I’M A “GREASER” AND OTHER ASSORTED STUFF…

Recently, I became aware of a sale through Twin Six whereby they were donating a certain amount of money of their gross daily sales to the LiveStong Foundation. I thought this was a fine way to be partially responsible for donating to the fight against cancer so…

(When I ride, I declare my “greaser” status!)

I made the purchase of their retro look Greaser cycling jersey. I checked out the sizing chart and ordered what I thought was the proper size. Several days later, the jersey arrived on schedule and I eagerly pulled it on. Well, my idea of a large jersey and the Twin Six sizing chart’s idea of a large jersey turned out to be two different fashion animals. The Twin Six sizing chart actually was somewhat closer to European sizing, which is always way too small for me.

Not to fear though because a short phone call to the folks at Twin Six resulted in a very helpful customer service response. The “too small for me” jersey was winging its way back to Twin Six and an exchange for an extra large jersey had been made.

The larger jersey arrived within 3 business days and fit properly. I’ve now had a chance to get a couple of rides in while wearing it and have been very pleased with the quality of the workmanship and the comfort of the jersey. Preliminary signs are that I made a good buy and investment in becoming a “greaser.”

(Please note: The good folk at Twin Six made no offers to me nor have I received any remuneration for this review. Similarly, I have no relationship with LiveStrong other than to support the cause and donate when I can to fight against cancer.)

Bi-Weekly Cycling Column published…

Today’s edition of our local tri-weekly newspaper (The Waynesville Mountaineer)  included the 5th installment of my summer long cycling columns. For those so interested, you may click on the link above to peruse the edition on-line or you may read the text below:

SHOULD NON-CYCLISTS READ THIS? The Haywood County Bike Plan is now well underway in the planning process. Numerous meetings have been held with consumers, feedback has been sought (100 surveys have been submitted as of this writing), and the engineers are in the process of looking at routes and existing infrastructure. A health assessment of the county was even completed two weeks ago as part of this bike plan. So, if you are a non-cyclist, why should you care about the Haywood County Bike plan? If you are business person, a large thrust of the plan is to improve cycling opportunities and infrastructure as an economic development tool for Haywood County. In 2003, a study by the NC Department of Transportation, resulted in a finding that the economic impact of cycling is 60$ million dollars a year on the Outer Banks region. The cost of building the necessary infrastructure to support cycling was nine times LESS than the financial income generated year in and year out on our eastern shores. Now, that, my friends, is an excellent investment in time and money! The inaugural Blue Ridge Breakaway last year brought Haywood County 300 money spending cyclists, most of whom were not local residents. Already this year, groups from Canada and Charleston, SC have registered for the 2011 ride. Cycling is a proven income source for communities across this country and we are blessed to have some of the best riding in the country right here in Haywood County! If you are a health care professional, a citizen, or an employer interested in health care, the Bike Plan will result, in the future, with improved safe routes to schools, shops, offices, and recreation centers. We all agree that sharing the road safely is a critical step in improving the cycling options in Haywood County. As we increase the options for cyclists, improved fitness will help reduce our rates of heart disease, diabetes, smoking and other addictions. Again, this is all good news for the Haywood community. Finally, as the price point of gasoline stays high, more people are looking for alternative methods of transportation to manage the ever decreasing family income. I won’t belabor this point as I’ve written about it in the recent past. The Haywood Bike Plan will identify those corridors of safe travel from one end of the county to the other and will eventually inter-connect with the upcoming regional bike plan study. It really isn’t hard to imagine a Haywood County that moves a substantial part of the time on 2 self-powered wheels! It just takes study, the will, and patience by all. If you haven’t completed a Bike Plan survey, please do so by going to the BicycleHaywoodNC site listed below and clicking on the Bike Plan option. The survey is short and to the point. For more information, visit http://gr8smokieszeke.blogspot.com and www.bicyclehaywoodnc.org .

 

It’s not too late for a good Father’s Day read…

Check out a really nice story about a son, a father, and a lifelong love affair with bikes at BikingInLA.  Amidst all of the reports of cyclists deaths and injuries that he normally finds himself covering, Ted still found time to engage us all with some wonderful memories on Father’s Day.

Speaking of reading…

I am currently thoroughly enjoying reading Jill Homer’s latest book Be Brave, Be Strong, a Journey Across the Great Divide. I downloaded the eBook version from Barnes and Noble and have been enjoying reading the book on my HTC Thunderbolt running on the Android platform. I am about two thirds of the way through the book and have found it to be a compelling read. Several times, I’ve been lost in time while reading her amazing exploits as she took on the Great Divide race from Banff to Mexico, which is currently underway for 2011.

Sharing in her personal trials and tribulations along with dealing with mechanicals while on the trail and being amazed at the amount of kindness shown to her by people she meets on the ride has been inspirational and motivating to get out there and just ride. It is interesting to go backwards in time and read this tale as I’ve been more familiar with her current writings on her blog, Jill Outside. This book has helped fill in pieces of her past that help me more fully appreciate her present. Hey, it’s a good read!

(Please note: As before, Jill has no idea that I’ve written this mini-review and I have received no form of payment or other compensation for writing it.)

Until later,

- Zeke