roadskater.net

Whilst snooping around the personal finance and get-out-of-debt blogs, I tapped into the personal weight-loss blogs. In following the ADHD links to the maze of other such webpages, I found some funny blog titles, like "Over 40, in debt and overweight". Yes, in 2007 there are countless people still struggling in vain to lose excess weight. They all seem to believe that food deprivation and other people's idea of exercise are the only solutions. Will this hopelessly cruel and debilitating cycle ever end?

After several years of seeing the Tour de Kale flyers and jerseys out and about in Greensboro, I had the pleasure this year of finally taking part in this very well-run event. Denton, NC is a little town out in the country, Southwest of Greensboro, and a few miles southwest of Tour de Lions country, i.e., slightly more mountain-side, i.e., slightly hillier. Distance options this year were 120k, 110k, 60k (which Blake and I skated), and 25k (which Andy skated). Tour de Kale offers cash prizes for 1st, 2nd & 3rd male and female, spread over 4 categories for the 'Summit Challenge', which includes a Bubba division (male over 200lbs). Price is $35 for pre-reg., $40 the day of, plus a $10 deposit on the timing-chip, to be reimbursed after you turn it back in again. For this you get a bib #, meal ticket, event T-shirt & sponsor goodie bag, 120k of support vehicles & rest stops, and a beautiful country course.  

Thanks to Dale at Cycles de Oro's welcoming ways, I showed up on skates for a couple of the Cirque du Cyclisme rides and had the pleasure of seeing lots of classic bikes and the people who love them. Timv was there on his classic bikes, and eebee joined in on Saturday for the leisurely tour of Greensboro.

Please check out my 290 photos from the Cirque du Cyclisme 2007:

Below is a series of emails about various helmet lights, in reverse order of posting date:

Huston: Bob's inquiry & my recent ventures in solo nightskating re-stimulated my search for lighting. Here's what I found:

What another satisfying, smooth and sufficiently challenging Tour de Lions event! We arrived for registration at 7.30am, grabbed some bananas and other carbs, plus coffee, all provided by the event and its volunteers. The weather was sunny but brisk at about 50 deg F.

 I've been knocking these rather trivial, large-scale thoughts around my head for some years now and wanted to write something about them. Last night, whilst watching 20/20, was the final straw! This post might complement KJG's questions in Monotony of Training.

Please give to the people who help the people with Multiple Sclerosis. If not here, somewhere. To give to the 2006 Tour to Tanglewood Roadskater.net Team, please visit the pages below and pick someone, especially someone with under $200 in donations, but anyone on the team.

This weekend, Danny, of the Bicycle Response Team for the Tour to Tanglewood, said Dock Davis road was out. This is the bottom of the last rush of adrenaline in the Tour on day 1.

I rode loop 1 with Tom on Saturday (more later) and loops 2 and 3 with my parents while visiting them on Sunday. (We rode in a car.) I took photos and sent them to Michelle and Suzanne et. al. at the MS Society and it looks like now there's a route change. This is sad in one way, in that this is a beautiful stretch of nice road. On the other hand it will be great for next year that some of these older bridges will have been replaced.

Absolutely. The Anniston Star gets it right in their opinion that shows their excitement about the "bridge in the middle of nowhere" and the paving of the last sections between Anniston AL and Smyrna GA hopefully in 2007. We've been there and we've seen the growth in ways we love and hate, but have to look upon with awe.