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Friday, Sep. 12, 2008

Loose Lips: Will cycling legend Lance Armstrong bump along G Street?

Are better bike lanes on the way? Probably not, though it may be time for Merced to roll out the red carpet ... or a fresh coat of slurry seal.

Lips learned that none other than Lance "I don't dope, and now I'll prove it" Armstrong may be pedaling his way through Merced's rocky roads on the Amgen Tour of California next year. Merced was named one of the host cities, which means it will draw fans and cyclists from across the nation.

When the news was announced, city leaders began ringing their bells. It's attention! It's sales tax! It's hotel tax!

It's a bunch of bikes?!?!

This past week, word began spreading that Armstrong was going to stop listening to Bruce Springsteen's "Glory Days," slip into his spandex and hop back on his 10-speed, racing in a slew of contests, including the Amgen.

No deals have been signed so Lips isn't sure whether his rubber will hit our roads. (Too bad he can't fly into Merced Airport so there can be another celeb added to the list.)

Nonetheless, the city's getting ready for the checkered flag to be waved and the the money to roll in on two wheels.

The route from Merced to Clovis hasn't been revealed yet, but the city's willing to make sure the road is as clean as possible, Deputy Director of Public Works Mike Wegley said. That means the street sweeper will brush off the particulate matter and fill any potholes that could turn a cyclist into a gymnast.

Wegley is still stuck trying to figure out how the cyclist will get from Merced to Clovis without using a highway. Lips thinks the Merced County Association of Governments -- the road gurus -- should build the Amgen Expressway.

If not, the cyclists will probably be zig-zagging southward across the county. Armstrong's former flame Sheryl Crow sang, "Every day is a winding road." For the cyclists in Merced, it'll be a bumpy one.

Ask and you shall receive cash

With the election thundering forward like ... a pig with lipstick? A pit bull with lipstick? We're not sure, but democracy's biggest day is getting close.

We can hear the comforting hum of cash registers and stump speeches coming from Atwater.

Lips learned that Atwater Mayor Pro Tem Lesa Rasmussen, who's running to keep her seat, scored what could be a hat trick in this game. She got an endorsement from the police union, another nod from the firefighters association and a check from them for $750.

She noted this might be the first time they've given money to any candidate except her Councilmate Gary Frago, the city's first paid firefighter. He's not getting any money from them this year, it turns out.

Rasmussen said the association held off making any donations until after the council decided whether to hire the state to take over its fire department. She voted to make the switch. Frago didn't.

Coincidence? Lips wasn't sure and decided to check with Atwater union leader Tim Adams. Rasmussen got the cash because, well, she asked for it.

When the union began dissolving itself and emptying its piggy bank, she was the only one to send a letter. The rest of the association's money, which couldn't be used for political purposes anyway, went to local schools.

Rasmussen thinks she won the union over by her approach to public safety. "We didn't just have common ground," she explained. "We were standing on the same ground."

Spoken like someone trying to hold their ground ... or seat.