Jeff Lenosky Going By Bike

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Originally uploaded by brendan61

Another busy week with lots of riding and even more work. This past Saturday was our "Parking Lot A Palooza" event at the Long Valley store featuring a stunt riding demonstration by Pro rider, Jeff Lenosky. The picture here is Jeff's wheel as it was passing a few inches over me as he jumped over ten human beings lying on the ground all in a row. This guy is amazing! I've know Jeff for 15 years and seen various versions of his show and it never fails to amaze me.

In other cycling news the Tour De France is over and Lance Armstrong, another pretty famous "go-er by bike" came in third. Pretty amazing feat. On the other hand, the winner of the tour, Alberto Contador, is just a jerk. Say what you want about Lance Armstrong but at least he knows that team work is what wins the race and even if you don't like one of your teammates you should still present a professional attitude. Lance displayed professionalism and class. Contador? Mmmm...not so much. Next year's TDF is shaping up to be a great show!

And now the bad news. I had to drive my car this morning. A confluence of circumstances including a very impressive display of extremely heavy rain forced me behind the wheel. I felt like a drunk falling off the wagon. But driving, yeah, I can quit anytime I want. However, It is my only time behind the wheel since July 13th.

Including recreational and transportation riding I am getting in about 100 miles a week now and I expect the mileage will increase. Since January I have gone from about 190 lbs to 178 lbs as of this morning without really trying. I did cut out the half a dozen peanut butter cookies after dinner every night though. Speaking of weight loss, I was watching the news the other day and the big story was about how obesity related medical care was accounting for over 9% of our health care expenditures. Really? Is it news that eating mountains of crap and sitting on your ass isn't good for your health? Shocking. You would think that politicians would be trying to get more people to ride bikes instead of wrangling with the healthcare system overhaul.

I'll throw it out there again. For the individual, going by bike will make you healthier, happier (yes, the chemical cocktail made by your body during exercise makes you happier) and you will save money. For the Nation, more people on bikes means lower healthcare costs, lower dependence on foreign energy and increased quality of life. For the planet, more people on bikes means a more sustainable environment. It's pretty simple actually.