I'll be brief, cyclists be warned

Underwear Run in Central Park Tonight

Move over Triathalon, the 2009 Central Park Underwear Run (or if you prefer: the Running of the Balls) takes place tonight. The 1.7 mile fun run goes down every year prior to the big, and much more serious, Sunday race. The organizers have simple rules for this one: "No transitions, no timing chips, no expensive race gear, just 500 strangers running around in their underwear." We will say, this sounds a bit better than the naked bike ride, so we'll actually accept any photos you take if you should happen to stumble upon the sweaty half dressed mob.

The group will be attempting to get into the Guinness Book of World Records for most people assembled in their underwear. Registration is closed, but if you dowant to be a spectator (they advise to "Wear shades, stare") just show up to Central Park at Dead Road by 7:30 tonight. More details (and video) here. And yes, Naked Cowboy will be there.

In honor of Team Radio Shack

http://www.theonion.com/content/news/even_ceo_cant_figure_out_how

informal cycling club

Hi,

Let me know if you would like me to email and/or post rides that are forming, primarily on weekends.  These would be mainly fun, leisurely, etc, although am open to other (pacelining, interval training) as well.  

Our Town

Congrats to Jen Grace, and love to Sean Graney and Hypocrites! http://gothamist.com/2009/07/21/david_cromer_our_town.php

Que Cera Cera

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/di-luca-positive-for-cera-in-giro

bike thievery

 http://www.brooklynian.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=52079

Feels pretty gross to actually watch someone commit this crime, and equally gross to read some of the comments, ie the guy who would be pissed if cops cared about this crime.

prospect park

I love this place, and can't believe the party these asshats had sunday night

http://www.brooklynpaper.com/stories/32/29/32_29_gk_park_mess_update.html

and the cops sat around, watched and said 'just a badass bbq'

so sad when love goes bad

1. 
   
   
   
   ghincapieJust did an easy ride, ran into my good buddie @robbieventura. Great guy , always positive and makes me laugh.about 2 hours ago from UberTwitterabout 3 hours ago from web
3. 
   lancearmstrongJust finished a easy ride on rest day #2. Beautiful here in Sion, Switzerland. Lots of vines..
   remember the good ol days when they rode together during a rest day?  may seem like only yesterday, but my how times have changed.  now they sound like jilted lovers.....sigh

shot in the peloton

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/freire-dean-shot-at-during-tour-stage

I don't know what to say about this other than that my commute seems a bit less hazardous....

Will this be the year I give in and buy fenders? Stay tuned...

By Joe Bastardi
AccuWeather.com

Could the "Year Without True Summer" Mean the Coldest and Snowiest Winter in Over Five Years from New York City to Washington, D.C.?

According to AccuWeather.com's Chief Meteorologist and Expert Long Range Forecaster Joe Bastardi, cooler-than-normal weather this summer in the Northeast could point to a cold, snowy winter for the Northeast and mid-Atlantic states. He says the heart of winter will be centered over the area from Boston to Washington, D.C.

For people across the Great Lakes and Northeast, this has been the coolest summer in more than a decade. After a period of more classic summer heat in the coming weeks, cooler weather is expected to continue the trend of the "Year Without True Summer." For Southeast residents, the hot topic for the end of summer will be the tropics heating up after August 15th.

TDS

http://nyvelocity.com/content/features/2009/tour-day-schmalz-stage-10

very funny, and biksnobnyc (always funny, a must read every day) has fun with the radio free tour-ope as well.

daily commute

Beautiful weather today.  Unfortunately I had to wait for a plumber for 3 hours this morning, which ended up costing way too much money as well.  And then the fun started.  Was almost to work, at the usual trouble spot around the NYU hospital, avoiding the myriad minivans and town cars dive-bombing toward the hospital drop off, grabbed a line to avoid ConEd van and cones when a minivan taxi (license 2d90) on my left came over in my lane, inches away and layed on his horn.  I had no room as there was a big construction gully just barely to the right of my wheel.  I had no choice but to hop into it, and fortunately was fine.  Chased after him, which I never do, I hate the thought of creating even more anger toward cyclists.   I caught up to him a few blocks later at a stop sign, stopped right by 2 police officers who were chatting.  I asked him to roll down his window and he sped through the stop sign, almost hitting a pedestrian.  I asked the 2 officers if they saw that and they shrugged.  He turned right off 1st ave. I was late to work but at this point was furious so I chased him down, he was stopped at the next light.  I asked him to roll his window down and asked him basically what the hell he thought he was doing, etc etc.  He never said anything other than a very sincere "I'm sorry, sir" over and over, even if I asked him yes/no questions.  

Off to Mass. for a wedding, have a great weekend, good luck to all who are racing. 

boonen

Boonen trips over a white line!!!! Beautiful.  

sort of a "daily carnage"

today's report:

http://gothamist.com/2009/07/09/cab_jumps_curb_hits_four_pedestrian.php#comments

now just waiting for someone to blame a cyclist....

L'Etape.....

I don't know if it was being inspired by "that bike race" or just the nice warm weather, but near record time this morning, kept it in the big ring the entire time and stayed in the drops for most of it.  Now the trick will be replicating that this afternoon to make it on time to "the bike race" at our little beloved abandoned runway, Floyd Bennett Field.

the daily commute

This morning was the kind of commute that makes me love biking to work.  I like it a bit hot, really makes my muscles feel nice and loose, and the traffic flow felt perfect, even Flatbush was moving.  Over the Manhattan bridge, I was happily late enough to not have much traffic on the bridge either.  Got the light at 1st Ave and a nice string of greens until 23rd.  All was going well until I reached the area around NYU Hospital on 1st Ave around 34th Stree.  This always a cluster(&(^, but the bet hedger occupies two lanes with a signal on, but not turning.  I suppose I should be thankful for the signal.  Nobody likes someone hedging their bets.  This role is often inhabited by the cyclist's nemesis, the Access a Ride.  BSNYC has already skewered, and I won't even try to compete with him as he is far funnier and smarter and it would just be similar to the weekly park races with me being spit out of the back.  The role of the Access a Ride was in this case played by a Hasidic gentleman in a minivan.

Hoping to go to Rockleigh to race after work, see how the weather holds up.  So far, it is the same forecast as always, strong storms starting around 3 PM, but every day that seems to get pushed back later and later as the day goes on, and last night I don't think it ended up raining at all.

update:  after getting distracted by having to move around a bunch of nitrogen canisters, I log on to gothamist and am horrified to see this:

 Meanwhile, Miss Manhattan herself, Sarah Jessica Parker might be moving to Brooklyn! Rumor has it that her and the family may have purchased Jennifer Connelly and Paul Bettany's double-wide, 9-bedroom townhouse at 17 Prospect Park West (pictured)

NYPD

Fortunately, there doesn't seem to be anything to suggest that the first rumor is true, the one that had the police car that eventually wound up hitting the pedestrians on the sidewalk on Avenue D last night chasing a cyclist.  Unfortunately, it is entirely unclear what exactly they were "responding to" and they are being their usual contrary selves with information.  

http://gothamist.com/

scroll down for all of yesterday's NYPD antics.   I would link to other papers/direct stories, but gothamist broke it, so....