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I was following the local blog postings this afternoon and I spotted this over on Pat Malach's Oregon Cycling Action (worth checking his site and photos anytime, especially for the local Portland/NW cycling scene), from a Bob Roll Tweet he posted the below. I couldn't believe my eyes - so I checked Bobke's twitter - yip, it was there.
I respect Bob for some things: his early pioneering of the largely unsupported American pro cycling effort in Europe back in the 1980's and the early 90's with 7 Eleven, his willingness to take the "mickey" out of himself, and his writings on cycling when he has time to be reflective -- Tweets are obviously not reflective enough. Bob what the F@#% are you babbling on about?!
Just a few Tweets below it you say "levi's SOLD OUT gran fondo right around the corner, don't let me see you on that ride without your Road I.D.!!! :)" I bet Levi would say, don't let me see you on that ride without a helmet - even IF you name is George Hincapie. Better yet, from your own Tweet of Aug 25th - "does anybody ride without a helmet at this point? i feel the same way about my Road I.D. Don't leave home without it! "
Give me a frigg'n break, Bob, I guess you think it's a grand idea to have yourself I.D.'d when they scrape your brain off the pavement. Didn't Saul Raisin's crash teach us anything? Didn't the tragic death of 29 year old Kazakh climber Andrei Kivilev, who died as a result of head injuries sustained during a crash in the second stage of 2003's Paris-Nice (NO HELMET!) teach the entire Pro Peloton something? Why do you think we have a UCI rule to wear the bloody things? George Hincapie on a bike sets an example for every little kid (big and small) in America - WEAR THE HELMET!
Sorry Bobke, put a helmet on that bobble-head of yours. 
"do NOT and i mean NEVER tell george hincapie how to ride a bike."--Bob Roll (@bobkeroll), noon, Monday, Sept. 28. Responding to critics of the veteran Euro pro and current national champ after he posted a pic of himself with his wife and son at a coffee shop. Hincapie was astride his city bike with no helmet. His infant was behind in a seat wearing a pretty slick looking mini Giro.
For over a decade he has been the growing epicenter of cycling - yip, the epicenter. Lance Armstrong is cycling's epicenter. Face it, no other cyclist has ever come close. You, cyclist or not, may not like him, you may think he is arrogant, you may think he doped and lied, you may want to strangle yourself with one of those yellow wrist-bands every time the media turns a cycling event into a Lance-event, and for those who love and follow the pro ranks there will always be Eddie, or Il Campionissimo, Kelly or Anquetil. But LA, for every average two-wheeled pedaler IS cycling. "No"?? Think not? Get this, in a world filled with a bizillion busllshit Tweets, a Tweet from the epicenter yesterday in Ireland -
"@lancearmstrong: Good morning Dublin. Who wants to ride this afternoon? I do. 5:30pm at the roundabout of Fountain Road and Chesterfield Avenue. See you there."
Got this -
Regardless what side of the Armstrong fence you park your ride, you are feeling the tremors from the epicenter. Some of those tremors are better or more bike lanes on our city streets; some of those tremors mean safe cycling programs in elementary schools; some of those tremors mean higher quality, lower priced bikes and bike parts; some of those tremors mean more race ops for young and old who will never make the pros; and most importantly, some of those tremors are about cancer, more money and more effort into understand and fighting cancer, and some of those cancer tremors creating everything from neighborhood rides to major anticancer drug companies supporting ride events local and national (the Tour of California).
Now here's the tremors some of you will be hiding under you 3rd grade desk over: For all of us who love the bike - despite our versions and reasons for riding - LA has made our lives better.
Photo (c) Stephen McMahon
