CMWC video!

A sweet video by Lucas Brunelle, brings back a lot of good memories.
Look out for 25Sean!

London's Calling 2008

The pre-event to CMWC last year was such a success the Londoners have decided to do it all again.
By all accounts this was a great weekend and I'm sure the experience gained form organising last year will stand them in good stead to make a good event even better.

I'll post the link to their website in the 'Upcoming' box to the right of the page as soon as it goes online.

24 hours of pain

The annual 24 hour race in Holland is coming up in Spetember, and it seems the Irish have made an impression... here be a forwarded mail from the organisers:

Just writing to inform you that the 24 hours race is on again.

Since we love you Irish warriors' participation we all hope thatyou'll be back this year.

Date is september 6th.

This years route gonna be a circle, Start and finish in Amsterdam.

Hope to see you again!

Cheers,

Tomas

I'll post some more info about registration etc as soon as I can track it down.

Bike lanes

Bike lanes are...

broken glass magnets
extra car parking spaces
loading/unloading spaces for van couriers
motorbike highways
extra undertaking space for cars, who also need not signal when using
a safe place for you/your pram/your grandmother to stand while attempting to cross the road
exactly the same size as an open car door, especially when they are placed right by a taxi rank
pedestrianised zones if placed on a pavement
incomprehensible to road users if they happen to be contra-flow
shit

I fucking hate bike lanes

CMWC 2008

I've finally recovered enough to be able to gather my thoughts and try to recount the epic week that was CMWC Toronto.

For those that don't know, well, tough... it's the Cycle Messenger World Championships, figure it out.

I started writing a blow-by-blow account of the weekend, but quickly realised this would be very tedious to read if you weren't there, so i'm just going to recount some of the highlights.

Meeting old friends is always a huge part of messenger events, and this was no different. It was great to see Navid again, picking us up in the airport, then seeing Luk, Porno Steve, Kai Hawaii, Pascal, and a bunch of other Euro heads. All really good people. Martin Banana, Andy Duncan, the DC crew, April, Kim, AZ. The Trackstar crew, good friends... the list is endless, but there were a lot of hellos and a lot of sad goodbyes at the end. New people hang out with, The Finnish, Paulus, Paavo and Olli. Good drinking companions. Brian from Ottowa, polo guru. too many faces to remember them all, but all good people who contributed to a great time.


The racing is, of course, the most important part to a lot of people. Personally I don't take it too seriously and have been DQ'd from every event I've entered before this one. Yes, I was DQ'd in NYC 2005 for missing a turn by about 5 feet and running back to make the corner... sound familiar? Anyhoo... the course was a lot of fun in Toronto, 2 way racing made for some spectacular viewing, and one or two spectacular collisions, but not nearly as many as I thought there would be... turns out messengers know how to ride bikes after all! I took the race slow and steady completing qualification in 1hour 25. The fastest time was 1hour 2minutes, Shino methinks. I only found out I'd qualified for the final on Sunday afternoon, on the way to the Islands with a bag full of liquor. The race was nearly ready to start when we got over so I decided qualifiactaion was enough for me and got wasted instead. Fair fecks to 25 Sean for stripping down to his lycra and getting his race face on, he came 16th in the end. Chapeau!

when it all boiled down it was the usual suspects at the head of the pack: Jumbo, Austin, Porno(well done that man), and the world's fastest messenger(TM) Shino. I was so delighted to see him win, the Japanese messengers are always so nice, and turn up to every event, great ambassadors for the messenger community, and Shino is fast as fuck. You could really see his delight when he saw he'd won. Sets things up rather nicely for Tokyo next year. Will anybody be able to beat Shino on his home turf???


Speaking of future CMWC's, the open forum was an interesting one this year. Berlin put a bid in, but a non-present Mo somehow managed to stick his oar in and remind us about the huge divides in the community in Berlin. While his point may have been valid I think if he wanted to make it at an open forum he should have shelled out the cash and turned up in person to voice it, not put Martin in the unenviable position of being mouthpiece for him. I don't think that is right or proper.

Hamburg also had a bid, in the trusty figure of Kai Hawaii. This got my vote as I know he would throw a great event. However, he was beaten to the punch by a curious entry from Nadir of La Carrera cycles, with the backing of Andy Zalan. Guatemala... that's right, Guatemala. Nadir has organised the Gran Premio de Guatemala in the past, so I think we can trust he knows how to organise an event. I'm still on the fence about this one. Part of me thinks it's a great adventure and that it's about time we as a community looked further afield, but another part of me thinks that CMWC's should be held in cities with working messenger communities, like Hamburg, and organised by the local messengers. I also don't think this vote would have gone Guatemala's way if it had been taken in any other city than Toronto. But, the die has been cast, and I will support Nadir all the way. It's going to be an interesting journey, and it will only succeed if everyone pulls together to make it happen.

There was also a reshuffling of the IFBMA council, with 3 new members, Navid, Doddy from Australia, and I'm proud to say that I will be on the council for the forthcoming year as well. Andy duncan remains president and Porno Steve, Martin Banana, Jacob from Boston and Justin from Calgary all remain on the council. If anyone has any questions for the council feel free to mail council@messengers.org.

Side events are always a popular turn at CMWC's, this year the weather(again) didn't really co-operate so a few events got shelved. From what I can remember Jumbo won the trackstand, narrowly beating AZ. Pascal Brodard won the skids, although i'm not sure if that has been confirmed by the organisers. Ali from DC won the circles with 149 or something ridiculous like that, he can go forever. Jumbo came 2nd with a really impressive 113 I believe. I didn't see who won the sprints, but I can confirm that they were wearing full lycra, this is one event for me that looks less and less like a messenger event every year.

Polo was a huge draw this year, hat's off to Brian from Ottowa for organising a tremendously successful event. Over 60 teams registered and when the dust settled one of the teams from NYC with Zak, Doug and someone else walked away victors. I was delighted to see this event be so popular, but I just don't know if it should be part of CMWC. There were a hell of a lot of people there just for the polo, on polo bikes, not messengers. I felt it detracted from the main event somewhat. Don't get me wrong, I'm all for the sport and love playing it. I just think if it is that popular maybe it should have its own event.


Messengers know how to party, rain or shine, and this was put to the test as there were a lot of thunderstorms over the weekend. We're a hardy bunch though, so the resourceful found shelter and the drunk just took their clothes off. Navid's goldsprint qualifiers were a case in point. Just as everything was set up and ready to go an electrical thunderstorm knocked out the equipment and the heavens opened. This didn't deter anybody though. The tunes kept coming, the beer kept flowing and people kept smiling.

Apparently the offical welcome party got shut down by the cops for underage drinking. Hardly the organisers fault, but I'm glad I stayed under the stage in Navid's that night. The closing ceremony was supposed to have beenheld on the islands, but the storm ruled that out and a hasty venue change led us to Sneaky Dee's, a popular messenger hangout. We got to hear some local music before the awards could take place, one kid with a ginger afro was particularly good. There were some really sweet prizes on offer, frames for the main race winners. For some reason, alcohol induced no doubt, I thought it would be a good idea to take the stage after the prizegiving and thank the organisers... I don't think many people heard me though, so I think I got away with it.


There seems to be abit of a backlash brewing on the messenger mailing list at the minute, I guess it's inevitable that some people are disappointed, we certainly had our fair share last year. I guess people assumed that Toronto would be far better organised than it was. A lot of infighting among the organisers led to rifts in the community and as such some of the event suffered. I really don't want to get involved in this argument 2 years running, but I think the organisers did a good job. I had a great time, is that not enough? Not for some people. I guess cultural differences have something to do with this as well. The Japanese are thankful for everything, the Swiss are not happy if everything doesn't run on time, The Celts and the Finns don't give a shit as long as there's enough alcohol. Broad generalisations I know, but the underlying point is there... when you travel to another country don't expect everything to be like it is in yours, and don't mistake messengers for event organisers.

Ok, enough, I just hate to see this wonderful community fighting with each other when all I saw for that weekend were people from all over the world with big shit-eating grins on their faces.

Thanks Toronto! See you in Tokyo!

Uniformity

Apologies for the lack of posts... been away at CMWC Toronto and then ridiculously jet-lagged getting home. I'm only getting over it now. A full report on CMWC will follow, but first some breaking news on the Cyclone front...

It appears that the call has gone out from Cyclone (Dublin's best loved and most hated courier company) for a new design for the jerseys they are forced to wear. Before the mangement have a chance to pass the buck and simply rehash the old design with added yellow, as has been their policy for the last few years, I thought it would be only right and proper to put the call out for some real, talented people, to come up with a design that a human being would actually like to wear day in and day out.

It appears Cyclone are offering a 'cash' prize to the winning design. Now whether this involves €5 and a pat on the head, or something substantial is beyond me, but I think the honour of making 40+ couriers look less like a swarm of angry bees with eyes in their chests should be incentive enough.
. (apologies to Fergus)

If anyone feels like having a go, feel free to mail me your ideas and I will pass them on with full credit for the design. If anyone just feels like taking the piss, also get in touch and I will post your scorn on this very page.

So, the criteria are: " any colour, format, design, style or medium which is printable can be used. The use of the word cyclone is not necessary" ... these are Cyclone's words, not mine, so take from it what you will.

Please, unleash your talent on this worthy project.

Horrific crash in Mexico

I find it hard to look at this image, but is serves as a gruesome reminder of how dangerous it can be to ride a bike.

This was during a sanctioned bike race in Mexico, only about 15 minutes into it. The driver was apparently drunk and asleep behind the wheel. One of the riders was killed and at least 5 more were seriously injured. It's a miracle more people didn't die.

The picture speaks volumes, nothing more needs to be said.

Random kindness of caravans

As I'm doing the Wicklow 200 next weekend (although I'm now leaning more towards the 100), I thought it would be a good idea to actually do some training that involved a bit more climbing than riding up Bridge street twice a day.

Avoiding the booze on Saturday night, I managed to get a good kip and rise early enough to get a good run at the day. It's been a while since I've gone out on the road in the mountains, but the route came back pretty quickly: Out through Templeogue to Stocking Lane where the road begins to climb. I found myself running through my gears at a rapid rate and soon had nowhere to hide and had to grind my way past the Hellfire club and Massey's Wood on my way to the viewing point.

By the time I reached the viewing point my heart rate was off the scale and I was having serious doubts about my fitness. I took a few minutes to savour the unparralelled view of Dublin, it actually looks pretty from up there, took a few more swigs of water, sucked it up and forced myself to continue climbing. Thankfully the gradient was a bit less punishing from here and I was able to cruise for a while and get my legs back.

Over the Sally Gap and on towards Kippure, and here my sense of direction got very fuzzy. There may be only one road, but I had no idea where it led... a quick phone call to Chris had me on my way to the crossroads past Kippure where I had to make the decision... right towards Blessington, left to Roundwood or straight to Glendalough. I went for the middle ground, distance-wise, and headed towards Roundwood.

Lots of downhill here but up ahead I could see what looked like some punishing climbing. At this stage my legs were feeling good and I was looking forward to the challenge. Thankfully the gradient was deceiving and I managed to climb prettty comfortably to a stunning view of the lake by Lugalla, really just an exceptionally beautiful place. What goes up must come down... this was the steepest descent yet, nearly all the way into Roundwood. My new computer showed a max of 64.2km/h coming down here... that was fucking scary, but of course exhilarating. The only problem was I was going to have to climb back up here later...

Roundwood provided me with a bench and some much needed sustenance. Rather than taking the ugly route back through kilmacanogue and civilisation I felt I had the legs to head back uphill and tackle my route in reverse. Hitting that climb in reverse really nearly killed me, I was pleading with my bike for a few extra gears, but there were none to be had, of course this only added to the sense of satisfaction when I made it to the top.

Another quick breather and I headed for the next descent. Confident from my high speed descent earlier I blasted down, this time though I hit a small stone in the middle of the road, at 55km/h! Back tyre blew out but thankfully the front held and I was able to stop without too much drama. Being the experienced tube-changer I am I quickly managed to break the vale in my one spare tube... and had no patches with me... uh-oh.

I had called in the cavalry and press ganged Dotc into rescuing me, rather disappointingly a couple of roadies cruised by without so much as a sideward glance, but then a saint in a caravan stopped and came to my aid. He had a hybrid in his car and happily gave me the tube from his front wheel to keep me rolling. That just made my day! The guy would accept no money for the tube and was just glad he was able to help. There are some good people left in this world.

With a light heart and 2 fully inflated tyres I set off with a renewed sense of purpose: I had to give it my all now to justify that act of kindness, as if by pushing myself that little bit harder i was somehow showing my gratitude from a distance. I don't really remember much of the return journey, I just put my head down and pushed all the way home.

It's such a disappointment to ride back into Dublin, to reacquaint yourself with traffic lights and tailbacks. Quite depressing actually, I just wanted to turn around and climb back into the wild, peaceful beauty I'd come from. But I really needed a coffee, so I thought better of it and went home.

The reason I'm writing about a small journey(75km) that many people will have done countless times, is that I personally had forgotten how much beauty we have access to on 2 wheels so close to Dublin. The simple joy of cresting a hill and having the landscape unfold beneath you is something I don't think I will ever tire of, and doing it under your own steam makes it all the more rewarding. Far more rewarding than riding up Bridge Street twice a day.

Structured Quality Training

Ciao. The track people are starting the serious business of training and will be providing regular specific training evenings eg. sprints, endurance etc. They have a guest trainer coming soon and it certainly looks worth checking out.

From the horses' mouth:

We will running SQTs on the variuos aspects of track racing, using local exponents of the various events but Terry Cromer has secured the services of Dave LeGrys for a Sprint specific SQT on June 21st.

Dave LeGrys is a former Commonwealth Games Gold Medallist and 18 times World Masters Track Champion at Sprint, Team Sprint and currently is the 500M TT Champion. He is also a Level 4 ABCC Coach.

There will be a cost of €10 for senior and €5 for this session to allay some of the costs involved in flying him over etc. Those involved in Track Racing will vouch for the pedigree of his expertese and this session is a must for anyone interested in progressing their skills to the next level. We would hope that riders would reqister and pay in advance as numbers that can be catered for will be limited. You can contact Terry at his above e-mail address or phone or text him at 087-2056740

_______________________________________________________________________________________

Dave LeGrys is confirmed for June 21 Sprint SQT with the next day Sunday 22 as a raincheck day in case of bad weather.

Session will be 11-2 Sign on and bike hire @10.30 sharp

Cost is €10 for session (€5 for u/age) plus Bike hire and 1 day licence fees if needed.

Numbers may have to be limited as this is a sprint specific SQT.

The session will cover:- warm up, gearing, sprint drills and will finish with a Q&A session

Ride of Silence

I'm a bit pissed at myself for this. I only heard about it late last year and I swore to myself I would try and organise one here this year. Looks like I've left it too late again.
Ride of Silence
Basically a critical mass without the assholes. A global ride to highlight the vulnerability of cyclists on city centre streets. The ride goes at 12mph or less and rides in complete silence, kinda like a funeral procession. Everyone wears helmets. All riders wear black armbands in mourning for those cyclists killed by motorists, and any rider who has been injured by a motorist wears a red armband as well.

This ride was started in Texas after the deat of a local cyclist in 2003. They got 1000 cyclists to take part in just 10 days. The ride takes place all over the world now.

I really like the concept of this ride. No shouting or agressive behaviour. I think with a lot of riders the whole silence aspect is quite powerful.

Anyhoo, does anyone know if anybody has taken up this idea in Ireland? Anyone think we can do it in 4 days?

It's Summer, fuck blogging :)

Yes indeed, the sun has been blazing, work has been shit, but what the hell. We've all got our tan lines back and smiles on our faces. People want our jobs and hate their own lives every time they see us sweating into their offices... great!
So I've been lazy about the blog, there's not much to write about anyway. It's hot, nothing's really happening... and I'm going through one of those periods where I'm jaded with computers.

We had an alleycat last week, i wasn't there (shame), Darragh won. If someone wants to give me details I'll gladly post them. I know there were a lot of riders, some plastic handcuffs, and a large black dildo got thrown around the place towards the end of the night... you know, the usual.

Upcoming... well some of us are off to Toronto soon to compete in the World Messenger Drinking Olympics, Dublin always has a good showing in these events and I hope to do my city proud this year.

In preparation for said event I want to do the Wicklow 200. i know there are others thinking of it so we should form a messenger posse and intimidate the roadies with our bags and shorts, mountain bike spd's and scratched bikes. There is also the option of just doing the 100k loop, if you are weak that is. I may be weak on the day, but for now i'm posturing and talking a good race.
More details and registration can be found here. I note that they've nearly reached their cut off point of 1500 riders!!! So register asap.

As soon as the sun goes away I'll post more, but for now i'm going back, as you should.
Peace!

CMWC Toronto

Ola,
time is drawing near from CMWC again, and thankfully this time we can just sit back and enjoy it... after a quick flight to Canada...

Navid in Toronto has said he will help try and fix some accommodation for us Dubliners over there if we'd like. Myself (Graham) and 25 are planning on renting somewhere so we have a spot to chill at whenever we want and don't have to be reliant on others, maybe we're getting old... I dunno.

If anyone else is interested please let me know asap as Navid needs numbers and I'm not sure who from Dublin is definitely going and what their arrangements are. I'm looking at being there from June 11th to 18th or somesuch.

Send me a mail: dublinmessenger@gmail.com and we'll figure it out.

www.dublinmessengers.org

just to let anyone that might care know, I've been tinkering and you can now access this site through www.dublinmessengers.org. Yay!

Global Global Gutz Results

Here we are... scroll down to find yourself. 16th is the best Dublin time. i don't know what we have to do, but we have to completely re-think the nature of the course if we want to start posting quicker times. Seems we're stuck in a rut...
Congratualtions to all the racers.

1 Jens Reinert Hamburg 0:30:59

2 Daniel Hamburg 0:31:00

3 Irek G Warsaw 0:31:21

4 Mrówa Warsaw 0:32:15

5 Bandit Warsaw 0:32:19

6 Prettyboy Sydney 0:32:39

7 Doddy Sydney 0:33:24

8 Big Rob Sydney 0:33:45

9 Simon Lieberg Bremen 0:33:52

10 Alexander Drögmöller Bremen 0:33:52

11 Georg Hasselmann Bremen 0:33:52

12 Daniel Heisler Bremen 0:33:52

13 Ralph New York 0:35:14

14 Andrew New York 0:35:35

15 Matt Brisbane 0:35:38

16 Kropa Dublin 0:35:46

17 Lizard Dublin 0:35:47

18 Piki Warsaw 0:35:50

19 Maciek Warsaw 0:35:50

20 Daz Dublin 0:35:52

21 Sean Dublin 0:35:52

22 Tomas Warsaw 0:35:59

23 Janek Warsaw 0:36:11

24 Mlynek Warsaw 0:36:12

25 J.T New York 0:36:27

26 Crihs New York 0:36:30

27 Jacobs Boston 0:36:50

28 Someone New York 0:36:50

29 Frankie Nun, el Divino Santiago 0:36:56

30 Croth Boston 0:37:10

31 Olli Hyytiainan Winnipeg 0:37:11

32 Miler Warsaw 0:37:19

33 Mark Leoppky Winnipeg 0:37:36

34 Karl Brisbane 0:37:47

35 Jim Kuz Toronto 0:37:54

36 Pornosteve Zurich 0:37:55

37 Martin Larsen Toronto 0:37:59

38 Cris Cali New York 0:38:00

39 Samwise Sydney 0:38:03

40 Pinky Gaab Santiago 0:38:15

41 Will Melbourne 0:38:20

42 Mex Sydney 0:38:26

43 Link New York 0:38:33

44 Yatika New York 0:38:39

45 Eric Slowski Boston 0:38:50

46 Jorge Abarca Santiago 0:39:06

47 Glenn Macaulay Winnipeg 0:39:26

48 Benjamin Bloomfield Winnipeg 0:39:26

49 Jamie Vrooman Winnipeg 0:39:26

50 Jeff Kidder San Diego 0:39:30

51 Ernesto San Diego 0:39:31

52 Andino "guaraná" Reyes Santiago 0:39:32

53 Bryan F. San Diego 0:39:32

54 Vince Zurich 0:39:42

55 Steve Dublin 0:40:05

56 Emerson San Diego 0:40:08

57 Mario "velocity" Boldoy Santiago 0:40:16

58 Dave Brisbane 0:40:30

59 Ed Dublin 0:40:34

60 Lucasz Dublin 0:40:36

61 Aryeh Smith Toronto 0:40:38

62 Carlee (First female)

Toronto 0:40:42

63 Andy McGillioray Toronto 0:40:44

64 Pete Rubi Boston 0:40:49

65 Gary Bolivar Boston 0:40:50

66 Brendan Shea Boston 0:40:51

67 Beardo Boston 0:40:52

68 Simon Brisbane 0:41:00

69 Bidu Zurich 0:41:23

70 El Comelon Zurich 0:41:30

71 Nathan Brisbane 0:41:30

72 Paul Brisbane 0:41:55

73 Kevin Dublin 0:42:00

74 Jordan Field Toronto 0:42:01

75 Rob Zurich 0:42:06

76 Kerr Dublin 0:42:09

77 Ale Verdugo Santiago 0:42:12

78 Doctor Brisbane 0:42:19

79 Sam Brisbane 0:42:20

80 Noal Brisbane 0:42:21

81 Tom Brisbane 0:42:22

82 Damian Brisbane 0:42:22

83 Pete Sydney 0:42:23

84 Rangi Sydney 0:42:25

85 John Melbourne 0:42:34

86 Dan Melbourne 0:42:36

87 Josh Melbourne 0:42:39

88 Pete Brewer Toronto 0:42:46

89 Pascal Zurich 0:42:47

90 Cameron Hildebrandt Toronto 0:42:48

91 Tim Kassel 0:43:01

92 Ania Warsaw 0:43:02

93 Michel Santiago 0:43:04

94 Tobias Kassel 0:43:07

95 Bob Sutton Toronto 0:43:14

96 Jano "michelado" Montano Santiago 0:43:18

97 Matius Santiago 0:43:36

98 Steveiator Melbourne 0:43:40

99 Pablo Santiago 0:43:48

100 Johannes Zurich 0:43:48

101 Cordones Flojos Santiago 0:43:50

102 Steve Melbourne 0:43:51

103 Sewin on fire Santiago 0:43:52

104 Liam Melbourne 0:44:00

105 Jessie D Toronto 0:44:06

106 Kyle New York 0:44:08

107 Trek slick Santiago 0:44:08

108 Pip Melbourne 0:44:23

109 Udo Dada Santiago 0:45:14

110 Brett Brisbane 0:45:17

111 Britlee New York 0:45:25

112 Quintrileo Santiago 0:45:28

113 Casco Giro MSN Santiago 0:45:29

114 Dan Brisbane 0:45:38

115 Jaime Santiago 0:45:40

116 Bado Sydney 0:45:42

117 Niall Dublin 0:45:56

118 Pete Brisbane 0:45:58

119 Stefan Kassel 0:46:08

120 Marty Kassel 0:46:11

121 Sebi Kassel 0:46:12

122 Zeb Sydney 0:47:08

123 El-Jeffe San Diego 0:47:15

124 Stan G. San Diego 0:47:16

125 Dennis-Johnycrash-Tha Mennice Frankfurt 0:47:18

126 Moritz Mindnmatter Frankfurt 0:47:23

127 Mace Brisbane 0:47:27

128 Paragon Sydney 0:47:33

129 Natalie Dublin 0:47:46

130 Chris Dublin 0:47:46

131 Tom2 Brisbane 0:48:00

132 Chris Streetfighta Frankfurt 0:48:13

133 riley Adelaide 0:48:22

134 Sketchy Rick San Diego 0:48:41

135 Mattallica San Diego 0:48:42

136 dannoz Adelaide 0:49:00

137 Chris Dinsmore Norfolk 0:49:03

138 Rastas Santiago 0:49:08

139 Mayobike Santiago 0:49:12

140 msn lentes Santiago 0:49:13

141 Rene-Schwanenflug Frankfurt 0:49:36

142 Dennis Cologne 0:50:09

143 Rupe Cologne 0:50:12

144 Fabián Santiago 0:50:16

145 short amarillo Santiago 0:50:18

146 Andy Brisbane 0:50:20

147 James Brisbane 0:50:21

148 Carolina Santiago 0:50:28

149 Negro "fantasma" Pablo Santiago 0:50:44

150 Michelle Dublin 0:50:55

151 Lawrence Santiago 0:52:12

152 PPVaz Santiago 0:52:30

153 Wes Cheney Norfolk 0:53:21

154 PedroXT Santiago 0:53:30

155 Nata de Leche Santiago 0:53:34

156 Anette Zurich 0:53:48

157 Osita Santiago 0:53:58

158 Robert Kurtz Norfolk 0:54:01

159 JotaPé Santiago 0:54:58

160 Aaron Brisbane 0:55:39

161 C.J. Brisbane 0:55:41

162 Juan Madrid 0:55:42

163 Federico Madrid 0:55:45

164 Anja Cologne 0:55:54

165 Coco Madrid 0:56:02

166 Marcel Essen 0:56:49

167 Noah San Diego 0:56:50

168 Tim Essen 0:56:51

169 Guillermo Madrid 0:56:56

170 Jochen Essen 0:57:25

171 Alvaro Madrid 0:58:21

172 David Madrid 0:58:23

173 Lars Kassel 0:58:58

174 David Buchta Norfolk 0:59:36

175 Laura Caughey San Diego 0:59:57

176 Albano Madrid 1:00:00

177 Aitor Madrid 1:00:00

178 Elise Melbourne 1:01:48

179 Alberto Madrid 1:02:00

180 Andre Cologne 1:04:31

181 J. Jitensha Norfolk 1:05:28

182 Dirk Essen 1:05:59

183 Philipp Essen 1:06:20

184 Martin Essen 1:07:27

185 Henry Essen 1:07:36

186 Markus Essen 1:07:39

187 Sarah Melbourne 1:09:06

188 Clara Madrid 1:10:00

189 Rafa Madrid 1:10:00

190 bowie fist Adelaide 1:10:00

191 big mick fist Adelaide 1:10:00

192 antoin fist Adelaide 1:10:00

193 Edu Cologne 1:33:31

194 Jane Zurich 1:50:13

195 Denis Zurich 1:53:07

196 Chrisiaan Zurich 1:54:43

197 Mats Zurich 1:54:53

Janka Cologne DNF

Gaku Cologne DNF

Uula Cologne DNF

Hans Cologne DNF

Eik Cologne DNF

ErasMostro Santiago DNF

Xerófito Santiago DNF

NN Santiago DNF

NN Santiago DNF

Mattias Zurich DNF

Marc Zurich DNF

Tobias Pohl Bremen DNF

Clint Sydney DNF

Paul Sydney DNF

Rocco Dublin DNF

Tim Dublin DNF

Gary Dublin DNF

Tomkow Essen DNF

Jepp Essen DNF

Oliver Essen DNF

Alex Heimkind Hamburg DNF

Alf Tejaoa San Diego DQ

Global Gutz Results

16 racers, 21 kilometres, some beer.
1: Kropa (and 1st fixed): 35:46
2: Lizard: 35.47
3: Daz: 35.52.2
4: Sean 35.52.8
5: Steve: 40.05
6: Ed: 40.34
7: Lucasz: 40.36
8: Kevin: 42.00
9: Kerr: 42.09
10: Niall: 45.56
11:Natalie (1st female): 47.46
12: Chris: 47.46
13: Michelle: 50.55
dnf: Rocco
dnf: Tim
dnf: Gary

And here is the course: http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=1803514

Check the global Gutz website here over the next few days to see how you fared on the worldwide scale.

Thanks to everyone who came out to race, and everyone that helped out.

Track season/ polo season

With the evenings lengthening and the weather trying to warm up, fair weather cyclists are once again brushing off the cobwebs and lubing their bits for the season ahead... what that entails is that the call has gone out from the Track Federation and the Irish National Bike Polo Squad of Death.

They are both commencing their two wheeled festivities soon and would like the messengers of Dublin to get off their collective lazy asses and boost the numbers. Both activities are great, I highly reccommend trying them, proper track racing is hardcore and will show you up for the weakling you are, while grass bike polo with the pros will have you spinning your legs at a frantic pace and getting knocked around a field by large men with sticks.

Seriously though, they are both great pursuits and a welcome change from slogging around the city all day. Both groups of people, while having very different cycling habits, are friendly, enthusiastic, and are two of the only groups of people in Dublin that actually respect us! Chapeau!

Here be the details for the track:
From Hugh Byrne:
"This years Track Season opens with a training day for accredited riders on Saturday 3rd May. Sign on /bike hire etc from 10.30 but session starts at 11am sharp. Our Track League then starts on the following Wednesday evening and this is open to accredited track riders only. Sign on & bike hire/set up from 1830 but racing starts at 7pm. No accreditations on Wednesdays and Full Racing or Restricted Competition (Track) Licence is required for racing."
Full details can be found here.

As for the polo, Evan, who organises the affair, has in formed me that they will be meeting Thursday evenings. They also play on Sunday mornings, but we've never been good at that have we? They generally play from around 7 until the sun goes down. All you need to bring is yourself. They have proper grass polo bikes, wich are a lot of fun to ride, and they supply mallets as well. These guys often travel to international competitions and all are encoursged to join them. Remember bike polo was started in Ireland many moons ago, and has been played on the horsey polo grounds in Phoenix Park for a long time. Give me a shout if any of you fancy going up next week after work. We can grab something to eat and cruise on up as a group.
Bray seafront, 1908

Global Gutz details

Ahoy hoy...
So Global Gutz is this Saturday. We've decided to go for the 1pm start as we guess noone really wants to race at 9pm on Sunday...

I've to ride the course today to confirm the distance, but be prepared for 21k.

We've no prizes really, but hey, fuck prizes right? €5 entry, winner takes the pot, and is in with a chance of winning return flights to Toronto for this years CMWC.

This is not your average alleycat remember. For one, the course is designed to be simple, straight and as fast as possible, for once the race designer is not trying to make you cry. You are not just racing for yourself, but for your city. We all want Dublin to be well up there when the global results are posted. To this end it makes sense to work together as much as possible. Sprint at the end if you have the legs. I'm guessing this might be one reason some other cities do so well. Racing together will give everyone a better overall time... and I have a devilish finish in mind that will make for a great sprint finish if we have a bunch coming in together...

I hope to get off my ass and have flyers circulating this afternoon, Thursday at the latest.

Also, it is Kropas (Polish Chris) last day in Ireland on Saturday, so even if you're not coming out to race, perish the thought, please come and hang out. We're going to attempt to play polo afterwards, and of course go for a few beers, so come and join us.

Start place is Merrion Square East, inside the park. Be there AT THE LATEST 12.30pm for registration. Race begins at 1pm SHARP!!! No exceptions. One of the great things about this race is that we will be riding at the same time as people all over the world.

See you there.

Planning for Pedals

25 has just informed me that there is a lecture taking place in Trinity College on May 15th. It's the Dublin Cycling Campaign's annual lecture and is free of charge. The talk will be given by Dr. John Parkin and will encompass a wide range of topics encompassing the question 'what factors affect bicycle use?'.

Sounds like it might be worth a look in.
more details available here.

10 Commandments for Motorists

I missed this when it was reported last year, but Dave Moulton brought it back to my attention as I was scanning his blog. Interesting article from the summer of last year:

International Heral Tribune, 19th June 2007.

VATICAN CITY: The Vatican on Tuesday issued a set of the "Drivers' Ten Commandments," telling motorists to be charitable to others on the highways, to refrain from drinking and driving, and to pray you make it before you even buckle up.

An unusual document from the Vatican's office for migrants and itinerant people also warned that automobiles can be "an occasion of sin" - particularly when they are used for dangerous passing or for prostitution.

It warned about the effects of road rage, saying driving can bring out "primitive" behavior in motorists, including "impoliteness, rude gestures, cursing, blasphemy, loss of sense of responsibility or deliberate infringement of the highway code."

It urged motorists to obey traffic regulations, drive with a moral sense and to pray when behind the wheel.

Cardinal Renato Martino, who heads the office, said at a news conference that the Vatican felt it necessary to address the pastoral needs of motorists because driving had become such a big part of contemporary life.

He noted that the Bible was full of people on the move, including Mary and Joseph, the parents of Jesus - and that his office was responsible for dealing with all "itinerant" people - from refugees to prostitutes, truck drivers to the homeless.

"We know that as a consequence of transgressions and negligence, 1.2 million people die each year on the roads," Martino said. "That's a sad reality, and at the same time, a great challenge for society and the church."

The document, "Guidelines for the Pastoral Care of the Road," extols the benefits of driving - family outings, getting the sick to the hospital, allowing people to see other cultures.

But it laments a host of ills associated with automobiles: Drivers use their cars to show off; driving "provides an easy opportunity to dominate others" by speeding; drivers can kill themselves and others if they do not get their cars regular tuneups, if they drink, use drugs or fall asleep at the wheel.

The document calls for drivers to obey speed limits and to exercise a host of Christian virtues: charity to fellow drivers, prudence on the roads, hope of arriving safely and justice in the event of crashes.

And it suggests prayer might come in handy - performing the sign of the cross before starting off and saying the Rosary along the way. The Rosary was particularly well-suited to recitation by all in the car since its "rhythm and gentle repetition does not distract the driver's attention."

The document is intended for bishops conferences around the world, and as such offered recommendations for their pastoral workers.

The "Drivers' Ten Commandments" as listed by the document are:

1. You shall not kill.

2. The road shall be for you a means of communion between people and not of mortal harm.

3. Courtesy, uprightness and prudence will help you deal with unforeseen events.

4. Be charitable and help your neighbor in need, especially victims of accidents.

5. Cars shall not be for you an expression of power and domination, and an occasion of sin.

6. Charitably convince the young and not so young not to drive when they are not in a fitting condition to do so.

7. Support the families of accident victims.

8. Bring guilty motorists and their victims together, at the appropriate time, so that they can undergo the liberating experience of forgiveness.

9. On the road, protect the more vulnerable party.

10. Feel responsible toward others.

Belated Paddy's Day Massacre results

Better late than never...

Fri. Night/Rubber Side Down alleycat:
1st: Rocco
2nd: Ed
3rd: Oisin

Sprints:
Rob

Skids:
Rob

Backward Circles:
Daz (30 circles, probably an Irish record)

Trackstands:
Rob

Footdown:
Daz

Sunday alleycat:
1st: Ed and Eoin
3rd: Kropa

1st female: Lola... the only female entrant in any event over the weekend, what's up with that???

Overall Massacre winner: Aaron. He competed in every event, and was technically our only out-of-towner, chapeau!

Big thanks go out to everyone that organised a race, or a party, or helped put in any way, you know who you are. Thanks to all the racers, it would be nothing without you after all. Thanks to Cuan for bringing us loads of schwag from Toronto to give away, Kate for making those awesome caps, Aaron for the leftie Timbuk we still have to find a home for, CCB for the stunning bag that Aaron won, and last but by no means least Xander from House of Pistard who made the cross design for the shirts and gave the limited edition hoodie that Rocco won for the Friday night race.

See you next year.