Sunday...Sunday...Sunday...

Superprestige Gieten 2010



Yes, that was Nys' bike exploding there in the sprint. He broke the spindle of a XTR pedal and the rest of the drivetrain ate itself. Rarely can one say that he/she knows a Euro-Dog's pain, but after two episodes nearly like Nys', I feel good in saying that I understand.

Nice to see that Landis is still being a douchebag. Thanks for the info Floyd! I don't think we are at all bright enough to have come to that conclusion ourselves. And shut the fuck up about Lance. We all know how you feel. Now, it just smack of desperation. Dick...

Speaking of DBs, Wiggins is smelling of the Thames lately. Maybe he should toe the line of Roubaix...and win...before giving TPhinney a back-handed compliment. And the haircut doesn't exactly help Wiggo...

This head-cold is fighting the fight against everything I'm throwing it's way. I'm slowly taking the hill, but losing men along the way. I bought a Neti-Pot, and it works, but I'd like to cock-punch the inventor after every use. There's just something not natural about pouring lukewarm saltwater through the holes in your face.

I got on the bike this morning too. It was a slow 75 minutes of heavy legs and running mucus. I'm sure it was a sight to behold. Upside? I found a new section of dirt to ride...

Hope everyone had a good weekend. Peace!

I got sand in places....

Definitely not good for the drivetrain...

Katie Fn Compton destroyed the Women's field...looking for video...

Update update...

An update to Saturday's Shimano tech tip...
In error, I said that the new Shimano XT Shadow 10 speed rear derailleur will not work with STI shifters. Well, it seems that NONE of the Shadow rear derailleurs will work with STI.
We got the '9 speed' XT Shadow to shift, but it was sluggish at best, and hung in just about every gear, going up, or down, the cogset.
A call to Shimano revealed that the geometry of the Shadow stuff is different (very SRAM-like), thus the cable pull ratios are not the same as road, or non-Shadow mechs.
I got tired of futzing with it, and threw a mid-cage Ultegra 6700 on the Salsa. Guess what? It shifts like butta. A little B-tension adjustment and a slightly shorter chain should take care of the slap issues. Let's hope this one lasts longer than 4 weeks...like the last.

Pat and I did a nice ride yesterday on the cross bikes. 2.5 hours out through W. Cola. and back to Heathwood, hitting all the dirt there was along the way. My head cold was playing havoc, so any sort of effort sent my HR through the roof, so just rolling it over had to be enough.

Oh, and here's the elevation profile for the Calhoun County loop...

2500ft. of ascent in 95km. It's no loop around Tryon, but gives you just about anything you'd need on a 3 hour ride.

Gobble...gobble...

Cipo looks like himself here, but Tchmil looks like a Russian mobster. Cipo has been hired to teach the Katusha boys how to sprint. Pozzato says he doesn't need it. Mario's 191 victories say something else...

As we all know, I'm no climber, but I would gladly drag my big ass up and over this one! It looks like riding on Mars. The scale is what gets me here...crazy.

The Salsa will be back on the (dirt) road this afternoon. An exploration ride is on tap for tomorrow morning. I hope everyone has a Happy Turkey Day.

Peace!

Asper-Gavere

Great course! Promoters, watch this video and you'll see how to put together a CX loop!

Euro cross Saturday

Watch for the spectacular crash @ 11:35...

Did a nice 100km through Calhoun County a nice little group of folks this morning. Made the effort to stay on the front for the entire ride...and did. I guess it's supposed to be good for you or something. I do, however, feel a huge pang of guilt for making the group take a little dirt detour, during which a Colnago with brand new Record 11 hit the ground. So...So sorry!

Saturday Shimano Tech Tip: The NEW XT 10 speed mountain bike rear derailleur will NOT work with 10 speed road levers. The cable pull is different. It only took Shrews and I a combined 2-1/2 hours to figure this out. Of course, it probably should have taken the 90 seconds it took for me to look up the Shimano Tech Docs online...#dumbass
The cross bike is out of commission until Wednesday now. Live and learn...

The Phoenix

I cannot say enough about Chain Reaction Cycles!! These guys are located in Northern Ireland and have some of the best pricing and fastest shipping around, and that includes the normal American outlets.

I ordered a XT Shadow 10 speed rear derailleur last Thursday morning. It hit my doorstep this morning. 7 days to get from the UK to South Carolina! That's faster than the last thing I ordered from Performance, and those morons are 3-1/2 hours from here!!!

The Salsa will return to it's intended form (2x10 drivetrain) tonight. Yep, I went back to the well with the MTB rear mech. I ran a XT R/D on the thing for 4 years without so much as a hiccup. The change to Ultegra road stuff saw two derailleurs get summarily destroyed with 6 weeks of one another, so back to the slightly heavier, but more robust parts for me.

I did ride the Salsa setup with a Surly Singleator
, but that single 40km ride made it clear that SS just is not for me. Shifting gears is too ingrained in my addled little brain to adapt to the lack of ability to shift. I thought about shifting about 73 times, and tried to shift about 27 times. Number of times it worked? ZERO!

No racing for me until December either. My GI Doc forbade me from toeing the line until he figures out why my throat is swelling some days, and perfectly fine on others. It's money out of my pocket either way...

To the guys racing in Hendersonville this weekend, kick some ass...
Have a good weekend everyone!

Peace

What being the best looks like...

Danny MacAskill is, in fact, a bad man.

Back on the horse this morning. I'm single parenting this week and need some fresh air to clear my little mind. SSCX is getting the call this morning...

A Reluctant Hero

I know this is a 'bike related' blog, and it's a bit of a goof. Some people come here and take it for what it's worth, while some completely over-react and get their panties scrunched. That's sort of the point, and the beauty of it.

What follows is a story that should be told and that everyone should know, both for the small picture, as well as the the much larger tapestry that is woven by the thousands of small pictures that are produced every day.

Sal Giunta is a 25 year old Army Staff Sergeant. He is alive and currently stationed in Italy. He is receiving the Congressional Medal of Honor today.

The following video tells SSgt. Giunta's story, but not all of it.

The Sal Giunta Story from Sebastian Junger on Vimeo.

In the time since this story was produced by Sebastian Junger, it has come to light that the entire Taliban operation against Giunta's platoon was an effort to capture an American soldier. Sal Giunta, and the rest of his team, raced into the unknown black of night, to ensure that Sgt. Joshua Brennan did not become a statistic and propaganda tool for the Taliban. They ran headlong into a hail of bullets to bring their friend back. Would you do the same?

I know we joke around, and thump our collective chest about what badasses we may, or may not be, but Sal Giunta, and the rest of the guys who are currently on the ground in "The 'Stan" are truly badass, and heroes all. No matter what you think of the War itself, never question the dedication of the soldiers tasked to carry it out!

Think about this during your dry, warm, comfortable day...

New week

Yeah, it was damp @ Hamme-Zogge yesterday...

Schleck isn't even making an effort to by sly here. Baller!

And Wells is no longer in showroom condition. Sometimes bunnyhop good...sometimes bunnyhop no good! If you listen closely, you can hear the little birds chirping as they fly around his melon!





A nice 55km rolled under the wheels this morning. I made zero effort to go fast, yet somehow just rolled along easily at 32-35kmh. The weather is nearly perfect out there today, so if you have the opportunity to throw a leg over the TT, do it! 60 degrees, overcast and ZERO wind.

Peace!

Sloppy mess...party of Nys?

Hard men, all of them!

The Salsa got turned into a single speed for the time being. I can't decide if I'm happy about it or not. The plan was to shake it down Saturday, then race it on Sunday. Well, the best laid plans of mice and men...
My meds are laying waste to my riding. I either feel really good, or like complete shit. Lately, the latter...

Good rides by the locals at all of the races this weekend! Special shout to SpokeJunky (see over here >>>>>) for his W in Charleston!

Bike on the proverbial horse tomorrow! Hope everyone had a better weekend than yours truly!

Peace!

A test....

Okay people...what's missing in this photo? If you answered, 'The important parts of a Shimano 6700 Ultegra rear derailleur', then you get a cookie!
After a really nice ride with MDro tonight, I went banging through a truly rough section of gravel road and, evidently, ran over an IED placed by Campagnolo. The entire rear portion of my drivetrain exploded, and I mean exploded. I've seen less damage to bikes that came off roof racks at highway speeds.
The 8 week old derailleur sheared completely off of the hanger and came apart. MDro and I couldn't even locate the inner cage and the pulleys. Oh, did I mention they were high $ ceramic units? Yeah, I'm going back tomorrow morning, in the light, to see if they can be located.
The SRAM chain was twisted 90 degrees and pulled apart at one of the pins.
Fortunately, the new rear wheel, which was rebuilt after the last incident, seems to be okay, other than having some new character. Shrews will take care of that tomorrow.

Did I mention that MDro walked the end of the ride with me? That's a friend right there!

I have a few options. I can buy a new R/D at the shop, and take a reaming at checkout. I can slap the Singleator on it and run it single speed for a while. I can hit up friends with copious parts bins for a spare, which is fine, but if this failure occurs again, I'm out TWO derailleurs.

I'll probably slap a MTB R/D on it again. I rode the fucking thing for almost 4 years with a XT on it...NO issues.

Hopefully, the shop will be gentle with me in the morning...

Pic post

You don't need balls to have balls...


Um, yes please...


Surly Pugsleys are for pussies...


Proper skinsuit fitment...

Peace!

A sloppy mess

Nys is a mudder, once again. Stybar called into the live broadcast for Mallorca...wuss! The course looked, um, challenging. Guys would crash on the one descent and slide all the way to the bottom, w/o their bikes.

Speaking of, I bailed on racing CX today. I woke up feeling punky yesterday, rode anyway, and just felt worse as the day progressed. @ 2100 hours, the H.O. forbade me from getting up @ 0530 and traveling to Charleston. I'm glad she did, b/c I've felt like hammered shit since my crusty eyes saw first light this morning. I rolled out of the rack @ 0900, which was really 1000, since the time got clicked back last night. Somewhere near 11 hours of sleep helped very little...
I'm not even hungry, so you KNOW something is wrong!

Good ride by Spokejunky this morning in Chas. to finish 2nd in the 3s. MDro rode well, but evidently ran off course and lost spots getting back on.

Oh, well, such is life. I'd rather be sick now than for Southern Cross.

Finally...

Has it been a long week for anyone else? Jeez...

You know that rain and wind that blew through yesterday morning? Yeah, I toed the fine line that separates hard and stupid and went out in it. 2 hours on the CX bike. It was one of those days that give you no choice BUT to go hard, as it's really the only way to stay warm. I did the normal CX loop (the 10km dirt section 2x) and brought my nearly drowned fat ass back to the house. To say I was wet and dirty would be an understatement of epic proportions. I didn't even bother to come in the house post-ride. The mudroom earned it's name!
The ride itself was highly enjoyable...even the uber-soft sand/dirt/clay/mud on Old State was good. I just kept reminding myself that it was good for me. While I was stopped at the light @ Huger St., a nice older lady did asked if I needed a ride somewhere. I explained that I was out in the shit by choice, which was met with a look that a dog gives when ones ask it a question.
No ride today. I'll go out and spin around tomorrow morning, and then wake up before the crack of dawn to race on Sunday. It's supposed to be ass-biting cold Sunday morning...greeeeaaaaat!

News:
Bjarne Riis sure is sensitive, and a little bitter I'd say. Hey Barney, JT has something to tell you...

As the the Luxembourg team, whatever they are to be called, they have BIG money backing them! Look for Luxair, Trek and Mercedes to be on the jersey. Just sayin'...

As always, the Feds show class. Good job FBI! Isn't there a better use of Federal Agent time than strong arming a guy from Ukraine? Dicks! Hey Feds, if you're reading this, I took a piss in Lance's bathroom back in 1999 (really, I did!). I'll probably get a subpoena now.

If you don't read IF's blog once in a while, you should! Art in motion!

And here's a new site that allows you to map rides. It even calculates elevation...pretty rad! Veloroutes.org


Have a good weekend! Go out and get some! Peace!

Muddy goodness!

Nys is a mudder. Watch him just flow and let the bike move around under him. Notice too, that his rear FMB is flat for @ 1/2 lap. No worries though, just ride it! I also like the fact that this race was on a Monday, and the course was surrounded by fans. Belgium has it shit straight!

MDro and I met for a CX ride last night. Nothing hard, just a fun ride through the surrounding area, including the secret spots. It was the first time this season that I've had to break out the lights. This whole 'dark at 6:45 thing' is a bit depressing. Thankfully, I have the opportunity to ride in the morning, when the sun is above the horizon. That being said, I really like riding at night. It heightens the senses, so when I come down, sleep is easy!

I suddenly want one of these too...

The very moment...

For all you dillholes who believe Contadope! The signing of the contract was caught on film, or hard drive as it were...



4th day of 4 yesterday. MDro was supposed to show up for some quality dirt time, but he woke up with a headache (How is the wife anyway? I kid...I kid...), so I was Juan Solo, as usual. 4 days in a row with efforts everyday does, in fact, dull the steel a little bit. I remembered rule #5, and soldiered on through West Columbia. Off the bike today as I'm sort of tired, and the MTs are both unencumbered by the yoke of oppression that is school. Oh, they're off tomorrow too! And we wonder why we're 49th in education!



This is an actual photo of an actual road. It was taken by my friend FH (@pedal_junky on the Twitter), somewhere in Virgina. He followed the road and evidently, it's a long, winding, tailwind descent. My next time thru that part of the world, I'll ride that road...and liberate the sign!

And tomorrow, get out and vote. It doesn't matter who you vote for, just go do it!

Peace!