Over thirty years ago I met Ben Serotta at his shop in Saratoga Springs, New York, when he was starting his business building road racing bicycles. At the time he was one of a handful of craftsmen in North America building bikes capable of competing with the best of Europe and Japan. Currently an even smaller handful remains. In fact, Serotta is the only major North American bicycle company whose frame production remains solely in North America.

Over the years, Serotta has supplied bicycles for professional, amateur, and U.S. national cycling teams. Far from being derided as symbol of elitism, Serotta should be celebrated as a pioneer and innovator in the manufacture of some of the world's best bicycles.

And incidentally, anybody who can trade pulls with Jon Vaughters on his home turf is no Fred.

Yargh!!!!! The image of George Bush riding a mountain bike sends a powerful image, all right. It's the image of a guy who can barely keep his balance and breath at the same time. As for talking while he rides, well, it's as powerful an image as him wielding a chainsaw every time he goes to Crawford.

I'm not surprised John Kerry can descend like a demon. I'm betting he can talk while he rides, and possibly in more than one language.

In 2007, he was part of a bike tour that did some of the most famous climbs the Tour de France has to offer, including Alp d'Huez and Mount Ventoux. You've got to be a far more hardcore cyclist than Shrub would ever think of being if you're going to try Alp d'Huez.

and physical courage and ability is neither the same thing as political courage, nor the same thing as political image, either.

Only 4 years late. The soon to be senior senator from Mass. Good for him.

Boy do I agree with HTWW about John Kerry in 2004. What happened to that guy? That's the thing with running for prez though. It's not for everybody, and it was clear in 2004 that it wasn't for John Kerry.

The side story about John Kerry as an elite bike rider was the most embarrasing piece of propaganda I've read in some time.

because he didn't bring his advisers with him on the bike.

When the Swift Boat liars appeared on the scene to trivialize Kerry's service in Vietnam while ignoring most of our leaders who successfully avoided that war the best advice given for this was that of John Dean. He advocated Kerry should immediately duplicate the successful tactics used by Barry Goldwater when that senator was declared "crazy" by doctors who had never met him. "SUE,SUE,SUE."

He listened to way too many wussy Democratic handlers. They have been useless as teats on a boar hog. They advise reaction instead of action, and they wouldn't understand a frame if they bumped their heads on it going through the door. James Carville turns my stomach, but he knows how to fight. That's what the voters want, somebody who will fight for them. Literally.

Shouldn't politically aware people, particularly journalist, know the difference between a man goinf or office, being in office, and being totally free of office? It does not even make for a good rhetorical question why John Kerry was cautious and stilted in 2004 when he went for the Presidency. He had to embrace rather than alienate voters, political friends, political enemies. Not to forget he had to cater to a wide variety of party circles - from those close to his own convictions to those opposed to most of hwat he stands for. Who needs enemies when he has party friends?

Often enough it turned out that attack mode does not endear one to the electorate. For the past 2 decades - even during Clinton's terms - it worked well for Republicans but definitely not for Democrats. It might be time to get out the sharp knifes, probably even the blunt ones [they really hurt]. Still, the underlying rationalism in Democratic policies makes it hard to get really dirty. You do need a concsience that is non-existent. It also helps to be full of yourself, completely unable to be sceptic, especially oneself. Oh, having a long spoon to share soup with the Devil may also play a role ...

Wow. I bike in Boulder and if I'd have seen John Kerry riding along like a pro, I would have fallen off my bike.

The ride up to Jamestown from Boulder is a constant uphill without rest at high elevation, on a somewhat hazardous, twisty road -- in other words, no joke. Many of the hobby cyclists here never tackle it. Someone coming from D.C. or Massachusetts would need to be quite fit to handle it without a few days of acclimation to the altitude. Good for him for being in such shape at his age.

maybe im wrong but the GOP or the DEMS talk about the economy in real life terms, we just had another bank to fail. That’s makes 10

its about my pocket – im sorry

That he was an athlete and kited and wind surfed!

Obama's not as cool but hitting a string of 3 pointers and body surfin at sandy's is pretty cool.

http://images.huffingtonpost.com/gen/34371/original.jpg

Only in the US would this be bad...