Little Tyler was a strange boy. He liked to be alone, perhaps because his odd behavior earned him no friends. He ate dirt on a dare once when he was 4, and it was all downhill from there. He ate glue and paste and newspaper and ball bearings and anything else that would make people respect him, sort of, even if they didn't like him.
One year his parents noticed that Tyler began acting differently after the season opener. He seemed more uptight, shorter tempered. He wasn't hungry either. At first his mom chalked it up to something he ate. Which was true.
By the end of the week Tyler still was not eating and was increasingly irritable, so his mom took him to the doctor. He gave Tyler a strong laxative and told the family to wait.
When the time came, Tyler, who had remained silent on the subject of what exactly might have led to this, knew the seriousness of what was about to occur. Instead of running to the bathroom, he wisely ran outside, to the back yard, and went to work. After 15 minutes Tyler's mom phoned the doctor, who assured her everything would be fine. After 25 minutes she called a priest.
By evening, the task complete, Tyler lay exhausted but smiling, and fell asleep near his prize. It was all newspaper reporters and college scholarships after that.
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In actual news, the Cyclera fat tire ralleye and Critical Dirt (Ride Them Humps) is happening in or around Germany this June, thunk up and put on by the good dudes over at
RetroVelo, who know having fun means rolling up your sleeves and doing it. Dig the pig. It's all about the fat.
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And finally today, Jean Claude, chief correspondent at our French beaureau (which happens to be Surly's distributor there, Alternative Bicycles), wrote a month ago to let us know this:
Just a little message to inform you that the Surly Pugsley has rode the Antarctica white ice.
Effectively, Alternative Bicycles have established a partnership with a French artist who also likes scientists things.
He rode his Pugsley independently across the Antarctica last month, to make a movie and to catch many ice samples for the Paul Emile Victor foundation.
A Bolex mechanical camera is mounted on the Pugsley fork and powered by the front wheel.
This run was called Sunfest, a real adventure without helicopter or journalists on snow scooters. You can see the bike on few pictures attached and see more here.
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Surly Bikes