Wind, anyone?

Some days are better than others for riding. This week has generally been beautiful riding weather. It's been unseasonably warm - warm enough even to forgo the fleece I normally wear for a little added warmth on my morning rides to work and instead wear long sleeve tee shirts in the morning and short sleeves even a couple of the afternoons.

Today is no exception. The weather this morning was gorgeous. Temps in the mid to upper forties for the ride to work. Highs today expected to be near 70. It was a little breezy on the way in to work, but only pleasantly so.

And then... I get to work and see the rest of the day's forecast. I'll let the pirctures do the rest of the talking. Suffice it to say, I'll be dealing with quite a headwind heading home!!!




Mashup image of the forecast conditions for today from the National Weather Service website.

   


This will likely be me this afternoon going home from work...



In honor of Black History Month

Marshall "Major" Taylor

Before Jesse Owens, before Jackie Robinson, there was Marshall "Major" Taylor.

Who, you might ask?

Only perhaps the first athlete to challenge racial boundaries and participate in the mainstream of an American sport. The sport was track cycling, which was big at the turn if the twentieth century.

Major Taylor's story is a compelling one, as he fought through prejudice, injustice, and actual physical assault to compete, and win on a rather regular basis, in the sport of track cycling. According to his autobiography, he apparently had some very conflicted feelings about writes, harboring disdain (understandably) for those competitors who games up on him to try to keep him from winning only because he was black while at the same time crediting other whites for making his career possible. Sadly he passed away, largely forgotten at the young age of 53 during the Great Depression.

I recommend everyone look through his bio and a little about him on Wikipedia. There's also a Major Taylor Association with lots of resources and info, including information about the statue of him in his home base for racing, Worcester, MA.

As we take time this month to remember specifically the contributions of African Americans to our society, it's worth remembering Major Taylor.

Contador Stripped of 2010 Tour de France Title

It doesn't get much bigger than this, folks. First, there was Floyd Landis, whose 2006 Tour de France title was taken from him after the fact for having injected testosterone.

 

Now, the "heavy hand" of the law (in the form of the Court of Arbitration for Sport) has come down on Alberto Contador. His 2010 Tour de France title, mired in doubt for years due to a positive test for a substance called clenbuterol, has now officially been stripped and he will spend most of this season serving out the remainder of a "backdated" two-year suspension, set to end in August of this year.

 

Not sure what a "backdated" two year suspension means, but it seems basically to boil down to a 6 month suspension, since Contador's actually been racing the whole time this case has been in the various courts and panels and appeals in the governing bodies of cycling and international sports. My initial reaction, based on the information I've seen so far, makes me think to myself, "why not just call it a six month suspension", but maybe backdating it even though he was competing has other ramifications I'm not aware of.

 

Of course, losing his 2010 Tour title is already a huge blow. As for Contador's reputation, I think that those who doubt the validity of the charges against Contador will continue to do so, and those who feel he doped intentionally will feel affirmed in their opinions. I've been on the fence about it much of the time, but this kind of ruling lends credence to the validity of the charges. So maybe people like me will be able to lean off the fence a little more, if not just get off it entirely.

 

What does this verdict mean for pro cycling? Kind of a double edged sword, I'd say. It shows that cyling is a sport that will police its own, even the big names. On the other hand, it's another sign of the deeply rooted issues involving doping and perfromance enhancing drugs that cycling has to confront. If one in every four champions of cycling's highest profile event is going to be diqualified for doping, it certainly casts a shadow of doubt over any stellar performance in the race.

 

For me, I love pro cycling and I will continue to watch it regardless of this decision. In some ways the possibility of doping is just part of the mental equation I calculate when watching the peloton flow through the hinterlands of France and disintegrate when they hit the hard climbs of the Alps and the Pyrenees. It would be nice if they could clean up the sport and make it so that one can be more sure that only chemicals influencing the outcome of the race are the blood and adrenalin naturally coursing through the riders' veins, though.

Montgomery County - You Suck!

Montgomery County has stricken all funding for the Metropolitan Branch Trail from its budget until at least 2018. The trail is supposed to provide a link between Union Station and Silver Spring. DC has been taking great strides to build its part of the trail and it currently runs from Union Station all the way north to Brookland. DC still has some work to, but at least it's doing its part.

 

From the comments in the post linked to above:

"For a county that sells itself as environmentally conscious and progressive, this decision is nothing short of a betrayal."

My thoughts exactly. Shirking its responsibilities and its commitments to a project that involves other jurisdictions, too. And definitely shying away from improving infrastructure for cycling or walking. Sad, very sad.

Road rage is nothing new...

What is it about getting behind the wheel of a car that seems to affect the behavior of some otherwise generally well disposed, kind people? I assume it has something to do with the anonymity driving in major urban area (or anywhere far from home) seems to provide. The safety of a two ton-plus cage of steel around them probably plays a role as well.

In any case, this Disney video from 1950 shows that the ugly behavior often associated with some motorists is nothing new.

Please note the repeated use of the term "some drivers". In no way do I mean this post as an indictment of an entire class of road users. Just a segment thereof. Just as most drivers in the film are kind and respectful, I find that 95%+ of drivers take care to make sure they can pass safely and are willing to wait the five extra seconds it will take them to get around a cyclist safely.


It's interesting that the video is over 60 years old, yet still so pertinent. You may be thinking, were the roads really like that already in 1950?! The answer is yes, in many places they were. 


The battle with congestion is nothing new, even in its suburban incarnation. GM naturally hailed the massive expansion of the road network and a reliance on cars as the greatest thing since sliced bread at its 1939 World's Fair at the Futurama exhibit/ride. 

From GM's 1939 World's Fair exhibit/ride Futurama

YouTube Futurama video (pt. 1/2)


YouTube Futurama video (pt. 2/2)

Decades letter, victims of our own sprawl and poor planning, we know better, or at least we should. But, apparently some things are very slow to change.