I thought this might be a good sub-category for people to place links to newspaper, magazine or online articles that the group might find helpful. This one from the NYTimes about Lactic Acid is from way-back and may have made the rounds already (apologies if it has), but I just read (re-read?) it last night and found it interesting.

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/16/health/nutrition/16run.html

And here's a follow up about Columbia researchers looking at calcium as a culprit in fatigue:

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/12/health/research/12musc.html

Again, this may be old news to many of you...but I thought it would be good to get another thread started, so we can keep the forum neat and tidy.

CHeck out Steve Tilford's commentary on the excuse: http://stevetilford.com/?p=7642

Tilford hits the nail on the head.

JP

i know

so lame

srsly though, this one time, my friend did bring his hungry dog over to my house to eat my homework

it's a pretty lame excuse. Lame in the traditional sense - it just can't move on its own and won't get traction.

I was pretty amused by Velonews' write-up of the other Master's racer dope-buying bust that probably also came through Operation Papp Smear. I can't find the link right now but they wrote something like, "So-and-so will have to forfeit his prizes and winnings dating back to 2007, but a quick look at his results suggests that this won't be an issue." Translation: You got popped for doping and you don't even have anything to show for it.

Adding to the lameness of the story is that Chris Baldwin was popped for doping himself, yet is considered a worthy person to vouch for Coyle.

As for the paying back, please. It doesn't happen. I'm owed some money by Joe Papp, and there are many who are owed much much more than me.

oh JP!

were the magic beans he sold you "lost in the mail"?

I'm with y'all on this one and calling BS on his excuse. At a minimum, the guy should get suspended for being a dumb-ass for letting people use his credit card and email accounts (because it's really hard to set up your own free email account) and he should be assigned to watch 2 years of nightly episodes of the Suze Orman Show so he can "get real, girlfriend!"

megalol

a harsh punishment, but not uncalled for

I posted the following on the Tilford website after reading the article's author, Neal Rogers' response to some of the flack he's getting:

Neal Rogers', "I just let him tell his side of the story" response reveals volumes about what kind of publication Velonews actually is. Don't get me wrong, I read Velonews.com every day and I do appreciate what they offer. But I have a certain set of expectations when reading their stories. A traditional newspaper would have printed Chuck Coyle's uncontested response to the doping charges as an editorial. Not a news item.

As such, and in absence of such a section, I think it would have been more editorially sound to place this article along with the "rider diaries" section. Neal points out that "this wasn't a collaborative research project conducted by a team of investigative reporters." Since when does asking follow-up questions to some foul-smelling explanations require a team of investigative reporters? Of course, Rogers' apparently didn't need a team of investigative reporters to talk to other Boulder riders to get their opinions. He even reports, "Sources close to the case confirmed that Coyle’s suspension was related to information Papp provided to USADA."

The problem with Rogers' article and his subsequent response on this blog is that he clearly wants it both ways. He does some legit reporting here, but then turns around and tells us that he didn't have the resources to ask Coyle any hard questions. So there you have it, a clear mission statement from a representative of the top US cycling publication for racers. Rogers says, "If I had the chance, I’d write the same story again, and I’d give any other rider who is accused of doping and denies it the same opportunity to stake their claim." So fine, allow them to stake their claim in a guest editorial or the rider diaries' section, but half-reporting a news story, and then claiming, "I got what information I could from him" strikes me as either disingenuous or lazy or both.

It also rings hollow because he lined up people to vouch for Coyle's character. He didn't do that for the master's doper. Velo News didn't do it for Kenny Williams. I think they did do it for fellow boulderites Tom Zirbel and Tyler Hamilton. In other words, pros are worthy of quoting in defense of busted pros. Amateurs are not worthy of quoting.

Nothing here to blow your mind, but I enjoy reading what's going on in Page's head regardless:

http://www.podiuminsight.com/2010/12/25/page-this-is-not-rocket-science-its-just-bike-racing/

Most interesting factoid gleaned from this piece, IMHO? Page and wife Cory are on the fence about whether their semi-permanent move to Belgium was/is a good idea.

I thought Jeremy Powers was the other JP. (sorry Jonathan)

Armstrong tried to appropriate the handle we share. for a while he was going as JP, he claimed it was for Juan Pelota. When he was found out, when it became known his e.mail handle jp@mellowjohnnys.com, he was embarrassed and cut off the address. Flattery, sure. Plagiarism, sure. Thief.

JP

saw on another list-serve:

http://brooklynpaper.com/stories/34/1/34_1_crackdown.html

I think this is a reminder to us all to be a little more aware before proceeding to break traffic laws. I should probably stop riding the wrong way down Smith St, between Schemerhorn and State, right in front of multiple cop cars, and just walk that block.

Hopefully this is going to focus on the egregious wrong way, blowing through traffic signals and other behavior that is dangerous for the rider and others around them, rather than the usual: ticket everybody who doesn't dismount at the end of the Brooklyn Bridge path. If this cuts down on bad cyclist behavior that is good, since I think the big issue for most riders is an ignorance that traffic laws apply to them. They've seen other riders do it, so it must be ok, which reinforces the illegal and dangerous behavior.

Ticketing cyclists who don't use a hand signal when making a right turn, does not make anybody safer or educate about proper behavior.

part of the blue ribbon panel recommendations on the future of FBF suggest removing some runways and creating a wildlife area where we race (from what I can gather, no maps accompany the plan and some aspects are very general and vague). Even if you don't race there, it would be nice to comment on the plan expressing how important this location is to NYC cycling. We have so few venues so to loose even one would have an adverse impact on NYC racing.

https://spreadsheets.google.com/viewform?formkey=dEdaM0tNSHNTTGRLN3ZzSzVpcGRvVVE6MQ&ifq

I know this has been posted before so I don't mean to sound alarmist. Implementation of the plans is contingent on money and probably a long way into the future. But it would help to have our voices heard now. The commenting period ends the 20th.

Michael

Below is a message I added to the forum for the future of FBF. Please feel free to use this message in whole or in part. We need to make sure to let the commission know that there are current users of FBF who would like to continue to use FBF.

As the member of the Kissena Cycling Club, a Brooklyn based cycling club that runs a weekly bicycle racing series at Floyd Bennett Field, which brings scores of racers to the park every week, and thousands over the course of a year, I feel it is important that FBF runways remain paved. The park is an important venue for New York City cyclists that is accessible to all within the city, which is safe for riders and other users of the park. Our races bring many users to the park who would not normally come out that that end of Brooklyn, and introduces new users to the park every year.

As the number of cyclists in New York City continues to grow, we need to maintain safe car-free cycling venues in within the city to support that growth of new cyclist, which allows new riders to improve their skills in a safe environment away from traffic. Keeping the runways of FBF open and paved, is important to the overall cycling infrastructure of New York City. It contributes to the safe venues for bicycle riding within Brooklyn and being linked to the paved bicycle paths, and lanes means it is accessible for all New York City cyclists.

Please consider the needs of current FBF users who have been safely and responsibly using the National Park, and intend to continue to bring new users to the park, who contribute to the greater awareness of FBF to the wider community.

If we're discussing articles, I think the op/ed piece "Amy Chua is a Wimp" by David Brooks offers some things to consider when thinking about what you need to train when preparing to race.

"Practicing a piece of music for four hours requires focused attention, but it is nowhere near as cognitively demanding as a sleepover with 14-year-old girls. Managing status rivalries, negotiating group dynamics, understanding social norms, navigating the distinction between self and group — these and other social tests impose cognitive demands that blow away any intense tutoring session or a class at Yale.

Yet mastering these arduous skills is at the very essence of achievement. Most people work in groups. We do this because groups are much more efficient at solving problems than individuals (swimmers are often motivated to have their best times as part of relay teams, not in individual events). Moreover, the performance of a group does not correlate well with the average I.Q. of the group or even with the I.Q.’s of the smartest members.

Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Carnegie Mellon have found that groups have a high collective intelligence when members of a group are good at reading each others’ emotions — when they take turns speaking, when the inputs from each member are managed fluidly, when they detect each others’ inclinations and strengths.

Participating in a well-functioning group is really hard. It requires the ability to trust people outside your kinship circle, read intonations and moods, understand how the psychological pieces each person brings to the room can and cannot fit together.

This skill set is not taught formally, but it is imparted through arduous experiences. These are exactly the kinds of difficult experiences Chua shelters her children from by making them rush home to hit the homework table."

full article: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/18/opinion/18brooks.html?_r=1&src=ISMR_HP_LO_MST_FB

and then there's SI's teaser about its damning article on Armstrong, here.

TODAY IS THE LAST DAY FOR COMMENTS ON THE DRAFT PROPOSAL FOR THE FUTURE OF FBF.
http://www.rpa.org/floydbennett/

COMMENT TODAY.

JP

The suggestions I submitted:

GENERAL COMMENTS

While I am excited by the chance to re-imagine Floyd Bennett Field
(FBF), I am disappointed that the draft vision articulated totally
ignores one group of park users who have been utilizing the park for
years and years.

That group is cyclists. Both recreational cyclists and bike racers
have been using the FBF runways for at least the past generation as a
safe place to ride and race. Any re-imagining of the park must
include safe places for cyclists to ride and race.

As a city resident, avid outdoorsman, daily cyclist, weekly racer,
and proponent of both nature in the city and human-powered
transportation, I believe the FBF can be improved for all and still
meet the needs of city cyclists.

PARK VISION

propose keeping the runway layout, both for the sake of history and
practicality of use. Two of the five sections used for bike racing
can be narrowed considerably without reducing access or bike safety.

I also propose setting aside spaces for both BMX and Cyclocross
riding. The city doesn't have enough BMX facilities and has no
cyclocross facilities. BMX will bring youth users to the park.
Cyclocross, as a fall and winter sport, will increase park usership
during periods when park attendence is typically very low.

JP

that's good stuff JP

thanks

Anybody hear any more about cracking down on cyclists in Prospect Park? it seems there is quite a bit of ticketing going on in Central Park. NYVelocity seems to have quite a few people worked up about this.

Yeah, I'm late to this discussion but thanks JP et al for taking the lead on this stuff. I think the history part is really important too - I'm almost as concerned about losing a really awesome piece of New York City history as I am about losing a unique racing venue. I like the rawness of the space just as it is, even though I know I'm probably in the minority.
Anyone know anything about landmark designations? I mean, I know it's an insane battle with city hall that would probably consume a person's entire life for years, but if FBF was able to be made into a landmark site would we still be able to race there?

The "law" that if a bike lane is available, the cyclist is required to use it, is most frustrating to me.

Not b/c I'm a thrill-seeking commuter racer, but b/c they are almost *always* death traps. The ones that are "protected" are the worst (1st, 2nd ave, etc). You have no exit-strategy when people invariable jump out in front of you or door you. B/c of the parked cars, it's also hard for the people turning in front of you to see you (they don't all have bike/car signals). They become parking spaces for cabbies, delivery trucks, POLICE, triple-wide baby strollers, shopping carts full of recyclables, and the aforementioned pedestrians trying to get a jump on the jaywalk (or often, just walking down them on a cell phone).

I know the rule says that you are allowed to go outside of it if there's an obstruction, but I presume it needs to be a large, static one. If I say to the officer, "there's a bunch of people standing in it", I doubt he's going to think that's an applicable defense.

Has anyone been stopped for this infraction?

NYVelocity always has quite a few people worked up over something.

Ignore them.

All the same, if you haven't seen the linked article in the Post, you should. Yes, the Post wants people worked up over something, anything, kind of like the way NYVelocity does. ut more people read the Post and their articles are definitely for the idiots who prefer emotion to reason.

http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/all_out_to_end_the_cycle_woLvONH7WNzl5pjSLAYMuO

FBF has even better status than City landmark status (and that is normally only attributed to buildings, so the tower/terminal building may get landmark status), it is a National Park as part of the Gateway National Recreation area.

http://www.nps.gov/gate/index.htm

So the effort is to make sure we're part of the conversation about the future of the national park, and how FBF is managed. The inflection point is whether to consider the park a wildlife refuge (like Jamaica Bay) or more like recreation area like Riis Park. So our input has been important in the discussion. Particularly if we mention we're members of Kissena, we are showing that there are many who have a vested interest in keeping the park open for riding and racing.

New York Post writing inflammatory articles about cycling in NYC? Color me SHOCKED!

I was just wondering if anybody has been ticketed or know anybody who's been ticketed and for what?

I work doing delivery in Brooklyn and I've been hearing about a lot of police stops from my other delivery compadres - some let go, others hit with insane tickets. The offenses seem to run the gamut from reasonable to absurd - from blatant red light violations (although as a delivery rider, running reds is a neccesity) to things like not having reflectors (even when the rider has blinky lights). A couple of weeks ago I got stopped for riding on the sidewalk (I was coming from a delivery in a building on the corner of a block and literally was on the sidewalk for all of 10 feet), but when I told the cops that I was delivering for Taco Chulo they let me go.

As I told William, I like to think that "tacos" is the magic word for cops - try it the next time you get pulled over!

"So, were you aware that you just ran a red light?"

"Um, yes officer - I just, you see, I was going to stop but, uh...TACOS!"

Tito,
I take issue with your comment, "although as a delivery rider, running reds is a necessity." I disagree. The current business model, which has been enthusiastically endorsed by customers, is that bicycle couriers should run reds in order to maximize their income. Customers are fully involved with offering incentives for couriers to run red lights.

I bring this up because this hypocrisy galls me. The same people who tip couriers for running lights are the ones calling for the crackdown. Clearly, they don't realize that they've created the problem, or if they realize it, its only a problem when they're on the street, not when they're waiting for food. Maybe a solution is to ticket the recipient of the delivery for the courier running the light.

JP

JP - I agree with you; when I say that running reds is a necessity, I mean the food delivery culture is such that restaurants (and by extension, us delivery riders) are under pressure to have food delivered as fast as possible. This isn't just NYC - look at pizza delivery chains that promise that deliveries will arrive in a set time or your money back; in those cases it's the delivery driver who then gets penalized, which puts them under pressure to drive recklessly in order to get to their destination on time. It's all part of the customer-is-always-right culture in this country that is so insane.
I consider myself fortunate that I work for a restaurant that understands that I'm breaking the law for them, and when I got a ticket last year my boss told me that if it didn't get thrown out in court they'd pay for it. Still, that doesn't change the fact that the job can be dangerous. For the most part I try to be as safe as possible and not rush unless I absolutely need to. With the recent "crackdown" though, I've definitely been stopping at way more lights.

Btw, I love the idea of ticketing the recipient - I would love to show up at the door of a customer and hand them their food along with a fat ticket. "Oh and THIS is yours too."

Posted By: tito I like to think that "tacos" is the magic word for cops - try it the next time you get pulled over!

"So, were you aware that you just ran a red light?"

"Um, yes officer - I just, you see, I was going to stop but, uh...TACOS!"

Now do you point in some random direction and scream "TACOS!" so the officer turns around, and this gives you the crucial second to get on your bike and make your getaway, or is it just a mellow "So officer...wanna know something? Tacos! Y'all diggit?"

I want to know the strategy.

Not to make light, but you make a good point JP, it is an issue with delivery incentives based primarily on speed over safety or efficiency. The people who are calling for a "crackdown" on unsafe delivery riders, are the same ones who don't recognize their contribution to the situation.