THE VIKING GOD OF THUNDER WINS STAGE 13 OF THE TOUR

By Debbie Bulloch



Call it the Miracle at Lourdes! World champion Thor Hushovd, the Viking God of Thunder, took his ninth Tour stage victory when he rode alone into Lourdes after an epic 30 km pursuit of plucky French rider Jérémy Roy. The Norwegian rider, who is not known for his climbing ability, had been dropped by the Frenchman on the ascent of the Col d’Aubisque, and was two minutes behind going over the summit, but steadily chipped away at Roy’s advantage.

Hushovd caught David Moncoutié, who had been second over the Aubisque, on the drop from the Col du Soulor, and the pair set about chasing down Roy. At 15km to go, the two chasers had cut Roy’s lead to just 31 seconds.

With little less than 3,000 meters to go before the finish line, Hushovd pedaled away from Moncoutié and was soon up to Roy. The big Norwegian kept on hammering away, jumping past Roy and going on to win the stage.

Roy came in on third place just 26 seconds behind Hushovd and 16 seconds behind second place finisher Moncoutié. Roy, however won the polka dot King of the Mountain (KOM) jersey for his phenomenal attack on the Col d’Aubisque.



THE VIKING GOD OF THUNDER ENJOYS HIS VICTORY

There was no change in the overall standings, with Thomas Voeckler finishing towards the front of the peloton to hold the yellow jersey for another day.




MAP OF STAGE 13 OF THE TdF





PROFILE OF STAGE 13 OF THE TdF

Not a bad day for the European riders: a stage victory for Thor, French rider Voeckler defending his maillot jaune for one more day and fellow compatriot Roy earning the polka dot jersey. Mark Cavendish, the Manx-missile (he is from the Isle of Man, located right smack in the middle of England, Ireland and Scotland) retained his maillot verts (green jersey)

Quick Results

Stage 13:

1. Thor Hushovd (Garmin-Cervelo) in 3 hours, 47 minutes, 36 seconds
2. David Moncouti (Cofidis) at 00.10
3. Jeremy Roy (FdJ) at 00.26

General Classification:

1. Thomas Voeckler, Team Europcar, in 55h 49′ 57″
2. Frank Schleck, Team Leopard-Trek, at 1:49
3. Cadel Evans, Bmc Racing Team, at 02:06
4. Andy Schleck, Team Leopard-Trek, at 02:17
5. Ivan Basso, Liquigas-Cannondale, at 03:16


Congratulation to ALL riders for yet another epic effort riding up the mountains of the Pyrenees.

Finally, the answer to yesterday’s quiz question: What BEATLES' song opens with the starting notes from "La Marseillaise," the French national anthem.

The answer: ALL YOU NEED IS LOVE

Take a listen!

BEATLES - ALL YOU NEED IS LOVE

HAPPY BASTILLE DAY AND STAGE 12 OF THE TOUR

By Debbie Bulloch



Today is Bastille Day, the French national holiday that commemorates the storming of the Bastille July 14, 1789. The Bastille was a prison and a symbol of the absolute and arbitrary power of Louis XVI’s Ancient Regime. The storming of the Bastille marked the beginning of the French Revolution. By capturing this symbol of the French monarchy, the people signaled that the king's power was no longer absolute: power should be based on the Nation and be limited by a separation of powers.

Although the Bastille only held seven prisoners at the time of its capture, the storming of the prison was a symbol of liberty and the fight against oppression for all French citizens; like the Tricolore flag, it symbolized the Republic's three ideals: Liberty, Equality, and Fraternity for all French citizens.

Bastille Day was declared the French national holiday July 6, 1880. As in the United States, where the signing of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, signaled the start of the American Revolution, in France the storming of the Bastille began their Great Revolution. In both countries, the national holiday thus symbolizes the beginning of a new form of government.

To read more about Bastille Day (from a previous Between Homes blog article) go here



Do you want a “traditional” French dish to celebrate Bastille Day? Then try mussels steamed in wine with shallots, garlic, and lots of parsley and oven-fried pommes frites flavored with herbes de Provence.

To celebrate Bastille Day in great style, French riders in today’s Stage 12 of the Tour de France (TdF) won significant victories.

On this special day for the French people, French rider Thomas Voeckler, of Team Europcar, defended the maillot jaune that he won on Stage 9 of the TdF. This marks the first time, in many years, when a French rider wears the maillot jaune on Bastille Day. Another French rider, Jérémy Roy, was the first rider to reach the summit at Col de Tourmalet. So on Bastille Day, France is 2 for 2. Félicitations! Viva La France!

Here is a recap of Stage 12:

The Tourmalet

After experiencing technical problems on the descent before the final climb to the Tourmalet, Welsh rider Geraint Thomas was a man on a mission as he pedaled his way up the Tourmalet, dropping his remaining breakaway companions and going at it alone for the second half of the foggy climb. In the meantime, French rider Jérémy Roy valiantly hung on to Thomas’ wheel. But on this day, the French rider would not be denied a victory. Roy finally made contact with Thomas just under a kilometer (0.62 miles) from the top and eventually took the King Of the Mountain (KOM) points and a cash prize of $7,000 Euros (or approximately $5,000 USD in this lousy year for the US dollar).

Final climb to Luz-Ardiden

On the descent from the Tourmalet, Sammy Sanchez (from the Basque team Euskaltel – Euskadi) hit the base of the final climb with a 20-second gap. As the climb steepened, Sanchez and Jelle Vanendert (Omega Pharma-Lotto) caught and dropped Thomas and Roy. The pair looked fresh and traded paces steadily and built a gap of over a minute ahead of the yellow jersey group.

Thomas Voeckler and his team took over the front at the base, as the lead group dwindled to nine or 10 riders. In the final 3000 meters before reaching the summit at Luz-Ardiden, the Schleck brothers (Andy and Frank), Alberto Contador (last year’s winner of the TdF), Cadel Evans, Voeckler, Ivan Basso formed a group to give chase to Sanchez. After at least four attacks, Frank Schleck finally got free. Evans and Basso took up the chase, with Andy Schleck, Cunego and Contador following and Voeckler finally losing contact.

Frank Schleck quickly closed on Sanchez, coming within sight in the last 500 meters. Sanchez, however, would not be denied and powered the final 300 meters to cross the finish line seven seconds ahead of Jelle Vanendert and 10 seconds ahead of Frank Schleck (team Leopard-Trek).

Quick results:

Stage 12 Results

1. Samuel Sanchez, Euskaltel – Euskadi, 6h 01′ 15″
2. Jelle Vanendert, Omega Pharma – Lotto, at 0:07
3. Frank Schleck, Team Leopard-Trek, at 00:10
4. Ivan Basso, Liquigas-Cannondale, at 00:30
5. Cadel Evans, Bmc Racing Team, at 00:30

General Classification (overall standings)

1. Thomas Voeckler, Team Europcar, at 01:49
2. Frank Schleck, Team Leopard-Trek, at 1:49
3. Cadel Evans, Bmc Racing Team, at 02:06
4. Andy Schleck, Team Leopard-Trek, at 02:17
5. Ivan Basso, Liquigas-Cannondale, at 03:16


Here are some pictures of the Tourmalet in previous TdF:



Tourmalet 1934 – Please note the poor road conditions. Also note the absence of team cars to support the riders. The riders had to carry their own supplies, including spare tires (see them draped across the rider’s chest and shoulders).





Tourmalet 1937 – Take a close look at the pulley arm underneath the bike, right behind the front chainring and ahead of the rear gears. These pulleys were the predecessors of the modern front derailleur; they helped keep the chain properly tensioned when the rider shifted from the big ring to the small ring (in the front).





Tourmalet 1952 – By now, riders were using “modern” bikes with regular front and rear derailleurs.





Tourmalet 2003 – American rider Lance Armstrong and German rider jan Ullrich battle it to the top. Eventually Lance would win the stage and the TdF.





Profile map of Stage 12 of the 2011 TdF.

Finally, in honor of Bastille Day, here is a little musical quiz. What BEATLES' song opens wiht the starting notes from "La Marseillaise," the French national anthem?

Look for the answer in the next blog post.

HOW TO BEAT THE PAIN - MORE TdF "STUFF"

By Debbie Bulloch



Yesterday I wrote about what it means to “suffer” on the bike. I may have left the impression that bike riding is all pain and no fun. While there is some amount of pain involved in bike riding, for the most part riding a bike is a great deal of fun. If bike riding were not a fun, healthy and socially responsible activity, you would not see so many people out on their bikes, enjoying the fresh air.

Bike riding, however, is more than just making your feet spin in a circle to transmit forward momentum to the bike and keep moving forward (hopefully while staying upright). As Henri Desgrange the man who created the Tour de France (TdF) once commented, bike riding is all about the “tete et jambes” (head and legs).

There is a huge mental component involved in bike riding. Simply put, bike riding often becomes a purely mental exercise. We all have heard tales of the human body accomplishing incredible feats of strength-the same is true in bike riding. For a bike rider there are many situations when the chips are down and Dr Pain starts to knock at the door. This is the time to mentally battening down the hatches and telling your subconscious to ignore the pain coming from the legs and to just keep on going for another meter, for another kilometer. Or as Desgrange might have said: tete over jambes!

I find the following suggestions useful when under pressure. For those readers accustomed to racing or really intense levels of exercise where you push your boundaries, you’ll already have your own methods to overcome physical barriers with mental strength. I just speak from the experience of having been deep in the Hurt Locker:

Music: When I am riding hard, and especially when I am climbing hills, I like to listen to classical music. I picture myself as the orchestra’s conductor, directing the musicians (my muscles) to just play along and to keep on playing until the finale.

In a group ride, if I am struggling to keep up with better or faster riders I wait for someone to come past, and grab his wheel and I hold it as long as I can. When it start to hurt my tete tells my jambes, “two more pedal rotations.” Then two more. And two more. It is a case of pushing through my comfort zone, and getting into that red zone, and adjusting to it. Then pushing just a little bit more. This takes a lot of practice, but you need to be able to focus intensely on one thing: be it holding a wheel, or looking for posts at the side of the road and getting to the next one. This advice especially for climbing - climbing is really all about dominating your body with your mind. Many a time I’ve been on a climb and grabbed a wheel of someone much stronger and focused ALL my mental energy on just holding that wheel, and managed to ride way outside my comfort zone and to the top of the climb.

Another thing that helps me when my jambes are ready to give up is to set small targets. This is a process where you target an object just up the road – say a signpost or a tree and aim to reach it (but don’t hit it). You quickly look for the next target and bit by bit you make your way up the road (or up that nasty hill). Often, I find the process of intensely concentrating on a small, reachable target distracts me from any discomfort I am feeling. I usually then regain strength and can tap out a good rhythm again. Incidentally, this process works in “real life” as well as it works on a bike out on the road. Many times, we face a seemingly daunting project (whether it is finishing a report at work or studying for finals at school). Instead of looking at the ENTIRE project and becoming dispirited by its sheer size, try instead to focus on small sections of the project. When you complete one small portion, move on to the next and then next and then to the next. Before you know it, you will be done with the entire project and what at first seemed to be an impossible task, ends up being a very manageable project.

Finally, the best advice I can give you is: Remain Relaxed!

Nothing is worse for your body than tensing up, gritting your teeth, sucking your stomach in.

No, no, no.

You need to create a frame with your arms, lats, and lower half of your body to “carry” your innards, like a big Sikorsky helicopter. The frame provides a compartment that should be relaxed, so your lungs and diaphragm can operate without restriction.

Following these bits of advice, learned from my own trips to the Hurt Locker, won’t necessarily make you a better rider or climber. I hope, however, that when the pain comes, you will remember my advice and will be able to ride through the “suffering.”

Finally, here are some pictures of suffering and joy, from Stage 9 of the 2011 TdF (the same stage that Arc will be riding on Sunday, July 17). Enjoy!



Dutch rider Johnny Hoogerland suffering after he crashed into a barbed wire fence.





Johnny Hoogerland happy after winning the King of the Mountain shirt in Stage 9 (after crashing)





Belgium rider Van der Broeck in pain after crashing and breaking his collarbone.





French rider Tommy Voeckler happy after winning Stage 9 and wearing the maillot jaune. (Last time Thomas wore the yellow jersey was back in 2004.)





Well, I don't know if this bulls is suffering or not, but he does not seem too interested in the TdF riders passing by him.

L'ETAPE DE TOUR - ARC WILL RIDE AGAIN!

By Debbie Bulloch



American singer and songwriter Carly Simon once sang:

'Cause I haven't got time for the pain
I haven't got room for the pain
I haven't the need for the pain

Obviously, Carly Simon is not a bike rider because if she were, she would find a way to make room for “the pain.” Bike riding is, to a large extent, about pain and suffering. If you haven’t got time for the pain, you should pursue some other endeavour, such as stamp collecting. If, on the other hand, you wish to channel your inner-masochist then get on a bike and head for the hills.

People who do not ride a bike on a regular basis do not understand that suffering and bike riding are inextricably linked. Just like peaches and cream, peanut butter and jelly, ying and yang, and Ben and Jerry (of ice cream fame), riding and suffering go together hand in hand. Non-riders constantly ask me: what kind of sport is this where pain is your constant riding companion and what kind of person is crazy enough to voluntarily subject himself to such suffering?

There are no easy answers because unless you have been on a bike, at the end of a long, 60-mile ride, climbing your fourth 8% grade hill of the day, you cannot understand the concept of suffering. The kind of suffering that a bike rider undergoes is not the stupid kind of suffering of the guy in the movie JACKASS who blows up a firecracker attached to his genitals. The kind of suffering that bike riders undergo on a regular basis is the same kind of suffering that a brittle piece of iron ore suffers when it is repeatedly heated and pounded with a hammer until it turns into a strong, sharp piece of steel that will go into the blade of a fine, unbreakable katana.

Suffering on the bike makes the rider a better rider. Suffering also helps to make him (or her) a better person. Only when a person is pushed to the very limits of his performance envelope, is he capable of knowing exactly what kind of “stuff” he is made up. You will never know how far you can go, until you have been there and back.

On July 2, 2011, the 98th Tour de France (or TdF) began and almost right from the start the suffering began. Most Americans only know the TdF as that really long bike race in the month of July, when every French man, woman and child goes on holiday and the country closes down. In reality, however, the TdF is more than a really long bike race – it is a three week party for sadists (the fans who delight in watching their favorite rider suffer on a long, steep climb and the tour organizers who are more than happy to accommodate the fans) and for masochists (every one else in the race). Anyone who has ridden a bike up even a moderate hill knows that at the core of our sport is suffering.

Eskimos have over a hundred words for “snow.” TdF riders can spit out a thousand lactic-acid singed grunts during a climb up a Category 1 mountaintop – each grunt as unique as a snowflake in hell.

Of course, the men who ride in the TdF (there are no women TdF riders – what’s wrong with this picture?) chose to do so, so it must follow that they also freely chose the pain and the suffering that is part of the TdF. No one has ever put a gun to the head of a would-be rider and forced him to climb atop his Bianchi and pedal away. Things were a little different in the early days of the TdF (or for that matter the Giro d’Italia or la Vuelta de España). Back in those days most bike racers came from desperately poor backgrounds – for these early riders the choice was between suffering on the agricultural fields and coalmines or suffering on the bike. At least while riding a bike through the Alps or the Dolomites the view changes all the time – the same cannot be said for working in a coalmine a mile underground.

This coming Sunday, July 17, my close and dear friend (salut mon cheri ami) and Between Homes contributor/officer, Arcabulle Odriscoll will ride on the 2011 L’Etape du Tour. L’Etape du Tour (French for 'stage of the Tour') is an organized mass participation cyclosportive event that allows amateur cyclists to race over the same route as a Tour de France stage. First held in 1993, and now organized by the Amaury Sport Organisation, ASO (the same people who sponsor the TdF, it takes place each July on a Tour rest day.

L’Etape du Tour is normally held over mountain roads in either the Pyrenees or French Alps, up climbs such as the Col du Galibier, Col d'Aubisque, Mont Ventoux or the Col du Tourmalet. Upwards of 8,500 riders participate - many travelling from other countries to compete - and the event takes place on roads closed by the police to other traffic, with refreshment stops and medical support provided along the route.

Monsieur Odriscoll like most riders, myself included, is a glutton for suffering. M. Odriscoll (or Arc as we affectionally call him) has participated in past L’Etape du Tour. In 2009 Arc rode to the top of Mont Ventoux (elevation 6,273 feet/1,912 meters). Last year, Arc rode to the slightly higher top of Col du Tourmalet (elevation 6,939 feet/2115 meters). This year Arc will ride L’Etape from Issoire to Saint Flour. This is the same stage that saw several riders involved in spectacular crashes forcing many of them to abandon the race. Arc’s epic ride will not only be long and painful, it will also be extremely dangerous – who says that the French are just a bunch of frogleg eating poseurs?

The 2011 L’Etape will be 129 miles (208 km) long and it will feature so many climbs and descent along the 129-mile course that it has been referred to as the “roller-coaster” stage.

The following climbs will be included in Arc’s Sunday ride:

Issoire (Departure) to Saint-Flour (Arrival) - 129 miles/208 km

• Mile 27/Km 43.5 - Côte de Massiac – 2.12 miles/3.4 km climb to 6.2 % - Category 3
• Mile 61.8/Km 99.5 - Col du Pas de Peyrol (Le Puy Mary) (5,213 feet/1589 m) – 4.8 miles/7.7 km climb to 6.2 % - Category 2
• Mile 72.0/Km 116.0 - Col du Perthus (4,295 feet/1309 m) – 2.74 miles/4.4 km climb to 7.9 % - Category 2
• Mile 79.22/Km 127.5 - Col de Cère (4,245 feet/1294 m) – 1.80 miles/2.9 km climb to 6.3 % - Category 3
• Mile 86.70/Km 139.5 - Côte de la Chevade – 1.86 miles/3.0 km climb to 7.9 % - Category 3
• Mile 95.70/Km 154.0 - Col de Prat de Bouc (Plomb du Cantal) (4,567 feet/1392 m) – 4.97 miles/8.0 km climb to 6.1 % - Category 2
• Mile 119.90/Km 193.0 - Côte du Château d'Alleuze – 1.25 miles/2.0 km climb to 4.9 % - Category 4
• Mile 129/Km 208.0 – Saint-Flour Montée des Orgues – 1.0 mile/1.6 km climb to 6.1 % - Category 4

The difficulty of a climb is established by its steepness, length and its position on the course. The easiest climbs are graded 4 while the hardest climbs are graded 1. Then there are the exceptional climbs (such as the Tourmalet) that are so difficult that they are beyond category or hors catégorie in French. In fact, the term “Hors catégorie” has now entered the French language to refer to any exceptional phenomenon. Notable hors catégorie peaks include the Col du Tourmalet, Mont Ventoux, Col du Galibier, the climb to the ski resort of Hautacam, and Alpe d'Huez. Our friend Arc has already climbed two of the hors catégorie mountain tops in the TdF - Mont Ventoux and the Tourmalet.

The 2011 L’Etape will feature eight categorized climbs: three Category 2 climbs, three Category 3 climbs and two Category 4 climbs.

Come this Sunday, while most of us will be enjoying a quiet morning drinking coffee, eating pastries and doing the crossword puzzle, our friend Arc will be on his velo (bike) suffering as he, and 7500 other hardy souls, pedal the hard miles from the lovely town of Issoire to the top of Saint-Flour.

Please keep him in your thoughts and channel all your spare energy to him. When Arc’s leg muscles want to stop moving and he cannot pedal another stroke, he will feel a huge rush of energy coming from all of his friends at Between Homes – your thoughts will be like a tailwind, pushing him to the summit.

Allez Arc, Allez!

NOTES ABOUT THE 2011 L’ETAPE DE TOUR:

For a map of the 2011 L’Etape course click here:

Map 2011 L’Etape de Tour

Elevation (profile) map of the 2011 L’Etape (click to enlarge):



The towns of the 2011 L’Etape de Tour.

Issoire – departure

• 14, 780 inhabitants

• Sub-prefecture of Puy-de-Dôme (63)
Issoire is at the centre of a small community near Clermont-Ferrand, whose architecture and landscape give it a Mediterranean feel, where its rich heritage sits side-by-side with its industrial know-how.

The Saint-Austremoine abbey, one of the largest churches in the southern Auvergne, shows off its bright stonework, its colors and ornamental style, while from the top of the clock tower, a fiftenth-century belfry, visitors are afforded stunning views of the town.

Issoire is also famous for its light aircraft industry thanks to the Wassmer family. The APM-20 Lionceau is manufactured here, for example. Alcan is home to the world’s first aluminium-lithium casting factory, while Issoire is also home to major businesses such as Aubert et Duval, Valéo, Praxy Bourbié and the Moniot group.

On a cultural level, concerts are a regular treat for those living in Issoire, which has welcomed artists such as rap star Abd Al Malik and singer Thomas Fersen. Summer brings with it festivals for folklore and Roman art, night-time markets and a rugby tournament. A protected nature area (the town has been awarded ’three flowers’ for its flower displays and natural environment, and is a candidate to be awarded a fourth), Issoire prides itself on being a warm and welcoming town to all.



Saint-Flour – arrival

• 7, 300 inhabitants

• Sub-prefecture of Cantal (15)

The capital of the Haute-Auvergne, Saint-Flour is a lively city served by the A75 motorway. It is unique in that it split between two levels: the upper city on the volcanic plateau of Planèze at 900 metres, and the lower city down in the Ander valley. Known as an area of history and art, Saint-Flour boasts a rich heritage, and is home to the fifteenth-century Saint Peter’s cathedral and the Halle aux bleds – a fourteenth-century Gothic church, which has recently been renovated so as to show off its wooden archways, its volcanic rock sculptures and its bright colours once more. Nicknamed ’The Windy City’ by the poet Camille Gandilhon Gens d’Armes, Saint-Flour plays host all-year-round to a number of festivals.

The Festival des Hautes Terres celebrates mountain culture, while la Festa del Païs brings together the world of agriculture. Then there’s the Chemin d’Art Contemporain, when works of art are displayed around the town, and the Dit d’Alleuze festival – a night-time spectacle in the heart of the Gorges de la Truyère.

THE GUESS WHO - A "LITTLE" BAND FROM CANADA

By Debbie Bulloch



Writing about the start of summer and summer music got me to thinking about some of the classic rock groups from the 60’s and 70’s. My Dad had a rather eclectic taste in music. He was as comfortable listening to classical compositions from Brahms and Bach as he was grooving to the rhythms of Motown’s The Supremes and The Temptations. Consequently, I grew up in a home where one moment we were listening to Sinatra’s “Strangers in the Night” and the next we were listening to Ravel’s “Bolero.”

One of my Dad’s favorite rock groups was a band from Canada. The Guess Who scored big in the late 60’s and early 70’s with hits such as “American Woman,” “No Time,” and “These Eyes.” I never cared much for “American Woman” (not too crazy about the song’s message) but I just loved “These Eyes.”

So now that summer is on its way, enjoy these tunes from a band from the “Great Frozen Tundra” aka Canada.

Vati, danke für den Musikvati!

THE GUESS WHO – No Time (Beginning of the song is a tad “psychodelic” but it does get better!)



THE GUESS WHO – Share the Land



THE GUESS WHO – American Woman



THE GUESS WHO – These Eyes

SUMMER IS HERE!!!!

By Debbie Bulloch



Summer is finally here! Summer in the Northern Hemisphere will officially arrive on Tuesday at 1:16 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT). At the same time, winter officially begins for the Southern Hemisphere.

At that moment, the sun will reach the point where it is farthest north of the celestial equator. To be more precise, when the summer solstice occurs, the sun will appear to be shining directly overhead at a point on the Tropic of Cancer (latitude 23.5 degrees north) in the Great Bahama Bank, roughly halfway between Andros Island and central Cuba.

In pre-historic times, summer was a joyous time of the year for people who lived in the Northern latitudes. The snow had disappeared; the ground had thawed out; warm temperatures had returned; flowers were blooming; leaves had returned to the deciduous trees. Food was easier to find and the crops had already been planted and would be harvested in the months to come.

For modern man, the return of summer has a different significance than it had for our ancestors. All around the world, people celebrate summer time and the return of warm weather: trips to the beach, going surfing, attending baseball games (or for you Euro-types, going to football matches), picnics and family vacations. For bike fanatics (like me), summer time means more hours of sun light to go on longer bike rides. And let’s not forget, that “little” bike race held in France every July: the Tour de France (or TdF as the cognoscenti call it).

So enjoy the fantastic weather, put away your heavy winter clothes and get your daily dose of Vitamin D by exposing some skin to the Sun’s warm rays (of course, don’t forget to wear a good sunscreen).

Of course, summer time is not always all fun and games for everyone, as this cartoon, sent to me by Bird Thor, illustrates. (Thanks Bird!)



For me though, music and summertime are inextricably linked. I can still remember long summer nights, sitting on the swing my Dad had hung from one of the branches of the old oak tree that took center stage in our backyard, reading Jules Verne’ novels by the light of a flashlight, and listening to music.

One of my all-time favorite summer songs is SUMMER BREEZE, by the group Seals and Crofts. “Summer Breeze” came out in 1972-the same year I was born. The first time I heard it, I just fell in love with it. Since that time, I have learned to appreciate this song’s beautifully simple lyrics and lilting melody.

So, for your listening pleasure, and in remembrance of those long-ago carefree days of summer, here is Seals and Crofts, “Summer Breeze.”

Enjoy!

SEALS & CROFTS – Summer Breeze



SEALS & CROFTS – Summer Breeze (with lyrics)

IN MEMORIAM

By Debbie Bulloch



Last night, May 18, I participated in our local
Ride of Silence.

The event is held each year, during Bike Awareness month, to honor the memory of our brothers and sisters who have been killed or injured while riding a biking out on the road. This was my first year participating in the event. I am not normally given to public displays of emotion, but I must confess that I was moved to tears listening to the various speakers talk about losing friends or loved ones.

There was a large turnout for the ride. The riders took up an entire city block, riding the full width of a traffic lane. In memory of our fallen comrades, we all wore black armbands and rode in silence, without speaking a word; the only sound that could be heard was the whirring of our wheels rolling on the pavement and the click-click of our bike gears shifting. We were hundreds of individual riders silently riding for 12 miles as one single entity unified by our sadness over the loss of friends and loved ones.

It was a very sobering experience.

Riding a bike is fun, it is healthy and it is environmentally friendly. Riding a bike, however, should not become a death sentence. Unfortunately, too many of my fellow bike riders fall victim to aggressive, drunk, inattentive, or simply careless drivers. Last year, over 600 bike riders were killed in the United States.

This carnage must stop!

If you are a bike rider, please take precautions for your own safety:

1. Wear a helmet (I know, many of you still think it is uncool to wear a bike helmet, but it is far “uncooler” to suffer a traumatic brain injury that could have been easily prevented by the use of a helmet);
2. Wear bright clothing;
3. Install a rear flashing light on your bike (even if you don’t ride at night);
4. Install a front light (if you ride at night);
5. Always be aware of your surroundings while out on the road;
6. Make eye contact with drivers to make sure they are aware of your presence;
7. Learn good bike handling skills; and
8. Last, but not least be sure to obey all traffic rules (we have the same rights as other vehicles on the road but we also have the same obligations).

If you are a driver, please drive safely:

1. Watch out for bike riders;
2. Be courteous to bike riders, we are going a little slower than you are, but please be patient because the few extra seconds that you spend allowing a bike rider to make a safe turn may make the difference between life and death;
3. Do not drive while intoxicated (Do I REALLY have to mention this? Really?);
4. Do not drive distracted, that means no cell phone calls, no text messages, no surfing the web from your Smartphone, no wolfing down a BicMac and no drinking lattes while you are driving (For years, German cars did not come equipped with the now ubiquitous cup-holders fancied in the USA. German engineers, who know a thing or two about car safety always believed that a driver’s total attention should be focused on the task of driving and that anything that affected his attention, such as eating and drinking while driving was a dangerous distraction…Amen! to that);
5. If you should happen to hit a bike rider, immediately stop, render aid, call 9-1-1 and wait for the authorities to show up. Hitting a bIke rider may be just an “accident” but running away from the scene of an accident constitutes a “hit-and-run” which, depending upon the circumstances may turn into a felony criminal matter. So stop, render aid and let your auto insurance company sort things out.

Have fun, be safe, enjoy!

For more information and photo coverage of the May 18 Ride of Silence please go here:

May 18, 2011 Conejo Valley Ride of Silence