Fellow Cyclists,
The Bicycle Commuter Act has been reintroduced in both houses of the US Congress. This legislation would provide bicycle commuters with tax benefits similar to those enjoyed by transit riders.
The League of American Bicyclists (LAB) has provided a web page with ready-made, editable letters of support:
http://capwiz.com/lab/issues/alert/?alertid=9520176
All you have to do is enter your name, addresss, and zip code, and a letter will automatically be sent to your congressman and senators. You may edit the letters or write your own if you wish.
Please take a moment to do this.
Also, please forward this information to other listservs, newsgroups, and web forums.
Thank you for your support!
I'm considering joining this group: http://www.twitfitter.com/
So, I'm officially out-of-shape, but trying to get back into shape. At least I'm doing something, although it's pretty painful in the process. I'm also taking great measures to ensure that I'm not overdoing it at this (beginning) stage. The last thing I want is to start out all strong and gung-ho to find myself incapacitated in little time.
So, I thought I was going to ride Juniper to the gym, walk for 20 minutes, do a strength training class, and then bike home on Juniper. I got my times mixed up, however, and found myself at the gym 30 minutes too late for the strength training class. That's okay; there's a Pilates class at 10am. I can go to that after I walk/jog for now, I thought. So, I headed up to the track, and began the cardio workout. I walked 6 minutes for my warm-up, then proceeded with 3 minute intervals of walking and jogging. I did a cool-down of walking for 2 minutes before heading over to the Pilates class. I definitely forgot how hard Pilates was. I could hardly do anything! Planks had me trembling and down on my knees! My balance was non-existent! Forget using the ball when lifting and lowering my ankles ... I couldn't hack it and after 30 minutes, I realized that if I didn't stop, I was going to over-do it and/or hurt myself. So, after a valient and demanding half-hour, I packed it up and headed out. For the first time in a really long, long time, I was "that girl." On the plus side, I have to say that riding the bicycle was suddenly the (easy) highlight of the day's workout plan ...
I don't think of myself as quitting, but just being realistic. It's too early to push too hard. I'm actually glad I stopped when I did. The walk/jog went really well, actually. The jog was much, much better than I had expected it to be. My Pilates performance left me wanting, but I did get a lot out of it (and can be felt today). I'm not crippled, just pleasantly sore in all the right places. I'm planning to take time to go for an easy swim this afternoon to help work out all of the soreness and kinks in my neck and shoulders. I am going to have to work on getting back in the habit of relaxing my upper body during workouts since I find myself shrugging and hunching-up my shoulders when I'm really pushing the effort.
So, for a total of 20 minutes of cardio and 30 minutes of Pilates, it was a bit painful, but worth every moment.
Workouts of any shape, kind, or form ceased three months ago when I started the fall semester. Why? Well, I learned that I would have to find time to:
- work full-time
- take two graduate-level courses
- complete and pass my Ph.D. Preliminary Oral & Written Examination, and
- wrap-up my M.S. thesis defense.
- There are 168 hours in a week.
- I work at least 45 hours a week (leaving me 123 hours).
- I'm in class a total of 6 hours a week (117 left).
- I spent 12 hours a week doing homework (105 left).
- Researching, writing, and re-writing for my prelim was another 12 hours every week (93 left).
- Writing, re-writing, and revising my M.S. thesis took another 5 hours every week (88 left).
- I did my best to sleep 8 hours any given night (24 left).
- I ate twice a day (10 left) and showered once a day (3 left).
- Errands, laundry, paying bills, cooking, and organizing took the remainder of my time (0).
... this morning, I rode my commuter bike, Juniper, to the gym and partook in the Strictly Strength group weightlifting class at The Weight Club. It was tough (and humbling) to be starting from scratch again, but it felt so empowering and so good to get back in there and sweat a little. I'm a little achy/sore now, but I'm looking forward to walking it off tomorrow with my dog and boyfriend. I think I'm the only person who loves Winter Break for the fact that I can finally find time to workout and lose weight! Ha, ha!
FitBit: http://www.fitbit.com/
This has got to be the coolest and easiest motivator around. This is what the site says:
Did I get enough exercise today? How many calories did I burn? Am I getting good quality sleep? How many steps and miles did I walk today? The Fitbit Tracker helps you answer these questions.
WEAR
You can wear the Fitbit Tracker loosely in your pocket, clipped to your pants, shirt, bra or to your wrist when you are sleeping. You can wear it all day!
SYNC
The Fitbit Tracker is wireless. Walk within 25-50ft of the provided basestation and your data will be automatically uploaded to the Fitbit website. The auto-sync software runs on both Macs and PC's.
VIEW
View calories, steps and distance on the Fitbit Tracker itself. You can login to the Fitbit website to see even more detailed data and also participate in collaborative fitness goals with friends, family and co-workers.
The original article is here: http://frugalliving.about.com/od/foodsavings/tp/Slash_Grocery_Bill.htm
Struggling with a too-big grocery bill? Here are simple ways to slash it down to size:
1. Only Buy On Sale
Start a stockpile, and only buy items when they are on sale.
2. Plan Your Menu Around the Sales
Enjoy cheap meals throughout the week by planning your menu around the weekly sales flyers.
3. Be Willing to Substitute
Have a recipe that calls for an ingredient that you don't have? Then, see if you can substitute it for an ingredient that you do have. It'll save you money at the store and space in your pantry.
4. Buy Ingredients Instead of Prepared Meals
Frozen dinners and boxed mixes may be convenient, but they're also more costly. Get in the habit of buying the ingredients that you need to prepare the foods that you eat, and watch your grocery dollars go further.
5. Shop Seasonally
Foods are cheapest when they're in season, so learn when all of your favorite foods are in season, and buy them then.
6. Switch to Generic
Make the leap from name brand to generic brand, and you'll shave an easy 25% or more off of your grocery bill. Some generics worth trying: cereal, spices and baking supplies.
7. Buy Reduced Price Items
Want a true bargain basement price? Then, scour every aisle of the store for reduced priced groceries. Ultra ripe produce, scratch and dent items, closeouts, food at or near its use-by-date – it's all reason for a reduced price sticker.
Not sure you'll be able to use something before its use-by date? Then, toss it in the freezer, and you won't have to.
8. Shop at Drug Stores
Grocery stores aren't the only place to look for grocery bargains. Get in the habit of checking the drug store ads for deals on cereal, oatmeal, raisins, spices, baking supplies, soda, paper goods and more.
9. Cherry Pick
Stores tend to sell a few items below cost each week to entice customers to shop. Learn to spot these bargains, and snatch them up – even if it means going to more than one store.
For help spotting the bargains:
10. Stack Discounts
A sale is nice. A sale combined with a coupon and a rebate? Well, that's even better. Look for any and every opportunity to stack discounts, and slash that grocery bill right down to size.
11. Shop Locally
Local produce stands, farmer's markets and u-pick farms can be a great source for low-cost, high-quality produce.
It's only August and I'm already dreaming of what cool (bike, run, swim) gear I could ask Santa for. I know it's not supposed to be about what I want, but darn it, these are some of the things I want (in no particular order):
- Travel Trac Technique PRO Alloy Rollers
http://www.performancebike.com/
For simulating the feel of the road, improving your balance and smoothing out your spin, there's no substitute for rollers. Alloy drums and lightweight aluminum frame folds for easy storage and transport. Non-slip coating on side rails. Fit bikes with wheelbases up to 43". - Nashbar Front Wheel Stabilizer
http://www.nashbar.com/
The Nashbar Front Wheel Stabilizer uses a universal clamping assembly that will bolt on the front of most rollers and allows a rider to secure their front wheel. Even a novice rider will be able to effectively workout on rollers immediately! Constructed of powder coated steel. works with most rollers. Item No. NB-RSC - Delta Cezanne 4 bike Storage Rack
http://www.nashbar.com/
Store 4 bikes plus the rest of your gear on one freestanding rack. Organize your bike room or garage with four horizontal bike hangers, two center bag/gear/helmet hooks, 4 bonus hooks you can put anywhere, and 2 large wire basket shelves for shoes, tools, and everything else. Dimensions 19" x 26" x 86". Item No. DE-CZBS - Park Tool Digital Scale
A versatile digital scale built to accurately weigh bikes, frames, and components. Uniquely designed to be clamped solidly into a repair stand or hung from a hook, branch, or oyur arm. Measures in both pounds and kilograms to the tenth and includes a dual position, silicon coated hanging hook. Item No. PT-DS1
My crotch hurts.
Okay, maybe that's a bit extreme and too graphic for our imagination, but truth is, my right groin muscle HATES me right now. I played soccer today with a bunch of insane, rough-playing, guys. Last week when I played, I was really into it. Today, I just wasn't "feeling it" and I think it showed. But that's not the point. The point is that I started to get tired of being runaround and out-maneuvered, so I began to up my game. I got rougher, more aggressive in my plays for the ball, and I ended up getting into some serious face-offs with some of the guys. One of the plays ended with me and a guy both missing the ball and crossing legs and feet at full force from opposite directions. His right pink-shoe clad foot went into my right black cleated foot and both of us were stopped dead in our tracks upon contact. I actually think my foot bounced off of his a little bit. In any case, my foot went instantly numb and a shock of sorts travelled up my leg and well into my lower back. It subsided fairly quickly and I resumed play, but every kick thereafter was weaker, and my fine motor control of the right foot seemed impaired. I realized after a half an hour that my right foot was dragging across the grass as I "ran." It didn't take me much longer to realize that I couldn't lift my foot off of the ground more than an inch or two without excrutiating pain radiating out of my groin.
PANIC! My triathlon is less than a month away!
Let's hope it heals with IB Proferin and a heating pad tonight.
I'm more or less back into the swing of it all again.
Summary
I had a pitiful May, an okay June, a great July, and am aiming for an awesome August, but only time will tell. :) So far, so good, though.
What I've been doing
I've been in the saddle commuting (it's really easy to get 30 minutes a day this way) and walking with Calen in the mornings to the store to pick up fresh produce for the day's breakfast (another 30 minutes roundtrip). I even started swimming and it was much easier and so much more pleasant than I last remembered. I've been on several longer rides (50 miles) over the weekends and a lot of shorter (1 hour), but intense interval ("Muscle Monday") rides as well. Even added in a little weight training and Pilates to round it out. I've been a little scant on running, but I'm not really planning on running most of the Pacific Grove Triathlon event, anyway. (I'm planning on jog/walking the 10k. I'm only looking to finish, not be awesome!)
What I haven't been doing
I've been slacking on the food control for about two years. I've gained back 26 of the 45 lbs. I'd lost. I was looking at the weight charts today and I was pretty amused at how I've been gaining two pounds every month for the past two years. That's 7,000 excess calories a month. It really does add up over time! (Shit!) Anyway, I figured I'd start back with exercising in May (check) and once that was manageable, I'd get back into eating healthy and watching my portion control (which started this month). I have to say, it's not bad since I've enlisted the help of Le Boyfriend. I've tasked him with arriving at restaurants earlier than me and ordering predetermined "healthy" options for me. Plus, he's been eating half of my food and that's been great!
All that remains behind her metamorphoses is a long and narrow corrugated cardboard beige box. She's in the corner, one hood lightly resting against the black and steel gray BBQ. It may be the light, but it looks as if she twinkling; her dark amber and forested green skin a sheen of earthy colors glowing softly under the isolated bulb overhead. The garage breathes life just by housing her within its womb.
Another stolen glance at her reveals more of her true form. She isn't dainty--not by a long shot--nor is she unpleasant to look at. Instead, her beauty is like that of Katherine Hepburn, a handsomely rugged beauty. She's remarkably well-proportioned, yet looks a good few inches taller than her actual height. Her top tube slopes ever so slightly from the well-cushioned seat into slightly larger-than-expected handlebars. Indeed, she appears to be more stylish workhorse than the conventional waif winners of late.
She was birthed into life late last night with the able hands of Le Boyfriend. While I remained buried in the dark corners of our office scribing and searching for a suitable maiden voyage for the fair bicycle, he steadfastly created her. Well into the twilight hours of the night did I finally hear him cry out, "And, it is done!" Leaving websites of Rails-to-Trails behind, I rushed to the garage. What I came upon was both a grisly, yet tender scene. Bike parts and casings and plastic wrap discarded in disheveled heaps surrounded the two of them. But I saw him with her, sweetly and lovingly caressing the fine cables, tweaking and truing them, coaxing smooth braking and shifting out of her; these things would be the final vestiges which would bring her to life and into my heart forever.
Juniper is her name, "a symbol of longevity, strength, athleticism, and fertility." [Wikipedia]
And today ... she rides.
OMG. Rick Crawford just described my dream office:
"We need to get rid of business suits, and make sure every facility has showers so that people doing big business feel clean and comfy after they commute to work on their bikes. It should be cool to do big business in casual clothes that can be stuffed into a backpack. And put a laundry room in the office too."
Read all about his "rant" here: http://www.velonews.com/article/78930/circles-wasting-energy-in-an-energy-challenged-world
I, too, have come to realize commuting by bike is something so much bigger and better than just feeding my inner hamster.
I bailed on the social ride today because I couldn't get home in time to change clothes and to meet up with everyone. Just so you know, the Tuesday social ride I speak of is actually NOT a club ride. It's just a ride that I've volunteered to lead for my friends and their families. We ride a local Rails-to-Trails route (Huckleberry Trail) and the average pace is 8mph on a "fast" day. :) Literally, it's an active rest ride for me, but I get a handful of women coming to this ride. They're interested in cycling, but are afraid to start (and confused by all the different options and "rules" of riding). I'm trying to help them out and get them comfortable and interested in road cycling. My goal is to one day incorporate them all into the local club social rides that happen on Wednesday and Saturdays around here. I'm sure it will be a while before that happens, though! The average pace for those rides tends to be 15 mph on hilly terrain (3000+ ft of climbing over 20-30 miles).
Anyway, I canceled today's social ride when I realized that I wouldn't be able to start it at the regular 6pm time. My normal carpool ride home couldn't leave work by 5pm and the bus wasn't going to arrive until 5:15pm (and then it took the LONG way home). By the time I stepped off the bus, it was 5:45pm an I still had a 20 minute walk home in my heels while carrying a laptop bag. Trust me, at this moment all I was thinking about was how I wished I had put together my commuter bike and rode it to work that day!
By the time I got home, it was already past 6pm. I took the dog out for a quick 20 minute walk, came home and suited up in spandex, and at nearly 7pm I headed out for a tempo ride with 30 seconds intervals of big chain (hard gear) followed by 2 minutes easy and then another interval of 30 seconds medium gear spinning as fast as I could go, followed by another 2 minutes of easy. I did this for 15 miles (less than 500 ft. climbing) for ~1 hour. It was tougher than I thought it would be, but I completed it. That's all that matters! 
As soon as I get my new commuter/touring bike put together, I think I'm going to try to start commuting to work. I only have 10 minutes to ride. It's sad. I usually either take the bus or get a ride from my boyfriend because I don't like being all sweaty for just 10 minutes of riding. I'm thinking about actively riding out of my way as part of my "commute" and then just shower at the gym that is only 3 blocks away from my office. The thing is ... I really like being able to get ready at home in the mornings. Damn, convenience! :) I almost wished I lived 15-20 miles away from work so that I really would have a good excuse to start commuting again (like I did in CA). Adding 15 miles to 3 miles every morning just seems a little ridiculous when I know I can skip it and sleep in for an extra hour. You know what I'm saying? I really do like my sleep.
I also need to remember to take it easy on the runs! I started out feeling really strong with them and then--WHAM!--the next day I feel shot! I have been more fatigued than I thought I'd be. I feel strong when doing it, but it's taking longer for my body to recover. I'm still working on finding the right number of recovery days and balancing when I should be doing what. So far, it's just chaos: I do the exercises/training as I can, and there's been 0% swimming done so far. That's okay ... I'm not the least bit worried. June was just getting started on routinely working out. (So far, very good. I'm averaging 4+ times a week!) I think I'm going to make July the month that I actually try to stick to the workout plan. We'll see what August may bring ...
How about you? How has your "workout stickiness" been?
I started looking at some of my old blogging friends' blogs again: Libor, Eric Ford, Kyliee, and discovered that Eric is back! He just started back in around April/May after a few years hiatus. Go figure. Maybe he, Vollenda, and I all just had a little burnout or needed some time to miss triathlons to get "it" back. Although, to be honest, this training thing is a lot harder to do than I last remembered. :)
The BIG excitement this week would be that I got a new commuter bike! It's the Schwinn World Tour Commuter bike and it was delivered Saturday ... but I didn't (and still don't) have time to put it together until Wednesday or Thursday of this week. I was hoping to assemble it over the weekend, but between being ill, resting, and doing chores, it just never happened. I also didn't do much exercise over the weekend. I rode Amelia for 45 minutes on Saturday and didn't push my HR higher than Zone 3. Mostly, I slept and rested a lot. I did a ton of laundry. That's okay, I obviously needed it.
Speaking of being lazy ... This weekend in the garage I uncovered a set of new racing wheels STILL IN THE BOX that I bought last November. How come I never got around to putting these on? I guess I kept thinking that I just needed a racing bike to put them on--Ha, ha! Yeah, I could be that, but I'm starting to think that I really am lazy! :) Maybe, I'll finally get both of those things done this week ...
On the work front: I'm instructing lots of pedagogical workshops this week. Today is the only "slow" day I have ... but I do have a 1/2 day off on Friday and Monday! On Friday, I'm heading up to NY to participate in the Long Island Harbors Ride. Florin and I will be riding 50 miles on Sunday for the event and I'm really looking forward to it. It's so nice to get out of town and ride sometimes! I love the local rides, but there's something so cool about doing an event somewhere far away. You know what I mean?
I also recently joined the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy and have fallen in love with the idea of going on a transcontinental ride. (Not all at once, but sections and pieces at a time.) I especially love the "find a trail" site they have, TrailLink: http://www.traillink.com/. This is awesome!
So, I'm planning to run easy tonight (but I feel so sluggish and bloated today--what's up with that?) Tomorrow, an easy social ride. Wednesday, I hope to ride at a moderate intensity. Thursday, I plan a 2+ hour ride down to the New River with Florin with lots of breaks along the way. Friday and Saturday will be off days. Lot's of leg work as you can see, but I still need to squeeze swimming in somewhere. I don't know why I abstain from it ... it's not like I hate to swim ... I guess it's that whole "lazy" thing again!
What do you have planned for the week?
I've taken Thursday and Friday off from workouts due to a nasty head cold and general malaise. I slept a lot in the hours that I would normally be working or working out. I feel 1000% better for it. I awoke with only a runny nose this morning--the head congestion has bid adieu! I spent the better part of the morning getting a little extra sleep and then around 2pm started chores around the house. Aside from a bit of dizziness, I feel pretty grand. After a protein-heavy, light-carbohydrate breakfast, tons of water, and some more chores (ironing while watching Top Gear), by 6pm I felt confident enough to head out for an easy ride.
I grabbed Amelia and decided to go out Glade to Merrimac and back on Prices Fork. I was careful not to push too hard and to keep it in Zone 3 or less. I have to say that I do still have a bit of a scratchy, sore throat. (That was quickly apparent as I am still breathing through my mouth because of the runny nose.) Other than that, I think I'm nearly 100% again. It's amazing how R&R really can and does work wonders.
I've been pretty worn-down this week. I've finally succumbed to a really bad cold complicated with an eye problem (I've got styes in my left eye. Ick!). I took today off from work and haven't exercised since Wednesday evening, but I plan to go cycling really easy tomorrow if I'm not still stuffed up. I'm hoping to go, and if I do, I'll go slow ... maybe for a longer ride of 2 hours? We'll see. I have to make sure to stay well-hydrated! The cold medication is making me so drowsy and thirsty! I'd be using my SinuPulse (sinus irrigation), but I'm so congested that nothing will go through. (Doubly Ick! Plus, breathing is a little tough; there's snot running everywhere! Ew!)
Have a great weekend and I'm looking forward to finding how Vollenda's bike ride this weekend turns out!
PS - Did I mention that I got my new commuter bike today? I bought a Schwinn World Tour Commuter Bike and I'm just dying to starting riding it to work and to run errands and stuff! The box was delivered today ... It's killing me to be sick right now. I want to be out riding it around! Maybe tomorrow will be different? (I've got my fingers crossed!)
It's still busy at work (now I'm conducting training 8-5 Tues-Thur), but at least I'll likely leave by 5pm today to do a super slow social/family ride with friends and co-workers. I rode 33 miles on Saturday and it nearly killed me. I was the slowest (and most tired) one in the group. It's been awhile since I've been *that* person. Oh, well. We all start somewhere, right? Despite being dead last and all, I still had a great time and took Sunday OFF to also sleep in (love those lazy Sundays!)
So, Monday I woke up too late to workout and then I worked really late and figured I'd just skip a workout day. Then, I found out that I had missed the last bus home and my boyfriend was also stuck at work. That meant I was either going to have to walk home or run home. Since I keep a stash of workout clothes and shoes at my office, I figured, "What the hell, let's run!" I donned the clothes and left my office and started jogging home. It was actually really awesome, except for the hailstorm 10 minutes into my run. (Ouch!) I should've known by the thundering rainclouds ... which followed shortly with big, fat, juicy drops of rain. :) In less than 2 minutes, I was SOAKED head-to-toe and still had a mile-and-a-half to go. At least it was a warm rain ... and I wasn't all hot and sticky when I was done. :D
Today, I woke up at 5:30 AM feeling lazy and was just about to go back to sleep when had this horrible half-awake/half-asleep realization: gaining 20 lbs. in 2 years means I'd be a huge disappointment to my friends and family back home. Following that thought was a phrase I like to repeat to myself, "If You Keep Doing the Same Thing, You'll Keep Getting the Same Result" Needless to say, I'm still not as heavy as before and I'm certainly more fit at my current weight then when I was previously at this weight. I'm ready for this change. It was all I needed to get my butt outta' bed and into my workout clothes. I got to the gym and lifted weights for an hour in the BodyPUMP course. It was great and I'm glad I went. Now, if only I'd stop being so hungry at lunchtime! (*grumbly belly*)
I'm back on the training plan.
It's been a few years since I last did a triathlon. Grad school and full-time work really isn't all that conducive for a regular training schedule. Sure, I can do it, but at the cost of other things that I had deemed to be of more importance. Now, with summer here again and I'm steadily getting a handle on my not-so-new job, I've got the time, the desire, and the plan in hand.
So far, I'm about 2 weeks behind in my workouts, but I actually made attempts to do it last week. It went surprisingly well. I was really sore after my weights and run workouts on Thursday, but I took Friday to walk it off and Saturday was Le Boyfriend's birthday party so that was an off day, too. Just as well. I rode and rode hard today, but the late evening heat is murderous! It's 91 degrees F and 42% humidity. Ugh! Anyway, it was a short, but sweet ride and now that I'm home in front of the fan with a cold compress to my head, I'm feeling infinitely better. The ride is as follows:
Something pretty cool happened yesterday during the party. The discussion of cycling came up, and although I'm no means hardcore anymore (like I ever really was!), several partygoers requested a basic cycling ride with me. Most of them were women. I was really surprised, but then I guess I remember being like that only 3 years ago myself. To be honest, this is a real opportunity. My cardio is fantastic, but my strength and endurance so far this cycling season is shit. If there was ever a time for so-called "lesser" riders to join me, now would be the time! I have the know-how of cycling and all the bizzare-etiquette down-pat. Besides, I like to teach and I could use a few easy rides that would at least just get me into the saddle a few more times a week (I can always follow up with a run or swim to cap the session.) So, I thought about it and I'm looking forward to starting up an easy-ride cycling group this week with some friends and acquaintances.
I suspect it'll be one of those things where we meet at Huckleberry and God-only-knows what kind of outfits and shoes and bikes I'll see. I'm thinking of scheduling two rides: one for Friends and Family which will be an anything goes SLOW ride on a protected trail; the other will be a very basic Beginning Road Cycling group and we'll discuss clothing, nutrition, signaling, etiquette, spinning/cadence, terrain strategies, and underwear vs. chamois. :)
http://www.active.com/fitness/Articles/20_Ways_to_Stick_to_Your_Workout.htm
OMG, I think #20 would definitely be motivation enough!
"20. Blackmail yourself
Take a picture of yourself shirtless, holding a sign that shows your e-mail address. Then e-mail it to a trusted but sadistic friend ..."
I think I'd have to add a #21: Get yourself a Sam Meemken. That worked really well for me! (I miss you Sam!)
Man, what a depressing way to end the day. :(
There's been a lot of talk of death today. First, my sister asks me about the VT Shootings. I really haven't revisited it much in my mind since last April 16. Probably for a good reason. (It's depressing.)
Katrina Cometa (of the Radford cycling group) was recently attacked by a dog while she was cycling. She lucked out, breaking hips and other bones. But I just learned that Forrest "Fess" Green, a professor at Radford University, was riding his bicycle when struck by a car. He passed away today in the Roanoke ICU. Don, a Pulaski cyclist just placed a memorial for Fess on the introduction (Enter) page of thedrivewaygear.com. Iain wrote the below email to the NRVBA listserv:
Folks,
I'm sure many of you have stories of Fess Green as I do. I hope you bring them in your hearts to Fess's service later this week (arrangements to be announced). I think his wife, Millie, would very much appreciate your attendance an hearing your appreciation and memories of Fess.
It is difficult to think of a person who has been more involved and giving to NRV cycling in his own way than Fess. As Matt O'Toole now does for the NRVBA, he fought persistently, stubbornly, intelligently, and patiently to improve the lot of cyclists, young and old, in this valley. Without him, there is some question whether the bicycle path in Radford would exist. Without him, it is doubtful that planning for alternate methods of transportation in the NRV would have been considered 10 years ago. Cantankerous, yes! Opinionated, yes! A man who involved himself in giving back to his community, YES! They don't make them any better.
I also remember my rides with him. His learning to use clipless pedals--ouch! His fondness for a rollicking good time. His stories of his wanderings around the world on his bike, in a canoe, on a hike, and even by cruise ship. His wisdom about the confounding frustrations of trying to get community projects implemented. Many of us are riding, hiking, and water-crafting on improvements that Fess was an instrumental part of. His authorship of a book communicating his passion for the history of this area and cycling culminating in his book:
http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Wilderness-Road-Odyssey /Fess-B-Green/e/9780936015941 &sourceid=Q000000630
http://countryroadscollections.com/artistinfo.htm#fess_green
I've attached a few pictures of Fess (thanks to Katrina Cometa & Linda Burk for contributing). This is how I will remember him.
Blessed, following winds, my friend and colleague,
Iain
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