Book

I spent some of the weekend proofing galleys of the book. Not as exciting as it should be, but then, copyediting your own mistakes is anything but glamorous or confidence-inspiring.

Also, my publisher posted this. Check it out...

Empire: The Trailer

This isn't really a fixed-gear blog, and that's a different crowd entirely, but hey--bikes are bikes. Well, that's not entirely true (right, recumbents? I kid! Mostly.) but close enough. So then, the trailer for the upcoming film, "Empire," about fixed gear hooligans (not really what they call themselves):



What they do on bikes is impressive. What's even more impressive is how seriously they take themselves. But they way they run those red lights? At the risk of sounding like my grandfather, that's just irresponsible, and it pisses me off. I have to ride those streets too--well, not those streets, but streets nonetheless--and when you piss drivers off, they don't distinguish between fixed gear hooligans (not really what they call themselves) and the rest of us.

One plus, though? Right off the bat you see a messenger bag made by none other than HBWT friend Jon Bailey at BaileyWorks. Those fixed gear hooligans* at least have good taste.

* Not really what they call themselves

Content

New content coming soon, I promise. I'm under siege here. The good news is, the proofs of the book have been mailed by my publisher, and starting tomorrow I'm making final edits--it's all laid out, and from the PDFs I've seen, looks pretty cool.

The bad news? I'm too busy to post much here this week.

In the meantime, if you're planning to pre-order copies, please do not do so from Amazon. The book is available from a number of other places, including my favorite, Powell's World of Books in Portland, OR. Amazon has taken a hardline against author's rights recently and I'm doing my part to steer business away from them.

Thanks for your interest. Back soon.

WWJD

When the going is tough--and on a bike, the going can be tough--it's helpful to ask yourself What Would Jens Do, Jens of course referring to the German cyclist who could make Steve "The Bionic Man" Austin look like Emo Phillips.

And what does Jens do?

Downhill

One of the mechanics at a local bike shop here in Portland, ME, posted this video of himself last summer at Sunday River downhilling. Hang on to your helmet.

Summer 2009 from Sebastian Boyington on Vimeo.

Stop, Thief!

Worlds!

Cyclocross World Championships are this weekend. You can watch them live online here, and streamed after-the-fact here.


In bigger news, they're coming to the U.S.--the states won a bid to host Cyclocross World Championships for the first time ever in 2013. The winning venue is Louisville, Kentucky, home to my buddy Gavan, who just moved there. Gav, I call dibs on your guest room that week. Put it on your calendar, buddy.

Around Like a Wheel

A year ago I was a senior copywriter for the internal ad agency of UnitedHealth Care, and then, unceremoniously and without notice, they laid me off--just another victim of the economy tanking. The good news was, it got me out of a short stint in Corporate America and gave me the opportunity to write "Biking New England."

At the time, UHC said the reason for the layoffs was financial. Of course it was--it always is. A few months ago, the company announced it would be the new title sponsor of a domestic cycling team to the tune of many, many millions of dollars.

I've won three bike races in my life--two BMX races as a kid, and a criterium a couple of years ago. (Not as impressive as it sounds; it was the citizen racing category, and I basically beat two clowns on unicycles, a homeless guy on a Huffy mountain bike, and Pee Wee Herman.) I was bouncing back from a long period of injury, and out of shape, and didn't wear my team kit--instead I wore UnitedHealth Care kit (actually, OptumHealth, a division of UHC). When I won, the company posted photos of me crossing the line on its Web site and in promotional materials for healthy lifestyles.

The irony of UHC laying off a cyclist who actually did work for the company and claiming it couldn't afford his paltry salary hiring a team of cyclists isn't lost on me. I assume it is, however, on the company. I remain disgruntled, sure, but toward UHC--not the cyclists. And any company who sponsors a cycling team is doing something good, and for that I applaud it.

So I'm running this press release.

The UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling Team Presented by Maxxis wants you to be a Fan, and they’re willing to pay handsomely. Play along and you could win some of the same Team-issue gear used by their riders in actual races, such as an official Team Kuota Kult frame and fork valued at $3,500 when they reach 100,000 Team Facebook Fans.

To be eligible to win, go to http://www.facebook.com/UHCprocycling and become a fan of the Team. Even if you’re already a fan on their Facebook page, you’re still eligible to win prizes, and prizes are given away at certain Fan acquisition milestones.

See all prizes and more info after the break…

REMAINDER FROM THEIR PRESS RELEASE:

When we reach the following numbers of Team Fans, we’re going to be giving away these great prizes:

Number of Fans / Team Prize:
25,000 Fans = Full set of Team bibs and jersey, valued at $180
50,000 Fans = 2010 SRAM Red Road Gruppo, valued at $1,900
75,000 Fans = Edge Carbon Wheels, valued at $2,800
100,000 Fans = Kuota Kult Frame & Fork, valued at $3,500

And, when we reach our goal of 100K Team Facebook Fans, Momentum Sports Group, the owner and operator of the UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling Team Presented by Maxxis, will make a $5,000 donation to the UnitedHealthcare Children’s Foundation (www.uhccf.org) on behalf of all of our Team fans.

The UnitedHealthcare Children’s Foundation (UHCCF) is a 501(c)(3) public charity that strives to enhance either the clinical condition or quality of life of children who have health care needs not fully covered by their commercial health benefit plan. UHCCF provides medical grants of up to $5,000 for costs associated with medical services and equipment.

On the Road

Back from the road now, but still getting caught up. Have patience, dear readers.

Alligator Roll

Book Widow and I hit the road yesterday for three days in southwest Florida, visiting my folks. This morning we headed into the Everglades, rented bikes and rode 15 miles through Shark Valley. Here's a picture Book Widow took of me judging the risk of a cyclocross carry over an obstacle on the trail.


Note the rad ladies bike the rental place gave me. Four-bolt 80's BMX-style stem--we called them "goosenecks" back then--loose bearings in the bottom bracket and both hubs, single speed, coaster brakes, and a chain guard rusted, dented and pressing against the chain. Sweet. All told it weighed just 42 pounds.

This trail is not like any in New England that I rode for the book this summer, that's for sure. As my dad pointed out on our ride today, "In Massachusetts, the lawyers would have shut this down by now." He's right--there would be fences, and helmets, and liability paperwork in triplicate. I'll tell you one thing, though--the bike they rented me? That ought to be illegal.

Longevity

Apparently I'm riding too much, although I've got both the spinach and the beer thing down. From a story about a tree, named Herbie, older than the American Revolution that was recently felled due to Dutch Elm Disease here in Maine:
...Knight, who uses a walker, jokes that his secret to a long life is raw
spinach and beer, which he has each day for lunch. He rides a stationary
bike for a mile each day, as well. He admits that he doesn't understand
his own longevity any more than he understands Herbie's.

Tree

River

Photo from a cross race out west...

The Golden Tandem, or My Husband Dragged Me Along for the Ride, Award

The Golden Tandem, or My Husband Dragged Me Along for the Ride Award...
...goes to Sea Sun and his lovely wife, Sara, who accompanied me on the Cape Cod Rail Trail one morning this summer. Sea Sun--always good company on a bike ride or a beer-drinking excursion--invited his wife along for the ride we'd scheduled, even though she's not a cyclist.

That's right--Sara's not a cyclist, but she gamely rides shotgun with Sea Sun on the family tandem. In fact, the whole family rides with him...


That Massachusetts morning, Sara faced adversity down. She'd forgotten her helmet, but stopped to rent one. She rode farther that morning than she ever had before. She did so without complaint, except to occasionally remark that her view of the scenic route was being effectively blocked by her husband's large head. At one point she even suffered a mechanical--her cleat bolt broke and she found herself trapped in one of the bike's four pedals.

UPDATE: Sea Sun wrote to remind me that she did, in fact, complain from time to time, but not just about his noggin--her issue was that he neglected to warn her, from time to time, about upcoming bumps in the road. Now that he brings it up, I remember that--and it looked, to me, like he did it on purpose.


For their efforts that day to overcome obstacles and ride with me, Sea Sun and Sara, here's to you.

When It Absolutely Positively Has to Be There Overnight

A cyclist whose "A" sample tested positive for performance enhancing drugs eluded suspension when his "B" sample was destroyed in an attack on the delivery van carrying it.

That's taking initiative.