you say you've got funk in your face?

here's your solution...

think about this while you ride YOUR fixie, boys & girls

steve schurtz, in the case i call "it's knot my line"

i just received a quick note from pal and race promoter tim putnam about another long-time buddy from my days in mason city, steve schurtz.
tim says:
"Steve had a freak accident this past Sat night. He was getting off his sailboat and the safety line caught between his sandal and foot. As he was stretched out getting on the dock the boat moved causing Steve to lose his balance, twisting his leg and resulting in a break of his lower tibia and fibia, a couple of inches above his ankle. He is scheduled for surgery this Friday.
He is in room 578 at Mercy Medical Center North Iowa and and may be dismissed tomorrow until his surgery on Friday.
Steve is in good spirits now and will have a long road to recovery before he will be able to complete in another Triathlon.
Please wish Steve well.

mail best wishes to:

steve schurtz

318 Meadow Lane

Mason City, IA 50401

from the mailbag: ULTRA light bottle cages

a long-time reader writes, to share some of the latest, state-of-the-art discussions from his area's techno-weenie e-list. today's topic [or "thread" in today's youthful parlance]: light-weight water bottle cages.

friday, august 21, 2009, 6:22:55 pm: "Does anyone have carbon bottle cages they'd like to sell me?" -Ryan Serbel

friday, august 21, 2009, 17:11:31 "I don't have any because I am not a big fan of them since they don't seem to last, especially with full bottles on rough roads. I use the tracx cages the hold the bottles securely even on rough roads." -andreas

saturday, august 22, 2009, 8:00 am "I second that thought - King Ti bottle cages are the only way to go - totally secure and lightweight. I've seen a few bottles bounce out of carbon cages in races this year." -Terry

august 22, 2009 " The most secure carbon cage I have seen and used are the arundle carbon cages. They are good enough for mtb. I do use the ALuminium Gt40 cages from Cannondale on my race bike. They are light, look good, adjustable (flex them in for a tighter fit), and 10 dollars. The "it's all about performance video" does not give answer to the water bottle cage issue directly. But is does talk about other carbon parts. And it is all about 'performance'. -Jeff

august 22, 2009, 10:13:58 "It is my understanding that Walmart makes some pretty nice carpet-fiber cages. i think you guys would like them. they are found right between the training bras and the depends. and then there is always the impromptu bottle strapping method. [see below]

or for the super domestique... [see below] note that even the security device on the handle did not deter these performance driven boys. this is also a good option if you are short on cashola.

keep those cards and letters coming, folks!

a STATE FAIR marathon tonight!!

i couldn't make it to the state fair tonight, so i'm doing the next best thing: it's a "state fair" movie marathon right here at the orphanage. that's right, i was digging through the vast orphanage movie archives [looking for the joe e. brown cycling classic, "6 day racer"--found it, too, right next to the frank zappa cinematic marvel, 200 motels], when i realized that right there in the middle of my "iowa heritage" wing was the makings of a great evening of adult entertainment--iowa style! beginning with the original version of the phil stong story starring will rogers and janet gaynor, i'll throw back as many "beers on a stick" as i can until i have to get up and switch reels to the 1945 version, which featured dana andrews and jeanne crain in a much darker version of the story of life and love on the midway. then, to cap the evening, i'll screen the hilarious 1962 re-re-make starring two of my favorite crooners and matinee idols, pat boone and bobby darrin. this version REALLY put a new spin on the old story line.

if i haven't run out of popcorn by the conclusion of this third film--a real laugh fest, believe me--i'll watch "6 day racer"--which showcases joe e. brown's amazing fixed gear riding prowess. he does his own riding in this gem. cycling is what launched brown's career, you know, as his entree to vaudeville was on two wheels. the guy really was quite a character, and the final event in the six-day features some of the most amazing feats of bike handling you'll ever see--x-games or not.

gotta run--the jiffy pop is jumpin' in the kitchen!

the sun is shining a little [lot] brighter today

just this morning, a friend told me that her mother always said "if you can't say something nice about someone, then shut up." or something like that. well, i'm not about to pass on the death of robert novak, one of the most evil people ever to have a talk show on television. but in honor of my friend's mom, i'll say this about bob novak, who was known as the "prince of darkness"-- upon his death, the world is a brighter, nicer place.

robert novak, here shown stalking off the set of his "point-counterpoint"-type show with james carville, after he got pissed about something or other. novak's nadir as a straight-shooting journalist came when he outed valerie plume as an undercover agent for the cia, a well-documented fact that he steadyfastly danced around.

a clash of cultures, & a clash of understanding

i was sent a link to a quite interesting piece from sports illustrated.
to read it, click here. it's long, but it's a pretty damned good read.

the world is a better place because of les paul