But I would bike 500 miles

And I would bike 500 more
Just to be the man who biked 1,000 miles
To fall down at your door

I hit the 1,000 mile mark for commuting by bicycle for this year, which is also the distance between where I live now and St. Louis, Mo, the city where I was born. Coincidence?!?

Cycling 1,000 miles at 13.5 mph is the equivalent of burning approximately 46,000 calories, which is about 85 Big Macs from McDonalds and the same average speed as a Beluga whale.

In other news, I made news that is fit to print or at least post online. From the Sun Journal’s online cycling column, Man on a Bike.
I don’t want to post the entire piece here so just click this link.

Family on Bikes

This is simply amazing.The Vogel family has embarked on a 2 1/2 year bicycle trip traversing the Pan-American Highway. They left Prudhoe Bay, Alaska on June 8, 2008 and will end up in Ushuaia, Argentina. And yes, I said family: Mom, Dad, ten-year-old twin boys, and a dog. I couldn’t imagine my family ever doing anything like this when I was ten. We just packed up the station wagon and trailer and went to Myrtle Beach, SC for a couple of weeks. This family is a true inspiration. Check out their website for all of the hows, whens, wheres, etc. and keep checking it; it’s sure to be an interesting, fantastic journey to keep up with.

The picture below is from their previous 9,300 mile bike trip around the U.S.
Click here to look at their journal from the previous trip

NC Blueberry Festival Criteium. Burgaw, NC

Put on by Cape Fear Cyclists.
I wasn't able to stay for all of the races, but here are some photos from the first two. I like the last two pictures better than the others, but thought I'd put'em up anyway

What's Been Goin' On

1. Finishing the unfinished upstairs, which will add 600 SF to my house and other general remodeling so it’s a little more appealing. I’m still shooting for spring ’09 to leave for my extended bike trip. Version 2.0. S0, someone please buy my house.

2. Possibly picking up some English classes at a Tech. College that isn’t 30 miles away like the one that I had been teaching at, and I’d be able to ride my bike to it.

3. I’ve dropped 7 pounds. Need to drop about 5 or 7 more.

4. Making Maus (the cat who is temporarily living with me) crazy with the new laser pen I picked up. Youtube video to come.

5. Been watching Euro Cup 2008. I’m pulling for Germany. Me mum is from Germany, which makes me half German. Perhaps that’s where the cycling obsession comes from too.

6. Hannah’s half brother and sister left to go back to their dad on Guam. Long story, short: they moved here 9 months ago from Thailand while their father moved to Guam. Here are some pictures from their last weekend here and some photos of the ridiculous view from Hannah’s condo.

Aaron, Kanasta, Me






Right after Hannah threw him into the water.


The aforementioned ridiculous view.

Driver Crashes into a Bicycle Race

MONTERREY, Mexico (AP) -- A car plowed into a weekend bike race along a highway near the U.S.-Mexico border, killing one and injuring 10 others, police said.
From cnn.com

And some photos from the recent Critical Mass in Wilmington, NC: