Here it is, for your convenience, enjoyment, and dismay, courtesy of The Guardian‘s Martin Roberts.
David Byrne on the Motor City sans motor
Apparently the amazing David Byrne took part in Tour de Troit this past weekend; his first, our fourth. When we started riding it in 2006 there were 300 other people cruising the ruined splendor of Motown on bikes. Now the event is capped at ~3000 and a Talking Head, and it remains an amazing ride (the course changes every year) through a once grand and still impressive city.
Byrne’s diary entry called “Don’t Forget the Motor City” touches on the Tour and much more, so I’ll stop here so you can go read it. As our pal Phil said, if his photos of the Michigan Theater don’t break your heart, nothing will.
(Credits: Our pal Kris took this picture last year. We weren’t sure she and Phil enjoyed it, since it seemed more crowded and slow in 2009 and they’re real cyclists, but they came out again this year!)
Interview up at Newvine Growing
If I’ve sounded good on the radio, it’s because of advice Colleen Newvine gave me. And the corollary is also true — when I don’t keep her advice in mind, I end up sounding like, well, me.
Colleen is one of the Legion of Very Smart Friends who have made my
life better. Last week she asked me a bunch of questions, and I answered them. So please head over to her blog, Newvine Growing, and read the answers, see my ideal workspace, and then read her other posts too.
ComixTALK interview on T-Minus and other things…
Last year I talked to Alexander Danner about T-Minus and other things, and the interview is now available at ComixTALK. He asked excellent questions, and even though I’m a year older (and presumably a year smarter) I don’t disagree with Jim2009 on any major points.
We talked about space tourism, judging books by their covers, upcoming books, and other things too. I hope you enjoy it.
p.s. One bit of prediction was wrong, though. Feynman will now come out next year, not this fall.
Swim, bike, run.
For some reason[1] I decided I should attempt a sprint triathlon this year, so with a month to prepare[2] I entered one in nearby Sylvania, OH.
If running off a beach into the water with over 100 other people, all of whom are aiming for the same point out in the middle of a lake, sounds like a good idea to you[3], if swimming like mad and then running back up the beach and then onto asphalt to your bike[4] where you stuff your sandy, wet feet into socks and shoes and then ride a long way seems like the next logical step, and then, having tightened up all the muscles in your thighs and calves[5] with a torque wrench, getting off the bike and running a race strikes you as the perfect end to a perfect morning, then a triathlon is for you. It’s the run-on sentence of endurance races[6].
My strategy was don’t drown, don’t crash, don’t cramp. I didn’t and I didn’t and I didn’t, so it was a good day[7].
[1] Reasons, plural, really: Kat did one and I was impressed by her achievement, and I also read Jef Mallet’s excellent book, which is inspirational, funny, and has a lot of footnotes.
[2] Until July, I had not swum more than 20m at a stretch in at least 20 years…and maybe a lot more years than that.
[3] It looks like a mosh pit to the spectators, and looks do not deceive. It is a can’t-see-the-bottom deep mosh pit filled with water and over-achievers.
[4] 20-year old mountain bikes are not ideal for this, but, like my body, I used what I had.
[5] In the first mile or so of the run my shins felt like they were splinting. Weird!
[6] A sprint really isn’t an endurance event. The Olympic distance (or more) is the real deal in that regard. But I was tired and hungry at the end of this one, so maybe it counts.
[7] I didn’t break any course records, nor did any of the leaders feel threatened. But I did do better than I guessed I would. I finished in the top 1/4 for the swim, which is crazy good for me and in the bottom 1/3 for the
bike portion, which is perhaps not crazy bad, but at the very least it’s pretty bad. I
averaged about 19 miles/hour, which apparently is decent on a mountain
bike, but a mountain bike is not a good road racing machine. It’s not
all about the equipment, though — I didn’t push it hard, in part out of
fear of a muscle or ligament pull (it’s been a bad summer), and in part out of not really
knowing what I was doing…emphasis on the latter. As for the run, it went pretty well. As
always, world class racers had nothing to fear, but I passed 40 people
in the course of the 5K. Of all the aspects of a triathlon, running is more my thing
than the others. No surprise there. And though I liked it, and may do it again some day, I’m ready to return to just straight-up running for the rest of the year.
Does the world need another book?
If you read yesterday’s entry, you might wonder. And should it be about Richard Feynman? Leland Myrick (artist), First Second (publisher), and I (writer) think so. We hope you do too.
…coming in 2011.
