Ken Kaye: Bull City Bikers
I first met Ken Kaye, 45, after he emailed me about his plans to bike the Outer Banks with his son. We met up at the Durham Bike to Work Week breakfast, and he told me what an incredible experience his barrier island tour had been. He has plans for a cross-country bike trek, but for now he’s settling for overnight camping trips by bike.
You can check out the full details on his father/son bike tour over at crazy-guy-on-a-bike.
Ken, what bike(s) you own and ride regularly?
I’m down to one, and it’s an all-rounder. 2006 Trek 520 touring bike, complete with rear rack and fenders.
What’s your primary flavor of riding?
I do a combination of family rides on the ATT, 10 mile commutes (roundtrip) and training rides for Tour de Cure and MS150.
What’s the length and frequency of your average ride?
A family ride or commute will be 10-12 miles. A club/training ride will be 20-40 miles, whenever I can fit it in.
Why did you start riding and why do you still ride?
I came back to cycling at age 40 when my dad asked me what I wanted for my big birthday. I had been taking Spinning classes at GSK and realized how much I had missed being on a bike, so I asked for a bicycle. I still ride for many reasons. It’s an analog experience in a digital world, it sets my inner 10 year old free, and it gives me a greater chance of seeing another birthday.
What’s the most unusual thing you’ve seen while out for a ride?
In this area, there are bison on a farm out on Cornwallis/Mt. Herman Church Road going toward Hillsborough. Makes me smile every time I see them in the pasture.
How would your world be different if you wake up tomorrow and there are no more cars?
It would be a very interesting experience getting the kids to school and getting myself to work on time. Cycling for errands, groceries, commuting, etc, is wonderful until you factor kids into the equation, especially small ones.
What’s one thing Durham could do to become more bike friendly?
Commit the money that has been authorized to build the bike/pedestrian bridge over I-40 near Southpoint, and pave the southern portion of the ATT from Southpoint to the Chatham county line. That would give us a “spine” running all the way up to the DBAP. Doing these things will encourage family and commuting rides in the southern part of the county, which is growing very strongly right now. Do it already!
Durham Bike Co-op seeks new board members
This, from Alison Carpenter…
The Durham Bike Co-op is looking for board members!If you are interested in volunteering time at the co-op to improve operations, programming, financial oversight, or other functions, please consider applying. There are 10 total board positions, all are open. Each board member will also be asked to fill a role at the co-op, based on personal skills and interest (e.g. website administrator, shop inventory manager, PR coordinator) – see the application for more details. Board terms are one-year in length, and renewable for three consecutive terms. All DBC members are eligible to apply.
You can find a board membership application online at http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dfmvkwtg_5f5s6zr. Please send a completed version to the co-op listserv by 6/22/07 if you are interested in applying for a position. An open election will be held (via surveymonkey) starting on 6/23/07, and results will be tallied at the next in-person co-op meeting on 7/1/07 @ 4pm at the Durham Bike Co-op, then subsequently announced to the list.
This is an exciting way to play an important role in the co-op’s development. Hope you’ll consider applying if you have an interest!
Best,
Alison
Join the Durham Bike Co-op’s Google Group to submit your application.
“death by veganism” — letter to the editor
I’m posting below a letter to the editor written by a friend. This is her letter to the Opinion page editor of the New York Times for running Nina Planck’s ridiculous op-ed, “Death by Veganism,” which contains such gems of research and argumentation as
I was once a vegan. But well before I became pregnant, I concluded that a vegan pregnancy was irresponsible. You cannot create and nourish a robust baby merely on foods from plants.
and
The fact remains, though, that humans prefer animal proteins and fats to cereals and tubers, because they contain all the essential amino acids needed for life in the right ratio. This is not true of plant proteins, which are inferior in quantity and quality — even soy.
While other letter writers let Planck have it on the grounds that she can’t get her facts straight, Nancy’s response is, I think, more to the point.
How convenient – not to mention trite – it is to defend humanity’s right to exploit animals in the name of the survival of the human race (“Death by Veganism,” Nina Planck, May 21, 2007). I could not argue with well-made facts about health and nutrition, even if they had been tendered here. But why the relentless campaign against conscious living? Cannot the intelligent resources available to science and the media serve to advance our ability to meet our needs without appealing to speciesist superiority? Is our craving for universal domination so beyond our control that we would rather condemn devastated parents, by whom reasonable risks were taken in the absence of earned community support, than invest in solutions that can protect human life without demanding the misery, suffering, and death of others? Contextualizing this tragedy in the vegan diet does nothing to solve our pandemic public health problems, in a resource-rich nation where children raised on junk food suffer the most. No matter how tempting are the sacrosanct declarations of a benevolent pregnant woman, our survival does not depend on the subordination of animals. Only our hideous arrogance does. An arrogance that has claimed so many lives that it shamefully buries its responsibility for them in the despised, compassionate lives of the forward-thinking vegan in order to survive.
nancy o. gallman
Fat Tire Festival on June 9th Crabtree Co. Park
Just got this from Camye Womble…
Triangle Off-Road Cycles (TORC) will host its second annual Fat Tire Festival on June 9 at Lake Crabtree County Park. This years agenda includes a Fun race that begins at 9:00 am with registration from 7:30 until 8:30. Categories include Expert, Sport, Beginner, Single Speed, Women, Big Bike (33-35lb+). (classes may be combined race day)
The Race focus will be on fun. Registration for the race is just $5 to cover the cost of insurance, however donations will be gratefully accepted. 1st, 2nd and 3rd prize in each category will be a piece of unique bike related art handmade made by a local artist. Other activities will include a Trials demo and Freeride demo by some local Pro’s (u will not be disappointed) , A TORC guided ride, Local Bike Shops with Demo Bike avail. to Ride… bike related games with prizes and Free raffle of many bike parts. Also Including a KONA frame with Purchase of a $5.00 raffle ticket!!
Please contact cwomble3@nc.rr.com for any ?’s not covered here
Bring the family it’s gonna be fun.
from last year’s…
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