BSNYC on the Big Dummy

It seems as though the master opinionator of the bike world, while not overtly admitting in so many words, likes his Big Dummy.

Riding with Lance Armstrong and friends

We lent the assistance of our wheels to Lance Armstrong and his pals Governor Bill Ritter, Davis Phinney and a lot of other celebrities and local bicyclists to celebrate the announcement of the Quiznos Pro Challenge, a new professional level cycling event in Colorado.

Lance making the announcement

Of course, many of our friends were also there...

Piep of BikeDenver

Maggie of Bicycle Colorado and Emily of Denver Public Works

The crowd at the state capitol was large

After the press conference, we took a ride with Lance and company to Washington Park and back downtown for lunch at Taki's with Julie/Mommy.

The front of the peloton with Lance somewhere in there as they lapped us in Wash Park

Our rig probably weighed about as much as any eight or so of the bikes in Lance's group, which is only fair because we had home street advantage.

Doing an impression of a chipmunk storing edamame at Taki's

We had a great time and wish the best for the Quiznos Pro Challenge and all bicycling in Colorado.

This is really not a story from The Onion

Screenshot from index page of Huffington Post 8/4/2010

For those of you who haven't heard, promoting bicycling is apparently a threat to our personal freedom as Americans. I will not attempt to provide any more in-depth analysis than has already been done here and here.

Elusive bike fairy sighting

I know what you're thinking. Like other fanciful creatures, the bike fairy is just a myth. A little pixie who spreads two-wheeled cheer while sprouting magical bike lanes from her tire tracks seems a little ridiculous, right?

That's what I thought too, until recently. As luck would have it, I had my camera at the ready and now have evidence to the contrary.

I'm sure those magical bike lanes will materialize any minute now...

So your grandmother might have been a proto-hipster

Grandmothers and yarn crafts have a long-established association. However, knitting has apparently been co-opted by a younger, hipper crowd. Today I made my first encounter with what appears to be knitted graffiti. After a short Google search, I discovered that some people indeed use yarn as a medium for anonymous public expression.

I noticed what appeared to be a u-lock attached to the base of a Denver B-cycle station. However, upon closer inspection, I realized that it was in fact not a u-lock, but a knitted facsimile of a u-lock. I was a bit perplexed that someone would have taken the time to produce an item of fairly impressive craft and detail, perhaps spending a few hours to get it right, only to leave the fruit of this effort anonymously to the tender mercies of the public.

After mulling this phenomenon for a while, my initial bewilderment has evolved. I now feel that this type of non-destructive graffiti is probably of a complimentary nature. Imbued with some sort of appreciation for the Denver B-cycle system or bicycling in general, the anonymous creator is literally weaving their work into the bike culture of the city. The action requires considerable forethought, special materials and skills, and a time commitment. I understand the knitted u-lock is a random and transient piece of the urban landscape, but as a bicyclist and denizen of the city I can appreciate the effort involved. In the end, I have likely put too much thought into this, but I am a social scientist after all.

In case you're wondering, for the right price I am available for weddings, bar mitzvahs or parties.