Think you can sprint?

Well, you can't! Tylar Farrar, on the other hand...

Been a few days...

My weekend wasn't as exciting as some...thankfully so. A lot of folks had big fun riding in the mountains. A few came to grief, one more than the rest. LL hit the ground, but is okay...just a bit 'skint'. Poor McSwain shellaced some dumbass' Boxer dog on the backside of Snake Mountain. His SRM data showed that he was traveling 65kmh when his World went black. His 5.9SSL Madone exploded on impact. The headtube was severed from the rest of the machine is a not-so-surgical fashion. His nearly 60 year old body then experienced Newton's First Law and augered into the ground. KTFO! Grade 3 concussion, right shoulder ostensibly destroyed, left thumb dislocated, and road rash that looks like he pissed off a cheese grater wielding ninja. Fortunately, he is alive...foggy and broken, but alive! Also on the plus side, he has a new bike coming. Unfortunately, this tete-a-tete with the pavement means we have plenty of time to get it together...
As an aside, if you read my lunatic rantings and DO NOT ride a bike, and think that crashing is no big deal, do this experiment today...
Strip down to your underwear, get going 40mph in your car, and then jump out. See how you fare! Same thing...
Anyway, I rode for a couple of hours on Saturday morning and a couple on Sunday morning. Both were merely SST/Maintenance rides, as it's too bloody hot to go out and punish one's self. I did get some Vitamin D on Sunday though, so it was all good!
I skipped yesterday as it was storming like something out of 'The Wizard of Oz'. 72kmh wind gust at the little airport near my house. Flying Monkeys baby!
Since the weather seems to be crap in the afternoons lately, I made the decision to roll my fat, lazy self out of bed this morning before the sun broke the horizon and get on the bike. Up @ 0600 and on the bike @ 0620. @ 0735, I was in the house with a solid 40km of tempo riding...NICE! I also realized that the early morning is the witching hour for dumbasses who own road bikes. I passed a group of gapers riding FOUR abreast, just yapping away, paying no attention to the World around them. And we wonder why we get harassed by cagers! Good show guys...thanks a lot! I did recognize one of them, and he's a chode of the highest magnitude, so the behavior really didn't surprise me.
No TNWC for me...turnout has been abysmal, so it's not even worth messing with anymore...

Oh, and here's a video that should, at a very minimum, bring a smile to your face.


Merckx is still cooler than anyone else...

Review time...

Okay...
I haven't done a product review for a long time, but I think that this one is necessary. I'm a Vittoria tire guy. Always have been, and won't make apologies for it! I'm not talking the low/mid level tires either. If it doesn't say Open Corsa CX on it, I won't ride it. Sure, they're more expensive than other tires, so what? I ride good, high dollar wheels, ergo, I'm going to ride good, high dollar tires. I don't understand the whole idea of riding a great set of wheels, and then putting $25 crap tires on them. Oh, I run latex tubes too...
Anyway, about 4 weeks ago, I was set to pull down on more Vitts, but PBK was out of them in black (not riding colored tires...sorry!), and I'm NEVER going to pay full metal retail for ANYTHING, so getting them at the LBS was out of the question.
I decided to get some Veloflex Master 700x22 rubber. Never heard of Veloflex? Well, here's quick primer...
When Vittoria moved it's production of tires to Thailand several years ago, they basically just left. All of the employees and equipment were left behind. The Italians, much to their credit, decided to start making tires on their own, thus Veloflex was born.
I'd ridden Veloflex Paves in the past and liked them, but didn't fall in love. Well, the new Veloflex Master tire is out, and it's a bit different animal. Sure, it's the same size at 700x22, but the fine folks at Veloflex upped the TPI count to 320.
The Masters are a mix of new school technology and old-school flavor. Kevlar anti-puncture band and kevlar bead, but cotton casing and natural rubber tread. Plus, the sidewall is a truly old-school natural blonde!Yeah, yeah, yeah...here's the ride report!
Smooth like butter on a bald monkey! Like mentioned earlier, I run Michelin latex tubes. This pairing makes for a sublime ride. In fact, at one point this morning, I truly thought I had a rear flat because it seemed that I was floating along. They even make the sh*t tar-and-chip roads around here seem...well...less bad. Sure, they aren't Vitt Open Paves, but not many tires are...
Considering they are smaller volume (22c) than Vitt OC CX or Pave, they still deliver an outstanding ride.
As the pic shows, they are good for 7-10 bar, which is 110-145 pounds in old money. The only time I'd ride them harder than 120-ish is in the time trial, and seeing that there aren't any of those in my immediate future, 8 bar seems to be perfect.
They Masters roll extremely well. Diving into a turn is something that becomes an afterthought. Throw the bike in, and the tires just stick and track without drama. I think it may have a little to do with the fact that the profile of the tire is round, just as the Vitts always are. Between the natural rubber, the pliable 320TPI casing and that profile make for a tire that can really do no wrong.
Only ONE drawback comes with all of these positives...tire life. Let's be straight here, these are fast trianing/race tires. If you go into it knowing and actually acknowledging this fact, you'll be just fine. Too many people buy tires like these (or the Vitts) and expect them to wear like a Maxxis ReFuse. Sorry, it just ain't gonna happen!
Even taking this ONE fact into account, the positives far outweigh the negative. And @$40 shipped from England, it's hard to beat the price. At that price point, you're usually stuck with something that just cannot deliver anywhere near the same performance!
the ONLY tire that I'd ride over these is the new Vittoria 320TPI OC CX, and the only reason is the fact that they have a bit more volume, even at the 23c size. @25c, they are crazy plush!
To the new Veloflex Master, I say...

It's like Quizno's around here...

...TOASTY!!!
I went out last night and did a big, convoluted loop of SE Columbia. Out through the Fort, down to Cabin Creek, across to Double Homey and all the way down Bluff into downtown, up Gervais, thru campus and home. It was 98 with a HI of 108 when I left. 93/100 when I got back...
Right at two hours and 70km. Oh, and it was freaking hot. Suffering was abundant for the first hour, but I seemed to fall into a pocket at that point. The pocket was right at 35kmh. Any slower and the legs felt heavy and slow. Any faster and the heat jumped up...right along with my HR.
Good ride though...

WTF is going on the in World? First France gets bounced from the WC, and now Italy? If anyone recalls, they were the two teams who battled it out in the finals last year! Remember the Zidane headbutt? France imploded and just quit this year. It's France though, so what more could be expected? Italy just didn't play well, but something did surprise me. When they lost to Slovakia, they just walked off. No handshakes, no jersey swaps...just tears and what looked like general disdain for everyone involved, except themselves! Keep it classy Italy!
Portugal/Brazil today @ 10am...probably the best match of the tournament!

Now Rock Racing is being included in the investigation into PEDs? Why is it that everything that brushes up against Floyd Landis gets shit on it?

Everyone have fun, if it's at all possible, @ BS&G this weekend! Rubber side down!

Friday link dump:
Milano Fixed (Some dumb fixie stuff, but also some great content!)
The Service Course
Indy Fab (I may need an Indy Fab in the future!)
Hong Fu (carbon stuff straight from Taiwan)
Bring a Trailer (car stuff, but COOL car stuff!)

Peace!

So...

...discussions are leaning towards the mountains. BS&G is this weekend, and the Fab 4th ride is 2 weeks out. Meaning, group rides will be anorexic at best. Of course, it's not like they've been real meaty in '10 anyway.
No matter...I'll just do my own thing and be happy. I think that the enjoyment that comes from riding has become absolutely lost on some people. I'll leave it at that! If that comment raises your ire, then it should have...
I'm also done taking care of the TNWC course. No one bothers to show up anymore, for whatever reason, so I'm not cleaning the course, calling the city to sweep, or visiting the companies out there again. Yeah, I do all that shit to make sure it's a good, and safe, time for everyone!

Moving on...or back to the mountains....
I suck at climbing, but am going to go to Italy and flog myself on the Stelvio before I hit 45!! If you don't know what it is, ask somebody...


Ans this is Debbie...she's the masseuse of choice for the local racing population. Not only is she HOTTER than your masseuse, she's an absolutely NICE person, and she's damn good at what she does!

Oh, and an open note for the pro racers than have been chosen for their respective Tour squads. Be ready for more controls, and for the general attitude of the French to be poor. France got bounced from the World Cup yesterday...after making it to the final 4 years ago. Get your microdoses right boys...or just go on Adderall, like baseball players...

Don't watch that...

...watch this...



(courtesy Michael Barry of Team Sky)

Mavic @ Roubaix



And cyclists are dopers? Really? Baseball players are douchebags!

When the hell did summer get here?

I guess I got a little too used to the cool spring and winter temps. The last two Saturdays have been hot and humid affairs and have really snapped my monkey. That being said, I am still fighting off the afterglow of a sinus infection, so I guess I shouldn't expect too much.
We had a pretty good sized group yesterday, but as always happens, a good ride devolves and ends up being split all over the countryside.
Once everything settled out, the run for home began. FK hit the front a jacked the pace...again. It was hard, but not gut wrenching. Doug got scraped off and I remembered that he had mentioned that he really didn't know where he was way out in the sticks. I sat up and we rode home together. No reason at all to leave someone for dead out in Eastover on a Saturday!
3 hours and right @ 100km...pretty decent ride, but I felt like crap for the rest of the day.
And a hearty 'thanks' goes out to the H.O. for adding to my misery. On her way out of town, she decided to futz around with the bluetooth in her new car. In doing so, she drifted out of her lane and shellaced the center island of the road with her left front wheel. So like the good husband that I am, I went and saved the day. The tire is shot, the wheel is shot, the alignment is shot, and who knows what she did to the suspension!!!
In an effort to continue her trip, she switched out all of the bags, into my truck! Thanks dear...you have a good trip...I'll take care of the three-legged dog! Did I mention that her new whip only has 2200 miles on it?
I did a SLOW HoP this morning. It was hot and humid and now I sit here pecking away with a headache. I also broke one of the RULES this morning. #7 to be exact. A jersey w/o sleeves is sometimes necessary. There should be a caveat that takes heat and humidity into consideration.
Plus, if it's good enough for Cipo, it's good enough for you!
LA finished 2nd overall at the TdS today...here's the TT...
Also, Kim Kirchen had a heart attack!!! WTF??? Of course, the naysayers and know-nothings of the internet have immediately started pointing the finger at PEDs. Nevermind the facts...
It's poor form, and shows that people are nothing more than knee-jerk reactionaries. The guys has had health issues for a year or so, and seems to have some sort of heart problem.
I guess all of the teenage and early-20s folks that drop dead on the basketball court or football field are on the AVGAS too? Anyone remember Keith Iwinski's episode at the TNWC a few years ago? He went into sinus tachycardia sitting on the curb with a HR of 240!!! Fortunately, Dr. LP was there to save the day with some corotid artery massage.
Unfortunately, a lot of folks have hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (enlarged heart). When you are sedentary, like most folks are, it's no issue. When you exercise at a high level, it can create scar tissue and be a problem.
It's sad and unfortunate that people have become so pessimistic and hateful towards the sport that they participate in as to immediately call Kirchen a doper. How very Fox News of you...!

Peace...

Back on the horse

So after 5 days of being off the bike, I decided to go out and do a slow rehab loop of the Fort last night. I felt absolutely terrible on the bike, but still finished the big, convoluted loop within 5 minutes of my 'feel good on the bike' time, so I'm not that dis-pleased!
As I headed up the two rises that lead to the descent of The Wall, an Apache AH-64, literally, popped right up over the crest of the hill and flew over me at treetop level. VERY cool! I know the air crew saw me because the 30mm chain gun that lives under the nose turned in my direction. I felt very small, very vulnerable and very Taliban-ish at that moment!

Out on the base, the Army has taken it upon themselves to pave certain sections of some roads. While the paving is welcome, one can tell that it was done the Army/Government way...lowest bid!
A section of Washington was just done, but I don't think they took the time to properly roll the asphalt. I felt like I was sinking in it and my tires were COVERED in asphalt and gravel after I cleared the section. Dixie is much better, but the two worst parts have been excavated and are merely holes in the road filled with pea gravel. Nice...

GW's Tarmac is wearing it's new SRAM Force parts. I learned two things...well, one was learned and one was a reinforcement of an earlier belief.
1) When cutting housing for SRAM, if you think it's the correct length, it isn't. Add an inch to the length if you want it to shift!
2) I'll never buy SRAM. It just doesn't feel as solid as Shimano. The levers just feel cheap in the hand...very plastic-y. Shimano forever for me!

Evidently, LA had a good ride @ the TdS yesterday...Geshink was on fire though...
And watch this clip from Wednesday...I'm guessing the roads there are slick when wet! Even the sphincter clinch couldn't keep that one upright!

Oh, and Trek sucks! If you have a Madone, check your steerer tube! After you check it, pull all of your parts and buy something else! Here's a pic of one from Athens...

Gotta jet...time to look for some rims so I can re-build my White Industries hubs...

TdS carnage

Cav deviated, but a front wheel just shouldn't cave like that when touched! Big confidence booster for those who ride Zipp tubs...

Fire up the motor drive...

Boonen ran over Cav's neck! (photos courtesy: Sirotti)

GW's Tarmac has been striped of the Shimano bits and now has SRAM Force hanging on it. Upgrade? Maybe...maybe not...gotta go pick up the cableset and some bar tape for it. It'll be done tonight or tomorrow, depending on what the H.O. has planned for me tonight.

Back on the bike tomorrow. I'm getting hard(er) to get along with! Maybe I'll cough up some of this garbage...

Things that make you say...Holy Shit!

Yeah, that was Cav's fault...

-It's supposed to be over 100 degrees today with a heat index of 110+. You guys can have the TNWC tonight! I'm feeling better, but not feeling stupid. I know a few pipe hitters are bailing along with me, but there will be others that show up to tempt the angry God that is Heatstroke.

-These guys are still making wheels? Scary! That's a lot of cheddar for a wheelset that can't be repaired.

-I cannot find a rim for my broken rear wheel. Everyone that carries the IRD Cadence VSR hoop is out of stock right now...guess it'll just sit until one becomes available. Maybe not 'Holy Shit!' worthy, but still a pisser...

-SC politics...it seems we're out-crazying Arizona, Utah and NC...
Of course, we'll always have Clyburn and Jake Knotts, so we're automatically ahead from the start...

-BP...just plug the damn thing. You have the ability! I know it's a well that will produce MILLIONS of barrels in the future, but it's time to just cut your losses and solve the problem.

-That Van Der Sloot kid...just put a bullet in his skull. Hell, I know a guy that'll do it! The World will not weep....

Off the bike until Thursday in an effort to rid myself of whatever crud that has taken hold. Thankfully I have the World Cup to keep me company and GW's Tarmac to keep me busy.

Peace!

Love

I just LOVE being sick in the summer, especially when it's 111 degrees outside, and I'm being literal with the temperature!
Had a good ride Saturday, but as the day/evening progressed, I just felt worse and worse. Sunday was an up and down affair. Felt bad until about noon, then the bottom fell out. The hours of noon through about 5 were dodgy at best. I drove to the festering shit-hole that is Lexington to pick up the MTs, came home, ate a bowl of cereal, medicated and went to bed.

I'm feeling like I'm on the back side of it though. The H.O., in her finite wisdom, made the obligatory, 'go to the Doctor' comment, as wives are known do. No thanks! I don't need the Doctor to pop me for $80-ish dollars to tell me that I have a sinus infection that I'll be over by the end of the week.

That being said, at least my day of laying in bed was made more comfortable by the full day of sports on TV and the intarwebs. I watched the Dauphine, Tour de Suisse, World Cup Futbol, F1, NASCAR, LeMans, and a bit of college baseball, which is about as exciting as watching my 5 year old's t-ball games. Yeah, Carolina won, and is going to the CWS, but I really just don't care...

Oh, and my Speedplays came Saturday...broken out of the box...great...

More Futbol on tap today...not doing much else. The MTs can fend for themselves!

I'm cranky today...even more so than usual!

Saturday video dump

Dauphine Stage 6 (Alpe d'Huez)

Contadope wins, but didn't exactly light it up at the bottom and ride away...good ride by Tejay V.! Kid's a stud!

Tour de Suisse Stage 1 (Prologue)


Spartacus kicks it root down!

Did a nice 95km with the bunch this morning. No drama, just an enjoyable ride that had some pace in sections. It was bloody hot though!

USA/England now...already down 0-1...this might be bad...

Friday

Dauphine Stage 4



Good ride last night w/Il Prof and TVH. New position is feeling better every ride, but I think I need to nose the saddle down a bit. Getting forward on the nose isn't exactly the most comfortable thing in the World.

Time to go food shopping...it's starting to smack of bad parenting around here...

Talking points

-Good TNWC. Felt good. Had good legs and lungs. Stopped for luggage adjustments. New bibs pinching the junk.

-New Glass installed on truck...incorrectly. They're coming back today.

-New motion lights installed. Prisons got nothing on my yard.

-Shotgun cleaned, oiled and re-loaded. Next guy that breaks a window or walks on my porch carries home 00buckshot in his ass.

-Contadork looks beatable 4 weeks out from Le Tour. Maybe his dope regimen hasn't started yet.

-Landis hires Lemond's attorneys. With what $? It seems that particular asshole train has come full circle.

-Best. Jersey. Ever.

-Riding tonight.

-Lunchtime.

-Peace.

Quickie

So I rode last night. I did the HoP loop and felt great. No effort was made to go fast or get th HR up, but the cranks just spun freely...no chain ride!
I got home and took a walk with the H.O. and MTs. While sitting on a bench at the park, I took a shot to the neck by some sort of flying, stinging insect. Did I mention that I'm allergic to these types of things? We got up and walked home. About 30 minutes later, my neck was swollen and tingling and my breathing was growing more and more raspy. 3 tablespoons of liquid Benadryl, and an hour later, I was feeling better, if not a little fuzzy. The rest of my evening was a blur...
I woke up really foggy this morning...go figure! My neck is sore from the sting as well! I hope the little bastard enjoyed his last act!
The hits kept coming this morning. I'd planned on taking the MTs to the river to ride their bikes this morning, but upon the load-in, I noticed that some DICKHEAD smashed the rear window on my truck. Super...just fucking super...! And, of course, Safelite gave me a window of 12-6 for the 'technician' to show up and replace the glass.
I think the time for us to move the company HQ out of this glorified trailerpark is coming quickly.
See you guys at the TNWC tonight. Maybe some folks will show up! Contrary to the beliefs of some, 20 is not a good turnout!

Dauphine Stage 2...Haedo cleans up!

Monday dump

TdL Stage 4 recap...turned into a swim meet...


Dauphine Prologue/ITT

Contador must not be on his Tour dope regimen yet...great ride by Tejay nonetheless...
And WTF is with Millar's socks? Any higher and he'll need to cut armholes in them!

Liz Hatch crashed again, only in Europe this time. Granted, she did get run off by a car, but she seems to hit the tarmac in a spectacular fashion about once a season, and then brags about it. Frank McCormick once said to stay away from the guys who crash and then boast about the crash. Bad juju...mention it once, then let it go...
She's the Danica Patrick of cycling anyway...#titsovertalent
And if you doubt this, and take umbrage, please look at the 09 NRC points. Hatch had ZERO, yet got a Euro contract. Hell, our own little Casey Gale finished with 40...and wasn't on a big team!

SC State TT was Saturday. Nathan won 30-34. LL is 35-39 Champeen again. JayC finished 2nd in 40-44. Good rides fellas. And in looking at the Women's result, we really need to get Mrs. FK a TT bike. She could have easily podium'd in her group...maybe won it outright!

I didn't ride all weekend...it was nice. The fam came home and my solitude was destroyed, but no matter, I didn't have the urge to ride anyway. Instead, I cross-trained yesterday by power-washing the fence. My right hand/wrist/arm are jacked this morning. I have the Fred G. Sanford claw.

I think I'll do a short spin tonight to loosen things up...

Have a good Monday.

24 hours

It's a very short 24 hours until my week of solitude ends and the cacophony that is my family returns from the Redneck Riviera. I've been asked nigh on a dozen times this week as to exactly WHY I didn't go to the beach. Well, here's the short answer...the H.O.'s family goes on this trip every year! I would rather have a 0530, shot-to-the-nuts, wake-up call for a solid week, than have the first thing I hear in the morning be my jack-off father-in-law. Thus, I stayed in my humble home, rode when I wanted to ride, ate when I was hungry and slept when my eyes became heavy.
Sure, I miss the H.O. and the MTs, but it's been a quiet, enjoyable week!

Yesterday, I rolled out and did a Vitamin D ride on the cross bike. It was enjoyable enough, until I decided to tangle with one of those raised white lines near the TNWC course. 700x38 tires with 50-ish pounds of air them do not like quick changes in direction. The VERY soft front tire grabbed the edge of the line and sent me directly into the grass. I fell over and just sort of rolled, much like a turtle who finds himself suddenly on his back. No harm, no foul! I do levy a part of the blame squarely @ Il Prof, as we had a conversation about the white lines on Wednesday evening, after he nearly came to grief on one of the dastardly little raised SOBs. Bad juju...
At that point, I just rolled home...

I went out this morning with the plan to just to the HoP, but really had nothing more to do today, so I made a turn and went out into WC. I added the HoP+ loop and headed home. A couple of 15 minute efforts, and a few 30/30s and a charge up Gervais Street and I was done. 6 days and 17 hours on the bike this week. I think I'm going to take a couple of days off. Or maybe just tomorrow...

Oh, and I'm not even going to comment on the whole 'engine-in-the-seat-tube' mechanical doping bullshit. So far out of the realm of any possibility that it's almost obscene. Actually,
Spartacus has two engines...IN HIS FUCKING THIGHS! The pistons are straight out of a blown big-block Chevy 572!



LA is funny!

Speaking of eyes becoming heavy...it's naptime.

1998 TdF redux?

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/afld-wants-additional-controls-at-tour-de-france

I can see it coming...
Fishing through garbage cans, raiding team hotels, riders striking...stoopid!
Hey France, take a page from Italy and worry about putting on a great race!

Wednesday pic dump

Great Giro poster from Cyclocosm...

Yeah, track dudes aren't on the AVGAS...

When you see it, you understand...

I went out early last night before the TNWC. Rode into a rainstorm, turned for the course and rode out of the rain. Did the TNWC, then rolled home with the group. It started raining again about 4 blocks from the house. I'm sure glad I cleaned my bike on Monday...
I need to start making my appointments with Renick on days other than Tuesday. He cracked and stretched me yesterday and pulled something in my ribcage. Sure, it'll feel fine a couple of days, but @ 45kmh, it hurt a bit last night.
I'm taking today off the bike to get some crap done around the house. The plan was to paint some exterior trim, but no paint = no painting. The yard is calling me...then I'll clean the bike again.

Peace!