Happy Chicagoween

Molly and I caught the Midnight Circus as part of Chicagoween.

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Sandy's Circus

'Sandy's Circus' is a picture book about the life of Alexander Calder, wonderfully written by Tanya Lee Stone and beautifully illustrated by Boris Kulikov.  

It contains another great example of a bike in children's literature.  Now I am noticing them in illustrations all the time when reading with Molly.  It's great.

As with all good books this led to some further investigation and I discovered that Calder also chose bicycles to be the subjects of some works.  Even Six Day races.

Graeme O'Bree - still a genius

Here is an interview with Graeme from the Guardian newspaper in the UK.

Graeme Obree: building bikes, writing books and beating depression

The record-breaking cyclist, author and bike-design genius discusses knee injuries, his follow-up memoir and why he'd like 'to build bikes which say hand-crafted in Britain'

Click the picture to go to the page.

The Shlecks - well they have to have a sense of humour eh!

How do I follow that!

Frank and Andy start at 12 minutes something.


The bit at 23:50 on is just superb - "You're security?"


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Mark Weber v Alain Prost on Alpe D'Huez

From Rugby to F1.

Mark Weber of Red Bull F1, is an accomplished cyclist, this summer he took part in a challenge with Alain Prost, F1 legend, to ride up Alpe D'Huez.  The legend was just a little quicker than the Aussie.

News of Webber pitting himself against the gradient of Alpe d'Huez has turned out to be big news Down Under, because it was here that his compatriot, Cadel Evans, ripped holes in his rivals en route to victory in this year's Tour de France. And for all the camaraderie between Webber and Prost over this evening's meal, tomorrow's jolly is sure to develop something of a competitive edge as they approach the summit. One's a four-time F1 world champion, the other is a top driver in one of the toughest eras that Formula 1 has ever witnessed. How could it not be competitive?

At the end of the meal, when - rather surprisingly - everyone's enjoying a shot of grappa, Prost asks about the programme for the following day. He suggests that we all stick together for the duration of the ride, but Webber's having none of it. "Before we get to the climb, let's stick together," he offers matter-of-factly. "But on the climb itself, I want to push myself. I want to see how fast I can do it and how I stack up against the professionals." Prost smiles and bites a fingernail, clearly relishing the spirit of competition that's developing. "If you want," he says quietly. "This could be fun."  from F1 Racing magazine

Here's the video from Red Bull:  

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Bike Art Mural Project in Greece - Carpe Diem

I just received a great email from Kiriakos Iosifidis of Carpe Diem in Greece.  The Bike Art book that he has put together showcasing cycling art from around the world, including myself, will be published in November and I should receive a copy hot off the press by December - 'Woo Hoo!'

Carpe Diem was also responsible for putting together this great street mural featuring some of Greece's hottest urban artists and help from the locals of all ages and abilities.  

What a fantastic piece of work.

The French 'really' want to win Le Tour De France....

.......just ask Yannick Noah.

Here is a link to a BBC article.  Nothing new here but still......

http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/mattslater/2011/10/ghostbusters_the_milk_cup_fran.html

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'FixyLife' chosen for the National Art Museum of Sport International Competition 2012

I am so honored that for the second year I will have a piece at the National Art Museum of Sport's 'Commitment to Excellence in Art and Sport' winners exhibit.  'FixyLife' was chosen to be hung alongside 58 other pieces of superb artwork featuring sports.

 

The show is at the NAMOS building in Indianapolis, it opens with a reception next Thursday, 27 October, and closes on the 29th February 2012.  If you are nearby please go see the show.  

The NAMOS website is here: www.NAMOS.iupui.edu

 NAMOS,
 located 
in 
Indianapolis,
 is 
a
 501(c)(3)
solely 
funded
 by
 donations.
  The
 Museum
 is
 dedicated
 to 
a 
two‐pronged 
mission
 to 
both 
encourage 
artists 
to 
create 
art 
depicting
 sports,
 and 
also to collect, 
preserve, 
and 
share 
the 
best 
examples 
of 
sport 
art 
NAMOS
 can
 acquire.  NAMOS
 was founded 
in
 1959 
and 
features 
one
 of 
the 
nation’s
 largest 
collections
 of
 fine
 art
 depicting 
sport includes
 more 
than
 900
 paintings,
  photographs, sculptures, and mixed media works 
representing 
some 
40 
sports. 


My thanks again to Takuya Harayama, Fixy Life, for allowing me to reference his original photograph.  

His fantastic Flickr stream can be found here:  http://www.flickr.com/people/31560964@N07/

Cyclomaniacs 2

 

Not endorsing this - but it's there if you want it!

Click on the picture.

I just saw this posted over on Prolly is not Probably so go visit the blog sometime and see the other great stuff John discovers.  

I lived in NYC for 5 years and frequented Bicycle Habitat, I am not going to claim to be a regular, or even someone who knew Hal but if you have ever met him he's hard to forget.  Quite a character and it all comes cross in the video.

Bicycle Traveler Magazine and Eric Atwell

I was recently led down the interwebs to the Bicycle Traveler website where you can download the first free issue of the magazine.  This cover photograph is just the first of many great images within.  The stories are short, sweet and inspiring.  Probably a bit too adventurous for my family right now but the travel fire is burning and we will embark on something in a few years.  Also some reviews for travel specific kit.  Here is the story that stands out for me, but you'll have to get the mag to read it in full.

In the 1930's Eric Atwell, and his brother Jack, cycled from South Africa to London.  He is now an 85 year old legend amongst bicycle travellers.  You have to love stories like this, made even more romantic by the apparent 'primitiveness and naivety' of the adventure.  They will be saying that about us in one hundred years.  It looks like Eric wrote a book about the journey which I will endeavour to track down, any help out there?

Here is a page from the story in Bicycle Traveler which you can read in full by visiting the Bicycle Traveler website and downloading the free issue.

 

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Wales vs France - World Cup Semi Final

This morning I watched Wales play France in the first semi-final of the World Cup.  They lost by a single point. 17 minutes into the game they seemed to be starting to dominate the French, then one misjudged/unfortunate tackle, a penalty and controversial refereeing decision and Wales played the next hour with 14 men against France's 15.  Wales' young captain and monumental player Sam Warburton was sent off for lifting and dumping a player in a tackle.  Yes a penalty but probably, well in many a game, it would only have been a 10 minute sin binning.  The press is now full of debates about whether the decision was correct, was the penalty that bad, were Wales robbed? Let's not forget that Wales also missed 4 kicks all of which would have meant they won.

What I want to get off my chest is the fact that everyone expected Wales to implode after that dismissal.  But ten minutes into the second half and Wales were back in charge, struggling in places but forcing France to play defensively and scoring the game's only try.  They played fantastically.  Losing by one point actually made me more positive about the defeat.  They could have been thrashed, all but the best of teams would have been.  Instead Wales proved themselves to be probably the best team in the tournament, Wales v New Zealand would have been one hell of a final.  Instead the play off for third and fourth against New Zealand or Australia will probably feel like and be played like the final.  I actually would prefer they play NZ although I hope NZ get to, and then demolish France, in the final.

I am not one to say 'we' played brilliantly.  'I' did not play, the team did.  But I am bloody proud of the team and proud to be Welsh.  If you see someone in a Welsh cycling jersey around Chicago in the next couple of weeks, it may well be me.

Scene in Dallas

One of the side benefits to being a stay at home Dad with a nursing toddler is that when Mum is asked to work away from home, we get to go too.  Two weekends ago I was able to actually leave the terminal at Dallas instead of just changing planes.  We were staying at a very nice/fairly expensive hotel actually above Terminal D with a great view of the runways. This was great except we couldn't afford to eat at the hotel and all the airport stores were behind security, it's also an hour plus to either city from the airport on 2 buses and one train.  

We did get into Dallas and Fort Worth though.  I tried to photograph anything bike related.  This is all I could come up with.  Not to say that Dallas is a bicycle wasteland, Molly and I just didn't see the best of the city.

 Bike locks at the TRE rail station.  

 

Damn you hotel mini bar with your $4 Kit Kats

Sky Mall is a magazine filled with wonder!

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'Gilbert' painting- There is some progress

I can not believe I started this one back in April based on his tremendous early season results and look what he has achieved since then. I guess he should really be in his Belgian Champs jersey or new BMC colours.  Other pieces of work have happened since then and Gilbert has been nagging me for months.

I was able to return to this last week but that session led to me seriously considering giving up on it in order to make better use of my time on something that was working, something fresh.  Today salvaged that somewhat.  I basically worked on the skin, in places overworked it, but for now we are back on track.  Still not quite sure where it is headed but once the jersey is up to the same level of finish I should be able to work out what it needs. The colours certainly need to be balanced, toned down etc, but we'll see.  

Scene in Chicago

 

I just realised this isn't the first time I have seen a warning like this but I can't remember the last.

Looks like an ok bike other than the flat rear and the the bike stand.  You have to love the wording of the law... "... and bears physical indicia of having been deserted."

 

Speaking of having been deserted.  Or maybe stolen.  Can these really be recycled by the blue bins?

 

More tyre recycling.  This puppeteer in Lincoln Square has made this terrific dragon character out of an old mtb tyre.  Took me a while to work it out but it's so simple really.  The body is a tyre, cut and painted.

Even more remarkable is the fact that Sarah and I actually managed to ride together, without Molly in her iBert, for the first time in recent memory.

Classic Hill Climbs of South London, Catford CC and Bec CC

The Catford Hill Climb 2011 from Optimal Cadence Films on Vimeo.

Yesterday was one of the classics days of the racing scene south of London, UK.

The Catford CC hill climb on Westerham Hill in Kent was first held on high wheelers in 1887.

Then in the afternoon Tooting Bec CC hold their hill climb on the nearby White Lane.

Last year 15 year old Germaine Burton the Becc race, he successfully defended his title yesterday, looks like he may have a future!

Germaine Burton of Dever Cycles.

I'll be in the lookout for more video from the events.

Please visit these sights for more info.

History of Catford CC's event here:  http://www.vimeo.com/30273999

Results for Catford:  London Cyclesport

Results for Becc CC:  London Cyclesport


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The SeeSaw Bike by Brooks of England.

"....Design buffs may recall that in 2009 we commissioned a piece of playground equipment from Ben Wilson, with whom Brooks had worked before on other projects, such as the Stüssy Limited Edition White Swallow. The end product was Seebikesaw, which we showed at 100% Design in London that year.
At the time, Ben was keen to produce an object which evoked the innocent playfulness of childhood in general, while simultaneously referencing his more adult appreciation for the bicycle in particular.
With “drop handlebars”, a couple of B33‘s for posterial comfort and a few rolls of Brooks leather bar tape to ensure a firm grip, the Seebikesaw has since been enthusiastically “ridden” wherever we have taken it...."

Taken from the Brooks Blog.

Premium Rush

What more need I say other than Mr Leavitt doesn't really look like a messenger, maybe he doesn't seem to 'be' a messenger.  Still it's bikes in movies.  Gotta promote that for now.  

To be honest though the car hitting the bike, can't watch that - becoming a Dad really did something to me!

More about Premium Rush here:  http://www.premiumrush.com/

Wales into the semis - could be a very late night for me next Friday

Olympic Architecture of London 2012

Sarah and I are still undecided about visiting London during the Olympics next year.   We will be in the UK for Summer so why not?

Crowds and prices really.  It's going to be busy and we don't have tickets for any events.

Still we'll think about it, maybe the Tour wil have to do instead.

Anyway here is a nice piece on the BBC about the architecture of the games - shame about the village, even in 'legacy' mode it's pretty disgusting.

Click the image to visit the BBC page.

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The Clymb - 'groupon' of adventures

So many of us are getting emails telling us about half price pedicures, subscriptions to 'Good Food' magazine and trendy disposable diapers.  

You might as well join 'The Clymb' and get a daily email for greatly reduced clothing and products from outdoor adventure and sports companies such as Optic Nerve, Burton, Mountain Hardware and Danny Shane.  

There has been half price jerseys, glasses and gloves etc.

More at The Clymb

How does he do it?

Fermilab - cest Finis!

I have been trying to find reason/impetus for some of my longer rides, hence the Wisconsin border ride, the into Indiana escapade and the visit to Major Taylor's Grave.  Two more prominent plans remain, the Tillie Ride and the Breweries.  There has been another though - but alas it appears it may be too late.

The US government just pulled the plug on Fermilab.

Who wants to fund the world's second largest particle accelerator?  I mean why would the United States of America waste money on being second?  They don't fund soccer, they don't fund education, electric cars anyone?  Don't they realise how many other countries you are ahead of if you are second....   I mean what can you achieve if you are only second - come on!

Sorry Fermilab.   I hope all involved find great opportunities elsewhere, probably in Switzerland where they can enjoy better chocolate too.

I may still make it out to pay my respect and pop into Two Brothers whilst I am there.


Oh and I just got back from a long weekend in Dallas Fort Worth - interesting.........or was it.

Carbon Fiber - What it costs.

Ok so this is all from Gizmodo and nothing to do with me.  Just sharing it.

Found on Gizmodo and written by Rachel Swaby: a freelance writer living in San Francisco. Check her out on Twitter.

"When carbon fiber was first trotted out in solid rocket motor cases and tanks in the 1960s, it was poised to not only take on fiberglass, but also a whole host of other materials.
What happened?
50 years later it's still an exotic material. Sure, Batman's got it in his suit, expensive cars feature smatterings of it in their dashboards and performance parts, but at $10 a pound on the low end, it's still too pricy for wide-scale deployment. We've been using this stuff for decades. Where's our materials science Moore's Law to make this stuff cheap? Why is this stuff still so expensive?
Turns out that even half a century later, this stuff is still a major pain in the ass to make...."

more here:  Why is Carbon Fiber so expensive?

Re-creating Tillie Anderson's Century race win.

The first road race Tillie Anderson entered was a century that started and finished in Chicago.
There is a simple illustration in 'Tillie the Terrible Swede' that suggests the route taken through neighbouring counties.  As soon as I saw it I knew I should do it, I wanted to know more about the actual race and route.  I wrote to Alice Roepke (Tillie's great niece), Sue Stauffacher (the book's author) and  Sarah Mcmenemy (the illustrator), no one had any specific information but all were intrigued by the idea and wanted to know more.  Their enthusiasm made me investigate further and come up with the idea of trying to ride the route and also take pictures to compare what it looks like now to then.

I found 'The Wheelmen' and asked the right questions on their forum.  The immediate response was that it started on Ogden in the city followed that road all the way to Aurora and then North to Elgin and back to the city on Lake.  This route can be plotted, as described, on Googlemaps/MapMyRide so the roads are still there.  But I also agree with the forum advice of not to ride on those roads.  A century after Tillie's first win all 3 of the main roads used have become heavily trafficed, potholed arteries, certainly not somewhere drivers would be expecting or particularly welcoming to bikes.  The advice was to follow alternative side roads or the trails that almost follow the same triangular route.  I really want to get on those same roads though, surely that's the point.  Guess I'll just get out early one morning and see how things are.