I’m a big Twitter fan (davidjschloss, if you’re interested). Twitter (for those in hibernation) is a social networking tool that allows people to send short messages to people who are following them, and it allows users to follow other Twitter feeds, called Tweets.

I’m following a ton of cyclists this year, as many of them have gotten on the bandwagon mostly thanks to Lance’s stream of tweets.

Here are the members of the pro peleton I’m following.

Floyd Landis
Lance Armstrong
George Hincapie
Ivan Basso
Axel Merckx
Team Astana
Johan Brunyneel
Taylo Phinney
Team Slipstream
Team Astana
Liz Kreutz, who is not a pro cyclist, but she’s Lance’s main photographer, and she’s amazing, and really nice to boot Liz Kreutz

And if you’d like to be notified via twitter of new Rockland Bicycling Club Rides, check out RocklandBike

With a total of 24 votes on how many miles did you ride this year we clearly have some readers who enjoy time in the saddle with the most votes in the 2,500 to 5,000 miles category. So with last year behind us it’s time to share your goals for 2009.  First a simple question, Compared to 2008 do you plan on riding; more, less, or the same?
Use the comments field if you’d like to be more specific with your goals. Maybe you plan on commuting to work more often? This is the year you’ll start to race and need more miles. Maybe you pushed to hard last year and felt burned out and need to cut back. I’ve been there and down that, it’s ok. Just know it’s harder to get back then to keep what you have.
My goal is to increase about 1,000 miles next year to 3,500.

Seems two presidents have made cycling news.

Yesterday at his last press conference, President Bush mentioned how he rode his mountain bike to forget being president for a short time and President Jimmy Carter and his wife Rosalyn had their bikes stolen from inside the Carter Center in Atlanta earlier this month.

According to to the Associated Press, The couple likes to ride bicycles in nearby Freedom Park when they have free time. Peter Wicker, the owner of a local bike shop, donated the bicycles to the Carters in 2007 after seeing the poor condition of their old bikes, which had been brought in for repairs.

Bush simultaneously quipped about the all-consuming nature of the job as well as his regular mountain biking. He said: “And there’s not a moment where you don’t think about being president. Unless you’re riding mountain bikes as hard as you possibly can, trying to forget for the moment.”

It’s good to be the president – President George W. Bush rides his mountain bike on the Laoshan Olympic Mountain Bike Course in Beijing, China. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

I’ve not seen President Clinton on any of the beautiful roads near his home in Chappaua. President, if you need a loaner I have a cross-bike ready and waiting that should fit you just fine. Promise not to drop you.

ADELAIDE, Australia (AP)  Seven-time Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong said Monday not to expect too much from him in his return to competitive cycling after three years in retirement.

The testicular cancer survivor will make his professional comeback with the Astana team in the six-stage Tour Down Under from Jan. 20-25.

“I think it would be unrealistic to expect a victory,” Armstrong said Monday. “The race has gotten harder and harder over the years. I hope to be in the mix, I could be completely wrong.”

The 37-year-old American arrived in Australia on Sunday and took a four-hour training ride Monday before appearing at a media conference. He spent several weeks in Hawaii training for the Australian race.

“I’ve prepared much harder this series of months than I ever would have in the past,” Armstrong said.

“The tests that we do on the bike, or on the road, or in the lab indicate that my January fitness is much better than it ever was the years when I was winning the Tour. But that doesn’t mean anything until you get into the race.”

He quipped that he might be the first rider dropped from the peloton — an unthinkable scenario for Tour Down Under organizers.

“I know I have questions about my personal condition, but I’ve worked hard to get in shape, I’ve worked hard to show up here and try to ride at the front,” he said. “But when you’re one man out of 200 it’s strange how 199 other guys dictate how your day goes. I think it would be unrealistic to expect a victory.”

While Armstrong said most of the other riders in the field were also starting their seasons in Australia, he must reacquaint himself with riding in the peloton.

“I have a little bit of insecurity and a little bit of nervousness there and so that’s the reason I’ve tried to train hard and prepare hard — I’m fairly fit,” he said.

“You have to consider cycling: it’s not just about your physical condition, it’s about 200 guys going down the road and going around dangerous corners at 40-50 miles an hour — and how does that feel?.

“That’s a dynamic that you can’t simulate in training, so I’ve got to get in the group. And those are the things that most people look at and think we’re nuts to do this.”

Armstrong said his decision to return to competitive cycling was influenced by his efforts in campaigning for cancer awareness.

“There have been times where I’ve thought ‘what the hell have I done’, but they’re brief,” he said.

“For me it’s not so much a sporting challenge, and it’s not a financial challenge, it’s not any of those things. I came back as a volunteer and so I’m here for the love of the bike and the passion of the cause.”

He said the Lance Armstrong Foundation has raised more than $250 million for the fight against cancer.

“We’re reminded on a daily basis that this epidemic is truly a global issue — 22,000 people a day die from this disease,” he said.

“Hopefully in conjunction with a sporting comeback we can also raise a bigger issue and create greater awareness for this disease around the world.”

As well as the Tour Down Under, his race schedule for 2009 will include the Giro d’Italia and an attempt to win an unprecedented eighth Tour de France.

OK, I’ll admit it: I’m not a year-round rider. Once the temperatures dip into the 20s in the morning and there’s a residue of salt, sand and ice littering the roadsides, I’m thinking it’s time to do something else.

For me, something else rarely involves stationary cycling. Spin classes? Loud and obnoxious. Indoor trainers? Nah, I need the sound of the wind in my ears, the sight of trees whipping by and most of all, a rear tire ahead of me to pull me along.

So, after a Dec. 28 ride that left me with about 2,336 miles for 2008, I’m about ready to call it a season. During my last ride, about 32 miles, I could feel a weariness that left my legs begging for cross-training.

So far that’s meant Rollerblading and swimming, but sooner or later we’re gonna get enough snow so that I can haul my cross-country skis out of the attic.

It’s a terrific crossover sport for cyclists because of the emphasis on lower-body strength and a lot of the riders I know have become hooked.

Cross-country skiing doesn’t require a lot of investment in clothing or equipment. I ski in basically the same clothes I use for cold-weather riding and skis and boots are cheap compared with the downhill variety. Renting equipment for the day also is fairly reasonable.

There are excellent local places to give the sport a shot, especially Fahnestock Winter Park in Cold Spring

(http://www.nysparks.com/parks/info.asp?parkID=138) which features trails for beginners and experienced skiers and has a nice selection of rental gear.

Minnewaska State Park Preserve (http://nysparks.state.ny.us/parks/info.asp?parkID=78) in Ulster County also

has some trails, although no on-site rentals.

Sure, you can cross-country anywhere there’s snow (parks, golf courses, etc.) but a trail that’s been groomed with tracking equipment is a lot faster.

After two months of pushing up hills on skis, I’ll be ready to start climbing them on my bike when my club’s riding schedule resumes in March.

SRAM has recalled their Domain 302 and 318 mountain bike forks.

Below is a press release from the U.S. Consumer Priduct Saftey Commision.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, in cooperation with the firm named below, today announced a voluntary recall of the following consumer product. Consumers should stop using recalled products immediately unless otherwise instructed.

Name of Product: Bicycles using RockShox Domain 302 and 318 bicycle forks

Units: About 175

Importer: SRAM LLC, of Chicago, Ill.

Hazard: The steel steerer on the forks can crack, causing the fork to detach from the bicycle frame. This can cause the rider to lose control and crash.

Incidents/Injuries: One incident with a minor injury has been reported. Two other incidents without injury have been reported outside of the United States.

Description: The recall involves RockShox Domain 302 and 318 bicycle forks with steel steerer sold for installation on new bicycles. Only those forks manufactured between March 2008 and October 2008 with dates codes 09T8 through 42T8 are included in this recall. The date code is located on the back of the fork crown and on the lower leg. The RockShox Domain fork was installed on Transition Bottle Rocket bicycles, and may have been installed on Rocky Mountain Flatline 1, Rocky Mountain Slayer SS350, and Rocky Mountain Slayer SS396 bicycles.

Sold at: Specialty bicycle retailers nationwide from March 2008 through November 2008 for between $1,600 and $3,100.

Manufactured in: Taiwan

Remedy: Consumers should stop using bicycles equipped with these forks immediately and contact their bicycle retailer for a free replacement fork.

Consumer Contact: For additional information, contact SRAM at (800) 346-2928 Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. CT, or visit the firm’s Web site at www.sram.com

Mavic recall for their R-SYS front whheels due to the carbon tubular spokes failure.
The details are in this Mavic press release below.

This notice is addressed to users of R-SYS front wheels.
Annecy, January 5th 2009.

As part of its ongoing commitment to customer safety and satisfaction, Mavic has announced a voluntary recall of its R-SYS front wheels as a precautionary safety measure.

Mavic has identified that the carbon tubular spokes of the R-SYS front wheel may break during use in certain circumstances and causing the rider to lose control and possibly fall, potentially sustaining injury.

All models of Mavic R-SYS front wheels are concerned (R-SYS, R-SYS test, R-SYS Premium), whether purchased separately or as part of a bicycle. The wheels must no longer be used.<
Consumers should immediately return their front wheel to a Mavic dealer; and a new upgraded R-SYS front wheel will be delivered free of charge. This exchange will start from 31st of March 2009. Until this date, and to facilitate the continued use of your bicycle, Mavic will offer a set of Aksium wheel that customers will keep after they have received the replacement R-SYS front wheel.

For any further question, please ask your Mavic Dealer,
or call the following number: 00 800 234 788 75
for USA and Canada: 1-800-664-9228

The current poll on Cycling Central shows some high mileage readers. So far 16 people have voted and 11 of the 16 rode over 1,000 miles and 7 over 2,500 miles, which has always been a tipping, point for me.

I’ll be changing this poll out in a few days so let us know how much you rode.
Also leave us a comment on your year. What did it mean to you to ride the distance? Was it an all time high or like me a middle of the pack year. My top was when I was racing in 95, Did about 11,500 miles.

The 2009 Bike MS Tappan Zee Ride seems way off but it’s a great time to learn basic bicycle maintenance and repair. Danny’s Cycles is an official sponsor of the ride and is hosting a free clinic from 7:00pm to 8:30pm, Thursday, January 8th at their shop at 644 Central Avenue, Scarsdale.

The clinic will address the following important things.

• How to care for your bike to keep in great shape
• Minor repairs while on the road
• Basic tools to have and how to use them
• Essential tools for the ride
• Road safety tips

• How to fix a flat demonstration

  Refreshments will be served Seating is limited. Please call 914-723-3408 or email info@dannyscycles.com to reserve your seat. Discounts will be offered on tools and maintenance items during the clinic.

Below is a press release from the MTA. Please provide feedback to the MTA and Cycling Central on use and thoughts about this new program.

MTA Metro-North Railroad in conjunction with the Connecticut Department of Transportation has installed prototype bicycle mounting devices on a pair of M-7 train cars as part of the railroad’s ongoing efforts to review and improve bicycle transportation on the railroad.

The railroad is seeking feedback from the cycling community on the hooks – their ease of use, placement, etc. Metro-North has established an e-mail address to which people can send comments about the bike mount: surveys@mnr.org. The intent is to increase safety, convenience and sustainable mobility for all customers.

“Metro-North has always been bicycle-friendly, with certain weekend trains designated to serve popular cycling destinations and in supporting numerous bike rallies and special events by providing extra, bicycle-only cars,” said Metro-North President Howard Permut. “This pilot is a natural extension or our effort to promote sustainable mobility within our region.”

If the pilot is successful, Metro-North will determine next steps on the M-8s with ConnDOT and on the M-7s with Long Island Rail Road, which has a large fleet of M-7s.

On January 6, the railroad’s Bike Policy Committee invited members of bicycle organizations from both New York and Connecticut to visit these cars for the first time at Grand Central.

The hooks are located in the area designated for wheelchairs, which will continue to have first priority in this space. Prominent signs will specify that cyclists must remove bicycles if the area is needed for a customer in a wheelchair. Feedback on the proposal also is being sought from wheel chair users.

Metro-North is an advocate for transportation that’s safe, efficient, adaptable, and as pollution-free as possible. It’s no surprise that bicyclists and Metro-North have always had a close and supportive relationship.

More than 60 of our train stations have accommodations for people who bicycle to our stations with bicycle racks or lockers. Signs especially aimed for bicyclists – in terms of where and how best to board trains – are installed at stations that have proven very popular with cyclists.

The railroad recently amended its bicycle policy to allow cyclists to bring folding bikes aboard all trains, including peak trains, without a permit, because when folded, they are treated as regular luggage.

Metro-North also relaxes bicycle permit rules to accommodate more than 10 bike events throughout New York City, Westchester, Putnam, and Dutchess Counties, such as the Five-Boro Bike Tour, The New York Century Bike Tour, Tour de Bronx, Tour de Putnam and the Bloomin’ Metric Bicycle Tour.

Metro-North continues to work with bicycle clubs and touring groups to create special brochures to inform and encourage cyclists to use our trains, and have run extra trains as well adding extra train cars to serve our cycling friends for special tours and races.