Jun
17
Bicycle Film Festival kicks off in NYC today
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For those of you lucky enough to find yourselves close enough to New York City, you owe it those of us that aren’t to attend the Bicycle Film Festival that kicks off tonight. Look for parties, rides and oh, yeah, films from today (June 17) through Sunday the 21st. The event is sponsored by beverage company42Below and a bunch of other forward thinking brands and organizations.
Check out their website for the schedule and details. Here’s the trailer for the 2009 BFF:
Wouldn’t it be cool to have a BFF event in Vegas in September?
Jun
9
Bikes on D-Day
Filed Under Cycling, Interbike, Photos | 10 Comments
My kids and I took a trip down to tiny Gillespie Field east of San Diego for their semi-annual airshow, “Wings Over Gillespie,” this past Saturday. As with any such show, the focus is on military aircraft and it just happened to be the weekend of the 65th anniversary of the Normandy D-Day invasion that was the beginning of the end of World War Two.
I wasn’t thinking of this anniversary when we decided to make the trip, but when we got there, the first demonstration we caught was of a paratrooper deployment featuring a plane that actually dropped soldiers into Normandy on that June 6th day back in 1944 (in the background of the photos below). After watching the precision landings of the parachutists, we heard some loud popping sounds and followed the crowds over to a re-enactment of a battle between US and British allies and the Germans. It was all very exciting with incredibly detailed outfits and gear assembled by the re-enactors. Oh, and the Allies won (in case you were wondering).
I also wasn’t thinking of D-Day when we walked over to the US, German and British ‘camps’ set up by the actors to see their gear up close and found a bicycle on display. It was a replica of a BSA folding military bike in matte green paint. I took a couple of photos that I posted on Twitter, but later in the day, we came across Private Ken of the British Army riding his BSA (Birmingham Small Arms) across the tarmac.
We flagged the friendly soldier down, and in typical ‘Brit’ (he was actually from Riverside or San Bernardino) fashion he enthusiastically and patiently entertained all our questions and requests for photos. What we learned was that some of the paratroopers deployed in the D-Day invasion were equipped with these folding BSA’s along with their weapons, rations and other gear. With a bike, the troopers could cover more ground more quickly than on foot. A rifle could be be mounted along the top tube and he described a range of other packs and panniers that the bikes would have setup with back in the day.
Ken showed us the simple and sturdy folding mechanism using wing nuts. I asked him about the coaster brake, and he admitted that this was only major difference between this Norwegian-made replica and an actual BSA that would have had caliper brakes.
I’d always known about the Swiss army’s use of bikes fairly recently (I think Ochsner used to distribute them a while back) and that other armies had used them over the years, but to learn that bikes were used during the Normandy invasion was fascinating. And not just behind the lines, but actually inserted behind enemy lines right in the thick of things.
As my 3 year old son said throughout the day, “that’s pretty cool.”
[Update: Make sure to read the comments to this post since Ken Glaze (Private Ken in the post) fills us in on a few more details about his bike.]
Jun
8
Cycling as the great American pastime?
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From Interbike show director, Andy Tompkins, on his first trip to the big Philly races, now know as the Philadelphia International Cycling Championship.
I had the pleasure of attending the Philadelphia International Cycling Championship this past Sunday, June 7.
It seemed that the entire city embraced this race; I’ve never seen a sporting event touch so many in one community. It was the 25th edition, and an estimated three hundred thousand people lined the streets and outpoured respect and excitement for the field. Andre Greipel and Ina Teutenberg, both of Columbia-Highroad took top honors in their respective divisions, but in my opinion that was only part of the story.
In business we know that which gets attention gets done, and the 2009 event was a model of this persistence. Due to the recent economic upheaval, this years race almost didn’t stage, however local banks and casinos, along with the mayors office made sure this PA classic stayed alive. Mayor Michael Nutter was omnipresent, thanking all who took part for attending this marquis event, understanding that the race is special and important for his city.
And what a legacy to protect – while it was amazing to see the pros in action, ride the course in the Fuji-Servetto team car, and spend time with the great people of ASI (Fuji’s parent company) camped on top of Manayunk Wall (special thanks to Pat Cunnane, of ASI, and his entire crew for their hospitality), my favorite moment came courtesy of a two year old boy. His grandfather held him up to give the youngster his first glimpse of a peloton – I’ve rarely seen such an expression of unadulterated joy. The grandfather explained to me with pride twenty four years before he had taken his daughter to see the race as well, and he shared that she gave him a similar smile.
Pastimes are really shared history – common bonds of lessons and love shared through generations. Sports seem to offer this special link, but in America rarely is cycling mentioned in this context. But maybe if more cities take Philadelphia’s lead cycling may indeed become a great American pastime.
Andy Tompkins
Jun
3
*MASHLV*
Filed Under Attendee News, Cycling, Interbike, Racing | Comments Off
15 weeks, everybody…
