Dominatrix a memoir by Shawna Kelly
http://shawnakenney.com

also a contributor to Hos, Hookers, Call Girls, and Rent Boys: Professionals Writing on Life, Love, Money, and Sex

lucky for them... SEX SELLS!

another shot from the first snow fall of the 2009 season...

still tickets left!

www.grippedstore.com

this guy has been doing the DC Messenger thing for some time now...

MORE and the Trails at Loch Raven

MORE Needs Your Help Today to Protect Cyclists from Fines at Loch Raven Protect Mountain Biking Access at Loch Raven Watershed

Ask Baltimore Mayor Shelia Dixon and the Baltimore City Council to work more closely with mountain bikers. We have ridden the trails at Loch Raven Watershed for years, yet an abrupt change in management policies has recently been imposed on our user group, with no opportunity for dialogue or collaborative problem solving.

Take Action!

Recently the Department of Public Works Reservoir Natural Resources Section Police officers have begun ticketing and fining trail users in Baltimore's Loch Raven

Watershed. These fines have come without warnings nor an attempt to create a dialogue with the user groups who have been responsible for maintaining the resources for the many years.

More Information

Many similar areas in Maryland and other Mid-Atlantic States welcome trail users as vested partners in management who will quickly alert authorities if something is amiss. At Loch Raven, the lack of adequate storm water management threatens the quality of the watershed, yet trail users -- who volunteer to maintain trails and remove trash -- are receiving tickets.

Baltimore's watersheds, especially Loch Raven, are among the largest open spaces accessible to Maryland residents. We recognize the challenges in managing such a large geographic area with diverse user groups. In order to create a partnership between trail users and DPW, we suggest the following actions:

• Immediate suspension of ticketing and fining trail users.
• Creation of a map and signage on the existing network.
• Begin treating all trail users equally and ensuring all maintained trails are open to all users.
• Implementation of a night riding program, similar to agreements the Mid-Atlantic Off-Road Enthusiasts (MORE) has with Maryland DNR and other land mangers.
• Creation of a trail maintenance agreement between the City and trail users groups, similar to agreements MORE has with Maryland DNR and other land mangers.
• Implementation of the "annual review of mountain biking activities." The Loch Ravenmanagement plan called for this, yet it has never been executed.

Please take action on this important issue!

https://secure2.convio.net/imba/site/Advocacy?cmd=display&page=UserAction&id=289

---

Here is the article from today's Sun:
http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/b...0,507258.story

Quote from article:
"These are clear guidelines so that you can have recreational biking without degrading the habitat around our drinking water supply," he said. "This international organization doesn't know a thing about Loch Raven. They don't care about wildlife or sensitive plants, they just want to ride. If they were riding over George Washington's grave, they wouldn't care."

Please post comments on the Sun's website.

snagged from http://bikecentric.blogspot.com/

Thievery Corporation Tour 2006 Photo Book!

Blurb is having a $10 off book sale for the holidays! Good time to grab the TC 2006 photo book!

http://www.blurb.com/my/book/detail/76564

live coverage of the cyclocross nationals

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LIVE COVERAGE OF THE CYCLOCROSS NATIONALS

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www.cyclingd irt.org


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nothing is final... nothing is set in stone

it looks like DCMTB may be going with a new clothing manufacturer this year; ENDURA
www.endurasport.com

DCMTB:DC Mountain Bike
www.dcmtb.com

personally I am excited about this...
I have owned a variety of the Endura products and have always been satisfied
they are a small company and we are a small team
I think it is a good fit... but what size do I wear?

Eric Roman has some photographs.

Eric Roman Photography
www.romanphotographic.com

I wish had some audio recording of our quick interaction...

video would have worked... after we made contact he busted some smooth moves and cut a serious groove through traffic right in front of me

apparently he used to work as a messenger

MOUNTAIN BIKERS IN THIS AREA NEED TO READ AND RESPOND! read... and leave a comment

I just got an email from The Single Speed Outlaw to share the word...

Loch Raven Singletrack in Baltimore is in DANGER!
Warnings and Tickets are being given out!
The Baltimore SUN has an article with inaccurate portrayals of MTBers by a city official

we need our voices to be heard
send emails and place comments now

MORE FORUM on the topic
and
in The Baltimore Sun

sadly... editors love when they get a stir even with misinformation
it gets people to read their papers
they are liking all the hits that their page is getting from this article

wrong way ray...

cheering for the lesser of evils

the chronology may be a little skewed because we did not keep a time line as things were happening
the basic time frame is correct
the specifics are a blur
it happened so fast
and of course... this rant was tossed together in between dinner... homework... chess games... and bedtime prep

although it is not entirely over
the worst is hopefully behind us

it is strange... but it is true... we often cheer for the lesser of two evils
and no... this is not going to be a political rant

in mid-September of this year my older son Dean woke up with a stiff neck
I did not think much of it at the time
it did not seem out of the question for an eight year old to get a stiff neck
we thought that he could have slept in an awkward position or perhaps he did not have enough covers on a cold night in our drafty old house

so... Dean was treated with some occasional children's Motrin and an abundance of parental compassion

it did not seem like such a big deal
it lasted a few days or maybe a week
then... the stiff neck passed and Dean was his old self again
we shrugged it off as nothing

then in late September Dean woke up one morning with a pain and stiffness in his elbow
the night prior had been one of those adult parties where the parents all bring their kids... needless to say it was madness
I had figured that Dean had bashed his elbow in one of the many pig piles that developed in their Lord of the Flies style games that had occurred in the basement

just as Dean could not explain his stiff neck Dean could not explain the soreness and stiffness to his elbow
I asked if he had banged or bashed his elbow the night prior but Dean was confident that he had not injured himself
ice and motrin were administered as we drove up to my first cyclocross race of the season

it was the day of Charm City Cyclocross and the whole family was packed in the Honda Element for a drive to Baltimore
Dean and Grant were registered for the Lil Belgians while I was set to race the Masters B
after I finished my race I brought out the boys bikes and migrated over to the Lil Belgian's course
when got there Dean told me that his arm hurt too bad for him to do the race
being who I am I asked him to try a few laps... after seeing him on the bike I saw that he was not himself
I accepted that he was not in any shape to "race" his bike on this day

Lisa and I monitored Dean's behavior over the next few days
when the soreness\stiffness to the elbow did not improve I took the day off from work and Dean and I went to the ER for X-Rays
the way things were looking we thought that Dean may have broken something

at the GW Hospital Emergency Room Dean and I played various games on the iTouch as we were shuffled from the examination room to the radiology department for X-Rays and then back again
after review I was relieved that there was no sign of a fracture
in the discussion with the doctor I gave what background we had
mention was made of the stiff neck
and that the cause of the soreness to the elbow was unknown

we left George Washington Hospital relieved that there was not a break that would put Dean in a cast
we accepted that it was just banged and bruised and left with his arm in a sling
a few days later I witnessed that Dean appeared to be running around playing normally
so I tossed the sling aside and decided to cancel the orthopedic appointment

things got back to normal... the diagnosis at the doctor was accepted and we went on living our lives
Dean was running, playing, and fighting with his brother again... it was business as usual
no soccer games were missed
the elbow stiffness that had prevented him from riding his bike in the Lil' Belgian's Race at Charm City was long gone
when it was time for the Lil' Belgians at DCCX Dean raced and won his category... dominating the rest of his class... then Dean lined up with the older kids and raced a strong longer race where he finished second making his dad very proud
(Grant also raced strong that day which also made me proud)

somewhere in this month of October the stiff neck returned
just as the first stiff neck I thought maybe Dean had slept on it funny
I quizzed him if he had been cold at night or if we needed to crank the heat to warm up his often drafty room
extra blankets were offered... but none of these resolves were accepted
I paid special attention to the warmth of Dean's room, the number of blankets on the bed, and the placement of his head on a large stack of pillows

the mysterious stiff neck vanished just as it came and we maintained the routine of every day life
not really thinking anything of it

then with a day or two absence of any soreness or stiffness Dean started to have a pain in his bicep and shoulder
again... this was a pain that was not brought on by any impact or injury
Dean was saddened by his inability to do the things he loved while Lisa and I grew worried about what was happening in front of us
immediately Lisa and I started scanning the web and consulting friends to see if anyone had any information about this very odd migrating joint stiffness and joint pain

online resources gave a long list of possibilities... none of which we liked
most of these bad and evil things contained a long list of symptoms that Dean had not suffered
all Dean had was this migrating joint stiffness and joint pain, he did not have any of the other symptoms that were associated with all of these bad and evil things

there was one illness on this long list of bad and evil things that was slightly less evil and even a logical assumption... Lyme Disease
we live and play in the woods of Rock Creek Park
it is common practice to remove ticks from our black dog Brutus
I began to think that Dean might have Lyme disease
the more I thought about it the more it made sense
so I tried to read a little more about Lyme Disease
with the stiffness and soreness continueing in Dean's bicep\shoulder we made an appointment at his pediatrician's for a review and a test for Lyme Disease

it is frustrating... it is not so easy as snapping your fingers and stomping your feet to get an appointment... we were able to get an appointment for a few days later
in that time the migrating joint pain and joint stiffness left Deans bicep\shoulder and moved to his knee
it was sad to watch my want to be active son hobble about
I fought the notions of the worst... yet I braced myself for the worse
I could not help but think the worse... that Dean had some sort of illness that was going to be long term
it saddened me to think that what Dean was suffering from could be damaging to his health and fitness

I went through all sorts of emotions and of course I prayed
it is funny when a recovering Catholic want to be atheist gets a sick kid... they fall back on the old stand by... prayer
deals were made with the big guy... promises... you do this and I promise I will do that
it was scary
I was scared

the morning of the doctor's appointment it pleased me to see Dean and the strength of his arms
his climbing was as it was before the stiffness\soreness to his shoulders
at breakfast Dean did something like a dip between two chairs where he tried to show how he could not extend both legs as straight
although his knee could not be bent the areas that had been effected previously did not appear to show any sort of after effects
when the symptoms left those areas those areas appeared to return to normal
there was some sort of relief in this

my scans on line and my conversations with friends did not bring me the definitive answers
we had not yet met with the pediatrician
this list of illnesses was so scary that I just wanted it to go away
I resigned myself to the hope that I would accept no diagnosis and to have this just leave him forever

finally... Dean and I took a trip to the doctor
the doctor did the basic doctor bullshit... touch here... tap there... move this for me... pay the co-pay... give me your insurance card... etc... etc...
now go someplace where they can blood test you
WHAT!

I had asked Lisa to call our pediatrician and specifically asked if they could test for Lyme disease... they had told us yes... here I was at the doctors and I was being sent elsewhere to get a blood test... I was agitated to say the least
we left out and paid our co-pay... paid for parking... then drove across town to the lab where the test would be taken
this of course would involve another swipe of the insurance card, another co-pay, and some more money being paid for parking
here we waited several hours so that finally Dean could sit for a little over than a minute to have his blood drawn

there was no peace of mind
we still knew nothing except for the fact that we were going down the proper channels to try and find a resolve

I continued to try and google different word combinations
still looking for something that would match these symptoms
someone had to have experienced this same set of symptoms

Dean never felt sorry for himself... he kept on being Dean
even with his "gimp knee" he played tag and tried to ride his skateboard sitting down
running and riding a bicycle were not options for him... but Dean was still able to hobble around and play tag
laughter never left him, but there were moments where he expressed that he could just be normal again
as any father would do I hugged him
when I hugged him I wished that I had the power to have my hug remove his sickness and make him well again

before the results return back there were more issues
Dean woke in the middle of the night with cramping and pain in his left hand
I gave him Motrin... asking if the Motrin helped... Dean was not sure if the Motrin helped... but he told me that he hoped that it helped... so we continued with the Motrin
my long and tall 8 year old climbed into bed right in between Lisa and myself... there was no complaint
it was nice to have him by my side

the test results came back sooner than expected...
well... Lisa called to see if the results had come in yet and sure enough they had
Dean had tested positive for Lyme Disease
strange... but there was a huge blanket of relief that fell upon us
the mystery was solved and treatment could be started
all those other things that we tested for were so bad and so evil that we were happy to hear that our son had Lyme Disease
yes... three cheers for Lyme Disease
as bad as it may be... it is no where nearly as bad as any of these other things

we got a prescription for antibiotics and things started to clear up as soon as Dean took his first dose
the medicine is rough on his stomach... but Dean is able to be Dean again
running... playing... jumping... falling down... and riding his bike just like a normal kid again

I was relieved that I had not made any promises in my prayers that I could not keep
We were estatic that we caught things early enough... we hope that we caught things early enough...
the antibiotics are still part of our daily routine and there had not been any sight of the previous symptoms

since our diagnosis we have learned that a long list of children's friends have tested positive for Lyme Disease... although none of them had Dean's symptoms

Dean never had a bullseye bruise... Dean did not suffer any fatigue... there were never really any more symptoms than the migrating joint stiffness

it was a scary experience that is nearly behind us
it was painful to see our son not as healthy or as strong as he should be
it was crazy scary to think of what the future could have been if he had in fact been diagnosed with something more serious

the photos are of both Dean and Grant
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lyme_disease
http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvbid/Lyme/
http://kidshealth.org/parent/infections/bacterial_viral/lyme.html
http://www.webmd.com/rheumatoid-arthritis/arthritis-lyme-disease

The Evolution of the Hipster

The Evolution of the Hipster
http://digital.pastemagazine.com

another dc bicycle messenger

cargo mike and his cargo bike

battle over bike lanes

the Huffington Post has a piece on a bike lane battle in Brooklyn
www.huffingtonpost.com

Hipsters talking about Cyclocross

Eric Roman has a Blog.

Eric Roman has a Blog
http://ericandgretta.blogspot.com/

sometimes I use the camera to get the kids to do stuff....

when I get the kids to do stuff for the camera
it can be a ploy to make things happen

having them jump or scramble on the trail or ask them to ride their bike
on this day I told them I wanted to try and take a picture for this year's christmas card

some more photos from the 2009 Capital Cross Classic

some more photos from the 2009 Capital Cross Classic
it was a good day for cyclocross

not that I want every cyclocross race to deliver up this set of variables
I certainly do appreciate the opportunity to race on these days when I can

a potentially easy day for photos
actually... cyclocross is an easy place to catch some fun cycling photos

I once hear it said... cyclocross is more fun to watch than football
well emily... I do agree

had I not been so hung over I would have taken more photos

total scam...

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super the envelopes were as expensive as the custom cards
then the shipping charges... they know that people like me that start late need to pay the extra for the rush
lame
totally lame

hope the cards turn out!


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SOUTHERN CROSS.

Southern Cross... sounds cool!
www.55nine.com

today... remember John Lennon

John Lennon died on this day by gunshot some years ago
I stayed home sick on that day in what may have been 7th grade
if I had more sick days... I would have stayed home today

Lennon on the Wiki Page
photo by Annie Leibovitz on a PBS Page

tis the season

a blurry shot of bruce on the move...

commission motivates some people to move more quickly

LOOK MOM! NO BRAKES!

FLAT BARS AND NO BRAKES!

FENDERS... in the Times

The New York Times has a piece on FENDERS
www.nytimes.com

while this short piece on Cargo Bikes uses the same photo that NPR used
www.izgadget.com

one fast old guy...

one fast old guy
with a mexican wrestler and some sledders in the background
these are the things we have come to expect at the Capital Cross Classic
photo by In The Crosshairs

Cycelicious tells us...

Cycleicious tells us that a Bike Messenger Delivered the Pearl Harbor Attack Warning
www.cyclelicio.us

Capital Cross Classic...

video of the 2009 Capital Cross Classic at
www.cxhairs.com

and that
I HAVE A BLOG movie

and a memory from this fall's cyclocross season on youtube

awesome... dangerously awesome

awesome... dangerously awesome

only I am not sure if it is art or weapon

definitely to not set the slip and slip up too close to one of these

to increase the appeal I think the frame should be stripped so it can be rust color
or
the whole thing should be stripped and painted
right now it does not seem finished

Jim Wilson has some photos from the 2009 Capital Cross Classic

Jim Wilson has some photos from the 2009 Capital Cross Classic
http://images.jamesrwilson.com

NPR has a story on CARGO BIKES

NPR has a story on CARGO BIKES
www.npr.org