I learned how to ride with no hands when I was a wee lad. I thought it made me look cool. The same way my trapper keeper and Boba Fett underoos T-shirt made me look cool. I knew that underoos were made for bedtime and handlebars were made for holding. But rules be damned, I looked awesome! I remember one time I was trying to...

I think that we’re all in agreement that I’m not particulary smart. I’d be lucky to be described as “mildly incoherrent”. Which explains why I do a little happy dance each morning when I tie my shoes using that “rabbit goes into the whole” mnemonic device. But I wasn’t able to...

As a cycle tour leader, I was recently asked to participate in a magazine article about “green travel”.  “Green travel”, “going green”, and all the corresponding consumer terms making up the “green” movement are an endless source of exasperation for me, but I decided to brush aside my cynicism and leap at...

Racing for a team is like being in a relationship. Many of us pick a cycling team when we’re young and impressionable. Experimenting. Dabbling in cycling and justifying our team-less bachelorhood with excuses like “No, I really like my new Tickle Me Elmo Primal Wear jersey!” We’re often on the fence...

People assume that anyone who’s been a messenger for as long as I have must love riding bikes above all else.  This is not necessarily true in my case–while I certainly enjoy biking more than your average bear, there are arguably greater joys in life that could be translated into various full-time jobs.  Foreman...

As I near the end of my first season of racing, let’s look back on the knowledge gained and lessons learned during the Cyclocross Race Season of ought-eight, which Alan Greenspan wearily describes as “irrationally exuberant”. These nuggets of wisdom contain a number of words that I do not understand, but I...

Last month I randomly purchased a carbon fiber bicycle. I know, crazy right? I wasn’t really in the market for any sort of new bike, but I ended up borrowing this one from a friend and loving it. It fit perfectly and just felt right. So when she mentioned that she was selling it, I threw caution to the wind, and with the help...

If there’s one thing I learned from watching 72 straight hours of VH1 countdowns over the holiday vacation, it’s that people love numbered lists. And seeing as how the esteemed editor of this fine website has flatly refused to run my steamy Rachel Maddow fanfic (despite the bike connection involvement of a sexy vintage...

As we enter the Winter season, it’s become obvious to me that this website is going to spend a few months in a bear-like state of bike blog hibernation. Sure, we’ll keep writing things. But they’ll suck. The “Routes” and “Races” sections of the site will grow dusty while the...

If I’ve learned just one thing about the internet during my 10+ years working bullshit office jobs that require little more of me than just looking at videos of monkeys peeing in their own mouths, it’s that Internet people love numbers. If you put a number in front of something, they’ll read it. That’s...

On Sunday I did two things that I thought would be a lot of fun, but they both turned out to pretty much “meh”. I also studied for my math final. This was also “meh”. So I thought I would review them using word problems. Feel free to use scratch paper, and remember to show your work! 1. The Cross Crusade...

Thanksgiving, for me, is generally a time to visit the loved ones in my family who have large televisions and watch hours and hours of the Gilmore Girls, alone, while they cook and do the dishes. And to look at them warmly as I think to myself “Yes, I would like some more boxed wine, thank you.” I’m not...