Frenchman Fails To Cross English Channel By Bicycle, Still Manages To Make Times Headlines

On Sunday, Frenchman Stephane Rousson embarked on his flight across the English Channel in is privately-engineered pedal-powered airship. Inspired by the infamous midnight escape scene in Stephen Spielberg’s movie, E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial, Rousson’s attempt was a life-long dream finally come to fruition. “When I was young, I saw the movie and watched the little guy pedalling on a bike flying in front of the moon with ET,” Rousson told The Times, “I always wanted to fly.”

Earlier that morning, Rousson had mounted his 16-foot helium filled blimp, the Miss Louise, with the intention of pedaling from Hythe to Wissant in under 8 hours. Unfortunately, strong winds forced Rousson to scrap his plans 11 miles in, “We were about three-quarters of the way across,” Rousson explained, “but the wind was flowing in the wrong direction for me to make it across.”

Taking his failure in stride, Rousson admitted, “The success is not with me but I have had so much fun. My legs are a little bit burnt and I’m sure tomorrow I will be feeling a little sad but I’ll have a few beers.”

When asked about future attempts, Rousson admitted that it wasn’t likely without the support of financial backers. “All my money has gone into achieving this over the past five years. I’m quite a bit in debt. If I found a lot of money I would definitely try again but I don’t have a large budget at the moment.”

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SoCal Biker Gang Kicks Ass For Christ

According to the mission statement at SetFreeSoldiers.com:

“We are a group of men who Love Jesus and Love to RIde Hard. We are not your normal motorcycle club. Some say we are too Good for the Bad guys, and too Bad for the Good guys. We don’t argue that. All we Soldiers know is that we take care of our own and help plenty of others along the way. We try to live Right in this Wrong world and let our light shine wherever we may go. SFFS”

Unfortunately, the Wrong world might be catching up. Last Thursday, Set Free Soldiers founder Phillip Aguilar and four other members of his outreach program, Set Free Soldiers, appeared in court to plead not guilty to a series of weapons and gang related charges. The charges stem from an incident that occurred at a bar between the Set Free Soldiers and a group of Hells Angels, which essentially boiled down to a turf war. According to the report, the Set Free Soldiers were lunching in the bar after watching a member’s son participate in a surfing contest when a Hells Angels leader approached Aguilar and notified him that he was not authorized to be “taking Hell’s Angels business.” The exchange quickly escalated, and now Set Free Soldiers minister Glenn Shoemann is facing an attempted murder rap after police found a bloody knife in his car. In addition, search warrants authorizing the raid of homes located on the Set Free compound reportedly uncovered “gang paraphernalia”, thousands of rounds of ammunition, and countless weapons, leading to the arrest of Aguilar and three other Set Free Soldiers.

Attorney’s for the Set Free Soldiers are incredulous of the charges, saying the Set Free Soldiers were simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. Augilar, who has been faithfully ministering to both Hells Angels and Mongols alike through Set Free Soldiers for 25 years, and runs several rehab facilities in the Southern California area. Through the course of counseling countless strung-out bikers and gang members, Phillip Aguiler has been largely credited with dampening the escalating gang violence while still earning widespread respect within the biker community. The charges that have been levied against him and his members threaten to unravel the reputation and respect he has worked tirelessly to earn, and Shoemann admits that he is terrified of how the Hells Angels will react now that blood has been drawn.

According to the AP reports, Augilera has been released on bail, and he, Shoemann, and the three other Set Free Soldiers are scheduled to appear before the court again on December 4.

I say: You don’t bring communion wafers to a biker gang fight. While your average Southern Baptist might not need to keep a Ruger KP94 next to his tri-color Bible highlighter, I can see justification for the Set Free Soldiers being heavily armed. To summarize, Matthew 10:34: “Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword.”

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Motorcycle Customizer Recognizes Stolen Bike, Runs It Off The Road

In Salt Lake City, Utah, a man in an SUV observed a motorcycle ride past that he had helped build. Quickly and correctly identifying the bike as stolen, the man proceeded to run the motorcyclist off the road, informing him that the bike he was riding was stolen property. Apparently already fully apprised of the situation, the motorcyclist then proceeded to hijack a passing van with a woman and infant inside. The man then forced the woman to drive him to his house before letting her and the infant go without harm. Once released, the woman immediately returned to the scene and reported the incident to the authorities. Although the motorcyclist has not been found, police now have his name and several other identifying characteristics with which to track him down.

As far as the vigilante bike builder is concerned, police told The Salt Lake City Tribune that it’s highly unlikely he’ll be faced with any charges. Explained Salt Lake County sheriff Lt. Paul Jarosack, “He was doing what he thought was appropriate to stop the stolen motorcycle…A citizen has almost as much right as the police to effect arrest.”

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British Study Confirms That Most Motorists Are Indeed Riding Dirty

A study performed by Aston University in Birmingham has concluded that the average automobile contains approximately 283 different types of bacteria per square centimeter, or roughly the equivalent number of pathogenic microorganisms residing in any one roach that has been shared by any one gangster rap posse. Surprisingly, edging out obvious candidates like gas/brake pedals and backseats in general, the largest breeding grounds for the microscopic monsters have proven to be the gear shift and the trunk, playing host to an average 356 and 850 distinct specimens, respectively.

Their pale hands beginning to tremor violently in stark terror, researchers went on to reveal that vehicles which frequently transport children and pets pose the biggest potential health threats to drivers. From beneath 30 inches of protective rubber coating, Aston University director of Biology and Biomedical Science Anthony Hilton explained, “Whilst most of the bacteria we’ve found are unlikely to cause serious health problems, some cars, particularly those which regularly carry children and animals, play host to potentially harmful germs.” More potentially hazardous still are older cars, especially those with neglected air filters which can become a fertile breeding ground for airborne bacteria and fungi.

So, to summarize: you should fear everything including your own flatulence, and your car should be abandoned in a sparsely populated area and detonated by a long range rocket-propelled grenade launcher. Questions?

[News Source: City News, Toronto/Photo Source: Auto Blog]

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Bullet Biker Traveling 100+mph Collides With Ford Expedition, Was Just “Doing It Like They Do In Video Games”

Today’s newest inductee to the Hall of Dumbass Video Game players comes to us courtesy of the Utah Sheriff’s Department. In Corinne, Utah, a deputy’s dashcam recorded a man on a Bullet motorcycle, sans helmet, skyrocketing by his cruiser at speeds in excess of 100mph.

By the time the officer had executed a u-turn to pursue the biker, the man had already lost control of the motorcycle, sliding underneath the front end of a green Ford Expedition.

The collision sparked a fire that engulfed the entire front end of the Expedition, leaving barely enough time for the passengers of the vehicle to rescue themselves and their children from inside. The biker, who apparently fled on foot from the scene, was apprehended 1,000 yards away with little more than a slight road rash. When asked for a reason behind his reckless behavior, the man apparently explained that he was living out a “real-life video game experience.” We here at RideLust would like to formally nominate this young man for Lucky Dumbshit Of The Day.

Video Footage From CNN

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The Most Expensive Car Ever Auctioned in United States

The 1937 Bugatti Type 57SC Atalante Coupe that sold for a record $7.92 million

Financial tough times? Hogwash!
Gooding & Company, the official auction house of the 58th annual Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, brought in a total of $64.2 million during it’s two-night auction of ultra-rare collectible cars on August 16 and 17.

One lucky bidder paid a record setting $7.92 million dollars for a 1937 Bugatti Type 37SC Atalante Coupe. That’s the highest price ever paid for an automobile in the United States. The $64.2 million take broke even last year’s huge tally of $60 million. Twenty cars sold for more than $1 million and five cars sold for more than $2 million.

“Our auctions at Pebble Beach this year represent the finest grouping of cars we have ever had the honor to offer, and the strong sales results reflect that exceptional quality,” said David Gooding, president and founder of Gooding & Company. “We’re proud to have set the North American auction record with the $7.92 million sale of the 1937 Bugatti Type 57SC Atalante Coupe, and to have reached noteworthy milestones in a host of other categories as well.”

Dr. Peter Williamson’s collection of 12 Bugattis, the finest collection of it’s kind to ever come to auction, played a big part in bringing in such a large crowd to the Gooding & Co. auction. His 12 cars alone sold for over $15.5 million, a portion of which was donated to the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center and the Dartmouth Medical School. The results of the auction as a whole were mixed though, with some of the 140 cars selling for below estimate, and one in five actually failing to sell at all.

Here are the top five big sellers:
1937 Bugatti Type 37SC Atalante Coupe – $7.92 million, the big one, the highest price ever paid for an automobile in the United States.
1959 Ferrari 250 GT LWB “California” Spider – $3.63 million - Yes, you heard right, Cameron’s dads car from Ferris Buellers Day Off.
2009 Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport 001 - $3,190,000
1938 Alfa Romeo 6C 2300B Mille Miglia “Sleeping Beauty” – $2.585 million
1950 Ferrari 166 MM Berlinetta Le Mans – $2.2 million.

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The Plug-In Hybrid GEM car: If You Run, You’ll Only Go To Jail With Tire Marks

Meet Jake’s newest ride, the GEM car: a battery-powered, electric hybrid vehicle produced by Global Electric Motorcars (GEM), a division of the Chrysler Corporation. Although they provide roughly the same horsepower as a Pinto, GEM cars produce zero emissions and run entirely on electricity. Equipped with a 72-volt battery system, the GEM cars are chargeable via a standard 110-volt outlet that reportedly can get up to 30 miles off of one 6-hour charge. 

Technically classified as Neighborhood Electric Vehicles (NEV),  GEM cars max out at 25 mph and allow police officers to appear as intimidating as a Razor Scooter street gang.

Growing in popularity for their low-maintenance efficiency, GEM cars are favored by police departments in areas where vehicle inaccessibility causes a heavy dependence on foot and bicycle patrol officers. The Myrtle Beach Police Department currently uses GEM cars in their Special Operations Section, a unit responsible for patrolling Myrtle Beach’s most high-traffic area – the waterfront. According to the MBPD, the GEM cars have allowed beachfront officers to respond faster to emergencies than they could have otherwise, thereby increasing efficiency tenfold.

Headquartered in Fargo, North Dakota, GEM has been quietly producing their clean little cars stateside for a decade, and now they’re branching out. According to the UK’s Daily Mail, the Sussex Police Department is currently testing the GEM under consideration of adding them to their fleet.

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