it's a sad day for the return of the union book club.  i had hoped to offer inspiraiton for the masses.  for those who chafe at the yoke of imperialist corporate oppression, a literary balm; for those who thirst for deeper knowledge of the revolution, a heady draught; and for those who yearn to further the union message, a constant companion and source of solace.

regrettably, i have found the opposite.  rather than an uplifting message for young cyclists, i have uncovered a conspiracy.  i can say with absolute conviction that up until yesterday, book burnings had seemed laughably stupid to me.  no longer.  the book being reviewed today is a purported children's book called messenger messenger by robert burleigh with illustrations by barry root.  it is subversive, and a clear violation of racing union thought.

this book appears to defy simple analysis.  it also appears to defy complex analysis.  i attempted to take a cue from roland barthes, and used the tools of structuralist poetics and literary deconstructionism, but found myself no closer to a breakthrough.  it's just not clear what message this treatise seeks to pass along to our youth on bikes.  because i am so unclear on where this book is going, i have attempted a sort of photo essay, in which i document the experience of reading it and the reactions of the union's young pioneers who have perused it as well. 

in the following picture, it's not clear if calvin is cold as in frigid or cold as in "stone cold freak".  i'm not down with the hipsters and their modern urban patois so i think i miss a lot.  even my five year old son thought he was smoking.  and what's with the beirut/haifa street landscape he's riding through.  it's surreal.  he's biking through a war zone with smoke coming out of his mouth.

lest you think the sketchy landscapes will give way to safer suburbs or the relative security of the big city, think again.  apparently a good part of messenger man's job is floating around exceedingly flaky locales and making pick ups and deliveries of non-descript materials.

but messenger man can't do it on angst or urbane cool alone.  no, he needs fuel.  my son took one look at this photograph and asked me if i rode my bike like this, with no hands, eating and drinking, with cars very close by.  i was dumbfounded.  you sort of have to wonder if the guy who drew this picture even knows what riding a bike in traffic is like.  there may be people stupid enough to try to pull this off, but i've never seen them.

if there's any upside, it's that he wears a helmet.  and though this is a positive, like so much else, it just seems to show how out of touch with bike couriers the illustrator is.  we all know that the cool couriers don't wear helmets.  and what's up with the circa-1976,white formula one car in the background?  this is simply a myserty wrapped in a puzzle shrouded by an enigma.

the sole member of the racing union's young pioneers who this was beta tested on seemed to take a shine to it, though he admitted to a considerable amount of confusion regarding the images and text.

attempts to debrief this child were made.  when this didn't go well, attepts to deprogram him from the hipster chic and surrealist guidance that the book contained were redoubled.  appropriate literature was substituted...

but was met with loud denunciations and threats of physical abuse.

so in closing, this book gets no hammers and sickles: the default rating system of the racing union book club.  oh, and formal orders have just been promulgated that...er...um....karl marx has been removed from the racing union young pioneer's official summer reading list and has been replaced with a 24 page glossy stock book called "ultimate nascar", a book about pirates and a book about a robot who is taught to swing on vines by monkeys.  this decision is, apparently, rather set in stone so appropriate orders to local community bookstores should be placed immediately by parents of young pioneers who serve in the vanguard of the revolution.  that is all.

-dear leader

when i run into friends off the bike, they are always busting my chops.  "how's my favorite bolshevik, hmmm?  still mad that about the nexis of cycling and corporate culture?"  they don't know the half of it.  the freedom of cycling is being crushed by an attempt to conflate corporate branding and capitalistic business and organizing principles with the rights of the people to be free, to ride their machines, and not be hassled by the man.  you want to take a good, hard look at the following from the local promoter's listserv...

This weekend at Tyson's we had a possible incident where one of the racers from a team other than NCVC, the promoting team, "volunteered" to help out in transcribing the results and may have attempted to place a teammate's name into a results slot that the officials couldn't identify the rider even though the teammate was most probably a DNF. In our final results, we've listed the rider as a DNF, as had the officials. But the lesson we learned that we're passing on to all our registrars and to you is don't allow persons not associated with the promoting team from "assisting" in the transcribing of the results no matter how attractive an offer of help might seem in the rush to get the results posted.

now i love racing my bike, but it won't take much more stuff like that to put me off permanently.  i can't imagine the motivation for something like this.  i can imagine, fairly accurately, what the person who did this thinks about his fellow cyclists.  i'm not interested in "outing" this individual but i want to tie this together with the material from the top of the post.  given how debased a lot of stuff is now, you can lose perspective.  it seems to me that if people aren't taking drugs to win at the amateur level, or cribbing free laps they don't deserve or altering results, our peers are calling that a victory.  that's not what i would call a victory.  the vision i have for cycling and the social order is considerably more radical than that, but given where people are, we've got a long way to go.

what's the moral of the story?  it can be found here...

George Hanson: You know, this used to be a helluva good country. I can't understand what's gone wrong with it.

Billy: Man, everybody got chicken, that's what happened. Hey, we can't even get into like, a second-rate hotel, I mean, a second-rate motel, you dig? They think we're gonna cut their throat or somethin'. They're scared, man.

George Hanson: They're not scared of you. They're scared of what you represent to 'em.

Billy: Hey, man. All we represent to them, man, is somebody who needs a haircut.

George Hanson: Oh, no. What you represent to them is freedom.

Billy: What the hell is wrong with freedom? That's what it's all about.

George Hanson: Oh, yeah, that's right. That's what's it's all about, all right. But talkin' about it and bein' it, that's two different things. I mean, it's real hard to be free when you are bought and sold in the marketplace. Of course, don't ever tell anybody that they're not free, 'cause then they're gonna get real busy killin' and maimin' to prove to you that they are. Oh, yeah, they're gonna talk to you, and talk to you, and talk to you about individual freedom. But they see a free individual, it's gonna scare 'em.

Billy: Well, it don't make 'em runnin' scared.

George Hanson: No, it makes 'em dangerous.

i want to be free.....free to ride my machine....and not be hassled by the man....

-sg

brian finds the best links...

-sg

 

from sim in france...

Coming into the corner he was in the caravan.  Astana car stopped just before the corner to let him by, then saw the other cars coming behind him I guess because he totally gunned it and screached around the corner... sadly this was at just the same time as the ride came into the corner, forcing him to brake a little and change his line.. it didn't work out...Then 2 more guys nearly ran into the back of the Lotto car, the one weaved out to miss it and touched the front wheel of the guy behind him... they did NOT go down.... what a shables..

-sg

 

Perhaps it’s because I have a fondness for local coffee outlets that support cycling, such as a certain place in Arlington ( http://www.javashack.com/homepage.html ), or maybe it’s because my espresso machine at home has spoiled me; but, after the article noting the passing of Kurt Vonnegut, and last night’s hockey scores, I was immediately drawn to this piece on the Starbucks strikers in this morning’s Washington Post:  http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/11/AR2007041102322.html?hpid=features1&hp. 

 

Despite the fact that some of us frequent a certain Starbucks outlet for chess and various coffee products, this union action is surely worth noting on this blog.  It’s also worth noting that the specific union involved is the Industrial Workers of the World.

 

The IWW.  The Wobblies! 

 

This is the union of songwriter Joe Hill (writer of such gems as “The Preacher and the Slave:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/There%27ll_Be_Pie_in_the_Sky_When_You_Die_%28That%27s_a_Lie%29), Eugene V. Debbs, and Mother Jones.  And, it’s a union that remains faithful to its radical roots with its true support of the rank-and-file, as opposed to those who would purport to represent the rank-and-file.

 

-- posted by Chris

how can you not be pleased by this....

Possible Pilot Program to Bicycle Between Government Center Complex Buildings   The Fairfax County Department of Transportation (FCDOT) wants your feedback. FCDOT is considering a pilot program to have bicycles available for employees to travel from the Herrity and Pennino buildings to the Government Center for meetings, deliveries, etc., instead of driving or walking. Biking this short distance would save gasoline and reduce emissions — you'll save money, get exercise and do your part to help the environment. Send your comments by Friday, April 13, to FCDOT's Bicycle Program Coordinator at bicycleprograms@fairfaxcounty.gov.

it's for real.  even if you're not directly affected, you're welcome to drop a line to the bicycle coordinator and thank them for the innovative approach and the hard work.  you're also encouraged to show a little bit of love to fabb who are continuing outreach and education efforts.  check out the details of their upcoming tour de tysons.  a whole lot different than ncvc's recent event, this will bring together development and policy folks to look at the area from a cyclists point of view: on bikes.  they discuss options and hopefully open some eyes.

-sg

Have bike; Will travel 

 

While the Washington, DC area went back into a return to winter of sorts this weekend, I took my new traveling Dahon break-away bike on its first airplane trip this weekend – to San Jose, California, where it was in the comfortable 70s.  I can report very few problems in transit (although the airline wanted to charge me an extra $80 on the way back for the bike, when it was forcefully pointed out to them that this was contrary to their policy regarding bike cases that are within in the size and weight limit, they relented).  Happily, I also seem to have learned the art of putting together and disassembling the break-away within the time frame the manufacturer predicts.  But before I get into the bicycle-related aspects of my reconnaissance in California on behalf of the Union, a few non-bicycle related matters to put it all in context:

 

Much of the San Jose area where I stayed looked like an office park.  Not necessarily offensive – in some places even nice – but nothing particularly adventurous either.  This is certainly true of the area where Rob – the reason for my visit – works.  Clearly, there’s been a lot of growth here – not too different from parts of Northern Virginia in that regard.  On the other hand, there were some really nice older structures in the downtown area, and in an area of what I think was Santa Clara, which I wandered into while getting (intentionally) lost on my bike ride on Friday.

 

This is why Rob has to always go to San Jose??!

 

Another structure, not old at all, in downtown San Jose was HP Pavilion, where we saw the Sharks play the Vancouver Canucks Saturday night.  Unfortunately, the Sharks lost the game, though it was close and they’re heading for the playoffs anyhow.  We were rooting for the home team, of course, but it’s nice to see a hockey game where you don’t feel too emotionally invested in what the outcome is – it certainly makes it easier to appreciate the good hockey played by both teams.  To this transplant from the Upper Midwest, it’s totally bizarre to see a hockey arena that serves sushi surrounded by large palm trees. Still, the fans there seemed far more enthusiastic then they do here for the Capitals (even when the Caps are playing well).  An enthusiastic sell-out crowd was on hand for the game, albeit in a smaller arena then “The Joe” in Detroit or ScotiaBank Place in Ottawa.

 

 

 

Go Sharks!  (Except for when they play the Red Wings, of course….)

 

In the world of cycling, I was very much impressed by San Jose’s facilities, with lots of various accommodations for bikes in the infrastructure.  Although I remain suspicious of the true utility of bike lanes, there were a number of streets where bikes lanes seemed an absolute necessity in order to legitimize the presence of bikes – for instance, the “expressway” which ran by our hotel.  There were also “shallows” on some side streets, markings on the road indicating that bikes are present but not marking out a specific designated lane for bikes.  I’m pretty sure I spied a few trails as well, though I didn’t ride any.  For the most part (with one exception), I found motorists to be generally respectful of the presence of bikes.  I don’t know if that experience is representative of cyclists in San Jose as a whole, but it’s notable as I was traversing the roadways in part during late rush hour with other comrades on two wheels heading to work.

 

From time-to-time, the topic of bicycles on the Metro system comes up on the Wash Cycle blog, most notably whether the authorities should lift the ban on bikes during rush hour (the answer is “yes.”  See http://washcycle.typepad.com/home/2007/02/dr_gridlock_dis.html#comments).  In this regard, it’s interesting to note that the light rail system in San Jose not only allows bicycles on board the trains, they also have a special spot where you can store them.  Very civilized!  When the revolution occurs, this model will be emulated throughout the land.  Although I hasten to note that the light rail system in San Jose doesn’t seem to have the volume of passengers the DC area metro has, it still goes to show that a large metro area can handle such as concept.  The buses out there also have the same kind of front-end bike racks with which Metro buses here are equipped.

 

Cool!  Bike racks on the light rail!

 

In doing my research for the trip, I had hoped to join in on a local group ride.  I found a number of rides in the area, but none on the full day I had free for me and my bike.  So, a local cyclist who spent some time in the Washington area clued me in on a route I couldn’t refuse to try.  A popular ride, apparently, with local cyclists, it was a road which climbs a hill to the east of San Jose – in fact, during the Tour of California, this climb is the KOM for the San Jose stage.

 

 

The route is roughly the reverse of this route:  http://www.bikely.com/cuesheet/route/Calaveras-Loop -- instead of climbing up Calaveras, I was advised climbing the Sierra Road side first would allow for a better descent – not as steep, thus affording a chance to enjoy the scenery more.  The “down side,” of course, is that Sierra is steeper then going up Calaveras.  If I had time, I would have done both on this trip, but I took the advice and took Sierra Road up.  Bikely.com says that the total climb is 674 meters, which puts it at 174 meters higher then the ride up from downtown Luray on Route 211 to the Thornton Gap entrance to Skyline Drive.  I think Sierra Road is steeper, however.  (As another point of reference, the Tuesday afternoon Hill Ride, according to http://www.ncvc.net/modules.php?name=Content&pa=showpage&pid=4, has a total climb value of 1650 feets, which works out to about 503 meters.)

Well, Jens Voigt I’m not!  (as if you needed to be told that…)  But, despite that, it also wasn’t quite as hard as I had anticipated.  It certainly would have been easier had there been some Racing Union colleagues there to egg me on – or at least some other cyclists.  None were to be found, until my descent, when I saw a number of cyclists making their way up the other way.  Sadly, the weather wasn’t ideal, either.  Had I been thinking, I would have waiting until later, as, again, my descent found much better weather – towards the city, it was grey and cloudy; towards the east, it was inspirationally blue.  Thus, the second half of the route was much more photogenic on this day, and is where most of these photos are taken.  Some sections reminded me of the Tour de France when it heads through sections of the Pyrenees (this was a Tour of California Stage 1 climb, I hasten to add -- of course -- thatit’s not even close to as high as the Pyrenees). 

 

 

 

Given the proximity to the route to downtown San Jose (I think one could easily do this on a good lunch break), it was surprisingly undeveloped.  Cows and horses were hanging out all over the places, grazing on nice green vegetation (which must turn brown in a month or so, I would think).  There were a few modest farm-type buildings, and a scattering of ostentatious estates, but I was impressed by the relative tranquility of the place.

 

 

 

Before heading down Calaveras when it met up with Felter Road, I took a right and enjoyed some more, er, “rolling hills” before turning around and heading back.  Maybe it was the time of day, or maybe it’s always like this, but I couldn’t believe how few motorists I encountered on this section.  In all, I doubt the full loop was much more then 20 miles, though I added some heading up Calaveras so I’m not positive.

 

Calaveras Road back closer to Piedmont (the cross road in the valley) went through a bit of a gap that felt almost canyon-like in some sections.  Then, flatness.  Maybe it’s all the development, but the valley there doesn’t seem anything like the Shenandoah Valley, which is undulating all over the place.  Well, I had the time, and it wasn’t lunchtime yet, so off I went wandering around the flat valley.  Not being equipped with a map, I just headed up and down urban streets to see what I could see, first back to near my hotel, then past it to what I believe ended up being “downtown” Santa Clara.  It’s odd to me, but I never really noticed any signs telling me where I was.  In any case, I got lost, got re-found again, and headed back to the hotel where I enjoyed a late lunch followed by some nice Peet’s coffee.  I’ll definitely have to use Rob’s job as an excuse to get my bike and I out there again!

 

--posted by Chris

the unholy roleur sent me this link over the weekend along with some hilarious comments.  i found it fairly interesting.  i try very hard to say something when i pass people, and generally try to be polite as well.  i went through a period where if i could see headphones on the person, i wouldn’t bother.  counted it as wasted breath.  i have since changed that, though it's unrelated to this story or something like it.

 

in the link above, i would note that it’s very nice to have a witness who corroborates your story.  we all commute a lot and it has to be a rare event for something like this to happen.  i think there are some interesting issues raised here.  does a pedestrian who is unaware or unresponsive to their surroundings constitute a danger?  would it rise to the standards of endangerment?  one would be quick to assume a role for contributory negligence as well, though you never can be sure.  i've contacted the small army of lawyers we keep on retainer to see if i can get a clear reading on this...

The Racing Union Committee for Physical Culture and Sports Sub-Committee for Bicycle Racing and Event Commission denounces in the strongest terms the capitalist and ill-considered tomfoolery on display here by a misguided individual who has misused and mistreated the general cycling community. Even though the Union wholeheartedly supports the use of bourgeois mechanisms to fight for freedom from tyranny and oppression, to allow innocent and unsuspecting racers to believe that $40,000 in prize money has been acquired for the distribution to winners in a bicycle race is unacceptable.

You will be reminded that the People’s team has already declared this event and venue in perpetuity for the People in its continuing efforts to glorify cycling and two-wheeled transportation. Efforts to illegally and illegitimately co-opt this celebration of Unionist thought and progress is unthinkable and will be met with single-minded and invincible resistance by the vanguard of human-powered locomotion.

Above: Comrade Line at the finish (photo by me)

Below: Comrade Gibbons mid-race; me sporting my new Racing Union kit (photos by Rob)

                            

  

-- posted by Chris

as one who spends a considerable amount of time advancing racing union thought, i'm constantly looking at the overlooked.  people can't seem to see the obvious stuff staring them in the face.  i usually chalk this up to the materialsm and the capitalist and imperialist proclivities that modern americans display so proudly.  but racing union thought seeks to take what people see as problems and produce answers that serve cyclists and citizens.  here's a nice example.

1. mark sommers floats a very cool email indicating that dc velo are seeking to make their bike race carbon neutral. 
2. people new to racing union thought may perceive an obligation, a necessary response, to call out this team for shamelessly plugging their sponsor and seeking new and different ways to make riders interact with corporate entities to help advertise these services.  bill luecke sort of comes through with this email, though he prefers to hit them from a slightly different angle.  however, racing union thought should find no real fault in an organization that attempts to link cycling with social change.  the fact that corporate entites are involved is secondary to the goal that is stated.  this effort is union approved.  and please note: luecke should probably have disclosed his background as a metallurgist and his lucrative corporate ties to big aluminum before attacking a team that rides so much carbon but that's a different post. 
3. on a totally different front, discussion about what promoters do with race entry fees from riders who don't show up can be found here and here and here.

so racing union thought brings us to the only obvious answer to this whole question.  i now unveil my proposal for a new mandatory mabra policy: all promoters must account for race entry fees which were not used and apply that money to buying carbon credits for their event.  further, since the rider who did not show up at the event likely did not drive, and as a result did not consume fossil fuels, the rider should earn 2 bar points for themselves in the category of their choice and one team bar point.  the mabra bod can and should design a form: carbon-abatement bar point requisition.  this form will be a carbonless, five leaf system.  top copy goes to the rider with the other four copies going to the mabra bar coordinator, the event's chief referee, the mabra permit coordinator - record keeper and one copy going to usac in colorado springs.  let's aim to prototype this system by june so we can roll it out for the full 2008 racing season with confidence.  volunteers?

update: go get 'em evelyn!  and as for you mr. unholy roleur, i like the thinking you posted in our comments.  finding a nexus between beer consumption, cyclists, cycling and saving the earth is an achievement.  i have some specific concerns surrounding the fact that many beers i appreciate come on a nitrogen feed so there may be some toxic biochemical issues to work out.  we can't offer you one of them fancy-schmancy bolshevik medals as you have committed a few too many crimes against racing union thought in your illustious past, however, we note your gradual progress towards our world view and welcome you as a brother and fellow traveller.  any union betwixt zymurgy and cycling is union approved.

- posted by scott

caveat emptor.  this advice is handed out, from person to person, from incident to incident.  it's treated like wisdom.  you all know the difference between intellingence and wisdom don't you?  you can tell a child repeatedly not to touch a hot stove, but they often need to learn for themselves what the danger behind "hot stove" is.  intelligence is easily understood as facts but without experience to provide context for them.  wisdom is it's complement; it provides the framework within which you can use facts to do useful things.

what do all of these things have in common?  i've been giving some thought to the recent dust up over the pawnshop in dc that was serving as a front for stolen bicycles.  one issue that this incident clearly illustrates is that the way we buy and sell things using the internet is still in flux.  we look at ebay or craigslist or some other online bazaar and scope out the wheelsets, frames and components that we would like.  the price is considerably lower than that at your local bike shop so what's not to like?  here, my friends, lies the crux of the issue regarding intelligence and wisdom.

getting burned on a transaction is difficult to understand.  you saw the bike.  you payed your money.  you followed the rules.  the facts are on your side.  but then something went wrong.  in some cases it goes horribly wrong.  the wisdom that comes from this is in learning to appreciate the numerous additional kinds of risk that are out there.  the details vary but the motif is stunningly common.  i'm not going to prattle on about this, because we've all had friends who had these types of things go wrong.

instead, i'm going to introduce a new feature which i call: kevin's sketchy internet bike postings.  these are named for kevin, not because he's unreliable, but because he sends me more sketchy bike postings than anyone else by a long shot.  first up is this nice offering:

http://washingtondc.craigslist.org/nva/bik/301842440.html

check in man.  new bike plus five hundy in accessories for $650 because the dude is lazy and/or changed his/her mind.  as kevin said, wtf??!!  might be a gem of a value.  might also be a hopelessly surreal encounter.  i know you're curious, but should you follow up?  can you afford not to?  it probably won't work out, but what if it did?

i need to be clear about one thing.  i'm not implying these bikes are stolen or the postings are fraudulent.  i'm merely amused at how ridiculous they are.  around my house, we joke about something making your "spidey sense" tingle.  look at the postings we put under this category and if you have the slightest instinct to hit that "buy it now" button, go back and re-read the section about intelligence and wisdom.

- - - posted by scott