Spring Break starts today. 10 days at home with Junior Management. My 12+ years of sobriety may be in danger.
Good group ride last night. The truly fast guys got away early, and stayed away. Nice to see that Favati is back on the bike, so guys in town can see what speed really looks like. Oh, and that National Champ jersey he was wearing as a baselayer last night? Yeah, he didn't buy it...
The remainder of the bunch rode pretty well together, even if the efforts of TVH and Il Prof to teach the group how to ride a double paceline were akin to urinating into a strong breeze. Some people you just can't reach. The best are the guys who say they've ridden and raced, but still don't know to ride in the line. Love it...
As for me...I rode okay...for a guy whose shoulder was partially separated for most of the day. Yeah, the wing slid out yesterday. Not much one can do other than wear the brace, and hope for the best.
It's still out this morning...and feels GREAT!
Here's the link for those rally cool Classics art prints...I bought a couple...you should too.
Eddy's point of view? Perhaps. Whoever did this video has CRAZY attention to detail...
Crazy/cool photos of Paris over the last 100 years. Overlays of each street...history...
7-11 team photo from 1986. Eric Heiden said you have chicken legs. You're okay with that! Oh, and if you don't recognize a few of these guys, save the expertise.
And if I ever go missing, this ^^^^^^ is where you'll probably be able to find me...
And with that, I must get the day rolling. Gotta make a couple of stops before heading to Chuck to go shopping. The Boss and JM need clothes. Me? I'll continue to rock the shorts and t-shirts. Don't hate the player...hate the dry cleaner...
OmegaPharmaQuickStepJoesCrabShackPopeDavisTire had FOUR guys in the break with ten km to go. FOUR!!! Yes, I YELLED that...
And why is Chavanel working for Boonen? He's the only QuickStepper who is racing like his balls have dropped.
Evidently, several folks, including the OPQSJCSPDT Director, protested Sagan's win, saying he deviated off his line. I've watched that video about 37 times. I didn't see him move. FDJ dude chose to come up next to the barriers. That was his choice. You pays the money, you rides the ride.
Flanders and Roubaix may get really interesting...
Not only does Sagan wheelie across the line, he also does better skids that 99.9% of fixie scenesters. I'm sure the mechanic LOVED him flat spotting that tubular though!
We get Super Bowl displays in the grocery. In Belgium, they get Flanders displays...
Andre forgot his uppers at Gent...
And Greg Henderson wants to know if you still think football players are tough?
And remember...
Decent ride last night. Sort of disjointed, but just hard enough to get things going again after so many days off the bike. It was discovered, however, that the tri dudes that show up might be pretty strong, but their riding skills are somewhere South of the bike-riding bear in the circus. After running down 302 @ 30mph with them, it started to get a bit hairy, so JBrstl and I just sat up and waited on the group.
Wore the new Sportful Reflex 2 Gilet last night too. Good stuff. A further review follow in a few days. Nice piece of kit, especially for the price. No reason a lightweight vest should cost upwards of $75...at all...
Oh, and this is my friend Claire. Some know her as "Pip". She's very cool, she's definitely smoking hot, and she can ride the SHIT out of a bike. She's also a model (duh!), and she's in a contest to win a shoot with Alex Lim. Go vote for her...
Time to get the day started...not that I'm doing anything today...
I rode this morning for the first time in a week. After 4 straight weeks of double digit hours on the bike, I was feeling a bit beaten up, so I took a few, or 6, days off the bike. Slept a lot, stretched a lot, and let my aging 43 year old body have some time to itself.
I feel better for it...
Yesterday was a day that allowed me to add PLUMBER to my C.V., as I removed the old toilet, and installed the new one, including a bit of re-plumbing, which was pretty simple. Like my grandfather always said, there are only two things you need to know to be a plumber. Shit runs downhill, and payday is Friday.
Let's be honest though, if one cannot figure out simple plumbing, one shouldn't one hand tools...of any kind.
My non-riding Saturday DID make the legs and back a bit sore however. There's a lot of bending and stooping involved in toilet installation. The hammies are barking today!
This morning, a decision was to be made. Rule 5 outside, in 45 degree rain, or ride the turbo in Service Course...where it was dry, 60 degrees, and there was a 32" TV. I chose option two. Don't judge...
90 minutes passed quickly, including 3x15 at something resembling a level of effort. As I decry the use of power units, and HRMs, I'm guessing each 15 was somewhere around 85-88%. It stung, but never got near the mouth of the PainCave, which was just what was needed after 6 days off. AND I got to watch Gent-Wevelgem on the Samsung Galaxy Tablet, so it was all good.
Speaking of...
Here's the last 4km, which is all you really need to see...
Again, Sagan shows that he's a full grown man. And OPQS shows that they just aren't the same unit as years past. Riding "cleaner" perhaps? I'm betting they'll find some "form" in the next week...
Then again, Boonen crashed ALONE today, and has a "contusion" of his knee.
Yeah, this happened too...
Sagan rode a wheelie across the line. Play on ...
And on the subject of full grown men, Fabi crushed skulls at Harelbeke mid-week. Shades of the old Spartacus...
OPQS and Boonen collectively poo'ed themselves. And Sagan learned a lesson that he used well today @ GW.
And finally, The Rev posted this today. Believe in what you want to believe in, but ask yourself this. question...
If this isn't a spot to stop and say a word to the Deity of your choice, does such a spot exist?
The Sun will return tomorrow...of course...
Now it's time to set up the new Keos with new cleats, on the new-ish shoes...
Yes, the pollen has been mentioned already on this very page. I will mention again. I HATE pollen. I hate the fact that it makes everything look like it's covered in a fine meringue. I hate that it makes my front porch slicker than whale shit on an ice floe. And mostly, I hate the fact that my head feels like it weighs 17 pounds!
I just coughed up something that made an effort to crawl away upon being spat on the ground!
Not sick...not at all...not even close! I feel fine. Just...well...crusty...
I did not ride Tuesday, as I had to go to Lowe's and buy a new toilet. There went my track bike money...down the shitter...LITERALLY! I'll be installing the new throne at some point Saturday. If anyone would like to come over to watch/learn/heckle, let me know...
Probably better that I didn't ride, as the group go harassed by some redneck asshole in a truck. Not just any truck mind you, but the driver was in his WORK truck, with the business NAME and PHONE NUMBER clearly visible.
Yeah...emails have been sent, and phone calls made. Feel free to join the fun, if you are so inclined. Contact info is in the picture!
Now for the entertainment part of the program :
Merckx. Hat backwards. Hat crooked. Bombing corners. Profi....
You are correct sir. Nice...
Dwars was yesterday. Weather was bad. Can we hope for the same @ Roubaix time?
A disc brake equipped tri bike? Like tri dudes need stronger brakes. Maybe it will just help them crash more quickly, instead of the crashes being long, protracted occurrences.
And from the "My friends are cooler than your friends" file...
My friend Mike (call sign "Felix") took this picture...from the seat of his F18...above the clouds...as the sun was setting...
Yeah...I'm maybe a little jealous...
Have a good weekend folks. I'm gonna ride a bit, and work on Service Course.
Dudes...seriously! You aren't helping the whole 'spandex wearing homos' thing! I expect more from you Mr. Sagan!!
Flanders used to have it's own Championships. Winning the jersey would have been worth just about any sacrifice!
Had to add snow to the Milan-San Remo poster!!
Argonaut. Custom. Carbon. So nice. Have your first born ready for payment...
Vittoria neutral support get'n-r-done at Tirreno. It may be a bit inelegant, but one can't hate the resourcefulness.
And from the WTF files...
Specialized is going to offer a limited run of aluminum S-Works bikes. Somewhere around 100-150 of these will be made. Price for entry? Oh, $6000!!!
Or you could buy a CAAD 10, and use the other half of the $6k for...well...a whole lot of other stuff....
Just when Specialized has me interested again, they throw out the reminder that they are little more than a marketing company anymore...
So a few shorts days ago, it was cold, blustery, and seemed like Winter hadn't finished slapping us around. I went outside this morning to a fine yellow dust covering The Beast. Pollen? Wha? When? Huh?
I wondered why I felt like I was breathing thru a straw, and my voice had dropped an octave. Shit. IS. In. My. Lungs....
And whoever had the bright idea to plant the approximately 73 Billion Bradford Pear trees years ago...well...I think you know where I'm going with this...
Milan-San Remo was yesterday. Everyone pretty much knows that the weather turned from Italy in Springtime to Norway in Winter, so we'll skip that part.
Looks fun though, huh? I've gotten caught in weather like that before. I can tell you, it isn't fun, at all! Griepel said that he and some others felt like circus animals for being forced to race in the weather yesterday. Well, Andre, you had a choice. Climb off, and get in the car, or ride your bike and make your 700k Euros salary.
Dance monkey, DANCE!!!
Here's the only part of the race that one really needs to watch...
Best 10km of racing I've seen in a long time...
Here? yeah, it was warm and sunny. We rode in shorts and jerseys.
Saturday was fun and jovial...until we turned right in Eastover to head home. Nothing quite like doing the last 1:45 of a ride into a 20+ mph headwind. We still ended up with 100km in a few ticks over 3 hours.
Pro-tip : OUT in the headwind. BACK with the tail!!!
Cal, in happier times...before the spoke breakage...
It was terrible Saturday morning...
Um...sure...we'll stay out. Scary...
Sunday we rolled out for a short(er) ride out into LexCo. Only 70km passed under wheels, but it was enough. At least our little band of merry men was smart enough to take the aforementioned "Pro-Tip" to heart. The last bit of the ride was almost pleasant with a 20+ mph tailwind.
The dirt has been turned in LexCo...guess that means Spring is here, just in case anyone missed the pollen.
Wore the new QCC kit yesterday. Bibs are great...perfect fit. Jersey...not so much. It seems Champion System may have a bit of am issue with QC at the factory. I ordered the same size as my other CS jerseys, and the size that seemed correct out of the fit samples that were provided. All good, right? Nope. What arrived is dramatically larger than anticipated. the word "blouse-y" comes to mind. No worries. The path of the PRO will be taken, and the jerseys will be custom tailored...more out of necessity than vanity. Which reminds me...
Gotta jet...the trip to the tailor shop awaits...
Hope everyone got on the bike over the weekend! Have a good Monday!
The weather around here is pretty damn good if you're into playing outside. The problem is the fact that the temps can swing wildly, and weather systems blow through our little neck of the woods on a seemingly daily basis. Thus, there can be wild fluctuations in barometric pressures, wind speeds/directions, and airborne allergens.
No big deal you say? Well, no, if you don't have sinus/allergy issues. Me? I Have the aforementioned issues...along with many others, but that's neither here, nor there...
It had been warm for a few days through the middle of the week, then yesterday crept up. 54 degrees, breezy...low front blowing through town. Head = Football. Just felt sort of puny all day...
Did I stay home from the ride? Nooooooo! That would make too much sense!
Here's were we get to the meat of the story.
Pro-Tip:
If you have embro on your legs, and the band of your shorts
needs to be adjusted, leave that shit alone!
I reached down an adjusted the band on my shorts at some point early in the ride last night, as
it was riding up a bit.It seems some of
the Mad Alchemy medium embro got on my fingers.
Immediately after the adjustment, I reached up to blow a
snot rocket.And of course, you always
wipe a little after evacuating, so the lips got involved too.
Is everyone following where the bouncing ball is going on
this one?
About 3 minutes later, my face exploded in pain.I thought someone had set me on fire.Nose ran like a
broken water main, lips may have actually fallen off at some point, and
somehow, I got it in my right eye.
Between not feeling altogether chipper, the speed of the ride, and embro eating the flesh on my face, one can imagine how well the rest of the ride went. After running down 302 @ 40-50kmh, and then have DBarry pull us UP the underpass climb at the airport @ 40kmh, I threw in the towel.
I felt like I got punched in the face by Johnny Storm.
From this point, rolling back to the house seemed like a good idea. Until I got in the shower. Fuck water-boarding...electrodes to the testicles...being threatened by trained military K9s! Smear some embro on enemy combatants faces, then spray them with hot water. They'll talk....
Someone commented that at lest I didn't get any on my junk. To be honest, if a trade had been available, I'd have taken it.
This morning, my eye is crusty, at best, my nose is sore, and my lips have taken on a Frank Burns appearance.
On a positive note, I seem to have blown out most of the gunk in my head. I would not, however, recommend the above as a course of treatment.
Now I get to go down to Service Course and clean the bike. It's a mess. I'm not proud...
Apologies to those who were near me on the ride last night. It won't happen again...
Here's some Victoria Pendleton for your Friday...
It's gonna be warm and sunny this weekend. Go outside and play!
So the first Tuesday ride went off last night. 50-ish rolled out of the spot, and made it to 12th. Street. One moment, Dan and I were solidly in the back, chatting about his impending move for the Summer, rolling at 30kmh. The next moment, we're full gas, passing SCE&G at 50kmh...
The middle section was a nice tempo. The front group went up both climbs together, and made the turn onto 302 together. From then on, it was every man, and one woman, for him/herself. The run into S. Congaree was blistering. All I know is that the pull up the left side at 60kmh did, in fact, sting a bit. Ford and Timmy said they appreciated it though, so it's all good!
It was a good ride. Fast, steady, and fun. The efforts felt strangely good.
I'd planned to turn the Contour on when we hit 302, but it just didn't happen. Reaching down near a wheel spinning at 50kmh to flip it on just seemed like something rooted in poor decision making skills.
Let's talk about pro cycling for a moment :
So everyone is pissing and moaning about the CLIMB on the 6th stage at Tirreno. 27-30% is crazy...sure. Euro-dogs got off and walked...sure. Some abandoned the race b/c of it...sure. So what?
The same thing happens EVERY year at the climb of The Koppenberg during Flanders. No one so much as opens their mouth. Rule 5 people...Rule 5!
And this whole "Phinney is a Hero" thing? Seriously? Phinney missed the time cut, and got eliminated, period.
Why? Because he got dropped. When the majority of the gruppetto decided to climb off their bikes, get in the warm team cars, and head back to the house/bus/hotel for a hot shower and a nap, Phinney continued on. Riding alone...in the rain...for 4 hours...and missing the time cut. Sorry, that's not heroic. That's just stupid. It's an invitation for injury and/or illness.
The masses cried as one, "Let him back in..." Nope. The officials rightly said, "You missa the time cut, you outta the race..."! Even Phinney himself tweeted that rules are rules. His tweet made the masses cry out even more loudly that he's a hero...
STFU!
You know what's heroic? Boonen attacking with 50km to go last year at Roubaix. Cancellara laying it all out in _____________ (insert race here). Tchmil smashing the big gear thru the mud and headwind, being chased by Museeuw on the cobbles of Northern France in 1994.
A certain racer from right here in town, who has a disability, but owns more National Championships, and World Championship medals than all of us combined. THAT shit is heroic!
Missing a time cut because one got dropped, and rode alone? Nope. That falls on the stupid side of the hard/stupid line.
Oh, and as if it's a surprise, Andy Schleck quit Tirreno on the 6th stage. Jesus, that guy is a fecking Fabrege egg. Either that, or he's the epitome of what doping does for a mediocre racer. Maybe you CAN make a donkey into a race horse. And I'm not equating Schleck to a donkey, as that's an affront to donkeys...
Yep...everyone talked about Phinney and Schleck, and forgot that this guy
paperboy-ed the climb, turned himself inside out, drove the winning move, and won the stage. Maybe not heroic, but definitely HARD, and badass. Milan- San Remo should be interesting...
Time to get the day going. A trip to Renick is up first this morning...then a nap. Yes...a nap. Don't hate...
Good rides this weekend. Just what I needed. No, I didn't go to Blythewood...not to race...not watch...
Racing is not in the wheelhouse right now, as my fitness level isn't even close, and life has more important plans for my afternoons. Thanks for the concern though...
We had a nice ride Saturday, hitting some roads out towards Eastover that we hadn't been on in many moons. Good little lumpy ride out thru the horse farms with a couple of stops for bike-related fixes. Il Prof had a flat after bashing some tracks, and I was forced to affect a repair with some help from Mr. Bates @ the G-Mart.
Pro-Tip: Check your cleat screws once in a while. The feeling of a (very) loose cleat is a bit disconcerting.
As for me...I felt pretty MEH. The Boss made a baked good that was supposed to be GF. I have my doubts. I got my 'sensitivity' headache, and had a general feeling of malaise. Knocking down 80km in the sunshine was still better than moping around the house.
Hey...people up North...tell me again how great your riding, and weather, are...
I'm no expert, but I believe someone knocked down your fence! (The real B of this? He'd just fixed it from a previous incident!) This is why we can't have nice things!
Sunday was back to the old Swansea loop schedule. What a great freaking ride! A little of everything packed into 100 km. To be fair, I had 95km when I hit Service Course, so I looped the 'hood for a few minutes...
And it was warm...I rode in bibs with embro on the legs. The feeling of wind rushing over uncovered legs was a bit odd at first!
Made a few little efforts, and felt WAAAY better than Saturday. No spouse-made baked goods...
Pro-Tip: Eat like a pro. Know what you're putting in your gullet!
Calhoun County's finest...
Wild clover is in bloom out in Swansea.
Good miles with good people makes a good weekend.
Also did a little product testing.
No, not the camera...the mount. I got it from BDop Cycling in Taiwan. It's a 2.5" long carbon piece that takes the place of the nut on a QR. It allows a low mounting point for a camera, or a light. As one can see, the Contour fits perfectly. I have the camera mounted "inboard"...if you will. It's difficult to see, but there's a good centimeter+ between the fork leg and the camera body.
Contour cameras are long, but the mounting point is still forward of the fork itself. The mount would easily accept a GoPro. The only modification I made was to add a piece of innertube around the mount as an effort to dampen road shock. It worked well.
Excuse two things...
1) I forgot to put a piece of tape over the mic on the camera, thus the wind noise...
2) I recorded the video @ 480p, as my aged laptop has the computing power of an abacus, and has trouble processing HD video.
It's a pretty cool little piece of kit. It's a dead simple idea, and it works perfectly. And you really cannot beat the price. In this day and age of bike goodies that cost in the hundreds, $18 SHIPPED from the Far East is damn good value! Oh, and it came FedEx, and I got it in 2 days. It's a Small, Small World...
It's easy to reach down and flip the camera on and off, if desired. It would be a GREAT camera angle in a crit. Just turn it on at the start, and let it run...
I'm interested to see what pattern my 1100 lumen light throws when mount down low.
I've gotten several things from BDop, and been happy with all of them.
Monday is calling, and I must go. Errands, laundry, and child care await. The life of a Domestic God...
If you follow me on the Twitters, you probably saw a little exchange I had earlier this afternoon with none other than The Manx Missile himself. Yep, one Mark Cavendish.
It seems ol' Cav lost the sprint in Tirreno today, then went on Italian TV and RIPPED his teammates for not living up to his expectations.
Cav blamed this...blamed that...blamed the roundabout @ 1km to go...which wasn't a roundabout, considering they only turned left...
Leadout train...blah, blah,blah...
Well, I like Cav as a sprinter. He's got some serious speed. Style...not so much. Sure, he's gracious when he wins, but that very same grace seems to escape him when things don't work out as planned. Believe me when I say that I, along with most of us, have learned this lesson the hard way. I've won some things in my wholly average athletic career. I've lost MANY more. The ratio is probably 50 to 1 in favor of the "L" column!
So, I called him out on it. Two tweets...that's all! Twitter is one of those things where a person can just peck out whatever horseshit is following from their stream of consciousness. Just throw it out there onto the Intarwebs. It means little, as Twitter is the largest conduit for passive/aggressive snark on the planet Earth.
A short while later, a dialogue began. I guess what I tweeted about @markcavendish struck a nerve with him! He tweeted back, and so it began.
I merely stated that it was possible to answer the reporter's question in such a manner that a positive could be taken from the response, instead of the Worldwide slam he gave his boys. Watch F1, or NASCAR, or any other professional sport. NO athlete rips his team in the press. It's bad form all the way around.
Sure, be pissed, but brave face it, spin it to the old, "It's a long season. We'll work it out and be ready for the next time..."
Never saw Cipo publicly crap on the heads of his leadout train! Speaking of, the following video can be used as a tutorial on a proper leadout...
Just thought it was amusing that one of the most recognized cyclists/athletes in the World took such umbrage with a couple of 100 character tweets.
Cav has washed his timeline of the exchange...I have not, nor will I. He did post another highly P/A tweet about "negative thinkers" though. Funny how the tone of that tweet included praise along with criticism. Sort of what I was saying in the first place...
Anywho...
Tonight was the last night ride. Time changes this weekend. Remember to set your clocks forward!!!
I tried to get some pictures, but the lights on the bikes, darkness, reflective gear, etc., really confounded my little camera.
No, it's not snowing...
And the circus is in town...
It's been a full day...I'm tired...and it's past my bedtime...9:34...
'twas quite nice to get back into the double digits for ride hours last week. First time in about a month. Nearly 12 hours on the bike makes a brother sleep well....
Did you ride thru the remnants of a forest fire?
Strade Bianche. Is it Tuscany, or Sandy Run?
Sheep...and a mini-donkey...must be Sandy Run!
Wait! What? Blue sky? 7+ hours on the bike this weekend. ONE hour of it was in the blue sky!
Two really good, fun rides this weekend. Sure, it was cold, breezy, and overcast, but it still beat the hell out of riding the trainer, or lounging around the house!
Remember, time change is coming...quickly. Time to get on the road bikes...
Strade Bianche was pretty great Saturday. I was forced out of the house to ride with 10km to go, but thanks to the fine folks at Google, I could watch the end of the race when I got back. It's a Small World after all...
Cancellara was a marked man, as usual. Unfortunately, his team is a collection of suck. Fabi won't win Flanders, nor Roubaix, again as long as he's on RadioShack. Having Schleck as support is akin to having ME as support...
The boys stayed in Italy on Sunday for Roma Maxima. (I defy you to come up with a better race name!)
Hey Pippo...you should know better!!! Didn't Zabel teach you anything?
Enough revelry...I gotta go to the grocery store...
Yep...it's March 1st! And of course, it supposed to be cold this weekend. Sweeeet....
Oh well...guess I'm Juan Solo again...
Oh...the 2013 edition of THIS is tomorrow. It's called a semi-classic only because it's only been around since '07. It'll be a monument soon enough!
2012 edition...
Everyone should ride a dirt road tomorrow...out of respect...I know I will! Then again, I do on most rides...
Two pretty good night rides this week. Nice to be back on the scandium horse. Tuesday was uneventful...just rolling around with a couple of hills thrown in for good measure.
Last night was the normal-ish loop. It seems Ricky had a meeting with the bricks on The Horseshoe though. Glad I'd turned for Service Course prior to this episode, as he's a big fella, and the bricks are OLD and unforgiving.
Strade Bianche...I must go...
Speaking of, Challenge is offering a couple new "gravel" racing tires. The ''Eroica" and the "Almanzo". The Eroica looks like a super-fat road tire, which it is, and if it's like other Challenge tires, it's about as durable as bologna skin. The Almanzo is little more that a narrow file tread cross tire. At @ $75 at retail, Challenge is overly proud of both!
One note if you choose to try out the Eroica...make sure it will fit in your frame!!! 30mm is FAT for chainstays.
Me? I'll stick with Vittoria on the road, and Clement LAS file treads on the CX bike.
Enough babble. I need to go have a serious conversation with the foam roller.
