UK Cyclist Chris Boardman won the 1992 Gold Medal in the 4,000 meter track race at the Barcelona Olympics.
Yet within seven years, he was to receive a shocking diagnosis that was to end his cycling career. Chris was told he was suffering from osteoporosis. Although in its early stages, the disease, which causes bones to become fragile and prone to breakage, was enough to stop this elite sportsman in his tracks.
Award winning folk song writer / singer Tracy Jane Comer grew up poor but happy in a shack near the beach in North Carolina. She sings about the freedom of her bike in the lovely title track of her album Yellow Bike.
And I rode my yellow bike on that beach road Never thought about where I might go…I just rode
Riding, flying, on that road Laughing, smiling, all alone Living poor, but living free Happy on that yellow bike on that road beside the sea
Last Thursday evening I wondered why Menlo Park police were hanging out at the office campus where I work. I noticed the fresh glass and car parts at the parking lot entrance and figured yet another scofflaw motorist running the red light at that intersection. The city installed red light cameras there, and it wasn’t because of hordes of light running cyclists.
What happened was this, less than 300 yards from my office:
As a Ford Mustang and a white compact car sped through the intersection southbound on Bayfront, the Mustang clipped a blue Toyota, spinning it around and leaving at least two occupants injured, according to witness accounts. The Mustang then hit the white car, and both spun out on opposite sides of the Bayfront median.
“They were racing,” said Kim Arrowood, a Sun Microsystems employee who saw the crash. “They had to have been going 70 mph.”
The Mustang was wrecked, but it didn’t stop the driver from getting away, Arrowood said. He ran over to the white car, yelled “Let’s go!” to the driver and hopped in. The two then turned around and drove off.
A 6-year-old Menlo Park girl died Friday afternoon from injuries she sustained in a car crash a day earlier.
[Lisa Xavier] was traveling in the back seat of a blue Toyota Camry with her parents at about 2 p.m. Thursday when a black Mustang headed northbound on the Bayfront Expressway ran a red light at Willow Road and plowed into the car.
Police located the crashed Mustang’s owner, and that person apparently pegged one Shannon Fox as the driver, who police so far have been unable to locate.
More, similar stories from around the nation at Streetblog’s weekly carnage.
Delaveaga is a large city park nestled between Branciforte Drive and Brookwood Drive north of Highway 1 on the east side of Santa Cruz. Cyclists may ride their bikes on the roads and trails within Delaveaga. The park can be very busy with different activities so watch for other users on the trail. Remember, downhill yields to uphill and cyclists are supposed to yield to walkers.
The trails are mostly redwood forest duff, with some short sections of slick limestone near “The Top of the World” (the disc golf last hole). Trail maintenance is inconsistent, so watch for fallen limbs and trees. It’s super easy to go fast on a straightaway then wash out in a sandy turn, so take it easy until you know the trails. If you crash, landings are mostly soft, though rocks, large trees and poison oak are hazards like anyplace else in Santa Cruz County. Small children and off leash dogs are very common in this park so keep your eyes open for them.
Directions: Most mountain bikers park at the lower trailhead in a dirt parking lot just north of where Market Street becomes Branciforte Drive. I usually ride my bike down Glen Canyon Rd from Scotts Valley, make a left on Branciforte (towards the Mystery Spot) and enter the ballfield area of Delaveaga.
Trails: The Redwood Loop and La Corona Trail are the main out and back trails used by mountain bikers. If you like pain, the Branciforte Trail has some steep, challenging sections. A couple of trails will take you to the golf course, and La Corona ends a the final hole of the disc golf course, so watch for people playing through. Unfortunately, as of this writing the city of Santa Cruz reorganized their website and the park trail map is no longer available.
This video features Erik and his friend Paul shooting down the trails of Delaveaga on a pleasant November morning.
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