Wednesday Video - Frustrated Cyclist

Frustrated Jack Bauer throws his bike in the 2015 Gent-Wevelgem

This week's video goes back to the 2015 Gent-Wevelgem race. It was the windiest race ever, with winds up to 50 miles per hour. 160 cyclists started, but there were only 39 finishers. Luca Paolina won the race, despite the fact that he crashed twice. Many riders were frustrated, especially Jack Bauer of New Zealand. After a rider ahead of him lost his jacket to the wind, it got entangled in Bauer's spokes. He then got off his bike and through it to the side of the road. In the photo above, he has just released the bike and it is flying through the air. The 30 second video below shows the entire episode.

Peter Sagan Wins Gent-Wevelgem

Peter Sagan crosses the finish line first at the Gent-Wevelgem race (Photo: Cycling Weekly)

 

The Gent-Wevelgem race was held on Sunday. This annual classic is part of Flemish Cycling Week, which culminates with the Tour of Flanders next Sunday. Viacheslav Kuznetsov was leading the 150 mile race when Peter Sagan, Fabian Cancellara and Sep Vanmarcke broke away from the pack on a climb, eventually catching the leader. The quartet stayed ahead of the other riders to the end, with Sagan winning the final sprint.

Unfortunately, there was tragedy at this year's race. Belgian cyclist Antonine Demoitie died late Sunday night after crashing in the race. Details are sketchy at this point, but he apparently went down in a crash and was then struck by a motorbike.

The Tube Ball is Growing

It's Getting Bigger!

Our tube ball is now twelve inches in diameter and weighs 23.8 pounds. Please bring in your used tubes. We're trying to set a world record.

Friday Photo - U.S. Women's Team Pursuit Cycling

The U.S. won gold in team pursuit at the recent world championship

March has been a good month for the U.S. Women's Team Pursuit cyclists. They won gold at the recent International Cycling Union Track World Championship in London.This was the first gold medal by U.S. women in any cycling team event. Last week they were named to the U.S. Olympic Team, which will compete in Rio this August.

Members of the team include (left to right in photo):

• Sarah Hammer
• Jennifer Valente
• Ruth Winder
• Chloe Dygert
• Kelly Catlin

Photo courtesy of Team USA.

2016 Orchard Country Bicycle Tour

Maple City Bicycling Club Members at the Amishland & Lakes Ride

This time of year we get a lot of flyers promoting bicycle rides in Indiana and the surrounding states. As these come in, we'll mention them in this blog. The latest one to come in is from the Orchard Country Bicycle Tour.

This tour will be held on Sunday, May 15th. It starts at the La Porte County Fairgrounds in the city of La Porte. La Porte is in the far north of Indiana, about a dozen miles from Lake Michigan. If you pre-register, the cost is only $15. For families of more than three, total registration fee is only $40. There are three route options: 16, 30 or 55 miles.

Wednesday Video - Tasmania: Penguins, Kangaroos and National Parks

The wallabies in the campground didn't seem to fear people

Here's a video featuring Tim and Cindie Travis from DownTheRoad.org touring in Tasmania. It's an old one that goes back to 2007. Cindie & Tim divorced in 2011, but Tim is still bicycle touring. This video shows a lot of Australian wildlife including three baby Tasmanian devils name Danger, Chaos and Destruction. The video is five minutes long.

Area 30 Super Mileage Competition

Looks like Batgirl will be driving the car

On Saturday we sold come cables and brakes to the Area 30 Career Center for their Super Mileage contest entry. The idea is to come up with a vehicle that will get the best fuel mileage. This puts a premium on reducing weight, lowering rolling resistance and minimizing areo drag. From the photos on their website, it looks like the students get a lot of practical experience with a variety of machines. The Area 30 Career Center is located in Greencastle and is affiliated with six school corporations in that area.

If your school or non-profit is engaged in a similar project and needs some bicycle related parts, give us a call at 317-786-9244. We'll be glad to help you out and give you a discount on parts.

Aquacycling

Photo courtesy of New York Daily Times

Here's something that has come to America from France: Aquacycling. In 2013 Aqua Studio in New York City began offering aquacycling classes. The owner of the studio is originally from France. After living in New York for seven years and not finding them anywhere, she decided to start offering them herself. No word on whether this trend has made it to Indiana yet.

Friday Photo - Starship Enterprise Bicycle

Exploring the Universe by Bicycle?

I hope it has phasers to fire at motorists who pass too close

Here's an interesting trike that fans of Star Trek will appreciate. I found this on the website Liver Tours. Only problem is that there is no warp drive - Impulse power only. Fine if you are just exploring the neighborhood, but useless for visiting other galaxies.

On the Road Bicycle Repair Kit

Everything you need to replace a tube out on the road

Unless you stay within walking distance of your house, you should be able to replace an inner tube if you get a flat tire. The photo above shows everything you need to replace a tube and carry the stuff on your bicycle. This set includes:

• Inertia Designs seat bag with reflective striping and Circle City Bicycles logo ($29.95)
• Circle City Bicycles patch kit, containing six patches and glue ($3.29)
• Inner Tube ($4.95 for most sizes)
• Park Tool TL-1.2 Tire Levers ($3.95)
• Microflate Nano compact CO2 inflator ($16.95)

Altogether these items would cost $59.09 but we're selling the set for $44.95, a 24% discount. Also, if you want different tire levers or a different CO2 inflator, you can make substitutions and just pay the difference in price.

Wednesday Video - Mountain Biking Sedona, Arizona's White Line Trail

Not for the Faint of Heart!

The White Line Trail in Sedona, Arizona

If you look very closely at the photo above, below the second peak there is a mountain biker. He's riding along the white line and about to reach a little groove the rock caused by water drainage. This looks like an incredible trail, but just a tad dangerous. It never ceases to amaze me how people can ride on this trail. The video cuts between shots from the cyclist's handlebars to remote ones like the shot above. The video runs for one minute and twenty-eight seconds.

Rupert's Bicycle Jamboree

Rupert Boneham from Survivor

Here's an update on a couple of local rides. The Morse Lake Metric, which has been held in May for the past 16 years, has been discontinued. The organizers felt the area around Morse Lake has just become too congested to have a safe ride in that area. The same group also put on a ride starting in Shelbyville during June called the June Bug Jamboree. That ride has been moved to Saturday, May 21 and has a new name. It is now Rupert's Bicycle Jamboree. In addition to supporting the White River Sound Chorus and Shelbyville's Loper Elementary, the event now supports Rupert's Kids as well. For more details about the ride including how to register, visit Rupert's Bicycle Jamboree.

For those of you who don't watch the television show "Survivor," Rupert is an Indiana native who became a fan favorite when he appeared on "Survivor: Pearl Islands" in 2003. He didn't win, but returned for "Survivor: All-Stars." He didn't win that either, but after that show, a special was aired called "Survivor: America's Tribal Council." Viewers voted on which of 18 contestants they thought should be given a million dollars. Rupert was one of four finalists. He won the million dollars by taking 85 percent of the 38 million votes. After taking care of some family financial matters, Rupert used some of the prize money to start his foundation, Rupert's Kids.

Friday Photo - Tank Track Bicycle

Bicycle Panzer Corp?

Bicycle with Tank Tracks

It is just amazing what ingenious people have done with bicycles. I was wondering if anyone had ever put tank tracks on a bicycle. As this photo from Gizmodo Australia shows, the answer is yes. Next question - Has anyone ever mounted a turret on a bicycle?

Wednesday Video - Multiuse Bike Machine

The Swiss Army Knife of Bicycles!

This bike can be used for a variety of chores

This week's video is called "Multiuse Bike Machine." This guy has rigged up a bicycle to do a number of chores, including shelling and grinding corn. I think he should work on this device so that it also plants and harvests corn. This way the bike could take you it all the way from corn seed to corn meal. As he demonstrates in this one minute 56 second video, it can also sharpen knives, blend smoothies, generate electricity and pump water (5 gallons per minute). I think he should get that Sham-Wow guy to do an infomercial on this thing. He could probably sell a million of these!

5 Reasons To Increase Your Water Intake

DRINK. MORE. WATER.

(from Bicycling.com)

The general rule of thumb: Eat fiber to keep things, er, moving. 

Now, though, a new study published in The American Journal of Gastroenterology finds that staying hydrated may be more important than eating fiber for staying regular.

Researchers analyzed National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey data on about 9,000 adults from between 2005 and 2008. The researchers were interested in determining if people who consumed less fiber and liquid had a higher likelihood of…irregularity. And yep, both men and women who had low dietary sources of liquid were more likely to have TMI problems. But—and here’s the shocker—low fiber intake wasn’t associated with the same effect.


1.Water keeps your body running

It helps regulate your body temperature, keeps your joints cushioned, protects your spinal cord and other sensitive tissues, and gets rid of waste through sweating, peeing, and the like, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Here are a few more reasons to hydrate on the regular:

2. Water could help you lose weight 

In a study published in the journal Obesity in 2010, adult dieters who drank a bottle of water before each meal for 12 weeks lost more weight than the dieters who didn’t drink the water beforehand. We’ll drink (water) to that!

3. Water may prevent kidney disease

People who consume the most fluids have a significantly lower risk of chronic kidney disease, according to a 2011 study out of the University of Sydney in Australia.

4. Water can make you run faster—and safer 

In a 2011 study, 14 runners completed two sets of laps—one in which they showed up hydrated and got water during breaks, and one in which they had to limit their fluid intake during the run and for 22 hours beforehand. When they were able to get their hydration on, the runners had faster times and lower gastrointestinal body temperatures and healthier heart rates post-run.

5. It’ll put you in a better mood 

In a study published last year in The Journal of Nutrition, mildly dehydrated young women experienced headaches, fatigue, worsened mood, and difficulty concentrating. Yikes.

Ready to drink up now? Make sure you know the real deal on water-drinking myths, then refill your water bottle.

University of Colorado Boulder Sports Governance Class

Lance Armstrong answering questions at University of Colorado Boulder

The University of Colorado Boulder has a class called "Introduction to Sports Governance." Taught by Professor Roger Pielke Jr., they don't shy away from the tough questions like doping in cycling or bribery in FIFA. They also like to get both sides of a story. One recent speaker was Travis Tygart, who discussed the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency's efforts to clean up sports. Last Tuesday (3/1/16) Lance Armstrong gave the rebuttal.

An article on the Business Insider website states that Armstrong called the USADA "One of the most inefficient and ineffective organizations in the world." My initial reaction to that was, "Hey Lance, they were good enough to catch you!" He went on to explain that he thought the organization was necessary, but there was a lot more cheating going on that what they have been able to catch. In Lance's view, the organization needed something to justify its existence. He went on to say:

"If you have an organization that's struggling for credibility — and believe me, I was the complete dumb-ass who made it totally easy for them to do this, right? So this is my fault."

When asked if it would have been possible for him to win the Tour de France without using performance enhancing drugs, Armstrong said no. He also pointed out that PEDs are not magic potions. He still had to do a lot of hard training. Personally, I believe that he is correct when he says it would have been impossible to win the Tour de France without cheating. There were a lot of other cyclists who were caught or later admitted to cheating. What is really hard to forgive is the lengths at which he went to harm those who told the truth about his use of PEDs. Among these was circulating rumors that former TDF champion Greg LeMond had a heroin problem. Showtime has been running an interesting documentary called "Lance Armstrong: Stop at Nothing." it goes into a lot of details of the doping and has interviews with some of his critics, teammates and other people who knew him. Here is a link to a trailer for the show.

Friday Photo - Mountain Biking Mt. St. Helens

Are You Looking For A Breathtaking Mountain Biking Adventure?

Mountain bikers on Mt. St. Helens' Plains of Abraham (Photo courtesy of MBpost.com)

If you are looking for some place in the United States to go mountain biking, consider Mt. St. Helens in Washington State. It's the site of the most recent volcanic eruption (1980) in the lower 48 states. If you're too young to remember that, take a look at this video.

The photo above was taken in 2010 at a weekend work and ride event called Helens Fest. It apparently did not evolve into an annual event. The riders are located on the barren Plans of Abraham, which was hit by a pyroclastic flow when the volcano erupted in 1980. Here's a list of available mountain biking trails from the USDA.

Check out this video of mountain biking the Ape Canyon Trail on Mt. Saint Helens:

Wednesday Video - Danny MacAskill and the Clan

This week's video features Danny MacAskill and a bicycle stunt team called "The Clan."

 

That's with a "C' not a "K." They do some amazing jumps, flips and other stunts. The trick I find the most amazing is the guy doing a standing high jump over a bar that's about three feet high. This video is three minutes and fifty-six seconds of non-stop action.