The Tacho’d Endo Newsletter
Mon.7.May.12
Taco v – a wheel bent over on
itself, in the shape of a taco
Endo n – the maneuver of flying
unexpectedly over the handlebars, thus being forcibly ejected from the bike;
short for "end over end"
Greetings! – p.1
Spinning My Wheels – p.1
Cutler’s cyclizm – p.3
Ross’ Raiders for Heart – p.3
Ponderous Ponderings – p.4
A-V Club – p.4
Inside
Joke – p.4
Parting
Shot – p.4
Final Thoughts – p.5
Greetings!:
Well folks, I’ve been “off-line” for
a wee bit because Blogger didn’t want me to log in fer some derned reason or t’other. Anyway, I’m back and just in time for cycling
season, too.
I’ve had an interesting year since
last spring, where I nursed our one cat back from the brink over a month and a
half (liver had all but shut down), only to watch another fade quickly over two
weeks, succumbing to old age, at 16.
Then my mother-in-law gets herself all sick like in July and spends
months in the hospital before getting out a week after CDN Thanksgiving. And then some interesting developments where
I used to work – key word being used to work, as I was re-structured at the end
of February and am now looking for work.
I could see the end there coming, which I suppose I can take some
comfort in, but it still sucked – regardless of any severance, I still would’ve
rather left on my own terms.
Oh well – C’est la vis; Life goes on; Onward and upward and all that – to not try
would mean the dark side wins ... and we can't have that.
Anyway, I think you get the idea
that this past year has had its ups and downs, now if you'll excuse me, I must continue training for the Warrior Dash, this coming July ...
http://warriordash.com/register2012_ontario.php
And I won’t belabor this anymore
because it’s …
Article time …
Spinning My Wheels:
http://bicycling.com/blogs/thehub/2012/05/03/toronto-mayor-cyclists-are-a-pain-in-the-ass/?cm_mmc=Facebook-_-Bicycling-_-Content-Blog-_-toronto
Torono Mayor Rob wants to tear out
bike lanes and believes the road is for cars, not cyclists.
CUTLERS’s
Cyclizm:
My son and I and
the kids I volunteer with have been discussing this …
Lake to Lake Classic and
Pond to Pond – On Sunday, June 19th (Father’s Day), join
over 1000 people as they make their way from Lake Gibson at Brock University in
the 29km course, or join the kids and newbies on down to a new 16km course,
with both finishing in Charles Daley Park.
Ross’ Raiders for Heart :
I’ve also begun preparing for the Pedal 100 for Heart & Stroke – 2012.
I would like to ask you to consider joining myself and a few repeaters
to come on out and ride with us.
However, regardless of how much farther you read, if you do not ride or
volunteer, I ask if you would care to sponsor me for my ride.
It’s a beautiful ride through Niagara Wine Country, both starting and
finishing at Henley Island, in Port Dalhousie, St. Catharines.
There are four routes (no 30km route this year: not enough people) to
choose from – 60, 100 & 160 km. Be a
part of my team and ride the most suitable length you feel most comfortable
with in lovely, scenic Western Niagara.
I’ve cycled the 160km route before and would love to ride the distance
that most suits what I feel I’ve earned, but my bad knee didn’t favour it, so
I’ll just stick to the 100km length. But
ride whichever one best suits you and maybe challenge yourself to increase the
distance next year, if you like, of course.
And afterward, there will be food for finishers and I would like to
raise a glass of local Niagara wine to toast the event and you for riding with
me!
I have ridden this charity event now for the last nine years, which is
a part of the Heart &
Stroke Foundation of Canada.
If you would care to sponsor me for this ride, please let me know. I would love to take your money … for a good
cause.
I am also part of the route planning committee this year, so yes, I am
more than just a rider and fund raiser – this cause is very important to me.
Heart disease and stroke have affected both sides of my family tree and
so I do what I can, in what little way I know to make a difference.
If you can’t ride, then perhaps you
could volunteer – be a part of this beautiful ride through the
countryside.
Either way, please let me know. I’d love to see you involved somehow.
Ponderous Ponderings:
“Endurance
is not just the ability to bear a hard thing, but to turn it into glory.
~ William
Barclay
A-V Club:
This is a clever re-make video of a
popular little song I’m sure you’ve all heard out there … somewhere. I prefer this one over the original, actually.
These are another piece of music, in video form for
you (unless I can’t find it, that is), that make me wanna either hum along
softly or crush the pedals when I’m out for a bike ride.
Inside
Joke:
If you have Anger Management
issues, does that mean you have Mad Skills?
Parting
Shot:
I also just read this article from the St. Catharines
Standard, this past weekend. Thanks
Andrea for making it aware to me …
From what I've seen out there on those paths,
pedestrians are just as at fault, often walking right down the centre of the
path, not moving for anyone, not even other pedestrians. And I do NOT like those extendable leashes
where the dog can get 20-30 feet away from the owner – they have the capacity
to act like a garret and take out a cyclist and or your animal, like it did in
this case. One or both could have
seriously gotten hurt. This is too far
for the dog walker to retrieve the dog in time even if they wanted to, which I’ve
seen some not even try. Then of course
I've even witnessed them let their dog crap off the path, look around and walk
away, hoping nobody (like an officer) has noticed – I even pointed it out to
one person, "You forgot something there," as I rode past, only to be
given a dirty look. Seriously? Your dog just crapped on the path and you're walking
away and I'm at fault?
Long story short on this, people complain in the
sub-division about the kids whizzing by, they complain on the main street about
bikes "hogging" the road, they complain in the hiking path and now
they're complaining on the shared walking path.
Granted - that being said, I know there are plenty of cyclists out there
who are bloody stupid and shouldn't be on the path, but the only other viable
option is to literally draw a line along the whole paved path, where cyclists
would be forced to stay on one side and walkers on the other ... More lines in
the sand - yay! And yes, there is a
posted speed limit of 25 km/h, actually.
Anyway, that all being said, there are plenty of
responsible dog walkers and many other various path users out there (on foot,
on roller blades, on skateboards, etc … ) who do share the path and are very
respectful of their surroundings and I’ve had nice conversations with them, even
petting their dogs, as we each politely get along to get around each other. It’s often the negative stories and undertones
that gets the press, of course – it’s our job to collectively find the good and
use it for the better, for all our sakes.
Let's just all get along, share and be respectful of
one another people! Sheesh.
Final
Thoughts:
Well,
I know that these instance won’t be the last anyone hears of either. The season basically started in March for
most in Southern Ontario and if the early start of this season and the late
finish of the last is any indication, the roads and paths are just going to be
getting more use this year than previous years.
And they say there’s no such thing
as climate change!
But that’s a story idea for another
day …
Cheers,
Best Regards
and
Keep the Peace!
S. Ross Cutler.
Got
anything to add?
Drop me a
line and let me know –
we could
work something out.
Have a nice day,
and enjoy your ride.
Keep the shiny side up
and the rubber side down!
RH+ Positive Enterprises
No comments:
Post a Comment