There is a jawnty style, a swagger that is a non swagger. a free floating confidence, happy, loved, strong, alive.        photo: Brian Biggs A spirit that floats, made up of the tinyest specs of life that moves through the air, through us. If a small breeze comes along it lifts the ballon and the short cord slips through and released from the hand of a child,  we float, for a bit lifting up, but not away,  looking down at, and decided to return to the child's hand. A funny thing about luft, is you can't rule it, but that it has rules.   And luft on ..read more

I just want to write like old days, like a garden hose left on, and the water gushing out, on a hot day. a Niagra Falls on dopey 4 year olds, in underwear, and smiles. Flowing free, un-restricted, and cold. I've had so much other stuff on my mind. but today, I pinned up, clicked in, and raced. Not a smart race, like most of my crits, but a dreamy race, and pretty good legs, feeling like there is lots of potential. At a recent Thursday evening GV30 training crit, a rubber band snap I was right where I always was again, closing a gap, big gap, unfathonable doable gap, and behold a rider is with ..read more

and Pffft, just like that something appears. I have a few bikes, a road, mountain, beer-beater, and cyclocross. I'm a cyclist more than anything eles. I love to ride. I'm happy on all of them. but, sometimes, more often than not on my cross bike, I see something, a downed telephone pole, that I have to hop. A narrow ribbon of dirt off the gravel road, and the bike I and pull to it, turn up the effort a bit and get at it! My cx bike loves the spewn decaying streets and urban blight as much as it does, the paved path to Valley Forge. Around here there is a lot of stuff, if brave enough, I can r ..read more

I don't mind riding in the humid summer heat of Philadelphia.  I just try to measure my effort.  As if nursing my old AMC Gremlin along, windows down, hot air smashing in.  Watch the temperature gauge, and hoping and trying to keep it out of the red.  That once it is too hot, you'r done, for a long bit. Happy Birthday today to Marcel Duchamp, and to his ability to make me wonder.  I imagined he had a love of cycling, and knew a bit about suffering out on a ride in the sun.  The table on our porch, on it I have waiting, to greet my return, from my summer ride, a co ..read more

The cheap cologne, sweat tobacco and bad weed, made for a familiar philly aroma as I rode my bike through the East Park. I remember early on when I moved to Philly from Ohio.  I went to see Sun Ra at the CEC center, a small spot in west philly.  Sun Ra was like a god from another planet rolling out to the piano.  It blew my mind.  That was philly for you.   This community center, a dopey white naive kid from ohio, seeing god. That is how it is in philly.  It's a simple route, Belmont, The Boxer Trail, up on the road and around the ball fields, pass the box ..read more

I am a learner, that comes by knowledge usually picked up, by painting myself into a corner. I brake bits, strip, dent, snap, drop and lose them, quite easily on my first attempt. It was a good, the last three days of riding, the heat and humidity did compound itself, and by riding home, Sunday, I was a bit more loopy, than my normal self. Friday I did some workouts on the bike. "Stay Fit!"  I say. warm and a light rain, I'm a cap wearer.   and I watched the water drop form and rock on the brim. Saturday it did not take long at all!  To realize that what I'd thou ..read more

I'm a real simple person.  If I ever did something incredibly grand or important, the people of the town wouldn't make DLowe Avenue,  it'd be more like Simpleton Street.   I like that, being simple. I'd hope the street named after me, not that I can every imagine doing something grand and important enough, came to and made an intersection with Common Sense Street.  And on Common Sense Street we could build a few very nice but modest houses, and we'd house our most modest intellectuals.  Maybe a couple of young hipsters.  The States Supreme court Justice could ..read more

Anarchy only seems to work for ants.  Often and much proven every time I ride past Produce Junction on Bryn Mawr Ave.  You get two cars, trying to park and pull out and the whole road is blocked.   Independence, doesn't mean free for all.  Or think of myself first.  On a road ride, the front rider, is responsible for every wheel following.  Those small gestures, a slap to the right ass cheek, car on berm, a hand down is quiet and calm, a simple way to signal, that means to slow.  I always had problems on the Drives Ride with people jumping pot holes, I'd ..read more

CX is never Cancelled tomorrow is July 4th, and it's a special day in philly, it's water ice cx day. The day to get out, and just do a ride, around town.  A cx ride.  With whoever has the ability. tomorrow I will head out with Kelly, from my front porch, down to Manayunk to meet the start of the ride.    We'll greet our mate Lisa, and headed out for this years loop. today, like all but one day since March 13th, I did not have work. and so I often get brief slips of day of the week forgetfulness.  This morning I met Lisa at the Valley Green Inn and we got out fo ..read more

 I love getting out the bucket and brush and giving a bike a good scrubbing.  my Niece's "new" bike With all the new riders out there, I found it my enjoyable duty to wave at them all. Every kid I pass, I make it a point to slow, and give an admiring compliment. A true feeling compliant, it brings me joy to see a kid on a bike.   and I think that what I see in their smile; pride, independence, accomplishment.   To what  the ownership of that bike brings to that kid,...and man, that just gets me deep, in that amazing emotional soft spot.  Of throwing m ..read more