UnCommonwealth

I like to wrangle

Hey, I'm on the front page of kentucky.com. A life's dream, realized. Here's an article about one of my gigs. It'll be in the Lexington Herald-Leader tomorrow.

The Podium Cafe (where I recently correctly forecast not only the exactly lineup of team invitees for this year's TdF, but the day that the lineup would be announced) reviews Pedal Power: The Quiet Rise of the Bicycle in American Public Life, with an author interview forthcoming. I'll put in the buy request at the library, y'all put in the orders at Powell's (where the author will be Thursday night, btw)!

(Speaking of bike races, look at the gut on that guy!)

(Shut up, that was two weeks ago and it's already coming down.)

(And in all fairness, that jersey's too big for me and it was windy.)

(Really windy.)

Do the test!

Seriously, do the test. It ain't hard.

Easier and cheaper than a crappy meal at the Olive Garden

I'm thirty-eight years old and until a few minutes ago I'd never donated money to a politician's election campaign. I've donated to causes, sure, but never to a politician.

Look, I've figured out that I kind of suck at leadership type stuff, convincing others to go my way on an issue, what have you. But the people who read this journal are pretty much people who know me and like or love me for one reason or another, so listen just a sec.

I think things have gotten dangerously screwy in this country, and of the three choices still standing, I think Barack Obama is the citizenry's best hope of getting us back on the right path. So I gave some money through his campaign site, and I really, really think you should too.

On my mark...

Over the last few months, I've got some coaching and even started a race team. Now it's time to start the season. I'm still 25 pounds heavier than Merckx and Indurain were when they were at their best, but actually, and I realize this may come as a shock, there are other differences between me and those guys in terms of our cycling as well.

So, I've pre-registered, and on Saturday I'll take the start at the annual L'Esprit Road Race near Louisville. I'm in the beginner category, which means three laps around this course. On the profile, I've marked the place where I believe I'm most likely to explode (figuratively, Barb!) on the second or third lap.

Pretty pretty

The folks at Cricket Press put together this beautiful poster for the bike race I'm promoting next month.

GObama!

Okay, Justine. You were right, I was wrong.

New Year's Resolutions

I pledge
My head to clearer thinking,
My heart to greater loyalty,
My hands to larger service, and
My health to better living,
For my club, my community, my country, and my world.

I was gonna say to swap out "friends and family" for "club," but maybe y'all are my club.

I'm a demon and I'm gonna be chasin' after someone

Big, big, bicycling day here in the Athens of the West.

First of all, through the generosity of my family (yesterday was my birthday as well as another locally popular gift giving occasion), I was able to contract with a cycling coach to guide my training in 2008. It's not too late to make even the smallest Paypal contribution to the cause, readers. Ahem.

Then, one of my side projects finally propagated. The Lexington Bike Race Calendar has an URL (pronounced "Earl" in these parts, thus the "an") that makes up in specificity what it lacks in elegance. Also lacking in elegance is the current logo. Want to win a fabulous prize basket* mailed directly to your home? Come up with something better.

And then this came in the mail, yay! It's my 2008 cycling license, which qualifies me to participate in any sanctioned bike race in the country. I'm part of the Olympic movement! In the tiniest possible way, but still.

I'm also leading, at least starting off the season, the newly revived race team of the Bluegrass Cycling Club. We're looking for riders in Central Kentucky, especially riders new to racing (like, y'know, me). And we'll be competing in a bunch of the races listed on that calendar.

* Prizes will actually be mailed in a box, not a basket, and will most likely consist of whatever books, comics and other stuff are laying close to my desk if and when anybody actually bothers to come up with a cool logo.

At least as cool as a shiny rocket trophy...

Hey, check this out. The organization I work with to promote cycling in Lexington, Yellow Bikes, won the Smiley Pete Award. Smiley Pete was a beloved town dog back in the mid-twen, and his name is evoked whenever people do things downtown just to make life a little more fun.

The citation accompanying the award, which will be displayed at Pedal Power Bike Shop, says it was awarded "for taking a risk and introducing these alternative modes of transportation to downtown Lexington. Yellow Bikes have served to make a true statement about the health and vitality of our community and give Lexington a more international and caring flare."

They made this little movie to play at the presentation ceremony (which I missed 'cause we were in Jamaica). Sorry about the trial software words floating in the middle--it was the only way I could figure out to get it to upload. The narrator's voice kind of trips me out--I can't help thinking that he's getting ready to say something like "but now, as the cubs grow ever more independent, the mother bear must spend all of her time laying on an extra layer of fat for the coming winter months."