White Death

As I write this early morning post our first "white death" of 2011 seems imminent, although the expected total accumulation looks to be a bit less than previously predicted. 2-4 inches of snow are in the forecast right now which is lower than the 4-6 inches predicted on the news last night. On the news this morning they said the top three items people buy at the grocery store before a snowstorm are milk, bread and ketchup. Ketchup? Really?

Was originally planning to attend the weekly spin session tonight at the Levydrome, but not sure that the timing will work out if the snow falls. Normally I barely make the 6:00 start time when coming from work and I would expect the roads to be chaos if we receive any more than a dusting of snow. Might be a another evening on my home trainer.

I'm trying to get motivated a for a trainer session as I look outside to see the fresh snowfall we received last night. Probably less than an inch fell overnight but it was enough to give the outdoors a nice, wintery appearance.

I think my training partner today will be Gilbert Duclos Lasselle as he makes a run on DVD at the 1992 Paris Roubaix. Hopefully I can hold his wheel to the end of the race.

One quick item to share before I ready myself for the trainer:

Mark Wilson's cycling blog will continue to amuse, inform and entertain for 2011! I'm new to Mark's blog and for my money it is the best one going in Central Ohio. Many area cyclists look forward to his entertaining photos and group ride observations throughout the year. Earlier this week Mark issued a challenge to his readers to check in and comment or he would shut things down. Mark has a flair for writing interesting, witty and entertaining entries that my blog lacks so I was pleased to read that he received enough replies to continue posting.

It was 20 years ago today...

Well, maybe not to the day, but earlier in the week I was digging through my attic and found my old collection of cycling magazines, including an old Winning magazine from January of '91. I subscribed to Winning magazine for a number of years and it is great to look back at the time capsule of cycling memories they contain. A few years ago I posted an article about a new yound rider from Austin Texas who had a great deal of promise. I would say he reached his potential and then some.

Back in '91 Greg Lemond was just coming off two dominant years in the TdF and riders like Gianni Bugno and Miguel Indurain were coming to prominence.

Looking back to that era I don't see much in the way of cycling gear or equipment that really gets me too excited. It is hard to imagine that the Sidi mountain bike shoes shown below would have ever been a "must have" item.

Winning Magazine expressed optimism for the year ahead in 1991 with news that Motorola would sponser the former 7-11 team and the Dupont Company would step up to take over the former Tour de Trump. But there was also an editorial about the potential dangers of a new drug from Amgen called EPO which was beginning to be used by some endurance athletes, including cyclists.

I'll try to share more images from my cycling magazine timecapsules as time permits.

To Facebook or not to Facebook?

I shared in an earlier post that the social media phenomenon contributed to my neglect of Sprocket during the past year. After several of my friends asked “Are you on Facebook?” I succumbed to curiosity and created an FB account.

Initially FB was pretty cool. On a positive note I reconnected with several old friends and acquaintances including a few folks I have not been in touch with since high school. FB has also given me the opportunity to share photos and stories with friends I see on regular basis. So then, what’s the problem?

The older I get the more uneasy I become with big organizations that seem to become more intrusive in our lives. Each week I read about ways in which FB can allegedly gather and use personal information without the approval of its members. That bothers me a little bit. One step I took to control this potential problem is to remove as much personal information from my FB profile as possible.

I had someone “de-friend” me because I was an FB friend with someone that person didn’t like (Huh?). Someone also lifted some pics of me off my page and use them in a way that I wasn’t very pleased about. All in all these are not a big deal but they are distractions I think I can live without.

So, I have decided to keep my FB account but commit to 30 days of Face book-free living and I’ll see if I miss out on anything important between now and early February. Something tells me I’ll make it through the next 30 days just fine. In the meantime I'll try harder to keep the old blog current.

Old School Columbus Racing Pics

1972 Junior State Track Championship at the long gone Murphy Raceway in Powell.(Photo from Doug Siple's Photostream)

When I was in college in the mid 80's I briefly dabbled in racing with very unremarkable results. At that time I joined Franklin Bicycle Club (FBCI) and tried my hand at a few weekly "C" races on the old Alum Creek course near Worthington. I lived just north of Graceland Shopping Center and would pedal my Raleigh touring bike to the Dairy Queen on High Street to meet up with other racers and then ride up to the course. After typically getting dropped during my race I would hang out at the finish line to watch the "real" racers finish before riding back home.

During one race the solid rear axle on my Raleigh split in half and I became aware of the failure when I began hearing ball bearings fall onto the pavement. Fearing I was stranded I asked Mike Lane, who was a mechanic with his brother Dennis at Northland Schwinn in Clintonville, what I should do and he said I could ride the bike home as long as I didn't put too much pressure on the pedals. Somehow I made it home and Mike eventually replaced the failed axle with a chrome moly axle and quick release skewer.

I've always had really fond memories of those days and remember watching guys like Randy Dull, Tym Tyler, Glenn Groves and Dean Carson dominate the "A" races. A number of FBCI alum are still actively riding or racing and it is fun to run into them from time to time. So I was really excited to stumble across Doug Siple's Photostream album a few weeks ago and to see all the terrific old cycling pictures he has posted including a fantastic folder with FBCI images. Each time I check in to see Doug's pictures there are a few more added so I think I'll be a regular visitor from now on.

These pictures are a real treasure trove. If you remember "Team Punk", "Ten Speeds Bicycle Store" or have any interest or memories of Columbus cycling from days gone by you need to check out these great images!

Welcome New Year!!!

I guess the first day of 2011 is as good a time as any to revive the 'ole blog. This past year I became distracted with some of the social media sites out there and regular posts (well, nearly any posts at all)to Sprocket Rocket were neglected. Hopefully I can stay on track this year share comments about activities during what I feel will be a pretty fun year.

2010 was pretty exciting with the highlight being a trip Sweetie and I took to Egypt. We spent two weeks in a fascinating part of the world and I'll try to share pictures and details in the near future.

I was fortunate to meet great new cycling friends this past year while also enjoying some terrific riding adventures with good friends I have been fortunate to know for several years. Spring is only a few months away and I look forward to riding as much as time allows in the year to come.

That's all for now. Happy New Year to everyone!

More to come (I promise!!!).

Last night I joined some friends for a ride at Glacier Ridge Park. We had a nice sized group and rode a little over 40 miles. The pace was brisk and steady which is just what my legs need to try and re-gain lost fitness.

The weather was incredible for late March with temps in the upper 60's at the start of the ride. I wore arm and leg warmers which felt a bit warm at the start but I was glad to have them on as the sun set near the end of our ride.

The weather forecast for the rest of the week is sunny and warm. Hopefully I can fit a few rides in between Easter family get togethers.