I haven’t had the motivation to write a coherent, cohesive entry for some time, so here are some quick hits. Hopefully many will be given a better treatment sometime soon….

On the commute

I’ve really come to enjoy the new ride. Instead of fighting traffic, weaving in and out of cars, and trying to time traffics, I’m treating to a ride over the river as the sun crests the horizon, followed by two miles of gentle spinning in a wooded valley with a creek to my side, and then four miles of rolling hills on a lightly used road. The ride home is even better, hitting the valley as night falls, this evening under the light of an almost full moon. My bike has nearly completed the transformation from street-saavy track bike to utilitarian commuter. I’ve just installed a headlight, as roughly a third of the ride home does not have the luxury of street lights. I’ve even bolted a water bottle cage to the frame, albeit to carry the battery for the lamp. I’m now faced with the dilemma of upsizing my rear cog a bit to ease the ride as the week comes to an end.

Politics

There’s the beginnings of what should be an interesting discussion on the immediate future of politics in the United States here. Unfortunately, you must, unfortunately, be blessed by the Nocturnal Council to post.

World Rally Championship

The 2005 campaign ended this weekend in Australia without much fanfare, as Sebastien Loeb secured the title roughly four rallies ago. Loeb did have something to gun for, however, as he could break the record for rally wins in a season (10). It wasn’t to be, however, as the normally fast rally turned into a war of attrition as Loeb crashed out on Leg 1, followed by Marcus Gronholm, Colin McRae and Petter Solberg. Francois Duval salvaged his lackluster season by inheriting the win, with Mitsubishi’s Harri Rovanpera and privateer Manfred Stohl rounding out the podium.

It should be an interesting off season, as both Citroen and Peugeot will take at least a one year sabbatical from the championship. Loeb has signed with the privateer Kronos team to continue behind the wheel of Citroen. Loeb will maintain his ties with the French outfit in order to reclaim his factory seat when Citroen returns to the championship. Marcus Gronholm has signed with Ford for 2006, leading what could be a very promising charge for the Blue Oval. Duval and Peugeot’s Markko Martin have not secured drives for next season however. Only Subaru has set their roster, with both Solberg and youngster Chris Atkinson returning. Mitsubishi has also indicated it will keep its current lineup of Gigi Galli and Harri Rovanpera, with Gilles Panizzi driving a third works cars on the sealed surface events. Ford has not yet indicated if it will retain Toni Gardemeister for the second factory seat next to Gronholm. It’s expected that the Blue Oval won’t make a move until Martin’s status is known. Skoda will also have an open seat, with the retirement of Armin Schwarz. There are rumors that McRae would ink a deal for a fulltime drive with the Czech outfit.

Posted on 14 November 2005