Oh hell, it's Monday.  The weekends never seem to last long enough now do they...  I'm not so much asking as telling.

I look forward to typing a whole lotta code this week.  And maybe even riding to work a few times.  You gotta take it where you can get it I suppose.

And I'm all about the taking.

No good stories after this past weekend.  No grand adverntures to share.  Not much of anything. 

And sometimes that's ok.

Link dump:

[oh shit] crooksandliars.com/2007/04/28/sen-durbin-drops-bombshell
[cool] documentaryworks.org/stories/parisbike.htm
[basso is tanked] velonews.com
[more basso] sports.espn.go.com
[building cam, so hot right now] cbawebcam.cba.nau.edu
[yep] youtube.com
[corey the courier] nytimes.com
[video too...] video.on.nytimes.com
[fixies...] nytimes.com

Today's email:

From: Andrew
Subject: happy mondays
Congrats on riding to work. Here in PA it's finally warm enough in the mornings for me to ride to work (I teach 8th grade). You haven't lived until you've walked past an entire middle school track team while you are wearing lycra. Oh, the laughter and screaming.....

Here's a topic I been thinking about- songs to crash your bike to. My suggestion actually occurred- riding to work in the fog and dark. I take a turn (which I've gone around a 100 times) too close and smack into a stop sign and end up on the road at 6 am. I have a cool black eye. I tell my students that I was in a bar fight. The song playing on my ipod when I crash (I shit you not) is "waiting to derail" by whiskeytown (which my bianchi axis did). again, weird.
build up that mileage base.

You now own the song rights for self inflicted black eye via stop sign. Hands down. You own it.

From: m.
Subject: boonen's bike
youtube.com
word has it that Boonen won't ride a Roubiax

cyclingnews.com/...roubaix07/tech/boonen_specialized_roubaix

I have heard about that. He's on an aluminum model 'cause good luck making a carbon bike with custon geometey on short notice. Can't really weld that stuff, now can you?

"Danilo Di Luca (Liquigas) made up for some recent near misses by winning the prestigious Liège-Bastogne-Liège one-day classic held over 262km Sunday."  Source: Velonews.com

Hot damn, I can't wait to watch that one later today while I eat bbq'd pork and sip the last of my Yuenglings.

Pretty much just because I can.

Link dump:

[these guys ride] upsideout.blogspot.com/azt-flagstaff-to-feenix
[landis to file bankruptcy?] bloomberg.com
[baby got back] youtube.com
[no surprise] velonews.com
[word] whoisioz.blogspot.com/oathbreaking

Happy Friday, everyone.  A good end to the work week.  At least for those of use who are working.  I personally look forward to accomplishing a sum total of dick over the next two days.  Think of it as a goal.

What's new in the DC world?  My man 40 Hands came through with a case of Yuengling tonight. The going rate for a case of lager on ice in Flagstaff, Arizona is a six pack of Drunkcyclist socks. At least for today, anyway.

He came, he saw, he conquered.  I took a photo of the first six on ice.  Man, that's good living.  I think I drank ten of 'em in a straight shot. Or it sure seemed that way at the time.

What is it about Yuengling anyway?  Absence makes the heart grow fonder I suppose.  When I first came out to Arizona in 1990, there were a lot of things I had to do without.  And then, one by one, some items were available out here west of the Mississippi.

Things like Snapple, Snyder's Pretzels, Taylor Pork Roll, Tastykakes, you can find 'em all here in Arizona now.

Yuengling?  Not so much. Unless you're looking in my fridge.

Link dump:

[pittsburgh off road cyclists] porcmtbclub.orgl
[bike deaths raise concern] missoulian.com
[ok coach] youtube.com
[way usa] youtube.com
[lance laying it down] youtube.com
[it's on] missoulian.com

Today's email:

From: Russ
Subject: Back in the Saddle
Jonny, Glad to hear that you are back on the bike. Haul that kid around in the trailer and you'll be back in shape in no time... "pear" is a shape, right? ha ha ha

Right now, Pear is the shape.

A brother could get used to this "ride a bike" thing.  Of course, having to take a one year old to day care kinda puts a crimp in the whole ride-around-and-drink-coffee-on-your-fixie thing. 

I gots responsibilities up in here.

Link dump:

[ridin' dirty] tpmmuckraker.com
[basso basso basso] velonews.com
[andrea mitchell] talkingpointsmemo.com013860.php
[bisbee cometh] velonews.com
[rebelling takes fleche wallonne] velonews.com
[we've always been at war with eurasia...] electioncentral.tpmcafe.com

Today's email:

From: obscene simian fecundity
Subject: Suck it up bitch.
Take out a picture of your Child and stare at it. Feel that? That is your purpose here. Fuck everything else.

Yeah.  I hear ya.  Believe me I hear ya.

The funny thing about having a website like mine is all all the stuff you hear that isn't really for the web.  Sometimes I have to play my cards close to my chest. It's only right.

What major US cycling magazine's publisher emailed me about two employees he had to fire?   Which Arizona rep for a major bicycle company called me to say he's having a son?  What ten year friend of mine has a meth problem?  Who just got three years for selling heroin?  Who owed people money, and when he didn't pay, who where the guys who sold anything of his worth a dollar at a yard sale and left town?  Who got his condo foreclosed and it living on the east side in the back of a workshop?  What girl that I used to work with is stripping now?  Which cyclists do drugs?

Shit.  I don't know anything.  Don't ask me.

I'll tell you what I do know: I rode my bike to work for the first time since July of last year.  And it was a near religious experience.  Religious for me anyway.  I turned 37 last wednesday.  My mother turns 61 this coming Thursday.  And I didn't send her a card today.

And so it goes.

The older I get, the less life makes sense.  We got a president in office who is so god damn dirty I can't find the words.  I was born in 1970, so my only knowledge of the Nixon Administration is what I've read about it.  Same with Vietnam.  I read about it.  But now I'm living the sequel.

My father was in the military, and his father before him.  Me?   I'm tying with sunglasses on and it's still light outside.  I ain't worth a shit.

Bush, Rove, Cheney, Gonzales, Rumsfeld... Dear Lord God in Heaven, Dear Sweet Christ on the Cross, what did we ever do to deserve this?

Things are going to get a whole lot worse before they get better.

Link dump:

[rove under investigation...]  tpmmuckraker.com
[...by some dumbass] tpmmuckraker.com
[he really cares] electioncentral.tpmcafe.com
[landis is a liar?] cyclingnews.com
[boom biddy bye bye Basso] cyclingnews.com
[toto] nyvelocity.com

Audi 5000

Happy Mondays. Pills'n thrills and belly aches...

I gotta keep this 50% positive like a I was running a Russian radio station.  Upbeat, you know.  Inspirational.  Motivational.  Dig deep.  Make 'em think.

Whatever.  Flip the script and straight to the link dump:

["organ" means "dick"] electioncentral.tpmcafe.com
[boots on the ground] electioncentral.tpmcafe.com/_our_vietnam
[why terrorists hate us] yesbutnobutyes.com (best in show, fourth down)
[dude is a fucking gunslinger] collegehumor.com
[dinosaur jr.] youtube.com

Today's email:

From: Brian Subject: biker down pantagraph.com The story is bad enough, but read the Reader Comments on the article. MAN people are stupid. This is what I have to put up with on the roads around my house every day.

That kid ended up in the hospital and this is what people write? You gotta be fucking kidding me.

From: Tony
Subject: tape tube
good to see you got a 9er rolling. So much fun.

Did you get the "tape something to your top tube idea" from this?
bobkestrut.com/oscar-freire

Nah, those cats Oscar & So Pro Jones got it from me.

Check out the latest DC interview with Chris Zito.

And then put this one on your calendars.

Ride of Silence plans fifth annual memorial

The Ride of Silence, a grass-roots, global network of group rides held simultaneously and in complete silence in honor of cyclists injured or killed by motorists, has announced the date and time for the 2007 edition. Spokesperson Mark Hagar says that "the 2007 Ride of Silence will start globally on Wed. May 16th, at 7:00 PM. Rides in the southern hemisphere will take place on Sat. May 19th at 10 AM, for rider safety, and greater visibility to the public and media."

The Ride of Silence memorial was started after endurance cyclist Larry Schwartz was struck and killed by a passing bus while cycling outside of Dallas in 2003. His good friend & coach Chris Phelan organized a memorial ride in Dallas on May 18th, titled the Ride of Silence, a slow paced silent 12 mile ride to honor/remember his friend. In just a 10 day period, via email and word of mouth, over 1,000 cyclists attended. Chris thought he had closure. Word spread and in 2004, Rides of Silence took place on May 18th at 7:00 PM in 50 cities in the U.S. and Canada spreading to over 250 cities worldwide in 2006.

There are no fees to attend Rides of Silence. For more information, visit the Ride of Silence Web site at rideofsilence.org/locations-international.php.

You can see what we're doing here in Flagstaff below:

City: Flagstaff
State: AZ
Country: U.S.
Distance: 3 - 4 miles (one large hill)
Notes: Meet at Flagstaff Medical Center @ 5:30 pm. Ride will leave at 6:00 pm with return to FMC by 7:00 pm. (sunset is @ 7:22 pm) Parking available at FMC for those who need to drive to the event. Group will ride up Cedar Hill on Forest Avenue to the new Bike/Pedestrian Bridge. Ride will then go over the bridge and into Buffalo Park where we will pause and re-group. We will also go to the Matt Kelly Memorial on Cedar Avenue, but the location is on the roadway and we cannot stop the group there. For those who would like to pay their respects, please do not block the street. Black armbands are suggested but not required. Helmets are required. Please ride in silence.

Link dump:

[schumacher takes amstel] cyclingnews.com/photos
[more on amstel] velonews.com/race
[fuck karl rove] huffingtonpost.com/karl-rove
[nixon lives] talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/013773.php
[one man's old pueblo] asilvertouch.com
[gimmie gimmie gimmie] cgi.ebay.com

Today's email:

From: Dan
Subject: cool bike jewelry that benefits a good cause
Hey Jonny,
Hope your recovery is going well.

DrunkCyclist.com is developing a big following back East here in Roanoke, Va., the capital of the Blue Ridge, and a town that knows how to mix bikes and beer.

I'm writing you with a pitch for a link to a site that offers a neat little piece of cycling jewelry, and to tell you the story behind it.

The Spokelet was invented by my pal Jeff Van Leuven. It's a bracelet fashioned from a spoke. Jeff is selling these on www.spokelet.com, and if you check out that site, you'll notice that a portion of the proceeds go to the Cycle For Life Foundation, which helps little kids who have cancer, and their families.

Less than two months ago, Jeff's 6-year-old son, Jakob, died after a long battle with neuroblastoma. Jakob was quite a kid, and he had known for some time that his days were numbered. It was kind of like he was helping Jeff, his dad, along to that realization.

Jakob designed his own funeral, a very unusual ceremony that was packed with scores of cyclists who shed lots of tears. There was beer and wine, and a spread of food, and along table full of Jakob's favorite toys, books, videos, cycling stuff signed by Lance and other pros -- all the things that meant a lot to him. The ceremony was secular, and emceed by Jakob's uncle. Among other stories he told that day was the one of Jakob, then 5, calling up his grandmother after she had been diagnosed with cancer, and commiserating with her, giving her tips on how to deal with chemo, her hair falling out, etc. I've never seen so many adults crying in one place in my life. He was a special kid.

Anyway, that's the pitch. Check out the site, and see what you think.

That email sat in my inbox for weeks. Every time I read it, I just... Man, that's a hard one. Six years old.

This is a bracelet I can believe in.

From: Tony
Subject: lil ride report or something like that...
Jonny,
I was perusing through some email this AM when I came upon this lil treat. It's a ride report from a buddy who came along with us on a double metric around Napa recently. When I read it I thought of you and your site... I'm not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing??? Anyway...

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

So I'm needn' to pinch a loaf. Hmmm. 47 goons in line waiting to piss on the seat in front of me. Scary-ass, steaming, corn-filled curlie-cues looking up at you saying emm, emm good! Sorry, even I can't handle that kind of sickness. What, my bare ass getting THAT close to everyone else's shit? Damn, even if some of it did come from bad-ass triatheletes, that shit still ain't gonna' have no effect on my performance... unless you call running for your life from the shitter some kind of "performance improvement". So, I said: "fuck that shit" and went on, keeping my ass tight.

Hmmm. Needing to shit soon. "Look, a good tree over there by the poison oak" Ahh, I already learned that one. "Keep riding". Ok, so I finally come up on Ro Sham Bo Winery and I hastily enter the grounds doing a 75 foot "stoppee" at the front doors. I enter the tasting room and the Style Council is in complete force. I walk past this goon platoon looking significantly dapper (helmet in place) and envision one of the patrons with my 7lb curly-cue on his arrogant, wine sniffing, manicured little head. I think: "Fuck you, as if you can tell the difference between that shit and my shit" I find the bathroom. Ahh, time to shit! Yeah.

So here I find myself in this killer bathroom. with mirrors and stainless steel walls and a "lou" -that is itself, stainless steel- and take a dedicated seat. Suddenly, I notice, while in a private bathroom, I'm NOT ALONE! Amazingly, I am greeted by Godzilla and Rodan battling in the Tokyo Bay on a wall mounted television! Amazing! This joint- for some reason (sick or otherwise) has movies playing in their bathrooms! Needless to say, I took my time. Rodan got his ass kicked... ahh, so did the lou.

So that's the story of the day from me. Yeah, there were other stories, like the rider down on Green Valley needing an ambulance, the killer section on western Colman Valley Road where a living skeleton danced letting you know mistakes there would be fatal, getting passed by two tandems on 116 and barking at them (they were scared), or passing 27 riders down main street in Guerneville... only to be passed by every one of them up May's Canyon!

I only met one arrogant rider and for that, I'm pleased. All in all, it was a good ride for me too. Only a slow leak on the rear from a previously patched tube hampered me... if at all. I filled it again at Lake Sonoma.

The 2X Caffeine Goo kept me "on crack" when I was otherwise starting to feel sluggish. I believe I passed more riders than passed me and some of them I blew by so fast it stripped their jerseys off! One section I was going so fast the asphalt was coming up behind me too and the entire peleton trying to chase me down went down hard- bicycle wheels were flying all across the roadway!

Yeah... I know I'm The Shit! See ya'll at the next one!

Distance: 122 miles
Average spd: 15.6mph
Top spd: 46.3mph
Time: 7.5hrs

Looks like another image laden post. So sue me.  Those with slow internet connections are going to fucking hate this shit.

I'm digging the pics. I wish I could do more. That's one of the reasons I need to seriously look at the way this site is put together.  I mean, why the fuck am I still writing code?

Because I'm fucking stupid, that's why.

I spent most of my day in the garage fucking around with my bikes.   All of 'em need air in the tires as they've been just sitting there for months.  I switched some stuff around on a few of 'em just 'cause I can.  Then I got to the goods.  I built up my new Kona 29 single speed. I used most of the parts off my old 26 single speed.  Save, of course, things like the 26 inch wheels.

Instead I used some totally clapped out cross type (700c rims w/ 135 ass end) wheels Jackass left in my garage a year ago.  Take a look at the pics:

Can you tell that's a 22 inch frame?  Shit don't look like a 29er when I'm riding it.

I make big look good, kid.

I'm running a 34 x 18 because that's what I had.  My old Race Face cranks off the old bike won't clear the stays on this frame.  Yeah, I could probably run some stupid wide bb, but fuck that shit.  I put some XTs I got from Nic the Dick years ago 'cause I can't pass up a set of 180s that ain't ruined yet.  They were just laying in a box waiting for something to happen.  Weird setup on those, 4 bolt with a 34 tooth ring and a bash guard.  I don't have many 4 bolt chainrings, and I've never run a 34 tooth ring.  But it sure looks like I'm running a 34 in the immediate future.  The only good thing I can say about the bash guard is it keeps my pant cuff from getting munched up.

Otherwide, fuck it.

On the ass end I used a single 18 tooth cog I busted off an old cassette and spaced out the freehub body with all the aluminum spacers I could find laying about.  In case you're wondering, it took ten spacers to make it work.

My maiden voyage was to go pick up a twelve pack of Tecate down at the local Circle K convenience store. Then I rode back and started popping tops.  Initial impressions of the 34 x 18 are very positive.

I'm about to get busy up in this mother fucker.

I ran platforms pedals because I didn't feel like changing shoes.  I'd rather change pedals tomorrow than shoes today.  Call me crazy.

And, yo, why haven't I ever owned a pair of cycling shoes that are as comfortable as a pair of tims on platform pedals?  I'm not asking for a rocket ship here people, just some shoes that don't suck to wear.

What, I gotta go custom to be happy?

You'll notice Jackass's wheels (yo, my wheels, I'm keeping 'em bitch) utilize the ever-popular STX RC hubs. Actually, the front hub is below STX RC a few steps. I'd be happy with STX RC both fore and aft.  It'd be an improvement over the current front hub.  Fucking thing is a piece of shit. 

But they're straight (sorta), they're smooth (kinda), they roll (right) and I actually have them on hand.

And that's worth a lot in the end isn't it?

The best part is the duct tape.  Reminds me of an old joke. 

Question: How can you tell which bike belongs to the bike mechanic?

Answer: It's the one that's all fucked up.

I was ready to ride this puppy even with the old brake cables and housing from the last bike. Sure, they don't work very well.  And, sure, I need to run some new cables and housing.  But its a single speed for christ's sake.  How fast can I go?  They're only breaks.  And I needed to ride my new girl before it got dark and shit.

Right here, right now.

So, instead of burning up a perfectly good zip tie to hold down the cable housing I'm only going to replace tomorrow; I used a nice piece of duct tape.

100% class act up in here.

One hundred percent easy.

Link dump:

[fuck that] tpmcafe.com/maureen_dowd_devotes_column_to_edwards_hair
[london slang] londonslang.com
[a moat] theonion.com
[protect yo neck] portland.craigslist.org
[basso who?] velonews.com
[flip the script] nytimes.com
[biker down] missoulian.com

Today's email:

From: Chris
Subject: Stone Mountain finish, Stage 6, TdG
Jonny,
Fast Freddie Rodriquez nips the sprinters pack at the line to take the stage. They passed us at 35-40mph, so the shots are rough at best...


0651: here they come...


0652: ... and there they went. Shit, my timing sucks.


0655: Melissa wins on the GE Pedal Power stage. Nice form, girl.

One stage remaining, a circuit race around Hotlanta. Good times indeed.

Chris is living the dream. Lopo, however, is not.

From: Lopo
Subject: Holy shit...literally
Dude. I came here to Missouri to hang with the Parents and wow....I understood that this is the bible belt but man...shit is even more messed up than it has been in the past. So...it all started when I was sitting here at home. Going through some of my things and I look out to see the trash truck. We have 2 trash cans...one for trash and one for recycling. Well...the trash truck comes...and picks up both cans...and puts them in the same truck. The trash truck. Come to find out my parents are paying for recycling but recycling is just putting it in a green trash can instead of a blue one. But it all goes to the same place...the dump. Lame. So then I inquire to my brother on why it is like this. He gives me a few answers...and then he is like well...check out this movie. Its called Jesus Camp.(www.jesuscampthemovie.com) It takes place here in Missouri. So I sit and watch this movie and it turns out it is a documentary on the Christian movement here in the midwest. And now I understand why people are voting for bush. So, if anyone wants to have an idea on how F-d up the midwest is...and understand a little more on why douche bags are getting into office. Watch this movie. And then...as if it couldn't get any worse...I wanted to know more. More of the crappy stuff that is happening here...so I turn on one of the 14 freakin jesus channels on TV and listened to one of the many radio stations......Listen to this...

They think Global warming is ok. Listen to this....this is what I heard on one of the radio stations....

They are preaching that God gave us resources. We are supposed to use these resources. And the faster we use these resources...the faster we all die and go to heaven faster.

No shit. I am scared. I don't know about you all...but I am scared. Even the NPR stations here don't play any real news...In the spots like in Flag..where there is stories on global warming and stuff like this is entered...they just slip on some classical music and call it good. No one here knows and if you even mention global warming to any of these people they seriously call you stupid. No shit. I even tried. They just think it is a political topic and don't believe it actually exists.

Anyway...you all need to check out this documentary. It pretty much explains it all. Some of the interviews take place in locations less than a mile from my parents house.

Thanks for listening...and HELP!!! Get me outta here.....
only 3 more days.

Your gonna be just fine, homegirl. Keep your chin up.  More Jesus Madness here: vids.myspace.com

From: Vance
Subject: Pedals for progress
Yo jonny! So I'm feeling you with the non-bike riding thing. I flubbed a good drop a few weeks ago and slammed my hip into the sandstone. Three weeks later, I still have numbness in my skin, shooting pains in my muscles and cramps. I'm going crazy up in here! Anyway, I'm writing to see if you'll pimp a couple of causes for me.

First, I'm going to build some houses for Habitat for Humanity. Anyone who can volunteer, even unskilled, just a few hours, whatever...feel free to email me. It doesn't take much time and it makes a big difference for some people who need a leg up.

Second, Pedals for Progress. These people get bikes to people in third world countries who use them to make a living. A bike can be the difference between some guy begging to feed his family, or being so successful that he not only feeds his family, but contributes to the independence of his community. Hit them up at www.p4p.org, any little bit will help. Thanks for all the times you've posted me, keep fighting the good fight!

You can reach Vance at the following email addy: nkdmtnbkr1248@yahoo.com

Last one and I'm gonna call this one.

From: Hurl
Subject: whoa, maybe it's not too late for straight-talk...? enjoy.

Had Enough?

Am I the only guy in this country who's fed up with what's happening? Where the hell is our outrage? We should be screaming bloody murder. We've got a gang of clueless bozos steering our ship of state right over a cliff, we've got corporate gangsters stealing us blind, and we can't even clean up after a hurricane much less build a hybrid car. But instead of getting mad, everyone sits around and nods their heads when the politicians say, "Stay the course."

Stay the course? You've got to be kidding. This is America, not the damned Titanic. I'll give you a sound bite: Throw the bums out!

You might think I'm getting senile, that I've gone off my rocker, and maybe I have. But someone has to speak up. I hardly recognize this country anymore. The President of the United States is given a free pass to ignore the Constitution, tap our phones, and lead us to war on a pack of lies. Congress responds to record deficits by passing a huge tax cut for the wealthy (thanks, but I don't need it). The most famous business leaders are not the innovators but the guys in handcuffs. While we're fiddling in Iraq, the Middle East is burning and nobody seems to know what to do. And the press is waving pom-poms instead of asking hard questions. That's not the promise of America my parents and yours traveled across the ocean for. I've had enough. How about you?

I'll go a step further. You can't call yourself a patriot if you're not outraged. This is a fight I'm ready and willing to have.

My friends tell me to calm down. They say, "Lee, you're eighty-two years old. Leave the rage to the young people." I'd love to—as soon as I can pry them away from their iPods for five seconds and get them to pay attention. I'm going to speak up because it's my patriotic duty. I think people will listen to me. They say I have a reputation as a straight shooter. So I'll tell you how I see it, and it's not pretty, but at least it's real. I'm hoping to strike a nerve in those young folks who say they don't vote because they don't trust politicians to represent their interests. Hey, America, wake up. These guys work for us.

Who Are These Guys, Anyway?

Why are we in this mess? How did we end up with this crowd in Washington? Well, we voted for them—or at least some of us did. But I'll tell you what we didn't do. We didn't agree to suspend the Constitution. We didn't agree to stop asking questions or demanding answers. Some of us are sick and tired of people who call free speech treason. Where I come from that's a dictatorship, not a democracy.

And don't tell me it's all the fault of right-wing Republicans or liberal Democrats. That's an intellectually lazy argument, and it's part of the reason we're in this stew. We're not just a nation of factions. We're a people. We share common principles and ideals. And we rise and fall together.

Where are the voices of leaders who can inspire us to action and make us stand taller? What happened to the strong and resolute party of Lincoln? What happened to the courageous, populist party of FDR and Truman? There was a time in this country when the voices of great leaders lifted us up and made us want to do better. Where have all the leaders gone?

The Test of a Leader

I've never been Commander in Chief, but I've been a CEO. I understand a few things about leadership at the top. I've figured out nine points—not ten (I don't want people accusing me of thinking I'm Moses). I call them the "Nine Cs of Leadership." They're not fancy or complicated. Just clear, obvious qualities that every true leader should have. We should look at how the current administration stacks up. Like it or not, this crew is going to be around until January 2009. Maybe we can learn something before we go to the polls in 2008. Then let's be sure we use the leadership test to screen the candidates who say they want to run the country. It's up to us to choose wisely.

So, here's my C list:

A leader has to show CURIOSITY. He has to listen to people outside of the "Yes, sir" crowd in his inner circle. He has to read voraciously, because the world is a big, complicated place. George W. Bush brags about never reading a newspaper. "I just scan the headlines," he says. Am I hearing this right? He's the President of the United States and he never reads a newspaper? Thomas Jefferson once said, "Were it left to me to decide whether we should have a government without newspapers, or newspapers without a government, I should not hesitate for a moment to prefer the latter." Bush disagrees. As long as he gets his daily hour in the gym, with Fox News piped through the sound system, he's ready to go.

If a leader never steps outside his comfort zone to hear different ideas, he grows stale. If he doesn't put his beliefs to the test, how does he know he's right? The inability to listen is a form of arrogance. It means either you think you already know it all, or you just don't care. Before the 2006 election, George Bush made a big point of saying he didn't listen to the polls. Yeah, that's what they all say when the polls stink. But maybe he should have listened, because 70 percent of the people were saying he was on the wrong track. It took a "thumping" on election day to wake him up, but even then you got the feeling he wasn't listening so much as he was calculating how to do a better job of convincing everyone he was right.

A leader has to be CREATIVE, go out on a limb, be willing to try something different. You know, think outside the box. George Bush prides himself on never changing, even as the world around him is spinning out of control. God forbid someone should accuse him of flip-flopping. There's a disturbingly messianic fervor to his certainty. Senator Joe Biden recalled a conversation he had with Bush a few months after our troops marched into Baghdad. Joe was in the Oval Office outlining his concerns to the President—the explosive mix of Shiite and Sunni, the disbanded Iraqi army, the problems securing the oil fields. "The President was serene," Joe recalled. "He told me he was sure that we were on the right course and that all would be well. 'Mr. President,' I finally said, 'how can you be so sure when you don't yet know all the facts?'" Bush then reached over and put a steadying hand on Joe's shoulder. "My instincts," he said. "My instincts." Joe was flabbergasted. He told Bush, "Mr. President, your instincts aren't good enough." Joe Biden sure didn't think the matter was settled. And, as we all know now, it wasn't.

Leadership is all about managing change—whether you're leading a company or leading a country. Things change, and you get creative. You adapt. Maybe Bush was absent the day they covered that at Harvard Business School.

A leader has to COMMUNICATE. I'm not talking about running off at the mouth or spouting sound bites. I'm talking about facing reality and telling the truth. Nobody in the current administration seems to know how to talk straight anymore. Instead, they spend most of their time trying to convince us that things are not really as bad as they seem. I don't know if it's denial or dishonesty, but it can start to drive you crazy after a while. Communication has to start with telling the truth, even when it's painful. The war in Iraq has been, among other things, a grand failure of communication. Bush is like the boy who didn't cry wolf when the wolf was at the door. After years of being told that all is well, even as the casualties and chaos mount, we've stopped listening to him.

A leader has to be a person of CHARACTER. That means knowing the difference between right and wrong and having the guts to do the right thing. Abraham Lincoln once said, "If you want to test a man's character, give him power." George Bush has a lot of power. What does it say about his character? Bush has shown a willingness to take bold action on the world stage because he has the power, but he shows little regard for the grievous consequences. He has sent our troops (not to mention hundreds of thousands of innocent Iraqi citizens) to their deaths—for what? To build our oil reserves? To avenge his daddy because Saddam Hussein once tried to have him killed? To show his daddy he's tougher? The motivations behind the war in Iraq are questionable, and the execution of the war has been a disaster. A man of character does not ask a single soldier to die for a failed policy.

A leader must have COURAGE. I'm talking about balls. (That even goes for female leaders.) Swagger isn't courage. Tough talk isn't courage. George Bush comes from a blue-blooded Connecticut family, but he likes to talk like a cowboy. You know, My gun is bigger than your gun. Courage in the twenty-first century doesn't mean posturing and bravado. Courage is a commitment to sit down at the negotiating table and talk.

If you're a politician, courage means taking a position even when you know it will cost you votes. Bush can't even make a public appearance unless the audience has been handpicked and sanitized. He did a series of so-called town hall meetings last year, in auditoriums packed with his most devoted fans. The questions were all softballs.

To be a leader you've got to have CONVICTION—a fire in your belly. You've got to have passion. You've got to really want to get something done. How do you measure fire in the belly? Bush has set the all-time record for number of vacation days taken by a U.S. President—four hundred and counting. He'd rather clear brush on his ranch than immerse himself in the business of governing. He even told an interviewer that the high point of his presidency so far was catching a seven-and-a-half-pound perch in his hand-stocked lake.

It's no better on Capitol Hill. Congress was in session only ninety-seven days in 2006. That's eleven days less than the record set in 1948, when President Harry Truman coined the term do-nothing Congress. Most people would expect to be fired if they worked so little and had nothing to show for it. But Congress managed to find the time to vote itself a raise. Now, that's not leadership.

A leader should have CHARISMA. I'm not talking about being flashy. Charisma is the quality that makes people want to follow you. It's the ability to inspire. People follow a leader because they trust him. That's my definition of charisma. Maybe George Bush is a great guy to hang out with at a barbecue or a ball game. But put him at a global summit where the future of our planet is at stake, and he doesn't look very presidential. Those frat-boy pranks and the kidding around he enjoys so much don't go over that well with world leaders. Just ask German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who received an unwelcome shoulder massage from our President at a G-8 Summit. When he came up behind her and started squeezing, I thought she was going to go right through the roof.

A leader has to be COMPETENT. That seems obvious, doesn't it? You've got to know what you're doing. More important than that, you've got to surround yourself with people who know what they're doing. Bush brags about being our first MBA President. Does that make him competent? Well, let's see. Thanks to our first MBA President, we've got the largest deficit in history, Social Security is on life support, and we've run up a half-a-trillion-dollar price tag (so far) in Iraq. And that's just for starters. A leader has to be a problem solver, and the biggest problems we face as a nation seem to be on the back burner.

You can't be a leader if you don't have COMMON SENSE. I call this Charlie Beacham's rule. When I was a young guy just starting out in the car business, one of my first jobs was as Ford's zone manager in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. My boss was a guy named Charlie Beacham, who was the East Coast regional manager. Charlie was a big Southerner, with a warm drawl, a huge smile, and a core of steel. Charlie used to tell me, "Remember, Lee, the only thing you've got going for you as a human being is your ability to reason and your common sense. If you don't know a dip of horseshit from a dip of vanilla ice cream, you'll never make it." George Bush doesn't have common sense. He just has a lot of sound bites. You know—Mr.they'll welcome us as liberators no child left behind heck of a job Brownie mission accomplished Bush.

Former President Bill Clinton once said, "I grew up in an alcoholic home. I spent half my childhood trying to get into the reality-based world—and I like it here."

I think our current President should visit the real world once in a while.

The Biggest C is Crisis

Leaders are made, not born. Leadership is forged in times of crisis. It's easy to sit there with your feet up on the desk and talk theory. Or send someone else's kids off to war when you've never seen a battlefield yourself. It's another thing to lead when your world comes tumbling down.

On September 11, 2001, we needed a strong leader more than any other time in our history. We needed a steady hand to guide us out of the ashes. Where was George Bush? He was reading a story about a pet goat to kids in Florida when he heard about the attacks. He kept sitting there for twenty minutes with a baffled look on his face. It's all on tape. You can see it for yourself. Then, instead of taking the quickest route back to Washington and immediately going on the air to reassure the panicked people of this country, he decided it wasn't safe to return to the White House. He basically went into hiding for the day—and he told Vice President Dick Cheney to stay put in his bunker. We were all frozen in front of our TVs, scared out of our wits, waiting for our leaders to tell us that we were going to be okay, and there was nobody home. It took Bush a couple of days to get his bearings and devise the right photo op at Ground Zero.

That was George Bush's moment of truth, and he was paralyzed. And what did he do when he'd regained his composure? He led us down the road to Iraq—a road his own father had considered disastrous when he was President. But Bush didn't listen to Daddy. He listened to a higher father. He prides himself on being faith based, not reality based. If that doesn't scare the crap out of you, I don't know what will.

A Hell of a Mess

So here's where we stand. We're immersed in a bloody war with no plan for winning and no plan for leaving. We're running the biggest deficit in the history of the country. We're losing the manufacturing edge to Asia, while our once-great companies are getting slaughtered by health care costs. Gas prices are skyrocketing, and nobody in power has a coherent energy policy. Our schools are in trouble. Our borders are like sieves. The middle class is being squeezed every which way. These are times that cry out for leadership.

But when you look around, you've got to ask: "Where have all the leaders gone?" Where are the curious, creative communicators? Where are the people of character, courage, conviction, competence, and common sense? I may be a sucker for alliteration, but I think you get the point.

Name me a leader who has a better idea for homeland security than making us take off our shoes in airports and throw away our shampoo? We've spent billions of dollars building a huge new bureaucracy, and all we know how to do is react to things that have already happened.

Name me one leader who emerged from the crisis of Hurricane Katrina. Congress has yet to spend a single day evaluating the response to the hurricane, or demanding accountability for the decisions that were made in the crucial hours after the storm. Everyone's hunkering down, fingers crossed, hoping it doesn't happen again. Now, that's just crazy. Storms happen. Deal with it. Make a plan. Figure out what you're going to do the next time.

Name me an industry leader who is thinking creatively about how we can restore our competitive edge in manufacturing. Who would have believed that there could ever be a time when "the Big Three" referred to Japanese car companies? How did this happen—and more important, what are we going to do about it?

Name me a government leader who can articulate a plan for paying down the debt, or solving the energy crisis, or managing the health care problem. The silence is deafening. But these are the crises that are eating away at our country and milking the middle class dry.

I have news for the gang in Congress. We didn't elect you to sit on your asses and do nothing and remain silent while our democracy is being hijacked and our greatness is being replaced with mediocrity. What is everybody so afraid of? That some bobblehead on Fox News will call them a name? Give me a break. Why don't you guys show some spine for a change?

Had Enough?

Hey, I'm not trying to be the voice of gloom and doom here. I'm trying to light a fire. I'm speaking out because I have hope. I believe in America. In my lifetime I've had the privilege of living through some of America's greatest moments. I've also experienced some of our worst crises—the Great Depression, World War II, the Korean War, the Kennedy assassination, the Vietnam War, the 1970s oil crisis, and the struggles of recent years culminating with 9/11. If I've learned one thing, it's this: You don't get anywhere by standing on the sidelines waiting for somebody else to take action. Whether it's building a better car or building a better future for our children, we all have a role to play. That's the challenge I'm raising in this book. It's a call to action for people who, like me, believe in America. It's not too late, but it's getting pretty close. So let's shake off the horseshit and go to work. Let's tell 'em all we've had enough.

Excerpted from Where Have All the Leaders Gone?. Copyright © 2007 by Lee Iacocca. All rights reserved.

In response to some of the emails regarding my posts the last few days and bitching about porn: drunkcyclist is not shutting down any time soon.  If ever. 

I mean, the the fuck else I got to do with myself? 

There may be some changes in store in the future.  Nothing to be alarmed about or concerned with.  I'll drop the pearls when the time comes.

Just like I always do.

Link dump:

[word] urbandictionary.com
[debbie does malice] theagitator.com
[gonzo had a plan...] slate.com
[this is more like it] rudepundit.blogspot.com
[she's a pro] blog.oregonlive.com
[z-boy] cyclingnews.com
[tour of georgia] biltmoremanagementllc.com/tdg2007

Today's race report from the Tour of Georgia:

From: Chris
Subject: brasstown bald stage



0631: Yes, that's Floyd. No, that's not a skinsuit.


0635: Getting their drink on. Team members from The Hub bike shop in Athens, GA, sponsored by Terrapin Brewing. My man Loew (center) hooked me up with a sixer. Thanks, brah...


0637: today's cake is the very lovely Elizabeth, sporting Bobke and Floyd signatures in very special places.


0639: Levi on the jumbotron, just after passing Simoni and securing the stage win.


0645: Me and Bobke.

In Stone Mountain for tomorrow's finish. Nappy time.

The rest of today's email:

From: Mark
Subject: A Must See!
OK. THIS GUY IS AWSOME!!! If you are an american PLEASE take 9 minutes and watch this! This guy made my day! If your a democrat then click delete now and then go ride your fixey.
youtube.com

I'm not down with that.

I thought invading Iraq was a mistake four years ago, and I still think it was today. Iraq had nothing to do with 9/11. The Taliban and Al Qaeda were the ones behind the 9/11 attacks.

The Taliban were in Afghanistan. Iraq is a distraction. It is a mistake.

We've still got troops in Afghanistan.  And that place is a trainwreck.  We're in so deep in the shit it'll take 10 years and tens of billions of dollars to get either one of those countries sorted out.

We sent our troops into hell.  And they're really glad to be there: liveleak.com.

Nothing is better as a result. There has been no improvement. We're no safer. Bombs will still go off.  Innocents will still die.

A kid named Seung-Hui Cho just shot up the Virginia Polytechnic Institute.  And next year someone will walk into a Burger King, or a shopping mall, or a Post Office and just start shooting for no damn reason.  We'll have another Timothy McVee, another Eric Rudolph, another Eric Harris, another Dylan Klebold.

Good thing I'm a democrat and I've got four fixies.

In other news...

From: Casey
Subject: Heat, Bitch
This is the Kind of Heat the Hawk brings to an "art" opening. Bologna sandwich, anyone?

I think I've looked at my last naked chick...

I cracked on this shit.  I'm done with it.  Fuck porn.  This shit is fucking over, man.  Ladies, I still love ya.  But this is fucking done.

Ah shit, look at that, it's almost the weekend.  And you know what the weekend means - no work.

Yeah right.  I'll be sitting in front of a computer for hours working on four different projects. 

Wish me luck.

Big DC link dump shout out to A-Bomb and his minions:

[penis power] fazed.net/video/?id=662
[how to be a douchebag] wikihow.com/Apply-Makeup-as-a-Man
[gimmie my shit] boston.com
[boogie wrapping it up] cyclingnews.com
[carpet chewing muppet] fathairybastard.blogspot.com
[i doubt mankind] liveleak.com
[landlord] sjl.funnyordie.com

Today's email:

From: Kevin
Subject: biker down
Hey there,
This "biker down" story hits close to home. Gordon was an acquaintance of mine from high school. We hadn't spoken in quite some time. However, I knew him well enough to understand how much of a loss this is. Gordon was a really talented guy. He was such a good artist and he even owned his own clothing company. He was the type of guy that was always interested in what you had to say. And from what I've gathered, he loved to ride his fixie. Anyway, I guess I just wanted to put in my two cents. I'm glad that you posted the articles about this accident. I actually first heard the bad news through your site. This kind of thing happens too often. I'm glad that they put a ghost bike up in his memory. RIP.

Word. It's never easy

From: Gordon
Subject: Cyclist down in Bend, Oregon
ktvz.com/story.cfm?storyID=19236
This hit the news here first thing this morning. My mum caught it and was worried right off the bat thinking it was me on my way to work. The highway was closed for nine hours because the cyclist was dragged for over a mile creating a huge crime scene. They couldn't even identify the gender for several hours because of so many pieces to deal with. They are still looking for the driver of the vehicle, only severe front end damage to go on for clues at this time. A horrific tragedy that makes me rethink commuting.

Jesus fucking Christ... You know this one was really fucked up when you read: "The investigation at the crash site - called "horrific" and "horrendous" by officers and other witnesses - shut the busy business thoroughfare for nine hours Tuesday morning."

A bike accident closed the road for nine hours.

From: Eric
Subject: Cannondale scooter stolen
Big Jonny, My one off factory painted Yamaha Zuma in the Liquigas livery got stolen in Chapel Hill, NC off of my demo truck, along with a new carbon rush team replica bike and some tools. I'm pretty bummed out because the scooter was awesome. Check it out…

That is just plain mean. Theft sucks.  If anyone has info, drop me a line and I'll forward it to Eric.

Race news to follow.

From: Don
Subject: Jeffy Louder a k.a. "Pockets" at the Tour de Georgia
There was a time when I could drop Jeffy (with difficulty) on mountain bike rides. So cool to watch him ride so well now.

Jeffy started to work with us at Guthrie Bicycles in Salt Lake as a shy "aw shucks" kind of kid in his teens with a huge heart and a hidden smart ass humor I enjoyed. He quickly got tagged with the nickname "Pockets" for always going out on the sales floor wearing his shop apron and talking to customers with both hands shoved into is apron pockets.

Jeff is quality DNA.

He kicked some ass at the Tour of Georgia yesterday.

Don
Göteborg, Sweden

I've met that cat all of once. I loaned him a pump or some shit on a Wednesday group ride down in Tucson. He's hard as nails. I couldn't hand him up a rain coat on a good day.

And I'm talking about a good day for me.  It'd have to be a very bad day for him.

But even then...

From: Chris
Subject: the TT pics
Chris here, checking in from the Tour de Georgia...
Levi takes the stage win today with the best time up Lookout Mtn, just shy of 44 minutes. He put the beat down on euro's like Simoni, who tripped the light around 52 minutes. Slacker. Met Levi's parents, very nice people. On to the shit shots. (I'm still figgering out this damn digi cam)


0618: Today's freak. Upskirt, anyone? Actually, this gal represents on a unicycle (while juggling), so she's cool in my book.


0619: A drinker in the crowd, who'da thunk it?


0622: Big George recovers post ride.

We're in north GA tonight getting pumped for the Brasstown Bald climb, a hors categorie road that ascends 4,600 feet.The fans line the road like the Basques in the Alps. Good times ahead. The topography here reminds me of the mountains in central Pennsylvania. Never knew GA had this much to offer.

This week we've had all kinds of fun shit going on in the world.  First up, a completely ridiculous shooting over at Virginia Tech.  Fucking kid went nuts and shot 30-some people.  Good looking out, idiot. I'm sure that really helped.  The only thing that stopped those voices in your head was your own bullet.

Yeah, yeah, your life was pain and all that.  Whatever.  You're life wasn't pain.  You don't know what pain is.   Try having your back broken by a drunk driver and come talk to me. 

Are you ready for the second good news story of the week?  Hundreds die in multiple car bomb attacks today in Baghdad.  This was the "worst day of violence since a US security operation began."

Things over there are going to get a lot worse before they get better.  What does Cheney call it, the "stomach for the fight"?  All that fat fuck had was the stomach for five deferments.

Third in line: The ban on so called "partial-birth abortion" signed into law by Bush in 203 was upheld in a 5-4 Supreme Court decision today. The anti-abortion crowd is fired up like all hell.  They think this is the first step to complete prohibiting abortion in this country.  They might be right.

Read Ginsburg's dissent, which she read from the bench in what had been described as a "a slow and solemn cadence" (source), if you haven't already.

Call it the good news hat trick.  I'm just waiting for the next Brooks Brothers Riot to jump off.

Link dump:

[harry reid] electioncentral.tpmcafe.com
[aim high] forumserver.twoplustwo.com
[video mashup] youtube.com
[yo, what?] sfgate.com
[cool] p4p.org

More race pics from the Tour of Georgia:

From: Chris Subject: eye candy and a pose over the box jump Whoa, Betty. Gives a whole new meaning to the word "United". The stylee move by the DK/Maxxis rider is Zachary from Ridgeway, PA. Sprint finish, Stage 2, TdG, Rome, GA 1970 Paramount w/ Nuevo Record Team Disco takes the sprint to the line in Chattanooga Ditto that.

God bless you, sir. God bless you.

From: Greg Subject: Dude Did you just see the finish times and gaps @ le (we are going with the total French-Georgian connection here) tour de georgia? What the hell is going on? Are the domestic teams such a bunch of pussies so as to let this thing get away from them without putting up the fight? Or did I miss something?

You missed something. I missed something. Everyone fucking missed something. Read it over at cyclingnews.com: Breakaway puts twenty-nine minutes (yes, twenty-nine) on peloton

Happy days, I sent in my taxes. Take that, Uncle Sam. Now gimmie back my fucking money. 

They say it is better to give than to receive.  But they weren't talking about taxes.  They were talking about black eyes.

And so it goes.

Link dump:

[toto] nyvelocity.com
[sweet] ratemymullet.com
[fat people?] sexualpositionsfree.com/doggiestyle.html
[fun] noonebelongsheremorethanyou.com
[biker down] news.bostonherald.com

First up in today's email, my man Chris is down at the Tour of Georgia.  From the sounds if of it over the phone, he's having a grand old time.

From: Chris Subject: stage 1 pics Juan Grande, I'm your boots on the ground in Georgia. The riders had a windy, cool day of racing, and Tinkhoff rider Daniele Contini took the win in Macon today. Tyler finished with the peloton. Not sure about Big George or Levi. Pics attached are of Contini taking the win (from behind, oh well). Second shot must be the village idiot, or Georgia's equivalent to France's Devil. There's one in every town, eh? Gotta love our fellow freaks, right? I promise to take better shots tomorrow. We're in Rome, and they even have a Wal-Mart, but I bet it wasn't built in a day.

Good times all around the southeast these days.

From: Casey Subject: What a fucking weekend. This past weekend was nutz to death. I want to share some highlights. Friday the 13th - Wake up to a man-sized dog turd on the floor. Take my picture with it. - Get tattoos with Paul Naugle and Chris Lohan. 13's. Paul: Arm. Me: Hand. Lohan: Elbow. - Skate. - Drink at bar. - Go to my art opening. 350 people in attendance, Half the show sold that nite. - Hotties with "Whores'D'Ourvres", PBR keg, and a pile of fucking tires on a piece of astroturf in the middle of the gallery. Killer tunes. - Charlene was there. She's awesome to the max, taking great photos of the event. - Saw some shit rock at a bar. 4 sliced hands, new white shoes fucked, donkey punches, Jager. balls out. boobs out. Friends are Killer. - Went on a pickle mission in Yard Sale's fridge. Made french bread pizzas. Destroyed each other's egos. - good nite at maybe 4? Saturday the 14th - Charlene has disappeared mysteriously like a Saturday Morning Slut. - Husky prowls the neighborhood with crossbow. Returns with a squirrel. Arrow through the eye. finds fleas on it. aborts mission squirrel-kabob. - Drink. - Farmer's Market. $65 rack of "Lollipop of the Pig" Ribs. - Coors. - Husky, Jef, Paul go "4-wheeling" and return smelling suspiciously pleasant. Like whores. - Drink. - Piggy Pops. - Coors. - Bonfire. - Drink. - "Oh, there's a dance party?" fuck. - 3 of the Village People combine to form 1 Casey, who then takes command of the dance floor, until the JoyBoys took command of him. - Pork in the parking lot from the vending truck. I fucking love Carolina. - Something else. - Nitey Nite around something or other. Sunday the 15th - Oh shit. - Shit. - Fuck. - Fucking shit. - Goddammit. - Lunch. - Tattoos on Lohan & Paul. - Pizza - Mother fucker. - Shit. - Goodnite. Monday. - Company goes back to their respective towns. - Hawk praises the fucking lord. - Work is sooooooooo nice. -- High Life & HotDogs, Casey

I get out of bed 'round about 7:30 this morning and immediately turn on the computer to following cyclingnews live coverage of Paris-Roubaix.

It looks like O'Grady is going to take this one. Damn. Who picked him? Talk about long odds. Ten bucks on him this morning would have got you a hundred tonight.

Now I just have to wait till 2:00 this afternoon to watch the taped coverage in TV. And I won't even name the station that plays it in this country. It used to be outdoor life. Now it rhymes with purses.

Link dump:

[everything is for the Giro] velonews.com
[totally badass] velonews.com
[biker down] cnews.canoe.ca
[dick pound] youtube.com
[roubaix] velonews.com
[oh god] newley.com

Yo, it's Friday the 13th. Complete horrorshow up in this piece. Or something.  I'll get my hockey mask out later and show these punks in my neighborhood what for.

Son's a bitches got no respect.

It snowed yesterday and last night. It saved me the pain of not riding. And it ought to keep the forest that little bit damper throughout the summer. I like to think of it as fire abatement.

All you losers in cars, get your shit over to the right.  And stay there.

Me?  I'm a loser in a car.

Link dump:

[wtf? this is tomorrow night.] wmrc.org/ewire/?p=135
[oh shit] youtube.com
[oh shit] tinyentertainment.com
[railing it] koreus.com
[is this fun?] xmissy.nl
[r.i.p. vonnegut] nytimes.com
[he was right on] books.guardian.co.uk

In the Vonnegut piece about, I found the following quote by R. Z. Sheppard from a, well, negative book review in Time magazine: "Having a novelist’s free hand to write what you will does not mean you are entitled to a free ride".

Nice.

Today's email:

From: Bill Subject: Vonnegut Believe it or not, I haven’t read him. Gimme a suggestion on which one I should read first and I’ll pick it up this afternoon.

I can, and do, recommend the following:

Slaugherhouse-Five
Cat's Cradle
Breakfast of Champions
Slapstick

They are all quite good.

From: Rich Subject: Stoked, kid-style Why am I stoked? My 5-year-old is graduating to a 20" 6-speed Giant hand-me-down that used to be his big brother's. We got the Giant powder coated so it wouldn't feel too used, and I just finished putting the bike back together. Tomorrow, he'll be hard to pry off it, not that it's ever easy. His old 16" bike was dog-slow; he was spun out at about 8 mph, which made our rides a little tedious. Now, he'll be able to cruise at a decent pace, which means our range just jumped by about 50%. Heck, on my 1x I might be the slowest of the three of us now, which would be fine by me.

Yo, you guys have a good weekend riding. I'm stoked just hearing about shit like that.

He's rolling on twenties.

From: Scott Subject: marin sucks! Fuck Marin! Having lived in the bay area for 8 years, coming there from so-cal, I can honestly say there is no worse place for the sport and or leisure activity of Mountain Biking. Last August I got a little fed-up and went for a drive - oregon, washington, utah...I hit a ton of spots and talked to a ton of bikers and nowhere is there the sort of conflict that the bay area sees. I did however have an interesting interaction with a couple in Bend Oregon, a town riddled with kick-ass trails. The couple walks into the local shop to inquire about the local trails. There was no "Hello" there were no High-Fives for the locals, there was an aire of entitlement and a hurriedness that piqued my social science curiosity - and to avoid asking a similar line of questions as soon as they left I listened in. What I heard was a series of clues ("we are looking to minimize the technical on the uphill and maximize the technical on the downhill" - yeah, arent we all!) that led me to asking the couple a few questions of my own. Seeming a little taken aback by the fact that a non-employee and complete stranger would want to ask them questions about their vacation in the bike shop they hurried through their socially awkward answers and told me they were pressed for time and had to go. After asking the kid at the counter if I had like a big piece of spinach in my teeth, lip-aids, or a boiling puss-filled sore on my face that would cause them to react the way they did I ran to the window to see where they were from. I bet the kid a beer that they were from the Bay Area - and sure enough "bay area ridge trail stickers, and a colma license plate frame around their tahoe cali plates. the rest of my trip I planned my escape from the bay! Even the dudes in washington state which is wetter than prom-night and unrideable even in fucking August are willing to point you in the right direction and take you on a Thursday nite shop ride - IF YOU ARE COOL ABOUT IT. When I got back to SF I hit the trails a few more times and had a hard time even finding people to stop and chat with me, fuck I couldn't even discern a smile from half of the dudes on the trails. Not the case elsewhere. Perhaps the bay area cycling community should take a look in the mirror to answer the question of why the rest of the trail users there are so overly hostile. I've always tried to live my life with an "I'm cool - you're cool - you're cool - I'm cool" philosophy. The farther away from the pacific ocean you get the more you find others who do too. rubber side down.

Word.

From: Morgan Subject: Bitchin and not ridin So you are getting fat (r). Just when were us big guys ever svelte looking roadie dogs. There is a reason your name isn't Itsy Bitsy Teeny Jonny and be glad of it. A few fat layers when you are healing isn't going to kill you yet. Piss you off a bit for sure, but it will get better. I am riding the Whiskey 25 this year and I am scared shitless my leg with it's titanium rods will pins will just lock up on me and quit. Almost 2 years from my crash and I am laying it on the line. I rode Shaw Butte on Friday, hurled my lungs out half way out of my chest and rested on my handle bars. Friday I will try again. Every ride I try to get a little better and bear the agony of unfitness a bit longer. Every day I hang on for dear life in the group rides. A year ago, I thought I would never ride like this again. Rest Easy my friend, enjoy the time with your kid, you will never get that time back. Make the most of those moments that matter and do the PT and work the exercise the best you can. It will heal, grasshopper. In the meantime it's OK to piss and moan, just don't believe you won't ever do it again.

Word.

Kurt Vonnegut has died.  First link I read regarding same: huffingtonpost.com.

What can you say?  The man was monumentally influential on writers in this country, if not just the country in general.  And, of course, he was influential on me.  The man I am, the writer I try to be.

When I read him, a light bulb literally switched on above my head.  And from that day forward, life was different.

Thank you, Mr. Vonnegut.  I owe you one.

Link dump:

[this one's for kevin] en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pegging
[blogness] williamgibsonbooks.com
[oh my] correntewire.com/todays_episode
[tokyo fixed] youtube.com
[oh my] tpmmuckraker.com

Regarding that last one, I always knew Rove's fatback foulness would get him in trouble. I wasn't sure how, I didn't know when. I just knew it would catch up with him.

And I think it just has.

Super Tuesday up in this bitch.  What can I say really?  It's not snowing and I'm not riding.

Full disclosure: I've ridden twice in the last two weekends.  One hour on a Saturday and a week later an   hour on Sunday.  I brought the bars up so high on my cross bike they're almost even with my seat.  I've never had a set of drops so high in my entire life.

And I like it that way.

Two one hour rides... You have any idea what that is doing to my fucking head?  I'm going absolutely crazy over here.  I missed the Squealer last weekend, a "race" I've done for the last, oh, I don't know, five years. Everyone I know if riding, getting fit, getting in the miles.

Instead of riding, I get to sit here at this desk with my back hurting. And my blood boiling. All I am is fat. And fat is all I am.

Of course, I was plenty fat before.  So what the fuck am I talking about?

Nothing.  I'm not talking about anything.

Link dump:

[cankle] urbandictionary.com
[penn & teller are retards] video.google.com
[toto] nyvelocity.com
[way fucked up] wired.com
[king kelly] cyclingnews.com
[oh my] tourettesguy.com
[shoptastic] oneghost.com

Today's email:

From: Mackey Subject: gawddamnit again!? Jonny- If you ever find yourself riding around on the roads in Tempe (god save you) please, for the love of whatever deity you believe in, stay off Apache Blvd.! For the second time in a month I've been tagged. This guy didn't even bother to stop ... I'm not even sure he knew he had hit me. His mirror clipped by handlebar which re-directed me into the curb and my body onto the sidewalk. No biggie. I'm bruised and bloodied on three of my four limbs, but no medical attention was required. Better yet, the bike's fine with a few minor and one major ching. I should know better. There's a shit-ton of construction going on for the "light rail" project and people are looking everywhere but at the road. Oh and to those half-a-dozen people waiting at the bus stop no less than 10 feet away from the spill who were more concerned with acting cool than even asking about my welfare or volunteering any info about the car: "Go fuck yourselves!" Yeah. That was a Cheney quote. P.S. I spotted a buddy of your at the Phx Zoo last week. A real triathlete-lookin' mofo sporting a DC armband. Didn't catch his name, but it's always cool recognizing your followers. When are we all gonna meet up in Sedona and drink the cool-aid awaiting the arrival the comet that will take us to a better place with super-wide bike lanes and mandatory death-penalties for cyclist-hitting drivers?

Yo kid, I'm just glad to hear you're ok. Keep the rubber side down out there people. It's fucking scary.

And here's to electric kool-aid.

From: Scott Subject: Re: lots of drinkin coming Jonny, Fuck me that weekend was hard. This idea of doing a 24 hour alley cat was a bit much. I've been trying to stay positive about the "fixed gear" faux messengers, but this weekend was crazy. I think I might be getting too old for this shit. I am all about people riding bikes but more and more it seems that the new fixie crowd is turning people angry at all cyclists. For example this "race" had over 200 places to go or things to do by bike and each stop was awarded a determined number of points. So one of the things to do was flipping off hummers, which I'm cool with, but some folks went a step further by walking on top of new hummers with bike cleats at the dealer and take photos. There are stories all over this city like that and people are pissed everywhere. It seems so counter intuitive, I want less people in cars aiming at me not more. Anyway, I threw on a cyclecomputer on the fixie for the hell of it and in 24 hours I rode over 150 miles on a fixie. Shit the pain is still in my legs and it's days later. So the outcome of the weekend is - I'm selling the fixed gear, gonna finish building the touring bike and hope to find enough fitness in a couple months to start doing some real races again. Oh and by the way I thought the April fools was great, don't sweat all the overly uptight ass clowns that couldn't realize that it was a joke. Take care Hope to spin pedals with you again someday!

Yeah, I hear that. I've got four fixies at the moment. Nah, three. I flipped the wheel on my cross bike. And it's gonna stay flipped for a while. Off road fixed is cool and all, but so is being able to stand and stretch.

And a brother like me likes to stand and stretch now and again.

Ballan takes the Ronde. I can't believe it. Just two days ago I was ready to wager real money that he wouldn't win. Podium, maybe. Win, no. I guess he showed me.

Riding is as riding does. Look how close it was after 160 miles of racing. [update- fucking link fucking fixed.]

Link dump:

[its like that] talkingpointsmemo.com
[what?] motherjones.com
[90% of rove's email...] correntewire.com/gwb43_com_for_dummies
[rove sucks] youtube.com
[top drawer hires] correntewire.com

Today's email:

From: Lindsay Subject: Dawn 'til Dusk - Register Now! Dawn 'til Duskers: This is the last week to register for Dawn 'til Dusk. Although we have placed a cap on registration, there is still plenty of room. And even better, the weather is predicted to be 67 degrees and sunny! With registration you get a free post-race meal of lasagna, salad, garlic bread and beer, an event t-shirt, free camping at the staging area, a schwag bag and a ticket for the raffle (over $1000 worth of bike prodcuts). Last year's racers said our High Desert Trail System was one of the best trails in the southwest. Spread the word!! We look forward to hosting you this weekend. www.dawntilduskrace.com

Good times.

From: Epic Rides Subject: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Whiskey Off-Road Endurance Mountain Bike Event Returns to Prescott, AZ PRESCOTT, Ariz. -Mountain bikers from across the region are getting ready for one of Arizona's most popular mountain bike endurance events, the Fourth Annual Whiskey Off-Road, set to kick off May 19. The event promises to be bigger than ever; pre-registration numbers have already surpassed the previous three years attendance, and the number of riders is projected to exceed 600. The 2006 event had 450 participants. The 2007 roster includes Mountain Bike Hall of Fame inductee Keith Bontrager, a highly acclaimed-pioneer in the bicycle community and Mike Janelle, an International caliber endurance race format specialist. "I am really looking forward to the Whiskey Off-Road this year, " said Mike Janelle, a professional endurance racer who rides for Tokyo Joe's/X-Fusion Shox. "I had a great time last year. I love the start in downtown Prescott and all the fun people, and it is great to see every level of racer starting together." Janelle's credits include a first place in the four person men's division in the 2006 Race Across America (RAAM) and seventh overall in the National cross-country marathon. "The single track is sweet, and so are the views," he continued. "Turning around in Skull Valley feels like you went back in time. And the awards party is a great time! I look forward to doing the Whiskey Off-Road every year" The 1.25-million-acre Prescott National Forest boasts a seemingly endless system of trails, which are well maintained by Prescott National Forest Service staff and local trail advocacy groups, including the Prescott Cycling Club. The trail system offers a mix of trails able to accommodate all levels of mountain biker or outdoor enthusiast. "The Prescott National Forest has been very supportive of mountain biking, and this is helping make Prescott a destination mountain bicycling community, with all the economic benefits that accrue," said Todd Sadow, president of Epic Rides, Inc. "We're pleased to be a part of showcasing the great trails and friendly community in Prescott." Riders may choose to enter three different distances, from the 15 Proof Fun ride to the 25 and 50 Proof routes that will appeal to more ambitious participants. The "Proof" theme pays homage to the infamous Whiskey Row element of downtown Prescott, an entire city block of watering hole type of establishments; a "proof" in this case represents one mile. All finishers receive an award hand-made by a local artist. "These trails are challenging," said Sadow. "Everyone deserves recognition for finishing, and should walk away feeling great about their achievement at the day's end." Festivities begin Friday, May 18, when participants will arrive for packet pickup and a mandatory pre-event riders meeting. The riding will begin at 6:30 Saturday morning on Whiskey Row. Awards will be handed out Saturday evening at an establishment near the Court House, followed by the traditional Redhook Ale toast. For more information and up-to-date reports, photos and video footage check out epicrides.com. For video coverage of last years event check out epicrides.com/vids.htm. The Whiskey Off-Road has been made possible by supporters including the City of Prescott, Prescott Chamber of Commerce, High Gear Bike Shop, Prescott Coffee Roasters and the event beneficiary, Yavapai County Food Bank. Epic Rides, Inc., founded in Tucson, AZ in 1999, is the first regional mountain bike event promotion organization to embrace an event style suitable for all levels of mountain biker. Epic Rides events cultivate a laid back non-intimidating environment which is able to accommodate the weekend warrior all the way up to the world-class mountain bike professional. Epic Rides currently has three active events throughout the great state of Arizona; our flagship event, the Kona Bicycles 24 Hours in the Old Pueblo in Tucson; the Whiskey Off-Road in Prescott and the Show Low Bluff Tour of the White Mountains in Pinetop-Lakeside. For more information go online to epicrides.com. For more information and to contact Mike Janelle visit mikejanelle.com

Happy Easter. Enjoy your chocolate bunnies.

Link dump:

[biker down] news.yahoo.com
[owned] big.jonny.justgotowned.com
[wal-mart sucks] articles.moneycentral.msn.com
[my hero karl rove] guerrillanews.com
[oh my] news.enquirer.com
[fucking stupid] marinij.com/marin/ci_5606179

Today's email:

From: John Subject: My man for Flanders.... …and Roubaix for that fact… While everyone else is all daffy over Boonen, I’m going to be rooting for my hoss Stijn Devolder….. 100% Flemish Hard-Man for sure – the brother eats cobblestones for breakfast – with a side of nails & afterbirth – and washes it down with a pint of kerosene….then he lights a cigar, bangs the waitress and wipes his dick off with sandpaper – 30 grit no less…. Let’s see you top that Chuck Norris….

Could happen. We'll just have to wait and see. And the waiting sucks. When is thing on tv in my country? Four in the fucking afternoon.

I'm going to avoid email and the internet in general till about 5:00 this afternoon because I don't want to know who won this fucking thing until I can watch it.

God damn I hate this shit.

Yo.  The Whiskey Cometh.  Click here for a map.

Me?  I'm looking at the 15.  Or maybe even just helping out handing out prizes or some shit.  I've got not fitness whatsoever and no pending improvements in that category in my immediate future.

Go figure.

Link dump:

[saved by shit] news.yahoo.com/china_laundry
[you gotta be shitting me] news.yahoo.com/botched_surgery
[swap] phoenix.craigslist.org
[lost in translation] lez.hu/hentaitsop2.swf
[chick bike - bike chick] sensualarousalblog.com/abby_winters

Today's email:

From: Ryan Subject: I look like a tool Sir- I called my girl this morning and told her to tune in the NBC coverage of the North American Championship. She is visiting her dad and they both were looking forward to learning more about the sport I participate in and love. Now I look like a tool. Little did I know Al “Sprinters are fast” Troutpig would be calling the race. He is a tool and is horrible to listen to. The only guy that made cycling look and sounds worse was the race promoter showcasing the 2 hour infomercial for the great state of Virginia. Are you fisting me? Downtown Richmond looks like Bosnia. Terrible roads, construction sings and the lack of any type of a crowd made cycling gayer then me telling my girl and I’m going to spend 5 hours in spandex with other guys because it is fun. Her dad got on the phone and asked how I could be involved in such a mess. He said, “Wow, what a waste of time! You like this stuff? I did not even see Lance.” Yeah, agreed. All we got was Frankie on a crap cell phone explaining why riding in a group is better than riding solo. Fuck. Well, I’m who I am. The girl still loves me even if I’m one of those ‘bicycle riders’. I never thought I would miss Paul and Phil so much. Those guys could make the YellowPages exciting. While I was at the San Fran Grand Prix, I met Paul and Phil with the girl. I took a picture with them while I was in my US Postal jersey. Phil took a look at me and my hot girlfriend then grabbed her hand, kissed it and said, “You must be the cyclist fan.”

I've no idea how Trautwig has a job with cycling. No idea at all. Not when there are guys out there like Dave Towle out there who do a great job of it.

Maybe Towle was already booked up?

Yesterday marked eight months since I dented up the hood of some poor bastards car. 

Oh, it's been fun.

The weather is getting better.  The trails are in good shape.   It's pretty damn warm most days.  Folks are out riding, hiking and generally enjoying the great outdoors.

I may even ride a bike this weekend.

I look forward to regaining some semblance of fitness and spending a lot of time in the woods on dirt rather than with the cars out on the pavement.

Trees good, cars bad.

Link dump:

[no rest for the wicked] tpmmuckraker.com/archives/002965.php
[battles the band] myspace.com/battlestheband
[gingrich is an ass] electioncentral.tpmcafe.com
[she's a winner, that one] talkingpointsmemo.com
[teams associations back dna comparisons] cyclingnews.com
[on my] ctnow.com
[billy sucks] youtube.com

Yeah.  It's late night on a Wednesday.  And I don't have shit to say.

It happens like that sometimes.  You stare at a page and nothing happens.  You type stuff and none of it makes a difference.  You still ain't got shit to say.  And it shows.

Pretty much.  Yeah.

Link dump:

[critical something] sfgate.com
[eight wishes] youtube.com
[more on that tip] 8wishes.blogspot.com
[biker down] wcco.com/video
[more on that] wcco.com/topstories
[goldstein for president] goldstein08.com
[good times] news.yahoo.com/zamboni_dwi
[check it] bicycleworld.tv
[three pins] youtube.com
[yo, keith, what the fuck?] msnbc.msn.com

Today's email:

From: Eric Subject: Ayamye* in Arizona Hey there - the film my wife and I made about bikes as sustainable transpo in Ghana is screening next week at the Phoenix Film Fest. Here's the info: Ayamye* will be showing Friday April 13th @ 2:50 p.m. Sat April 14th @ 10 p.m. brownpapertickets.com/producer/2093 it's listed under "short documentaries" & not by name if you can get the word out, I'd appreciate it.

Yo, that list of short documentaries would be right here.

From: John Subject: Tom Boonen Facts Tom Boonen does not race because the word race implies the possibility of failure. Tom Boonen wins.

Yeah. Word.

From: Steve Subject: Shame! How dare you! My church group looks at Pink Bike! How are we going to scan all the shiny bike bobbles and googas when you and your purveyors of smut are filling the pages with such horrendous filth? Aside from my church group, 'the Christian Cruisers', my 17 year old niece used to quite enjoy looking at Pink Bike. Night after night, there she was in her tight boy shorts and tank top, her long, silky brown hair tied up in pigtails, flowing ever so gently over her small and perky breasts as she sat the computer sampling the descent side of the bicycling world, and you have to go muck it up. I cant begin to describe the dismay I feel about this. One day your conscious will catch up with you sir, and then you will truly feel shame. Know this, you will be hearing from my lawyer. Burn sir, burn.

Today's top of the fold story - Jan Ullrich was blood doping.  Story at Velonews.com.

I'd say I was surprised, but I'd be lying.  I'd say I was sad.  But, again, I'd be lying.  I know full well what these cats are doing. 

I knew it and I still cheered for him.  What else could I do?   Stop following bike racing?  Find some guy who won't touch the dope and can't finish a Grand Tour?

Ullrich was doing whatever he could to win.  They all are.  Hamilton?  Yeah, him too.  Not a doubt in my mind.  I used to cheer for him too.

It makes me think about anyone who finishes on the podium.  I don't think any of them were clean.  How could they be?  What, you're such a bad ass you cat beat a rolling pharmacy without help?  Yeah right. 

And what the hell is "clean" anyway?  Does it mean just "didn't get caught"?

It might.

In this particular instance, the fact that Ullrich's blood was in Fuentes fridge doesn't prove he was going to inject it to improve performance.  It just proves he knew Fuentes.  Or someone close to him did.  And Fuentes had big fat bags of Ullrich blood just sitting around for no reason.  Click, click, click.

He can still claim he never doped.  But he'll be lying through his teeth.  Of course the blood was stored to be re-injected later.  What the hell else was if for?  The blood bank? 

Bullshit.  You were going to dope. 

My advice to Ullrich tonight is just admit what you did, face the consequences and move forward.  Admit what you did.  Stop fucking lying to me.  I can't stand the lying.  Admit what you did.

That's what David Millar did.  He took his lumps and now he's back.  And I can live with that.

Not like he'll listen to me anyway.  Why waste my breath.

Link dump:

[go kam] cyclingnews.com/NORBA_1_07_phx
[whatever] salon.com/romney_giuliani
[upcoming even] xtremebikes.net/application.pdf
[toto for days] nyvelocity.com
[more on ullrich] cyclingnews.com

That's it. I'm out.

Ok, I really didn't buy anything for $1.65 million.  In my country we call that an "April Fools Joke".  In other countries they call it "bad news". 

Who the hell thinks someone like me has one point six five million US dollars to play with?  I'm so fucking broke I can't spend a dollar and sixty five cents without thinking about it.  How's life where you live?  Mom keep the fridge full of food for ya?  Enjoy it while it lasts, fuck-o.

Do you fucking boneheads realize how much money $1.65 million dollars is?  There are a good deal of successful bike companies that aren't worth that kind of cash.

But some folks were convinced.  I bought poor pink bike. And I was going to ruin it. 

Someone named "Freeride freak" posted in the pinkbike comments: "pinkbike you sold out to corperate america! this is a divistation!"

Yo kid, I've got about as much to do with "corperate" America as a fucking pine cone.  Stay in school.  Seriously.

From: Susan Subject: New ads on Pinkbike.com Hey - Glad you spent your money so well. It's a great website, my 15 year-old son reads it almost daily. Until today, when he wanted to show me an article on helmets, and we got slapped with porn ads. Um, no. Sorry guys, if that's what you mean by /"The combined companies will focus on providing a better, more comprehensive experience for users interested in uploading, watching and sharing Photos, and will offer new opportunities for professional content owners to distribute their work to reach a vast new audience." - /we won't be reading this site anymore. Are you a bike site or a porn portal? Which way are you going with it? Yes, I know that the ads generate more hits, more revenue, etc. Frankly, BFD. Pinkbike has great content. If you're not going to use it, sell it to someone who will. Sincerely, Susan

What am I going with it? I'm the first porn - bike site. I'm a bike site and a porn portal. I know, it makes me dizzy too.

And you're going to tell me a fifteen year old boy was anything less that totally fucking stoked by naked chicks?

From: devin Subject: pink bike Just and idea here coming from one of what will be thousands of outraged bikers, change pinkbike back, we hate the yellow, theres a reason its pink bike, not yellow bike. and most of all, get the pornographic shit off our site, kids go here you idiots, is that really the images you want to display to about a quarter of the users that go on pinkbike I guarentee,as a member of pinkbike for a long time, if you do not change it back, and watch what you try to change about it, you will loose alot of people. Thats a promis not a threat.

Yeah.  I'm glad you didn't threaten me.  That's cool.  Enjoy the rest of April. 

Link dump:

[blogness] difflebopper.blogspot.com
[physically separated bike lanes] streetfilms.org
[r.i.p.] denverpostbloghouse.com
[parkinson's?] nytimes.com
[mccain is over] talkingpointsmemo.com

Did you ever have one of those "driveway moments" where you just sit in your car with the engine off and the radio on because you are so interested in what you're hearing you can't imagine turning it off and walking inside your house?  It happened to me this weekend on Saturday.  I finally ran inside after sitting for minutes and minutes to put the program on the radio in the house. 

I heard it again, missing just the beginning few minutes, on Sunday.   And I listened to the whole thing a second time.

This piece is on twenty four hours at a restaurant called the Golden Apple in Chicago.  I think you'll like it.  I know I did.   Check it out a 30 second promo here:  audio.thisamericanlife.org...172.mp3. 

You can hear the whole damn thing at: thislife.org.

Today's email:

From: Loveday Subject: Running 1-2-3-4 Thank you sponsors for making this happen! Overall points for the Arizona Copper Cup Standings: SENIOR MEN, CATEGORY 1 & 2 AS OF 3/30/2007 PLACE NAME TEAM POINTS 1 Brian Forbes         RIDECLEAN        278 2 Jake Rubelt          RIDECLEAN        211 3 Christopher Wilson RIDECLEAN        185 4 Rob Alvarez          RIDECLEAN        143 5 Brian Lemke         Landis/Trek        129 6 Robert Dolman      HLHAP              107 7 John Salskov        CZ Racing         100 8 Eric Brownell        ECFA/Honeywell   97 9 Jared Gilyard        Eclipse Racing     96 10 Sean Mazich       Team WM          94

Right on.

From: John Subject: the Chuck Norris/Tom Boonen connection..... …..ever wonder why you’ve never seen Chuck Norris standing behind the barriers in the Arenberg Forest??? Eerie, huh??

It does make one wonder...

Looks like a good time.

Yikes.

Here at Drunkcyclist, we are proud to announce our acquisition of PinkBike.com.   It's amazing what you can do with $1.65 million these days.

Thank you stock market.  Thank you George Bush.

I've got some big plans, baby.  Big plans.

News as follows:

Sun Apr 1, 2007
Source: Newswire

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., /April 1, 2007/PR Newswire – DrunkCyclist Ltd. announced that it has today acquired Pinkbike Inc. (“Pinkbike.com”) for approximately $1.65 million in a stock-for-stock transaction. Pinkbike.com will continue operations as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Drunk Cyclist Ltd. The acquisition is expected to be neutral to Drunk Cyclist Ltd. earnings in 2007.

The acquisition combines one of the largest and fastest growing online entertainment communities with Pinkbike's expertise in organizing information and creating new models for advertising on the Internet. The combined companies will focus on providing a better, more comprehensive experience for users interested in uploading, watching and sharing Photos, and will offer new opportunities for professional content owners to distribute their work to reach a vast new audience.