Dig through that People Magazine-addled mind of yours and come up with the most appropriate actor to play cycling
God Lance Armstrong. I’ll give you a minute (tick tock tick tock … buzz!). Who’d you come up with? Matt Damon? Me
too! And it turns out we are both right. If the
scuttlebutt is true, Matt Damon will be
starring in a movie about Lance’s epic fight with (and victory over) testicular cancer. The two are apparently buds…and
have been seen riding threesome with Robin Williams. Anyway, Damon will probably make a decent Lance (even if he
was skewered in Team America). As I say, he was the first
one that came to mind for me, and we can all be grateful Ben Affleck won’t be wearing the yellow jersey.
More Damon Trivia
While we’re on the subject of Matt Damon (and this is just coincidence, I promise), it turns out that his uncle just became the oldest person ever to swim the English Channel. The 70 year-old George Brunstad (known affectionately as “Uncle Brun” and/or “the Brunster”) completed the 21-mile swim from Dover, England to Sangatte, France in 15 hours 59 minutes. Why is this important, you ask? It’s not. It’s meaningless trivia, but you can now entertain your friends with all that you know about Matt Damon.
Chicks on Cracks – the Event
I did a doubletake on this one as well. Turns out that Chicks on Cracks is a
well known climbing event in Moab, which right now, as the
cold settles over the East coast, has got to be a wonderful place to be. The event promises “impeccable red sandstone,
splitter desert cracks, and the chance to improve your climbing skills under the tutelage of some of the most
skilled, enthusiastic and experienced female climbers of the genre.” The event takes place November the 6th
and 7th this year, so if you need a last minute rock fix, this may be the thinig to do .
Epic Rides
I wanted to highlight this “epic ride” by the International
Mountain Biking Association (IMBA) because it is happening soon. If you are near Tanasi Trails in
Ocoee, Tennessee on or around Novemeber 13, you ought to give this one a try. The trail is known for its “bermy
turns and a steady, rolling climb” that reward you with “a ripping downhill run on Thunder Rock Express”. That sounds
just downright sweet to me.
The IMBA lists several other epic rides around the country and is a good source
for info on mountain biking in general. Check it out.
Boston… who knew?
You have to hand it to them. Who knew the Red Sox would pull out one of the most stunning victories in modern sports
history? And who knew (in an effort to show some measure of admiration for the effort) that you could find
amazing mountain biking just half an
hour away from Boston. So if you somehow landed tickets to any of the games at Fenway, or if you’re just heading up to
Boston for the hell of it this Fall, you might hoist that bike on top of the car and get out of the city for a quick
ride. Middlesex Fells is close to wilderness and is less than 30 minutes away from Boston. It’s going to
be chilly, but the ride will be worth it.