Lean Into the Corners . . .

The dogs days of summer are here and that means hot day on the bicycle! You know, the kind of day when you have to make your own wind by going faster on the bike. The only problem with that solution for cooling is when you stop, the sweat flows and makes one's clothes "stick," even after you've stopped sweating!

Although it wasn't quite as hot for the Downer Ave. Bike race, these guys were generating lots of heat. This racer was caught on "Collision Corner", for which I have coined the name, due to the high number of accidents each year. I'm always amazed at their muscle memory and ability to keep the bikes so close together and still upright. The concentration and hand-eye-foot coordination must be just right.

But this guy had found a little "pedal room" and was clicking into a higher gear. So I thought of the metaphor found in this image: just lean into the corner and all will be alright!

Stylin' at the Race

Good times happen on the East Side of Milwaukee, the last weekend of every July! It's called the Downer Ave. Bike Race, which is part of the International Cycling Classic. Cyclists compete in this challenging urban race while locals and out-of-towners alike gather to watch them cruise past - pulling wind along with them. Treacherous corners and downhill straight-a-ways make for some dramatic action.

Even if you aren't a fan of bicycling, you've got to walk around and enjoy the people watching. This young man got a close up feel for the wind blowing through, or should I say by, his hair as the cyclists zoomed by.