Success would be the best revenge

by jeffbean on March 19, 2010

The title of this post is a quote from Author Unknown–at least as far I know. Why write a blog post about revenge on a site that celebrates all things cycling? Here’s why: the verbal war in the last 48 hours between cyclists and sports radio talk show host can’t be resolved through revenge. When Lance Armstrong called ESPN 980 Radio host Tony Kornheiser an “f-ing idiot” and a “douchebag” yesterday on Twitter over Kornheiser’s ridiculous on-air comments, I’m convinced that cyclists’ anger across the U.S. was validated. Mine was. For a day. I love that opinions can be shared instantly online. The exchange provides greater insight into how the world functions and how we view injustice (not always, but it’s definitely better than the old 24-hour news cycle through filters of big media.)

OK, so the deal: We’ve all had “moments” in which someone behind the wheel of a motorized vehicle made us feel small. Insignificant. Powerless. Vulnerable. Dare we say, hated. It’s awful. Serves no purpose for humankind. Being injured or killed on a bike is a real and present danger. I ended up undergoing a four-hour emergency surgery to put back together parts of my mug and chompers after a run-in with a hit-and-run motorist 2 years ago nearly to the day. I carried a lot of anger inside immediately afterward. I wanted something. To heal. To vent. To maybe find revenge? But over time, wounds healed, memories began to subside and I realized that revenge wasn’t so much about “making things right” but simply making someone feel a hint of pain and accountability for what they did. I know today that if I met the person who left me on the side of the road, I wouldn’t really want revenge. No, success is the best revenge. It’s why I continue to ride. Farther than ever before. And more at peace than I ever believed possible. I’m not a hippie. Or granola-crunching beatnik. Just a husband, father, uncle, son and cyclist.

If you like coming to BikeCrave regularly, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed or think about how to make a difference with just a Penny per mile. Thanks for visiting!

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Open letter to ESPN Radio

by jeffbean on March 17, 2010

It’s not often, I rant here on BC. The last time was an open letter to Facebook for its hosting of a “group” fan page that included images of cyclists being maimed by automobiles and motorists. All in good humor, free-speech advocates would say. So, now the stakes get higher. Tony Kornheiser, Washington D.C. talk show host and sports television personality on ESPN, made a few unfortunate remarks about cyclists, in regards to discussions in the nation’s capital to close off Pennsylvania Avenue to bikes only from the White House to the U.S. Capitol. I wrote an email to ESPN 980 Radio over the weekend after listening to Tony’s recorded (and archived) opinions myself. You can listen here by clicking on March 11 (Part 1). The free speech begins at 31:27. You can slide the play bar right to the spot.

A few observations, then I’ll be quiet:

  •  Tony, those “shiny” shorts cyclists wear that you find some funny? They are made of the same “shiny” material the 400-pound football players you fawn over (and criticize) wear.
  • “Disgusting poseurs” that you describe cyclists as in your city as sounds like a definition of yourself. Seriously. Howard Stern, you’re not. 
  • “Run ‘em down!” may be easy to say from the comfort of your radio studio (or from the leather seats of your automobile), but doesn’t provide entertainment value or family values that your station’s parent company and majority owner, Walt Disney Company, promotes. Have you been to Disneyland lately? Mickey Mouse? Goofy? Similarities?
  • “They (bicyclists) don’t share the road, they dominate the road.”? Really? Wow. I guess you’ve never been to Southern California, Tony. Even you would probably get run off the road–in your car, no less–on the I-5 in LA rush hour traffic. It’s a tough world.
  • And when you predict “someone’s going to hate me for (saying what I said about cyclists),” guess what? You’re right, Tony. If you and your crack producers need to stoop to this level of “entertainment” to get ratings on a “sports” radio network, well, we’re all worse off. Things must be bad. But they could always get worse. I hope you never hit anyone on a bike with your automobile. An archive of the March 11, 2010 “show” will sound pretty damaging to a jury. They’re your words, Tony. Your’s alone. 

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Good ’sensations’

03.16.2010

I’ve read some spirited pro cycling comments (and banter) from fans. One recently lamented how pros often describe getting good “sensations” in their legs, while mortals experience races or rides in which the quads, calves and hamstrings are filled with a heavy feeling of dread. Heh. Haven’t we all been there? Usually–I might add–we’re there when [...]

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11-year itch

03.14.2010

A lot can happen in 11 years. When Lance Armstrong returned to professional cycling to win the 1999 Tour de France, it pretty much shocked the tifosi and television commentators. A cancer survivor, depite doctors giving him razor-thin odds to live, Armstrong has since cemented his place in cycling history. Seven consecutive Tours de France [...]

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The wind doesn’t always win

03.13.2010

“The older you get, the stronger the wind gets. And it’s always in your face.”
-Pablo Picasso
I have nothing but respect for cyclists who live and train in windy climes. Texas comes first to mind. I did the Ride for the Roses in 2003 and 2004 in Austin, when the wind blew something like (I swear) [...]

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Bike vs. office

03.11.2010

It’s really not a fair fight. The bike triumphs on so many levels: physical invigoration, sun, wind, rain, chill, warmth, mobility, endorphins. The office, however, is a critical fact of life: income, eating, mortgage, intellectual rigor, retirement and college savings, quarterly earnings to the Street, innovation, technology, growth.
I’d be lying if I didn’t say that on [...]

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People for Bikes

03.11.2010

Ever been a part of something special? If you ride a bike, you already are. I hope you’ll sign the pledge and join the effort to unite 1 million voices. It’s time.

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Where are you going?

03.09.2010

Where are you going?
When on the bike, do you prefer point-to-point rides? Loops? A GPS and pre-loaded maps? Whatever the road serves up? The trainer with a DVD and power meter? 
After watching Bicycle Dreams a second time this week, I can’t get a quote out of my head. I don’t know if it’s 100 percent [...]

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10 stages of double fun

03.07.2010

The Death Valley Double Century. A definite keeper. Do it, if you like doubles or enjoy the desert. Ride it, because it’s one-of-a-kind. The ride, for me, provided 10 stages of fun. Death Valley National Monument gives you everything, and more. If the moon had oxygen, a 200-mile ride up there might be similar in [...]

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The trail

03.05.2010

“Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.”
-Ralph Waldo Emerson
I’m wrapping up a few things at the house in preparation for the long drive north to one of the most beautiful places on the planet. It’s a place whose name defies the beauty it [...]

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