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....