The Amazing Shrinking Man!

Things to Give Thanks For

2010-11-16T19:43:00.003-05:00

Whether you are Christian or not, this is the time of year here in the US where reflection on that which you are thankful for. Yep, Thanksgiving is coming up in the US, and its a lot more than feasting on Turkey and all the fixings. Its also a time of gathering of family.

So, I have a list of things I'm thankful about this year, for sure. I survived the health issues Ive had this year. A heart issue, and to bouts of pneumonia, and a life threateningly severe reaction to an antibiotic and a Thyroid Cancer scare. Ive actually been off the bike most of the summer and fall.....it sucks, but at least Im here to whine about it.

On the good side, I'm off the coumadin from my Atrial Fibrillation incident. I havent gained any weight, even though my activity levels are abnormally low.

So, heres a quick look ahead, by the way, to what I'm planning to do for Thanksgiving as part of our share of the family gathering. I'm doing a Smoked Turkey in my Brinkmann Smoker Grill.

This is the recipe I use, from Brad Bolton.

STEP ONE:

smoked turkeyThe absolute first step in cooking a turkey on a smoker is to pick out a bird (turkey) that is not the biggest one you can find. The main reason for a smaller bird, 10 to 14 pound maximum, is the time limitations usually involved. It takes between 6 and 8 hours to smoke a 12 pound turkey and the bigger they get, the longer they take.

STEP TWO:

Set up the smoker and toss on the bird. When using charcoal, it is best to let the flames burn out, fill the water pan with water (seasoned water is fine too), then place the lid on the smoker and wait for the temperature to reach the 'safe' zone on your smoker. Once that is accomplished, toss the turkey on there gently and cover the smoker. Start timing the turkey when the temperature returns to the save zone.

Safety Reminder: Remember chickens and turkeys are prone to salmonella bacteria which can ruin your whole Thanksgiving. Cooking temperatures of 165 degrees F. minimum are essential for destroying this bacteria. This temperature is not the OUTSIDE of the turkey, but the inside, so keep that in mind when you decide on a larger bird. This of course is unless you happen to be feeding the traditional army at Thanksgiving.

More, includine tips and warnings here

Brad has a great recipe, there, and I do recommend highly that you go to the site for the tips.....its well worth the click.

250 mile 4th of July Road Trip: DIY Rack Worked Great!

2010-07-07T22:23:00.004-04:00

Well, we went to the lake for the 4th of July Weekend, and the roof rack worked out great. We did get a lot of attention on the road, though. I guess the mark of a cycling fanatic is $3 Grand worth of bikes on a $1000 car.

Well, it was a great trip, and I did have a lot of fun. The weather was spectacular and I even got in some sailing.

ANd the Rack is complete and Mounted!

2010-07-01T16:16:00.003-04:00

And here it is, all finished and ready for our trip tomorrow morning for the 4th.

I love the way the Mahogany Stain finish came out. It looks great!

Here is how I have it secured to the load bars

I used dual steel shackle bolts at all 4 corners where it contacts the load bars.

All in all, it's come out a lot nicer than I expected, and about $700 less than a factory made recumbent trike roof rack.

DIY Roof Rack for My Wife's Recumbent Trike (Less than $50.00 so far!)

2010-06-04T01:01:00.003-04:00

If you've ever priced out a rack for a recumbent trike, you're in for some serious sticker shock. They cost several hundred dollars, so, I undertook a small project. I made one.

Materials:
a set of Universal Roof Load Bars (Highland Brand)
2 12' long 2X4's
24 Decking screws, 3" length.
4 Shackle Bolts
4 heavy eye screws for lashing points to retain the trike
2 ratchet straps

It took me a short time to cut and assemble the frame.

Cut the first 2X4 into 2 72" stringers
Cut the second into 2 30" crossmembers and 2 33" crossmembers.
Cut the remainder of the second 2X4 in half for the front wheel guides. You will use exactly 24 linear feet of 2X4 for this rack.

Make a box frame with the 72" and 30" boards, with the 30" in an inside butt joint. Use 2 scews/joint.

Set the front lower crossmember centered on 8" from the inside edge of the front crossmember on the bottom of the frame using a 2x4x33" board. Use 4 screws to secure it. Now you set the wheel guides. Find the center and the inside edge of each wheel guide will be 1 1/4 inches from the center of the lower crossmember (See photos) This will serve as the front wheel platform.

Set the rear lower crossmember (The other 2x4x33" Board) centered on the rear crossmember at 10" from the inside edge of the box frame. Use 4 screws to secure it. This will serve as the rear wheels support platform.

I still need to get the necessary hardware to put the rack on the load bars securely, but that cost will be nominal. I will be using shackle bolts to secure the trike rack to the bars. Since a Sun EZ 3 is tail heavy, you place the rear lower crossmember against the rear load bar to get even weight distribution, as well as a bit more stability front to rear.

Remaining hardware needed:

4 heavy eye screws to serve as tiedowns for the trike, in the rack, and the shackle bolts to secure the rack to the load bars. I will be using ratchet straps to secure the trike in the rack. I'll be sealing and finishing the wood with Minwax Red mahogany stain, by the way. This will help preserve the wood and make for some really beautiful highlighting of the wood grain as well. I'll post the final pictures in later when I have it finished up completely.

And here are the pictures as I apply the finish. I went with Minwax Bombay Mahogany Outdoor Stain/Polyurethane gloss. (Cost @ Walmart: $10.71/Qt)

Cardiac Rehabilitation

2010-04-26T22:16:00.003-04:00

Well, here it is, just over two weeks since I was hospitalized in Atrial Fibrillation with an irregular heartbeat, and I'm regulated and back in a normal sinus rhythm. I dad to be cardioverted (This is a synchronized electric shock through the chest...I was sedated for it, happily). Cardioversion is the normal treatment to restore normal sinus rhythm from fibrillation.

I'm also on many heart drugs now, as well as warfarin, and will be the rest of my life, presuming no adverse effects from the warfarin. Seems off to be taking rat poison therapeutically. It's to keep me from throwing a clot and having a stroke, though......a big risk if you are prone to atrial fibrillation or have an irregular heartbeat.

So, so far, the rehab is a few minutes a day on the bike on a trainer stand, spinning easy and never letting the heart rate go over 100BPM. I wish I could get out and go for a long ride, but the ticker just ain't ready for it yet. I fatigue too easily, and if I get the HR too high, or get too dehydrated, I'll be right back where I was with the resting heart rate cycling from 165-225 BPM, and hthe cardiac EV back down in the 20% range again.

Well, at least I didn't die..................

Well, we're home now. Highlights of the trip to Glacier National Park

2010-03-23T13:17:00.004-04:00

OK, to start things off, we stayed in Whitefish, at the Super 8. They gave us great service and an inexpensive, comfortable room. The weather was warm, and unfortunately all the snow melted and left the trails and slopes a sheet of ice.

One of the results of this was my wife taking a nasty fall. Her crampon broke loose on some rotten ice on the trail and she took a 20 foot fall, cartwheeling down a near vertical slope....on St Paddies Day, no less. The luck of the Irish did protect her, though. She came out of it with a massive body bruise, rather than broken bones. This happened on Brown's Peak.

Here are some highlights of Glacier

I'm headed back out this Summer for some backpacking out in Glacier, spending a week or two tramping around, that's for sure!

Planning Spring Break: Back Country Snowshoeing and Montana

2010-02-13T12:53:00.007-05:00

Cutbank Valley
Photo courtesy of the National Park Service
Iceberg Lake
Photo courtesy of the National Park Service
Glacier National Park Multimedia Site

Well, as y'all saw from my last post, I've gotten into a new sport, to me......snowshoeing. We're planning a Spring Break trip to Glacier National Park for some back country snowshoeing. I'm starting a series of posts here to organize for the trip.

Our Equipment List:

2 65 Liter backpacks
100 feet of rope each
Snowshoes and Poles (Cabella's Snowy Range Shoes, made by Atlas)
Nautica Wind Shells, waterproof
Polarguard vests under, packable
Fleeces
Fleece long underwear and foundation layer
Waterproof wind pants
Goretex Gloves
3 pairs wool socks, each in the packs
Packcloth waterproof gaiters, tall
Cabella's Sorrel Packer boots for me, or Herman Survivors as an alternate. My wife has some lighter weight packer boots with Thinsulate and a goretex inner boot.
2 Surveyors compasses
Set of waterproof Topo maps of Glacier each
Avalanche beacon each.
GMRS Radios
We'll rent the snowshovels from Glacier Outdoor Center and I don't think we'll really need ice axes, since we aren't really going to be doing any traverses on steep glacier faces and we can't carry ice axes on Amtrak, anyway.
2 1 liter Nalgene Bottles each for water
Small backpackers stove, and fuel, to melt snow if we run short on liquids as well as 2 lighters and waterproof matches
Small thermos for hot chocolate at the Overlook looking down on Lake McDonald from the mountaintop. (Good photo opportunity)
Survival bivvy sacks if we get caught out in the back country in a Spring Storm + 3 days food. If we get caught in a bad one, we'll just dig in in a snow cave and ride it out.
Glacier sunglasses for the wife and sunscreen for both. I have some very good polarized cycling/ski glasses, already
Flashlights and survival whistles
Back Country First Aid Kit

We'll also be carrying food, and if anyone has suggestions that I've missed, let me know!

Here's a bit of our planned terrain: This is about 15 miles out in the park.
http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=3473659

I've found a new to me sport! Snowshoeing!

2010-01-19T06:47:00.003-05:00

Man, it's a blast! The followig is a bit of video and stills from our trip to Michigan over the MLK long weekend. It's also a great whole body workout.

Now that I've had a chance to process it.......

2009-06-14T20:47:00.003-04:00

I have to confess, I'm a bit disappointed that I didn't finish up the Century on the track this year.......AGAIN! I need to stop getting hurt and screwing up my body, I guess. Well, there's always next year. A broken tailbone apparently hangs on with the pain for a while and I couldn't break past the 32 mile point.

I'm happy to say that 4 members of Team Stormcrowe completes their Century ride. Their Bike Forum nicknames are scummer, Philcycle, 10 wheels, and trekden.

scummer, from Northern Indiana, made the 100 miles in less than five hours, outstanding! 10 wheels, up from Galveston County, TX, is the oldest member of Team Stormcrowe, and is a tough old guy at 67 years of age. He completed his Century in less than 6 hours, along with Phil (from Missouri) and Denny (from Pennsylvania).

My wife, crazylady, completed 15 miles on the track, riding her Sun EZ3 trike, and was just there to have a good time for the day and do a little riding. All in all, though, it was a great day, and it's almost as sweet to see the victories of my teammates as to grab my own. Next year, though, the damn track isn't going to beat me, nor is my body.

Tour de Cure, 2009, in the bag!

2009-06-13T23:20:00.003-04:00

I'm totally strung out and hurting right now, so this is going to be a short post. I did 32 out of 100 miles today. I'm a bit disappointed, but given the fall and the residual tailbone pain from my fall this winter, I can't really complain. So, I'll just let you see the pics and video from today for now.

Totally Off the Normal Topic: Celtic Music: Skye Boat Song

2009-06-06T21:40:00.004-04:00

This little piece is called Skye Boat Song. It's a traditional tune and commemorates Charles Edward Stuart's escape after the battle of Culloden. I was thinking of my Grandmother this morning for some reason, and this was her favorite tune. She was born n in Scotland and this piece alwways reminded her of home.

I have some scenes from the Isle of Skye I culled from the internet, and played the piece with more of a slow Irish air interpretation, since I used an Irish Tin Whistle, but here it is......the Skye Boat Song.

Memorial Day Weekend Tour

2009-05-25T14:07:00.005-04:00

FREE service provided by VideoWebTown.com

Well, we did a brief bike camping this weekend, a 23 mile ride out to Ross Camp from the house. This was the wife's first loaded bike camping trip. We did have a great time, and she got to find out a bit about my love of long distance touring, and wants to try more and longer trips as she gets stronger.

I am back on the bike, officially!

2009-04-27T18:08:00.003-04:00

Sunday, my wife and I took our first joint ride, post fall. I'm happy to say it went well. Minimal pain from the tailbone injury, and it felt great to be back in the saddle again.

We did make a little stop at Panera's for coffee after fighting 15-30 MPH winds for about 15 miles.

On the flip side, Crazylady, my wife, got her first ride on with clipless rather than platform pedals. She did notice a huge difference, and brother, she's sure got one advantage.........riding a recumbent trike, she never has to worry about the dreaded 0 MPH tipover.

We're looking forward to our Summer activities, now. She has 3 classes left to finish out, and she graduates with her MBA and certification as a Forensic Accountant in July. She's been doing an accelerated masters program.....not fun at all. After Tour de Cure and her graduation, we'll be doing some touring around Indiana, I think.

I also bike commuted to classes today for the first time in months. I rode the Allez, and I gotta say, it looked like an Arabian tethered in a cart horse paddock locked in the racks over at Purdue among the Huffys, Magnas, and old beaters of all descriptions. It is true, what they say, though about all bikes weighing 42 pounds. A 40 pound Huffy or Magna has a 2 pound, $1.99 lock because no one really wants to steal it, and a 16 pound road bike seems to need a 26 pound lock and cable or chain to secure it, so all bikes weigh 42 pounds.

I've been recovering!

2009-02-13T21:14:00.003-05:00

I took a wee fall a month ago. I had one of those Kodak Moment falls, walking on some ice, where your feet come out from under you, and rise to chest level, and you hang in the air for enough time to think "Oh shit, this is gonna hurt!"

I woke up in the ambulance on the way to the hospital. As of right now, I'm almost recovered from a concussion, and healing up a busted coccyx (Tail Bone. I have a few issues with Post Concussion Syndrome, recurrent cluster headaches, light sensitivity, reduced stamina, and mood swings, as well as some short term memory issues, but all in all, I'm just glad I wasn't hurt worse!

I'm on a cane, and off the bike for another month or so. I'll have to get back in training soon, though, since I signed up for Tour de Cure again this year. Team Stormcrowe is back at it again, and it's likely to be a challenge to meet our fundraising goals this year, with the economy in the shape it's in.

Here is the link that will take you to my Tour de Cure fundraising page, by the way:

http://tinyurl.com/Tour-de-Cure

I'd also like to introduce another Cycling/Weight Loss Blogger. His name is Kennie, and he's just starting out his journey. Let's welcome him. I have him down in my links below, but here he is as well!

Goal met on New Years Eve!

2009-01-01T00:57:00.002-05:00

Now what do I do? There are 2 terrible times in a mans life, one when he fails at a goal, and one when he succeeds. I succeeded at one, a huge one! As you know, I started this crazy journey at 581 pounds. I weighed in today (I haven't been to bed yet). The scale read 199 pounds! I have gone from wearing 8X T shirts to a size Large shirt.

Now, all I have to do is figure out where to go from here. I'm working on a degree in Psychology, that's a major goal. I haven't done a couple of goals yet, though. I haven't done the Triple Century ride yet. That was taken out of the picture last summer when I crashed in may and screwed up my training. I guess that's as good a goal as any.

June 21, 2009, I am going to attempt to ride from lake Michigan to the Ohio River in a day. Big goals give a person the drive to succeed, and that's a pretty ambitious goal. Other than that, I'm going to keep riding my bike and working toward my degree.

Meantime, Happy New Year for 2009!

Short, cold ride!

2008-12-21T14:03:00.002-05:00

Wow, I forgot how cold - 30 wind chill is. I did a little 2 mile errand ride today and I'll tell ya what! It exposed the chinks in my cold weather gear, that's for sure. My gloves need replacing....the seams leak cold air.

My balaclava from Dick's Sporting Goods was a godsend, though. Neofleece and it kept the face and head nicely warm without too much bulk or sweating. It fit under the helmet nicely. The only thing is, it's the brightest orange I've ever seen. Good for visibility, though.

Merry Christmas To All!

2008-12-12T17:57:00.003-05:00

I've been absolutely swamped this semester, so I haven't posted with any regularity. I really got nothing right now that is cycling related, but I did have a few minutes free today, so I recorded my favorite Christmas song, and put together a little video.

Merry Christmas or Seasons Greetings, or Happy Hanukkah, or happy Solstice, depending on your particular flavor of faith or even lack thereof.

I Started A Lafayette Cycling Forum

2008-10-11T01:09:00.003-04:00

As the headline says, I started Lafayettefixedgear today. It's a local forum, for Tippecanoe County and surrounding Communities. Think about signing up! I'll add a road bike forum if there seems to be interest as well, but I'm concentrating on Fixed Gear for now.

If you ride Fixed in the surrounding counties, or are just interested, we'll be adding content as we get new members. What we feature is the ability to embed video, images, and it's even FREE!

Drop on by and check it out!

Time for Bicycle Commuting!

2008-08-27T11:09:00.004-04:00

Classes have started for the fall now, and I must say, the weather has been spectacular for a bike commuter. I'm attending Purdue University now, and things are shiney! Purdue is interesting to commute both to, and around, though.

First off, traffic can get pretty intense on the edge of campus, what with the parking spot vultures, oblivious student drivers, and everyone being in a hurry. The pedestrians aren't much better either. I understand far better the derisive use of the term "Meat Pylon" in referring to a pedestrian. It's often like an obstacle course where the obstacles can suddenly and unpredictable move into your path!

One example, today, well, Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, I have to get across campus during a 10 minute break. This requires some pretty fast pacing to pull it off, and it seems like every walker on campus is determined to get in front of me and slow me up.

Cross Campus Route

The are a lot of bike facilities, such as racks, on campus,and a lot of cyclists as well. Fortunately, soon enough, the new Freshman class will get a little better trained in how to deal with cyclists, etc, and learn their way about campus as well, so they won't be so blind to their surroundings. Meantime, I get to ride with extreme care.

Cranky-T's....Cycling Wear for the Average Guy!

2008-08-19T11:38:00.003-04:00

Cranky T's in Pennsylvania is a start up, selling T-Shirts centered around Cycling. It's a nice company with a great guy running it. Operated by Digix Consulting, they offer a line of very comfortable T's with various colors available. If you aren't one of the folk that likes to wear Lycra Jerseys that are skin tight, these are for you!

http://www.digixconsulting.com/t-shirts

Triathlon Video!

2008-07-02T12:57:00.002-04:00

I started an account with Veoh TV. I have the tri video uo there, as well as started a Clydesdale and Athena gropu where you can upload videos you create as well. Just watch the copyrights.....Veoh is positively anal about it! I used a bit of Techno that is under Creative Commons, and it actually improved the video.

Online Videos by Veoh.com

Enjoy!

Race Report: My First Triathlon Event!

2008-06-30T09:19:00.003-04:00

Allrighty! As y'all know, I did my first Triathlon as part of a 2 person team this weekend.......only because I couldn't do the swim this time. First feedback: A Tri is TOUGH! I did the cycling and running part, and that was near enough to kill me.

Part I: Cycling.............

My Niece did the swim, so she made the 1K swim in 11 minutes and change, first transition was done in 1:45. Here is where I came in. I took off on the cycling course. 13.82 miles, and I was riding against a 10-15 MPH headwind on rolling terrain. The course ran from Warsaw, Indiana to Pierceton, Indiana and back. The course was very well marked. I hammered as hard as I could against the wind, and generally uphill against a headwind. When I got to the turnaround point, my wonderful luck strikes. The blasted wind switched, and it was starting to look like storms were moving in. The wind switch no meant I was riding back, you guessed it, against a headwind......again! So much for the good thoughts of a tailwind!

So, I'm slogging back against the headwind, pushing through the wind like a wall. I got passed by a kid on a full suspension mountain bike....a Huffy, no less, with knobbies. This wasn't going to fly, I can tell you. I pushed hard and managed to pass this kid back. he was holding an 18 MPH average speed, and was really a strong rider. I dropped down into the aerobars and just held on to the ride....and can guarantee you I went anaerobic on the return. 58 minutes on the cycling section, and a 4:45 transition to the run. I could have done better, I think, but still managed to hit a peak of 28 MPH coming back into Warsaw at the very end of the cycling leg. I got into the transition area and that last sprint had nearly done me in, and I still had the run segment to do.

I did the 5 K in 1:08 and a few seconds, and I really am NOT a runner. I had to shuttle back and forth between a run and a walk. I did make the finish at a run, though. That's my Aunt running along beside me, encouraging me to keep pushing. That last quarter mile of the run was literally the worst hurting from exercise I've ever experienced. I made it across the line so bonked I couldn't even undo the ankle tag device and could barely stand. I was literally on the edge of falling, I was so spent. I was pretty cooked at the end, and I really have no idea where I got the push from for that final run, but where ever it came from, I love it! My finish was at the middle of the pack out of 50 teams, we placed at 25.

This was bar none, the toughest event I've ever done. I definitely have the triathlon bug......bad! Our time of 2:31.6 wasn't the fastest, by any means, but when you consider that 3 years ago, I was more or less in a wheelchair, you can get the scope of this in my mind. I'm in the Tri game for the long haul....it's a blast! If you really want to challenge yourself, this is where you can do it.

I've also added a bit of video from the race. It's time compressed to make it a bit more interesting. http://www.badongo.com/vid/777019

Nice Training Ride today....

2008-06-22T23:17:00.002-04:00

I have a training partner, one of my former instructors from School. Her name is Jennie. I'll tell you, she has some serious potential as a rider! She's strong pushing into the wind, and steady and rides the dame pace as my average. She likes to push it, too.

We did a nice little 20 miler today, just playing around in Lafayette, but have set the goal of a loop to Frankfort and back by the end of July, a nice little 59 miler. I may tweak the route a bit to make it a full metric century though.

Things are also looking up for my upcoming triathlon Saturday up in Warsaw, Indiana. It's the Optimist Club Triathlon, and this will be my first one. As I mentioned, my shoulder is still giving me issues, so I'll be doing the cycling and running part only, and my niece will be doing the swim.

I'm able to hold a decent average speed, so, I don't think I''ll be coming in dead last......I really don't care what place I finish, though. I just plan on finishing it.

After a modestly successful Tour de Cure,, I'm now gettiing ready for my first Triathlon....

2008-06-20T21:29:00.003-04:00

June 28th, I'll be in Warsaw, Indiana for the Optimist Club Triathlon. You can click the title of this post to go to the Triathlon website, if you'd like. Since I'm not healed up from the crash a few weeks ago completely, I did have to go team on the tri!

I recruited a swimmer, since I'm not back even to 60% on shoulder strength and 75-80% mobility. I am doing mobility therapy though and can expect a good recovery, just some pain is all. Wish me luck, all! I don't care if I come in DFL, I'll come in.

Tour de Cure, 2008 is in the bag!

2008-06-16T23:27:00.006-04:00

This years Tour was a rousing success! We had a great ride and both my personal efforts as well as Team Stormcrowe exceeded our goals!Let me introduce the rogues gallery of Team Stormcrowe, to start things off.

Photo by Chad, our team photographer/videographer

Left to right, rear row, Phil (St Louis), Beverly (Ohio), Me, Joe (Bloomington, IN), and Mark (Greenwood, IN)
front row, Denny (SW PA) and Jerry (Chicago area). We had trouble getting everyone in the shot because we'd scattered a bit at this time and as a result, couldn't get everyone together....so, I'll add in some other shots singly momentarily.

Fred, aka 10wheels. He came up from Houston, TX for the ride

Here we are, getting registered for the ride. My wife also volunteered for this event. She ran the registration for the Century ride on the track.

Now, a little about Fred. He missed the Century mark by 6 miles....he just ran out of time on the track. He's a mile monster....and I'm really impressed with his performance.

Another member was Thomas R, aka scummer on http://www.bikeforums.net. He got a little later start, and still cranked out the Century, + a few insurance miles and a tad over 105. No pictures of him, unfortunately.

Bev: 67 miles
Denny: 67 miles
Jerry: 84 miles
Mark: did the 50K ride
Me: 41.2 miles attempting the Century with an injured shoulder. It got too painful to ride.
Phil: 70+ miles

People were riding all kinds of bikes, ranging from Trikes

to a Penny Farthing

and all configurations of road bikes

The track is the smoothest surface you'll ever ride, there at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. It made for some fast riding conditions. It was a great day and all of us are going to do it again next year.

Now, to close with Jim McKays words, in sports, there is the thrill of victory

and the agony of defeat

This year, my injuries from my training crash 3 weeks ago stopped me, but I'll not let that discourage me.....next year, I will finish the Century.

Team Stats: Fundraising:

Me: $1100.00
Team Stormcrowe overall: $3935.00

Tour de Cure: 3 Whole Days Away!

2008-06-10T19:11:00.002-04:00

Well, here I am, in 72 hours, I'll be in Indianapolis for the night before the ride. 100 miles on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. I've got less than 2 weeks post crash training, so the ride is definitely going to be a challenge for me. Well, pain is life, they say.....so I'll be experiencing some definite life!

I have about 80 % of my shoulder mobility back and about 45% of the strength. My next entry will be after the ride, to either bask in glory or as Jim McKay used to say, experience the agony of defeat.....

I hit my fundraising goal of $1000.00, personally and Team Stormcrowe hit over the goal at $3750.00 of a $3300.00 goal. In expectation of Saturdays ride, here's where MY head is going to be......

Heavy Weather in the Lafayette Area

2008-05-31T01:44:00.004-04:00

We had the tornado sirens going off in the Lafayette, Indiana area tonight. (Well, it's after midnight, so yesterday evening.). May 30, at about 7:00 PM or so, the National Weather Service issued a Tornado Warning for Lafayette and the surrounding region. The Storm tracked through Battleground, Indiana. I was able to get video footage of the storm as it passed to the north. I believe I may have gotten a tornado on the ground briefly, or at the least a very strong downburst.

It was a wild ride, though, watching this and I'm afraid I got the wwife a bit mad at me that I was out there getting footage rather than hiding in the tub, but it was too good an opportunity to miss.

WLFI-TV did also pick up a small amount of my video footage for the 11:00 Weather Report. The above is my footage post edit to assemble it. I left the audio raw. This same storm front apparently also dropped a strong tornado on Indianapolis and nearly leveled 300 apartments at 38th and Mithoffer. Wild night in Indiana tonight!

Update: Tour de Cure and Video

2008-05-24T21:47:00.005-04:00

Well, here's the deal.......

Tour de Cure is about 3 weeks away and I'm $35.00 from my goal. It's looking good though. I will be making the attempt at the Century, in spite of my crash.I have about 65% of my shoulder mobility back and am rehabbing it religiously. If you want to help me meet my goal, here is my Tour Page

As to how I handle it? Who knows? I'll see when I'm in it. Pain is weakness leaving the body after all. I'll be resuming riding after Memorial day weekend, though, and I'll only have 2 weeks to train for a 100 mile ride after a crash.

All you really have to remember is that ultimately, you set your own limits arbitrarily, and are far more capable than you believe. Take control of your life, use whatever tools that you need to and you have a far greater chance of achieving your goals than if you only dream and never act. Take charge and commit.

Now, for the update on my progress after 3 years since my surgery.

48 Year Olds Don't Bounce! : Ride and Crash Report

2008-05-11T10:15:00.004-04:00

Holy Cow! I thought I was hurting when I got home last night. This morning, my wife had to help me out of bed. What happened is last night, I crashed on a training ride.

Damnedest thing, I was banging along, getting a really good sprint, got a little squirrelly feeling in the back, and next thing I know, me and my bicycle were on the pavement. I really don't remember much more than that. I hit the pavement at something over 25 MPH, though.

This brings me to my helmet. It was a Bell Solar, and frankly, the Dr tells me if I hadn't been wearing it, there's a real good chance I'd be either dead or comatose from the impact area and damage to the helmet. The helmet is absolutely trashed, but it did it's job well.....it absorbed the energy of the impact.

As to my injuries, a pranged up my shoulder and right hip and have sore ribs. The shoulder is deep muscle bruising in the trapezoids, and the hip is impact bruising as well. My noggin is fine, though, but I have a really sore neck as well from the impact. I have some significant road rash on my right leg as well, and I'm generally VERY stiff and sore.

I learned a few things though. First, I need a better light, I was on a night ride, and didn't see the pavement problem that caused me to crash. Coincidentally, my light is trashed as well, so hey....opportunity to upgrade. Second, I've occasionally taken a few short rides without a helmet......NEVER AGAIN! If I hadn't been wearing it, I wouldn't be making this post. Third: 48 year old men hurt more after a crash. Who'da thunk! I'm having to use a cane to move around the house right now, and my arm is in a sling.

I uploaded some pics of the helmet core and road rash, etc, and I really wish I'd had my video camera rolling. It would have been awesome video!

Press Release: There's a New Site on the Net!

2008-05-06T23:32:00.000-04:00

Free listings on TheCyclePeople.com!

During the month of May, bike shops, tour operators, and accommodation owners that link their site to TheCyclePeople.com will get free listings for the remainder of 2008.

Manufacturers have already uploaded thousands of products to the site's database, making it easy to search for the latest cycling gear. And over 7,000 US and UK bike shops are listed as well. Shop owners that take advantage of this opportunity will get an enhanced listing for their shop, complete with details on the product lines they carry. Tour operators and accommodation owners can upload photos and detailed descriptions of their offerings as well.

It's a completely risk-free way to gain exposure to over 1.5 million cyclists this year, on a site dedicated to becoming the one-stop site for cyclists around the world. Businesses wishing to take advantage of this offer should visit www.TheCyclePeople.com/Advertise - offer closes May 30th 2008.

About TheCyclePeople.com: The portal for cycling enthusiasts allows users to search by product (more added weekly), to search for a bike shop anywhere in the US and UK (expanding to other countries) to find cycling holidays and accommodation worldwide, and to access the forums (link) for interacting with other cyclists. Over 20,000 businesses are currently featured. For more details about TheCyclePeople.com or the May Free Listings Offer, please contact info@thecyclepeople.com

Commencing on Commencement!

2008-05-05T03:03:00.002-04:00

Well, it's been a busy couple of weeks for me. I graduated Sunday. I finished up my Associates Degree and am moving on the a 4 year in the Fall. I actually have one presentation to do for my Sociology Class, but have that whipped very nicely.

So, on to the pics.

Been a rough week for riding though. For the first time since I was hurt, I got less than 10 miles in on the bike this wee. I did have a good excuse though.

Well, I am Doing triathlon, FOR SURE!

2008-04-22T19:19:00.004-04:00

Above is a very rough approximation of the course for the cycling section. Looks like a roller, and if the weather cooperates, should be a nice ride! All I have to do is run and swim as well. Imagine, I was in a wheelchair three years ago this time of the year, and here I am, committed to doing a sprint Triathlon.....who'da thunk!

Well, I suppose I ought to put that bike of mine to the purpose it was intended for.....racing! Actually, I don't care where I place, but I will finish it. Wish me luck! Here is the actual map of the race.

Midwestern Earthquake!

2008-04-18T11:08:00.006-04:00

Image from USGS

Yep, we had an earthquake this morning. 5.4 on the Richter Scale. It woke me up from a dead sleep at 5:38 AM Eastern Time. No damage here, other than some pictures knocked askew and a couple fell off the walls.

This quake was interesting in that we're about 208 miles from the epicenter in New Salem, Illinois, which is about 22 miles SW of Vincennes, Indiana. Apparently, from what I gather, the quake was felt as far away as Northern Florida. You don't normally think of Central Indiana or the Midwest as an earthquake zone, but it is!

The New Madrid fault, which runs up along the Mississippi River valley is relatively near. We're also on the edge of the Wabash Valley Seismic Zone. The epicenter of the earthquake is very
near the large red dot near the Indiana/Illinois Border. More aftershocks are occurring as we speak. It's going to be an interesting day.

Homeland Security has their earthquake preparedness plan in action, and INDOT are currently out checking Bridges and overpasses.

Further information about Indiana Earthquakes is available here.

Now, the good news! We have a gorgeous day today and I'm going to go ride my bike!

New Cycling Technology: Power assist for a recumbent trike

2008-04-01T13:19:00.005-04:00

Well, there's a new breakthrough in Trike Technology.....the Ion Assisted Trike.

This new technology will increase the efficiency or trike usege and provide reliable high speed transportation at minimal energy costs./ Fuel mileage is estimated at 1200 miles/gram of Deuterium in it's miniaturized TOKAMAK fusion reactor. This powers a high thrust Ion Thrust unit.

This new technology makes for a fun and fast recumbent trike. The Concept is developed by Stormcrowe Engineering, and will be available in the near future....just as soon as we address that tendency to lift to orbit if the rider allows the steer wheel to rise at speed.

This trike will revolutionize touring as well as cycle commuting.

Sorry about the infrequency of posts

2008-03-19T12:16:00.002-04:00

As a lot of you know, I'm a student, studying Psychology. I've had a very busy couple of semesters between training time, homework and other aspects of my life. In my quest to reinvent myself, and maintain the weight loss, I have to spend a lot of time. Often, I'll multitask, for example and read assignments while on the trainer. I'm planned several papers this way. It's interesting, but the exercise allows me to narrow my focus to pedaling, breathing and assimilating the information in the assignment.

Other than that, to me, cycling is a meditative time as well. On a ride, I fall down inside myself and all the pressures recede. My world is simplified to the simple concepts of breathing and patterns around me from the traffic. Time goes away, and so does pain and stress. It's a very Zen thing. That's a large part of what keeps me motivated as well.

I'm still running the Spinner Saturday Program, by the way, I've just hosted it online at Google for now. I'm currently working on a better version in full database form (LAMP or other) though and expect to hopefully have a Beta release on line under my own hosting at some point.

Spinner Saturday is located here

As to my cycling, that's a permanent life change. I'm happy to say that I'll ride til I die, or as long as I have even the capability to ride a trike even.

On another News Front: Tour de Cure

I'm pleased to announce that Team Stormcrowe is sitting in the number one slot for fundraising for the Indianapolis event on June 14th.

What I did on Vacation, a Ride Report!

2008-03-17T18:07:00.001-04:00

Well, as you know, I did two rides over Spring Break....one unofficial, a 34 mile ride in Chattanooga and up Lookout Mountain.

http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=1698556

The Lookout Ride was a killer for this Indiana Flatlander, with 1800 feet of HARD climb! I was still hurting from it when I started Tour de Pike. Chattanooga, though, is turning into a Cycle Friendly town, it looks like. There are even sensors for bikes in the Tunnels on Brainerd Rad that activate flashers and tell auto drivers to move to the left lane and not crowd a cyclist.

And off to Georgia we go. I met up with ModoVincere for the ride, a fellow BFer.

Tour de Pike kicked off with a bagpiper, by the way. He's also one of the local lawyers. Not a bad Piper either

All in all, it was a nice ride! I thoroughly enjoyed it and hope to be able to go again next year! Now, here's some better video from the ride.

Any of you Clyde's and Athena's in the southlands might want to join me next year!

PS: As an after thought.....the dirt roads are the roads that Google Maps routed us in to Barnesville on (Where we were staying for the ride....closest motel!) The Country Hearth Inn in Barnesville also is the only public access Internet in the area with their High Speed Wireless.

Looking like Georgia on my Mind!

2008-03-01T00:37:00.003-05:00

I think I'm going to go to Georgia for Spring Break, and ride the Tour de Pike I mentioned in my last post. I need a break from the winter weather and Georgia sounds like a great place....early enough it won't be beastly hot, and warm enough for jersey and shorts.

Speaking of jerseys, I just had one arrive! My Mom got me a really nice jersey. It surprised me, and is quite cool!

Reproduction of the 1980 Soviet Union Olympic Cycling Team Jersey

How do you think it'll be received down in Pike County, Georgia?

Spring Break is Coming Up!

2008-02-24T19:23:00.008-05:00

I'm looking for ideas for the break that aren't too terribly far from home and involving Cycling. Somewhere in the Indiana, Illinois, Michigan area would be great, or Kentucky. I have some other ideas as well.

Tour de Pike, down in Georgia is a possibility, for example. The only drawback is the 650 mile drive home Sunday and return to class on Monday.

Tour De Cure Update

In other News, I hit goal this weekend for Tour de Cure! $820.00 with the goal of $800! Yeehaw! On that note, let's see how high we can drive it up over goal!

Here's my donation page for Tour de Cure.

Additional Tour de Cure info.
New Rider for the Washington State Event

The Redmond, Washington Tour de Cure has a new rider, Eric Salinas. Here's a little bit about him.

My name is Eric Salinas and I just returned to cycling last year after being on the sidelines for years due to a severe back injury. I am 46 years old with three children and have been married to my wife Jennie for 20 great years. Jennie is a type two diabetic and is the #1 reason for riding. She is a 911 dispatch supervisor and gives so much of herself to so many, it is time to give something back. So again, I dedicate this years Tour de Cure to my wife Jennie.-Eric Salinas

Eric's page is Here

Help him make his goal as well.

Off Season Cycling Workouts

2008-02-22T08:19:00.000-05:00

Here's a great little workout using body weight. No equipment necessary, and this workout will wreck you, believe me! Circuit training is a 20 minute workout at your maximum capability.

This will improve your strength and if you want to burn fat, there's nothing better. Your bike will say thank you for doing these, until you get enough strength built to make that bike whimper that you're pedaling it too hard.

Sheldon Brown: Off to the Next Adventure

2008-02-04T23:58:00.000-05:00

Sheldon Brown, a passionate and dedicated member of the cycling community has passed away. I had occasion to interact with Sheldon in the Clydesdale's/Athena's forum at Bike Forums, as well as other subforums there. He was a genuinely helpful man and is going to be greatly missed.

He left behind him a gigantic treasure trove of information at his various websites as a legacy to cyclists everywhere. He covered bike maintenance to Touring. He will be truly missed.

Sheldon Brown, 1944-2008, off to the next adventure.

Final Correctioln on the Spinner Saturday totals:

2008-01-21T18:38:00.000-05:00

100,288.28 miles, now that all the final miles are in. Not a bad effort everyone!

What is Spinner Saturday?

It's a program I started to track miles for a few friends and me to see what we did in a year on a bike. We're up to 71 members now, and next years goal is another 100,000 miles by bicycle.

It's the End of the Year:Totals

2007-12-31T15:51:00.000-05:00

Well, we had a banner year with Spinner Saturday, I must say. We had originally set a goal of 50,000, then upped it to 80,000, and then 100,000 miles for the group for the year. We almost made the 100K!

Personal totals:

Tom Stormcrowe totals Average
Jan 186
Feb 230
Mar 524
Apr 365.76
May 454
Jun 619
Jul 530
Aug 676
Sep 75
Oct 142.2
Nov 604.3
Dec 355
Total 4761.26 Average 396.771666666667

Group Totals
997,006 miles by bicycle!***
There were a couple of late reporters, so I had to edit the total

Other News

I got several very nice items for Christmas, and enjoyed the last ride of the year on my bike yesterday. The weather today was too cold and tonight, it's going to be too bad for me to ride across midnight.

Items I got:

An Oregon Scientific ATC2K Action Camera. I got my first video up yesterday from it. It's pretty cool! I need to find a better mounting spot than the end of my aerobars though.

Video here

and some stills of me on the bike with the aerobars

Photography E. Leonard

So, on to a Happy and Prosperous 2008. Keep pedaling and stay alive!

Only a few days left of 2007! Get your donation in to take advantage of the deduction!

2007-12-28T13:38:00.000-05:00

Welcome to My Tour de Cure Web Page!

Riding for a cure!

Team Stormcrowe Team page

Mr. Tom Leonard

Goal: $800.00
Achieved: $720.00

Support Me in Tour de Cure!

I'll be riding 100 miles doing laps at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in the Tour de Cure. I am diabetic myself and so is my wife. This is a cause that directly affects my life. I was morbidly obese and wheelchair bound in March, 2005. Since then I have lost 362 pounds and my diabetes is in remission and controlled through diet and exercise. Others haven't had my good fortune though and are still dependent on medication to stay alive. Let's got pedaling down that road to a cure!

Help Make a Difference!

Pedal power works!

Each mile I ride, each dollar I raise will be used in the fight to prevent and cure diabetes and to improve the lives of all people affected by diabetes.

No matter how small or large, your generous gift will help improve the lives of more than 20 million Americans who suffer from diabetes, in the hope that future generations can live in a world without this disease. Together, we can all make a difference!

Thank you for making a generous contribution to this cause that is so important to me!

I just bumped the goal by $100

Each time I hit this goal, I'll continue to bump it again, as necessary. Let's see how far we can push that total up.

Sign up to ride the event while you're at it! Team Stormcrowe needs riders as well as donors! You don't have to ride 100 miles like I'm planning to, there are plenty of other events to go for, like the 50K and 75 k events, or the family ride on the track!

I'd also like to thank my friends over at Bike Forums for their generosity.

If you think this page contains objectionable content, please inform the system administrator.

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Local News: Mountain Bike Trail Advocacy in Tippecanoe County

2007-12-17T13:11:00.001-05:00

Here in Lafayette and West Lafayette, we have only two trails to ride Mountain Bikes on. Murdock Park, which is an "Unofficial" trail, and McCormick Woods, which is owned by Purdue University. Now, I ride skinny tire road bikes, so you might wonder why I even care.

I care because I support cycling and any effort to improve cycling for our riders in Tippecanoe County. Down at Hodson's Bay, one of the Local Bike Shops in Tippecanoe County, there is a sign up sheet/petition to the local governmental bodies such as the County Parks Dept. Drop in and sign this, and show the County Parks Dept that mountain biking is more than just kids, and that we take care of the trails we ride. Sign up for trail maintenance as well, make a commitment to improving existing trails as well as building new ones, as we get them authorized.

well, I was released to ride, but:

2007-12-16T03:49:00.000-05:00

The weather isn't being really cooperative! I no longer have a fat tire bike, it has moved on to another home. I never rode it and nothing worse than a bike that just sits around doing nothing. I was going to ship it to my brother, but it was going to cost almost $600.00 to ship it overseas to SE Asia! It wasn't an expensive bike, only a Royce Union, so shipping a bike worth $25-$50.00 would have been ridiculous!

Well, here are some weather shots from tonight. It's a wee bit on the nasty side. It's just a bit on the snowy side. No riding for me, and it figures.....I was just released to ride! Stuck on the trainer, I guess! We have about 8" on the ground right now, give or take, and are expecting probably another 4-6". If we get it, there'll be over a foot of snow on the ground and the wind is going to be whipping up to around 30-40 mph tomorrow. Snowdrift city!

Look at that snow in the air!

Slowly getting buried

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

As you can see, I have a good reason to ride the trainer! What kind of trainer do I use, you ask? Well, the answer is easy: The Kurt Kinetic Road Machine Fluid trainer! Quiet, reliable and gives a great workout!

I Miss Cycling!

2007-12-08T00:59:00.000-05:00

What with my injury, and all, I can't ride right now, or lift weights, either! I'm in full blown Cycling Withdrawal! On another note, sorry about the lack of articles or writing, it's been a busy semester! One week to go and it's Christmas Break!

On a better note: I have a Dr appointment next week and I'm going to talk to him about some limited riding on the trainer, presuming my butt will stand it. I have to do something! Maybe I'll steal my wife's recumbent trike for a bit, no pressure in sensitive areas........

News Release
Adventure Cycling Releases 2008 Tour Lineup

www.adventurecycling.org/tours

Missoula, Mont.—Adventure Cycling Association, North America's largest bicycle travel organization, has unveiled its schedule of guided group rides for 2008. With 36 distinct tours and events, along with seven education courses, it is the most comprehensive ride roster in the organization's 32-year history.

"The hallmarks of Adventure Cycling rides are our seasoned leaders, affordable prices, and relatively small group sizes," said tours director Rod Kramer. "Beyond that, the rides take place in a wide array of formats, spectacular places, and seasons.

"We're particularly excited to be offering a greater number of early season rides than ever before," Kramer said. "These include the weeklong California ‘Winter Warmer' event ride beginning in San Diego on February 16, another weeklong ride in southern Arizona beginning March 8, and a self-contained tour across the country on the Southern Tier beginning March 22. Come April, we'll also be running weeklong event rides in Virginia and the Texas Hill Country."

Each of Adventure Cycling's 36 tours falls into one of two categories of travel, explained tours team leader John Weyhrich: either self-contained or supported. Each category offers a wide variety of great variation in locations, durations, riding surfaces, and more.

"For instance," Weyhrich said, "our self-contained trips include rides as relatively tame as a 10-day spin through the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, and as wild and wooly as our 10th edition Great Divide expedition." This 82-day adventure follows dirt roads from Banff, Alberta, to the Mexico border through some of the most remote and magnificent landscapes in the West. The Great Divide route, developed by Adventure Cycling in the 1990s, is considered the longest mountain bike route in the world at just over 2,700 miles.

"The supported tours also provide an incredible amount of variety," Weyhrich added. "Several of them — Cycle Utah and the Sierra Sampler, for instance — are weeklong event rides serving from 40 to as many as 120 cyclists. Others offer a more personalized level of service and are limited to just 14 participants — notably, the 15-day Great Parks South trip and our first-ever van-supported, 76-day ride across the country on the TransAmerica Bicycle Trail. That tour will give seasoned cyclists a chance to cross the U.S. without having to haul anything but their bikes and their bodies."

Finally, Adventure Cycling's education courses are aimed at two categories of riders: those wishing to learn the ins and outs of bicycle travel, and those who want to lead tours for groups of adults or young people. Of special note is the first-ever Pedal Pioneers training to help youth group leaders develop tours for youth in the middle-school and high school age ranges. The course will be based on the acclaimed curriculum developed by Adventure Cycling in 2006 (available at www.adventurecycling.org/outreach/pedalpioneers.cfm).

To learn more about these courses and all of Adventure Cycling's tours and events, visit www.adventurecycling.org/tours or call or email to request a copy of the 2008 tours catalog. The Tours Department can be reached at 800/755-2453 x3 or tours@adventurecycling.org.

Adventure Cycling Association is the largest bicycle membership organization in North America, with more than 42,500 members. Its mission is to inspire people of all ages to travel by bicycle. The nonprofit organization researches routes and creates maps for cycling in North America and publishes the best bicycle travel information available, including Adventure Cyclist magazine and The Cyclists' Yellow Pages.

My Annual Totals

2007-11-28T10:38:00.000-05:00

Since I'm now on the disabled list for the rest of the year, at least, here are my totals

I was on my way to the best month of the year too!

I'm in the hospital

2007-11-26T19:00:00.000-05:00

It seems my behind wanted to imitate a party favor yesterday. I suffered a Rectal Prolapse, and am in the hospital waiting for the kiester to heal up enough to have them scope it and then fix it.

Needless to say, I'm getting some pretty good drugs, and am not really feeling much pain right now. Home Hospital has wireless internet so at least I can go on line and have some social life!

If you want to email me or whatever, most of you have my various email addresses. :D

Thanksgiving Images, 2007

2007-11-24T20:18:00.001-05:00

Happy Thanksgiving!

2007-11-21T10:18:00.001-05:00

While you travel, and see family for Thanksgiving, give a little thought to what you have to be thankful for. I have a lot, myself!

My life itself! Back in 2005, this was in some doubt!
My Wife: She had to really toughen up,because I was pretty sick!
My family: They have supported me in my obsession with health and have put up with my zeal.
My friends: They've been a great support over the last couple of years, right alongside my family.
My Professors, particularly my Dept Psychology Chair, Colin! He, along with Stan have opened my eyes to whole new vistas.

So, what are you thankful for?

Meanwhile, I'm going to go and enjoy my holiday and ride my bike, weather permitting!

The Trainer Blues and My 2008 Summer Goals

2007-11-17T10:31:00.000-05:00

The Trainer Blues are a normal thing this time of year. Weather is getting colder and the roads are heading toward icy, and you really don't want to go out for a ride, so you have your bike on the Trainer Stand.

Personally, I hate riding the trainer. It makes me feel like I'm riding in a Gerbil Wheel. It's the lesser of two evils though, as compared to not riding. I have some goal rides for next Summer to train for.

The first major goal is to turn a high speed Century on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway during Tour de Cure, 2008. Ideally, I want to turn the 100 miles in about 5 ½ hours. This means I'll need to be able to hold a 20 MPH average to make it and still get a 5 minute break hourly for nutrition and bottle restock and possible output breaks.

My second goal for the Summer is a lot more ambitious and I've been hesitant to talk about it for obvious reasons! I've been struggling with the whole idea as to whether it's within my physical abilities, but I decided it's better to try and not succeed than to not try and always wonder.

I am planning a route right now for a ride starting in Michigan City, Indiana at the Michigan State Line, and ending at the Indiana/Kentucky line by Owensboro, Kentucky. It's a 310 mile route, and here's the catch. I want to do it in a day! It's going to be a fully supported attempt, with a SAG van and support crew, ala RAAM. All I need to do on that end is recruit crew.

Now, I'm sure you're asking yourself.....”Is he insane?” The answer to this is a resounding YES, but in a good way! To achieve this goal, I'm going to have to train, and train hard! When the pain hits, I'm just going to have to “take off my skirt, cancel my manicure, grow a mustache and harden the f*ck up”, to quote one of my favorite funny men, Ronnie Johns, aka Chopper, down in Australia!

My roughed out route

http://www.mapmyride.com/ride/united-states/in/lafayette/743009585

This ought to be a challenge for me, what do you think?

2007-11-10T09:06:00.000-05:00

2007 America’s Health Rankings™ Show a Decline in
the Overall Health of the Nation

Analysis shows Vermont, Minnesota and Hawaii are nation’s healthiest states;
Mississippi and Louisiana rank as least-healthy states

WASHINGTON, D.C. – November 5, 2007 – The overall health of the nation declined
over the past year, despite progress made in several key health indicators, according to a
report launched today by United Health Foundation, the American Public Health
Association (APHA) and Partnership for Prevention™. The 18th annual edition of
America’s Health Rankings™: A Call to Action for People & Their Communities
measures the overall healthiness of states and the nation using a comprehensive and
longitudinal set of related health determinants and health outcomes. The report indicates
that the overall health of the nation declined by a rate of 0.3 percent since last year.
While this report, and others, show there have been modest gains in reducing the rates of
cancer and cardiovascular mortality, these improvements continue to be dwarfed by
increasing obesity, increasing numbers of uninsured people, children in poverty and the
persistence of risky health behaviors, such as tobacco use and violent crime – all of which
have a significant impact on the overall healthiness of the nation.

Read more?
N E W S R E L E A S E: United Health Foundation
What can we do about this state of affairs? It's pretty simple, actually! Get more active! Go out and ride your bike, or take a walk, or a run. The benefits you reap will be wonderful!

What Will Exercise and Lifestyle Change Do for Me?

Surprisingly, or not, depending on how well informed you are about the benefits of exercise, there are several key factors that are going to be benefitted by exercise:

Depression: Exercise stimulates production of key brain chemicals called Endorphins. These are good in that they help with your mood as well as management of pain in the body. It may also just be an increase in self esteem, though, in honesty. Whether it's an actual physiological effect or just an increase in self esteem, however, a pragmatic view suggests that if it works, use it!
Clear Thought: Exercise has been demonstrated to stimulate the growth of new neural tissue and to help with clarity of thought. Some of my most creative thinking is done on a long bike ride. To me, it's a Zen process. I fall down inside myself and everything is reduced to patterns and breathing. My awareness of the world is still there, and I can react to traffic, etc, but most of my brain is simply processing in a meditative state.
Better Cardiovascular Health: Simply put, your heart gets stronger, our cholesterol tends to reduce, and your CV system generally improves
Better Pulmonary Health: Your lung function improves
Sex Life: What can I say? It gets better, the healthier you are! If you aren't loaded down with Blood Pressure and cardiac medicines, you generally don't need Viagra! Now, if you do need these meds, don't discontinue them, but if you can get healthy enough to do without them AND YOUR DOCTOR APPROVES, then you too can reap these benefits!

You can change your personal paradigm. Life is what you make it.

By the way, Indiana is ranked at 32! We can do better than that!

A New Resource! The Cycle People!

2007-11-09T07:35:00.000-05:00

I just came across this site. It looks to be a very interesting resource in form of a catch all search resource for cycling holidays, shops and everything. As you know, if you read me regularly, cycle touring is one of my things, and a bicycle vacation, to me, is the ultimate! I'll be looking into perhaps using them myself for a trip. I'm going to be exploring the site to see what all they do offer, but their global cycle tour resources really caught my eye! I've also added a permanent link in my resources section below.

Wanna Take a Ride?

2007-11-03T19:16:00.000-04:00

Indianapolis, IN

Team Stormcrowe

Welcome to our Tour de Cure team page!

We are determined to reach our goal one rider at a time.

Why Ride?
On behalf of the millions of Americans with diabetes and their families and friends, we are counting on you to help our team make a difference! The funds we raise will support the American Diabetes Association’s important research, information and advocacy efforts and its mission: to prevent and cure diabetes and to improve the lives of all people affected by diabetes.

Have Fun!
If you choose to ride with us, you’ll get to take part in a fun, exciting, healthy event for the whole family! You can even invite friends and family to join us! Every rider counts!

Support our Team!
Support our team by making a donation, or join our team and ask your family and friends to ride with you! We can’t do it alone!

Team Roster for Team Stormcrowe
Tom Leonard	Join Team Stormcrowe

Team Stormcrowe

Goal:: $1,000.00
Achieved:: $0.00

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Calcium and the Cyclist

2007-10-25T14:17:00.000-04:00

As a result of an email exchange connected to a discussion in Bike Forums, I had occasion to email Dr Pam Hinton, an Associate Professor at Missouri University concerning Bone Density and Cyclists. It seems there are calcium issues involved with non load bearing exercise, like Cycling, or Swimming.

Cross training is the best remedy for this, along with supplementation with Calciul. Calcium Citrate, by the way, is the most easily metabolizable form of Calcium for the body and intake needs to be around 1000-1500 mg a day.

The following is the press release on Dr Hintons study:

From: MU NEWS BUREAU

Sent: Monday, October 15, 2007 12:02 PM

Subject: Study Shows Some Athletic Men May Risk Low Bone Density

http://munews.missouri.edu/news-releases/2007/1015-hinton-osteopenia.php

Oct. 15, 2007 Contact: Pamela Hinton

Associate Professor

(573) 882-4137

HintonP@missouri.edu

Study Shows Some Athletic Men May Risk Low Bone Density

COLUMBIA, Mo. — According to the National Osteoporosis Foundation, osteoporosis affects more than 2 million men in the United States and nearly 12 million more have osteopenia—clinically significant low bone density that is less severe than osteoporosis. Now, a new study from the University of Missouri-Columbia has found that men engaging predominantly in low-impact forms of exercise have an increased incidence of osteopenia—a condition resulting in two times the risk of bone fracture.

"Unfortunately, some individuals who believe they are doing everything right in terms of their health might be surprised and upset by our finding," said Pamela Hinton, an associate professor of nutritional sciences in MU's College of Human Environmental Sciences, who co-authored the study. "We believe, however, that these results will ultimately serve as education and motivation for these people."

Hinton said the effects of osteopenia can be mitigated by integration of weight-bearing activities into the lifestyle of active individuals. Studies in pre- and post-menopausal women suggest that bone mineral density will increase 2 percent to 3 percent after six months of resistance training three times per week. Small changes in bone density translate into much larger changes in bone strength—a 1 percent increase in bone density reduces the risk of fracture by up to 5 percent.

"Regular, non-weight-bearing activities, such as swimming and cycling are effective measures for preventing the leading risk factors for death and disability in our society,” Hinton said. “But the results of this study suggest that regular weight-bearing activities, such as running, jogging, or rope jumping, are important for the maintenance of healthy bones."

The researchers measured bone mineral density in 43 competitive male cyclists and runners ages 20 to 59. Findings of the study included:

n The cyclists had significantly lower bone mineral density of the whole body, especially of the lumbar spine, compared to runners.

n 63 percent of the cyclists had osteopenia of the spine or hip compared with 19 percent of the runners.

n Cyclists were seven-times more likely to have osteopenia of the spine than the runners.

Background facts:

n The risk of fracture is increased approximately two-fold in osteopenic individuals and five-fold in people with osteopenia.

n Low bone density in males often remains undiagnosed and inadequately treated and, after suffering a fracture, men are less likely to receive follow-up care than women.

n Risk factors for osteoporosis in men are similar to those identified in women: family history, age, low body weight, smoking, excessive alcohol consumption, inadequate calcium or vitamin D intake, low reproductive hormone levels, physical inactivity, and disease or medication affecting bone metabolism.

The study, "Participation in road cycling versus running is associated with lower bone mineral density in men," will be published in Metabolism, and is authored by MU researchers R.S. Rector, R. Rogers, M. Ruebel and P.S. Hinton, in the Department of Nutritional Sciences.

Ride Report: Specialized Allez

2007-10-20T16:37:00.000-04:00

Where'swaldo will recognize the Jersey

I took "Black Beauty" out for a romp today, the weather was so beautiful! Nice little 30 mile ride, and got so into the ride that I forgot to get the camera out at all! I did stop by my school though and drafted a cameraman to get this shot for me, to show off the bike and the jersey a bit

photo by Jason Lundt

Now that I have a few more miles under me, I can give a real ride report! All I can say is WOW! Where have brifters been all my life? This bike is smooth, handles crisply and responsively, and Mr Beanz, thanks for the good words on the Deep V's! I can't believe the difference 20 years of technology advance has made! Total time on the ride was 1:37 and felt like I was sandbagging.

Here is my route, below!
http://www.mapmyride.com/ride/united...ette/877956008

Lafayette's Diabetes Walk, 2007, or how I spent Saturday Morning!

2007-10-14T01:58:00.000-04:00

Crazylady and I volunteered for the American Diabetes Association Diabetes walk today, at Subaru Isuzu in Lafayette. It was a great event. We had a blast and plan on dong the event again next year. We couldn't do any fundraising this time, school has me pretty loaded up on my time.

Here's a little bit of video from the event though

Other news

I have a new ride to break in. I acquired a Specialized Allez to ride. this bike is a road rocket! Looks pretty wicked too! It's a lot lighter than my old Schwinn, that's for sure!

I'm sure looking forward to riding Tour de Cure on it next season!

Temporarily caged!

2007-09-24T11:17:00.000-04:00

I'm stuck driving for a few days at least! I had a wee crash on my mountain bike and have buggered my shoulder. It seems that 47 year olds don't bounce as easily as we did when we were 20!

This stinks! It was a low speed crash, around 10 MPH in a set of tight technical turns on the outlaw trail in Murdock Woods in Lafayette, Indiana. My bike just went out from under me on some roots and crunch!

Münster – A Cycling City

2007-09-23T19:47:00.000-04:00

The citizens of Münster climb onto their bicycles 374,528 times per day / Cycle traffic has the highest priority when it comes to urban planning.

Münster (SMS) Elsewhere people struggle their way through traffic congestion in their car. Most of the Münster citizens get their day off to a more comfortable start: 50 percent start their day by jumping onto their bicycles before making their way to school, university or their vocational training establishment. As many as 34.2 percent travel to work on the “Leeze”. In Münster, the higher education and service city with just under 280,000 inhabitants, the cycle density is so high that visitors to the city are sometimes unable to believe their eyes. In the past year, the proportion of cyclists of the amount of traffic as a whole has increased once more, reaching a 35 percent share. In comparison, the proportion of cars has not increased in more than 25 years. Münster is one of the cities with the lowest proportion of motor vehicles – it is a cycling city after all.

Getting there fast and easily

In the city, destinations are normally reached faster with the bicycle than with the car and that is not the only reason why both males and females, small and tall make regular use of their bicycles with a regular matter of course. Those who ride in the fresh air also do not have any problems finding a parking space, spare their nerves and cut costs. The city offers 12,500 parking spaces for cyclists. The authorities make it easy for the citizens to change to the environmentally friendly alternative. After all, the infrastructure for cycling traffic participants has not only been continuously refined since the North Rhine-Westphalian Ministry of Transport asked Münster to participate in the “Cycling friendly Cities and Municipalities” program in 1988.

Comfortable routes for the cyclists

275 kilometres of developed cycle-paths are just the beginning. They can not only be used when the sun is shining but the main routes are even cleared of snow and ice every day in winter. This is supplemented by a close network of agricultural roads and kilometre-long minor roads which are suitable for cycling. Münster was the first municipality in Germany to issue an official cycling city map, showing cyclists how to reach their destination fast and most comfortably without having to subject themselves to motor traffic. It was revised and reprinted in August 2007. Anyone can however get to where they are going with the assistance of more than 1750 destination signposts for cyclists which can be found throughout the city area and - devised from the planning brains of Münster – they have also found their way throughout Germany: This summer, the citizens of Münster celebrated the completion of the NRW-wide cycle-path signposting and the German-wide route network for cycling tourism.

Cyclists profit from numerous advantages in Münster: the Promenade, a 4.5 kilometre long green ring on which one can quickly cycle round the old part of the city without having to make many stops – this being what around 1350 Leezen riders do during the rush hour between 4 and 5 p.m. One-way streets which can be used by cyclists in the opposite direction to the stipulated one and cul-de-sacs which are only valid for cars, open up attractive secret paths. Münster also has cycling roads which explicitly prioritise cycling traffic when compared to motor traffic and combined bus/cycle lanes. Pedestrian precincts are also not necessarily prohibited for cyclists.

Safety has priority

The safety of the numerous cyclists has always been of great importance when planning traffic in Münster. For example, at numerous traffic lights, the traffic lights for cyclists turn to green a few seconds before the car drivers are allowed to go, so that they are not accidentally taken for a ride on the bonnet of a car turning right. Large crossings are provided with an extra waiting space at the front. This means that they always start first when the lights change to green and are always in view of the drivers of the cars behind. Traffic education in Münster already starts in kindergarten and primary school. In addition, the municipal authority has founded a "partnership for accident prevention" in cooperation with the police and numerous renowned institutions in Münster. True to the motto “Safe Through Münster”, they co-operate in order to reduce the number of accidents by ten percent each year.

In Germany’s second largest city territory, the bicycle not only makes a name for itself on short routes. The Leeze is also an important means of transport on longer distances in an environmental association with busses and rail transport. 2000-3000 commuters who commute both to and from Münster every day use the cycling station in front of the railway station, this being Germany’s largest bicycle garage with 3300 covered parking spaces and a comfortable bicycle service. The railway stations in the suburbs also have transfer stations, some being equipped with locking bicycle boxes. Furthermore, numerous bus stops are equipped with covered bicycle parking spaces and enable a trouble-free and fast transfer from cycle to bus and vice versa.

Specialists and interested laypersons can find large amounts of material from the municipal cycle traffic planners in the internet (www.muenster.de/stadt/stadtplanung). Among others, one can have the special aspects of cycling in Münster explained during a virtual cycling tour.

Münster, 23.09.2007

The Spinner Report for the week

2007-09-19T19:01:00.000-04:00

We've done pretty well this year.

Miles


Rider	9/8/2007	9/15/2007	9/22/2007	9/29/2007	Total
51	100.25	105.5			205.75
5th Circle					0
AaronW					0
Admiral					0
Adrien	96.86	123.41			220.27
A_Fire_Inside					0
Archienutt					0
Arctic Jill	194.2	110.5			304.7
BeckyW	9	35			44
Bdinger	42				42
Big Mike	93.5	202.36			295.86
ChunkyD					0
Colt45					0
Crymfyter					0
DanonBike	73.1	20.2			93.3
DavisClyde					0
DiabloRojo					0
DonHaller					0
Dpb13					0
Early					0
Edonis13					0
Epcolt	27.05				27.05
Fc	140	60			200
Funrover	21	51.5			72.5
Greyg8r					0
Genejockey					0
Huh					0
Huzzah					0
Halthane					0
Jeeper Tim	118	32			150
Joe Metal					0
Johannes					0
Jaxgtr	119.02	101.98			221
Jmarkley					0
Jumborider					0
Juvenile Tim	13				13
K4LK					0
Keithm0					0
Kensuf					0
Lil.Round1					0
Magool					0
Mkadam68	240.16	216.69			456.85
Neilfein	25.1	34.5			59.6
Obelix67					0
piper_chuck	60.9	73.1			134
Pupsocket					0
Raynman	18	15			33
RDRomano					0
Relayer					0
Ronjon10	126	62.56			188.56
Sandwarrior	86.69				86.69
Scotmorrsn	150	44			194
ShawnK					0
Solveg	56				56
Stearman					0
Stuejoe					0
The Historian					0
The Mrs	25				25
Tom Stormcrowe	25				25
Trolleyguy	149.5	140.2			289.7
Tskuller					0
Tt1106	333				333
Uncle Dan!	180	46			226
UTRacerDad	100	100			200
Wingman115					0
Wogsterca	48.5	59.7			108.2
Total	2670.83	1634.2	0	0	4305.03

Hours


Hours	9/8/2007	9/15/2007	9/22/2007	9/29/2007
51	9	9
5th Circle
AaronW
Admiral
Adrien	6.3	8.7
A_Fire_Inside
Archienutt
Arctic Jill
BeckyW
Bdinger
Big Mike
ChunkyD
Colt45
Crymfyter
DanonBike
DavisClyde
DiabloRojo
DonHaller
Dpb13
Early
Edonis13
Epcolt	2
Fc
Funrover	1.4	3.75
Greyg8r
Genejockey
Huh
Huzzah
Halthane
Jeeper Tim	8.9	2.4
Joe Metal
Johannes
Jaxgtr	7.75	6.9
Jmarkley
Jumborider
Juvenile Tim
K4LK
Keithm0
Kensuf
Lil.Round1
Magool
Mkadam68	15.25	13.35
Neilfein
Obelix67
piper_chuck
Pupsocket
raynman
RDRomano
Relayer
Ronjon10	9.8	4.5
Sandwarrior	5.8
Scotmorrsn	8.5	2.2
ShawnK
Solveg
Stearman
Stuejoe
The Historian
The Mrs
Tom Stormcrowe
Trolleyguy	11.23	11.35
Tskuller
Tt1106
Uncle Dan!
UTRacerDad	7	8
Wingman115
Wogsterca	4.2	5.4
Total	97.13	75.55	0	0

Annuals
Jan 4903.23
Feb 5582.93
Mar 8397.55
Apr 6339.49
May 8459.58
June 12301.61
July 11582.48
Aug 10273.52
Sep 4305.03
Oct
Nov
Dec
Total 72145.42

The charts are on display at the online page
http://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=p8Y_TSW7LCrCm46dLj41DPw&hl=en&pli=1

Good job, all! Keep up yhr great work and keep riding!

80 Million Reasons and More!

2007-09-17T10:50:00.000-04:00

80 million reasons

The government over here have decided to spend £80 million every year to make sure that pregnant women
will eat healthy to get babies who will eat healthy.
I’ve heard a lot of bull in my days from politicians but this is just stupid.

More here, it's a great article!

This article makes a lot of sense, by the way. Christa has touched on some words of wisdom in her article. A healthy diet and a sensible active lifestyle will go a long way toward better health. It really isn't "Rocket Science" after all. Another thing, be sure to check out Christa's recipes over there at "My Swedish Kitchen! She has some great food up!

Cycling News

As a leadup teaser, the Spinner Saturday Group has topped 72000 miles for the year so far. Not all the reports are in though, so get me your mileage!

Sanchez

Menchov still leads overall

The Associated Press

Published: September 16, 2007

Cycling Sanchez takes 15th stage of Spanish Vuelta, Menchov still leads Eds: UPDATES with quotes

GRANADA, Spain (AP) - Spanish rider Samuel Sanchez won the 15th stage of the Spanish Vuelta on Sunday, with Denis Menchov maintaining his overall lead with a ninth-place finish.

The Euskatel-Euskadi cyclist went ahead after the first climb nearly halfway in before holding off his rivals to win the 201.4-kilometer (125.1-mile) leg in 4 hours, 45 minutes, 59 seconds.

More..........

The Spinner Report for Sept 9

2007-09-14T22:51:00.000-04:00


Rider	9/8/2007	9/15/2007	9/22/2007	9/29/2007	Total
51	100.25	105.5			205.75
5th Circle					0
AaronW					0
Admiral					0
Adrien	96.86				96.86
A_Fire_Inside					0
Archienutt					0
Arctic Jill	194.2	110.5			304.7
BeckyW					0
Bdinger	42				42
Big Mike	93.5				93.5
ChunkyD					0
Colt45					0
Crymfyter					0
DanonBike	73.1				73.1
DavisClyde					0
DiabloRojo					0
DonHaller					0
Dpb13					0
Early					0
Edonis13					0
Epcolt	27.05				27.05
Fc	140				140
Funrover	21				21
Greyg8r					0
Genejockey					0
Huh					0
Huzzah					0
Halthane					0
Jeeper Tim	118				118
Joe Metal					0
Johannes					0
Jaxgtr	119.02				119.02
Jmarkley					0
Jumborider					0
Juvenile Tim	13				13
K4LK					0
Keithm0					0
Kensuf					0
Lil.Round1					0
Magool					0
Mkadam68	240.16				240.16
Neilfein	25.1				25.1
Obelix67					0
piper_chuck	60.9				60.9
Pupsocket					0
Raynman	18				18
RDRomano					0
Relayer					0
Ronjon10	126				126
Sandwarrior	86.69				86.69
Scotmorrsn	150				150
ShawnK					0
Solveg	56				56
Stearman					0
Stuejoe					0
The Historian					0
The Mrs	25				25
Tom Stormcrowe	25				25
Trolleyguy	149.5				149.5
Tskuller					0
Tt1106	333				333
Uncle Dan!					0
UTRacerDad	100				100
Wingman115					0
Wogsterca	48.5				48.5
Total	2481.83	216	0	0	2697.83


Hours	9/8/2007	9/15/2007	9/22/2007	9/29/2007
51	9	9
5th Circle
AaronW
Admiral
Adrien	6.3
A_Fire_Inside
Archienutt
Arctic Jill
BeckyW
Bdinger
Big Mike
ChunkyD
Colt45
Crymfyter
DanonBike
DavisClyde
DiabloRojo
DonHaller
Dpb13
Early
Edonis13
Epcolt	2
Fc
Funrover	1.4
Greyg8r
Genejockey
Huh
Huzzah
Halthane
Jeeper Tim	8.9
Joe Metal
Johannes
Jaxgtr	7.75
Jmarkley
Jumborider
Juvenile Tim
K4LK
Keithm0
Kensuf
Lil.Round1
Magool
Mkadam68	15.25
Neilfein
Obelix67
piper_chuck
Pupsocket
raynman
RDRomano
Relayer
Ronjon10	9.8
Sandwarrior	5.8
Scotmorrsn	8.5
ShawnK
Solveg
Stearman
Stuejoe
The Historian
The Mrs
Tom Stormcrowe
Trolleyguy	11.23
Tskuller
Tt1106
Uncle Dan!
UTRacerDad	7
Wingman115
Wogsterca	4.2
Total	97.13	9	0	0

Labor Day Weekend Update

2007-09-09T16:49:00.001-04:00

Also late but it was certainly fun!

I came back from Labor Day Weekend in serious pain! I basically over did it! My 47 year old body isn't as quick to recover from pounding the poo out of it as it was at 17!

All told, my activities were:
Cycling: We did a family ride and I pulled my niece in the trailer. She loved it. She's 16 months old and just starting to talk.....it was pretty cool!

Her other Grandmother had borrowed crazylady's recumbent trike for the ride and I was riding sweep at the back of the pack. I was calling overtaking traffic with "Car back". My niece started saying "car baa" right after. Now, here's the really cool part! She started beating me to the call. I was just getting ready to call an overtaker and from the kid trailer, I heard "car Baaaa". It was just too cute!

Other than the cycling, I also got to play with a Wave Runner personal watercraft for the first time. Let me tell you, those are so much fun, it oughta be a sin! I had an absolute blast with it! No pics, because my camera is most assuredly not waterproof.

A Wave Runner, by the way, is a whole body workout, especially in rough water! It gives you all the beating of doing an extreme freeride down a mountain! I highly recommend it!

It's also a good thing we drive a minivan: Here's what it looks like packing for a trip!