My dad rides a bike. Not like a motorcycle, tattoo'ed up, handlebar moustache bike, he rides a road bike, Lance Armstrong style. It's pretty awesome, he's really serious about it and even takes long, 50-mile rides on the weekends. Of course, this could all be part of a plot to get more gadgets into his life (he loves gadgets, too), but more likely he is part of the huge number of Minnesotans who love bicycling. In fact, this year, Minneapolis was named the most Bike-Friendly city in the nation, even though we have snow on the ground for half the year!
On June 10, 2010, Minneapolis got even more bike-friendly (and more colorful!) when Nice Ride MN launched. Nice Ride has about 500 bikes and 60 stations where you can pick up a bike, ride it around, and then return it when you're done (of course you have to pay for it, but memberships are as low-priced as $60/year). I've noticed several (solar-powered!) "stations" in my neighborhood, and if you've been downtown at all, you can't miss the bright neon-yellow bikes being pedaled around.
Even though I personally haven't tried this new, fun feature in our community, I was really excited to see that in less than 100 days since they've become available, there's been over 50,000 rides taken on these funky day-glo bikes! That's really exciting news, in terms of getting cars off the road and pollution out of the air.
My last bike was sold in a garage sale while I was living in New York; I'm not upset because I might be embarassed to ride it anyways: it was black with red speckles as though someone had flicked a paintbrush at it (yes, I bought it that way). Since my main squeeze already has his own bike, and we would love to be able to ride around downtown, maybe I will buy a subscription to Nice Ride instead of investing in a whole new bicycle.
And, for those of you who love biking and want to see more of our fair city, I would encourage you to check out the Minneapolis Bike Tour, taking place this year on September 19. It's a go-at-your-own-pace ride (not a race!) that takes you through some of Minneapolis's most beautiful park systems, and in fact the registration fees go toward maintaining the very bike trails you will be riding on!
This post is dedicated to the coolest rider around, so cool that he wears a do-rag under his helmet--my Dad!
Showing posts with label sports. Show all posts
Showing posts with label sports. Show all posts
Friday, September 3, 2010
Monday, August 16, 2010
Four is my Lucky Number
That is a fact. It's not based on any reasoning, really. I just decided, back in the day, that my lucky number would be 4.
The Vikings seem to also think their lucky number is 4. Last year, in a shocking acquisition, they signed quarterback Brett Favre, who played most of his career with the Green Bay Packers, our sworn rivals and archenemies. His coming to the Minnesota Vikings broke the hearts of many of my friends, and I know more than one grown man who cried at the news.
Brett is an amazing athlete. He is arguably the best quarterback in NFL history. Also, his middle name is Lorenzo, which is pretty fun. And he is a spokesmodel for Wrangler Jeans. The guy has something for everybody!
However, Mr. Favre-rhymes-with-Carve is also quite the drama queen. As far back as 2002, he has announced his "retirement", only to return (prompted, no doubt, by the promise of more money) to play another season. This year is no exception.
I just want to be on the record as saying that while he is an exceptional quarterback, and clearly still has "it"--he needs to step up and be a true leader to his team. Part of being on a team is taking your lumps: going to training camp. Participating in pre-season games. Not whipping the media into a will-he-or-won't-he frenzy. If Brett Favre wants lasting respect from the few people who still believe he has integrity, it's time for him to show up at Winter Park and join the team. Mark Rosen of Channel 4 News said this on the air last Tuesday night, and I couldn't agree more.
Brett, we would love to have you back. We would love to have another 12-4 season, or even improve upon that. We would love to go to Texas next February. But please, stop being such a whiny little bitch, and be the great athlete in shitty jeans that we know you are.
The Vikings seem to also think their lucky number is 4. Last year, in a shocking acquisition, they signed quarterback Brett Favre, who played most of his career with the Green Bay Packers, our sworn rivals and archenemies. His coming to the Minnesota Vikings broke the hearts of many of my friends, and I know more than one grown man who cried at the news.
Brett is an amazing athlete. He is arguably the best quarterback in NFL history. Also, his middle name is Lorenzo, which is pretty fun. And he is a spokesmodel for Wrangler Jeans. The guy has something for everybody!
However, Mr. Favre-rhymes-with-Carve is also quite the drama queen. As far back as 2002, he has announced his "retirement", only to return (prompted, no doubt, by the promise of more money) to play another season. This year is no exception.
I just want to be on the record as saying that while he is an exceptional quarterback, and clearly still has "it"--he needs to step up and be a true leader to his team. Part of being on a team is taking your lumps: going to training camp. Participating in pre-season games. Not whipping the media into a will-he-or-won't-he frenzy. If Brett Favre wants lasting respect from the few people who still believe he has integrity, it's time for him to show up at Winter Park and join the team. Mark Rosen of Channel 4 News said this on the air last Tuesday night, and I couldn't agree more.
Brett, we would love to have you back. We would love to have another 12-4 season, or even improve upon that. We would love to go to Texas next February. But please, stop being such a whiny little bitch, and be the great athlete in shitty jeans that we know you are.
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