Zac Attacks Cancer in his hometown again!

There is a party at the Flowers' House tomorrow night (the 17th) in honor of Zac Holford who is cycling across America to raise money for the fight against cancer. A daily update blog as well as donation information can be found at zacattackscancer.blogspot.com.

We'll also be saying goodbye to our friend Megan who will be traveling around for the summer.

The Flowers' House is on Philadelphia. Just look for the bicycles.

Let's repave Central Ave

and not put bicycle lanes there!

I'm sure some of you have noticed that a portion of Central Avenue is being repaved. This new road will not, however, have a bicycle lane. According to Janet Prejeam of the Memphis Public Works Constructions Office, "If [bicycle lanes] weren't there before, they won't be there now."

(It was actually quite a funny conversation. When I asked if there would be bicycle lanes when Central was repaved Mrs. Prejeam replied "Bicycle Lanes?" as if she'd never heard of such a thing!)

I've said before that Central is a prime candidate for bicycle lanes. On this artery through the city there are several major destinations/attractions including Christian Brothers University, Memphis Fairgrounds, Children's Museum of Memphis, Pink Palace Museum and The University of Memphis. Central Avenue also intersects Cooper St. and Highland St. which are major centers for shopping.

National Bike To Work Day

is Friday May 16th. President and Founder of Specialized Bicycles, Mike Sinyard, has promised to tow any of his employees that drive that day. Wouldn't it be nice if all bosses were that caring?

I'll be biking from Midtown to the University of Memphis that day. If you would like you can meet me in Overton Square at 8:15 and we'll leave at about 8:25.

New Ride!

photo from Memphis Flyer.

Farmer’s Market Bike Ride
Saturday Mornings

8:30 at Cooper and Madison
8:35 at Cooper and Peabody
8:40 at Peabody and McClean
8:45 at Peabody and Cleveland

A five mile, leisurely ride to the downtown farmer’s market at G.E. Patterson and South Main. Bring a backpack or a basket. Buy local using sustainable transportation.

Contact Josh at jmgorman@gmail.com or 605-1820 for more info.

Community rides are a great way to learn safe riding skills and routes. Want to know how to get from Midtown to U of M? Join the Tuesday evening Peddler ride which leaves from the Peddler Bike Shop at 575 S. Highland at 6:30pm every Tuesday. Want to learn how to get anywhere? The Revolutions Ride is your ticket; 8:30pm Thursday nights behind First Congo Church in Cooper-Young.

In the city, city of San Jose.

I heard somewhere that California knows how to party. I hope they give lessons because I'll be there for a week. I'm filling my head with mass quanities of bicycle knowledge so that when I return you can all complain about how I talk even more about bicycles. But when I return my frame should be painted and my new wheels won't be far away. Speaking of wheels, if anyone wants a Hed 3 front wheel for $350 let me know. The catch is that it's tubular.

The Reading List

Photo from Amazon.com

I'm only up to Chapter 7 but everything so far has been very interesting. For instance, Madison Square Garden was originally designed as a velodrome; Taylor raced his first 6-day there.

Go to bed instead?

According to a letter being circulated to the LBS's, Meritan (formerly Senior Services) has decided to cancel the 2008 Midnight Classic Bicycle Tour. This year will instead be an "evaluative" year. The main reason for this, as deduced from the letter, seems to be the cost of police services. Now ask yourself, "When was the last time I needed a police escort to ride my bike?"



Meritan has, in the past, done a tremendous job of bringing together over a thousand cyclists in the city of Memphis for a 17 mile ride. I've seen families cycling up Poplar Avenue in traffic to attend this ride. The cost of the ride is $20, which broken down presumably goes towards insurance, police, permit, advertising, t-shirts, and refreshments. When was the last time you needed any of that stuff to ride your bicycle?

This June I would like to see over a thousand cyclists take to the streets without a police escort, without a special t-shirt, and without a Coca-Cola. And you don't even have to do it for Meritan. Take that $20 and donate it to whomever you want. Even if you donate it to your own pocket! Lots of cities do this on a regular basis! I'll tell you what: if you feel like riding your bicycle at midnight this June 14th, 2008 I'll ride with you. I'll be at the public library on Poplar with my bicycle, my helmet and my lights and we'll have ourselves 17 miles of fun without the police.

Photo from the Commercial Appeal

Sincerely

A BIG Thank YOU to everyone who came out last night. Extra Special thanks to the MASH crew, Dale And Kristen at Light Years Vintage, and Andrew at the MeDiA Co-Op. Congrats to Denis for winning footdown and Josh Gorman for longest skid (and blowing a tire). Here's a couple of pics and a footdown video for your enjoyment:

Honestly, I didn't see it.

Photo courtesy of trackosaurusrex.

Et tu, Memphis?