Almost at a Loss for Words

Michael Jackson, the self christened "King of Pop", died today. The whole situation leaves me confused. If the man did what was alleged, he's going to get what's coming to him(believe it or not, I believe in a God). But, as a bubblegum pop worshipper, I have to admit the man could produce some amazing tunes; from the utterly brilliant Jackson 5 offerings, to his solo material ("Off the Wall" is way better than "Thriller"). The last 25 years or so of this man's life is totally bewildering to me- how in the hell do you reap all the money that "Thriller" generated, and end up poor?

Beauty

I'm finally getting out on the bike a bit. I can't believe July (RAGBRAI month) is almost here. I'm always interested in the Tour de France, no matter who's riding. This year looks like it may be a free for all- that's a great thing!

B2B recap

I'll first direct you to the originator's ride report. eDBiLLy & I rode the route on fixies & had a great time, save for the layover at Bob's, due to the influx of cyclists. We were both sporting new prototype CiTy BiLLy jerseys (I'll post images soon), which performed admirably (wool is still an under rated fabric). Instead of regurgitating a ride summary, I'd like to post some observations. It's amazing the difference in mindset, when you're riding fixed; you look forward to climbs (you can easily stand & reposition yourself on the saddle) & dread the descents. You don't mind headwinds, but start to hate tailwinds, if your gear inches aren't high enough to allow you to maintain a reasonable cadence. K-BiLLy & his better half, Laura, did a great job of hosting this shindig! Next BiLLy ride, Schnoctobeerfest!

Step 2

Sorry it's taken so long for me to post(the ride's over, now) but I've switched jobs at work, & I've been busy. Step 2 for most BiLLys is to decide, "Which bike should I ride?". Schnoctobeerfest is a shorter route, so singlespeeds are prevalent (along with newly purchased bikes). On this ride, with my horrific fitness level, I went for comfort; the strange thing is, that's my fixie. I've ridden it on three RAGBRAIs & love it.