Competitive Failure

I'm not an extremely competitive person, certainly nothing like the LA that Bill Strickland describes in Tour de Lance (a great book regardless of what you think about Lance). I played high school sports but basketball is a team game. I was always disgusted by the guys at the YMCA that played every game as if it was the NBA finals. I never really participated in individual competition such as track or swimming or bridge or chess.

Nevertheless, this spring I entered the Podium Cafe Virtual Directeur Sportif, a fantasy league about bicycle racing. You get 150 points to purchase riders. Alberto Contador, 3 time tour winner of beefsteak fame cost 32 points with the expectation of a great return on investment and Gorka Izagirre Insausti is 1 point but whoever heard of him?

At one point last spring the East Nashville Slow Riders were in first place. Thanks to Fabian Cancellera and Tom Boonen, stalwarts of the spring classics such as Paris Roubaix and Tour of Flanders I was rolling along. Then Boonen was hurt and didn't ride in the Tour de France. Fab had a great year but the spring is his strength although late in the year he did win the World Championship in the Time Trial. Tyler Farrar, the sprinter for Garmin Transitions had his best year and led my team in scoring. Next year his price will increase. The long and short is I finished the season in 116th place quite a come down from my early lead.

My downfall was the lack of a contender for the overall championship (General Classification or GC in the lingo) of a grand tour such as Contador or Ivan Basso. I did buy Christian Vande Velde but he kept falling off his bicycle and scored no points all year! He's a nice guy but how does he keep his job? Chris Horner was a good buy as he was cheap and his score was 10x the previous year, plus he seems like a good guy. I needed more Horners and Farrars.

As an aside on a recent trip to California I dined at an In and Out because it's his favorite fast food hamburger. For a guy who is pushing 40 he's doing well.

Next year's strategy is obviously to broaden my team to include all types of riders. The winning team, Sleeping Maiden Velo (huh?) had Vincenzo Nibali as its leader. Who is he? He is the winner of the Tour of Spain but I never heard of the guy before this season. I guess I'll have to read my old copies of Velo News all winter in preparation for next year's competition. But that would make me competitive.

Bert's Bad Beef

Alberto Contador is the latest cyclist to return a positive drug test during the Tour de France. It's for clembutrol whatever that is. His protests seem rather silly, that it's from some bad meat from Spain, but he has some "experts" on his side. Other say it's just not possible. I guess his story may be true but I wonder what comments we'll hear from Andy "dropped chain" Shleck?

Great weather to ride a bike even if you're a lot slower than Bert. Have a steak and beer after you're finished. There's no need to worry about a drug test although I do wonder what they're feeding those cows these days.

How Time Flies

As a new blogger I was unaware of the dedication required to constantly update the world on my thoughts and actions. Since I have joined Facebook my creative activities (such as they are) have been directed to that forum of internet intellectualism. I posted about positive results for my alma mater's football team and their upcoming challenges. I will soon travel to witness the action in person.

I am participating in an event of momentous magnitude for my adopted city of Nashville, i.e. how to get more people riding bicycles so that bicycle shops can sell more bicycles. I rode my own bike 62 miles (100 kilometers to the rest of the world) in a local charity ride. It only took me five hours or so including stops for nature breaks and the rest stop cookies included in the cost of the ride. All paid riders received a reasonably acceptable spaghetti lunch after the ride.

My wife is busy planning a trip to the city by the bay, San Francisco. I understand you go there to see stereotypes (Chinatown, Castro District, Haight Ashbury), tall trees and a prison. Then we will drive one of Hertz's finest down the coast on Highway 1. I have discovered that the hotels and rental cars are expensive. I'm sure the bicycle ride across the Golden Gate Bridge will be the highlight of the trip.

The Good Old Bicycle

I didn't know Art Hobson when I was at the University of Arkansas but other people spoke very highly of him. He is a physicist and was very well thought of by my friends. Here he explains why two wheels are better than four or more.

Touring the Artsy Bike Racks of Nashville

I rode about 30 miles Sunday and included a visit to each and every art bike rack in Nashville. These were installed recently to show how the city is bike friendly. Some of them are kind of cute. The microphone at the Demonbreum Roundabout is my favorite. Excuse the picture quality they were taken with my phone.



These are at the Farmer's Market on Rosa Parks Blvd. Notice the agricultural theme.









Maybe we can organize an East Nashville to downtown tour of all the bike racks. It's only about 12-14 miles but there are some hills. I can testify to that.

The Right Reverend Houston Dale Nutt

I was not a fan of Nutt at Arkansas after the 2003 season when a team loaded with seniors, including several that went to the NFL, badly underperformed. He then flirted with the Nebraska job, received a lucrative contract extension and promptly produced two losing seasons. He lost to Vanderbilt in 2005 and should have been fired the next day. He has just signed an all-american candidate quarterback at Ole Miss who has had numerous run-ins with the law. Jeremiah Masoli led his team to the Rose Bowl last year and was then kicked out of Oregon after two different criminal incidents.

Nutt is of dubious character but this one takes the cake. I can remember one of his stars was arrested when he was found drunk and asleep in his car by the Fayetteville police. He played the full season. Nutt's idea of discipline starts with how much the player can help him as a coach. He did kick off a troubled player from the Ole Miss team weeks before this event. He then said he had no interest in Masoli but after his backup QB left the team he changed his mind. I hope this blows up in his face.

My favorite Nutt story is that one of the 1,000 text messages he sent to the "woman not his wife" (see Mandel's story in SI) was 20 minutes before the kickoff of a bowl game against Wisconsin. We lost the game.

Bike Racks in Nashville

I've written a post for the Bike Walk Tennessee blog about Nashville government support for cycling. It sounds like a press release for the Mayor but that's not my intention. You can find it here.

Au Revoir Lance

The Tour de France ended Sunday with a third victory by Alberto Contador and a 23th place finish for Lance Armstrong. The most publicity he received Sunday was for wearing the wrong colored kit (that's cyclist speak for uniform). Radio Shack did win the best team prize but no one cares about that except maybe the corporate executives at Radio Shack. Lance went out as a seven time winner in 2005 and his legacy wasn't seriously damaged by his return but it doesn't add any additional luster. The current Federal investigation into doping by the Postal team will impact his image more than his last two Tour attempts. From now on his lawyers are more important than what jersey he's wearing.

The best placed American was Chris Horner, a career domestique (that means worker bee in French) who is 39 years old. He finished 10th will riding for his team leaders but ended up higher than either Armstrong or Levi Leipheimer. Horner seems to be a great guy and deserves the accolades. My guess is he'll be on a another team next year making better money.

Chris Horner—Buried by TT, Rode for Team

The Downfall of Champions

Lance Armstrong, seven time Tour de France winner, crashed and burned on Stage 8 of the 2010 edition of the TdF. LA had incredibly good luck during those seven years and has suffered payback in the two years of his return. He suffered his first broken bones last year prior to the tour and this year fell and withdrew from the Tour of California. He also suffered an illness earlier this year that kept him out of another race. He did ride to second in the Tour de Swisse fueling hope for a TdF win by LA fans.

The odds of an Armstrong victory in this years tour were slim and none. The third place finish in 2009 after three years from the sport was a hell of an achievement. Apparently he truly felt he had a chance to win this year driven by his hatred of Alberto Contador. A second place finish in the Tour de Suisse fueled that drive for victory. He may have the strongest team in this year’s race (although Astana and Saxo Bank may argue the point) but they could not prevent him from suffering the ignominy of three separate crashes on Sunday.

The Floyd Landis charges may have fueled the Lance haters but they also drove his desire to prove them wrong. Desire and past glory mean nothing in any current competition especially one as strenuous and demanding as the three week long Tour de France. Whether his ill-fated return diminishes his legacy no one can take back those seven jerseys. Even the Federal government can’t take those although the final stage of that competition is yet to be decided.

I long ago decided LA doped because every competitor he defeated in those years was doing the same thing. Ullrich, Basso, Pantani (who died of an overdose), Hamilton, Landis, etc. were all using performance enhancing drugs. Anyone that reads David Walsh’s book From Lance to Landis will have a hard time disagreeing with my conclusion. He’s a great athlete but not seven years in a row great. I don’t think that EPO or steroids improve your luck in avoiding injury but they sure improve your ability to climb mountains. LA drive to win brought him those seven wins and also put him on the ground three times in Stage 8.

Michael Schumaker has equal claim to greatness in Formula 1 racing and is also a seven time champion, just as amazing a feat as Armstrong’s seven wins. Schumaker “retired” when his Ferrari team decided to move on with Kimi Raikkonen as their number one driver. Schumaker’s streak ended in 2005 as the championship was taken by Fernando Alonso in a Renault (yes those ubiquitous small French cars also go racing). He was competitive in his last years of 2006 and 2007 but retired and served as a well paid consultant to Ferrari in 2008 and 2009. Ferrari driver Felipe Massa was injured in 2009 and Schumaker was tipped to be his replacement for the remainder of the season. Schumaker is an avid motorcyclist (he has ridden the Dragon) and could not drive due to any injury from a motorcycle accident earlier in the year. However this apparently fueled his desire to return to the sport.

While he was retired Lance Armstrong raced in mountain bike race called the Leadville 100 in 2008. He finished second to mountain bike pro Dave Wiens even though he wasn’t in proper condition. A few months later he announced his return to pro cycling and credits the race with igniting his desire to return. He finished third in the TdF in 2009 and then returned to Leadville to win the race which was memorialized in an excellent documentary Race Across the Sky. Wiens commented that he never raced against anyone that used the Tour de France as training for the Leadville 100.

Schumaker’s return this year for the Mercedes Racing Team is a disaster. He has yet to finish on the podium (first three places) and is usually in the middle of the pack. His best placed finish is fourth. He currently sits in ninth place in points with 36 compared to Lewis Hamilton’s first place total of 145. Needless to say Michael will not be winning his eighth championship just as Lance won’t find that eighth maillot jaune. I don’t think PEDs will help a race driver but driving the best car in the field, Ferrari, for most of those years certainly gives an advantage to any racer.

Why is it that past champions cannot sit on the sidelines and enjoy life after their victories? Is it because their entire existence and reason for being is wrapped in the single minded pursuit of one goal? Apparently the focus required to win championships isn’t turned off and on with a switch. But the toll of aging takes Lance Armstrong farther away from Alberto Contador and Michael Schumaker from Lewis Hamilton. Time waits for no one.

Ride to Work, Work to Ride

Some friends I used to ride with had the slogan "Ride to Eat, Eat to Ride" so I'll rip off their catch phrase for the title of this piece. Last year one of my resolutions was to ride to work at least once a week. It turned out to be more like once a month. This year I made the same promise to myself and have met the goal….for the last two weeks. I can blame my earlier failure on the horrible weather in middle Tennessee. Before and after the Great Flood of 2010 it has been unusually wet. Now July promises to be particularly dry. Go figure.

The United States has one of the unhealthiest populations of any major developed country. Tennessee was just ranked as the second fattest state in the nation (thank God for Mississippi). Michelle Obama is leading an effort to get our children off their fat butts and the Republicans are probably in opposition. I've been involved in an effort to start a statewide advocacy group to grow walking and biking in Tennessee so I thought I should do a little myself.

I rode on Bike to Work Day this year but since I had the day off I just turned around and went home. That makes it much easier but a couple of days in the last week I actually got out of bed an hour earlier, ate my healthy breakfast, mounted by bike and started my ten mile ride.

I ride around east Nashville on a regular basis so I've got a pretty good idea of the best route to take. I stay on residential streets as much as possible and the traffic is pretty light. I usually cruise by Lockeland Springs School and during the school year I'm greeted by the crossing guards. I sometimes ride down Holly Street past the historic Fire Hall on my way to the Shelby Street Pedestrian Bridge across the same river that was a swollen maelstrom just a few weeks ago. There are some hills in east Nashville but most streets have a canopy of trees to keep it cool.

After maneuvering through downtown past the courthouse I can ride the Greenway out to Metro Center where I work. Nashville has quite a few miles of greenway and bike lanes (when there are no cars parked there) but we can do better. It tends to heat up this time of year and the downtown asphalt is already warm at 7:30 a.m. Although I arrive at work a little sweaty once I cool off and wipe down I can change into more appropriate clothing. I once read a primer on how to ride to work and it pointed out that body order is caused by bacteria and not sweat. The recommendation was to shower before leaving home and BO would not cause a problem. So far no one has complained but maybe they're just polite.

When I show up with a bike helmet in the elevator some of my colleagues are fascinated that an old geezer like myself would ride a bicycle at all, much less to work. Isn't it dangerous? How far do you ride (10 miles), it's great you do this, etc. etc. I don't think I've yet to inspire anyone to follow my example even though the workforce in my office is pretty representative of Tennessee's obesity ranking. This is a health care agency and some folks here are an example of how to be unhealthy.

The ride home takes longer to complete and is much hotter with more traffic. If those people would just get out of their cars and join the two wheeled brigade we would all be better off and I could get home quicker. But I can cruise along with the knowledge that my small effort to reduce my carbon footprint, maintain a healthier lifestyle and use less oil to prevent another Gulf disaster aren't very heroic but set an example for other fat Tennesseans. I doubt they're paying attention.

Let's Go Racing

Two short weeks from Saturday is the beginning of the Tour de France one of the most important sporting events in the world. Some would say the most important. I realize that some hundred million people are cheering or jeering (see French Team) World Cup matches but the TdF is still an event that resonates around the globe even if not to the level of the WC.

Per wikipedia

The sale of international rights has given the Tour the world's largest viewing figures for an annual sports event and the third highest figures for any sports event. The two top events are the Olympic Games and the soccer World Cup, each held every four years. The race was broadcast by 65 stations in 110 countries in 2003, according to the head of television rights at Amaury Sport Organisation, Yann Le Moëner.


Most Americans that are paying attention care only about Lance and the Radio Shack Team and that’s great but the TdF as an event is hard to surpass. Thousands of fans camp out days early on mountain tops such as the Tourmalet, Alpe d'Huez, Madeleine, Ventoux and Aubisque.

I was able to witness two stages in 2008 and Le Tour is an unparalled montage of sights and sounds. The winner of the first stage we saw was Ricardo Ricco on Stage 9 from Toulouse to Bagneres de Bigorre.

Ricardo rode a great stage but was busted for doping later in the tour and carried off in handcuffs by the gendarmes. We went out in the country to see the caravan and later the peloton flash by our spot on the road. Although there were quite a few people in this rural area it was not an overwhelming crowd. Although there was a breakaway group of four the peloton was together and speeds by in just a few seconds with a definite "whoosh".



As we drove off we passed several helicopters with the Tours colors that had set down in a local field. I later found out that VIPs get rides as part of their sponsorship package. We then drove to the finish line where the crowd was three and four deep, and watched the stage end in Bagneres de Bigorre so we saw the caravan and the cyclists twice in one day.

The caravan precedes the peloton by an hour or so and is best described as a circus parade with some fascinating floats sponsored by mostly French companies such as Nesquik and Champion. The cycling giraffe of Caisse d'Epargne was a favorite of mine. Needless to say the kids seem most interested in the candy, hats and other paraphenalia thrown from the floats. Some adults showed the same enthusiam for the polka dotted hats of Champion (sponsor of the King of the Mountains jersey).







The next day, July 14th, we stayed in a small town in the Pyranees on the route between the Tormalet and the end of the stage on the top of the Hautacam. The village of Luz St Sauveur was so quaint as to be almost a cliche with a beautiful view of the mountains from our room window. We watched the Bastille Day festivities in the town square and then toured the local market. The towns population was about 600 and I think there were more tourists than citizens lining the main street as the caravan came through. The caravan drivers and attendants distributed far more trinkets in town than the previous day in the country.



The climb over Col du Tourmulet broke up the peloton and, unlike the day before, cyclists came through in smaller groups. We scouted the Tourmalet earlier in our trip and I cannot imagine trying to ride up that thing. At the top of the col is a statute in tribute to the cyclists of the Tour. French rider Remy de Gregorio went on a solo break but was caught after he passed our spot. French riders always go on suicidal breaks on Bastille day.



I was taking pictures at random (as usual) since I have no idea what I'm doing as a photog but a Nikon DSLR lets you shoot multiple pictures in rapid succession. After returning to the states I found that I had taken this shot. Sometimes better to be lucky than good.



I had captured a picture of the "strong men" as Phil Liggett would call the group of race leaders. Kim Kirchen was in yellow and is in the back of this group. He was later dropped on the Hautacam and never sniffed yellow again. The day ended with Cadel Evans one second ahead of Frank Schleck (both in the photo). Leading the group in this picture is Carlos Sastre the eventual winner in Paris but he was only sixth after this stage. Christian Vandevelde of Team Garmin Chiptle is in the group and eventually finished fourth.

Many Americans are cheering our World Cup team right now but I'm waiting for the start of the "Le Grand Spectacle". So are millions of others around the world.

It Ain't Legal Is It?

Back in 2008 I became involved in an ad hoc effort to end parking in bike lanes. The prime violators were patrons of restaurants on Eastland Avenue in East Nashville especially those parking to dine at the Rosepepper Cantina.


View Larger Map

Eventually it was found that although parking in a bike lane was illegal in the Metropolitan Code, it was not listed in the appropriate section to give the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department authority to issue citations which pretty much gutted the law. Councilman Erik Cole took on the effort and passed legislation to rectify the problem. It passed unanimously.

It's Not Legal to Park in a Bike Lane in Nashville Tennessee

Since the law was changed it is my observation that such lawlessness has declined although I haven't done any surveys, scientific or otherwise. However, there is one household at 1318 Riverside Drive in Inglewood that does not obey the law.




I have complained to the authorities several times by calling the non-emergency police number. After the Great Flood of 2010 I ceased my efforts since MNPD had other issues of a higher priority. After a reasonable amount of time I complained to the before mentioned Councilman Cole who asked the police to investigate the situation. I'm sure they have better things to do but I doubt that any murders went unsolved while they were at the scene of this crime. Apparently the officer who witnessed this illegality (he told the Councilman that he is a cyclist) decided that this is not a violation of the law because this is not a bike lane. See the white stripe? That denotes a bike lane. However, there is a sign just down the road that says "Bicyle Lane Ahead" (it uses a symbol rather than the word bicycle). You can see it in this photo.




The officer believes that the bike lane does not begin until after the sign. The question before us is what delineates the bike lane, a sign or the white stripes or both? As you are riding the bike in this direction the street curves to the right and the striped lane begins at this point. I have posed this question to fellow bicycle advocates and intend to follow up with the appropriate experts to reach a resolution. I'm sure the officer honestly believes that his interpretation is correct I just happen to disagree.

P.S. You may be thinking who gives a flip about a little illlegal parking? Well I do, obviously. This truck is parked just past a blind curve. I think they are crazy to park there because they may get side swiped by some drunk coming around that corner.

View Larger Map

But any cyclist, including me, that comes around this curve and attempts to enter the bike lane will find it blocked when it should be available only for two wheel traffic. It forces the cyclist to enter the traffic lane and deal with automobile traffic which is less safe. After all, it's the law and I'm a law and order type guy.

P.S.S. I also reported it to mybikelane.com

Young at 90

I think we can agree that when we reach ninety years of age we are old but not necessarily aged. My father, R.C. Rogers was born in Harrison, Arkansas on this day in 1920.



His family shortly moved back to Greene County where he has been ever since except for a "short" trip to North Africa and Italy to defeat the fascists. We all give insufficient thanks to his generation for their sacrifice to keep our freedoms and our right to buy iphones and surf the internet. Just an Arkansas country boy sent to serve his country I can only imagine the challenge that presented.



A product of the Great Depression those of us in the baby boom generation (yeah I'm old too) don't truly appreciate what those times required for survival. I know the Gen Xer and Yers and Zers don't. Most Americans had little to say about a Wall Street frenzy of greed that preceded the great depression. Sounds familiar doesn't it. My Rogers ancestors owned a little farm land and that made them "privileged" compared to the millions of sharecroppers in the South.



There are probably Ford Galaxies and F-150s still roaming the road of Arkansas that were repaired by the long time mechanic. I can remember several Ford Pintos, VW bugs, and a particular Ford Falcon (V-8 with 3 speed stick) that only ran because of R.C.'s mechanically abilities. He built an old two wheeled trailer that we filled with camping equipment and visited the Smokey Mountains, Yellowstone, and Pikes Peaks. At the time I didn't appreciate the sacrifices it took for a working class family to take those trips.


After retirement my mom and he sailed around the world (well not literally) and visited Finland , Russia, Egypt, Israel and points east and west. A well deserved post working life experience. Today he sits on the porch and surveyed his vast domain in Greene County Arkansas.

Happy birthday, dad and thanks for everything.

Chat Gravel is Tough

It's cooler than asphalt but the chat gravel on the Katy Trail takes more effort per pedal stoke. The parts that are shaded ready a tired rider for the sunny stretches of the path. The area we were in didn't run along the river too much but when it did I imagine the Amazon must be similar :-). The turtles, and there were many, didn't seem to mind our presence. Mary claims she saw a squirrel the size of a large cat and she also spotted a fox. We enjoyed the sights but some people kept complaining about the heat and the heat and the heat. We were joined by my younger sister who may be (is) really out of shape and she was the youngest of a somewhat aged group. Altogether an enjoyable two days of riding in the Missouri country side.

Ready to Ride, Again



Some Are Slow




A Sale on Gatorade




A Brief Respite



Our Sunday Ride, McKittrick to Portland and Back (Only 30 easy miles)




Katy Trail and Missouri River Backwater Residents



It's Over!



Bringing Up the Rear

Conquering the Katy Trail

Fifty miles on a chat gravel path through the Missouri countryside is definitely a challenging effort when you are old and frail. However, Mary, Gerry, Kloud and I took it on in good fashion. From the Weldon Springs trail head to Hermann Missouri was our goal and we performed in good fashion. We are all sore and exhausted. Thank goodness for ibuprofen.

Preparation for the journey.






Hard at work



The peloton rolls on






Lunch in Marthasville






The feed zone after 40 miles



The mighty Missouri



We reach our destination but Mary flats on the bridge three blocks from the hotel.



Hermann sits on the south side of the river about two miles from the trail.



We found our hotel in Hermann, the venerable Vinchester Inn which is only one block away from the bike shop. For less than $7 we had a new tube and inflated tire ready for the next day's journey. I highly recommend the Hermann Ride, Rest & Go Bicycle Shop.

After a casual dinner at Simons on the Waterfront we head down the street for soft serve at the Downtown Deli. Ted Drewes it ain't but we make do.

Tomorrow holds more suffering for these cyclists but we will undoubtedly rise to the challenge.

We're spending the Memorial Day weekend in St. Louis Missouri and environs. Plans are for a two day ride on the Katy Trail. We will also watch the Cardnals vanquish the Reds although lately they ain't doing much vanquishing.

Any trip to St. Louis must include a visit to the Hill for some form of Italian food and Adrianas certainly fits the requirement. They serve a delicious sausage sandwich. Another must visit is Ted Drewes a well know local landmark. I will be there soon.

The Hill, home of Yogi Berra and Joe Garigola is a unique little working class area of St. Louis with small but neat frame homes with immaculate yards and, um, distinctive decorations.

In the Beginning

Although participating in the internet for over a decade (mid-nineties on an old dial up ISP, nashville.com) I have never “blogged”. I understand that it is not a requirement for partcipation in the vast reaches of the internet but I have been assured that I must blog to exist as a full fledged participant of the interweb. I have also joined Facebook, I Twitter (but seldom tweet) and therefore I must blog.

The unfortunate truth is that I have little to blog about because I live (or exist) a very boring and unexciting life. This places me with the great mass of humanity who are not movie stars, sports personalities or politicians. I do have much to say about various events in our current society whether cogent or not and whether or not anyone wants to read my profound statements.

Nevertheless I will begin this journey dear reader, if there are any, and I apologize for my less than scintillating meanderings and my bureaucratic prose (I am one so it's understandable).

PS The title of the blog refers to my occasional efforts on a bicycle. I find being outdoors on a two wheeler more enjoyable than most other alternative activities these days. I ride one of these.

PSS I also have to learn how to spell. I've already edited this thing three times.