Saw this post on Bikehugger.com this morning and I know it would be a major undertaking for Google to implement, but it’d be great. While we live pretty far from my office (a 30-40 minute drive), I explored a bike commute route and I had a hell of a time finding a safe, but direct router from here to downtown Raleigh. If Google were able to spit out route sheets, it’d be awesome. Though, in some ways, it wouldn’t be perfect. Ever put in directions from your home to a place you go often? While Google Maps will get you there, it’s usually not the exact route you’d take yourself without Google Maps’ assistance. Regardless, check out the article, and sign the petition.

Will Google Add a ‘Bike There’ Option to Google Maps

The title of this post says it all. It was a crazy busy week and I am glad it’s coming to an end! I may even try to dodge out early…

 Hope everyone has a relaxing weekend! I know we will.

Nice. Here’s one I’ve bookmarked and gladly will utilize often to maximize efficiency. Most of the time, I don’t use OS X’s dashboard, and it’s a pretty memory intensive hog. Here’s the quick tips at how to disable and enable the memory hog at will.

How to Turn OS X’s Dashboard Off

Gerolsteiner rider Fabian Wegmann’s Specialized Tarmac SL2 (awesome bike BTW!) had a unique Shimano component set throughout the 2008 Amgen Tour of California. The Shimano E Dura Ace looks production ready, but the video that accompanies the article says they’re not sure when, or if it would be released at all.

Shimano’s New E Dura Ace

While the Tar Heels have fared OK without Lawson now for half the ACC season, they’re really going to need him going into the ACC and NCAA tournaments. There’s few fans following the Heels that haven’t realized that Ty’s injury is more serious than first believed. It still doesn’t sound like he’s out of the woods fully.

As much as Quentin Thomas has improved with his additional minutes, the Heels are definitely more sloppy with him and Marcus Ginyard running the offense. We miss you Lawson, and hope the healing continues and he comes back fully in time for the post season!

Lawson Update and How The Offense Changed

So out of the blue, a new firmware showed up this afternoon for the iPhone and iTouch. So far, it looks like it’s nothing new in terms of features as far as I can tell. Maybe it’s only bug fixes, but maybe it’s laying the groundwork for the soon-to-be released software developer kit.

Edit: One thing, all my ringtones are gone that I put on with iToner. They haven’t updated their FAQ yet to say whether it’ll work with the newest version. I hope they update their software soon. Sucks having to redo my ringtones yet again.

Apple Releases Software v1.1.4 for iPhone and iPod Touch

Have I mentioned how much I like the site/blog, Lifehacker? While not every article is relevant to me, I find so many of them right on with my lifestyle, interests, etc. Anyway, here’s another example of a great article they’ve put together about transforming your life from sedentary to more active.

Go from Couch Potato to Exercise Enthusiast with Diligence and Flexibility

I’ve been meaning to post about Lance Armstrong’s new Texas bike shop for days. It sounds really cool, and so much more than your everyday (but still close to heaven for me) bike shop. Instead, it has a focus on bike commuting – with showers, storage, etc. for the commuter community. I would love for this concept to take off across the nation and internationally.

Mellow Johnny’s: A Commuter Bike Shop

So despite the cold and slightly wet weather, the Frostbite Tour was a big success. I did the 100K and rolled through the first 50 miles with relative ease. I started toward the back of the pack and took the ride as an opportunity to work on taking wheels, conserving energy and then bridging up to the next group. That was a ton of fun, and quite satisfying, as I don’t think I could have done that as much as I did in years past.

The last 11+ miles was tougher, riding most of that solo, leaving me working harder and being more exposed to the elements. I also started cramping up on the climbs. I guess two 24oz bottles wasn’t enough water/Gatorade intake.

Layered with jersey and knee and arm warmers, with my Specialized windbreaker over top, my core was warm for that first 50 miles, but got a little chilly for that last solo 11 miles. I had wool socks on, and even went with shoe covers, but my feet still ended up cold and numb. I’ve got to layer them more in future. Anyway, my goal was to finish the 100K in 3 hours, but I ended up a bit over that at around 3:25. Oh well. Enough on that. I’m going to take my sore tired butt to bed.

Frostbite Tour 100K Route

So in the morning, Amanda and I are out to Clayton for the fifth annual Frostbite Tour, though it’s actually the first for us. It looks like the clouds are going to hang in there, but the rain will part in time for the start. Amanda will be manning two rest stops. Typically, her and our friend Tania do that, but Tania has come down with the flu.

Sadly, I’ve only got one other teammate going to the ride, but hopefully we’ll do the Trikes proud and put together a fast, strong training ride and do some good in the meantime for their cause. Here’s to good weather, strong riding and keeping the core warm.