All the news that's not fit to print, ATXBS style...

Quick news update on lots of shit I've heard around town an seen in my email box. Check it out peeps:

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First off, last Friday around noon a cyclist was the victim of a hit-and-run near 7th and Chicon:

HIT AND RUN NOON TODAY (7TH AND CHICON)
Reply to: sale-919545247@craigslist.org
Date: 2008-11-14, 7:06PM CST

My friend was hit on her bicycle today a little before noon headed south on chicon. The driver took a right turn and directly into her in broad daylight. If you have any information please respond.
Thanks

If ANYONE has any information about this incident, please let these people know. Thanks!

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Next up, it's been brewing for a little while but now I've got a few details so I'm gonna leak some info: A couple local bicycle wrenches I know are gonna be throwing an alleycat next month! They're still cooking up the details but I do know that the starting and finishing spot is gonna be at a pizza joint down on S. Congress, the entry fee includes free beer and pizza after the race, and the first place prize is a set of Deep V/Formula fixed gear wheels in any color you like. Most intriguingly (and rather confusing), rumor has it that there's going to be a MOVING optional checkpoint, and whoever hits it first (and finishes) gets a CASH MONEY prize! Oh damn, sounds like a hot ticket to me! More info as I get it.

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A cool cat named Davin(!!!) did a little more research into the State Capital bollards and their function, and emailed me his findings. Here's what he has to say about these scary sounding devices:

Last night, while waiting on the light over at the north gate of the Capitol, I stopped and talked a little bit more with the troopers stationed about the Bollards. It appears that they will be kept up all the time, and will only go down when a car receives clearance from the gate. What they are really worried about is if a car gets clearance and a bike tries to overtake the car, a motion sensor will activate the bollards and make them shoot up which will be dangerous to both the cyclist and the motorist. One of the bigger fears they have, of course, is the cyclist will go through unharmed, but some big wig will have his car completely messed up. In such a case, the cyclist will be held liable for damages to the vehicle.

So, from what I was told, the moral of the story, when entering the gate, do not pass a motorist, because that is the real time the bollards will be dangerous.

So the bottom line is don't ride past a motorized vehicle while they're passing the bollards, or you might get launched. They were down the other day when I went down to investigate, and I can attest from personal experience that riding over or jumping on a retracted bollard WILL NOT launch you into the air. Ah well, it was worth a shot.

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Finally, URGENT NEWS: Walnut Creek is AWESOME! I went riding with a couple of the guys from Performance Bike this morning and on top of having a whole shitload of fun bouncing around on the trails I managed to earn myself a free scar:

Oh, and hydraulic brakes piss me off. That's it for today!