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.