Happy and prosperous 2011 to all!
As you no doubt have all read, the last ride of the old year was one to remember. I have heard from several of the riders that the infamous Garcon Point Bridge did not disappoint yet again. That indeed has to be one of the all time most difficult stretches of roadway for cyclists in our area. It's not the hump or the traffic, it's the exposure to that brutal headwind.
Well, as Coolio says, "Wind make you strong like bull." (I think he said that while sitting in Krispy Kreme devouring his third Pumpkin Spice donut and flushing it down with some of that bellywash.)
Anyway, we're off and running, uh, riding in the New Year! I wonder what this year holds for the Firestone and Summit Cyclists...hopefully less crashes than 2010! And hopefully more long rides with a great cast of characters. Whatever the case may be for 2011, I'm sure there will be plenty of peloton antics along with the ever present bantering from you know who...
I can't wait! This is the best group of goofballs this cyclist has ever had the pleasure of riding down the road with! Sure we can hammer and even put in some rompin, stompin sprints...but we don't take ourselves too seriously. I love that about our group!
So, with that, here's a New Year's toast, (everybody hold up your water bottle) to a great 2011 full of great riding with The Firestone and Summit Cycling Group!!! I can almost hear my pal from Britian, Keith "Big Motor" Irwin, "Cheers gents!" Fancy that?!
Okay, now for a wee bit of fun, (sorry, I'm stuck on Keith's accent), at the start of this exciting New Year:
A CONTEST!!!
Everybody loves a contest, especially one where you can actually win a prize. And the prizes are as follows:
1st Place..............................$20 gift certificate*
2nd Place.............................$10 gift certificate*
3rd Place..............................$5 gift certificate*
*Cycle Sports bicycle shop on Palafox in Pensacola.
Rules: Answer the three questions below by sending your guesses to: rjgravesjr@cox.net One guess per question per rider...no exceptions Left Lane! Your submission must be marked by no later than Wednesday, 1.5.11, 11:59pm. The list of winners will be posted by Friday, 1.7.10, 5pm. Gift certificates will be mailed or hand delivered to the winners on the next group ride. Please assure that your answers are clear and are written in a manner that can be understood! Any answer that cannot be understood will be disqualified. Good luck!
Questions:
1. Our Firestone and Summit Blogazoidal is viewed several times each day by viewers from all over the world.
What was the total number of times our Blog was viewed during the year 2010?
2. Some postings are much more popular to our viewers than others.
What are the top 3 most viewed postings on our Blog? (Please list the title and date it was posted. Just list posts, not pages, i.e. Rides Calendar, Pace Chart, etc.)
3. As expressed above, our Blogazoidal is viewed by those in countries other than the United States. In fact, there are at least a dozen countries that have viewers of our Blog.
From the list below, name the top 3 countries, other than the United States, with the most viewers of our Blog.
-Germany -Russia -Denmark
-China -Georgia -Canada
-Poland -Japan -Italy
-England -France -Krispy Kreme Nation
Tie breaker:
Please indicate your total miles ridden on your bicycle for the year 2010.
Remember, this is just a fun kick off for the New Year, so don't take it too seriously! Good luck everyone and...
See you out on the road,
Bob
Ok, how does the mileage tiebreaker work??
ReplyDeleteI can almost taste the beer I am going to buy with the winners gift certificate!! Oh wait a minute, they don't sell beer at Cycle Sprorts do they?? Maybe Tom will sell me a case of his home brew.
I hit the road this morning again. Nice conditions of around 45 degrees with not much wind in my face going out and then with me coming in. Only problem was the humidity was really high with the roads being soaked with dew not rain. Air was so heavy it felt like I was riding through a giant bowl of soup. I did manage to average 15.5 so a little better than my ride Tuesday which was 15.3. I guess I have to rebuild my morning solo stamina. I think to a certain extent, riding in the group does not build your endurance like the solo rides that I do this time of year.
ReplyDeleteHave seen almost no other riders on my morning rides this year. Guess everyone is staying in and getting fat. They will pay in the Spring if they are not VINNYING (Virtual Nancy Riding) it on the trainers!!
One other item from my ride Tuesday – As I was heading out Scenic Hwy in the dark at around 5:45 on the slight uphill just before Summit, I saw something in the bike lane coming toward me. Did not pick it up until it was around 30 ft in front of me and there was a car coming from behind so I had to be careful about cheating out into the LEFT LANE to avoid the oncoming whatever. As it got closer, and I could make it out, I realized what was approaching was a mostly black PITBULL probably around 40lbs in a quick walk heading right toward me. I had moved left but not very far because of the car coming from behind and kind of held my breath hoping the dog was not going to latch onto me or run into me. Luckily, I surprised him even more than he did me and I do not think he even saw me until I was right on him and going by.
Anyway, I had a flash over Mark’s dog incident last year and was thankful the same thing did not happen to me. So be careful if you are out riding in the early morning or nighttime darkness.
Left Lane
EFF & The Scourge(in his own mind) of the Langley Maygarden Loop
Richard Lopiccolo
Be careful out there Left Lane! Where's your lights dude?!
ReplyDeleteI don't care for the black dogs either. I was riding one evening a couple years ago, shortly after dusk with my full light package, when I noticed something move out of the corner of my eye. It was coming at me out of the shadows on the side of a house. I jumped to my feet and then looked with my headlamp. It was a big black Lab with his head down and charging hard! I was already doing mid 20s by the time he hit the curb...one more shift and he was toast!
I just love Dog Sprints, don't you?
My good friend El Robbobank (Rob Francis) in Ohio and myself became very good a Dog Sprints. In those country fields of NW Ohio, there isn't a farmer in his right mind that would tie up his K-9 and therefore we cyclists had several sprints almost every ride! I can still name almost every dog between Lima and Bowling Green!
Good fun, especially on a group ride!
Bob
PS If you ask Tom at the shop real nice, he may let you use a gift certificate for some of his "special" libations! (Not that you actually won) We'll know tomorrow!