This is what the Iditabike race looked like in 1988:
Mark Forman's video was originally broadcast on The Discovery Channel.
14 March 2017
13 March 2017
Blown Off, Literally
The Blizzard is imminent.
That's what the weather forecasters have been telling us since Friday. We're going to get hit with a nor'easter that will bury us in snow, leaving us for future archaeologists to unearth as they did in Pompeii. And the wind will whip the snow around, leaving whirls and swirls and bubbles like frosty cappuccino foam.
Well, now I believe that the storm is coming. The college in which I teach, and its university, will be closed tomorrow. After all, whose wisdom is more infinite than that of our school's administrators? Certainly not that of the National Weather Service!
All right, I'm being snarky. At least, that's what I want to believe: Otherwise, I'd have to accept the fact that I'm being silly. But, whatever our storm brings, I don't think anyone will run a bike race through it. And if there were one, I'm not even sure that my old, crazy, self would have participated.
I mean, look what happened to some riders who rode in blizzard-like conditions.
So they didn't have any snow. They did, however, experience the sort of wind we are supposed to have tomorrow morning.
The race in which no one could stay on his bike is the 40th edition of the Cape Town Cycle Tour. At least, it was supposed to be. The race was finally halted "due to safety concerns."
Given that the race is in South Africa, it's no surprise that wind wasn't the only obstacle. Protesters, upset that pegs used as placeholders for shacks were removed, burned tires and tossed rubble on the roadway before the race.
That's what the weather forecasters have been telling us since Friday. We're going to get hit with a nor'easter that will bury us in snow, leaving us for future archaeologists to unearth as they did in Pompeii. And the wind will whip the snow around, leaving whirls and swirls and bubbles like frosty cappuccino foam.
Well, now I believe that the storm is coming. The college in which I teach, and its university, will be closed tomorrow. After all, whose wisdom is more infinite than that of our school's administrators? Certainly not that of the National Weather Service!
All right, I'm being snarky. At least, that's what I want to believe: Otherwise, I'd have to accept the fact that I'm being silly. But, whatever our storm brings, I don't think anyone will run a bike race through it. And if there were one, I'm not even sure that my old, crazy, self would have participated.
I mean, look what happened to some riders who rode in blizzard-like conditions.
So they didn't have any snow. They did, however, experience the sort of wind we are supposed to have tomorrow morning.
The race in which no one could stay on his bike is the 40th edition of the Cape Town Cycle Tour. At least, it was supposed to be. The race was finally halted "due to safety concerns."
Given that the race is in South Africa, it's no surprise that wind wasn't the only obstacle. Protesters, upset that pegs used as placeholders for shacks were removed, burned tires and tossed rubble on the roadway before the race.
12 March 2017
Fixer Cat
Were you one of those kids who always wanted to help his or her mother or father when they were cooking, cleaning, fixing or making things?
Do you have a kid like that? Or does your kid like to "supervise"? Maybe you were that kind of kid.
What about your pets? How do they behave when you're maintaining, repairing or building your bikes?
Marlee and Max, my feline housemates, like to poke their noses in whatever I'm doing. I've tried to teach them how to do basic stuff, like fixing flats, oiling chains, chopping garlic and grading students' papers. But they always have the same excuse: "We don't have opposable thumbs!"
That's all right. I am convinced that they are good luck.
I think this one would agree!
Do you have a kid like that? Or does your kid like to "supervise"? Maybe you were that kind of kid.
What about your pets? How do they behave when you're maintaining, repairing or building your bikes?
Marlee and Max, my feline housemates, like to poke their noses in whatever I'm doing. I've tried to teach them how to do basic stuff, like fixing flats, oiling chains, chopping garlic and grading students' papers. But they always have the same excuse: "We don't have opposable thumbs!"
That's all right. I am convinced that they are good luck.
I think this one would agree!
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