Back from Monticello, KY

Hey, guys. Posting this from front porch of cabin on Lake Cumberland on off chance of being near Wifi sometime today. The ride was terrific, had about 15 min of rain just before getting to Red Boiling Springs but was no problem given the wide shoulders on 52. The route included a little gem named Ferguson Hill Road, not for hill haters. My selective forgetting of hills was working as usual. I remembered the ride being hilly, especially Savage Mountain just past Albany, Ky which I again had to walk, but the rest of the ride into KY was much hillier than remembered. Still, got there OK and fresher than I remember from last trip. That was probably due more to the 70 degree, low humidity this time as opposed to the 95 degree high humidity of last trip.
Don't think this will be on the Fogbee ride agenda any time soon. I was beginning to hate the downhills because one knew what was to immediately follow. Did not get out of my granny for 20 miles because I wanted the downhill to last as long as possible and all the uphills immediately required a granny. Plan to be on the ride Tuesday.
Bruce
Update, I'm back and was no where near wifi. Sorry to hear about Brad. There are bad, worse, and absolutely terrible cervical spne fractures. Hope his is one of the lesser bad.
See you tonight.

Deficient Road Design = Bike Injury

This picture was taken with a cell-phone on Bonita Pkwy Hendersonville on 7/12/08 after a FOGBEE cyclist distracted by traffic hit a grate over a storm sewer. The slots run parallel to the flow of traffic and are wide enough to swallow a bike tire. The smashed helmet, split into two, shows the damage as the grate caught the tire and cyclist went head first into the pavement. As the cyclist laid on the street, passing motorists called 911, which in minutes solicited a response of three police cars, a fire truck, and an ambulance.

This accident could have resulted in serious back, neck, and head injuries and worse if the cyclist had fallen into traffic. Fortunately, after a thorough examination by the EMT's he walked away only with facial abrasion and a very sore back. (Click on photos to enlarge)

UPDATE 7/14/08: Biker has a fractured C7 vertebrae and will be seeing neuro-surgeon this Friday. His wife is upset because the grate is an obvious hazard. I explained that the Greenway Committee has brought these issues to the attention of Mayor Foster's office in past (Wessington Rd and Thornton Market) and received only promises of action. We expect a similar reponse until someone is seriously hurt.

Jersey - In Production

Hello Doug, I have received your signed layouts and will be putting your order into the early stages of production later today. I hope you are pleased with the resulting product and I thank you for your time and business, have a great day. Cheers,
Nick Beaulieu, Graphic Designer
nbeaulieu@louisgarneau.us
Louis Garneau USA Inc.

. . . Nick says, "Expect Jersey delivery by September 1'st."

7/11/08: Thanks to the "smartly dressed" Dave Miley and Dave Buckman who showup for rides with shorts matching their jerseys, I have been asked, "Where are our shorts?" I do plan to design shorts. I just had jersey fatigue. This weekend I will have samples for your inspection.

FOGBEE Priorities

. . . A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him. When the class began, he wordlessly picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls. He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was.
. . . The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls. He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was.
. . . The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else. He asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with an unanimous 'yes.'
. . . The professor then produced two Beers from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar effectively filling the empty space between the sand. The students laughed. 'Now,' said the professor as the laughter subsided, 'I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life. The golf balls are the important things---your family, your children, your health, your friends and your favorite passions---and if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full.
. . . The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, your house and your car. The sand is everything else---the small stuff. 'If you put the sand into the jar first,' he continued, 'there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls. The same goes for life. If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff you will never have room for the things that are important to you. 'Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. Spend time with your children Spend time with your parents. Visit with grandparents. Take time to get medical checkups. Take your spouse out to dinner. Cycle another hour. There will always be time to clean the house and fix the disposal. Take care of the golf balls first---the things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand.'
. . . One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the Beer represented. The professor smiled and said, 'I'm glad you asked.' The Beer just shows you that no matter how full your life may seem, there's always room for a couple of Beers with a friend.'

Police Encounter

While doing my Mud Hollow training loop today I encountered Church Traffic leaving Our Lady of the Lake at 12:35 pm. That alone was a surprise. First Baptist traffic was all gone and I always thought we Baptist were the worst for long sermons. Anyway, I slipped into the very polite stream of traffic easily enough and proceeded to the intersection of Stop 30 and Drakes Creek Rd where a policeman was directing traffic. He held everyone up for a few seconds to come over and tell me he could write me a ticket for holding up traffic by not riding far enough to the right. Then waved me on and said" Have a nice ride." Now I'm in a quandary.

I was riding just to right of the oil streak, on the place where most cars right tire goes, which is technically not as far right as possible. But then I was doing about 25 mph and it was only 200 yards from the church exit to the intersection and did not consider that anyone wanted to speed up fast enough to pass me in that distance anyway. Certainly the SUV behind me was keeping his distance. If I had gone way over to encourage a pass, I would have created a dangerous situation. Etc, etc, for my reasons but I was not about to attempt a discussion on the spot. I did note his particulars for later reference. I think he is a reasonable guy and was honestly giving me what he thought was good advice for my safety.

I'd like to discuss this with him and spread the word that on most of our roads we cannot possibly ride far enough to the right to allow cars to safely pass us when there is oncoming traffic or limited sight distance. However, given my perceived attitude toward cyclists by the Powers That Be, any pubic airing of this, including this blog, will likely get the guy into trouble for not giving me a ticket. Certainly more likely to create ill will than to help. Bummer.
Fortunately, the rest of the ride was great, legs strong, nice breeze, polite cars, no dogs so my immediate impulse to put my home up for sale and move out of this g*d**n city has passed.

What do you guys think? I'd sure like to chip away at the attitude that automobiles have the absolute right to proceed as fast as the road surface will allow, but also don't want to make things worse for us. I probably break five laws with every trip out of my drive, be it by car or by bike.

Bruce

Intro ride idea

I am planning to do a much shorter (and less hilly) ride next Tuesday with April. So we thought if there are any significant others who might be interested in riding that they'd be welcome to join in.

We will be leaving from the Family Restaurant on Stop 30 (near New Shackle) at 6PM and doing around 7 or 8 miles of the mostly flat Stop 30 / Drakes Creek area.

We will be out of town Tuesday the 8th, but are planning to do this again the following Tuesday, July 15th.

Beyond that we'll see if the mileage and hills increase a bit...

Gone Graffitti

Fantastic ride today guys ! Feel like I should eat some Wheaties for having seen so many amber waves of grain. I guess I'll have to settle for the next best derivative of grain........ beer.
David , thanks for the maps and routing. Next time we traverse Graffitti we need to carry cans of spray paint in Bruce's panniers ! Tom, thanks for fitting us to our jerseys.

Don't Ride Against Traffic Flow

Tom : I have a new bike picture for you to post. (the others are pretty amazing also). I didn't think I could beat the Mexico race accident but I think this does. Could you post it for the FOGBees. Gary Seee you next Thursday.

Fall Foliage Tour 08

Now that it's hot as blue blazes we can anticipate with favor a ride in cooler weather. And it's never too soon to begin planning. For this year's fall ride I propose a Saturday/Sunday out and back from Hendersonville to Cedars of Lebanon State park. The ride could be as short as 40 miles and relatively flat to whatever and hilly. To avoid back tracking as much as possible, about 60 miles each day would work well.
The park has cabins but no restrauant on site. We could drive back about ten miles to Lebanon or take stuff to prepare at the cabins. Their Delux AAA cabins rent for about $110/night and advertise to sleep 6 but that depends on the mix. Each cabin has two bedrooms and another double bed in a loft. I have usually slept on the couch and done very well.
The time can be from late October to mid November. It seems middle TN weather gets bad about first of October but then we have a warm dry spell mid November. No promises but it worked out well enough for Red Boiling Springs last year. Ok, there was a miseble headwind coming back.

Other/future options are a drive to Henry Horton and do some loops. Rock Island State park is also a good option for a drive and ride weekend.

Let me know who is interested and any preferences for dates and place. We can work on difficulty level of routes etc as planning progresses.
Bruce

FOGBEE HONOR GIVEN

Just to let you all know, I went to the bike shop yesterday (after the ride from Hell,Part II!!)and was talking to Travis (I believe is his name) who repairs the bikes and he said the following:
1. The FOGBee website (blog) is fantastic and he regularly visits the Blog. He says that the information contained therein is exceptional and that he gives the blogsite out to people he knows. He particularly likes the maps.
2. He also said that the FOGBees had developed into a great bike club and we were very dedicated to the art of cycling (or something like that).
Lastly, a person I know, Dean, was shopping for a bike for his son and he immediately said, when I began to explain the ride yesterday, that I must be a "FOGBee". I asked him how he knew that and he said that he had heard of us! I invited him to ride sometime.
Unintentionally, our hard work and dedication pays off in other ways.

Rogana Ride

Doug, although I'm still feeling somewhat scorched, I thought that route today added just the right amount of adventure to keep the wheels turning. Thanks for the rest breaks, the views along Greenfield , and the comraderie during and after the ride. It was good how we worked it out so each one had the ride they wanted and no one got left behind. David and Gary , I'm not sure why you wait for us , but I'm appreciative that you do. Brett, your a wandering prince for herding and guiding us along the way. We've a special thing as fellow FOGBees, unlike any band of brothers I've experienced yet. Oh, and by the way , Rosemary said my noggin looked no more or less hairy, but my butt seemed shaggier !

Doug Humor

Ed's Jersey Movie #2

Mexico Needs 3-Ft Law

Check out this gallery I found at AOL...http://sports.aol.com/top-sports-photos?feeddeeplinkNum=0


Tom post this on the blog . . . Gary

Bike info

ED:
The twist bands that I use to tie the wheels of the bike on trips are called "kwiktwists" and can be found all over the internet for sale. I have tried to remember where I bought these but can't recall. They may have them at walmart.

PARTY UPDATE

I have some new party dates for Glen Oaks Clubhouse as follows:
JULY ----26
AUG.----9, 16, 23, 30

These are all Saturdays and the party would start around 6 0r 7 pm. I would like to reserve the clubhouse by Friday so let me know what works.

By Popular Demand

. . . Because of the interest in FOGBEE history, Bruce's post "Back by Popular Demand" has its own PERMANENT Web Page, which will keep our young lady from disappearing in the future. Please click "FOGBEE History - The Yazoo Connection" also found in the Side Bar.

The July 4 Comet

It is final, Marsha and I will be going to visit my daughter in Canton GA over the 4th of July. The 4th is a Friday, so everyone should be off. I am planning on riding the Silver Comet on the 5th of July. http://silvercometmap.com/ . The trail comes complete with a tunnel to avoid climing the moutain!! If there is some interest I will have Heidi look for a suitable hotel close to activities. She says her Jamacan girlfriend will lead me on the ride if she is available that weekend!! No pressure to make this an "official" activity. I will just warm up the trail for a future ride. Just wanted the group to know I was going to ride it.

IRON FOGBEE

The Iron Man Triathlon on Panama City Beach is a grueling endurance test, starting with a nice 2.4 mile swim , it is followed by an 112 mile bike route and finishes with a full 26.2 mile marathon. Last Saturday Marylin COMPLETED Half-Ironman in 7 hours and 11 minutes.

Click to read her story

Guest Columnist - Hendersonville Star News

This week is National Bike to Work Week and in promotion of cycling Bruce Day published an article Wednesday 5/14/08 as Guest Columnist in Hendersonville Star News. Click here to view Copy.

PARTY UPDATE

Brett's wife says she will coordinate the food. Phil and Bruce will help with cleanup and thanks. Friday the 20th doesn't work so I will call some other places Monday to try and find another place to have the party on June 21st. gary . . . Posted 5/11/08

Guys:
The 21st of June was booked so I took the 2oth (tenatively) which is a Friday from 6pm to whenever. We can actually have the Clubhouse at 4 pm to set up so unless I hear otherwise I will advise Glen Oaks that the FOGBees intend to rock the house on that date. Please let me knowASAP if you or your spouse/friend can help in the following ways:
1: Someone to make sure what everyone is bringing as far as food and beverage.
2: Someone to put up just a few balloons and party items at the Clubhouse.
3: Someone to put together a cleanup crew that night.

I will get invitations that you can send to your friends so they can also come to the party.
Thanks ..Gary

GARY'S NEXT IDEA--A PARTY!!

Hello fellow FOGBees and I hope everyone is Ok. I have been thinking about this for several months (sounds scary, right?) and would like some feedback. I would like for us to have a party this summer along these lines:
1. Pick a Saturday evening in June and rent Glen Oaks Clubhouse in Hendersonville. The cost is $100 so that is no big deal for us. I have Dj'd parties there and it is a very nice place to have a party. We should try and reserve the clubhouse in the next week or so.
2. We can have pot luck and everyone can bring a dish and drinks, as alcohol is permitted.
3. I suggest this be an adult only party and the theme be the the Disco Era with "costumes" optional.
4. I'm willing to DJ the party so music, lights and the disco ball is free for all who attend.
5. There is a pool so people can swim if they want.
6. FOGBees can invite other friends/couples to attend.
Well what do you think? Certainly this can be voted on in a week as there are no "Jerseys" involved here! -----TOM, could you also email this out to the FOGBees email addresses, as I know that some guys do not check our Blog.------See you all Tuesday.

Honoring My Father

Fellow FOGBees, Doug and Marsha found their way to the funeral home in spight of my poor communication regarding the where and whens of my dad's funeral arrangements. Everyone wondered who and what were the "FOGBees" ? I loved sharing about our comraderie and recognizing you fat old guys ! Thank you from the bottom of my heart for the beautiful flowers. The soft hued peach and pink roses made a striking arrangement. I imagine they don't grow much prettier in heaven.

FYI Jack 'n' Back

Check it out while it lasts ! FOGBEES are #1 on team list for contributions ( due to early participation and early registration and a few early donations ). Go to the MS site and observe our team name at top of list of teams. Might as well celebrate before the big corporate teams swarm us.

IT"S GARY FROM TAMPA

HEY GUYS! Well it's good to see your riding today. Tampa has been great, sunny, high 80's and lots of hockey. Sorry to report we lost all three days 2-3, 1-2 and 0-6 to the champs. Great teammates from Canada; we had a beer party and b-bque yesterday on the Gulf of Mexico beach and I got to have dinner with my uncle that I have not seen in 5 years who lives a few hours north of here. I miss you guys and look forward to riding next week although I heard it was going to get cold (is that true?) Well take care and have fun at Big L's.

PS: No I didn't drink beer down here (but I was tempted)

Teen Court Scholarships Awarded

Gary (Board Member of Mary Ann Williams Scholarship) does more than leaving us stare at his rear wheel & spinning out to the Oldies. See story Page 17 of Star News, April 23, 2008.

Words to Ride By

"Cyclists have a right to the road too, you noisy, polluting, inconsiderate maniacs! I hope gas goes up to eight bucks a gallon!" . . . Words of Wisdom from VeloWear.com

Spring ride

Here we are! See Web Page for Pics & PhotoShow

3-Day Tour

All POSTS & COMMENTS for 3-Day Tour moved to its Web Page (click here to see). Also, view Bruce's pictures as a PhotoShow (Phil Style).

Shelby Bottoms/Stone River Ride

What a great Greenway System! Ride pictures are on Web Page. Click here to view. Bruce also delivered an edited set of 3-Day Tour pictures. I am going to try a Vickery Slide show with them.

The Doping Dilemma

. . .Nothing is more physically crushing and psychologically demoralizing than getting dropped on a climb. With searing lungs and burning legs, your body hunches over the handlebars as you struggle to stay with the leader. Once you come off the back of the pack, the drive to push harder is gone. About halfway up a leg-breaking climb, that familiar wave of crushing fatigue sweeps through your legs as you gulp for oxygen in the struggle to hang on.
. . .Cyclists on the 1984 U.S. Olympic cycling team told how they had injected themselves with extra blood before races, either their own or that of someone else with the same blood type. “Blood doping,” as the practice is called, was not banned at the time. . . Click the title to read more.

Monday Night Solo Ride

Hi guys. Enjoyed riding with you last Thursday, but I can't always make it by 5. I did a solo ride tonight. Had an incident where some yahoo threw a can at me on Madison Creek and then later coming down 258 towards H'ville, a turkey (the fowl kind) took off in front of an oncoming truck and got slugged right in front of me. Nothing like riding through a cloud of turkey feathers. Those guys look pretty big when they are in ballistic mode. Poor guy didn't have a chance.

Back to the can. A samaritan got me the license plate and the guy lives in Nashville. I filed a police report, but the officer said he couldn't do anything without a positive ID on the person. Told me that if he had a Goodlettsville address they would at least have a little chat with him.

Did somebody say something about safety in numbers?

Yield to Life

Frank Bowyer IV found a link that would interest all cyclist. Frank is pushing to get questions about bicycle safety added to the Tennessee Driver's Test, which many states already have. Follow this link - http://www.dothetest.co.uk/

Saturday SPIN

Missed a lot of FOGBees in Spin. Three news items are - 1) Gary is doing such a great job we thought of burning his stuff to CD's for other Spin Leaders to borrow (spinjunkie?). Today was "Classic Rockin Roll." When the FOGBEES spin, the Y rocks. I think we're at 100db with the sound level making waves in the pool from the music, the clapping, and FOGBEES in song. Its not your father's spin class. The light show is soon to follow. 2) Enrolled two more FOGBEES - a tiny lady and a man. Trying to get the female membership up. Don't get to see much of Marilyn & Spinjunkie. 3) We are giving out blognames. We picked "Preying Mantis", "Bad Love", and "Thunderstorm". Guess who?

Beer Run

Since the rest of you will be working out at the Y, I thought I would go for a beer run. Renee' mentioned they are having a Monet to Dali exhibit at the Frist, and I know of several Beer Establishments within a few thousand yards, of the Frist. If any of you and/or your wives are interested feel free to contact Renee.

Or if you just need a growler refill, I would be glad to do a complementary pick-up.

Brett

REMINDER

DJ FOGMYSTER WILL NOT BE LEADING SPIN CLASSES THE NEXT TWO THURSDAYS. THIS WEEK I WILL BE PLAYING IN AN ANNUAL FUNDRAISER BASKETBALL GAME WITH LAWYERS VS. POLICE OFFICERS. THE PROCEEDS GO TO "ASHLEYS HOUSE" ; A CHILD ABUSE CENTER.
NEXT WEEK MY FAMILY WILL BE AT AN ANNUAL FUNDRAISER IN THE NAME OF MY MOM (THE MARY ANN WILLIAMS TEEN COURT SCHOLARSHIP DINNER) AT HENDERSONVILLE CHRISTIAN ACADEMY ON MARCH 13 FROM 5:30- 8PM. THERE WILL BE A SILENT AUCTION, CATERED DINNER AND TWO $3,000 SCHOLARSHIPS GIVEN TO TWO SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS WHO EXCEL IN THE TEEN COURT PROGRAM WHICH WAS STARTED BY MY MOTHER WHEN SHE WORKED FOR JUDGE BROWN. THE FOGBEES AND THIER FAMILIES ARE INVITED TO ATTEND AND TICKETS CAN BE PURCHASED AT THE EVENT FOR $15.00 PER PERSON. ALLEN AND HIS WIFE WILL BE THERE. ALL PROCEEDS GO TOWARDS THE ANNUAL SCHOLARSHIPS AND ARE TAX DEDUCTIBLE. I'D LOVE TO SEE YOU THERE. HCA IS LOCATED ON NEW SCHACKLE ISLAND ROAD ACROSS FROM THE HOSPITAL. GARY