It's Friday...Friday...Friday...

Has it been a long week for anyone else?

Ooof!

I took M-T-W off the bike.  Rode last night, and quickly decided that riding hard wasn't the smart play.  Too hot, and the humidity was somewhere around 137%.  I needed a snorkel.  Welcome to Summer everyone...

I left with the fast boys, and quickly realized that whatever I may, or may not have, had in the tank wasn't enough.  Sat up, and had a pleasant ride with group 2.  Just nice and steady.  Never felt like I was going terribly hard, which is a pleasant feeling.
I don't think anyone felt a great impetus to ride hard last night, as the average was lower than normal.
I apologize to those who I tailed off when I hit the front on 302.  I thought everyone was there when I closed the gap.  Pony-tail boy gets the blame for the second part.
He kept looking over his shoulder, and raising the pace by 1mph, so I came around him 10mph faster...
Sorry...

Le Tour starts tomorrow...
Should be interesting...

Sagan vs. Cav for green
Yellow is up for grabs...who has form?  I'm tipping Froome.  I just don't think Conta has the form right now, and BMC is an unknown for Tejay.  Should be interesting.
Regardless of yellow, Tejay should win white again...
Polka dots?  Uh, some Spanish guy perhaps?

Speaking of, a lot of the bike companies have trotted out the new show ponies...

Here are three of note...


The new Look 695 Aero light...so Mondrian...

 I'm not a Trek fan, but that blue is pretty swank.  Trek may be onto something here.  Betting you see this color a lot new year...

Oh Cervelo, why do you bend to Vaughters' will.  What would have been a nice paint ruined, again, by argyle! 

Orbea's new Orca is quite nice as well...if I could find the damn photo I saved last night...

No ride in the morning.  Everyone is doing other things...
Sunday 0900 and Greene and Laurens for a trip out into Lex/Cal.

And next Saturday, July 6th, a group of us is heading up to Tryon to do a modified loop of the Fabulous 4th course.  Why not do the Fab 4th Ride you ask?  Well, it's now $55, and it still starts at 0700.
Sorry, I like to ride, but I'm not getting up at 0330 to get everything together, and drive up for a 0700 start.  Not happening...
We're planning to leave the morning of the 6th @ 0630, get to Tryon and on the bikes by 0900 at the latest.  And it's free!!  Come on out, and you may have a good time!
More details will follow, as it's likely to be discussed Sunday, on the ride...

Ridley Update:
Got a "nice" note from the Ridley USA Product Manager yesterday saying that if I didn't take down a couple of tweets that she deemed "disrespectful", she "wasn't going to help me anymore..."!
Really?  Got those panties in a knot over a couple of stupid, wise-ass tweets?  I was trying to get someone's attention up the food chain.  I guess I did...
Good customer service guys!  A+
Today is Day 22 since I sent the broken frameset off.  I have heard ZERO today, other than from Ridley Europe, who is looking into my issue...

A friend who works at one of the Big 3 bicycle companies is going out of his way to find me a frameset, and this particular company owes me nothing, and has no dog in the fight.
THAT'S customer service!
If it comes to fruition, I'll ride their framesets from here on out...period! 


 Enjoy your weekend everyone.  Ride your bikes, whatever size and shape they may be...

So, you wanna do Haute Route?

Haute Route 2012 - Col de Sarenne descent from Peter Horrell on Vimeo.

Guessing carbon clinchers are frowned upon?

Look up "Pro Style" and you'll find this photo.  Kris Koren is PRO!!  Check the wheels too!  Vision 30s.  1700g of alu clincher goodness. 

Being Marianne Vos, the biggest badass in ANY peloton is ALL glamour...

Just got cracked and stretched this morning.  Funny how the tingly pain in my back and legs and already subsided.  Also recommended to a full-fledged PRO that he seek out an A.R.T. practitioner to alleviate his back issues.  He did just that.  Can't wait to see what he has to say...
If you have back, hip, leg issues, find A.R.T.!!  It will change the way you think. 
It completely saved my riding.  Granted, I still suck, but it allowed me to continue to suck, rather than selling all of my bike shit, and quitting!

Anyone have a spare 56/57cm frameset laying around?

Just a few days...

I'm beaten up.  I'm stoved up (Southern terminology).  And I'm tired...
I'm taking a few days away from the bike.  Just a few...like 3 or so.  Hell, last year, I was forced to take off the entire month of July, so 3 or 4 days isn't going to hurt anyone...

 Yes please...

Belkin has taken over as title sponsor of Rabobank/Blanco Cycling.  Why do I suddenly want some mint chocolate chip ice cream?

Popcorn's ready!

Better live someplace flat...

Just for you Cal...

Nothing happening here.  Junior Management is quiet, which means they're plotting something...
Is 8:30am too early for a nap?

Time to go get on the floor and let the foam roller beat me up a bit.  Enjoy your Tuesday...

***Still no Ridley.  Patience is wearing thin...

Fa-ti-gue...

That's French for, "I'm tired..."

TVH and I met Saturday morning and did slightly more than a loop of the Fort.  We both commented that staying in bed for another couple of hours would have been the correct play. 
Tired legs, couldn't the HR anywhere near an effective range.  We just rolled.  At least the weather was good...

Rumor has it that the Gub'ment freed up some money from their myriad failed social plans, and multiple wars, to pave Hartsville Guard.  Soon, the whole Big Loop will be smooth and paved. 

We had a nice little group Sunday.  No one really wanted to do anything other than roll around.  So that's what we did.  No attacking each other, no measuring of private parts.  Just a nice 3 hour ride out through Lex/Cal. 
Well, there was this one section...
A MAX effort chase, a catch, a counter...another catch, then a sprint @ 42mph.  That was my bullet for the day, and it pretty much hit, and killed, everyone.

 Entirely too much purple on Sunday's ride...

 Who wants to run thru the pasture with me...?

And I came home to find a stretch, albeit a very short one, of cobbles laid in front of Service Course. 

The rest of the afternoon was a lazy affair, which was fine with me.  A short nap for everyone, and then a quality dinner.  Following our healthy meal, Junior Management decided they wanted to roast marshmallows in the outdoor fireplace. 
Yes...it was 90 degrees outside.
Yes...I built a small, but seemingly hot fire.

Don't judge until you have small children of your own!

As for the fatigue thing...
Methinks a few days off the bike are in order. 

And with that, I hear #3 waking up. 
Have a good Monday!

Just some things...

Fun ride Tuesday.
A few got away at the crossover...running thru the stop signs as they yelled, "Car left..."!  Very Poindexter of them.
We had a nice little group of fast guys together, which I was forced to drop out of because I evidently have forgotten how to tighten my quick releases properly.
I stood on Gator, and the back wheel decided to pop out of the dropouts.  A forced stop, and 15 seconds later, I was back on the bike.
Alas, my group was gone.
I rolled easy up the climb, and waited for the second group, and rolled in with them.

Fatigue was still VERY present from my weekend.

Ridley update:

There really isn't one.  Last time around, the warranty process took 5 days...TOTAL.  Right now, we're standing at 14 days, and I've heard ZERO, other than, "It's covered...".
As soon as I finish this post, I'm hitting Ebay to find a frameset.  I mean, I like riding the CX bike, but the Dura-Ace group in my building is getting lonely.
Of course, it could be Cannondale, and I'd be forced to wait for 6-9 months...

I CAN say, with some degree of certainty, that this will be my last plastic bike.  Baum is just killing me lately.  The problem will be paint choice...

Or how about a track bike?  Simple...perfect...

Flecha is cool.  Period!

And I give you this, as an apology for the Serena Williams photos.  Victoria Pendleton is purdy...

And the HMS Backy-aarrrggghhh-d is nearing completion.  I'm waiting for the cargo net, and the ship's wheel to arrive.  Got the mast set last night, and the upper deck built in.  I feel sorry for the folks who buy our house down the road, b/c this thing is NOT portable, nor easily dismantled.
Junior Management loves it, and that's all that matters to me...

Time to find a frame...

New shoe review... (I'm so damn clever...)

So, I've had these "new" Diadora ProRacer 3 kicks for nearly a year.  They've been languishing in the box mainly because...

A) I'm a bit Lazy  (capital "L" there...)
B) With a seatmast bike, such as my now-retired Ridley Helium, it can be a bit more involved to set up new shoes. 
C) I'm a creature of habit.  I liked my old Diadoras, they still worked, and they felt like old, beat up slippers.  Sort of adopted that look as well...

When ManCation '13 hit a few weeks ago, I decided it was time to break out the new hotness...

Saddle height was figured, and I was forced to go LOWER by about 5mm.  The very thin, full carbon sole was the reason behind this change.  I also lowered the stem 5mm to keep my saddle/bar drop the same.  Everything felt good.
After some initial fiddling with insoles, wedges, and cleat positioning, the shoes were ready to be pressed into full time service.
One problem.  The left shoe was EATING the tops of my toes.  I thought it may be an issue of the shoe being low volume, which it really isn't, even considering it's Made in Italy.
I even went so far as to by a shoe stretcher from a Diabetic Supply Company in New Jersey.
Even after stretching, my little piggies were still unhappy, and one even threatened to go to the market.
I dug deeper, literally.  Once I nearly turned the shoe inside out, I found that the tongue, as minimalistic as it is, was sewn over on itself, creating a rough lump.  A scalpel, and some VERY careful cutting fixed the issue.
No more roughed up piggies.

The VERY first thing I noticed about the Proracer 3s was the stiffness.  Not only are the soles WAY stiffer than my aged/ancient Diadora Carbon Pro shoes, mainly due to the full carbon soles, but the uppers didn't exactly have the give I was used to.  Probably because I was used to the old, worn out shoes...
After a the aforementioned stretching, and a few good soakings deliver by Mother Nature, they have, thankfully, become damn comfy.
This stiffness, even though it might be problematic at the beginning of the shoe's life with the rider, is an advantage, in that, the stiffer materials wear better over time.
A perfect comparison is to Mavic Zxellium shoes.  They feel like slippers right out of the box, but after a season, they look older than they really should, which leads me to believe that they FEEL older as well.

The two velcro straps on the toe and midfoot do just what velcro is supposed to do...offer infinite adjustability.  The MicroCL buckle does the same.

The buckle itself can be moved to two different positions, and the strap anchor on the inside (arch) of the shoe offers three locations.  If one cannot find a comfy set up, one isn't trying hard enough.  The buckle and strap are also available as replacement pieces, and aren't horribly expensive, or hard to find.

The PR3s are also considerably lighter than my old shoes.  How much?  About 100g per shoe.  Big deal you say?  Well, that's nearly a half-pound, and it's rotational weight. 

Another wonderful feature is the FLAT, full carbon sole.

I know that some other companies espouse the virtues of their canted soles in order to achieve proper knee alignment, but what they don't tell you is that this "corrective feature" doesn't work for everyone.
I have back and hip issues, and I am forced to ride all sorts of wedges, inserts, and insoles to get my foot/leg/hip position correct.  (Pssst...thanks to Retul for figuring this out...)
The FLAT sole offers the opportunity to tune the shoe however one needs it.  And I needed it. 
The sole is also well vented, and as I said before, STIFF.
One thing that I am a bit irritated by is this....

I've worn these not-inexpensive beasts for MAYBE 20 rides, and the damn heel pad fell off somewhere along the way.  Again, it's an easily found, inexpensive, and replaceable piece, but it really should have fallen off so quickly...or at all.  And of course, red pads are the Loch Ness Monster of Diadora heel pads.  You can see pictures of them, but finding them...not so much.  I have a pair of garish, non-matching neon yellow pads inbound from Europe as I type this sentence.  They may get plasti-dipped BLACK.

Overall, I'm very pleased with the ProRacer 3 shoes.  I've gone away from wearing Diadora a few times, but have always come back.  I've been wearing Diadora cycling shoes, for road, CX, and mountain since 1995.  They just fit, and they perform the function for which they were designed, without a whole lot of drama.
Are they expensive?  The higher end shoes can be, but what higher end cycling shoes aren't?  Good quality costs less in the long run...
The PR3s have worn well thus far...just a little dirty, but that's easily remedied.

Action shot...

I should probably buy another pair, to leave in the closet, for when these finally need to be replaced.  Hopefully, that won't happen for a long while...

The quick and the dumb...

Again...

Cyclists are dopers, and drug cheats.  No one else, in no other sports would ever DARE put anything into their bodies that would enhance performance...

Right Serena?

For comparison, here's Robert Gesink in a skinsuit...

When I first saw the above pic of Serena, I thought they may have been making a sequel to 'Kinky Boots'.

Our friend Wade, down under @ CyclingTips done got hisself a new bike.

As one can plainly see, it's quite ugly, and lacks technology.
Ti...S&S Couplers...11v Di2...Enve wheels...and it's my size.  Lock that shit up Wade...TIGHT!!!


And for those amongst us who still like the tactile feeling of a book in hand, the fine folks over at Velominati have gone and done it.  "The Rules" has been expanded into printed form.


As for your humble author, I'm circling the airfield at this point.  Parts are arriving daily for my new frameset, yet I am without said frameset.  Oh well...riding the CX isn't terrible.  I guess that's the reason it's been in the quiver longer than any other bike...EVER!!!


See everyone tonight...if it doesn't rain...

Two rides...one weekend...

Wow!  That was amazing!  Two really good, borderline PERFECT rides this weekend. 

The weather?  Perfect.  70s/80s and little humidity.  And what wind we did run into on Sunday, was at our backs once we made the turn for home.  Yeah, you read that correctly, we played the wind and won.

The group was a bit smaller than usual on Saturday, but was workman-like.  We rode 2x2 the entire ride.  Everyone took their licks, no one attacked, or pulled any otherwise DB moves.  90km falls under wheels quickly when the group just rolls along.  Like 2:40 quickly...

I even got the bunch to venture down a dirt road!!!  Possibly one of the nicest dirt sections around here too...

 Look closely at Chris' bike...no gears...

Blackberry Rd.  Cut thru the forest by SCE&G.  Nothing on it, and no cars to be seen.  Thank you SCE&G!  (how often does one utter those words?)

Sunday was another great ride.  Same number of people...only half were the same from Saturday.
LexCo and Calhoun...out to Swansea...cross/headwind. 

It's simply lovely out there...
Once thru Swansea, it's like one has been transported to rural Ohio, and Indiana.  Just rolling terrain, good roads, and light traffic. 
We did, however, get yelled at by a motor vehicle.  Some grubby looking couple on a Harley passed, and screamed at us to get off the road.  Really?  Has it come to this? 
The same people who draw the ire of car drivers are now letting the hate trickle down to their fellow two-wheeled brethren?  smh

Anyway, shortly after the last photo (above) was taken, the pace went up, and stayed UP for pretty much the rest of the ride.
SC State Pro/1 Champ MW took a hero pull on Fish Hatchery. 
I know a lot of folks in town have a lingering rush of blood to their genitals for a certain Austrian who used to live here, and the pulls he would take. but I can tell you, the run down Fish Hatchery was faster than the aforementioned Austrian ever thought about pulling.
Never under 50kmh, and well into the 60s when the road tipped down, before the turn on Gator.
The run in on 302 was the same.  Hell, I even got in on the act, and lead out HWF into S.Congaree @ nearly 70kmh.  The CX bike develops a nice, low pitch whistle from the front end when traveling at those speeds.  NOT aero...
Gotta love tailwinds and rolling roads.  And no one was over their heads, nor was the speed reckless. 

Two rides, 180km...

Two weeks until the Tour...

I also put in about 6 hours of manual labor on the HMS Back-yarrrrggghh-d.  Only things left to do are to set the mast, and some trim work.  The little pirates seem to be pleased with the outcome thus far...

Have a good Monday...

Ok...time to move on...

Last night's ride went of @ 6:30, as usual, only it wasn't...

A hastily organized memorial ride happened for Dr. Hudson.  It was very well attended, and served it's intended purpose well. 

Not a lot of us knew Dr. Hudson, but that really didn't matter.  He wasn't just one of us...he WAS us.  The accident Tuesday could have happened to any of us, and that's what's most sobering.

Thanks to Tim Malson @ Summit for putting the short loop together.  Thanks to those who took the time to come out.  There were @ 100 riders, of all shapes and sizes.

A HUGE thanks to the Cayce and West Columbia Police Departments, and the Officers involved, for taking the time to run interference for the ride.  Every intersection was blocked for us to pass. 

And thanks to The State for their story about the crash, and the Memorial Ride. 

My hope is that eyes have been opened to what it is that we do, and the dangers involved.

We all wore black armbands for Ed.  Many gave theirs back.  Mine is pinned to the corkboard in Service Course as a reminder...

There are lessons to be learned here as well.

Pay attention.  One moment of inattention can be disasterous.

Ride within your ability.  I know that everyone want to be in the front, going fast, but know YOUR limit.  I know mine.  No false male pride here.  When it's time to sit up, sit up.  No Euro teams are watching, nor is how far we make it before getting spit out of the group used as a measuring stick for who we are as people.

The rides next week will be a bit more sedate.  Speeds going out 12th. will be kept in check a bit. 

Now, back to the show...

 Back when riders were men, not anorexic whiners.  And look at the soigneur on the end.  Think that guy could rub the knot out of your calf? 

 Remember these things?  If you never seen any of these, keep your expertise to yourself...

You had me at hello...until I saw the disc brakes.  I'm at a loss...

It's going to be a spectacular weekend.  Go outside and play.  Breath the air...live your life. 

Not many smiles around here...

There haven't been a lot of smiles around Columbia for the past 48 hours. 

This article will change all that, if only for a little while...

George Hincapie makes a little boys' day...week...month...year...

Thanks to Big George for being a class act. 

And that's why cycling, and pro cyclists are better than ball and stick athletes.  Can you see Kobe Bryant, or Dwayne Wade taking an afternoon to hang out with a little kid, and do what the kid wants to do?  I cannot...

The Thursday ride will go off tonight @ 6:30.  It will be a Memorial Ride of sorts for Dr. Hudson.  Short loop, slow pace, 2x2, everyone rides together.  Police escort has been arranged.  Be make an effort to attend. 

Thanks!

There, but for the Grace of God...

Last night was good and just tragic...

I rode well, and felt good, even considering I was hossing around the CX bike.  None of that amounts to a hill of beans...

Now for the tragic...

There was a crash last night.  It was a crash that has occurred more times than the Gods of Cycling can count.
A simple touch of wheels...

Unfortunately, last night's touch of wheels ended in tragedy. 

Dr. Ed Hudson was coming up the left side of the line, looking for a spot to get in.  He came to the right, into the line, just as the line was shifting slightly to the left.  Dr. Hudson kissed wheels with the rider in front of him, wobbled a bit, and high-sided.
Charlie Martino was directly behind, and a bit off to the right.  He had nowhere to go, and plowed into Dr. Hudson. 
Both hit the pavement @ somewhere near 30mph.
Dr. Hudson crashed on his left side, hitting his head, and skidding to a stop.
Charlie flipped 180 degrees, and landed flat on his back, also striking his head on the pavement with great force.
Both were knocked unconscious.

The front of the bunch slowed, and talked about what had happened.  A few said that two had touched wheels, and gone down.  An accident that normally results in some broken bicycle parts, a cracked helmet, road rash, and at worst, a broken collarbone.

So we continued on...

Here's where normally goes out the window.

Charlie came to, obviously concussed, and beaten to hell and back from his run-in with Mr. Tarmac.

Dr. Hudson laid still, bleeding from his mouth, and an ear.  911 was called, and an ambulance arrived very shortly thereafter.
The EMTs worked on the good Doctor, loaded him up, and headed to Richland Hospital, which is a Level ONE Trauma Center.
Dr. Hudson suffered skull fractures, a large subdural hematoma, and bilateral pneumothoraces were required. 
Dr. Ed Hudson succumbed to his injuries at approximately 10pm last night. 

It was no one's fault.  The was ZERO wrongdoing on anyone's part.  It was an accident, plain and simple.  A tragic, horrific, one in a million accident.  Even the Trauma Docs at Richland said as much.

As for me, and I KNOW that NONE of this is about me, I feel like crap for not stopping and going back.  None of us could have done anything for Dr. Hudson.  I take a very small bit of solace in knowing that Dr. Hudson never felt a moment of pain prior to his passing.  That's my hope at least...

I didn't know Ed, but by all accounts, he was a super nice guy, who loved his job, his family, his friends, and his hobbies. 

As you head out the door to ride, run, swim, cartwheel...whatever...please remember that life is precious.  Hug your family a bit longer, and a bit harder.  Cherish your friends.  Be careful doing what you do, and conscious of others. 

There will be a memorial ride of sorts on Thursday Night @ 6:30 leaving the Co-Op.  It will be a slow, 2x2 ride.  Everyone stays together.  Please make the effort to be there!

And cyclists are dopers...

Maybe she can hide in her panic room, and call 911 when drug control shows up again...or get another blood clot in her lungs...or some 'roid rage at the chair umpire...

#DOPER

Or to quote Austin Powers...



Pssst...don't tell Serena I said ANY of this.  She's scary, and would likely beat me into a puddle...

Monday morning salutations

It's Monday again...oh joy...

 Indy Fab calls this a 'gravel bike'.  So disc brake cross bikes are now 'gravel bikes'?  smh

 What I think of instagram.  If I wanted to look at a faded photo, I'd pull out the pictures of my childhood!

 HWF and I had this conversaton on Sunday's ride.  Don't know if I really want a disc rotor spinning at high speed, behind me, right at achilles tendon level.  How about a pile-up in a finish sprint?  Just not a good idea...

 If you don't know this guy, the exact race he was in, and the bike (and fork)...

Same road...two seasons make a big difference, eh?

Great ride Sunday.  Really.  Nice, jovial group.  Everyone took their turns at the front, took some digs, stayed together, and waited when needed.  You know, like a Sunday ride should be...
We did the new Valley Ridge loop, out in Calhoun County.  Such a nice ride, on lightly traveled roads.  It also affords the opportunity to go long, longer, or longest. 
The loop itself was the result of a 'hey, where does this road go' ride that Il Prof and I did one Sunday.
If you're out that way, hit it up...thank me later.  And if I see it on Strava, I'll punch you in the gooch.

And here's the reason you don't race hipster fixed gears in a crit...



From the Red Hook Crit in Nuevo Jork.  Of course, it's gotten huge, and more people show up to race, and spectate, than any race around here, so who am I to judge?

OK...time to source a braze-on 7900 D/A F/D...

Have a good Monday kids...

Saturday Edu-tainment

Is it wrong that I'm trying to figure how I can rent this thing?  It would take care of my neighbor issue. 
Someone on Youtube asked, "What's the point...?" 
If you have to ask that question, you have obviously just flat missed the point...

Two mini things.  One is cool...one makes my heart hurt a little...

 Cool.

Get the nitro tabs...and a baby aspirin...

Seems like they may have practiced this move.  The things one learns under Vaughters' tutelage.

If it looks like a crack, and feels like a crack, you'll need a receipt. 
Yes, the fine folks @ Ridley USA, and QBP, told me that they couldn't cover my frameset because I DIDN'T HAVE A RECEIPT!!!  Yes, I may have raised my voice there.
Know why I don't have a receipt?  Because this frame was a fucking warranty too!!  Who asks for, or gives, a receipt on a warranty frame?  Hell, when I sent the old (08) Helium back, QBP took it NQA, and sent out the red frame BEFORE I even sent the old/broken one back.  NOW I need a receipt? 
Nice to know that "10 Year Warranty" is a moving target...
Big thanks to Clive @ Glory Cycles for helping me sort it out.  He talked to the folks @ Ridley (QBP), and got it covered. 
It gone, and on it's way to Minnesota.
Stocks on medium Heliums is LOW right now...like single digit low, so I'm getting a Noah RS as a replacement. 
When I drive up to get it, I WILL have Clive provide me with a receipt of some sort...

Yep, the old fat guy is getting on the 'aero' frame bandwagon.  It'll look roughly like this one when completed too.  Well, except for the bartape/saddle mismatch thing.  I'll take the opportunity to use my white Selle Italia Unicorn, I mean Flite Ti, and white tape. 
No more seatmast either!  Whoo-hooo....!
Of course, it's a 'aero' post, so no Thomson either... :(

Our local LBS owner told me to get a Tarmac or Venge instead, because we know that Specialized frames NEEVVVVVVEEERRRRRR break. 

Looks like the only thing I'll need to buy is a braze-on F/D.  And some tape...
Now to hurry up and wait...

Speaking of Glory Cycles, they are the friendly neighborhood purveyor of Ibis bicycles now.

...and this Hakkalugi gives me a funny feeling in my tummy...

And with that, I bid you adieu...

Enjoy your Saturday!