Yesterday I kicked off the year with Cycle Folsom and the “Chickens and a Bridge” ride.  As advertised, there were in fact chickens.  Many chickens in and around Fair Oaks.  And after the chickens?  Yup – a bridge.

It was great to get out with the club and thumb our collective noses at the weather.  Low 40′s and raining didn’t thwart the group here.  The group did get broken up due to a couple of flats though.  First one was me, at just a mile or two in, where a piece of green grass managed to work its way into my Continental Gatorskins.

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Parked out front of the coffee shop this afternoon I noticed not one but three Sacramento Police Department bicycles.  All were different makes and models, but all were mountain bikes.  The three officers had stopped for a cup of coffee.  Apparently (but not surprisingly) officers on bicycles are much healthier than their car-bound brethren.  There was not a doughnut in a single one of their hands – even a stereotypical one.

All of them were similiarly equipped – with lights and a siren on the handlebars.
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Boise, Idaho has a new point of bragging – they are the home to one of the newest US professional cycling teams.

Team Exergy received a UCI Continential license for 2011.  This advancement from the Amateur ranks gives them a shot at some of the bigger races.

According to a report in the Idaho Statesman, the team’s Directeur Sportif is looking to establish a good record early in the season in a bid to win spots for both the Tour of California and the Quiznos Pro Challenge.
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I ran into a post over at blog.cyclosity.com regarding UPS trucks that apparently continue to park in bike lanes.  The whole idea of bike lane obstructions is probably something that most commuters are familiar with.

One of the most important rules of being safe while riding in traffic is to be consistent and predictable.  You are at much higher risk if getting tangled up with a car a you move out of the bike lane than you are while riding in the bike lane – or even out of the bike lane and in traffic.  This is one of the common mistakes made by newer commuters.  You will see folks that will take every opportunity to get as far right next to the curb as possible – say, in a stretch of road where there are not as many parked cars.  Unfortunately, this forces them to move out into traffic when they come up to a parked car.

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Team Saxo Bank Sungard will be present in Adelaide, Australia for he 2011 Santos Tour Down Under.  Their roster, lead by Porte, will contain 3 Australian riders, but no Spaniards.

The full roster for the event includes:

• Baden Cooke (AUS)
• Juan Jose Haedo (ARG)
• Sebastian Haedo (ARG)
• Richie Porte (AUS)
• Nicki Sorensen (DEN)
• David Tanner (AUS)
• Brian Vandborg (DEN)

Regarding Richie Porte, Tour Down Under race director Mike Turtur was quoted as saying:

He’s a huge talent and could be Australia’s next big hope for the Grand Tours after Cadel Evans retires.

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The GoPro Hero is undoubtedly the little camera that could.  While there are other helmet cameras available, the Hero seems to be dominating the market.  Its origins are from the surfing community, but this tiny wearable (or mountable) camera has found fans in nearly every active sport you can imagine.  Do a search on YouTube for “GoPro” and you’ll find videos that folks have made of themselves base jumping, driving race cars, paint balling, surfing, skiing…  Oh yea – and cycling too!

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Team Radio Shack has just announced their team lineup for the Santos Tour Down Under to be held in Austrailia in January.  That includes or still-not-quite-retired rider Lance Armstrong, who will also be participating in the Cancer Council Classic.

The full team for the first race of the 2011 Pro Tour is made up of (in alphabetical order):

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In an odd series of connections I found a great video of tips for cyclists, given from the point of view of a driver.  This was actually posted over 3 years ago on Brian Acord’s blog over at GreenWheels.org.  Brian is actually a fellow CycleFolsom member and ride leader.  Yup – I’m referring to that Brian.  Have a look at the video – and share it with friends and family!

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