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Sex Pistols - Manchester's Lesser Free Trade Hall - June 1976

six letter word for success?

This concert changed music as we know it today. There was definitely something special in the room that night. Every important person in the Manchester music scene was there and they all seemed to start one band or another. That night the Sex Pistols made an indelible mark on musicians such like Morrissey, Ian Curtis, and Pete Shelley and music hasn't been the same since.

Cancellara wins California Prologue

The Tour of California begins in earnest tomorrow morning but Sunday afternoon saw the first salvo fired as the riders completed a 2-mile prologue course through the Stanford campus in Palo Alto. The third edition of the Tour should be it's most exciting and action packed. In addition to the quality domestic riders in the field, the Tour boasts several international cycling superstars such as Tom Boonen, Paolo Bettini, and Stuart O'Grady. Look for George Hincapie, Jens Voight, and Levi Leipheimer to contest the overall classification.

In typical fashion, Fabian Cancellara dominated the field by nearly five seconds in the opening time trial. In a two mile prologue, a five second gap is an eternity. Is there a classier rider than Fabian Cancellara in the peloton right now? If there is, I can't think of one. The win just cements the fact that Cancellara is the best time trialist in the world. Cancellara reminds me of his countryman, Roger Federer, they both go out and perform with machinelike precision. Both men exude pure class and domination in their respective endeavors.

Anti-cyclist bias shows it's ugly face in Spain

I was under the impression that ridiculous lawsuits were solely an American phenomenon. It seems plaintiff's lawyers in Europe are just as frivolous. Unfortunately this particular case has to do with the death of a young cyclist and yet another failure of a judicial system to protect the rights of cyclists. A Spanish teenager was killed by a driver doing 100 mph in a 55 mph zone. Although no criminal charges were filed against the driver, he's now suing the dead boy's family for damages done to his car. Here's the link to the bikerader.com article:

killer sues dead cyclist

So the civil suit by the driver is enough to infuriate the average person but what bothers me more is that no criminal charges were filed. So what's going on here? Unfortunately its another example of anti-cyclist bias by law enforcement officials. I guess I'm just shocked that it happens in Europe as well as the US. Most cyclists expect this kind of response from American officials but not in the relatively bike-friendly confines of Europe.

I'll never quite understand why the presumption held by law enforcement is always against the cyclist. How is it possible that driving 45 mph over the speed limit does not amount to reckless endangerment? Why is it relevant that he wasn't wearing a helmet or reflective clothing? No amount of protection would have saved that boy. The result would certainly have been different if this was a pedestrian. Quite frankly the lack of justice sickens me.