Rides and Races - Toronto Fixed

Y O that SAUCE WAS TOO MUCH , gboy + offhoff got dropped so fast omg.

LOL... I got pushed into going straight onto some road while you guys turned... and then I tried finding you guys again, but I mistook another cyclist with a blinkie as one of you guys and followed him back to Dufferin. Oh well...

put me down for some track riding.

I thought about it, but I'm going to take my MTB. My cross bike would be slower overall on this course I think. The problem riding cross against mountain bikers, especially with this many of them on the race circuit- is that they end up passing you on the downhills and technical stuff, and then you end up stuck behind them on the climbs, where you lose all your speed. Mountain bikes and cross bikes are sort of out of phase with one another, like when you keep passing the same TTC bus over and over again, only to have it motor by you at 60 km/hr. The advantage of the cross bike would be on the doubletrack, but I think it wouldn't be anywhere near enough to make up the lost ground. I'd actually love do it anyway, but I don't want to hold the team back if I can help it.

The other reason is that I am scared of my cross bike since my last crash. Sometimes I think I can hear it taunting me as I walk past it. I know that it secretly yearns to destroy me, and any offspring I may eventually have.
the course isn't particularly technical but it is still a Mtn bike course. A few of my teammates pre rode it on Mon...said it was really fast. I am on a 11 person corporate team...so I will only get 2 laps...maybe 3...but thats a-o-k with me...more pinting time in the pits.
Stop by camp 68 for a cold one and some poker.

I wanna play too! :P

ps. I think I just had a duppy.conqueror spotting at Church and Carlton.

Alright updated track listing for Sat Sept 16th
So far:
1: Offhoff
2: Somnambulant
3: Operator
4: Ill Mitch
5: Cavern
6: Shiznaz

I want to be #2

I wanna play too! :P

ps. I think I just had a duppy.conqueror spotting at Church and Carlton.

hahahahahaha yeaaaaaa yo that was me...thought that was u...

:D

Alright updated track listing for Sat Sept 16th
So far:
1: Offhoff
2: Somnambulant
3: Operator
4: Ill Mitch
5: Cavern
6: Shiznaz

Yes yes hang on sept 16th no!

there will definitely be more! and don't forget, critical mass is only 8 days away. :)

I vote for another post-CM beers in the park and/or drinks/food someplace.

Yes a very good idea.
Cheers

anyone want to ride?

Me track good.

Muh ...

Alright updated track listing for Sat Sept 16th
So far:
1: Offhoff
2: Somnambulant
3: Operator
4: Ill Mitch
5: Cavern
6: Shiznaz
7: Eyefloater

#2!

Quiet you, or you'll be demoted to number 4.

Yuppers. I think we are at campsite 68 or 69. I will keep my eyes peeled for ya. I have a spot in the van, leaving tomorrow at 6ish, if you know anyone who needs a lift. You racing too? What Cat?

yea, i was going to ask you about that too.

Your buddy with the Santa Cruz and the Oryx, forget his name, was in the shop today and mentioned that he was gonna be riding with you.

too bad I couldn't make it out, cupple guys from my work are going.

I think Andrew Maki and John Fergie are gonna be riding with Johnny Bates and a few other guys.

It's gonna be great

yea, i was going to ask you about that too.

Your buddy with the Santa Cruz and the Oryx, forget his name, was in the shop today and mentioned that he was gonna be riding with you.

too bad I couldn't make it out, cupple guys from my work are going.

I think Andrew Maki and John Fergie are gonna be riding with Johnny Bates and a few other guys.

It's gonna be great
Is there a Cycle Solutions team? I will keep my eyes out for them. I prolly should have been racing with Master Bates but committed to Marty and Ryans team months ago. Good times regardless. Sorry you can't make it out...work commitments I assume. Stupid work!

Keith, do you have any of the Soma travel coffee mugs in stock (no handle, sliding flap that goes across the hole in the lid, brushed metal, etc.)?

Keith, do you have any of the Soma travel coffee mugs in stock (no handle, sliding flap that goes across the hole in the lid, brushed metal, etc.)?
I don't. I am not sure if ACS has em in stock but they are in the catalogue.

Dang it.

Oh, CM - one week from now. All ye new/old people get your ****e together and come on out. I can only assume that drinking/food will take place afterward (ie. good times).

Keith, do you have any of the Soma travel coffee mugs in stock (no handle, sliding flap that goes across the hole in the lid, brushed metal, etc.)?

I've seen them at Bikes On Wheels.. have you tried there? They're pretty $$$ though. If you're just going to be throwing it in your bag (and not using the handlebar mount) I'd recommend just getting one at MEC. I like mine (http://www.mec.ca/Products/product_detail.jsp?PRODUCT%3C%3Eprd_id=845524441777541&FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=2534374302696655&bmUID=1155905641943) a lot, but it doesn't hold a heck of a lot of liquid.

also: I had Franek whip past me again this morning. I think he must be riding about 2 gear-inches taller than me because I have to spin up to the redline to match him and I can't really gain on him... plus his flow be fresh. :P

Nice Wes, you totally just ****ing annihilated the MEC website. Good one.

Edit: Oh, no wait - *cancels ∞-1 porn downloads* - just had to free up some of my bandwidth (hahaha, I typed that as "handwidth" on the first try).

*siiigh*

Hey does Ambrosio still make good rims? Just found their site and I like a couple wheel s they got there. Does anyone sell them here to your collective knowledge?

I typed that as "handwidth" on the first try

bahahahahah

annihilate the MEC website? how could I do that? I right, with the stupid amount of bandwidth I have at work.. eg:

http://www.speedtest.net/result/40010928.png (http://www.speedtest.net)

Keith, do you have any of the Soma travel coffee mugs in stock (no handle, sliding flap that goes across the hole in the lid, brushed metal, etc.)?


Hey eyefloater, I think Curbside has the Soma mug in their display cabinet...

:D

http://www.speedtest.net/result/40010928.png (http://www.speedtest.net)

= good game

time to go to sleep

Hey does Ambrosio still make good rims? Just found their site and I like a couple wheel s they got there. Does anyone sell them here to your collective knowledge?
Ambrosio does indeed make some nice rims. Pretty much any shop *cough mine cough* can get em for you. The Excellence/Excellight are both sweet box section with eyelets. The Focus is a really nice aero style model.

http://www.speedtest.net/result/39100800.png (http://www.speedtest.net)
Boo for my job's connection!

Ambrosio does indeed make some nice rims. Pretty much any shop *cough mine cough* can get em for you. The Excellence/Excellight are both sweet box section with eyelets. The Focus is a really nice aero style model.

That would be the FCS28? (Focus)

my play....http://www.speedtest.net/result/40023930.png (http://www.speedtest.net)

That would be the FCS28? (Focus)

my play....http://www.speedtest.net/result/40023930.png (http://www.speedtest.net)

UofT is basically the gateway for everyone in the GTA (from what I know), and it looks like you have a big 'ol pipe to us. :)

We've a few fiber optic channels. mmmm fiber
I think we are our own ISP as well.

/me wants to ride and have some beerz but is unfortunately @ work!

/me wants to ride faster faster faster....beers would b nice too

/me wants to ride faster faster faster....beers would b nice too

I was goin down university pretty fast until a cab decided to almost kill me doin 3 lane change... I kicked his cab nice tho'!!! I thought I was gonna be eating a lincoln for a minute!

Never been much of a kicker, I like knocking on the body panels when they get too close. Killer cabs may receive the mirror treatment.

holey moley.. not sure what kind of juice you guys are on...

http://www.speedtest.net/result/40043209.png (http://www.speedtest.net)

you traveled 6100 miles compared to our 450

As part of my morning commute I ride down Markham st. between harbord and college warming my legs up no handed until I get the blood flowing and the joints stretched. Today, about a minute after I left my house some guy started to come up behind me about 20-30 meters before we get to college. I assume he will slow down and wait until I get to the intersection but instead he keeps coming and starting honking his horn like crazy. In response I grab my handlebars, and go into the absolute centre of the road, but he is still coming at me and passes me with a few inches to spare between myself and the parked cars. Of course as soon as he has passed me he slows right down because we are at the intersection and I go right by him across the street. Some people need to chill, Winston!

I've been known to slap a window or hood in my time though, but its always because a car has been merging into my space without looking. I can't do the kick because taking my feet out of my pedals means that I can't stop.

http://www.speedtest.net/result/40049251.png (http://www.speedtest.net)
Sweet.

I assume he will slow down and wait until I get to the intersection but instead he keeps coming and starting honking his horn like crazy. In response I grab my handlebars, and go into the absolute centre of the road, but he is still coming at me and passes me with a few inches to spare between myself and the parked cars.

Weird. I've had 3 people lose it on me for no reason in the last 2 days. Before that, everyone has been relatively calm for a couple of months. What gives?

I had a couple come over from the centre lane to the curb lane with me in the middle of the lane this morning. I tapped the back door with my knuckles when they are halfway over the lane line, they braked, as I slid past them he guns the engine. I stopped dead in front of him, took a photo of his plate and went to the window. The wife starts yellin at me what am I doing in front of the car etc etc.. "Why the aggressive driving dude, wait a sec and I'm not there", referring to the lane change. We're in front of you when we turn, she's yellin at me. If you were in front of me then how did I knock on the back door of your car? Silence. The gunning of engine really threw me though, because when i stopped, I could see they knew they effed it. Is it lunar?

im a big fan of the door punch and hood slap.

The hood slap as you carve around the front bumper with inches to spare.

Many moons ago, I gave a guy the finger on Bloor (he cut me off) and he followed me from Yonge to St. George, honking, yelling obscenities, and slicing his car into my line, trying to knock me off my bike. It was in the afternoon during the week so there wasn't much traffic to lose him in and this was before cell-phones, or I would have stopped and called the police, this guy was coming waaaay too close and it was pretty scary. He kept saying "I know how to play your game! You want to play?" and then I lost him in the bottleneck at Spadina when the lanes go down from two to one.

Heheh, funny when I think about it now but the guy was basically trying to kill me with his car so yeah, I don't really give people the finger anymore or slap their hoods or whatever. I just brush it off and think to myself that things could be worse, I could be an assshole driver who loses their cool over small things and isn't in great shape :)

http://www.speedtest.net/result/39100800.png (http://www.speedtest.net)
Boo for my job's connection!

Haha my residential connection:

http://www.speedtest.net/result/40061460.png (http://www.speedtest.net)

Way to go upload! Guess your coworkers are really hammering those pr0n sites. And who the hell measures stuff in kilobits anyways.

As I was grabbing my lunch at the bottom of Yonge Street I was looking at the brass lettering in the sidewalk as to how far it is up Yonge to certain locations that Yonge passes through. 88k to Barrie. That would fun..... Tour of Yonge. Then I found this:

Supposedly, Yonge Street is recognized as the longest street in the world, with a length of 1900km. Let's take a drive along Yonge Street to check out that claim.

Our drive begins at the Toronto harbor. One Yonge Street is the Toronto Star building. Going north, we go past the Eaton Center, and through the Yonge Street strip. Then north of Bloor, we drive past Rosedale and Mount Pleasant Cemetary. Still in the city, we reach Hogg's Hollow and Mel Lastman square in the former city of North York. After 18km, we leave the city of Toronto.

Yonge Street now goes through communities of the Regional Municipality of York. First, Richmond Hill, then past Bond Lake and through Oak Ridges and Aurora. Through Newmarket, we pass house numbers in the 17000's and 18000's.

Past Newmarket, after 50km, the road bears to the left and descends into the Holland Marsh and we find houses numbered in the 20000's. Crossing a bridge into Bradford, we find house numbers in the 200's and descending.

Huh?!? We've only travelled 56km, and now we're no longer on Yonge Street! We're on Bridge Street instead. A little further, and we're on Holland Street, and there's no more sign of Yonge Street.

Let's look at our map book again. North of Newmarket, rather than following the main road, turn right on Holland Landing Road, then immediately right again onto an unmarked dirt road. Although one store in Holland Landing calls it "Old Yonge Street", the street signs call it just "Yonge Street". After a short jog to the left at Queensville Sideroad, Yonge Street proceeds north again, but then ends at a dead end a couple of kilometers later. House numbers here are in the 21000 range. Again, we're still no further than 56km from 1 Yonge Street.


End of the road.

Clearly, this is no 1900km long street. At 56km, it is certainly a long street, but is that length deserving of a world record? Surely, there must be some other street longer than 56km.

So where did this fiction come from? At one time, Yonge Street was also Ontario provincial Highway 11, which did indeed stretch for 1900km all the way from Lake Ontario in Toronto north past North Bay to Cochrane, west through Kapuskasing and Thunder Bay, and ending at Rainy River on the border with Minnesota.

But, in the late 1990's, the provincial government downloaded responsibility for many provincial highways to the local municipalities in an effort to reduce the size of the provincial budget. Today, Highway 11 starts north of Barrie, 44km north of where Yonge Street ends.

The street that was 1900km long was Highway 11, not Yonge Street. And so even before provincial downloading, the claim was questionable. Strangely enough, even though the claim is so easily tested, many today still enjoy spreading the lie.

To which I say: BOGUS!!!! Bring back Yonge Street/Highway 11

Weird. I've had 3 people lose it on me for no reason in the last 2 days. Before that, everyone has been relatively calm for a couple of months. What gives?

Randomness clusters. Things go to hell all at once.

Edit: hahahahahh! I just checked google maps and Yonge st. doesn't stop at Holland Marsh. That article is just a platform to take potshots at government.

InIn that situation I would have pulled over to the busiest nearby curb, got off my bike, and invited the guy to 'come play' on my terms. Hell, even on his terms he's an idiot. What is he going to do, force you to crash into him? just make sure you take out as many windows and body sections as possible when you hit the car. Sometimes the police have to do a sting to put criminals behind bars. You're not going to stop the bad drivers unless they are drawn out. Imagine how sweet being an under-cover bike cop would be. Full impunity to traffic rules and if anyone drives around you dangerously you sprint after them, slap your badge on their window and throw the book at them. Consider it the same as prostitution stings but with bikes and bad drivers.

Imagine how sweet being an under-cover bike cop would be. Full impunity to traffic rules and if anyone drives around you dangerously you sprint after them, slap your badge on their window and throw the book at them. Consider it the same as prostitution stings but with bikes and bad drivers.

I think if Toronto was even half as serious about promoting cycling as they pretend to be, they would have undercover bike cops policing the roads-at least downtown. It makes sense, and I bet it would make a noticable difference for the better. I would gladly pay the occasional ticket for my on-bike indescressions if the system at least worked for me in some capacity. As it is now, it's a free for all on cycists. We are the dog that gets kicked at the end of many drivers hard day at the office.

I usually ride with the no confrontations attitude (although I didn't use to in the past), you never know man someone might be serious. Me skinny 119lb guy does no good for fights.

Such as this: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-6167916662594488&q=bmw+chase

^ I think that's safe for work
Note: Some say this vid is fake, those roads sure look like something in Ontario.

hahahahahh! I just checked google maps and Yonge st. doesn't stop at Holland Marsh. That article is just a platform to take potshots at government.

My Hero.... the Tour duh Yonge lives!!!!!