To Serve and Protect

Apparently, this cyclist wasn't using proper hand signals. An erect middle finger for sudden stopping. This is some footage from the most recent Critical Mass rendez-vous in NYC.




A rookie NYPD cop was stripped of his badge and gun Monday after a stunning video caught him slamming a bicyclist to the ground in an apparent unprovoked attack. Officer Patrick Pogan, 22, of the Midtown South Precinct, was bounced to desk duty soon after the video of Friday's incident in Times Square appeared on YouTube...

Critical Mass and Time's Up! - which advocate for environmental issues with the monthly protest ride - have long complained about NYPD harassment. Police officials said the groups disrupt traffic and lack permits. "Cyclists here already face enough obstacles - law enforcement shouldn't be one of them," said City Councilman David Yassky (D-Brooklyn), a supporter of biker rights.


WTF was going through this cops head. Should the city streets be a trial and error exercise for rookie cops with sizable chips on their shoulders?

Call the police! There's been a robbery!

I know that I'm super late with this, but no one is reading this blog anyway. The Hillsborough 5-hour race has come and gone and I have once again failed to find a division that is obsolete enough for me to be the only one in it, thus guaranteeing me a spot at the top of the podium. Ahem, upon reading the fine print... fun and pain were the only things promised, and in the end delivered.

This year was a revamp of the Hillsborough race that has been hosted by some hard-core trail gnomes and local clubs as a charity fund raiser for JDRF to find cure for Type 1 diabetes (this is the one that attacks children, I believe. They format (as with the majority of race formats in NB this year) was flipped to an 5- hour endurance race. After many revisions the course was decided. It was almost exclusively single track and included some classics from the region that finally got some showcase and some "newborn" brand spanking new single track that made the most out of a pretty ugly clear cut. I know the area and if you thought the single track climb was brutal it could have be straight up so stop whining! Job well done by all involved and if we count critics of early revisions that's a lot of people involved!!

If there were ever a course with more flow on the east coast I've never ridden it. so why not single speed. Excellent organization and turn out. Thirty some juniors (on a 1 hour run) and 80 or so adults with lots of support. The divisions were mostly according to team (2), mixed team (2) or Solo.

I rode this on my Cannondale 1FG Single Speed and kicked ass, just not quite enough. I finished second of 4 races in the SS division. This Roadie dude on a borrowed Trek 69er handed my ass to me. This guy blew past me on 20 degree climb. I swear I could hear the whirring of tiny gear and that reverberating action theme from the Six Million Dollar Man.

Ah well! At least I didn't set the bar to high. Here's some complete results and photos courtesy of Don Ricker.

Next up Gorefest 8-hour! I'm already registered and looking into enlisting the help of Bigfoot in case any bionic goons show up this time.

How the settlers did it

Man oh man! Someone needs to reevaluate his hobbies. These two just don't go together. I hope the old lady didn't give him the boot and this is all he's left with. Now, that I think about it...it could be worse, eh?