I know he’s pretty busy, but I was told that I would be able to get an interview out of him. It’s been several months now, and I don’t think it’s going to happen. But here’s some food for thought:
I’m not ready to take sides on the first item. While I fully support mandatory helmet laws for children, I think this may be going a bit too far. In Canada, an 11 year old boy ran his bike into the side of a truck. He sustained injuries described as “non-life threatening”, and was taken to the hospital.
While he should count himself lucky, his parents now face a fine of up to $80 for letting him ride without a helmet. But is this really fair? If he just got pulled over and was given a ticket for mum and pop to pay, I would have no argument. But at this point, the fine seems rather harsh, living giving someone a no-seatbelt ticket after they’ve gone through the windscreen. The’ve all (hopefully) learned a lesson for more costly and painful than an $80 fine.
Fishiest story of the week award goes to the one about the guy that got shot while trying to sell a bike. We read way too much about gun violence, and violence against cyclists is disturbing, but something just doesn’t ring right here. A 45-year-old man and his wife were out walking at 11PM, and trying to sell a bike. He discussed the sale with 2 men, also on bicycles, before he was fatally shot in the chest.
Now, the story didn’t state if one of the other cyclists was the shooter, but it seems implied. Either way, who’s out at 11PM, trying to sell a bike? And if one of the other cyclists was the shooter, what are they doing out that late, and packing? Truly a fishy story. I so wish I could be posting a Chris King interview instead.
I’ll close with breasts. And Hooters girls. But this is a serious post. A Hooters manager and cook are doing a 95 mile bike ride to raise money for breast cancer research. The inspiration for this event was former Hooters Calendar Cover Girl, Kelly Jo Dowd, who is currently battling breast cancer. Jeff Spraker, the manager, commented on the fact that 1 in 7 of the women working there are at risk of developing this terrible disease. Statistically, that means that 2,100 of their 15,000 female employees are at risk.
Some might say that Hooters is merely looking after it’s own best interests. But Hooters has contributed over $8 million to non-profits, including $2 million for cancer research. And they’re currently doing a 4 month fundraiser, with each store having a goal of raising $1,000, which will go to Kelly Jo and cancer research. So go have some chicken wings, or a burger and a beer. But be sure to support this fundraising effort. It’s for a good cause.
C’mon Chris, be a pal…give a guy an interview. If not, I’ll be forced to do the interview, and then everyone loses. It’s for a good cause and you’ll feel better about yourself afterwards. Being a humanitarian takes so many different forms.
Regarding the bike “sale” and the shooting. I don’t think anyone involved was a “cyclist” per se. It sounds like drugs were definitely involved, and probably some alcohol. I would guess that all three bikes on the scene were stolen, and probably the gun too.
I can’t remember where I read the article about stolen bikes in San Francisco. One of the people interviewed said that stolen bikes were one of the main street currencies, along with sex, drugs, and guns.