veloblog: bicycling in Greensboro, NC and the surrounding area

The Bicycling Hall of Fame in...Greensboro?

Just maybe. But I hear the smart money is on Davis, CA. Still, it would be cool to have it here.

Rider's eye view of the Greensboro Ride of Silence

Ride of Silence

Yesterday's Ride of Silence went off without a hitch. Somewhere between 200 and 250 riders assembled at Center City Park, then headed off for a slow circuit of several Greensboro neighborhoods. Greensboro Bike Patrol officers rode with us and controlled traffic at intersections.

Our group stretched out for about a quarter mile, and as we rolled down the final stretch of N. Elm St. we spread across our two lanes. Drivers slowed and gawked. Afterwards we gathered at the park for a bit before Scott, Jim, Joel and I rolled back to Lindley Park.

What I missed at TOSRV

I had to miss TOSRV, but friend Paul sent me a report:

"Saturday was perfect weather. It was in the 60s and low 70s with a tailwind all day. The only downside to the day was a rash of flats. As a group we had 4. Riding at 24-26 mph was effortless. I did lots of sections at 28+. Sunday was 50s and driving rain with a quartering tail/side wind. It went okay but was not particularly fun."

Sadly, there was a fatality on the ride. On Hwy 23 an SUV driver hit a rider from behind, left the scene, and later returned. Keep the cyclist's friends and family in your thoughts and prayers. And come to the Ride of Silence Wednesday, and add to the numbers of cyclists who will remember others who have been injured or killed while riding a bicycle.

Well, maybe after all....

Call it a fit of pique, but my annoyance with the pro scene hasn't gone quite so far as I planned. No, I don't concentrate on it, but I do comment from time to time.

Caught an interesting talk at UNCG yesterday. Christopher Thompson spoke about the origins of Le Tour, and the role doping plays in pro cycling. This is what I shared with the Triad Cycling list:

If you didn't manage to sneak away from work yesterday to hear Christopher Thompson's talk at UNCG about the Tour de France and doping, you missed an excellent presentation. Thompson is an historian with an interest in cycling and public health issues, grew up in Belgium watching Eddy Merckx and his contemporaries race, and has written a book about the cultural history of the Tour de France. He began his talk with this: "Cycling is the most boring sport there is," and then went on to explain how such a mechanical sport could capture the imagination of an entire country that was suffering the malaise of a stagnant population rate and losing the Franco-Prussian war. The audience followed him through 100 years of Tour history, including the transition from "the cult of suffering" when just finishing a month of 16-20 hour stages was enough to make one a "Giant of the Road," to the "cult of performance," which is all about winning. I talked to several people who heard his talk (and who were among the few of us who spent time with him after the event), and I've heard differing opinions about what Thompson's views on doping really mean.

I'll paraphrase a few things he said, and let you read between the lines: Regarding the new wave of "clean" pro teams: "If they're successful, you should be suspicious."

About Marco Pantani's TdF win, and his performance in one particular mountain stage: "When someone is climbing 10% grades and has to brake for turns -- going uphill -- that tells you something."

Regarding the idea that there's a level playing field if everybody dopes: "Blood doping is entirely different than popping pills. It takes medical personnel and lots of money. Only a few cyclists can afford it."

Technorati Tags: christopher thompson, tour de france, history, uncg

Tour to Tanglewood 2007

Last weekend was devoted to the Tour to Tanglewood. Thanks to the generosity of friends, family and business associates I raised substantially more money than I expected. Thanks to all who supported the MS Society with their donations.

There seemed to be more cyclists riding this year. Everywhere -- at the start, at rest stops, at Tanglewood -- there were crowds of people.

I don't have photos yet, because I took a film camera and haven't taken the film for processing.

Ride details: Near-perfect weather, though we had an intermittent, stiff headwind Sunday. I started with the century group on Saturday, mainly to get ahead of the crowds. Riding 100 miles didn't seem likely since I've been sick for the better part of two weeks and haven't been riding much. I stayed with the GVC group through the first extra loop then Stuart Larry David and I rode straight in to Tanglewood for a total of about 68 miles.

I took it easy Sunday, rode by myself (amongst the large packs that form and disintegrate at these rides) for about 20 miles, then hooked up with a friends team. They were cruising at a comfortable pace so I took a place in their paceline and finished with them. Total for the day: About 45 miles.

TTT update

An update on Tour to Tanglewood (our local MS 150 ride) preparations:

• Our team is now up to 31 riders.
  
• Our team goal is to raise more than $20,000 for the National MS Society.
• My fundraising is going well so far thanks to several generous individuals. If you like you can donate online by clicking here. Every contribution, no matter how large or small, is appreciated.

Technorati Tags: tour to tanglewood, ms150

Tour to Tanglewood

The National MS Society's Tour to Tanglewood is just three weeks away. I'm riding/raising money with the Greensboro Velo Club. It's a worthy cause; contribute here if you're so inclined.


Technorati Tags: tour to tanglewood, ms society

Five Thoughts from Le Cirque

Five post-Cirque thoughts:

1. Simon Firth of Bilenky said what was on my mind when he asked Sacha White if the future of handbuilt bikes was in the hands of the messenger crowd (I'm paraphrasing). The stalwarts of frame building came out of  road racing, but the work of many new builders seems to be informed by a different aesthetic, and you see this expressed in the form of some pretty cool townie and fixed gear bikes. Those builders are open to exploration, too, like with Johnny Coast's work for Velo Orange.
   
2. I want a fixie. Bad. This is feeding my obsession.
   
3. Maynard, there were a hell of a lot of art bikes on the road last weekend. Too bad you missed the spectacle.
4. I should have mentioned that I posted some show photos on Flickr.
5. Oh, to spend a day browsing among all this.
   

Technorati Tags: cirque, cirque2007, cirqueducyclisme

More Cirque

More from the Cirque du Cyclisme:



An Exxon Graftek. Look, but don't ride.



A sparkling Jack Taylor.



Hmmm. Something about this seems odd....



The Mariposas are always some of my favorites.



Lovely.



An interesting Raines. This isn't familiar to me.



You can spot this downtube decal from across a parking lot.



Vanilla '07 Race Edition.



A beautiful Weigle townie.


Technorati Tags: cirqueducyclisme