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.

Spring Has Sprung

Over the past weekend I took my ice scraper out of the car to make room for my bike and gear. How is that for optimism? Last night I also loaded my bike in the car and made it out to our first Delaware Tuesday night ride of the year.

As always, this first ride of the year is a sure indicator of who has been training (the Godfatha')and who has been sitting on the couch over the winter watching TV (me). We had a really nice turnout of around 12-15 riders. The pace was pretty casual for the first half hour or so until about 5 guys kicked it up to form a gap on the rest of the group. I was able to hang with the leaders but my head was hanging in shame as I was a total wheel sucker and was unable to pull at all. As the season progresses and more big guns make it out to our rides I'll be put into some serious hurt until I can find my lost cycling legs.

All in all a good time was had by most in attendance. For Christmas my Sweetie gave me this gadget for my bike that shows my speed, distance and ride time. Lots of the other riders have these gadgets on their bikes so I felt like I fit in with the group. According to my gadget we rode 1 1/2 hours and averaged 19 miles per hour.

Good Riddens February!

I was up in Mansfield for work today and the roads were pretty lousy. The wind and drifting snow created most of the problems. I made it home from work and got on the trainer for a bit over and hour - watched the '09 Tour of Flanders and thought about Spring and riding on the roads.

I am so glad this weekend marks the end of February. Not sure how much snow has fallen this month, but we will probably hit around 29" and this will likely be a new record.

I see Tym cancelled this weekend's race in Croton. Reminds me of the snowy start we had to the race season 2008.

Let's hope March brings warmer temps and dry roads!

Rest in Peace Doug

I’ve been neglecting my blog and I’m terribly late in posting this, but I was saddened recently to learn of the death of Doug Fieger. Doug was the lead singer for The Knack, one of my favorite bands in high school. I think it was the subjects of the songs from this group that appealed so much to my teenage Catholic High School boy’s mentality.

Most everyone of my generation is familiar with the big hits on this album: My Sharona and Good Girls Don’t. I loved every song on this album but my favorites were Oh Tara, She’s So Selfish and Frustrated which had an awesome drum intro that I loved to play over and over again. I played this song so much that I can still remember where there is a scratch in the LP record. Once in college I used the beginning of Frustrated as the intro for a project in one of my radio broadcasting classes. I think I received an “A” on that one.

The Knack released a few follow-up albums but they never did much for me. However, Get The Knack will always stand out for me as one of my favorite LP’s. Rest in Peace Doug.