The Lone Cyclist

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Location: San Francisco Bay Area, United States

Once upon a time, down a long long lonely road...

Tuesday, July 17, 2007

Cycling's Big Guns

The legs belong to Jan Ullrich, and the torso belongs to Michael RasmussenThey eat and eat and eat, but professional cyclists can't get enough meat in their torsos and thus they end up looking like the skeletal remains of of the prehistoric preserved mummys of Pharaohs that ruled Egypt many moons ago. Mommy's cooking doesn't seem to help either.

Big legs, wimpy torsos is the way to go when climbing mountains. Michael Rasmussen is one of the good climbers in the Tour de France, as was Jan Ullrich. Can you imagine that this skinny torso can produce 400+ watts of climbing power?

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Monday, July 16, 2007

Eddy Merckx


Maybe I'll do a blogpost about Eddy Merckx. Maybe....

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Friday, July 13, 2007

Where has the time gone?

The Tour de France 2007 season has arrived.

Quote of the day:

A man and his bike is the closest, a human being can bond with his machine...

Thursday, March 01, 2007

A Bicycle War

Image taken from http://www.worldwar-2.netHere's a poem:

The Charge of the Light Brigade

Alfred, Lord Tennyson

1.

Half a league, half a league,
Half a league onward,
All in the valley of Death
Rode the six hundred.
"Forward, the Light Brigade!
"Charge for the guns!" he said:
Into the valley of Death
Rode the six hundred.

2.

"Forward, the Light Brigade!"
Was there a man dismay'd?
Not tho' the soldier knew
Someone had blunder'd:
Their's not to make reply,
Their's not to reason why,
Their's but to do and die:
Into the valley of Death
Rode the six hundred.

3.

Cannon to right of them,
Cannon to left of them,
Cannon in front of them
Volley'd and thunder'd;
Storm'd at with shot and shell,
Boldly they rode and well,
Into the jaws of Death,
Into the mouth of Hell
Rode the six hundred.

4.

Flash'd all their sabres bare,
Flash'd as they turn'd in air,
Sabring the gunners there,
Charging an army, while
All the world wonder'd:
Plunged in the battery-smoke
Right thro' the line they broke;
Cossack and Russian
Reel'd from the sabre stroke
Shatter'd and sunder'd.
Then they rode back, but not
Not the six hundred.

5.

Cannon to right of them,
Cannon to left of them,
Cannon behind them
Volley'd and thunder'd;
Storm'd at with shot and shell,
While (Bicycle) and hero fell,
They that had fought so well
Came thro' the jaws of Death
Back from the mouth of Hell,
All that was left of them,
Left of six hundred.

6.

When can their glory fade? O the wild charge they made! All the world wondered. Honor the charge they made, Honor the Light Brigade, Noble six hundred.

Copied from Poems of Alfred Tennyson,
J. E. Tilton and Company, Boston, 1870

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Now Imagine em all on Bicycles =0)


Tuesday, January 30, 2007

Another day...Another Flat tire ...

Yesterday I had another flat tire. Nothing could have prevented it though. A sharp piece of gravel, set up in a convenient location, waiting for its designated victim's front tire to catch it (mine in this case) and laughing out loud when I punctured...

Well I stopped, replaced the tube and all was hunky dory again. I have a habit of going super early to work so I just took my time fixing the flat. Out comes the front wheel, then out pries the tire and tube. I look for the puncture in the tube by inflating it and once the hole is found I look for the culprit that's embedded in the tire (unless the flat happens to be caused by a pinch flat) and then a new tube is inserted and the tire is replaced.

Well finally I get out my trusty frame pump and fill up the tube with good wholesome air. After I clean up the mess on the sidewalk I go on to work.

Cycling builds good mechanical skills...


...

Monday, January 22, 2007

Cold of another species

I had a sore throat all throughout last weekend. Today it still ached, but I still rode my bike to work. It was freezing, but guess what? I feel much better now. I think the cold weather helped my flu! Alhamdulillah!

and so life goes on...

Saturday, January 13, 2007

Cold Commuting


The day has finally come. Bitter cold has spread all over the Bayarea, limbs are numb, people are putting on more layers of clothing, others are looking up at the sky and asking why...... and us cyclist are enjoying all this immensely. Well at least I am.

I don't know what it is about the cold. I can obtain a rhythm (pedaling rhythm) easier and I usually feel more comfortable. Alhamdulillah for cold days =0)


People are cold
Cause the weather is bold...
Noses are red ooo
But then ears are red too...
Why! asks the poor ol' sufferin' fellow at his computer
Why not? Asks the elite bicycle commuter...
Cause there's nothing like a nice old commuting exercise
'Tis something to ponder for the cold, unhealthy and unwise...