Friday Mail: No one is safe today....

Happy Friday. I recognize that many of you read this blog from fields afar and don't actually live, work and ride here in Columbia, Missouri.  Well, today, before we get to Friday mail, I've got to cover a little local news.  As such, if you are not from mid-Missouri, you should feel free to tune out the inital part of this post, enjoy a little eye candy and proceed to this link.  (Sorry about that - I just learned what rickrolling was and couldn't resist.)

Anyway - This Sunday the 2011 Gravel Ginder series is continuing, but will do so in Hermann and not here in Columbia.  The ride starts at 10:00 AM and will include 38 miles of gravel.  The ride starts and ends at 'Wings-A-Blazin'.  Get your map and all other info here.

And speaking of a bag of nuts....get ready to freeze yours off (if you have them).  The 2011 Froze Toes race is on the calendar for February 27th and registration is now open.  Get ready to pack your chamois with some toe warmers and get signed up now.  Go here for all the details.

And finally Feb., 1st is Bicycle and Pedestrian Day at the Capitol in Jeff City.  You can join cyclists and pedestrians from around the state to talk to your legislators about active transportation in Missouri.  Go here for details.

On to the mail:

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Dear PooBah,

The name of the blog is 'como' and yet you rarely talk about Columbia. Your blog is mostly about international bicycle racing and could just as easily be written by someone in Texas or Nigeria. If you notice, usually your only comment after these stories is 'david Henderson, who im guessing is a bicycle racer but like 99.999% of Americans who bicycle i have no idea who he is.



Might i suggest at least a tiny bit of Columbia news in each post? Columbia could really use a blog like bikeportland.org. Now obviously that would take reporting and you have a full time job, or at least you did when you were struck riding there by the one armed man. However, maybe just a tiny bit of como cycling? Thanks poobah. You are the greatest thing since that new guy joined that one team thats sponsored by a foreign product ive never heard of before!!! Pure awesome.
Anonymous

Anonymous

1) What?  No accompanying picture of a pantsless cyclist?  Weak.....
2) How do you know this blog isn't being written from Texas or Nigeria?
3) David Henderson is a Cat 1 cyclist here in COMO and holds both State and National titles.  However, word is, these days, he is also a handyman and gigolo depending on the day of the week. 

(I hear he does charge extra to show up wearing his medals....but isn't it worth it?)

4) Yes, yes, yes.  I know I like to blather on about international bike racing.  You know what?  When I started this blog, I kind of envisioned it as being the William Wallace of the COMO cycling scene...Let me explain.  Do you remember in the movie 'Braveheart' where Mel Gibson's character tried to unite the Scottish clans? 

Well after living and cycling in COMO for a long time, I came to realize that the cycling scene here was not unlike feudal Scotland - a bunch of individual cycling clans who never interact.  When was the last time anyone saw roadies, commuters, tri-geeks, poloists, or fixie-riding hipsters willingly interact aside from those awkward moments when they're stuck in the same line waiting for something at Walt's or Cyclex?  The vision was that this website could be the Mel Gibson of COMO cycling and bring everyone together - hence the word 'Cooperative' in the blog's title.  However, as you may remember, William Wallace not only had his ass kicked, but was also drawn and quartered with his head ultimately stuck on a pike on London tower.   Furthermore Mel Gibson completely went koo-koo for Cocoa-Puffs and has lately been seen running around with his hand in a beaver's ass. So too, if you were to judge this blog's success by the actual mail I receive giving me real input from the various cycling factions as to the goings-on about COMO, it would be considered a complete failure.  Which is why, these days, I tend to write about what I want to write about.   
5) bikeportland.org?  Have you been to Portland lately?  You cannot throw your sister's skinny jeans across the road without hitting at least 10 cyclists congregating for a cycling-related book release, or an alley-cat, or a bicycle-film-fest, or a pack of Cat 6 racing commuters.  In other words, in addition to Portland having its own TV show...it also has a cycling culture - whatever that means.  Therefore, there's a little bit more to report on, there.
6) COMO already has a great cycling reporter....the 'Spokesman!'

If The Spokesman is reading, perhaps he would be willing to write a weekly post for the COMO CYCO on any topic he would like?  The pay is great - and you will literally have to beat away the chicks....

7) Lastly - thanks for your note.  You are right.  More COMO news would be better.  I will do my best!

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Dear PooBah,
It's Oscar season again!  What's your pick for best movie?  I thought the dancing in Black Swan was amazing - but my vote still goes to True Grit.  Do you remember that scene where the mountain man rides out of the woods wearing a bear's head?  Now that was epic!
Reginald W.

Reginald,

Yes, True Grit was pretty good.  By the way - I think I saw you out riding your fixie the other day....

I dig the bear-hat....but am a little bothered by the fact that it appears to be panda bear....they're protected you know...But the pearls really make the outfit.

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Dear PooBah,

Aside from all of the obvious benefits that wearing spandex cycling shorts have while riding, I just find them incredibly comfortable in general.  But my question is, are there any downsides to wearing them?  The reason I ask, is that I like to wear my cycling shorts not just for cycling - but for everyday activites as well.  Is this safe to do?

Thanks!

Bob M.

Bob,

The major risk you are running is going to be trying to keep the ladies off you, my friend.  You've got your work cut out for you there.  By the way - you missed a spot with your 120spf on the right side of your muffin-top.

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Dear PooBah,
The last two Fridays, you've shown women riding bicycles with no pants on, making particular effort to show their backsides.  I have to say that I find this kind of posting to be quite discriminatory and unbecoming of a proper cycling blog. 
You should do something about that.
Greg S.

Greg,

I hope this satisfies your desire for equal representation.

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Dear PooBah,
Last night I went to the Black and Gold and had way, way too much to drink.  I don't even remember coming home.  This morning, when I woke up, I was half naked, on top of my closet and Gilligan's Island was on the television.  But what was most odd was that there was a strange fixed-gear bicycle parked in my room.  How could I have let this happen?  I'm a pure roadie!  What do I do now?
Sheila V.

Sheila,

Go easy on yourself - you're not the first person who has had been seduced by a fixie. And by all accounts - I don't think your beer goggles were even that fogged up - because it's a fairly nice looking ride.  Sometimes one night stands can even lead to true romance.  All things considering, it could have been so much worse....you could have woken up next to this....

(Lord knows, what you might have ended up doing with these guys....)

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Thanks for reading everyone, have a great weekend.