Green hell

This week-end I will be covering the Nürburgring 24 hour race, known as the green hell, direct from the circuit here.

Chainless bicycle

A bike with no chain.

Paul "Red Wedge" Weller

Paul Weller is in The Times with his foul-mouthed views on politics, presumably because he has a new CD to sell. He disses David Cameron for liking the "Eton Rifles" - his first hit with The Jam. He wonders why a Tory could like his song with its 'deep' leftie message. As if anybody cared about the words, the success of the song being based on the shouted chorus in a cod south London accent.
The Jam disintegrated in a welter of recrimination over money and contracts. He criticises his ex-bandmates Bruce Foxton and Rick Buckler, less fortunate than he, who are trying to make a shilling as "From The Jam" - maybe he is envious of their current success. He talks of writer's block - let us hope it returns.

Porter impresses

To Toronto Island airport on the yellow Brompton bicycle. Along the trail I bump into Lloyd Alter riding a new Strida 5 folding bike. Designed in the UK, made in Taiwan. He is heading for Manhattan on Porter Airlines, taking the bike with him in a snowboard bag. I take a couple of pictures for him prior to boarding. Turns out he is a blogger and going to a furniture show in the Big Apple.
I talk to a man outside the departure lounge, a Kevin Frankish-lookalike, was it him? He keeps purring "fantastic, fantastic" about the airport. He knows that a tunnel was started to the airport way back when - I say if it was Hong Kong there would be two tunnels and three bridges! He is not the only one pleased with the NYC service. This from journalist pal Rebecca: "I did indeed fly Porter and it exceeded my expectations! It was hassle free and comfortable. Free all-you-can-drink lattes in the lounge nearly made me swoon. No big deal taking the bus in to Manhattan from Newark. I highly recommend it if you're thinking of migrating that way anytime soon."
I take the ferry on the lower deck and lunch at Druxy's. After harvesting some pop cans on the Lakeshore, a gentle ride home via Roncesvalles and Bloor Street. About 11 miles in all.

Still made in the UK

They are still making things in the UK - some new, some old and somewhere in between.
Update: More.

Teachers grow up

Having been appalled at the graffiti, aka witless doodling, at the school where my wife works it is gratifying to report that the tardy TDSB have taken action. All teaching staff at the school are required to have two college degrees, for which they are rewarded with a building adorned with daily reminders of their diminishing status. Complaints can sometimes work it seems.

The impression given is of an unsafe neighbourhood, which depresses local property prices and contributes to a spiral of decline. Nobody said it was easy stamping this out but at least they have made a start at reclaiming their school.

No choice, rip-off prices at LCBO

In the socialist republic of Ontario there is a provincial liquor monopoly. Labbé François Cassis, $18.80, the only choice for this liqueur on Dundas Street. A French convenience store would offer a choice of brands at a range of prices far better than this. Gouging customers with restricted choice is the order of the day here. So take-it-or-leave-it and pay top dollar.

Spoof suckers sinecurists

Toronto councillors it seems were suckered into becoming 'friends' with Howard Moscoe on a spoof Facebook page. Like all good hoaxes there was just enough reality to make it look real - that is they look no more ridiculous than usual. The pompous folk at City Hall are not amused.
See here and here.

Hogtown City Limits V

To Toronto Islands on the Brompton bicycle. We stared across the Eastern Gap from Ward's Island where we could see Miller's Folly, named for Toronto's "large imperfect" mayor. This brand spanking new ferry terminal sits idle, like its counterpart in Rochester, New York. There is no ferry thanks to Toronto turning its back on the venture. See PunchBuggy Passim here and here.

This started me thinking about the newly-built but empty $92m TTC bus garage at Mount Dennis, the train station at Pearson Airport with no tracks to the city and the bridge to the Island airport that was never built at a cost of $35 million. They say we get the politicians we deserve so we must have done something awful to fall into the clutches of these borough-mongers and sinecurists.

Tom foolery

Lewes strikes back.

Cattle call

Eddy Arnold is gone.

Road accidents don't rate

The grisly toll in The Times.

Phantom puncture

Fixing up the Mrs' bike for the season. Pump up back tire: fine. Pump up front: no good. Try another pump: no good. Take wheel to a bike store in Roncesvalles in the smart car: feed meter, store closed. To Bloor West. The guy pumps up the tire no problem with his compressor. Buy spare tube. Refit wheel, oil chain, circuit of park to test. Let's hope the tire stays up and we are good to go.

NZ railways renationalised

Government moves back in.

Hogtown City Limits IV

To Queens Quay on the Brompton bicycle. Stop by at Budapest Park for a quick clear up of the litter. On to the Island airport at the bottom of Bathurst where I change my mind about taking the ferry. Talk to one of the cab drivers waiting for the punters to arrive on Porter Airlines who says: "it is a way to make an honest living." As I stop to take a photograph the janitor from the local school bobs up and talks to me over the fence: "it used to be quiet round here." Now there are many taxis lined up and airport buses going to and fro. He is right. Not long ago the airport was on its knees, with Jack Layton and the local lefties rejoicing at their 'victory' over the proposed bridge to the airport. See PunchBuggy Passim.
Oh, the law of unintended consequences. Now the bottom-end of Bathurst is one big cab rank, when all this could have been at the airport on the other side of the channel. Former hack Adam Vaughan, who has now joined the freeloaders at City Hall, must be grinding his teeth. These guys, who have done their best to make Ontario a 'have not' province, have contrived to drop the City airport development right in their own laps. Bad luck to them!
On to Tim Horton's, large coffee $1.49 incl tax, where a guy pulls up on a $600 Schwinn electric bike. His opinion: "Disappointing, the battery only lasts a mile or two, and the battery won't hold a charge." On to Curbside Cycle to drool over the Pashley bike in the window. Home via the backstreets and laneways north of Bloor.
Thirteen miles approx, 3 hours, incl pitstop.

Mighty Brompton from Blighty

My pal Jack reports on his Brit Brompton bicycle: "Mine is a six-speed titanium model - highly specced because a lot of the cost is being borne by the taxman under the government's Green Transport Plan: titanium extendable seatpost, rear rack, lowered ratios, beautiful little front hub dynamo, dual pivot brakes, rear standlight, roller wheels. All in all it comes to an eye-watering £1200.
"This is a great bike, but based on my experience I would settle for 3 speeds and no rack. I recommend the dynamo. It is a little gem: doesn't weigh much and when switched on adds little resistance. So far in a year's full use, mainly commuting with much folding and unfolding, the bike has held up well - not even a loose front luggage bracket, which is a typical maintenance item. I have my own customised - larger - front work-bag attached to a Brompton skeleton. I have added an extra folding pedal and a very narrow saddle so as to get the bike in the boot of my Porsche 911! Like you I use it to go to take our cars for their services. The Porsche garage is about an 8/9 mile cycle: from Boreham Street, to Wartling, down to Pevensey, then across the marshes to Cooden ie beautiful East Sussex countryside all the way. A bit different from your ride to the Smart/Merc dealer!"

Logano on a roll at the Rock

Stock car racing has a shining new star: Joey Logano, 17, sat on the pole for the Carolina 500 at the newly-returned Rockingham Speedway and stunk up the show by dominating the race all afternoon. Discovered by NASCAR veteran Mark Martin at age 15, crew-chief Billy Venturini said of Logano "He is the best kid I've ever seen." Look for him in the NASCAR Nationwide series shortly as he turns 18, and don't rule out a Joe Gibbs Racing ride in Sprint Cup before long.
The ARCA-sanctioned 312 lap '500', measured in kilometers [argh!], gave the race its iconic name. Nashville recording artist Josh Gracin sang the national anthem while US Army AH60 Blackhawk helicopters provided the fly-past. Rockingham had been hors-de-combat from 2004 when Matt Kenseth was the last winner in the DeWalt Power Tools Ford on the NASCAR circuit.
This time round Tony Stewart flagged off the field as Joey Logano jumped out to an early lead in his first ARCA start. There didn't look to be a particularly large crowd with plenty of empty seats. Track promoter Andy Hillenburg said "Little over half the stands are full. We're gonna make it bigger and better every year." Ex-F1 racer Scott Speed shunted in the early going in the Red Bull Toyota, condemned to an afternoon as an also-ran after his recent win in Kansas. The race was something of a crashfest with many of the front-running cars damaged early on. Veteran driver Kenny Schrader finished second. See PunchBuggy Passim.

Brompton breakout

Out on the Brompton bicycle early Sunday morning in Toronto. Down along Wendigo Creek, past Grenadier Pond, with a bunch of Cormorants spectating. An Asian guy is photographing the birds with a telephoto lens. Out onto the Lakeshore where it is quite cold, turn left toward the city and I'm soon bombing along. I take the hill up past the Canadian Legion in top gear. What is going on? I've got the saddle jacked up so I'm dancing on the pedals. The Brompton has been into Curbside Cycle for a service. The gears have been playing up for some while, so time to get some expert help. They cleaned the Sturmey-Archer gears, new grease, adjust and we are good to go for $30 plus tax. I was impressed by the service at Curbside - "bring it back if you have a problem and we'll fix it for free" - well a proper test ride proves they have done the business. The bike feels like new but is in fact a 2000 L5. The bike mechanic spots I'm struggling to fold the Brompton outside the store to pack it into the back of the smart car. He is there in an instant and a quick tweak of the handlebars and the Brompton is folding up a treat.
I cycle on to Queen's Quay and stop at Tim Horton's for a coffee - it is quite cold so I fold the bike and go indoors, sitting on a bench which has a niche that could have been made for the Brompton. There is a new Sobey's groceteria indoors bringing another outlet to the downtown. Unfolding the bike outside I strike up a conversation with Harry who is from Vancouver and riding a battle-scarred mountain bike. He says he's heading for Ottawa and I bung him the price of a coffee. Back along the Quay and I spot a smart car with a bike rack containing two racers.
Home via BMO field where eleven trucks are parked for the WWE wrestling show. I head north crossing King and then Queen Streets and back to Bloor. About twelve miles in all, two hours including the pitstop at Tim's.
Earlier I went to Midtown Mercedes to get the smart car serviced. There was going to be a transit strike in Toronto that day. In the event it didn't happen until later but I stuck to my original plan and stowed the Brompton bicycle in the back and cycled home. Nine miles in 70 minutes. Usual list of extra items to be serviced - "they haven't done this, this, this and this!" They called to say the smart was fixed at 16:00, having said it would not be ready until next day. So I hopped on the Brompton bike and did another nine miles, in busy city traffic, to pick up the car. $1,353.12 for service and a new set of boots all round. The smart is now good to go for the summer trip out west.

The dangers of global cooling

Christopher Booker with a plea for science. Start the car!

Olympic 'champion' airbrushed out

£10bn for UK to 'sponsor' this; an event rotten to the core. Still plenty of time to cancel the whole sorry charade in London.