i want to try this in des moines!!

check out this link to an insane ride--entirely within the portland city limits!

FROM OUR EUROPEAN DESK

Boris Johnson saves woman from street attack

Boris Johnson cycling in London. Photograph: Rex Features

Boris Johnson rescued a woman from three "feral kids" who were wielding an iron bar, chasing them away on his bicycle, it emerged tonight.
The mayor of London was cycling through Camden, north London, on Monday night when he answered the cry of Franny Armstrong, a documentary maker and environmental activist who was surrounded by a group of hoodie-clad young girls.Johnson stopped and chased the girls down the street, calling them "oiks". He then returned to walk Armstrong home. "He was my knight on a shining bicycle," she said today.
Armstrong directed the film The Age of Stupid, and is the founder of the 10:10 campaign, which aims to cut 10% of carbon emissions in 2010 and has attracted support from leading firms and personalities."I was texting on my phone so didn't notice the girls until they pushed me against the car, quite hard," Armstrong said. "At first it was quite funny, because they were only about 12. Then I saw that one of them had an iron bar in her hand. It was more than a metre long. It was as big as her."Then along came a cyclist. And I thought, 'Good, he's a big bloke,' and shouted, 'Can you help me please?'"He stopped and turned around and I thought, 'Oh, my God, it's Boris Johnson.'"He asked the girls what was going on, and at first they didn't move, so I said, 'That's the mayor of London!' and they ran off. They must have thought they were going to get in trouble. One dropped the bar, so Boris picked it up and cycled after them. He returned a few minutes later and walked me home, and we talked about 10:10."
On her Twitter feed she described her attackers as "feral kids".Armstrong admitted she did not agree with Johnson's politics, and had voted for his rival Ken Livingstone in the mayoral elections. But she added: "If you find yourself down a dark alleyway and in trouble, I think Boris would be of more use than Ken."A spokeswoman for the mayor confirmed that he had intervened to help Armstrong, but declined to comment further.
Johnson is something of a magnet for action when out and about. Earlier this year, he was nearly hit by a speeding lorry while out on his bicycle scouting for locations for new cycle routes. And in July, he fell in a river in Lewisham, south-east London, while trying to help a clean-up operation.

thanks to stewart barker, european correspondent for "the kim west radio cycling show"

* * * * *

kim asks: can you see frank cownie doing this?

REPORT THIS TRUCK TO WARREN COUNTY SHERIFF

click to enlarge photo

this may be the truck that struck and killed mark grgurich last sunday near cumming on county road G-14.

tour of missouri - FREE STUFF & INTERVIEW IDEAS

i'm heading to missouri this weekend for the duration for my radio show. i want some input from you, my listeners.
who do YOU want to hear from?
at the top of my list, of course, are jason mccartney and tom zirbel. but who else? are there riders from the mid-west or some other part of the country who deserve to get some air time? are there somereally cool stories out there that you want to know more about?
contact me with story ideas at
eeastonwest@aol.com or
kimwest@kxno.com or
515.669.8318

by the way, have you registered to win some really sweet prizes? the tour of missouri has, once again, has given us all sorts of great stuff, and all you have to do is REGISTER.
here's what you might win:
--cannondale quick 6 bicycle [$500 value, a quick conversion to a nice cyclo cross bike]
--yakima double down 4 rear hitch bicycle race [$350 value]
--mavic road shoes and pedals [$300 value]
--bissell "healthy home" vacuum [$250 value]
--tour of missouri replica leaders jersey [$100 value--but i'll try to get it autographed!]
here's how you enter:
1--go to my "personality pages" at my radio website: http://kxno.com/pages/kimwest.html
2--click on the "tour of missouri" link
3--enter your email address
and then sit back, enjoy the tour of missouri [i'm going to have LIVE daily updates on one of the clear channel FM stations--can you believe they haven't told me which one yet?], and watch for some amzing in-depth interviews. hopefully, the ones you want!
so email or call me, and if you're at the races, get in touch with me, and buy me a drink!

from the police blotter

ballsy shit going on in california

this sunday on the kim west radio cycling show

my guest on the february 8, 2009 episode of the kim west radio cycling show is tom ritchey. most people in the cycling world know tom as the pioneer builder of the first multi-geared bicycles designed for off-road use: the mountain bike. i'm having him my my show this sunday to talk about his current passion, and application of his vision, genius, and generosity, project rwanda, and how his efforts, and the efforts of others, are helping to improve the lives and productivity of the coffee growers of rwanda. go here to see and learn more. plan to listen in sunday night from 600 to 700 pm. make a note: call with your questions for tom ritchey at 515.284.5966, or toll-free at 866.333.5966.

pig races

Roller Racing Sizzles in Chilly Climates [from bicycle retailer, 2/2/09]
AMES, IA—Roller racing in bike shops, malls and seedy bars is picking up steam. Though it may not be as colorful as watching pigs race, for cyclists, it’s a close second.

from my mailbox [radio AND orphanage]

tuesday morning mail call, and it's just another day!

first, my radio show, the kim west radio cycling show, has a small but growing world-wide network of reporters. from my british corespondent, stewart barker, comes these photos of the rare and remarkable snowstorm that has belted the british isles. unlike the typical--yet equally rare--english snow, THIS is the real stuff: heavy and wet. good go, stewart. hope you keep the rubber side down.

and then there's this, from our walmart reporter, who tells me that even in these difficult economic times, we should feel secure knowing that walmart continues to demonstrate strategies that have made it the largest retailer in the world. here, specifically, their uncanny knack for creative product placement.

[click on image to enlarge]

training for the ragby

lotta folks think this is easier than it appears; it's not. trust me on this.

you can't learn how on a set of rollers!

lang's new 29er

lang wightman, noted world-class mountain bikers, is show here on the saddle of his new 29er.

WHAT?

stayed tuned for an upcoming episode of the kim west radio cycling show to learn what THIS foretells.

cold and snow got ya down?

dave ertl, of cyclesportcoaching.com, tells of tom wilton, originally from the twin cities [ski trail cred, in MY book] who has taken it upon himself to groom both nordic and skate trails in and around central iowa. go here to learn more.

music for your outside riding pleasure

during my sophomore year at the ui, i lived in the quadrangle: first floor single room; windows opened onto the quad. across the hall, a couple brothers lived, and each evening, when it was time to bust out the weed and get loaded, they fired up this song. man, they had such a killer stereo, and such killer weed. i still enjoy the song, too.

i think i'll listen again.

take 5 mintues to defend cycling

as you may know, i have a little radio show on kxno am-1460. it's a ball-sport station, a part of fox sports and clear channel. how i've managed to be on the air for nearly 9 months is beyond me. the show and its audience is growing, but i'm like the rodney dangerfield of hosts, and worse, cycling is the rodney dangerfield of sports and lifestyles.

example: tuesday, on the marty and miller show, a daily afternoon drivetime show [4 to 7 pm] with LOTS of listeners, they blasted the show and more importantly all folks who ride bikes in the winter.

listen here [click on "take 5 minutes to defend cycling"].

kinda pisses me off.

why don't YOU sned marty tirrell an email at martytirrell@kxno.com and tell him how YOU feel?

tell him kim sent ya.

there's strength in numbers, you know.

[note: marty and mike are fine folks; this isn't anything personal. but they just don't get it about cycling, and THAT'S what i'm upset about.]

it's just a matter of time . . .

. . . until squirrel makes one with off-road capabilities.

studs that will NOT improve your winter cycling

such configurations DO tend to melt the ice, however.

your assignment for next sunday's episode, legislator:

come up with a bill of rights--and IMPLEMENT THEM--so the little fuhrer can feel safe while pedaling around the metro.

happy holidays!

from kim, and the entire staff at the kim west radio cycling show.

[thanks to the 'crats!]

first ice beard submission, winter 2008-2009

i went out riding with my stealth cycling buddy today, as we do most weekends lately, now that dave's moved to the western suburbs. i imagine he's training for the upcoming roller season. unlike last year, however, today our timing was a few hours better; the weather did not deteriorate quite as quickly as it did when the harsh pre-christmas blizzard of '07 found us several miles out of town, and the gruelling ride back in scored us beaucoup "tough guy points." well, we racked up some TG points today, too, but just not as many. were it not for an apparent warren county policy against plowing gravel roads, we might STILL be out there southwest of cumming.

scored my first photographable ice beard of the season. not bad for the last day of autumn. sigh...i took several photos, to get the best one; the one that distills the essence of the ride, and the captures the "me" that went out, and later, returned. i believe that this one, me in my beanie, my armless mannequin sunning atop the buffet, says it best.

i am more than just a radio personality, orphanage director, and spiritual advisor to cyber thousands. yes, i also do a little r&d for a number of cycling concerns. i did a little work in the windchill tunnel today for an unnamed frame builder, who has contracted with me to help develop a better/faster cross/gravel bike bike.

although i am contractually bound NOT to say anything about the nature of my work, as it relates to any specific bike or detail, there are no restrictions with casual use of raw photographs. these two fall within acceptable guidelines. what do YOU see?

gimme five feet!

Vehicles passing bicycles: Drivers would have to be at least 5 feet from bicycles when approaching them before passing under a proposal being drafted by Sen. Joe Bolkcom, a Democrat from Iowa City. Penalties for violators haven't been determined. "We've had a fair number of fatalities in our state with car/bicycle collisions and, in every case, the car wins," Bolkcom said.

contact YOUR legislator TODAY!!

[click on link to find your legislator's email address]

uncle frank wants YOU!!

the kim west radio cycling show is celebrating zappadan, and we want your help. during last night's episode, #33, "pearl harbor meets zappadan," we featured only zappa bumper music, that music played going into and out of commercial breaks. in addition to an explanation of the highest of holy celebrations, we closed the show with an extended--for us--"joe's garage."

but we need your help. zappadan runs from december 4 through december 21, giving us two more shows to feature the music of frank zappa. what do YOU want to hear? leave your suggestions, along with links, if you have them, in the comments section below, or send them to me at kimwest@kxno.com. we'll give you props for your ideas, and you'll have the great feeling knowing that you've helped make a great show--the kim west radio cycling show--even BETTER!

you can hear last night's episode, #33, "pearl harbor meets zappadan," by going here, and clicking on either of the "listen" or "podcast" icons.

of course, you can listen to any or ALL of the previous episodes, because here at the kim west radio cycling show, there's no such thing as garbage, just old episodes.

uncle frank and the mostly reverend grandpa kim thank you for your suggestions.