Simple flow chart....

This went to a new home last night which lead to this...

Stacks...which today will lead to this...

Which will, in turn, go on this....

No, I'm not doing electronic stuff. I have enough shit on my mind as it is. Remembering to plug my bike in once in a while will likely slip through the holes in my sieve-like mind, and I'll get to experience the joy of riding home in the 12.

And seeing how 'Trickle Down Bicycle Economics" works, the 7800 D/A will get transferred over to the Salsa CX frameset. And depending on how much I actually spend, may get a new fork and a fresh coat of powder.

The buying began last night...

A new 7900 F/D is already on the way. The rest will be purchased in the next 12 hours.

The question that stands is D/A 7900 cranks, or Rotor 3D? Decisions...

Ah Monday, you glorious S.O.B. !

Edit : And top put a cherry on top of a rainy day, we've discovered that the rear rim of my ROL Race SLs is cracked in about a half dozen spots. Greeeaaatttt....

I know I posted the finish, but here's the last 5km of K-B-K.




Firefly makes me feel warm and funny. Check their Tumblr page for more bike porn.


Champion System Pro Cycling Team wearing Chuck Taylors at their team launch. As they're based in S.E. Asia, what's the bet the shoes are knock-offs?


Gnarlube. Don't know about their product, other than the fact it seems to be bike lube, but they have the whole 'marketing' thing down pretty well!


These are the cobbles on the Molenberg. Looks like a good time, eh? Pic credit goes to the brilliant Jered Gruber.

And for those who bitch about living in Columbia, you could live in the bicycle mecca of the upper Midwest. It's a balmy 22 degrees there, and a blizzard warning was issued for tomorrow and Wednesday.
Not so bad here, huh?

Anyway, happy Monday.

Wrap-up

As you've seen already, the Spring Classics have begun. I'm as giddy as a little girl...

Much like Spinal Tap's amps, Dura-Ace now goes to 11! Oh, what to do? As soon as the old truck sells, I'm pulling down on new parts for the Ridley. I guess I'll just stick to 10 speed stuff, as I have a SHITLOAD of it.
And to be honest, we probably won't see 11 speed Shimano for a long while, and as the article tells us, it's Di2, so an offering of a male offspring will likely be necessary to procure the groupset.

Good Saturday ride, the wind notwithstanding. We pretty much stayed in the trees until the right turn onto Shop. While forward momentum was arrested, it was certainly slowed. Nothing like grinding away into a 40kph headwind, killing yourself to maintain 30kph. Even on the false flat down to the bridge sprint, I was only turning over 38kph. It was just brutal.

I got out of the shower and my face was just burnt. The wind had it's way with me...

I missed Il Prof and TVH this morning, as the wife neglected to make it home from her workout until 0930. I can make up 10, maybe 15 minutes out into Lex/Cal, if I know the route. 30 is just not do-able. Instead, I vacuumed and washed both trucks, put the white truck on Autotrader, and messed with the M.T.s. About noon, it became clear that I needed to go ride, so I geared up and rode the Jericho for 2 hours. It was breezy again, but nothing like Saturday!
I decided to cut through the location of the new Flying J truck stop, and nearly had a spectacular get off in some VERY soft LexCo sand. The vacuum created from my sphincter slamming shut was possibly the only thing that allowed me to remain upright.

I rolled home to discover that Mother Nature had other plans for my Florida-sourced TV watching. Translation? It was raining in Daytona.

Instead, I broke out the heavy tools and affected repairs on Service Course. Translation? I fixed the bad wood on the ManHole(tm). Wow, that sounded really NC17, eh? 3 hours, and a trip to Lowe's later, SC is once again buttoned up tight.

Big exciting weekend, huh? Hey, they can't all be winners!

K-B-K 2012 (That's Sir Cav to you!)

Last 2km of Omloop Het Nieuwsblad (video Saturday)

Boonen said the race was 50m too long...

No Boom Boom, you timed your sprint wrong, period. Flecha drew you out, and Vanmarcke made you pay for it.

And Hoy winning the Keirin from a few days ago...



And Vicky P puttin' it DOWN...



And the GBR ladies beating Canada and taking the WR from the Aussies...

Achtung!

Disc brakes on the road...NEIN!
You ever thought, I wish my wheels were heavier?

Tubeless tires on the road...NEIN!
An answer to a question that wasn't asked. Not faster, not lighter, and more fiddling...

Electronic shifting on the road...JA!
This, I'm fine with...

Fun ride last night. Rolled around with the night group. Made a couple of good efforts and got the legs going back around. 77 degrees when I left the house @ 6. 72 degrees when I got back @ 8:15. You guys up North can keep that shit...

0900 Saturday @ Brennen
0900 Sunday @ Greene/Laurens

Motivation

You want something to motivate you?

Plan a route that takes approximately 2 hours with about 90 minutes of daylight left. That's exactly what I did on Tuesday afternoon.

The H.O. got home at 4:30. I got on the CX bike @ 4:45 with the plan to go out through the Fort, dive into the woods, and ride the trail all the way back to the gate. The first part of the ride was great. Just rolling along without effort. Looking back, I probably should have dialed it back for the first 30 minutes or so, as the climb out on Hartsville Guard was pretty miserable. Of course, I WAS riding 33c tires (measured 36-37) with 50 psi in them. Standing to climb was a washy affair, at best.

Once at the trailhead, a second wind hit, and the hammer went back down. The trail was in perfect condition, but again, I rode the file tread Clements. Fast, but no likey the slippy turns.

As I jumped out onto the road at the end of the trail, the sun had fallen behind the trees...time to go.
The access road lead me to the gate, and off the base. The sun was dipping below the horizon at this point. Did I mention I had on my dark Oakleys, and did NOT have a headlight? One was by plan (headlight), the other was just poor decision making. Note to self : put in the contacts and wear the yellow lenses...

I ran it home thru Heathwood and Shandon, and rolled into the yard @ 6:30...it was dark-ish.

No matter. It was a good ride, and big fun. I got a little mud on me and no blood was shed.




And yes TVH, neon is BACK! Manufacturers call it 'hi-vis' yellow, but make no mistake, it's neon!

And, and here's a lap of Oostmalle from Christian Heule's bars...lovely little course...

Tuesday Newsday

News-ish:

File Under : No Fucking Way! Roubaix without Arenberg? That would be like peanut butter without the ladies!

AND, if the threat of Arenberg's removal isn't enough, the classic/traditional route for the RvV has changed...
Pulling out the Muur Van Geraadsbergen because it's 'not convenient'? Jesus, racing in Belgium...in April, isn't exactly convenient.

Voeckler fails to repeat at Haut Var...announces that he's begun training for the sequel to "300".

File Under : No shit? Really? Garmin delayed it's powermeter pedals...again? $1500 pedals? I'll pass...

Albert finally decided to win a race in the WC stripes last weekend. And it was a good one...

And for the rest of your Euro fix, head on over to Pez and burn the rest of your day watching the videos...

Now, onto my drivel...


Not much to say here, other than DO WANT!!! If you're gonna be a bear, be a Grizzly! And that's the exact backdrop I would build to store the bike on when not in use!

I'm no physicist, but I do understand that both of these guys are about to have the momentum arrested at an alarming rate. Or, in the parlance of our friends in Lexington County...Bad shit's about to happen man!


Dirt climb out of the valley anyone? A single trip up and down would likely be enough to fill a ride. Let's be frank. I'm a fatass, and no climber, but dragging myself to the top would be fun. Of course, we all know that my idea of fun is sometimes really warped...

Have a good Tuesday!

It's all mental...

After 5 days off the bike, yesterday started out with a bit of a whimper. The action of riding felt weird, and the legs were very curious as to what the hell was going on. For the first two hours, I felt like someone had slipped an IV of Quikrete into a vein. The word 'sloth' comes to mind...

Once we made the turn onto Double Homey, things sort of woke up. The run down Pineview was quick, and once onto Shop, putting the power down seemed to come pretty easy. Who knew a 2-1/2 hour warmup was necessary? No matter, it was nice to get back on the bike, and out in the fresh air.


Yeah, the fields are greening up nicely...in February...

The rain started late last night, and continued into the morning, so I slept in. The plan was to watch Oostmalle, then go out into the weather on the CX bike. Well, the best lain plans of mice and men...blah, blah, blah...
The rain let up a bit, the fenders went on, and I began to gear up. About the time I was airing tires, the bottom fell out. Figuring that a rainy Sunday morning, just after the pious (truly and otherwise) were letting out of church wasn't the best time to get hit by a vehicle, I opted for the turbo.
I hate the trainer with the white, hot passion of 1000 suns, but I hate hitting the ground more, so I stayed in the ManHole(tm), spun the legs around @ 80%, and watched La Course en Tete for an hour.
An hour is literally all I can take anymore. As I sat and spun, I kept looking out the door of Service Course, thinking that the weather really wasn't that bad.
A decision was made about 47 minutes in...
The turbo will not be ridden again. Fuck it! I don't care. I'll be cold and/or wet. A new rain jacket will be ordered this evening...
Rule #5 will be adhered to from here on out!

Now, on to this week's tech tip!

Check your stuff!


The above pictures are of a Deda handlebar that was removed from (redacted) bike. Yes, you are correct. Those ARE holes! I'm shocked that the bar stayed together. Needless to say, calls were made, and a new bar (and stem for good measure) was procured.
Seriously though, when changing your bar tape, inspect your bars. A lot of sweat, as well as other moisture, soaks into your tape. Synthetic tapes just do not dry out quickly, and that collected funk will eat your bars. I'd like to say that this is the first time I've seen this, but I'd be lying.
Change your tape often as well. It's a cheap, and may just save your life!

Where's my Tyvek suit and biohazard breather? This is some of the funk that came off, and OUT OF the bars.

Speaking of mental toughness, the Management Trainees are out of school tomorrow. Oh joy! The Boss better bring her ass home early...

Namaste...

Random shite

Well, that answered that...

Think your bars are low? Cadel begs to differ. I'll need to go see Renick just for LOOKING at that picture...

Enjoy the video

Timmy & the Entourage from Brad Walton on Vimeo.

Nothing to really report here. I've been off the bike since last Sunday. I was starting to feel really beat up, and just bone tired. No reason to grind it into powder. Too much to do in my off-bike life...

Back on the horse this weekend...rain or shine...

Stupid is as stupid does?

I've said it before, and I'll say it again...
There's a fine line between hard and stupid. My buddy Robert is the impetus for this post. He gave me mad props for my treading of the aforementioned line.

Sure, sometimes I ride my bike in shitty weather and/or conditions just so I can say that I did it. It's the 'why does a dog lick his balls?' theory. Does it mean I'm hard? Sure...a little. Does it mean I'm stupid? See the previous answer...

The main reason I go out solo in the soup/cold/wind/hail/meteors/frogs? I like to ride a bike. Doesn't matter what bike...doesn't matter where. As I've grown older, I've gotten back to the base enjoyment of riding. It's about the little things...the experience. You never know just what you'll see. or run into, while out on the bike. Could be a boring ass loop of Fort Jackson, or an adventure, or a comedy of errors.

I've seen things from the saddle of a bicycle that 99% of the people in the World may never get to experience. Hell, not just ME...we've all seen these things.

Sunrises, sunsets, wildlife, epic (yes, I used that word) weather, anger, fistfights, love, hate...

I'm not as fast as I once was...who cares? Hell, the fastest guy in this town has an injury that has effectively ended his racing career. Does he care? Sure, a little. Is it eating him from the inside out? Nope. He's probably fitter NOW than he was when he was breaking our collective legs. His exercise of choice has evolved.

I'm a married, nearly 42 year old father of 3. There are no pro teams watching me. Well, BMC and Omega Pharma/Quick Step might be, but that's just because I know both of their social media directors, and they want to make sure I'm not TOO harsh on their boys!

Now don't get me wrong, I still like to taste the pain once in a while, but it's not the point for me anymore. If I want to ride hard, I still can. I still know the location of the Pain Cave. The hieroglyphs are burned into my memory.

I'm also confident in both the size, and efficacy, of my male appendage. There's no need to pull it out every time I throw a leg over the top tube. Sometimes you can be social AND ride hard. If the point of your ride is to leave someone out in the country, then, well...

My point? Love your bike! Well, don't LOVE your bike...that's just sick! Enjoy the ride and the moment, because that's EXACTLY what it's about.

Conversely, if you wake up in the morning, swing your legs over the side of the bed, and sigh mightily about the fact that you HAVE to get dressed and go ride...re-assess.

Everyone has moments of pissing and moaning on any ride. I do it. It's okay in small doses. If the pissing and moaning begins to control the where/when/who/why/how you ride...re-assess.

Notice I didn't mention 'what'? Yeah, what you ride is pretty immaterial...as long as it keeps you happy and relatively sane.

Ride and smile peeps...ride and smile.

Nothing to see here...

Well...a few things...

So, can you just call it 'Stuey Street"?

Much like road tubeless, hydraulic road brake are an answer to a question that no one asked. Have YOU ever had issues with cable operated calipers? No? Me Neither...

No, the bike that these came off wasn't chained to the Myrtle Beach Pier for 12-18 months! Yes, I wore latex surgical gloves when removing it...

Hate to see you go, but love to watch you leave!

Nothing much going on...as you can plainly see.

Time to order some spokes for a wheel build...

Peace!

Two good days

Two of the three Management Trainees went to the Lexington branch office for the weekend, so the weekend was quiet around Service Course.
Saturday morning met us with chilly temps and stiff North wind. It was a good ride nonetheless. MW peeled off to finish his required 4 hours. I guess that's the price of being a Cat 1 on an elite team.
The rest off us rolled in across Double Homey to Shop. There's usually a headwind coming in that way, but it was just STIFF on Saturday morning. I was pegged coming across the bridge at 32kmh.
Good ride though. The wind makes you strong...

This morning, it was a balmy 26 degrees when I woke up. Il Prof and TVH already said they weren't showing up, and i didn't really feel like accompanying MW on his second required 4 hour sojourn of the weekend, so I broke out the CX bike and headed for the woods. It's been a long while since I'd ridden any singletrack, so I headed to the Palmetto Trail.
The trail is actually in really good shape right now, and very conducive to a CX bike***. After about a mile, I remembered why I was REALLY fit about 5 years ago. I rode the trail 2x a week on the CX unit. Sure, it sounds pretty easy, until one recalls that a CX bike has road gearing (at least mine does...), and narrow tires. It was an enjoyable grind session on a 38/25 gear, to say the least.

Hmmm...Wildcat was empty this morning...

(Sgt. Schultz voice) I know noth-ing...I see noth-ing...

The speed limit and the temp were exactly the same...



Oh, and if some of my readers think it's so easy, I'll meet you out there...and wait for you at agreed upon locations, like Starbucks. I'll have a coffee and scone waiting for you...

And here's the last lap from Middelkerke on Saturday. Stybar (pronounced Stee-bar, not Steye-bar) and Nys going at it...good stuff...


*** Conducive had I been riding other tires. While the Clement LAS file treads kick a mile of ass on virtually every surface, the aforementioned file tread wasn't designed for loose pine straw. I was sliding like Bambi. I crashed a couple of times, I just didn't hit the ground...
The casing was superb however. They are listed as 33c tires, but are a nominal 35-36c, and the casings are tall and round. I'm betting the PDX would be pretty nice out there.

My neck, my back...well, just my neck...

I won't complain about getting old because, well...I'm not OLD, per se...

I will say though, that getting old(er) is a bitch. I feel good, am relatively healthy and fit, but how in the World do I tweak my neck by packing up my 6 year old's backpack? I mean JESUS!!!
I did nothing more but reach for the little fella's school folder. 3 to 5 seconds later, I couldn't move my head up, down, or to the right! Left was no issue however.
Needless to say, much of my day yesterday was spent on the floor, trying to roll out the knot in my trap, and stretch my neck.
Did it stop me from riding last night? Hells no! Rule #5 bitches! It's not until you ride with limited ability to turn your head that you realize just how MUCH you move your melon on a ride.
The 2+ hours on the bike actually helped though. The pain has largely subsided this morning, but my neck and shoulders are stiff this morning.

As for the ride, it was big fun. Different route out into WeCola. We had a dozen or so in the "A" group, but maybe 4 of us did any work. No bother though, it's still big fun riding with a bunch of guys who actually enjoy riding their bikes! Well, Dennis didn't really enjoy last night. The Gremlins seemed to be after his rear wheel. He was the unfortunate recipient of a flat, tubeless 29er tire. About 20 minutes later, a loud POP came from his rear Easton wheel. Yep, you guessed it...broken spoke. Sometimes, the Gods send you a message to put in the breeze, and take it back to the house...

If you look up 'pretentious' in the dictionary, this photo might just accompany to definition. Sachs AND Rouleur magazine...in one picture? My head assplode! All they needed to add was a Rapha wool hat, and the trifecta would have been complete.

You ride your mountain bike...I'll ride my cross bike...

The Greg Edit from Bikeparks.co.za on Vimeo.

And Cav hit the ground a TON in Qatar this morning. Give him all the stick you want, but he showed class and cojones by getting up to finish! Most of us would have waited for the Waaah-mbulance had we hit the deck at 65kmh!

Yeah, the temps are falling this weekend...way down into the 40s!
Saturday @ 0900 from Brennen
Sunday @ 0900 from Five Points

Have a good weekend!

1/2 way to the weekend

After Conta's suspension, Riis announced his newly signed GC rider. Gilberto 'El Luchador' Bontalor. (photo courtesy of HandlebarMustache)

Merckx...DeVlaeminck...mud...cobbles...black and white...that is all!

Rolled around in the dark last night. Didn't have a whole lot of impetus, but it was far too nice of an evening not to ride. That, coupled with the fact that I would have likely committed some sort of "-icide" had I stayed in the house, forced me outside.

This beautiful sunset was part of the reward for kitting up and getting on the bike. And the moon was BIG and full last night. Coming home through the 'hood, I clicked the light off and traversed the streets with La Luna to guide me. Once the eyes got acclimated, it was quite nice! Of course, riding through Shandon in the dark, sans headlight, in a bit like playing "Junior League Soccer Mom Roulette".

Quick news:
Naked joggers in Columbia, now naked cycling flashers in Charlotte.

And whoever did THIS bullshit needs to spend a little time in PMITA jail.

Time to start steeling myself for the remainder of the day. #3 is at the Ped's office right now. 6 month check, and shots. He'll be a joy for the rest of the day...

Namaste!

Holy Sheeeeuuuuutttttt!

And THIS is exactly why I do not own/ride/condone mountain bikes.

Kidding, of course, but DAMN...that is exactly the situation for the quote, "That's gonna leave a mark..."

Monday Funday

After 18 long months, Clenbutador finally gets his ban. Should have happened 17+ months ago. Zero tolerance means zero tolerance, not "well, we'll ban you after every legal recourse has been explored and exhausted..."
Of course, the ban will likely be retro-active to the date of the positive test, so his two years will be more like 6 months.
My big question is how the whole "transfer of the win" thing goes for the 2010 Tour. Does Schleck hire repo guys to go get his jersey and trophy? They should, as part of his punishment, make Contador box everything up and hand deliver it to Andy's house. It's okay...Frank will be there to sign for it.


The new Competitive Cyclist pro team's Pina Dogmas. Is very nice...

And some bike porn from Clive @ Glory Cycles. Parlee Z5...so simple, so clean, so sexy. If you're into these sorts of things, check out Glory's Flickr photostream. If you can't find something in there that makes the blood rush, then, well...give up!

Good rides this weekend. Nice paceline work on Saturday. I felt horribly flat and tired, but could pull through, and take longer pulls with no problem...I guess that's good?
Sunday was supposed to be 60 and rain. Well, as usual, the wx guys missed the broad side of the barn with the forecast. We left in 63 and sun, and after a nice little metric century, came home in 72 and BIG sun.

I got a bit burnt on the arms...in February. I have a sneaking suspicion that we're going to pay retail for this weather down the road, but for now, I'll take it.
Not that I'm going to, or have any interest in racing anymore, but the Spring Series should be a bloodbath this year. Because of the generally warm temps in the Southeast this Winter, guys are gonna be FLYING. Might be worth driving up just to hang out and watch!

Plyos at the Statehouse tonight, if anyone if interested.

TGIF

McQuaid fiddles as cycling burns?

TVH gave me a heaping ration for the day-glo DeFeet gloves last weekend. I told him that neons were coming back. I just bought new Diadora PR3 kicks, but now feel that I should have waited for the Jet Racers. So fresh...

Foundry has made something that is relevant to my interests. In a World of garish, overblown design and paintwork, simplicity shall be King! And it shows the new lever shape of SRAM Red. I gotta get this stuff in my hands. I like the Double Tap, but hate the current lever shape. If the new Red is Meathook Approved (TM pending), I may "Make the Leap".

And from the "Time Flies" File...
#3 is 6 months old today. Where the hell did that time go? As you can plainly see, he's a big, healthy, happy fella. I'm insanely lucky and blessed.

As for the TGIF title, has it been a long week for anyone else? Time has crawled this week. Like 1000fps slo-mo crawled. And of course, as it's par for the course, the weather is supposed to take a turn this weekend. A week of sun and 60s/70s will turn to cloudy and 50s for Saturday and Sunday. No matter. I'ma ride anyway...

Speaking of, it was a good ride last night, except for the fact that I was on a borderline bonk for the last hour.
Two notes to self :
(1) Don't dump shift under power in the middle of a 15+% hill. The F/D doesn't like it and WILL make you stop in the middle.
(2) Eat and drink something in the afternoon. I'm trying to lose some weight, but DAMN! I left the house feeling flat, and came home thinking about the digestibility of Deda bar tape.

Either way, two hours in the dark, in 60+ degrees doesn't suck. Especially in February!

Rides :

0900 from Brennen School 45-ish miles Paceline 20-22mph rolling. (Saturday)
0900 from Greene and Laurens 50+ miles Base pace into Lexington/Calhoun (Sunday)
Be there! You may enjoy it!