One Way Cyclists Die

Sorry for the rather forceful title, but you know, it is what it is. A great many readers of this blog are experienced, knowledgeable cyclists who don't need to read any further. On the off chance that you are not however, I strongly urge you to read on. I was riding home yesterday and cringed as I watched this:

Now some cyclists might think a move like that is a calculated risk and not so bad. I disagree. Do that move with a car and you might get knocked over, injured or worse. Do it with a truck and you'll get knocked over and then be crushed by its rear wheels and have an excellent chance of dying. The guy in my video obviously came out just fine. But what happens when the truck driver isn't all over his mirrors for a couple of seconds and then sees a break in traffic? In addition, few people realize how huge the blind spots on a big truck are. Here are a couple of videos to illustrate:

The next video is good too, especially the blind spot bits at 3:10 or so.

Lorries, LGVs, Semis, Cube Vans, Big Ass Trucks ... no matter what you call 'em, I hope you get my drift.

Yer Pal,

R A N T W I C K

Danny MacAskill Gets Industrial

Danny Mac is back with a great new video. I first saw this on Bicycles and Icycles and as always feel compelled to share it with as many people as possible. Watch this.




Good Lord.

R A N T W I C K

Coldplay Viva La Vida - Stop Motion Lego Video by Dylan Woodley

Hey all! here in Canada we have something called the CBC, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Funded by the government, the CBC runs radio and television stations in both English and French right across the country. This morning while listening to CBC Radio 1 on the way in to work (I drove today) they interviewed a 16 year old Canadian (Stratford, Ontario) guy named Dylan Woodley. You can listen to the interview by clicking here and finding the August 15 entry. Dylan spent the last couple of years creating a stop-motion lego video for Coldplay's Viva La Vida and it has been getting lots of attention here in Canada and in the US as well.

Perhaps you have already seen this, but if not, I thought a shout out to my fellow Canuck was in order, because I think it is pretty damn cool. Here it is:

I am always blown away by good stop-motion stuff. I just can't imagine having the patience to do such painstaking, detailed work. Wow. Well done, Dylan.

Yer Pal,

R A N T W I C K