1. Team Mellen 76
2. Patti's Paladins 49
3. Team Deloitte Cleveland 47
4. Jo-Ann 35
5. MS Team FedEx 34
6. TEW Wheelers 32
7. Team MMO 28
8. Blu Team 26
9. Chariots of Fire 21
   Wolf Pack 21

1. Ogonek, Donna $2,880.00
2. Wean, Gordon $2,200.00
3. Sinnenberg, Kris $1,845.00
4. Petti, Anne $485.00
5. Newman, Wyatt $450.00
6. Alexander, Lisa $440.92
7. Propp, David $425.00
8. Arendt, Andrea $411.00
9. Bondy, Rick $345.00
10. Substelny, Michael $330.00

I wasn't sure if I should post here about our experience Tuesday night, after what we experienced. I did on my own blog. That changed on Thursday, when Matt from the NMSS Buckeye Chapter posted a comment on my blog. I now feel absolved of my apprehension.

Have you been trained to volunteer at a Browns Stadium concession stand yet?

Were you planning to do so? CLICK HERE to read about what was billed as "Team Leader training", which was actually a rally, sans training, sans information, they didn't even take pictures for ID badges. (Or click on the link in the upper left-hand corner labeled "Rebecca's blog" and scroll down to the right post. You'll know it!)

You're invited to read it even if you aren't planning to do the training. I wrote most of it during the experience.

This still looks like a good fund raising opportunity. We keep thinking about how fun it will be once we get into the booth and start serving customers. We think with optimism about the money potentially to be raised. We're just not enthusiastic about the management team from Delaware North. We've been assured we won't have much to do with them once we get into our booth. (Please don't ask how that's possible.)

I hope that those of you who had the chance to go to Browns training will find my Browns training report amusing. Please leave a comment on my blog. I'd really like to hear about your training experience.

-->R2.

BIKE TO WORK WITH CLEVELANDBIKES, FINAL FRIDAY OF THE MONTH; START YOUR MORNING OFF WITH FREE COFFEE OR PASTRY FROM PARTICIPATING AREA COFFEE SHOPS - PHOENIX COFFEE, AJ ROCCO'S ESPRESSO BAR, ARABICA AT UNIVERSITY CIRCLE AND DEWEY'S FAIR TRADE ORGANIC COFFEE AT SHAKER SQUARE

ClevelandBikes, the 501(C)(3) not for profit organization dedicated to promoting bicycle riding as healthy sport, recreation and transportation, has partnered on their "Bike to Work" rides with area coffee to offer free morning coffee or pastry from our finest area coffee shops on the final Friday of the month. Now through September, ride to work, school or other activities and bring your bicycle helmet into a participating shop and receive a free small coffee or pastry (benefits vary with locations). The offer is valid on the final Friday of the month, from 7:00-10:00 AM, starting the Friday, July 25th.

Your participating local coffee shops:
Phoenix Coffee Shop (located throughout the area, in Cleveland, Cleveland Heights, South Euclid and Lakewood)
AJ Rocco's Espresso Bar (819 Huron Road, near Prospect Avenue and East 9th Street)
Dewey's Fair Trade Organic Coffee Shop (Shaker Square on Cleveland's eastside)
Arabica at University Circle (11300 Juniper Road)

"Bike to Work" rides are on the final Friday of every month, now through September (July 25, August 29 and September 26). If you are new to riding to work, visit the website of the new Ohio "Bike Buddy/Ride Share" program (www.noaca.org) to be paired up with a more experienced rider and the Ohio City Bicycle Co-Op (ohiocitycycles.org) for helpful and safe riding tips.

Be your own renewable fuel (just add water, or coffee or a pastry from our Bike to Work partners)!

Save your gas money – Who needs it more, you or Exxon, Chevron, BP, Saudi Arabia and Venezuela?

Be active and get fit!

Most important, enjoy the ride!!

ClevelandBikes : When ClevelandBikes, Cleveland Benefits!
www.clevelandbikes.org

Kevin Cronin, Attorney at Law
The Brown Hoist Building
4403 Saint Clair Avenue
Cleveland, Ohio 44103-1125

Ph: 216.377.0615 or 216.374.7578
Fx: 216.881.3928

Dear OCBC members and friends,

Due to a communications error, you are getting this notice rather late: please RSVP by this Wednesday, 7/23 to attend the brunch. Sorry for my mistake: we hope to see you there!

The Annual Ohio City Bicycle Co-op members' meeting will be held at the Flat Iron Cafe (1/4 mile from OCBC) on Sunday July 27th from 10AM to Noon, to view the final stage of the Tour de France, and discuss (during the commercials) co-op members' business and election of trustees. This event is free (buy your own food off the Flat Iron menu) and open to all (member or not -- ClevelandBikes supporters and others will be joining us as well). RSVP is required by Wednesday July 23rd, so the Flat Iron can be sure to have enough food and tables. Bicycle parking will be available across Merwin Ave from the Flat Iron, and we'll have volunteers watching from window tables, but bring a lock if you have one!

Brunch will be followed by a Scavenger Hunt at 12:15, starting and finishing at OCBC, and lasting until 3PM. Fun prizes for top finishers in many categories.

RSVP for the brunch, and/or join the scavenger hunt for $5 (members) or $20 (non-members), on the calendar page.

See you then!
--
Jim Sheehan
Director, Ohio City Bicycle Co-op
1823 Columbus Rd
Cleveland, Ohio 44113
216 830 2667
OhioCityCycles.org

See what happens when the world of art collides with bikes. Cool, huh? Just nod your head and make plans to go to the next Burning Man. (Early September, folks!)

Next! Who's got the coin for this way cool bike-mounted appliance??? The bad news? You have to buy all the parts separately, and no, it doesn't have the funny videos like THIS SITE. But it's (even with all the parts purchased separately) less expensive than either Blendtech or (my fave) Vita-Mix 5200, AND it takes that bike-produced margarita or pina colada certain team members have been imagining out of the realm of imagination...

Hmmm... Door to door smoothies, with a bike-mounted blender and panniers full of fresh fruit. Wouldn't that be an interesting fund-raiser?

MS ing

The residents of Silicon Valley are more confused than usual after a billboard campaign by the National Multiple Sclerosis Society of America.

One of the ads uses the slogan "MS: It's not a software company" exploiting the fame of a certain company to draw attention to an altogether worthier cause. Requests to comment on the campaign have been met by a surly silence by Microsoft which doesn't relish the association of ideas, but is painfully aware that it can't afford to appear insensitive over such an issue. Seasoned IT professionals will have no trouble telling the two MS's apart.

One is a debilitating and surprisingly widespread affliction that renders the sufferer barely able to perform the simplest task. The other is a disease.

This just in from Lois Moss...

Portland OR just did their first-ever Walk+Roll type event and it was
a smashing success. You'll start hearing more about similar events because NYC, San Fran, Seattle, Austin, Chicago and Philly are all rushing to do them this summer, too. Walk+Roll Cleveland was ahead of the curve.

To see a 2 minute video of the concept, go to
http://www.streetfilms.org/archives/ciclovia-express-version.

--------------------------------------

Saturday July 19: Walk+Roll Lakewood - 4pm to 9pm - FREE!

Join us as we celebrate Lakewood's walkability and its finest assets: a vibrant downtown, historic architecture and a spectacular Lake Erie park. Two-miles of streets in the heart of our urban community will be closed for walking, running, strolling, bicycling, blading and socializing. Programming includes tumbling, dancing, aerobics, yoga, a bike rodeo, skateboard demonstrations and more. All activities are free and will take place on the streets or in Lakewood Park. Visitors will have the opportunity to join "classes" on an impromptu basis. This is a progressive and unique event for health, environmental and community-minded Ohioans.

With more than 185 miles of sidewalks within 5.5 sq miles, Lakewood is considered by many to be Ohio's most walkable city. Visit the nation's #1 library, walk or bike down to the lakefront, note our beautiful homes and return for dinner in the downtown district. Come experience wonderful, walkable, Lakewood!

I "bicycle" Lakewood t-shirts are available at Phoenix Coffee (15108 Detroit Ave) - $15 while they last! Volunteer for 3 hours and you'll get a FREE t-shirt plus other V.I.V. (Very Important Volunteer) benefits.

For a list of some of the activities, go to
http://www.walkroll.com/lakewood/index.php?catid=22

Bike parts vending machines keep cyclists peddling
Fri Jul 11, 2008 9:25PM EDT


In Japan, they have a vending machine for everything, and it looks like America is following in the same footsteps. I still find gadget vending machines amusing when I see them at malls or airports, and cyclists are about the get the same funny feeling when Trek Stop hits the streets.

These "Cycling Convenience Centers" owned by Trek Bicycle Corporation offer cyclists emergency outposts where they'll be able to pump air into their tires, find tire patch kits, spare tubes, and other bike parts after hours. Cyclists can also refuel with energy bars and drinks from the vending machine as they take a break.

The Auto Blog says the first kiosk sits outside a bike shop called Machinery Row Bicycles in Madison, Wisconsin, and will be there for a month-long test run. Personally, I hope to see them around the country someday. The San Francisco Bay Area is home to many cycling enthusiasts that I'm sure would love to see something like this along bike routes. If you're a cyclist in Madison, check it out and send me some photos, will ya?

OK, so the video is kind of ADHD in its ability to focus, but you do get to see how big the King Kong Pizza is.

Last year, we wound up ordering two of these as we lounged by the pool. We ate them BOTH.

http://myspacetv.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=24823228

A few words from our namesake, Patti:

They predicted rain. But the day dawned bright and sunny with only intermittent puffy white cumulus clouds. The 4th of July breakfast ride and potluck lunch is becoming a tradition for the Paladins. I was already at the griddle station when our team started to arrive.

Christina, Mel, Dana, Andrea, Martha, Lito, Mike K, Sam, Laura, Gordon, Keith, Rick, Rebecca, Kevin, Mark, Chris S, Cassidy, Zach and Paul (and Mike S.) came for a French toast breakfast. Brendan and Wyatt joined in for the ride as we departed from the neighbors driveway.

During the first ride Rebecca made delicious potatoes, while a quickly returning Chris S and Cassidy and Zach helped with the turn around from breakfast clean up to Lunch prep. Chris made Mac and Cheese while Zack and Cassidy loaded the dishwasher and helped me make the cous cous salad.

After the first ride several folks peeled off and hung out at the back yard pergola when Brian Asquith showed up looking for coffee.

Then the party really started. In preparation for the riders to come back Chris Strobbe made the best smoothies imaginable and the non-riders started to show up. Tim, Carlina, Jan, Bob, Carolyn, Kai, Mira, Peg and Clea.

After lunch Sam showcased a film that was very cool, but beyond belief.
He can give you details.

It was a great way for the team to get together and spend the day.

Patti leads our riders forward and eastward for the morning ride.

-->r2.

THIS picture speaks TEN THOUSAND WORDS! Thank you, Tysabri, for helping Patti improve. Thank you, PALADINS, for tirelessly raising money and awareness!

Patti lifts waffles from the iron, as the Paladins meet around the table for a pre-ride breakfast. Mmm! Good stuff!

 

5 weeks til Pedal to the Point!

We have more training to do. That's the easy part. That's fun and social. There is a lot of money to raise. In this economy, that's the scary part. That can be fun and social, too, though.

Meh. We can do it. It's time to crank it up a gear or so!

-->r2.

 

If your wondering why this is getting screen time here, I'll tell you: Two of last years Paladins worked on this project:

Sam Bell, the Lusty Wrench himself, was DEXTER's mechanic. Sam is registered to ride with us again this year.

Wyatt Newman, professor of electrical engineering and computer science at CWRU, was (is?) the team leader of Team Case, made up of more than 50 students and faculty at the Case School of Engineering who worked on DEXTER. Hey, Wyatt, are you signing up for bike MS this year?

* * * * * * * * * * *

Dear Friends of DEXTER and teammates,

I'll start by introducing myself. My name is Brad Hughes - an
ex-UrbanChallenge-ite from TeamCASE. Andy Allen, the old moderator for
the Friends-of-DEXTER list has ventured off to work in industry at Vecna
Robotics in Boston, MA. Several other team members have been graduating
and on the quest to get jobs. We wanted to maintain communication with
the Friends-of-DEXTER with news about robotics at Case... so I have been
appointed the new "moderator" of the list :-) .

An exciting thing with respect to TeamCASE and our long-over venture to
the 2007 DARPA Urban Challenge has finally come about. Discovery Science
channel, after a long period of post-production of the series, will air
Robocars. The six-week series will air starting on July 14th at 10pm; a
new episode will air every Monday after that for six weeks. The first
four episodes are each one hour and will follow 10 selected teams as
they compete in the challenge from start to finish. The fifth episode is
a two-hour summary of the first four episodes, and the sixth episode
talks about the application of autonomous robotics to the up and coming
autonomous vehicle industry.

A little birdie told me that Case will be primarily seen in Episode two,
airing first on July 21st at 10:00pm.

The Case Alumni Association is holding an event to view this second
episode with the remaining team members, faculty, staff, and Friends of
DEXTER. The event will be at Johnny Malloy's in Coventry on the 21st at
9:00pm. There will be a cash bar and a free pizza buffet. After
mingling, the show will be aired on the big screen for everyone to
enjoy. I've forwarded an email from Jillian DeLong, the CAA
representative for the event. She asks that you RSVP to her directly as
soon as possible. You can reach her via email at
jillian.delong@casealum.org. You can also call her at (216) 231-4567 x 2223.

So, mark your calendars for all six episodes and let Jillian know if
you'll be coming! I hope to see you there!

I also want to mention CWRU Cutter, a robot whose name is pronounced
"crew cutter." A team of a few students, led by Dr. Quinn from Case’s
Biologically Inspired Center for Robotics Research, entered the ION
Autonomous Lawn mowing competition. ION, or the Institute of Navigation,
is a professional organization that allows collaboration between the
experts of localization and planning. What better to test the
integration of GPS and other sensors but an autonomous lawn mowing
competition!

The competition, held in early June in Dayton, OH, was comprised of
eleven initial teams. There were eight teams to show. After a long
couple of weeks of work and a final rush at the end to get everything
working (seems to be the case with robot projects), we placed third in
the competition. We were also happy to have achieved the best combined
technical report and presentation scores out of all teams. We learned a
lot from the competition… including that we undersized our DC motors and
had a deck that was about one inch too low. Our thrifty Hardware Expert,
Jon Beno, hacked some metal on site and got the robot in a moving state.
The team (including myself) were thrilled to place for our first year in
the competition, and are looking forward to entering the competition
again next year.

Our sponsor company, MTD Products, was also pretty happy with our
performance and (is hopefully) going to continue supporting our team for
the next year. For those of you that don’t know, MTD Products
manufactures Cub Cadet, Troy Bilt, Yard Machine, and most Craftsman
power equipment. Their product line varies from riding mowers to push
mowers to string trimmers to log splitters to snow throwers.

Best Regards,
Bradley Hughes
Case Western Reserve University
Electrical Engineering and Computer Science

The 2008 Tour de France: http://www.letour.fr/

We have 18 team members riding today. It is beautiful, and we are very lucky. There is much to celebrate today!

... And then there were 19, as Brendan rode up. WooHOO! We are indeed very blessed.