one less car news

first, the 'and more'... cole and i hope everyone had a great holiday, and hope some of you are continuing to do so!!!
damn. that's pretty much it for the 'and more'. i thought i had more to say, but i don't. trying to make an effort to be more positive, and sometimes that means drinking a tall glass of shut the hell up!

so i was just checking my email, and got this from our friends at Fuji Bicycles and Action Sports...read on!



(PHILADELPHIA) December 27, 2010 - A tale of ultimate survival and human kindness, Damian Lopez Alphonso's story is one that needs to be told. He's not only captured the hearts of those he's met and raced with; he's inspired an outpouring of support from the cycling community at large.

At age 13, while trying to retrieve a kite caught on an electrical wire in his native Cuba, Damian Lopez Alphonso was electrocuted with 13,000 volts of electricity - the voltage equivalence of what it takes to move a New York City subway car.

He spent 52 days on life support following the accident and has had dozens of surgeries - some life-saving - since his teens. Doctors are still baffled by the fact that he's alive.

But Damian, now 34, hasn't allowed these seeming setbacks to slow him down - literally.

Although he lost both of his hands and uses no adaptive devices, Damian is an accomplished cyclist, who finished first at the Coppa 8 de Marzo Time Trial, second at the Tour of Havana de Este, and third at the Criterium de Havana against some of the best athletes in his region.

He learned to ride his bike by carefully resting the remains of his arms on upturned handlebars.

Tracy Lea, a fellow cyclist and a Team Fuji ambassador, first witnessed this balancing act at the 2002 Pan American Championships in Cuba.

Mesmerized by how he could compete without prosthetics and not in the Paralympics realm but against some of the best able-bodied cyclists in the world, Lea decided she wanted to help him in any way she could.

After much lobbying with the Cuban government, Lea secured a visa for Damian, and he arrived in the U.S. on December 6.

A gift from an old friend was waiting for him upon his arrival.

Former Fuji-sponsored athlete, Ivan Dominguez, who knew Damian from the Cuban racing scene, called Fuji as soon as he heard about Damian coming to the U.S, asking if the brand would be willing to donate a bike.

Fuji's response was simple: "Of course."

So when Damian arrived in New York, a brand new Fuji Roubaix ACR was waiting for him, and Lea took him to Echelon Cycles, a Fuji dealer on 8th Avenue in Manhattan, for a full fitting.

With his new bike in tow as well as some new cycling gear provided by Louis Garneau and Hincapie Clothing per Dominguez, Damian set off for the NYU Langone Center.

After undergoing a week of extensive physical and psychological exams, the NYU doctors determined that Damian is eligible for prosthetics and facial reconstructive surgery.

Elated by the news but knowing that neither she nor Damian's family could pay for the surgery and prosthetics, Lea reached out to the cycling community.

Several private individuals (Lea's fellow cyclists) have since offered to cover Damian's travel expenses; the National Foundation for Facial Reconstruction has offered to pay for the surgery; and the Achilles Foundation, a non-profit organization that enables disabled and able-bodied athletes to train together, has offered to pay for his prosthetics.

"Everyone has stepped up," said Lea. "He's achieved incredible acceptance in the cycling community.''

"When people have a chance to meet him, it's a game changer. People who see him ride his bike...it keeps our lives in perspective," she added.

Damian's surgery is planned for late January 2011, and he will be fitted for prosthetics following the surgery.

When Damian returns to the U.S., Fuji will be there every step of the way to provide the latest updates on Damian's progress. Stay tuned.


For the full story on Damian, please visit: http://www.fujibikes.com/home
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Help Damian

With aspirations of qualifying for the 2012 Cycling Paralympics and racing in the New York City Marathon (the Achilles Foundation has already extended a personal invitation), Damian's dreams are big.

It's because of Lea and the cycling community's generous contributions that Damian is where he is today. But it's going to take a lot more to see Damian's dreams realized. If you'd like to help Damian, please contact Tracy Lea at tlea@tracylea.net or visit the Achilles Foundation's donation page at http://www.achillesinternational.org/support/individual or the National Foundation for Facial Reconstruction's homepage at http://www.nffr.org/.

OLC's holiday winners are: Andy Jones won the water bottle/holder, and Betty Moore won the grips- both from Organic Bikes, and Jordan Gerke won the pair of Natoma pants from Chrome!!!

Thanks to everyone who thought of us this holiday season!

Brandon & Cole

thanks to everyone for making our christmas sale a success and entering to win the natoma pants from our friends at chrome & some goods from organic bikes too...not to mention the free stickers, and the copies of wrenched! your orders should arrive before christmas no problem. we'll announce the winners VERY soon!

if you're not big on the holidays, or if time isn't an issue, keep ordering! operators are standing by right now to take your order!

with ten days to go, christmas is right around the corner! we've got some reviews coming up before then for all of you last minute shoppers...

soooo.....FREE STICKERS!!! who doesn't love free stickers?
alright- so i've been trying to get reader stories about cycling, and we've gotten a few, but not as many as I thought... I should have known from my years of making zines & running contributor driven sites that if you don't give someone any direction, they get stuck.

like i said when i first tried this, i got the idea from an old graffiti newsletter, and they had weekly "chase" stories... so, to keep it in the biking spirit, let's do WEEKLY CRASH STORIES!!! send yours in along with a picture if possible and tell me where to send the stickers!

LET'S DO THIS!!! we've ALL crashed, and who doesn't love a good crash story, right?

RIGHT.

and it will be called THE CRASH REPORT.

Back with a couple reviews as promised!

Chrome Cobra Mens Merino Wool Hoodie

Clothing made for cyclists by cyclists is always rad, and worth it in the long run because they think of the little things- like being lower in the back which is a feature of both, but both have rad features that the other doesn't. For instance, the Cobra has a semi-secret stash pocket down low on the right arm that the Pasha doesn't. But the Pasha gets mad style points for the offset zipper. I wish the Cobra was made like this but with the zipper on the other side. I love that feature! Read more...

Chrome Pasha Womens Merino Wool Hoodie

I dig being able to put the hood up, zip up to the top, and have my mouth covered. It’s a nice, ninja-like characteristic. Thumb loops on the sleeves help keep those drafts out and your arms warm. Thumb loops are always a big plus. You can also feel safe wearing your low rise pants, because the back of the hoodie hangs down slightly lower than the front. It’s barely noticeable, but you’ll know, because you’ll feel fewer drafts and avoid accidental peep shows. This back panel also owns a discrete, mesh, zipper pocket for stashing your stuff to hop on your bike. Read more...

Don't forget about our sale- ends the 14th!- including your chance to win a pair of Chrome's Natoma Pants, get a copy of Chrome's zine, Wrenched, or some Free stickers!!

All t's only $15 + FREE stuff* & WIN a pair of Natoma Pants from our friends at CHROME!!! 1 week only!



*Official Rules & FREE stuff:
1. CONTEST -pants & all- IS OPEN WORLDWIDE!!!!
1. ALL orders will get free stickers at Cole's discretion I have no idea how many or what ones you'll get. Feel free to make a request, but don't be sad if
2. The next 10 shirt orders will receive a copy of Chrome's new zine- WRENCHED...totally killer!!!
3. All orders will be entered to win a pair of Bamboo Grips and a water bottle from Organic Bikes!
4. And to top things off, all shirt orders will be entered to win a pair of Chrome's Natoma riding pants (pictured above- grey, size medium, new w/tags, non-negotiable; unless you wanna pass them on to the next winner in line for some silly reason!).
6. sale ends 12.14.2010 @ midnight SHARP!
...or early the next a.m.
7. the 14th is also our cut-off date to make sure you get your order by Christmas. Outside of the US? Order sooner if you want it by then!!!

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Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Kwanzaa, and a wonderful Festivus for the rest of us!!!

Thanks to all the people reading, our customers new and old, the companies that keep our review section running, and bicycle lovers everywhere!

Cheers to you-
Cole & Brandon
OLC