Note that the weekly newspaper out in Luray, VA, the Page News & Courier, this week ran the story below, about an event Racing Union is co-promoting with Page Valley Cycling this summer.  You can see why this is a collaboration which makes sense - Page Valley Cycling, like Racing Union, promotes bicycling "as a means of transportation, fitness, recreation, and racing," and this will be a challenging race with a unique approach.  Rather then plopping a road race down in the middle of an area having little to do with the competitors, the organizers of this race hope to make connections, along the way promoting bicycling.

-- posted by Chris

Riding a bicycle on the streets in and around DC can be a dangerous task any time of year because, frankly, we're not visible to a lot of motorists.  Know what I'm talking about?  I think you do.  I think anybody who rides a bike has experienced this.

So why make it easy for them?  We're well into the second month of commuting in the dark.  A headlight is a good idea; and a blinky light is even better.

In an effort to educate and distribute blinky lights to those who may not have the recources to do so, some of us at Racing Union have picked up an idea with some of our friends at Evolution Cycling to distribute blinky lights to those who need them.  In Racing Union's case, we've been working with the Immigrant Advocacy Program, a program of the Legal Aid Justice Center (http://www.justice4all.org/programs/vjc/) to get blinky lights in the hands of day laborers in Northern Virginia.  These are some of the hardest-working people among us, and a good deal of them are fellow bike commuters who could use our help.  We stand in solidarity with them.  Virginia Justice Center began distributing the first 60 blinkies just prior to Thanksgiving.

If you're interested in contributing to this effort, let us know.  The first time around we got a sweet deal, with the blinky lights costing only around $2.50 a piece.  Send an email, post a message, or talk to one of us next time you see us - we'll make sure your contribution goes to finance the next set of blinkies.

-- posted by Chris

I don't know why VeloNews is so late in covering an event from back in September, but my latest copy (October 29, 2007) has a quote from Rock Racing owner Michael Ball at the USA Crit Finals as saying:

"We don't want to just own this event, we want to own the domestic cycling series.  We want to dominate it.  We want to go out every weekend and squash everybody...."

Pardon the interruption, but so far, so good, right?  I mean, you'd want your team to achieve world domination, right?  Nothing wrong with that, right?  But wait, Michael Ball can't keep it shut at just that.  The quotation ends with this kicker:

"...and come Monday morning people go out and buy a lot of Rock Racing crap."

Tells you all you need to know, doesn't it?  I don't know what the Rock Racing crap is, but I'm sure it's crap.  But that's not the point.  In one sense, you gotta admire how direct the guy is.  It isn't about glory, it isn't about keeping the sport exciting through good, honest competition.  It's about people buying crap.  IT'S ALL ABOUT THE MONEY!  Remember that when the next doping scandal comes along.

--posted by Chris

Postscript:  Oh, and did Rock Racing "own" the event in Las Vegas?  Unless he was talking about Rock Racing being the sponsor, which is appropriate for an event in Las Vegas, um, no.  But, hey, they did get fourth, seventh, and thirty-fifth place (results), so maybe people will buy some crap after all.

from terry...

http://www.treehugger.com/files/2007/10/did_the_congest.php

bring on the change

strange.

but rockin'.

this tune is simply haunting.

i always laughed when there was a commercial on television that said that.  some very serious man or woman, wearing a labcoat would gaze earnestly into the camera, remove their glasses and hold up a manilla envelope or folder and say "an important university study has shown that..." 

this was my cue to start ignoring the rest.  at least political attack ads have the courage to cite their sources.  these are generic.  what gives this thing it's credibility?  the quasi-scientist staring into the camera, or maybe the "important" research in that manilla folder?  what gives.  as i got older, i came to appreciate the subtlety of competeing subject matter experts in a court of law and the way that authority, certainty and belief and are assumed and attacked when research is discussed.  this can all be seen repeated in bicycling relevant terms through a nice link from terry: http://www.treehugger.com/files/2007/10/freakonomics_on_1.php

-sg

just days ago, i was jabbering on about this.  you probably thought it was just random occurences, and random flux that thye happened in succession.  but i ask you, how many data points does it take to make a trend?

http://bikecentric.blogspot.com/2007/10/can-you-hear-me-now.html

time to take back what is ours.  zero tolerance policy for vehicular traffic on bicycle commuter routes is in effect.  go get a late pass.  step.

several friends, unbeknownst to each other, are waging a vicious battle for web link dominance.  bryan will probably win the war based on consistency, but for today, pete wins the battle and walks away with it for the weekend.  his email jokes about whether unicycles are union approved.  i would stress that it's not the size of your ride but what you do with it.  and this guy makes do.  check it:

http://glumbert.com/wii/view.php?name=unicycle

-sg

an email from pete:

a follow up from bryan

Last year I encountered a motorist on the WOD on the section between the castle and the Custis....

and then it was my turn.  i was coming home from happy hour after hains in dc wed. night. i was just east of east falls church where it parallels 66 when a pickup started coming down the trail.  he was moving pretty good like.  he hit me with the high beams from 75m out which pretty much incapacitated my retinas, but he pulled off the path and drove in the grass.  as he went by, i noticed some logo on his door and his truck was filled with equipment.  i haven't a clue what he was doing.  catching rabbits, patching holes, or maybe just out for a cruise.  it's simply out of hand.  what part of __bike__ path don't they understand?

cool link from bryan

http://washingtondc.craigslist.org/mld/bik/444686139.html

it sure looks cool, but one has to wonder how many more hours it will be until those goatee-wearing, mountain dew code red swilling, chain wallet wearing hoodlums ruin it by riding these things on skate ramps and terrorizing our public monuments with their "extreme" antics; jumping it into fountains and grinding and bumping and what not.  in my day, you rode a banana seat bicycle off a piece of plywood in the neighbors yard propped up by a cinder block and called it a day.  in this modern era, with jazz and jet planes, you'd need to ride one of these things off the roof of the mci center, with one hand holding a red bull and video camera and the other hand holding a base jumping parachute to deploy on the way down, in order to get anyone to get up off their ass and give you a second look. 

http://www.cyclingnews.com/protour_oct07.php?id=road/2007/oct07/eroica07

and be sure to check out the pictures as well....

http://www.cyclingnews.com/photos_protour_oct07.php?id=/photos/2007/oct07/eroica07/gallery-eroica07

-sg