Wednesday, May 30, 2012
Monday, May 28, 2012
Memorial Day River Park Group Ride 5/28/12
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| The group about to head out on our Memorial Day Ride
I rode from my house to the 421 River Park outside of Lewisville, NC to join a group ride that was leaving at 9:30. Today was like every other time I have ridden to a ride. I seem to always end up having to ride the whole way at full time trial speed to get to the ride before the start time. It was overcast and that kept the temperature in a comfortable range. I'm not sure of the distance of today's ride but I would guess it was somewhere around 40 somethingish miles. I got in an extra 20+ miles riding to and from the ride. We all had a great time and I was impressed with the riding skills of this group. Happy Memorial Day to all and I hope you got in a got ride today.
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| The group headed up old highway 421. |
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| Megan is having a great year of riding! |
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| On the ride home I noticed this temporary fence full of sheep in the front yard of this restored farm house on Grapevine Road outside of Lewisville, NC. You could hear the sheep eating the grass as if they wouldn't get a chance like this again. The sound of them pulling up the grass and chewing it reminded me of a cartoon I saw years and years ago. The cartoon features Droopy Dog and is about sheep and cattle. I found it on Youtube and it is posted below. Hope you enjoy it. |
Sunday, May 27, 2012
Giordana Velodrome 5/27/12
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| Made it to the Velodrome again today!
I made it to the Velodrome again today. The temperature was in the mid eighties with cloudy skies. A good group of other riders were trying to get in a workout before it started to rain. I had just finished my last few laps when rain drops started to fall. By the time I got from the infield of the track to my car, it was a hard down pour. Riding on the track is a great workout. I hope everyone got a chance to get out and ride their bike today.
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| I'm riding fairly high on the banking in this photo. The effort required to maintain your speed increases with however high you are on the banking. |
Saturday, May 26, 2012
Thursday, May 24, 2012
Tuesday, May 22, 2012
Vienna Elementary - Bike Expo
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| Vienna Elementary: Home of the Tigers
I had the pleasure today to visit Vienna Elementary School and talk about my favorite subject - Bicycles. Everyone had a great time and learned a lot. The library worked out well for our bike study. Students and faculty were wonderful to work with. Thanks for letting me visit your school! Click here to learn more about Vienna Elementary School.
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| Students and Bicycles in the Vienna Elementary Library. |
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| Mrs. C-O and students trying on helmets and checking out some bikes. |
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| Students getting a close look at bikes and safety equipment. |
Monday, May 21, 2012
Giordana Velodrome 5/21/12
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| Inside the Giordana Velodrome.
I headed on down to Rock Hill, SC to ride on the track today. I have always wanted to get involved with track cycling and have been anxious awaiting the opportunity to ride on this velodrome. We are lucky to have this world class facility so close to us.
It was in the upper 80s with a nice breeze when I was riding on the velodrome. Track cycling is hard work even with a fairly easy gear. I would go out on the track and ride till I started to loose speed and then take a break in the shade of a tent that was set up in the infield. I had a great time riding today and got in some good solid efforts on the track. I hope to make many more trips back to Rock Hill to ride on this super nice velodrome. Click here for more information on the Giordana Velodrome.
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| The offices, shop, restrooms, elevators and stairs are all in this track-side building. |
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| To get to the center of the track to ride you must go through this tunnel. |
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| Inside the Giordana Velodrome. |
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| Turns one and two. |
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| Turns three and four. |
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| Bob and Donna at the front desk of the Giordana Velodrome. They do a great job! A few laps around the Giordana Velodrome |
Sunday, May 20, 2012
The Rockford General Store is still a favorite cycling destination!
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| Rockford General Store |
Rockford, NC has been a cycling destination for years from the Winston-Salem, NC area. Of course a rest stop at the Rockford General Store is the main event once reaching Rockford by bicycle. Inside the general store you will find over 200 different types of old fashioned candies, antiques and many different metal advertising signs for sale. Soft drinks like Nehi Grape and Orange Crush bring back memories of days gone by.
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| Antigues at the Rockford General Store |
Rockford, NC was once the county seat of Surry County. Surry County once encompassed Forsyth, Stokes, Yadkin, Davie and Rowan Counties. With that came a booming, bustling town. The county seat was moved to Dobson, NC in 1850. There remains a lot of history in Rockford and a number of buildings, which still stand today for all to admire and enjoy. The train still passes by daily, although no longer a passenger train, it is still fun for both kids and adults to watch.
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| Wrapped Candies at the Rockford General Store. |
The Rockford General Store is an original old fashioned country general store that has been in operation since 1890. Creeky wooden floors, old fashioned candy jars, hoop cheese are just a few old timey items you will discover at the store. Located at 5174 Rockford Road, Rockford, NC 27017. 336-374-5317 Click here to go to the Rockford General Store web site.
Hours of operation:
Sun.: 10:00-5:00, Mon. & Tues.: Closed, Wed.-Sat. 10:00 -5:00.
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| The front porch was nice and shady today. |
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| My bike sitting in the shade. |
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| The Rockford Store is a destination for motorcyclist also. |
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| I was so hungry today when I arrived at the store I ordered a hamburger from the grill inside the store. |
Rolling out of Rockford, NC on a road that runs parallel to the Yadkin River.
Saturday, May 19, 2012
Friday, May 18, 2012
Thursday, May 17, 2012
Giovanni Rossignoli
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| Giovanni Rossignoli
Giovanni Rossignoli (1882 – 1954) was an Italian professional road bicycle
racer who won 3 Giro
d'Italia stages during his career. He also finished third in the general classifications of the 1909 Giro d'Italia.
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Wednesday, May 16, 2012
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
Carlo Galetti
He was born at Corsico. The highlight of his career was his three consecutive overall wins in the 1910, 1911 and 1912 Giro d'Italias, the last of which was won as part of Team Atala.
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| Carlo Galetti during the 1911 Giro d'Italia. |
Monday, May 14, 2012
Francois Dion's 1978 Peugeot Randonneur
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| Francois Dion's 1978 Peugeot Randonneur
Francois Dion has been updating his 1978 Peugeot Randonneur recently with Velo Orange fenders, waterbottle cages and leather mud flap. What a great looking bicycle!
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And another photo showing the fender and rear brake.
Mafac 2000, which is a more refined version of the Mafac "Racer".
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| Velo Orange waterbottle cage, fender and leather mud flap. |
Luigi Ganna
The highlight of his career was his overall win in the first Giro d'Italia, held in 1909.
Friday, May 11, 2012
Giordana Velodrome - Track Certification
I spent most of today at the Giordana Velodrome in Rock Hill, SC taking a course to become certified to ride on the track. This involved several hours of riding and doing different drills on the track. At the end of the day we even did a few mass start races. Tracy was our instructor for the day and did a great job! The weather was perfect. I had a lot of fun and felt good about riding and racing on a velodrome by the end of the day. I recommend you go down and check out the velodrome for yourself. Click here to learn more about the Giordana Velodrome.
Click on the photos.
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| Giordana Velodrome |
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| Tracy - Our instructor for the day. |
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| Phat Gold Chain on my bike. |
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| Riders four abreast high on the track. |
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| Joey and Tracy with Joey's cool bike a friend in Japan sent him. |
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| Joey has some cool 1976 reproduction cycling shoes. |
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| Poor Ole' Joe didn't seem to intested in my Certification Card . |
Tuesday, May 8, 2012
Surly Long Haul Trucker - Hauling Groceries
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| My Surly Long Haul Trucker Loaded With Groceries.
Using your bike to run short errands or visit fiends turns everyday travel into an adventure. In the photo above my Surly Long Haul Trucker is loaded with a gallon of milk, 5 packages of chicken, a dozen bananas and a half dozen other small items. The racks and panniers allow me to carry these items and a sturdy lock with ease. Front and rear lights help to make me more visible to motorists. Add some adventure to your day by making the trip by bicycle.
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May is National Bike Month. Click here to go to League of American Bicyclists web site for more information on Bike Month.
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Monday, May 7, 2012
Sunday, May 6, 2012
The day almost got away from me before I got out for a ride
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| My bike leaning up against the old locomotive at Tanglewood Park.
Some days just go by so fast that you can't fit everything you planned to do into just one day. Of course riding my bike is a top priority. I did get out late in the day. After being cloudy all day the sun came out at about the same time I was rolling through the country side. In order to make the most of my two hours or so of daylight, I rode my fixed gear bike. This fixed gear bike has little resemblance to the "fixies" that are popular. This fixed gear bike is a "Path Racer" style bike.
These cows in a pasture by the back gate of Tanglewood Park have plenty of green spring grass to eat right now.
I started out my ride by warming up and then doing a few intervals. My heart wasn't into doing intervals so I decided to just go for a nice ride and keep an eye on my cadence and wattage. Traffic was light and this turned out to be a super nice ride. One of my favorite spots to incorporate into my rides is Tanglewood Park. I always have fun on the roads through the park and often times see wild life in the park. Today I saw three ground hogs scurrying away when I stopped to take a picture of some horses grazing in a pasture.
Horses grazing in a pasture at Tanglewood Park.
Tanglewood Park was willed to the people of Forsyth County by Will Reynolds, the brother of RJ Reynolds, in 1951. "Mr. Will" raised and raced thoroughbred harness horses and established Tanglewood Farm as a home to some of the country's finest pacers.
Sometimes rides that don't start out so well will turn out to be some of the best rides.
I hope everyone had a chance to get outside and go for a bike ride.
The daylight was just about gone when I made it in.
Poor Ole' Joe was glad to see me.
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Brooks B17 STANDARD - Royal Blue
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| Brooks B17 STANDARD - Royal Blue
The B17 is Brooks flagship model, ideal for long distance sports touring, trekking and atb use. It has been on the market for over 100 years, being featured in as early as the 1898 catalogue .
MADE IN ENGLAND
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| The famous name plate that adorns the rear of all Brooks Saddles. |