Fuck Gas

It’s that time of year again to go check out beautiful bicycles I have zero chance of affording. It’s a different world, the one of the handmade road and mountain bikes. Regardless, there is worksmanship to behold and bikes to oggle. This years North American Handmade Bicycle Show goes down in Richmond, VA. One huge thing that means for me is there will be food to eat! While I love Broad Ripple in Indy, there just didn’t seem to be a whole hell of a lot in line with the vegan eats up there. Maybe I’m wrong? Regardless, we’re heading to Virginia in a few weeks. Hope to see ya there.

Anyone that has read my incoherent ramblings a time or two is likely to notice I love women. While I’m horrible talking to them at first, I certainly enjoy the way they move. Put them on a bike and I’m sold. Awesome Land: Women of Dirt combines these things. Women moving, and on bikes, but without me having to make an ass out of myself trying to start up a conversation with them. A squib from the site reads:

Awesome Land: Women Of Dirt celebrates the mountain bike while celebrating the women who love them.

And I love them for loving their bikes. Thank you ladies, for being alive.

I fucking HATE Winnie the Pooh. Thanks to a clever nickname by my parents I grew up despising the fat little bastard and all his pansy ass friends except for Rabbit, that dude seems alright. Anyway, it’s raining. Not sure how that affect tonight’s pedaling, but rest assured polo is gonna kill it. There’s a reason we play inside. Hope to see you all tonight!

Given you’re stuck inside for the morning and looking for something to occupy your time with, then check out Velocast 63. Always some entertaining and insightful conversation from those Scotts.

Lastly, I spotted this gem while browsing thru the pre-Stupor Bowl XIII preperations over at Bike Jerks. To me, this looks real. If you look closely, you can see tire marks on the wall leading to the bad ass (potentially broke ass) velodromer… anybody know if he pulled this shit?

Tomorrow night’s Polo Party has seriously snowballed into something very strange… and awesome. Word has it that players are descending on this fare city of ours from 6 cities, maybe more. All this for a night of bike polo in a cold, dirty parking garage. This is just another testament to the community built up around this bicycle contraption.

The weather forecast is looking like rain and snow, but we’re still planning on meeting up for the rides. We’ll just see what happens from there. At the moment there is discussion of two games, one upstairs and another down. One of these may possibly be aimed at beginners as we have a lot of first time players from the Louisville area expressing interest. If you’re coming in from out of town and this will be your fist time playing with us here in Louisville, don’t take it personally if we’re a little touchy out on the court. Now I don’t mean we’re gonna be rubbing on your ass, unless you’re okay with that of course, but I suppose it’s been an issue in the past as we’re a bit contact heavy in the game. If something happens you don’t like, lets discuss it, no need to get pushy. Plus, we drink a lot… okay, when I say we, I mean me. Although there are a handful that seriously enjoy the libations. Keep that in mind too. After all, our bars are open til 4am. What would you expect?

If you’re skipping the rides and just heading straight to the garage, you’re looking for 416 West Chestnut Street, between 4th and 5th Streets, across from the strip clubs. We like to keep it classy.

The above cartoon comes from Anarchy in Your Head regarding a situation in which liberty activist Lauren Canario refused to take orders from the courts and it’s officers up in New Hampshire. Please read more about it here.

So where was I going with this… about 6 months ago I was (brace yourself) driving my car home from a night of playing pool at a bar. Yes I had a couple drinks early in the night, but by no means was I inpaired, intoxicated, drunk or whatever you want to call it. I was however, asleep. Me being the not so regular sleeper I will fall dead to the world after a few minutes of calm, stationary inactivity. Too bad it happened this time at a railroad crossing, in traffic, with a cop on the other side of the road.

So, said cop turns on the bubble gum machine and stops by to wake me up. I graciously accept his awakening and step out of the car. Me being the non cooperative type, I forgo all his “field tests” and have a seat in the back of he and his buddies car. Trip downtown, more non cooperation, 3 cops kick the shit out of me, and I sit in jail for a couple days. All this culminating in an Aggravated DUI charge for me. Aggravated?

Fast forward 6 months later, at least as many trips through court and today was to be the big day. February 2, Bench Trial day with the judge. She was to hear all sides, look at the evidence and make a ruling. Well, court docket is apparently too full and she doesn’t have time for me today. This is the third, possibly fourth time I’ve been in there where the court didn’t have it’s shit together and I miss work and prolong the process. It took 3 requests to finally have the video of the traffic stop handed over. Somehow, this is a system so many stand behind. It’s a racket and if you don’t understand that, I just hope you start paying more attention. This system is fucking people over left and right and there are too many more out there just accepting that’s the way it is. I understand driving under the influence is a problem. However, influence can come from all angles. Cell phones, cigarettes, screaming kids, the radio, sleep deprivation and yes even beer or liquor. Perhaps we can work on a way to actually address the problem rather than provide more money to the state to play clean up crew and continue to cash in.

Instead of whining and crying about the cold I’m embracing it today. After all, this the garbage they were trudging through in Tabor over the last couple days makes cross what it is. As you know by now, Louisville won the bid for the Cyclocross World Championships in 2013 and Masters Worlds in 2012. All this was made possible by a handful of dedicated people who are now behind things at Louisville2013.com. At the moment there’s nothing more than the above logo at the domain, but stay tuned as the site and plans for the next few years in cross evolve there. If you’re curious what things in Tabor looked like yesterday, watch the video below.
< br/>

Lastly, thanks to everyone that came out a braved the cold for our bike in movie at The Swan Dive. It was a huge turn out and the movie was awesome. Next ride happens this Friday, February 5 from On Your Left for the second installment of the Friday Night Polo Party. There will also be a second ride leaving from campus through the Louisville SCC. Pick a ride and come play some polo… or just ride along and watch. Either way it’s a hell iof a way to spend a Friday night.

Dear Austin,

How’s Texas? It’s still cold here and now it’s snowing again. I long for the beautiful, warm nights we spent together. Pedaling around downtown, drinking Lone Star and just seeing where the evening took us. I have a bike ride here tonight. We’re meeting at On Your Left and probably taking a direct route to The Swan Dive because Mother Nature is such a bitch she can’t even allow me this one evening for warm weather and friends. I’ve really had it with her, I think we’re breaking up. It’s really needed to happen for some time now, I just wanted to give her another chance. I’m like so over it, enough about her…

So anyway, about that bike ride. People have been wondering if it was still going to happen so it may just be me and a few close friends, but we’ll have fun regardless. I really do hope people show up. Becca (from the Swan Dive) is even making vegan lasagna, having $2.50 24oz High Life’s in a can and we’ll be watching The Triplets of Belleville. Doesn’t get much better than that… until you add the beer delivery guy throwing in a bunch of High Life hats to give away. They’re pretty awesome, red and black plaid, insulated and even have the ear flap things.I enclosed a copy of the flyer for the ride tonight too. I hope you like it and put it up on your wall with all your other radical spoke cards and punk rock show posters.

I hope everything is going well down in Texas. You know I miss you, Austin. I know we will see each other again some day. Until then, say hi to everybody for me and tell them I love them.

Love,
Jimmy

It’s official duders! Louisville will host the Masters Worlds in 2012 and the Cyclocross World Chamiponships in 2013! Looks like we’ll be getting a visit from Sven Nys after all - how stoked are you?! Now, let’s just hope the Green Monster gets a chance at the big time too…

Huge thanks to Joan Hanscomb from the U.S. Gran Prix and Greg (I think) from the Louisville Sports Commission for working on this. You can read more about it over at VeloNews. I can honestly say I have no idea where I’ll be living once 2013 rolls around, but if any of you (Liz, I know you’re a roadie, but this is the worlds!) need a place to crash, hit me up!

Things are going down this weekend so don’t miss out. Just wanted to give you creeps a couple days head start so you had time to make room in you’re busy schedules and plan accordingly. Friday night is totally non-bike related for me but I just found out it’s going to be a bit more interesting. Louisville Lightening plays a home game and as it turns out, it’s military night. Bullocks! Oh well, the boy will probably get a kick (pun intended) out of seeing a bunch of grown ass men wearing mercenary uniforms.

Saturday will be our bike-in movie night at The Swan Dive with a showing of The Tripletts of Belleville. We’re riding from On Your Left, meeting up at the shop say around 7ish and plan to start the movie sometime after 9. Becca will have beer and food specials so bring your bellies. You know how we roll so don’t be scared to come get your pre-ride drink on at On Your Left and pick up any last minute gadgets, like lights. It’s still winter and that means it gets dark early and stays that way… til May.

When you wake up Sunday morning with that unrecognizable beast snoring next to you, don’t panic. While you probably don’t remember a single thing from the later part of the evening, especially where that came from, or possibly even what your exact location is on the planet, rest assured, it was not pretty. So, with that in mind, get up, get dressed, say your good byes politely and get over to Mountain Bike Depot by 5pm for the Cyclocross Worlds Party. I know it may take you awhile to locate your bike, just hope you locked it up instead of tossing it in some bush in the heat of the moment while entangled with grizzly adams over there.

Just saying. Enjoy your Wednesday bitches.

Found at YouDriveWhat.com brought to you by the fine folks from PeopleOfWalmart.com