You Gotta Think Ahead!

Safety on the bike (or at anytime) is extremely important. When I first started riding my bike, I never carried any ID or a cell phone; I was testing fate that something would happen and no one would know who I am.

A few summers ago, I was watching Le Tour de France, and Bob Roll (love him!) was talking about this RoadID product that Levi Leipheimer was wearing. Now, I like to follow trends that some of my favorite cyclists have/do (although I don't think climbing Alpe d'Huez in France is in my future), so natually I wanted one. Luckly my birthday was coming up, so I bought myself an early present:

Okay, so mine didn't have Levi's information on it, but it was still the black wrist ID sport. I absolutely love my RoadID, and I wear it EVERYDAY, on or off the bike. In fact, I have since bought another one: a FixxID (exactly like a dog tag) with "To give anything less than your best is to sacrifice the gift" engraved on the front, and my information engraved on the back.

There are two options you can get: Original (in which you have 6 lines of text to create) or Interactive (in which you have two lines to create, and then as shown above, instructions for first responders so they can get information about you. Both of my RoadIDs are interactive, and I made a profile online that will give responders my emergency contacts, my home address, my health insurance information, my allergies, etc. In case anything happens to me, I now feel mostly safe knowing that this information is available to whoever has to treat me.

I say "mostly safe" because when I showed my RoadID to my two brothers, both being EMTs and one is also a volunteer fire fighter, and neither one knew what it was. In order for the RoadID to be fully effective, ALL first responders (and really everyone) have to know what it is and where to look for it:

Please, please, PLEASE pass the word along to any first responders in your community. You can go to the First Responder link on the RoadID website and print out PDF files to hand out. This is just one step that everyone can do to help.

I am not being endorsed by RoadID. These are my opinions and stories, but I am using pics from their website. I am just very passionate about this product and keeping people safe and secure. I have used this product on a daily basis for almost 2 years now, and I back it up 100%.

Contador pulled over for riding without lights...

Alberto Contador was pulled over by police for cycling without lights while training for his Tour de France defence.

The Spaniard was undergoing specialist training on the descent of the Galibier pass in the Alps for the mountain stages of the Tour when a policeman brought him to a halt.

Spokesman Jacinto Vidarte said the officer told the three-times Tour winner that he was not visible enough on a road that snakes through dark tunnels.

Vidarte told Associated Press that Saxo Bank rider Contador argued that his team's cars were lighting his way sufficiently, but was forced to give up and "put his bike in the car".

Contador was suspended from cycling in September after traces of clenbuterol were found in his urine from during the 2010 Tour.

The one-year ban was lifted in February when the Spanish cycling federation accepted his explanation that he had eaten contaminated meat.

He won the Giro d'Italia for a second time at the end of May and has also won the other Grand Tour, the Vuelta a Espana - in 2008.

The Tour starts on July 2.

Note: This was copied directly from the linked website. I did not write the article. (http://asia.eurosport.com/cycling/tour-de-france/2010/cop-pulls-over-contador_sto2835531/story.shtml)