30 October 2010

Saturday Love...

Awesome, just awesome!!!



Got skills?




Check out the cross bike...it ain't no single...



I have no idea why Blogger/Google is cutting off the side of the videos. Click on the top banner of each video and it will open correctly in another window. Sorry...both are worth watching!!!

28 October 2010

Windshield/Bug

Some days you're one, some days the other. This morning was a windshield day. I don't know if it was the weather (rain, wet, mud), the amount of sleep I got yesterday and last night (10+ hours), or the new wheels on the Salsa, but turning it over seemed an afterthought.
There must be a bit of Belgian blood running through my veins, as I seem to ride better when the weather is shit...

It was a #5 and #9 day today.

News you can use-

A class act says goodbye to the peloton.

Farrar gets the WC as a leadout man?

I told you so...

Think you have a good wife? This guy's is better...


Not much else doing...have a good day everyone!

26 October 2010

My take

So, over the last couple of days, LeMond's daughter has been spouting off, on Twitter of all places, at Lance Armstrong and Graham Watson, and making the insinuation that Watson is part of some 'Omerta' to keep all things Lance under wraps.
Now granted, I think what Watson did was wrong. Labeling the LeMond photos with the word 'FOOL' in the URL on his website was just dumb. Images of LeMond, as well as myriad other cyclists, have made Watson pretty freaking famous, and wealthy. Bad form Mr. Watson.

That being said, Simone LeMond needs to keep HER mouth shut. She's 21 years and carries a fucking chihuahua around in her purse. Paris Hilton much?
Does anyone believe that it's above LeMond NOT to use his daughter as a surrogate mouthpiece...really? She's always going to believe her Father. Do you NOT think that he's brainwashed her into belief that everyone in the peloton is a cheater/doper/scumbag?

Simone LeMond wasn't even a drunken twinkle in her father's paranoid, jaundiced eye when Greg won his first Tour. She speaks of 'Omerta'? What's the bet she had to Google the word after she heard it from her father?
Maybe she should sit down and have a conversation with Ole Greggy-Poo concerning his rapid recovery from a shotgun blast to the chest in 1987, then winning the Tour in 1989 with 60 lead bird-shot pellets in his chest, including one in the lining of his heart.
I think LeMond has forgotten about all of the shit he jacked into his own veins during his career. Having a touch of the crazy will do that to you!
Anquetil said you don't win Le Tour on mineral water alone...

As for me, I did 10x1 intervals this morning. I rode hard enough to give myself a headache, and puke a bit during a belch. Sweet...

Peace!

24 October 2010

Wait, what? Are you kidding?

So the ASO, in all of their cheese-eating-surrender-monkey wisdom, are batting around the idea of removing La Foret d'Arenberg in 2011. Huh? It's been skipped three times in 100+ years, with the last time in '05, b/c they were restoring it for the race. It's like going to see Cirque de Soleil, but all of the performers are in tracksuits. Sure, it's the circus, but just not the same...
I'm not one to support lobbyists, but if there was ever a time to have one in your pocket, in France, then this is it. Send notes of support to Les Amis de Paris-Roubaix.

Speaking of things Euro, Stybar once again showed clean (figuratively) wheels to the field in Plzen today. Great course...short and punchy...



The Palmetto Trail called to me this morning. I swapped out the skinnies for the meat. The difference was a double-edged sword. On the tarmac, 700x40 tires are brutally slow. In the trail, they were sublime.
I went out to the firebreak @ MM8, cleaned my glasses, watered the fence, and turned for home. A slight deviation was made to include the doubletrack road that runs just inside the fenceline. It's fast, swoopy and pretty damn fun. The best part was the section that runs behind King's Grant*. It's nice to know that people who live in a gated community, with $500k houses, are still ignorant rednecks who just throw their dog's waste over the fence, into the Army base. Money can't buy good sense it seems...


*- King's Grant is a lovely community situated in a niche that lies between I-77N and Fort Jackson Army Base, the single largest training base in the military. A nice, quiet place to raise children....

Anywho, it was a good ride on a beautiful day, other than the poop...

Hope everyone had a good weekend...Peace!

22 October 2010

Friday update

Well, my esophageal motility test was an absolute failure this morning. I got up before the rooster even thought about twitching, hiked my happy ass out to LexMed, sat for close to an hour, and then was physically unable to complete the test.
The probe was supposed to go through my nose and descend into the upper regions of the GI tract. Well, I've broken my nose somewhere between 2 and 5 times, depending on who is reading the X-Rays, so Fred, the huge Endoscopy nurse, couldn't feed it through.
We moved on to the effort to swallow the probe. My throat/esophagus is so damaged that I couldn't get it down. A short bit of vomiting followed. Nice way to start your day...
No test = no results = more time and testing needed to figure out that my upper GI is wrecked. Super!

Upside? When I got home, FedEx had already been to the house and dropped off MDro's new rig. 90 short minutes later, it was built, tuned and ready to get dirty.


Not bad for an off the peg bike. There are some things I'd change, but that would just add more cost to the project. Even so, it was a screaming deal from the fine folks @ Bothell Bike out in the PNW.
It's a shame that he's out of town for the weekend...

Oh, and to add insult to my overall feeling of malaise, I'm single parenting until tomorrow night. The H.O. is in Tatertown again for work. You have fun with that...

Peace.

20 October 2010

2011 Tour de France preview & news

2011 TdF stages and preview

Didn't feel like re-writing...just click the link! Looks like it could be interesting. Funny that people all already poo-pooing it, even though it's a completely different race than in the past. Can't make some folks happy...

Hey Floyd...they really don't want you there...

I forgot to mention the Women's race in Aigle. Katie F'n Compton FTW...

Hotness...

19 October 2010

(real) Old School

Think you know 'Old School'?

Well, you don't know jack! Old School is written in the lines on his face. He's seen more, done more, and ridden more miles in worse weather. He's forgotten more about cycling than we'll know.
As 'cyclists', we should all aspire to this...
Think about it on your ride today.

17 October 2010

50/50

And how was your weekend? Mine was as the title states...
Saturday was a waste. I went to the Clemson/Maryland game. It was akin to watching, well...Clemson and Maryland. Two bad teams running around on a beautiful day, followed by that miserable drive back from the Upstate. Then Carolina pulled their normal shit. By normal, I mean the same crap that they've pulled since I started school here in 1988. Play well, win some big games, get everyone into a frenzy, then drive it into the ditch. I would rather have been racing CX in Greenville, blue-dotting and coughing up my own sick.
This morning, I woke up LATE, had brekkie with the fam, watched Stybar go horizon on the bunch @ Aigle, and then climbed onto the cross bike @ 1030. Instead of the normal stuff, I decided to hit the Palmetto Trail for a little grindy singletrack action. The trail itself is in pretty good shape, save for the plethora of pine straw, but that's the norm out there. And I'm sure there are those that still poo-poo riding out there as being "too easy" or "not technical enough", but go do it on a cross bike with 32c tires, instead of a MTB, and get back to me!
Anyway, it was a beautiful morning and the ride was sublime! The rest of the day was spent with the corporation, including a trip to the Pumpkin patch. I even got a little time in The ManHole(tm) for some bike maintenance. Good day all the way around...

Oh, here's the vid of the last two laps from Aigle. Looks like a punchy course...



And for the worst weather of the weekend, look no further than the Giro di Lombardia...




Peace!

15 October 2010

Happy Birthday

Boonen turns 30 today! Underage girls and blow for everyone...!!!!!

14 October 2010

Testing...1,2,3...

Okay, so when I do a product test, I usually like to ride the part I'm reviewing several times before offering an opinion. In this, however, one 90 minute ride was sufficient to deduce that I found something good.
What bits did I test this morning you ask? IRD Crossfire cyclocross tires! I've ridden and raced a LOT of cross tires, both clincher and tubular, and the tires I rode this morning are easily the best clinchers I've had under my fat rear end.

Okay, I'll admit, the white is a bit obscene (I was expecting black), but the weight and construction of the tire doesn't change with color, so what the hell.
Quick and dirty overview of the meats themselves...
120TPI (more than a lot of $$ road tires), very supple casing and tread, widely spaced deep lugs that extend pretty far down the sidewall. They went on easily by hand and roll straight and round when inflated to the proper pressure. IRD states that the tires are 32mm wide, but they measure out to just shy of 35mm.
Ride report...
I put them on my 32h IRD/White Industries wheels, put 50psi in the front and 55psi in the rear. Those pressures are higher than needed for a race situation, but I was riding on tarmac, gravel, dirt and grass this morning, so there had to be a trade-off. It seemed that the choice was correct. On the tarmac, they roll smoothly and quietly, and really didn't seem to be any slower than Michelin Jets or Kenda SB8s. Turn in was progressive and I could tell the tread was soft and the casing supple. Ride quality is softer than the two aforementioned tires at the same pressures.
Once into the trail/cross loop, they could do no wrong. Gravel passed under the tires with no harshness or drama. In the dirt, they just gripped and gripped. No sliding, period!
The wet grass really showed where IRD did it's homework. Considering these are based on the Panaracer Fire XC Pro MTB tires (and produced in Japan by Panaracer), it's not too surprising.
I did 4 race paced loops of the double secret course and made an honest effort to hit the turns hard to see if I could make the tire slide out. No such luck! They just grabbed the grass and turned. I could hear the grass tearing as the tread scrabbled for grip. The tires didn't even give up grip climbing the run-up, like the Jets/SB8s are wont to do.
I also hit a section of lumpy mud, which didn't get the chance to stick around, literally and figuratively. The Crossfires shed every speck of mud within 25m.
Overall, I can't really find a downside to the Crossfires. The color isn't a big deal, simply because the white actually didn't look terrible on the bike. It actually gives one the opportunity to color match things, if so inclined.

As for me, no racing in Greenville this weekend, as I am being forced to play the role of loving spouse, and accompany the H.O. the the Clemson game on Saturday. The upside? We aren't sitting in the stands with the unwashed masses of mulleted Clemson fans. We'll be in the SuperBox, enjoying free food and drink. It's a push...
My calf is also SORE today. I may have received a bit deeper bruise that I initially thought, but it's not enough to keep from riding.

Peace!

10 October 2010

My leg hurts!

Augusta race report...in talking points.
-Didn't warm up enough
-5th into turn one...dumbass crashes in turn two...still fifth.
-Guy in front of me trips on run-up. I check up to keep from stomping on him.
-In true NASCAR form, I get plowed from behind, and take a bike to the right calf.
-It hurt! The guy apologized...as he ran past. Thanks man...dick!
-5th to 12th in 50m
-Struggled for the rest of the race.
-Lost more spots...right calf es no bueno!
-Finished solidly mid-pack in 19th.

Highlights of a 19th place finish?
-Didn't crash
-Wanted to quit, but didn't
-Nothing broke (parts or me)
-Wasn't DFL by a long shot
-Took a donut hand-up from a cute girl!
-Had big fun
-Watched Pat embarrass himself in front of EASILY the hottest girl in Augusta

Probably had a top ten in me, if not for being summarily disabled on lap one.
My right calf is swolled and f*cking SORE!!! I'm sure it'll feel SUPER tomorrow!

06 October 2010

Really? REALLY?



Hey Floyd...
No one cares!
You're a douche!
Go away!
Feel free to G.F.Y!
Talk about hubris...jeez!

Now for something positive...

I suddenly feel like I want shrimp, a barbie, an oil can of Foster's and whatever else she feels like bringing to the shindig! Maybe her twin sister? Too much to ask?

05 October 2010

?

Okay...I have a question. Did I fall asleep, Rip Van Winkle-style, and sleep through Fall? A week ago, I was rolling out in a sleeveless jersey. This morning, the Verge baselayer and Sockguy armwarmers were called into service for the first time. It was 53 degrees when the first pedal turned @ 0915. The North wind was a nice plus too!
Of course, we could be in Phoenix, where the temps are still licking three figures. It's a dry heat though...

Here's yet another reason why Belgium is cool...The route for the Ronde is permanently marked!!!
"Where are we riding today?"
"Oh, I figured we'd do the last 80km of the Ronde."

And this hit the mailbox yesterday...
Thanks to Big Jonny and the Gnome! "Two Wheels...One Dark Lord!"

03 October 2010

Thor smash...

What a great freaking finish!!!
Here's the entire last lap...
P1


P2



Rode 2 hours solo yesterday in the wind. It didn't matter which direction I went, I had a head/cross. It okay though, the ride was still quite enjoyable, except for the douche who gave me the right hook in West Columbia. He's now the proud owner of a Cycle Center waterbottle. The bottle jumped right off my downtube, flew in a borderline perfect arc, and sailed through his open passenger side rear window. I wish the bottle on my seat tube would have taken the initiative though, as the aforementioned bottle was full of Hammer Nutrition's finest lemon-lime HEED. On an up note, I'm betting that shit is sticky when splashed inside of a Nissan Altima.

The MT's went to The Spa, so I nixed a ride this morning to take advantage of the quiet house, and slept in. The H.O. and I went out the The Palmetto Trail and did a nice 4 mile hike instead. Not a bad morning...

The new cross wheels and tires are to be shipped tomorrow (Monday). Somehow though, I'm doubting it'll all show up by the end of the week for Augusta on Sunday.

Hope everyone had a good weekend!

01 October 2010

(shaking head)

Oh Lance...
You used to be a car guy. An Audi A8 W12, the GTO that Sheryl gave you, the big red Harley...
Now you've gone and joined the pious douchebags.

I know that it'll rarely get driven, simply because it's a PR stunt. Maybe you'll just motorpace behind it.

And I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the 'zero emissions' sticker on the side. Sure, it uses no gasoline, but the electricity doesn't exactly come from thin air now, does it? The coal burning power plants that are making the elctricity, and the very production of the vehicle itself, put enough goop into the air to more than make up for the 'clean' vehicle...