I've been thinking more and more about the parallel or analogy that bikes and bike riding are for my life.
It's obvious that 1) I can't make up my mind about much 2) My interest comes and goes in huge waves 3) I don't excel at anything, but do quite a lot to make up for it 4) I don't nurture relationships as much as I could (rust on the stem bolts on my Seven? What am I thinking?) 5) I always want to do slightly more than I'm willing or able to put effort into.

Here are some going-ons:

My friend Aidan, who crewed for me when I raced Norseman in 2007, is racing the Iditarod Trail Invitational . 350 miles, unsupported, across Alaska in the winter. Starts this Sunday.


Not sure what to add about this. Have fun?

Next weekend here in Los Angeles is the Bike Summit, Saturday 9am to 4pm. I had not heard much about it and was hesitant to get involved (I never really did), but looks like a great day of workshops and speakers. The preceding Friday, the 6th, I am part of the Root Down ride, a bike tour through the city stopping at historical points in LA bike history from 1999-2009.

I'm going to be talking about More Than Transportation, a bike weekend event with workshops, rides, races, parties, etc that happened in 2002, 2004, 2005 (part of Bike Summer) and 2006. I wanted there to be a stop about the time in 2004 that Critical Mass rode through three grocery stores to support the striking Safeway workers, but it is not going to happen. That night was amazing.

Speaking of protests and political activism, I've been painfully keeping up with Green is the New Red, a site that "focuses on how fear of “terrorism” is being exploited to push a political and corporate agenda." Will articulates how the "T-word" is being used to silent legal environmental protest (see the 5 step process). It's saddening to read what has been happening, but the existence of this site and the material they are putting together is helping to fight it. Check it out, it's worth your time. And to all of you mainstream environmental groups who think this does not pertain to you, I have this poem:

"In Germany, they came first for the Communists, And I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a Communist; And then they came for the trade unionists, And I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a trade unionist; And then they came for the Jews, And I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a Jew; And then they came for me . . . And by that time there was no one left to speak up."

And I realized that I have not reported on our 24-hour race in Tucson, which was two weeks ago now. Oops. It was great fun. Riding, hanging out, eating, sleeping, chilling, making hot drinks, riding, repeat. I'll try to get more together for that.