How many communities out there regularly band together to fight for a fallen comrade?

I posed this question to myself over the weekend after reading an email from fellow webmaster “Ultra Rob” about the current situation with one of cycling’s most enjoyable voices - “The Fat Cyclist.”

You can get the latest news on the touching story at FatCyclist.com, and you can read the news from Ultra Rob here.

Peruse the stories above, and if you need to buy any cycling gear today, take a look through Ultra Rob’s store, as some of the proceeds from sales will be put towards the Fat Cyclist “Susan’s WIN” Fund.

But back to the question… after mulling it over, I think a lot of communities, especially in the sports world, really band together in the time of crisis. It’s probably because we can all see ourselves in the same situation.

Someone had a nasty crash or got hit by a car? That could happen to any of us, any day. From recreational riders to professional downhillers like Tara Llanes, the possibility exists, and we can only hope and pray for the best.

All the while hoping that there are cyclists out there willing to help in the time of need… From what I’ve seen, these kind people are definitely out there.

Another example I wanted to point out today is a blog from CDF Networks, where Chad is starting something called the “1 For Charity Blogger Challenge” which is all about bloggers supporting charity in a small but powerful way. Chad posts business and marketing tips on the CDF Networks blog, but the real reason to check it out is that he is a fellow mountain biker!

Right now CoachLevi.com is basically a free resource, but you’ll see some more charitable features here in the future. One thing you may have seen is that I also write for a website called Squidoo. Squidoo shares a portion of their revenue with their authors, and authors can choose to take that money or donate it straight to a charity of their choice.

Since I write a lot about cycling and sports nutrition, I naturally chose to have Squidoo donate my earnings straight to the Lance Armstrong Foundation.

And don’t forget to read: 8 Great Bicycle-Related Charities You’ve Probably Never Heard Of

Or of course you can always make your own donations to the charity of your choice

Thanks for reading this Public Service Announcement and be sure to come back tomorrow when we return to our regularly scheduled cycling training, racing, and nutrition advice!

Brad from BicycleFrenzy.com is holding a real simple contest right now where you can win a bottle of Rock N Roll Extreme chain lube.

I haven’t used Rock N Roll lubes very much, but I know some people that like them, so it’s worth entering.

Plus, all you have to do to win is sign up for the Bicycle Frenzy RSS or RSS via E-mail feed, then leave a comment on the post that says you subscribed. That’s it.

(You can subscribe by clicking the orange RSS button on his site and then reading the feed in a free feed reader such as my personal favorite, Google Reader.)

Then a winner will randomly be chosen… three times! Yes, there are three bottles of lube up for grabs, so you have three chances to win! Winners will be selected on April 21, April 28, and May 5.

Good luck to all, although I hope I win!

P.S. If you are new to RSS, take a look at my “What is RSS?” page.

That’s me sporting my new wool cycling cap. The best part? I made it myself! (OK, so my mom made it. But why would I learn to sew when my mom and grandma already do?)

Anyway it’s pretty sweet and not that hard to make. Thanks go out to BikeHacks.com and their Sew your own cycling cap guide, which includes a pattern to get you started. Check it out.

I’m also sporting a nice Ride-Strong.com t-shirt. It’s comfortable, has front and back logos, and I love the logo on the sleeve.

(Want more details on how I made my own cap? We’ve made quite a few with altered designs so I might share my secrets later on if you’re interested.)

This will be fun! I’m going to sign the Google guest book by joining in this “SignTheGoogleGuestBook” blog meme madness.

What is this SignTheGoogleGuestBook hoopla?

It’s a bunch of bloggers writing a post about “SignTheGoogleGuestBook” and having them all appear on the Google search results, here.

You can get all the details at BlogTheInternet.com by clicking here.

And stop by and say hi to Bike Rack Ed on his blog, where I found out about this.

Join in the fun by writing your own post with “SignTheGoogleGuestBook” in the title!

See current signatures here: http://www.google.com/search?q=SignTheGoogleGuestBook

That article I wrote a few days ago about eating right if you get stuck going to a fast food joint was entered into a tutorial writing contest at the Daily Blog Tips blog. The voting has begun, and while I’d love to win, there are a number of good reads in the list of entrants.

From preventing aging to tips for making a better blog, everything was covered, so it was hard to narrow down my choices. Nevertheless…

Here are my favorites:

• How To Prevent Aging by Chris
• The Perfect Homemade Pie Crust - A Tutorial with Pictures by Jo-Lynne
• DOs and DON’Ts - Colour by Vivien
• A tutorial on mastering Digital Photography in minutes! by Praval

Good luck everyone!

Update: Looking for more cool blog posts dealing with health and nutrition?

Check out the latest Fitness Forum from Weight Master, where my fast food article was also included!