Bill
Griffin's
CYCLING PAGE
Left: me; right: my wife, Terry
TURNBULL, HAFNER, GRIFFIN, AND AYRES RIDE THE MS 150 (2004)
L to R: Steve Fielding, Robert Turnbull, Nathan
Ayres, Bill Griffin, Mark Hafner, and Steve Overton
Once again, Dr. Bob Turnbull (Humanities), Nathan Ayres (student), and I participated in the Ozark MS 150, a fundraising ride for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. Mark Hafner (director of conference services and student activities) rode the 150 for the first time this year.Click here to see my photos from the ride. You can find some of the songs I played at the Saturday night rally by clicking on this link and then going to the section entitles “Sports”. I hope to add 3 more new songs I sang in the near future. Download these mp3s to your heart's content!
More MS-150 Photos: 2003 Ozark MS-150 Photos 2002 Ozark MS-150 Photos 2001 Ozark MS-150 Photos
A SUMMER PROJECT (2002): CONSTRUCT A TANDEM BIKE
So, what did I do on my summer vacation? One project was making this tandem bike out of four chromoly bike frames (Trek, GT, Nishiki, and KHS). I cut them apart and welded them together. For the drive train I used two mountain bike cranks, utilizing the smallest gear on each for the chain which connects the front to the back. This left the middle and outer gears on the rear crank for the rear wheel, which has 7 gears (thus a so-called 14 speed tandem). My friend Chris out in Colorado suggested that I call the machine FRANKENBIKE!
SPORTS DRINK RECIPE
I examined a few different sports drinks and came up with my own. I use the lemonade flavor because it tastes OK in a mixture which, as mixed, is not very sweet. Here’s the recipe:
Nine 99mg tablets of potassium (crushed—a bowl works well)
1-1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups sugar
4 packets Koolaid lemonade
Mix the above thoroughly.
As for proportions, it works out about like this. (A one-ounce scoop is really nice to have. If you have ever bought powdered sports drink or something similar, it probably has one.)
16 oz water bottle: 1 ounce (1 scoop)
24 oz water bottle: 1-1/2 ounces (1-1/2 scoops)
32 oz water bottle: 2 ounces (2 scoops)
Shake/mix well.
DO YOU WEAR A HELMET?
I heard some interesting statistics on National Public Radio, 2/20/01. Only 30% of cyclists wear helmets, and only 5% of those in fatal bike accidents are wearing helmets. Thus it looks like you are about 10 times more likely to die in a bike accident if you are not wearing a helmet.
I have heard people say, "I'm a good rider; I'd be able to put my hands down and protect myself." These people do not know what they are talking about. If you ride a bike, you will fall. And when you fall, often it happens this way: you are riding, and the next thing you know you are on the ground. You often have no time to react.
I wore a bike helmet for 19 years before I had to put it to use. I was riding, and the next thing I knew was that my helmet was being pushed down on my head, then I was looking up. Sure, I got bruised up, but there was not a scratch on my head--but the helmet cracked.
My wife was recently hit by a car while riding, and she did not even know that her head hit the ground, until it was pointed out to her that her helmet was cracked. I wiped out recently and, while a little bruised, was surprised that evening to find helmet damage
To me, riding a bike without a helmet is about like being a defensive lineman in football without a helmet.
What is the moral of the story? WEAR A HELMET!!!!!
AREA MAPS
I intend to add some soon which
have my favorite local road rides.
DIRECTIONS: Go to I-44 and Kansas Expressway (Hwy 13), near the Wal-Mart Supercenter. Go north on Hwy 13 about 2 miles (about a half mile past the Carpet Barn). Turn left on this road, go through the gate, and drive a short distance to the parking area. Open dawn to dusk.
Page updated September 18, 2003
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