So the Chinese are making a big stink because a few of our trackies showed up to Beijing wearing masks. Above is Olympian Bobby Lea wearing one. What the Chinese don’t realize is that we wear these masks all the time, it’s just how American cyclists like to roll. Here’s a picture of me with Bobby Lea taken a few months ago.
See? What’s the big deal? We like wearing the masks cause it makes us look PRO. Look China, this isn’t an insult, it’s actually a compliment. We’re showing up with our game face(mask) on.
I remember when I was a kid I was glued to the TV when the Seoul Olympics were on. Of course we were still in the cold war, and it was an informal proxy war between the West and the Soviets which lent to the drama. However it felt like something really important was going on. The news cycle slowed down, and the entire world stopped what they were doing to engage in the Olympics. The last two summer games I hardly watched. All I watched was Judo and some track cycling, other than that I couldn’t care less. I didn’t even watch the last winter Olympics and couldn’t even tell you which country they were in. Am I alone in my disinterest for the Olympics, or have they world-wide ceased being relevant and interesting? Here’s what I think is wrong and what needs to get fixed: (more…)
I love the station wagon. In a Sandblade perfect world there would only be tiny hatchbacks like the Honda Fit and VW Golf, or station wagons. Why own a sedan when a wagon is more practical and has no downside compared to the sedan version? Wagons hold more stuff than their sedan counterparts, get the same mileage, and are easier to parallel park. The size and wheelbase are the same, and they have the same interior space and better mileage than SUV’s. When the SUV revolution came around wagons were left for dead. With the rise in gas prices, most car manufacturers are making these ridiculous “crossover” vehicles that have all the negatives of an SUV and none of the positives of a wagon. Wake up car makers, the world is ready for the wagon revolution. There was a small revival of the compact wagon in the early 00’s, but for the most part Subaru is the only company that makes wagons over their entire line (and have you seen how popular they are?). So here are some sedans that I think need to be made into wagons. (more…)