Crossing Battle Lines

Generally, when I’m doing non-.NET programming, I use either Vi or Notepad++ as my text editor. There was a time when I was using Notepad++ for nearly everything, but the lack of coherent syntax highlighting (especially for “mixed” files containing ColdFusion–both tag- and script-based–and Javascript) and a busy search UI made Vi a bit more […]

A Smattering of Outtakes and Rarities*

There has been a lot of interesting/infuriating discussions on the Bike Pittsburgh Message Board lately, mostly around cyclist/driver interactions. Most troubling to me is the attitude that it is perfectly fine to get into a shouting match with a driver, and whatever comes of that is the driver’s fault. Many moons ago, I used to […]

Well, That’s Over

The Tour, that is. Contador won, Schleck the Younger took second, and Lance Armstrong took third. Thor Hushovd took the points jersey, despite Mark Cavendish winning six (!) stages. Hushovd’s bold move to scoop up maximum points between categorized climbs showed that it’s not just the best sprinter who wins–even Cavendish had to concede that […]

Wednesday Night at the Oval, and Tour Chatter

Gee, the NASCAR course is considerably easier than the P course. Imagine that. I think I finished in the top twenty. If I could actually sprint, I may have done better. Good fun, though. Maybe I’m not ready to give up on the Oval just yet. Really impressive ride by Thor Hushovd. Though he finished […]

Wednesday Night at the Oval

P course tonight. I was considering not going down, a decision that would come back to haunt me. I’ve felt fairly tired all week, and tonight was no different. It didn’t help that I started at the back of the group, immediately putting myself in a hole. Within a few laps, a gap had formed, […]

Lance Armstrong on the Radio Ban

Then we can just ride with woolen jerseys and a tire around our necks, like in the old days. And this is a problem? I suspect that most riders, while giving lip service to the potential safety issues with the ban (which, of course, are mostly unwarranted since they still have race radio in their […]

Wednesday Night at the Oval

Whoa. It wasn’t raining. Shocking. Very full field, and three, count’em, three, riders for the invivodata squad. The pace was quick, but not unreasonable, and the race followed the usual script–lots of break attempts, usually involving UPMC and Iron City riders, but nothing stuck. I was much attentive to being near the front, and would […]

Raising the White Flag

The plan was simple: Alan and I would ride out Middle Road, follow Bairdford to the Red Belt, and return via Logan and Saxonburg Boulevard. All was well until the return on Saxonburg, where I flatted. No big deal, right? I swapped out the tube, and in the process of inflating it, the pump ate […]

Wednesday Night at the Oval

Picnic races tonight, so a short race (30 laps), full field, and lots of primes. I thought about trying to go for a prime before the race, but terrible start position meant I spent a good portion of the race just trying to move up. The pace was fast, as expected, but not terrible. I […]