2008: uncle jay tells us what happened, in case you forgot

someone else's idle thoughts...

whatever.

if i were king of des moines . . .

oh yes, heads would roll, and then the bikes would roll.

a belated xmas gift--the ENTIRE arthur brown groove

including "fanfare," "fire poem," and the song, "fire" a mono version, by the crazy world Of arthur brown.

drop a little 'cid, smoke a lot of weed, or drink a whole bunch of wine. or any combination of the three.

but CRANK IT UP!!

can i get an . . .

aw, SHIT!!

this will help him concentrate.

amen.

holidays, 2008, take 2

from the mostly reverend, and all the kids at the orphanage.

. . . . .

on a completely different note, folks [and by that, i mean liberal bloggers] are getting their knickers in a knot over this whole "obama's invitation to an invocation thing." FINALLY, someone has written my thoughts EXACTLY. i knew that if i waited long enough, someone would do it for me. but here's how it starts, and now you know why it sums up my thoughts perfectly:

"who gives a rat's ass about an invocation anyway?"

read the entire piece here. but my thanks for saving me a bunch of time to the last chance democracy cafe.

ding dong school time at the orphanage

this one's for the good doctor, out there in oregon.

homey d. clown talks cycling

it's that time of year again, and homey needs to talk to you kids riding bikes in winter, so sit down. [whack!] sit down. what we've had the past few days is just a little bit of cold and snow. today's the first day of winter; this ain't the worst of it. folks already talking about "epic" rides and shit. [whack!] i don't think so. homey don't play that. i was here last year, and said the same thing, so pay attention to me this year. [whack!] pay attention. when you go out and talk about "epic" this and "epic" that, you ain't fooling anyone but youself. go out and have as many memorable rides as you want. but when you say this ride and that ride is epic, you're just saying you don't ride enough. [whack!]

i said this almost two years ago, so pay attention when you watch this film. then a couple weeks later, i said this. [whack!] why don't you listen to what i say? then over a year ago, i reminded you all when i said this. [whack!] don't get homey pissed off; homey don't ride this.

peace, love, and

. . . frozen neuticles?

what time should we ride today? i'm thinking maybe 1100 am, or noon?

s'posed to be close to 0F by then!

by the way, good morning, islamabad, pakistan. thanks for visiting and staying a while. y'all come back again real soon!

* * * * *

notes from my ride--

i know many of you read this, just hoping for some little snippet of wisdom, a rare nugget of truth that might slip from my lips. well, i'm willing to share a little with you today, just for persevering with me through all the stuff above. the chart below this text puts the ride in a rather graphic, easy-to-understand format, but let me explain the numbers first. i've been testing a power tap set up since mid-summer, and have just been gathering data from various rides, getting used to using it, and reading the numbers, but not much more than that. but now i am using the powertap system to gauge my workouts. so i now have a small library of data against which i can make comparisons and such.

today, i rode just over 3 hours, from about 1030 am to 130 pm. it was about 22F when i left, and dropped to about 10F by my return. the wind picked up a bit, too, with light to moderate flurries. my maximum cadence hit 198 as i was trying to catch up to my riding companion as we came from one trail to an open road, and my cassette was clogged with ice and schmook. i held 198 or so for quite a while, actually. my max power hit 540 watts; not the 900+ hit this summer, but i wasn't trying to do anything today but ride. we did have some nice hills and headwinds today, though. the most pleasing thing, however, was the power distribution of the ride [49.56% recovery and 43.41% endurance] and my HR zones [16% recovery, 67% endurance, and 17% threshold or higher]. good verification of what i already knew was a "great fucking ride" [GFR] as measured by fun, tough guy points [my bottle froze, too], time, weather conditions, and almost total absence of other cyclists seen. we saw one other rider, at gray's lake. you guys have fun on your trainers?

.....

so below is my ride, in pie graph form.

.....

first ice beard submission, winter 2008-2009

i went out riding with my stealth cycling buddy today, as we do most weekends lately, now that dave's moved to the western suburbs. i imagine he's training for the upcoming roller season. unlike last year, however, today our timing was a few hours better; the weather did not deteriorate quite as quickly as it did when the harsh pre-christmas blizzard of '07 found us several miles out of town, and the gruelling ride back in scored us beaucoup "tough guy points." well, we racked up some TG points today, too, but just not as many. were it not for an apparent warren county policy against plowing gravel roads, we might STILL be out there southwest of cumming.

scored my first photographable ice beard of the season. not bad for the last day of autumn. sigh...i took several photos, to get the best one; the one that distills the essence of the ride, and the captures the "me" that went out, and later, returned. i believe that this one, me in my beanie, my armless mannequin sunning atop the buffet, says it best.

i am more than just a radio personality, orphanage director, and spiritual advisor to cyber thousands. yes, i also do a little r&d for a number of cycling concerns. i did a little work in the windchill tunnel today for an unnamed frame builder, who has contracted with me to help develop a better/faster cross/gravel bike bike.

although i am contractually bound NOT to say anything about the nature of my work, as it relates to any specific bike or detail, there are no restrictions with casual use of raw photographs. these two fall within acceptable guidelines. what do YOU see?

winter approaches . . .

and frankly, i'm excited as hell about it. snow and ice has been piling up the past few days, the forecast for next week calls for "dangerous windchills" of -25F to -35F, and the cars and trucks are giving me w-i-d-e berth as they approach my bike.
she-it.
is this heaven?
no. it's iowa.
a few observations:
1--after heavy snows, it's easier to get through on most side streets on the sidewalks rather than the streets. folks are pretty good about cleaning their sidewalks. the city takes a bit longer, understandably.
2--nights are much brighter with all this snow. i love reflectivity.
3--riding at night is a whole lot more enjoyable--is this even possible?--when you have a half-pound of freshly-roasted, freshly-ground coffee beans from zanzibar's in your back pocket.
4--the gravel roads are going to be i-fucking-deal the next week or so. i-fucking-deal. mark my words. or you can stay inside and train for your next roller race.
5--some very exciting things are happening in the metro cycling world. 20" and 24" wheels could be quite the rage this summer. mark these words, too. i'm on to someting here.
6--you're gonna see some younger kids riding road bikes in the not-too-distant future around here. yup. road bikes. craziest damned thing to imagine, eh? young kids on road bikes. uh huh. you wait and see.
so there's some thoughts i had tonight while out riding. what did you think about during your ride tonight?

never let a bad boy do the DEVIL'S work

it's kind of embarassing, actually, when these things happen. they give a professional like me a bad rap. i've worked my entire career to get my OWN bad rap, and this jerk almost single-handedly ruins it.

at least he is offering to make it right.

but if jonathan page can't take getting heckled by good old red-white-and-blue hecklers, maybe he SHOULD consider staying on the old side of the atlantic.

killin' time?

how's your aim?

test it HERE, too. these things are fun.

thanks, tengrain!

observations

it's been kinda quiet here at the sermonette the past week. i've been observing zappadan, of course, throwing shoes, and doing a fair amount of "work." the lord works in strange ways, as they say. [i don't say it, they do.] in addition to all this, i've been riding my bike through the rather challenging cold and snow here lately. i prefer the snow, by the way, to the extreme cold. but saturday, on my way home after my ride and a bike kollective board meeting, i stopped at zanzibar's on ingersoll for a cup o' joe and a chat. i then rolled on up the hill, and encountered scores of folks on a variety of big wheels. in front of gt's, i encountered scott sumpter, who told me that they'd raised $10,000 for the charity they support, the children's heart connection.

$10,000. holy shit! quick math: 70 big wheels, 175 people, $10,000. that's a lot, man. good job, kids. amazing.

a bit of irony, though. as i was leaving gt's, to continue home, a tipsy voice from the crowd outside asked me, "where's your helmet?"

gotta love that shit, eh?

anyway, next time you see some old farts on big wheels, think kindly of them. they just might be saving someone's life.

news of the weird

BITCH FIGHT!!!

don't ya just LOVE it? read here

britain's going to the dogs...

thanks, jimmy!

gimme five feet!!

Vehicles passing bicycles: Drivers would have to be at least 5 feet from bicycles when approaching them before passing under a proposal being drafted by Sen. Joe Bolkcom, a Democrat from Iowa City. Penalties for violators haven't been determined. "We've had a fair number of fatalities in our state with car/bicycle collisions and, in every case, the car wins," Bolkcom said.

contact YOUR legislator TODAY!!

[click on link to find your legislator's email address]

zappadan salutes lennon

share your thoughts on john's life...

uncle frank wants YOU!!

the kim west radio cycling show is celebrating zappadan, and we want your help. during last night's episode, #33, "pearl harbor meets zappadan," we featured only zappa bumper music, that music played going into and out of commercial breaks. in addition to an explanation of the highest of holy celebrations, we closed the show with an extended--for us--"joe's garage."

but we need your help. zappadan runs from december 4 through december 21, giving us two more shows to feature the music of frank zappa. what do YOU want to hear? leave your suggestions, along with links, if you have them, in the comments section below, or send them to me at kimwest@kxno.com. we'll give you props for your ideas, and you'll have the great feeling knowing that you've helped make a great show--the kim west radio cycling show--even BETTER!

you can hear last night's episode, #33, "pearl harbor meets zappadan," by going here, and clicking on either of the "listen" or "podcast" icons.

of course, you can listen to any or ALL of the previous episodes, because here at the kim west radio cycling show, there's no such thing as garbage, just old episodes.

uncle frank and the mostly reverend grandpa kim thank you for your suggestions.

grandson acknowledges, and sends it back at ya'

last night, jabari and i were but 2 of the 15,955 in attendance at the iowa-iowa state wrestling meet.
he may be only 16 months old, but he's a pretty intense fan of the sport. his dad coaches at iowa state. he says hi to his friends at the aristocrats.

zappadan, day 1

it

has

begun.

want something ELSE free? [see the zippy post for the first freebie]

go here to learn the hoops through which to jump.

how to become a better cyclist

obama lama ding-dong, or . . .

" why we love zippy the pinhead!"

1--trying to decide where to go on vacation?

2--need news? he tells you all you need to know!

3--he teaches you how to talk like a pinhead!

and so much more!!

[including FREE stuff]

why we love to cross

and

leadership for which we ALL can be thankful

senator chuck schumer, d-ny

December 1, 2008

Sean Petty

Chief Operating Officer

USA Cycling

1 Olympic Plaza,

Colorado Springs, CO 80909

Dear Mr. Petty:

I write to ask that you reconsider the application from the Tour of the Battenkill to replace the 2009 Tour of Georgia in 2009 on the UCI America Tour. As you know, the Tour of Georgia canceled its 2009 race, and I believe Tour of Battenkill in Washington County of New York State is the perfect event to be included on the tour. The Battenkill Valley is an idyllic region of Upstate New York that is prepared and excited to attract even more attention to its already-popular Tour of Battenkill event.

In just five years, the Tour of the Battenkill has become the largest amateur biking race in the country and winds through 60 exciting miles of the picturesque Washington Country. Twenty of the race's 60 miles are on harsh and unforgiving hard-packed dirt roads that emulate the legendary cobblestone courses in Belgium and northern France.
But unlike Paris-Roubaix, Liège-Bastogne-Liège or the Tour of Flanders, the Tour of the Battenkill takes place right here in New York and has rightfully earned the title of America's "Queen of the Classics." Last year drew 15,000 participants and spectators. This year the race is expected to attract over 20,000 people, creating an economic boon for Washington County and surrounding areas.
Granting the race a UCI 2.1 status will ensure that some of the top professional cyclists in the country will race on back roads of Washington County. Their participation will help fuel regional and national interest in the event and attract more people to the sport of cycling.

Unfortunately, due to the late cancellation of the Tour of Georgia the organizers of the Battenkill Race did not submit their application with USA Cycling until after the application deadline had passed. The UCI , however,
 has encouraged the organizers to file an application with them directly.
Having the support of USA Cycling for this event is critical. I respectfully ask that you re-consider the application, as I know that USA Cycling would not want to miss this exciting opportunity to fill an unanticipated gap in their 2009 schedule with one of the most exciting amateur biking races in the country.
Thank you for your consideration and I look forward to hearing from you on this matter. If you have any questions or would like additional information, please contact Sam Schaeffer in my office.
Sincerely,

Charles E. Schumer

the mostly reverend, preachin' to the choir

i received an email this morning. the writer said "here's a photo that xx took." i feared the worst, but check it out: no costumes, no capes, no microphones, no beers. just racing.

how 'bout that shit?

dealing with death

i'm not a particularly religious person, by what many would consider conventional measures. thanks goodness, i've passed that along to my daughter. now, she and i are getting to experience the growth and development of a set of ethical values and sense of spirituality in her first kid, a four year-old daughter. nyla, who attends a lutheran church's pre-school in her neighborhood [addie cautioned me when i first spied the literature about the school a couple years ago not to worry, that kids of many of her friends go there, and her friends share the same religious apprehensions that we do, and they said it really wasn't bad] has had to deal with the deaths of some close family members in her short life, including her dad's grandpa when she was just two. she and her great grandfather were good buddies, i think it's fair to say, even though he lived [to a ripe old age in the 90s] in oklahoma. he came to iowa a couple times, and she saw him there a few times, too. closer to home, though, she has dealt with the sudden death of duke, the family doberman, a little over a year ago. more recently, a playmate's family cat died. she assures me that it's okay, that the animals and people go to one of two places [and apparently interchangeably]: heaven, and/or one's dreams.

so that's a rather cool, benign way of assimilating things, i think. her way of doing the occasional pre-meal prayer is to tell me that i have to close my eyes before i eat. i think that's probably wise advice before doing many things.

a few weeks after duke died, they got another family "dog" -- a jack russell terrier. [i'm told that after a few years, this breed become less annoying. i think the actual mechanism is the offended person becomes more tolerant. i find it hard to believe that this little dog--bless her hyperactive metabolism--is capable of being less annoying. whatever...]

anyway, poor old dynah, the family weimeranner, is getting old, long in the tooth, and just generally decrepit. she's maybe 11, 12 years old. but she's not going to make it to christmas. her suffering has gotten too much for all of us. she's shown above with amelia, my borzoi-greyhound, and old duke, back in happier times for them, in 2005.

so addie called the vet this morning to make that call to arrange for dynah's last trip to the vet. nyla overheard it, and grabbed some paper and her crayons.

she's making a picture for dynah to take with her to heaven. i'll find out later, but i suspect it will include nyla's little brother jabari, and duke, among all the other key players in dynah's family. my religious zealot friends should probably save their hallelujahs for later, though. i would just remind you that i was raised in a pretty religious environment, and addie certainly has had enough exposure to religion that, if they had the kind of detectors for religion that they did for plutonium in silkwood, she'd have spent even MORE of her adolescence in the shower than she already did.

it doesn't make it any easier for addie, who has to make that drive to the vet sometime today. but it does make it a little easier for nyla, and for jabari, who will have this death process explained to him by nyla countless times over the next few years.

interesting events...

oh. my gawd. it's almost HERE!

oh. my gawd. it's almost here.