smirk falls off bike 2nd time - really - and something he said afterward

[donsu]

http://www.boston.com/news/politics/president/bush/articles/2004/07/26/ap_exclusive_bush_the_mountain_biker_rides_hard_shrugs_off_crash?pg=2

-snip-

The president dusted himself off from his fall on a treacherous descent, waved his medics away and kept rolling, a small cut on his knee and dirt on his back the only signs he had wrecked. He allowed that he was a bit shaken up.

-snip-

He takes on dangerous sections that would give veterans pause. He keeps a cramp-inducing pace on long uphill sections, panting hard, emitting low "hrrr, hrrr, hrrr" grunts with each stroke of the pedals, his shoulders bobbing up and down.

Over an 18-mile ride that lasted an hour and 20 minutes, he burns about 1,200 calories and his heart rate reaches 168 beats per minute. That's nearly four times his resting rate and in the same range as Lance Armstrong's when the six-time Tour de France winner is pedaling hard.

-snip-

He jokes that he was leading the "peleton," the rolling swarm of bicyclists in races like the Tour de France -- a race he watched regularly this month before Armstrong's victory Sunday.

-snip-

Monday's ride brings his entourage past the new office that contractors are close to finishing, a 2,500-square-foot structure with a stone facade and lots of windows where he says he will probably practice his convention speech next month. He slips at first, saying he will practice his inauguration speech there.
-snip-
-----------------------------------

he needs more then a medic

new office???

[smirkymonkey]

1. What the hell is he trying to prove, anyway?

This bike obsession of his is bizarre for a boy his age.

[Fovea]

6. He is trying to get back that endorphin buzz

that he used to get as a runner.
I can't knock him for that, it is better for you than Afghanismack, or Oxyrush.

[yellowcanine]

7. Still competing with his father for his mother's affection and his father

jumps out of airplanes when he is 80 years old - puts a lot of Oedipal pressure on little Georgie. My amateur phychologist's analysis.

[smirkymonkey]

24. That's pretty good...

sounds about right. Chimpy's probably too skeerd to jump out of a plane, so he does the bike thing.

Also, Kerry is a manly cyclist, so he may be trying to compete with him as well.

[lanparty]

19. He's trying to capitalize on ...

... Lance Armstrong fever. The funny thing is that the AP reporter never bothered to take a picture of Bush on his exotic Fuel 98.

Isn't this so odd for an administration that makes sure to take pictures of Bush in all his "HEROIC" moments.

[DoYouEverWonder]

20. Oh but there is a picture

One picture, that they released today.




Notice the steep hills, rugged terrain, the grueling pace. Super W rides again, in his all American bike helmet, wrap around goggles, toe clips and mouth guard. What a man! not

[lanparty]

21. They're right, that terrain ...

... would give veterans pause to waste their time on it.

BTW, he has the money. He should invest in a pair of clipless pedals. At the very least, he could invest in a pair of hiking shoes that gave one the impression that he's ever the pavement (flat runner don't work well while hiking your bike up those steep hills).

I notice that the made sure to photograph Bush underneath a flag (with matching flag helmet) instead of on those treacherous downhills.

Finally, those shoes SUCK!!!!! I'd really recommend that Bushie invest in a pair of gloves so he doesn't fuck up the palms of his hands again.

Oh yeah, nice wraparound sunglasses. It makes him look like a pre-steroid Paulie Sr. ;-)

[Seabiscuit]

22. Does anyone really believe the contents of that stupid article?

Shee-it, mon, Dubya can't get on a Segway without falling on his face. He can't eat a pretzel without falling on his face. He can't ride a bike without falling on his face. He can't step off an airplane without hitting his head and falling on his face.

And we're supposed to believe he's some kind of super-hero Lance Armstrong, racing around steep hills and rugged terrain? He lives on a prop set Dude ranch in flat country in Crawford, Texas. Not exactly the Pyrenees, and not exactly the Alps, places where *real* bikers like Lance Armstrong race for hours.

I say, "SHOVE IT" to the reporters that write all that phony insane crap about Bush being some kind of athlete. What a crock!

[smirkymonkey]

25. What is that? A golf course?

He's now cycling instead of riding the freedom cart from hole to hole?

[Eurobabe]

26. oh it's even a TREK!!! WOOHOO

Trying to be Lance much?

[Ready4Change]

2. Hmmm. Kerry snow ski's, Bush falls off bike.

Kerry kite surfs, Bush falls off bike.

Is there a pattern here?

[Fovea]

5. Kerry also rides a bike

not just a MTB around the back 40, but a real life, Lance Armstrong stylee road bike-- on the road, even.
The difference between Bush and Kerry?

No one trusts Dubya to play in traffic.

BTW, the description of Bush riding shows how dilettante
he is as a cyclist. Mashing gears up hill and flailing all over the bike is not just the sign of a wanker, but a wanker who is heading for major knee surgery.

[lanparty]

14. I'm not defending the president ...

... but Mountain Biking his harder.

It's harder to take hills and obstacles.

BTW, I think the story is utter bullshit!!! There is NO WAY that President Bush rode 18 miles in an hour and a half over RUGGED terrain.

The idea that the Secret Service would ALLOW the president over terrain that would "give pure veterans pause" is utterly ridiculous.

This is over-compensation for Bush's "girly-boy" athletic history when compared to the seering testosterone athletic history of John Kerry.

Finally, if they really want to compare the masculine properties of these men to each other, I suggest they have a bike race. The terrain doesn't matter. On road or off, Kerry will smoke Bush.

There is nothing wrong with NOT being a born jock like Kerry. But there is definitely something wrong with trying to portray yourself as one because the polls say that athleticism projects strength.

If a bike race won't do it. Maybe they can butt-heads at: Snow-Boarding, Skiing, Windsurfing, Ice-Hockey ... etc.... It would be like Bill & Ted facing death. Bush couldn't possibly find a sporting event that he could beat Kerry at, besides perhaps pie-eating or something like that.

[no name no slogan]

8. Even worse, he fell off a freaking SEGWAY

you know, that two-wheeled scooter that's purposefully DESIGNED to stand upright when a person is riding on it?

It's not just clumsiness-- I think GeeDubya's fallen off the wagon again. The pretzel choke/passout was the first sign, the bike accidents are surely another.

Pickles and Dick need to do an intervention-- NOW.

[Ready4Change]

10. I've ridden a Segway.

And I can see someone falling off of one, particularly when first starting on it.

Especially if the person is a "kick the tires and light the fires" sort, like Bush. This sort of person likes to jump right into something and see how things turn out. He's likely to jump right onto a Segway, expecting it's genius designers have made it foolproof. But the Segway will kick your ass if you treat it that way, as Bush discovered.

This mindset has advantages, but I want a President who is capable of thinking about the repurcussions of his actions. Bush is not that kind of person.

[no name no slogan]

11. I agree with you

Bush is also the type who will dive into the shallow end of the wading pool, even though everybody else who's tried it has come out with a broken neck.

But what can you expect from a guy born on third, but who thinks he hit a triple? When you've been able to live your entire life consequence-free, why should you do any differently when you're selected president?

:evilgrin:

[lanparty]

15. Crashing on a Mountain Bike isn't a sign of clumsiness ...

But we realy have no pictures of the terrain. Somehow, I doubt that the terrain would "give pure veterans a pause" like KKKarl Rove would have you believe.

If Bush was a good stumpjumper, they would have camera crews following him around. We would have nice picture of him catching air and jumping over roots.

I'm going to get a hold of some NORBA finishing times and compare them to George's outrageous 18 miles in an hour and a half. That would be a difficult mark to make on even an MODERATE course.

[Journeyman]

3. Of course a new office. . .

he's having it built on the taxpayers' dime, so why not get an office built that's twice the size of most people's homes.

[psychopomp]

4. Looooooosaaaaaahhhhhhh

It's a sign, Dumbya, you goin DOWN!

[donsu]

9. are you missing what he said?

"He slips at first, saying he will practice his inauguration speech there."

[LuLu550]

12. I'm no geographical genius but

where are there really challenging hills near Crawford, TX??? It's like how they said the last time he fell it was because the rain loosened the gravel, when it could be proven it hadn't rained in days.

[lanparty]

18. I had this debate with someone before ...

Apparantly there are some pretty serious hills DOWN THE ROAD from the Bush ranch. But the ranch itself is flat scrubland.

[themonster]

13. Bush needs training wheels

I wish there was video footage of his crashes. Michael Moore could put in on the F911 DVD.

[lanparty]

16. I wish we had footage PERIOD !!!!

I want to see the graceful moves of Stump-Jumping George on his Armstrong donated Trek Fuel 100. The fact that Rove isn't showing you the video tells you that Bush is a clutz on his bike.

Remember, last time it was from "heavy rain" when it hadn't rained in Crawford for the previous two weeks.

I crash on my mountain bike ALL THE TIME. It is no sign of clumsiness when your riding difficult terrain. But somehow I suspect that Dubaya's course isn't twisty singletrack. It's flat, straight doubletrack cut by 4x4 trucks.

[lanparty]

17. Avoiding "Achy" Knees ...

Sorry, but chugging up steep hills is easily worse than running. Taking hits off rocks and absorbing jolts after jumps is DEFINITELY harder on your knees than running.

Road biking is a good low-impact alternative. But mountain biking over difficult terrain is definitely a HIGH impact activity. And I seriously doubt that Dubaya is getting knee relief on terrain that described as "giving a veteran pause".

[VOX]

23. This is SUCH a propaganda piece: He rides, he READS, he fishes...

* can't even read the friggin' newspaper.

This is such a bunch of *-loving propaganda. The story was originally carried in, of all papers, the S.F. Chronicle. The consensus on DU yesterday was that the article's author should have just blown * and be done with it.

[digno dave]

27. A metaphor for iraq policy, if it weren't so sad it would be a laugh riot

[meow2u3]

28. Bush needs a set of training wheels

like the emotional toddler he really is :evilgrin: