A slide show with Beatles music dedicated to the late Laurent Fignon

As David S, who sent me the link, suggested, get a tissue.... It's a four-minute YouTube presentation.

Fignon's friends remember....

Here, from VeloNews, are a few memories of Laurent Fignon from his friends. Look at him with Bernard Hinault in the black 'n' white photo; Seems like a super guy, huh....

Good news and bad

Tamar and I are home after a great trip to Indianapolis. But Laurent Fignon has died from cancer at 50 years old, a good guy gone too soon.

The two sites I watch regularly, BikeRadar.com and VeloNews, reported Fignon's passing with the same French press service text. Soon, I hope, we'll have more personal remembrances.

Gosh, only yesterday in 1989 when Greg LeMond beat Fignon by those glorious eight seconds, Fignon looked so young....

Our plans

Tomorrow morning, Tamar and I will fly to Indianapolis to visit family and attend the MotoGP motorcycle road races at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. And the Indy Mile (dirt track) at the state fairgrounds.

Tamar will visit the new public library in Indy and the art museum, both renowned facilities. For the first time, I have secured press credentials for the MotoGP, allowing me access, well, nearly everywhere, I hope. We're both stoked about the trip.

Luckily, Valentino Rossi's broken leg has healed fast; he'll be competing at Indy. Ticket sales were slow when his presence there was doubtful. When he began racing again, the Motor Speedway sold tickets worth $250,000 in a single day. We're excited to see Rossi ride, and I may, maybe, get a chance to meet him.

We'll be gone four days. Not long after we return, I'm going to the Bay Area for the first time in years to ride the annual Old Farts Ride, a gathering of men and women who were racing in the '60s and '70s. I have found excuses since I left the Bay for missing the OFR, but this year....

I apologize for the few posts on my blog page this summer. I've been riding my bicycle but to be honest have been having more fun on the motorcycle. I rode to my HS reunion in Indy. I did a one-day, 526mi event over 11 mountain passes here in CO. Tamar and I attended the Four-Stroke Single Nat'l Owners Club lunch in Wondervu, CO, a few weeks ago.

Oh, and I worked for the census, and soon I'll be working for the election people as the general election approaches and on the day. My friend Phil presented me with a gift motorcycle that was not yet ready for prime time, and I've been preoccupied with it and its refurbishing.

I suppose I've been busy doing stuff and writing stuff for publication. I've neglected my blog.

I'll do better, I think. Meanwhile, may you easily afford Rapha but not buy it.

Maynard

That's three hundred and thirty one dollars!

For a new Rapha designer messenger (sorry, courier) bag. Don't miss the comments.

From Bikeradar.com....

From McSweeny's: The best e-reader on the market

After exhaustive testing, "the newspaper" reigns as best e-reader...and you can make a hat!

At the bottom, click on Modern Yoga Poses. Namaste.

From the Guardian (UK): Is this bike maker greener? Well,....

Here's the link. Be sure to read the comments. They're not entirely what you'd expect....

If you buy a new, expensive and prestigious replica (if we're honest) of an old, prestigeless item, even if the new item is made in your neighborhood and its construction reflects a concern for environmental issues, is it green? Or is finding the old, discarded no-flash product far greener?

Note: New personal sentence length record established this morning immediately above.

From Salon.com; a happy bike story

It's not all aggro out there....

Who rides a 29er? Well....

From BikeRadar.com, this is partially a press release and partially a fun news item that humanizes a guy it's been easy to think of as not so human. Whatever George Bush was like in the White House, on the bike trail he seems like an okay guy, huh? Peleton One...is that cool or what?

Sat, Aug 14, Wondervu CO, at the Thumper Cafe

That's Tamar and I at the Four-Stroke Single (cylinder) Nat'l Owners Club lunch in Wondervu, CO. Wondervu is NW of Denver in the foothills, close to Nederland, not far from Boulder. I rode my Suzuki and Tamar her Piaggio, the longest, most adventurous, mountain road ride she's done in her four years on the 150cc scooter.

Fifty-six FSSNOCers attended, nice folks on relatively small, low-powered motorcycles. Two guys from Oregon, one each from Montana and Florida. Lots of people rode from KS, OK, NM, TX and diverse CO locations. For a burger. A pretty good Kobe beef burger, but still...a burger.

Occasional CityBike contributor John Bishop, who was there from Sonoma County, CA, took the photo and kindly sent it to us. Bishop was on an extended tour with a friend from New Zealand, both men riding old Yamaha XS650 twins.

Know what a Mamil is?

Here, thanks to friend Addison, is the answer, presented with a BBC accent, o'course....

A NY Times progress report on Google bike routes

How is Google doing with its online bike route maps?

North Hampton, Maine, passes noise law....the Harley shop responds

Here's the link.

In this (occasional) blogger's opinion, loud Harleys (or sportbikes) are no different from sidewalk riding cyclists or Critical Massers. At some point, pissed-off folks with local or regional horsepower will become fed right up. We're so often our own worst enemies, huh?

The NY Times on the Spooky Doin's

Here's the link.

Lance was here in Denver yesterday, all excited about next year's Quizno's Pro Challenge stage race. All the while, the law is trying to nail him. We've got 500 loaner bikes here in town and miles of terrific bike paths, and the right is calling cycling a leftist plot to undermine the American Way.

Ah, Colorado....

Spooky doin's right here in the Mile-Hi City

Thanks to m'friend Khal down there in New Mexico.... click here.

The bulldozers are coming! The bulldozers are coming!

From the NY Times, a charming piece about cyclists protesting new rules removing the protection enjoyed by community gardens in NY City.