Jim Stanfill and I at the Aspen Women's Pro circuit race yesterday

http://www.cyclingnews.com/races/aspen-womens-pro-race-2011/stage-2/photos/187973

Jim runs the USA Cycling technical program. His support effort is the smoothest, most "together" neutral support program I've ever experienced. In the photo, we're following the two-woman breakaway late in the Snowmass, Colorado (near Aspen) circuit race, on the second day of the three-day event.

I was delighted to be working a bicycle race again after a two-year hiatus. Yay!

Sorry....

I'm writing this on July 22nd, months after my last post. I'm sorry I haven't been posting but I sorta lost interest in sharing my thoughts regularly outside of my columns.

Earlier this year I spent a couple of months without writing at all, the first time that had ever happened to me since I began contributing to magazines in the early '80s. Luckily, I got through that phase and I'm writing again, but not posting.

If you'd like to write me, my email address is mhershon@gmail.com  Perhaps I'll begin posting again...but I can't say for sure. I'm sorry if I disappoint you.

Eric Clapton's guitars

Here, from the NY Times, is an article explaining (you judge the effectiveness) the desire to own objects that have belonged to famous people. I became curious about this phenomenon when I heard that a world-class motorcycle racer, not a musician, who'd made good money in the sport, was buying "collector" guitars.

Fun to watch...

Here's a video from Chile, forwarded from old friend Owen via old friend Tena. As Owen observed, the camera bike rider is no slouch by any means....

New cars, new distractions

From Maureen Dowd in the NY Times: Have you driven a smartphone lately?

NYC bike commuting...and all bike commuting

Here's an Outside Magazine piece by the author of Traffic. He interviews bike commuters and activists and rides with a guy with on his epic commute. Super well done, evenhanded writing. Thanks, Donald!

1880s cycling culture - on the Rivendell site

Check this out today or soon, please. The square you see top-center on the Rivendell home page is given to a series of paragraph-long comments on cycling life in the 1880s, a time that few of us long-termers will claim to remember. As you click from one paragraph to the next, you come eventually to a selection of photos of humbly outfitted Friends of the Brand. Enjoy those photos but don't miss the last paragraph selection after the shots.

And remember not to drink too much water or over-ring your handlebar bell.