fellowshipofthechainring.org

Performance Bike has a Tour de France Fantasy League competition, and the Fellowship of the Chainring has picked a team. I discovered the hard way last year that I should pick riders who have not been banned (this year I gave myself only 24 hours to spare to get the latest on banned riders). I feel sorry for anyone who picked members from team Astana, seeing as the entire team is banned from the tour this year. The other thing I figured out last year was to check on the formula for winning. Apparently, the yellow jersey is not as important as simply winning jersey points (green, white, polka dotted) and winning individual stages (you can have the best overall time without winning many stages).

So, without further ado, below are my team picks:

• VALVERDE Alejandro – I wanted a strong climber as this tour favors climbers
• MC EWEN Robbie – I liked what I saw last year, and his name popped up as a sprinter to watch out for
• CAVENDISH Mark – Mark, a Team Columbia rider (bonus right there) is also a strong sprinter
• GERDEMANN Linus – Other than the fact that I like the name, Linus, he faired very well (for such a bargain) as a one-time yellow jersey wearer last year and combativity award winner
• KIRCHEN Kim – Here’s another Team Columbia rider who took second in the Tour de Suisse, which must have many hills in it.
• CARDENAS Felix – I decided to look at Team Barlow, a team I had some respect for, and I explored the rider profiles of all riders that were in the right budget range, and Felix was one of them
• SOLER MAURICIO – He was last year’s King of the Mountains, so I’m going with Mauricio this year
• SIUTSOU Kanstantin – Another Team Columbia rider whose name popped up somewhere
• CIOLEK Gerald – I had $400 to spend and two rider slots left, so I looked for names that rang a bell and then read to see if they won anything (to be honest, I was getting ready to finish the team)

Some of these riders may not pan out at all, but I’m hoping the variety of riding styles of my top riders will pay off.

James Robert Shelton, 59, was found alongside Eola Hills Road, according to the Yamhill County Sheriff’s office. He was part of a Salem Bike Club group cycling from the Capitol through rural Yamhill County and back to Salem.

Shelton was one of about a dozen riders on the hilly, difficult course.

James Robert Shelton was one of three athletes who died in Oregon this past weekend (thanks Triguy for passing on the information). Another was a man (Patrick Findlay, 45) from Renton who apparently died of heart failure during the swimming portion of the Pacific Crest Triathalon, and the third was a man (Slieght Manivong, 34) who was found dead after a 10K charity run in Sandy.

Two of the deaths were heat-related, two were young (in my opinion—I’m months from 40), and all were tragic. Let’s stop for a moment and consider the three men. I want to give respect to their lives and their families and loved ones, which is why I posted their names.

“Man knows not his time” (Ecclesiastes 9:12)

The article said Shelton had a history of heart problems, and it seems he did not have water with him; the ride leader suggested that his water bottle could have rolled away when he crashed, which is possible. I cannot imagine that heat did not play a role. No matter what happened, it’s a good reminder for all cyclists to take extra precautions with the heat (it was our hottest day of the year). I think I’ll add a blog entry on safety precautions for summer rides in the coming days.

Our thoughts and prayers are with the lost ones’ families.

Ever since Discovery dropped their cycling team last year, I’ve been forlorn wondering what will become of Hincapie, what will become of American cycling. It turns out that things are looking up, and Team Columbia is the team to watch out for this year.

I’ve been reading snippets of cycling news and was aware that there was a new team, titled Team Columbia, but for some strange reason, I kept thinking it was the country Columbia. It never dawned on me that it was a team sponsored by Columbia Sportswear, a local company. Well, not only has Columbia stepped up and sponsored a team, but they’ve revamped the stellar Team High Road, with George Hincapie as captain, and the amazing talents of Kim Kirchen, and Mark Cavendish to name a few.

As their previous team name (Team High Road) implies, they are making a public anti-doping statement:

Through this stringent program, each member of the team gives a minimum of 26 random blood and urine tests per year. The volume of test results enables ACE to build extremely detailed longitudinal profiles of each rider so that they can detect small changes in body chemistry that might be caused by doping.

I hate to say this, but only time will tell if they can truly keep to the “high road.” I sure hope they do. I definitely know that they will be the team to watch out for in this year’s Tour de France.

Warning: the following blog is not for the squeamish!

In light of the many tragedies involving cyclists getting killed or severely injured by a bus or car in the Portland metro area, I’ve lately pondered whether I should continue riding on the road. Every time I go out, I wonder if I am taking an unnecessary risk. Should I just quit riding on the road and stick to single track? Is mountain biking more or less dangerous than road riding? Is it better to wrap yourself around a tree or a light post? Is it time to toss my slicks and keep only my knobbies for riding?

When I started riding, Breaking Away had come out on video, and I rode with the Barber of Seville running through my head dreaming of racing through the cobblestone streets of some small French village in the twelfth stage of the Tour De France. This was long before mountain bikes were sold, so when the mountain bikes first came out, I thought who in their right mind would want to ride a bike down a mountain. It seemed obvious to me that mountain biking must be more dangerous. After all, on a road bike, I’m only riding on smooth asphalt for the most part with a few potholes or gravel I need to avoid. Mountain biking, however, conjured up visions of slamming into cacti (I lived in Arizona) or breaking a collarbone as I smashed down onto a rock after doing an endo over a cliff.

To be honest, everyone I know who rides a mountain bike on any even moderately technical ride has crashed and bled or pulled a muscle or something unpleasant. As El Cap once told me, it isn’t mountain biking until you’ve crashed and/or you’ve had to walk your bike because the terrain is too tough (El Cap, you can correct me on this). I admit it; I don’t like to crash, and it’s my goal not to crash whenever I ride, but I know it goes with the mountain biking territory; I know that sooner or later I will crash.

The difference between mountain biking and road riding is that I’m 100% sure that I will crash in the next year or so while mountain biking. I’m not so certain about road riding. I don’t want to brag, but I don’t think I’ll crash while road riding, at least not due to the terrain or my riding ability. If I crash while road riding, I think that the odds would suggest it would be due to an automobile. I can have a perfect riding record, but I have no control over the drivers out on the road. It’s likely I may crash into a rock or tree, but It’s not likely I’ll have a rock or tree crashing into me.

Warning: yucky part coming up. It’s not too late to turn around, hit the back button, log off, whatever you need to do to avoid getting completely grossed out. . . .  Okay, I warned you. I can’t be held responsible for you losing your appetite.

I voiced these ponderings last Sunday at the first rest stop of the Vancouver Discovery Walk Ride (the walk that’s also a ride!) to anyone within earshot, and they mulled it over and seemed a little unconvinced, so I asked if anyone has ever heard of a mountain biker dying from an off-road accident. A rider, who I believe claimed to be a nurse, told us the story about a mountain biker who crashed and severed the top of his lip off. They had to graft half of his lower lip onto the top. She said the paramedics tried desperately to find the severed lip, but alas, could not find it. Their best guess was that he inadvertantly swallowed it.

So, other than the possibility of becoming a quasi-cannibal, mountain biking seems safer than road riding. You’re more likely to be injured while hitting the single track, but the much less common crash during a road ride may have more dire consequences.

What do you think?

Yes, you heard me right. The Vancouver Discovery Walk was actually a bike ride, and a walk, and even a swim. Those zany Vancouverites! Apparently, it’s mostly a walk, but I am happy that they choose to include a bike ride option; it gave me a perfect excuse to join with friends and hit the road.

Triguy was there, but El Cap could not make it. Unfortunately, my bride wasn’t able to share the joy. She’s recovering from bronchitis, and I don’t know about you, but I definitely recommend avoiding cycling while suffering from a lung illness.  

According to the website, the ride is a 50K ride, but in reality, the map (and my cyclocomputer) shows that it’s really only 48K. I was okay with that because I already had an extra 4.7 mile pre-ride and a 5 mile post-ride.

I highly recommend doing the ride, whether you join in the Discovery Walk festivities or you simply want a scenic (albeit flat) ride. We started on 6th and something (near the Hilton) did a loop around the downtown area (I think just to add to the mileage). Unfortunately, I don’t remember the street names, but that part can be modified or skipped. It’s the second section that’s more interesting. We turned left onto Mill Plain Blvd, rode over the train tracks (saw some piratical-looking transients), and then turned onto Lowell River Rd. and took it to the Vancouver lake park.

We ate some cookies and apples at the stop at the park. The highlight was the overweight retriever that begged for food. The people working the stop had their dog with them, and the dog panted non-stop the entire time we were there (the poor dog’s heart must be working overtime). I gave it praise and affection, but not food.

From there, we backtracked to Lower River Rd. Yes, we took Lower River Rd to get to Lower River Rd.; that’s because a mile before the Vancouver Lake park, Lower River Rd. splits in half. Anyway, we turned right on Lower River Rd instead of continuing on Lower River Rd. We then took Lower River Rd. all the way to the end of the road, where a poor sign was shot so many times, that you almost could not read the sign any more.

The second Lower River Rd. was the best part because it followed alongside the Columbia River. It also passes Frenchman’s Bar Regional Park (no Frenchmen were to be found) and Caterpillar Island Recreational area. The interesting thing about that area is a dilapidated shack that’s perched precariously at the edge of a steep enbankment that drops down into the slough (one little push would probably send it plummeting down upon the poor boats below). 

At the end of the road, we had our second and last stop (cookies once again, but no dog). We chatted then turned around and rode back.

The weather was perfect, the fellowship was grand, and the traffic was minimal. Fun was had by all.

I thought I would say a grand hello to my web design students to show them how much better blogging software is than doing it all by yourself on notepad. They are my padawan learners, so they they have to snatch the proverbial pebble from my hand before they use the software.

I’m back in the saddle again getting ready for a wonderful season of cycling. I finally decided to get off my duff—actually, that’s only partially true. I actually got on my duff; it’s just that I got my duff on my Wierwolf saddle instead of the comfy chair.

I can thank Catholicism for my return to cycling commuting. During the Superbowl yesterday, several party-goers were commenting about what they were going to give up for Lent. I decided to give up driving my car to work.

It felt good to get back on my bike. I had trouble though when I saw my cycling computer. I hate the inevitable resetting of the odometer. It was good to note that I logged at least 875 miles, but I just hate starting over at 0. I put off the reset with the excuse that I wanted to document the mileage before resetting. Now that I’ve documented it, I guess there’s nothing left to do, but send it back to 0, square one, home base, goose egg.

At least I finally have a New Year’s resolution; and only 1 month late. My resolution is to log in over 1,000 miles this year. I plan to ride the full century at Reach the Beach, and that plus the training and another round of the MS Bike ride should get me there. Only time will tell though.

Thanks to Triguy, the Fellowship will make its Hollywood debut in 2009 in “The Burning Plain.” Anowyn, Triguy, and yours truly were “technical extras” in the filming of the next Charlize Theron film by the writer of Babel, Guillermo Arriaga.

The film weaves together two storylines taking place in the past and present. Basinger will play Gina, the mother of Charlize Theron’s character as seen in childhood. Theron will play Sylvia, who tries to find common ground with her parents after a turbulent childhood. The two narratives eventually converge. The drama begins shooting in early November in New Mexico.

Before I start booking flights to next year’s Oscar ceremony, I should point out that we may not make it past the cutting room floor. If we do become a celluloid sacrifice, it won’t be due to our superb acting or cycling skills. It will probably be the fault of the nosy couple that sneaked out from behind a rock on the 4th or fifth take to try to get in the film.

It was a blast being in the production and getting a first-hand look behind the scenes of making a film. All of the crew was so professional. I got a sense that everyone loved what they did, and they all did their best to put in 110%.

It was my first ride of the year as well, and it felt great to get on my bike again. We spent the entire morning shooting a 3-5 minute scene between the Burnside and Steel bridges. Anowyn and I began by the Burnside bridge, and Triguy started at the steel bridge. We crossed paths a few moments after Anowyn and I cruised by Charlize and Jose Maria Yazpik. The scene typically ended about the time we rode past the roundabout by the steel bridge. We estimated that through all the takes we probably rode close to 7 miles in all.

We had several near misses as we rode by Charlize’s real-life dog (does a dog count as an extra?). I’m happy to note that we did not run over Charlize’s dog; I don’t need my 5 minutes of fame through that type of infamy. I did run over a cable during the first run-through. After that, one of the ADs told us to ride on the other side of the path.

We got paid $10 more than the standard extras because we were technical extras due to our specialized skill. And I have to say that they got their $10 worth; it’s not easy riding past Charlize, Jose, a camera guy, and the guy that was holding up the big white reflective board, especially when you have to look like nothing in particular is going on.

To be honest, I’m more excited that “Little Joe” will be in the movie than the fact that I might be recognizable as the second blur of a cyclist rides by.

If that scene doesn’t make it, I may still be in the movie because we also shot a scene at the Portland airport. That was even more interesting. Rather than rope everything off and create a big disturbance to real travelers, we shot the scene as unobtrusively as you can get. Other than the guy with the steady cam and the actors and us extras endlessly walking the same circuitous path (past the actors, out of the camera view, turn around, up the escalator, down the escalator, back into position to wait for the next scene, repeat…), you would have no clue a film was being shot.

The best part was rather than rope off a section to film (to keep the random passersby, who aren’t getting paid, away from the scene), the ADs were dressed as sky cabs and wrangled travelers away from the camera.

So, next year’s academy award winning film, The Burning Plain, will hopefully showcase the talent of our Fellowship. Sorry, Cap, we missed you. We’ll still talk to you when we’re famous; maybe we’ll even let you ride with us!

I might just have to say w00t, but now it seems cheapened. Not only did w00t make it to Webster’s online dictionary, but w00t was awarded Word of the Year for 2007 by Merriam-Webster readers.

All my technology students will toss out a big huzzah for making lexical history, and it’s true; they did make lexical history because w00t is l33t-speak, an online (bastardized) variant of the English language that creates all types of English soup with letters, numbers, and acronyms. Unlike my students, I can’t help but think that this marks the beginning of the end of Western civilization as we know it.

Now that w00t got its foot in the Dictionary’s door, what will be next? pwnd: where the p is supposed to be an ‘o’ and the ‘e’ is dropped? lol: the bane of email banalities? Will the number 2 now be a preposition? Has Boyz II Men been justified after all these years? Can we drop the ‘b,’ ‘e,’ ‘a,’ and silent ‘e’ from because (after, of course, we swap the z with an s)? Didn’t anyone read 1984? This is DoublePlusUnGood!

So, why in the world, does Merriam-Webster choose to forgo years of grammar instruction and embrace the new lazy-speak? Don’t they have rules against that, such as words must contain at least 1 vowel, or that words must be spelled with letters (and not numbers)? Aparently not. I looked into it, and low and behold, they don’t consider themselves gatekeepers of the English language but more like reporters of the English language as it is, warts and all. I hate to admit it; Merriam-Webster is part of the “it is what it is” crowd–for shame! I even tried going to the Oxford English Dictionary, hoping that the Brittish would at least have a dictionary that has some standards, but they are the same:

The Oxford English Dictionary is not an arbiter of proper usage, despite its widespread reputation to the contrary. The Dictionary is intended to be descriptive, not prescriptive. In other words, its content should be viewed as an objective reflection of English language usage, not a subjective collection of usage ‘dos’ and ‘don’ts’. However, it does include information on which usages are, or have been, popularly regarded as ‘incorrect’. The Dictionary aims to cover the full spectrum of English language usage, from formal to slang, as it has evolved over time.

So, who are the gatekeepers? I guess there are no official gatekeepers. It’s not in the Constitution; there’s no fourth branch. We aren’t like the French, with their Academie Francaise (pardon the lack of accents); they actually have had official gatekeepers since the Cardinal Richelieu (they were mostly writers and elite members of society). That would never fly here in the US; we’re too populist for that. Without any official board or government position, the gatekeepers are, by default, the teachers, editors, publishers, and any stickler, wherever he or she may be. I’ll call it the “club:” the gatekeeper club. Hey, maybe even Microsoft Grammar check can join in the club.

With all that being said, I must make a disclaimer: my technology students will be the first to point out that even I occasionally utter the famous w00t expression in class (and even in front of my own kids). Before I explain myself, let me at least point out that it’s one thing to say a word, and it’s quite another to add it to a dictionary.

Now, on to my explanation. I only said w00t on rare occasions. It was fun to see my students’ reaction, kind of like an inside joke. Part of that fun was using the expression in public. It would be so foreign to most people my age or older that saying it would completely slip under their radar while getting picked up by some net-savvy youth. But now that the word has been picked up by the Webster Dictionary, I feel that I must stop using the word. Instead of it being an inside joke, it looks more like I’m pandering to the youth by using the 2007 word of the year.

I’ve been pwnd—by Merriam-Webster, no less.

I should probably clarify my disclaimer about not paying for Bicycling Magazine from my last post. I like Bicycling Magazine, but I’m getting sick of reading reviews for multi-thousand dollar Pinarello bikes. I teach high school, so I won’t be purchasing any costly carbon-fiber or magnesium frame bikes unless I want to completely bury myself in debt.

So I may not have Campy components; so I don’t call Cannondales Commondales; I might not have GPS on my cycling computer; my tires don’t cost more than $12 new; I don’t wear Hytrel membrane material.

No, none of that. I only buy a bike every decade or two; I ride that bike till it wears out; I use clinchers; I use thornproof tubes because I would rather increase my rolling resistance by 1% rather than fix a flat every ride; and my rain gear is typical commuter black and yellow. So sue me!?

I am content with where I am and what I’ve got. Little Joe is just fine with me! I have two legs and a decent hardtail that doubles for road riding and single tracking (depending on the tires…somewhat).