Bicycles

My ever popular fender installation how-to has been updated. I added a new section on mounting SKS bicycle fenders with zip ties.

Lance Armstrong has matched the great Spanish rider Miguel Indurain by winning the centennial Tour de France yesterday, his fifth victory in a row.

Jan Ullrich, the runner-up, has never finished less than second, and this is the third time he was second to Armstrong (he was behind Marco Pantani and Bjarne Riis before winning the Tour in 1998, and last year he was suspended from racing for testing positive for MDMA, or ecstasy--a ridiculous ban). Ullrich almost took the lead in the Pyrenees when Armstrong fell, but Lance got back on his bike and pedaled ferociously to win the stage, gaining over a minute over Ullrich. In the final time trial on Saturday, the rainy and windy weather caused Ullrich to fall as he tried to cut a corner too fast. Ullrich is a great rider, but it wasn't to be this year.

Besides, how do you psychologically beat a cancer survivor?

According to this story in Salon, an appropriations bill in congress will eliminate the $600 million earmarked for bicycle paths and pedestrian walkways while increasing by $2.5 billion the amount spent on highways.

Hopefully the senate will stop this nonsense, but I'm not hopeful.

...as some idiots in our congress and their dittohead supporters would probably call the world's premier bicycle race, the appropriately named Victor Hugo Pena of Colombia took the yellow jersey as he and the US Postal cycling team won the team time trial in the Tour's 4th stage. Lance Armstrong is in second place, and the other Postal riders are 3rd-8th in the overal standings after their win. Pena is the first Colombian to wear the yellow jersey. The Tour is pretty much won and lost in the time trials and the mountain stages in the Alps and Pyrenees. Joseba Beloki of ONCE and Jan Ullrich of Bianchi are within spitting distance, but US Postal is looking extremely strong this year. Armstrong has won the last four Tours, and is attempting to match Miguel Indurain's incredible five straight Tour wins.

My friend Jay just bought a new mountain bike last week. A couple days after he bought it, he left town for the weekend, an opportunity too ripe with possibilities for my housemate Greg and I to pass up.

We made a few enhancements to the stock parts of the bike. Check out the damage.