101 posts from 2007

Sorry it took so long to respond on this, we bikers are slow and methodical.

Recently a former Madison mayor and implied bike advocate crossed the double yellow lines and claimed and I quote "The bicyclists who braved the week's second storm should be taken out and shot." He claims to be making a joke and was repurposing a quote by a Milwaukee teacher about the Columbine shootings. None of these are joking matters however. There is enough hostility toward cyclists from motor vehicle operators already and Columbine and teacher attitudes are serious issues.

I'm not going to link to his blog as that would be perpetuating the problem. You can find the hyperbole if you look. Soggy even hypes his own hype in a later post about how his anti-bike post drew more people to his site than anything he has ever written. I hope he has adsense or Google ads enabled as he's making loot off these blatherings:

Dec 08, 2007
How To Write A High Hit Post For Your Blog

For over two years, blah blah blah brought readers insight into Madison and Wisconsin issues. We commented on politics, fashion, sports, more politics, right wing foolishness, and, of course, left wing follies.

The readers of Waxing America s enjoyed:
    * Essays on blah.
    * Lies that blah.
    * Commentary from blah.
    * Blah
Needless to say, a post on biking after dark in heavy snow storms crushed them all. It was not even close.

It is not about a rant, it is not about biking. It is not about hyperbole.

It is all about telling people that something they consider noble, honorable, and superior to the behavior of mere mortals is stupid.

My response:

Tuesday December 11 Madison got hit by its third storm in 10 days. Seven inches of fresh snow fell throughout the day making the commute home a big challenge. Most schools were closed, college classes cancelled. People that came to work planned hasty retreats as the day progressed. I was excited. I love riding in the snow. It is sport.

Most cagers are idiots though. A cager is someone that sits in the safety of their vehicle (cage) and doesn't experience the elements around them. They are impervious to the sounds, smells and 360 degree panoramas of their daily travels. Once you close that car door, you are in an armored shell and nothing matters except getting from A to B. Safe from harm, sit back, have some coffee and maybe make a phone call. Is that a movie on the dvd player? Fargo? - Awesome!

Cars in storms are stoopid because:

• They are too afraid to come to a complete stop for fear of getting stuck so, they roll through the stop sign (over and over again).
• Don't bother shoveling, just stomp harder on the gas. (by the way neighbors, if you do get stuck, I will help if you SHOVEL FIRST)(a soft touch on the accelerator is a lot more effective in the snow btw). When I get stuck on my bike, I just step off. walk five feet and I'm riding again. I don't need to pack a roadside emergency kit.
• Just because I'm on a bike doesn't mean you HAVE to pass me. (Especially when there is a tow truck pulling a bus out of the ditch and the road is reduced to one lane for both directions) -Yeah give me the finger! U r an idiot Bronco man.
• Clearing the windshield is a great idea lady - really! No your poor wipers can't move that pile of snow. Oh and the ice underneath will require more than your defroster on high for 30 seconds.
• If someone is stuck and gassing it out of the ditch, don't just go racing by ignoring the smoke pouring off the stuck suckas tires. In a second those wheels are going to hook up and he is going to launch into your roadway and smash into your "late for yoga" self. Yes, this happened in front of my house yesterday.
• When the bumper gets ripped off your Ford F150 4x4, don't just leave it laying on the corner of State and Gorham. Kind of a nice memorial, but traffic is already snarled, dodging your body parts, by car or bike, is not ideal.
• You can't drive at your regular speed - really you can't! The brake pedal stuttering and making funny sounds when you come to a stop - that's the cars ABS telling you that you are going too fast.
  

I continue to ride. This is my 25th year crossing the isthmus on my bike. Rain or shine, summer and winter. These are not the words of a self-righteous freak. I am merely a guy trying to get to work everyday. I save on gas, parking, insurance and maintenance by not driving my car. I am safer than you Paul Soglin because I am acutely aware of my conditions. I know road conditions better than any car driver. I know exactly where you are back there SUV guy. I promise I won't get in your way if I can help it, but I do have a right to the road. Peace y'all. I promise I'll wave to you when you pass at speed and honk while flipping me the bird.

The gift season came early for my guys.

New collars made by friends Phil and Megan <corgimocollars>

Aren't they handsome? And SOOO tired!

Average of 11 views per photo. Averages are stoopid! No one want to see photos of my orange underwear! It's the glamour that brings em. How the hell can I make money off of this now?

and what a closer it was

and my finest racing moment:

Course now-a-days kids are jumping gorges on their skateboards, motorcyclists do double flips before breakfast, but Evel was definitely an inspiration. Built my first bmx bike, before the genre even existed when I was 10 and quickly went to work breaking teeth and bloodying shins and noses. Even got that dorky kid, Tommy Hoops, to try to jump his bike off the first terrace in the rock quarry (we pedaled away from that wreck as fast as our little legs could).

Evel continued to inspire even after his retirement from dare-deviling. He became and abstract painter, specializing in oils and watercolor.

He loved women, children and guns, “not necessarily in that order.”

Godspeed Evel!

Is this insulting?

I know it's the "Fashion and Style" section and I think the points may be true, but the author never really speaks of the woman DJ skills. Moving the dancefloor is the key, what you look like is immaterial. Would they write a feature on male DJs and their fashion? Kinda doubt it. There are many great women DJs. Tell me about their music, not what kind of shoes they wear.

What are those? Beads hanging in front of the decks?!? Headphones mess your hair? What is that cross armed move she's displaying? Can you cut like that without using the crossfader? ...erg... I'm just a grump.

... and I glean hope from a new pair of gloves.