Monday Morning Commute - Buffalo Soldiers: the first mountain bikers

Do you think Bruce Banner qualifies for medicinal marijuana? I mean, if anyone does...

• WABA needs volunteers
• Group of five kids in Columbia Heights surrounded a cyclist and stole his bike. Chase ensued and two of the kids were arrested.
• Bike Maryland on helmetlessness.
• No money for biking in Fairfax county.
• Safe Routes to School is in jeopardy.
• "many positive projects have resulted from a growing relationship between the Park Service and the International Mountain Bicycling Association (IMBA)—a nonprofit group that advocates for landscape conservation, trail access, and above all else, good trail etiquette. “IMBA has shown through hard work and cooperative attitudes that they share our passion for protecting and enjoying our nation’s parks,” said Park Service Director Jon Jarvis in a press release. “Bicycling helps draw new visitors—especially younger people—and gives them fun, memorable experiences in the national parks.”
• I'm not sure if this is too late, but you might be able to ask Sec. LaHood a question.
• The American Taylor Phinney won the Giro d’Italia’s first stage, a 5.4-mile individual time trial in Herning, Denmark.
• I know what got the headline, but this part is more impressive "The top woman was Canada's Angela Naeth, who won in a course-record 4:28:12 despite peddling the last six miles of the bike leg with a flat rear tire."
• Some guy on a bicycle outruns police at crazy highway speeds.

Comments

[Michael H.]

There was a similar situation in the Leadville 100 mountain bike race a few years ago. It's featured in the bike documentary movie "Race Across the Sky". It's the first in the documentary series, covering Lance's entry in that race. The 2nd movie featured Levi Leipheimer at the race. Great cinematography and long-distance mtn. bike race footage. Both are available on DVD.

[John]

Angela would have made even better time if she'd been riding the bike those last 6 miles instead of trying to sell it

[Jonathan Krall]

Aarg! Please label the Giro spoilers "spoiler alert." Thanks.

[Michael H.]

Too bad Universal Sports (U.S. broadcaster for the Giro) is no longer available on most television systems. It used to be a digital over-the-air subchannel so it was included on most of the cable/satellite line-ups. Now it's a standard digital channel that requires special arrangement with the cable/satellite provider.

Comcast (which now owns NBC Universal) is a part owner of Universal Sports and yet they haven't managed to come to an agreement to carry the channel this year. Is it really that difficult to negotiate with oneself?

[washcycle]

Jonathan, sorry. I figured since they were reported who won stage 2, it was OK to mention stage 1. My bad.

[TWK]

I use rabbit ears to TV. I liked watching the bike tours and other programming in Universal Sports. When NBC4 dropped Universal Sports, I dropped NBC4 all together. Nice things about the modern TV's is you can delete channels. Shortens my channel surfing time so I arrive faster at the conclusion there is nothing good on and just turn the TV off.

[Michael H.]

The Tour de France will be televised on the NBC Sports Network (the new name for the Versus channel). That's going to end on July 22. Then the Summer Olympics starts up on July 27. Two of my favorite sports events.

[Jonathan Krall]

Wash, You're probably right--I just need to not let the races pile up on my computer.

Jonathan

[oboe]

You can also get the full Giro streaming for 9.99 at the Universal Sports website. You can also usually get a good stream here:

http://cyclingfans.com/

[Christopher Fotos]

Yeah, I'm exclusively an over-the-air TV guy as well, and I used to love watching Alpine skiing (go Lndsey Vonn!) and the Giro on Universal Sports--I contacted the station and they explained they had to pull it and they were sorry to see it go.

So Versus is the NBC Sports Network and Universal Sports will be merged into it, or it already is?

I tried watching the Tour de France via the official subscription feed and some kind of Euro feed last year and they both stuttered all over the place.

[JJJJJ]

RE: Universal sports.

When Comcast bought NBC, they said they would NEVER pull any move that hurt consumers, like requiring them to subscribe to a channel that was free.

A few months later, they pull US off the air and make it a pay TV channel.

And our government let them.