BSNYC "Summer Reese's" Announcement! (and Friday Fun Quiz!)

(Spotted in Paradise, CA by a reader.)

Firstly, I am pleased (for myself) to announce that I will be embarking upon a short "Summer Reese's." This Reese's will start as of the end of this post and continue through next week, until I return on Monday, August 2nd with regular updates. In the meantime, I will continue to update my Universal Sports Tour de France-themed webular blog, and if I have any other urgent news, insights, or complaints to relate to you I will do so by means of my "Twitter" social networking account.

Secondly, I've received a number of questions recently as to the availability (or lack thereof) of my book from a popular online South American river-themed retailer. As I mentioned not too long ago, due to the apparent popularity of the book (people seem to be buying large quantities and burning them in protest), both the retailer and my publisher have sold out of copies, and right now we are, as they say in the book publishing industry, "waiting for new copies to arrive." This should happen in the first week-ish of August, at which point they will be shipped to any booksellers who need or want them, such as the river-themed one. (I would do this myself, except that I can't afford an appropriately smug Metrofiets, and even if I could it would probably take me roughly nine years to complete the deliveries.) In the meantime, other retailers both online and traditional may still have copies, or I might recommend just reading the engrossing "Sweet Valley High" series of books for young adults instead.

Also, before I gas up the fan boat and hit the swamps of New Jersey for my vacation, I'll mention that the New York Times has published an article about New York City's new and evolving mountain bike trails:

I should point out that last week I criticized the local media for focusing on the more inane elements of the fixed-gear trend while ignoring the positive effect these new and legal mountain bike trails have had on the parks, and so I'd like to not only thank the New York Times for publishing this article but also pretend they read my post and take full credit for it. However, in keeping with my tradition of complaining about everything, I'd like to complain about some things contained in the following excerpt, since I ride at Cunningham Park often:

Firstly, I realize the New York Times style manual requires its reporters to assume that everybody in New York City lives either in downtown Manhattan or the Brooklyn brownstone belt, but the truth is getting to the trailhead at Cunningham Park is not hard at all if you live near Cunningham Park, which many thousands of people actually do. (Yes, New York Times, actual human beings do live east of the Van Wyck Expressway, and some of them even possess the education it requires to read your paper.) Anyway, this is less a complaint about the article than it is about the New York Times in general, and certainly Cunningham Park is not close to everybody (including me)--which is why I'll also point out that, if you're one of these people and need or want to reach it by public transportation, the Long Island Railroad is a good option and the trails are a pretty short ride from the station in Hollis. I'd also like to complain that, despite being one-way as the article points out, Cunningham does have its share of "trail salmon," who can often be seen riding shirtless on rickety bikes with pie plates. Lastly, it just so happens I was there the day the photographs in the article were taken, and this rider was wearing an All Hail the Black Market jersey:

The Times could have at least gotten it in focus.

Anyway, watch out for poison ivy.

I am now pleased to present you with a quiz. As always, study the item, think, and click on your answer. If you're right then go buy yourself something nice and feel free to take a vacation yourself, and if you're wrong you'll see anime (crash) porn.

Thanks very much for reading, ride safe, and I'll see you on August 2nd.

--BSNYC/RTMS

cc: Vito the Monkey

1) What is Alberto Contador doing to Andy Schleck at the end of Stage 17?

--Admiring his close shave

--Accepting his used chewing gum
--Loving him tenderly
--Impossible to determine conclusively from available evidence

2) During his Stage 15 victory salute, Thomas Voeckler exposed his:

--Biceps

--Nipples
--Midriff
--"Pants yabbies"

3) According to Carlos Sastre, bicycle racing has become:

--A "parody of itself"
--A "baby's playpen"
--A "kindergarten"

--A "total 'woosie'-fest"

4) This is the start of:

--"The Great American Bicycle Race" (1982)

--The "Hell of the West" scene in "American Flyers" (1985)

--The famous Greg LeMond/Laurent Fignon TT showdown at the 1989 Tour de France

--Some alleycat from like a week ago

5) According to ESPN, "Bike polo isn't really for the ____:"

--Timid
--Talented
--Feint of heart [sic]
--Mature

6) How much do "fixie" lessons cost in Amsterdam?

--€ 15

--€ 25
--€ 125

--A bag of weed and your dignity

(via "Cycling Without a Helmet")

("For the hundredth time, I'm not Joe Mantegna!")

7) After being cut off by a cab while cycling in the bike lane and injuring his elbow, Los Angeles mayor Antonio Villaraigosa made the following observations:

--"He was very concerned when he realized it was me."

--"He was careless, but that's not illegal."

--"Wear a helmet."

--All of the above

***Special Caption Contest-Themed Bonus Question***

The winning caption for this week's "Caption Contest" in The New Yorker was:

--"This is the last time I shop for manual transmission lessons on Craigslist."

--"I see you opted for the short-throw shifter."

--"Oops, I just hit a cyclist! Good thing being careless is not illegal, he was wearing a helmet, and he wasn't the mayor."

--None of the above