Donate Bikes and Invites

You haven't ridden a bike until you have had to ride a bike. Wes Cheney, a local cyclist, donates his time every Saturday morning to fixing bikes for cyclists who are dependent on bikes for transportation. He writes about how he got started in this outreach on his travel blog. Currently, he is accepting donations of full bikes that so many of us have sitting around so that he can meet the demand of those who need them. You can contact him from his website.

If you have any ambition around here, you ride a bike rather than watch time pass dealing with HRT buses. It has been proven that it takes less time to bicycle from VB Oceanfront to downtown Norfolk than to travel by HRT. This is true of many 10-20 mile stretches.

It's a very different experience to depend on a bike for transportation. Everyone in cars appears to be inside incubators. The colder it gets, the more odd people think you are. People congratulate the spandex and balaclava types who willingly commute, but those forced to commute are often treated similar to how homeless are treated. Invite them to your parties--they won't mind riding to your house.

Team in Civies

Why do these folks have front row seating at Sally's MS graduation from ODU? Well, Sally was on a bike ride during the short window of time she was supposed to be reserving graduation seats for her parents and friends. By the time she called the seats were all gone. An unnamed someone had to tap some unnamed sources to get them front row VIP seating.

I wonder if the newspaper photographer knew he was capturing Melissa Rice (far right), a world class rower who competed in 2005 FISA World Championships in Japan and who is joining the 2008 US. Olympic team in Philly in just 2 weeks. No less significant, Janice in the photo will be cycling across the USA beginning this May, Jo-Anne just bought a hybrid Cannondale and Pete pulls my tail around on the Saturday rides. I am sure Sally planned all this. (Photo by Jason Hirschfeld, featured in Virginian Pilot, December 19, 2005)

Cross Coming to Town

Nothing beats getting permission to race a bike where bikes aren't allowed. The first Trashmore Cross race is coming Jan 14--the first cross race in Hampton Roads since mid-90's Freeze Your Butt Off (Crit and Cross). Mt. Trashmore in Va Beach has strict rules about no bike riding on the grassy, trashy hills. However, Hosang got approval for our club to stage the race on both hills, and he has designed a mile course with all the cross elements at this perfect venue.

Supposedly Eric has pics from a cross race he did in the early 80's that was held at none other than Trashmore. Hosang was quite dejected when he heard Jan 14 may not be the first of the first, so I tried to consol him by saying that it's the first in modern cross era. Silly as it sounds I do mean it--cross is experiencing a new life all over the country. Cross Nationals last wkend in Rhode Island had huge fields despite the blizzard. Wonder if we'll have snow here for Trashmore Cross!

Super Sally Part 2

I'm back. Been cold. No time to ride in the afternoon so I am glad Sally lives close by and rides with me at 0'dark hundred (5am). Roads are clear and the bike commuters are strange. At first none of them would say hi since I guess they thought we'd never keep this up. Now at least they grunt at us. I have arrived at home a few times with first stages of frost nip. Fun stuff.