A non-rant rant...

Listen, I understand that I can be abrasive.  What do they say?  Admission of the problem is the first step in recovery.
I also understand that I'm not always right.  As one gets older, self-awareness should become a bit more acute.
And to be honest, I like a good argument.  Especially one that is easy to prove. 
Where am I going with this?
Last night, on the Twitters, Mr. Bristol said something about placing his shift levers high on his bars for comfort.  Cool.  If it works for you, have at it.  Who gives a shit what someone else thinks!  Hell, I ride mine kicked up, as do A LOT of people.
Anyway, some jackhole on Twitter tell him he's WRONG.  Not, "Hey man, why do you do it that way...?", or, "Dude, those are high!".  The guy just says, "Nope...WRONG!"
The he proceeds to explain some archaic, borderline luddite, Euro-trash opinion that we've all heard.  "Levers should be level with the tops of the bars..."
Blah, blah, blah...
A few of us jumped his ass for A)Being completely incorrect, and B)Sort of being a Bell End. (Google it).
Never mind the fact that there are myriad reasons for riding your bars rolled up, and that a whole lot of full-on Euro Pro-Dogs ride their bars and levers JACKED up.
Examples?

 Cancellara

Boonen's 09 Roubaix bike.  Oh yeah, I believe Boonen won. 

Nys' 11v Di2 levers.
Let me count real quick...oh, hell with counting...that's a metric ass-ton of race wins, and World Champ jerseys.

Your bar angle and shape, stem angle and length, and lever placement are all PERSONAL choices, and if it fits YOU, and works for YOU, then...well...you know the rest.  Hell, mine are up there...

Know why?  Because the guy who did my $350 Retul fit put them there!!  And I can tell you, it changed my fit and comfort for the better. 

Back to the Bell End...
He gets killed by a few of us, both questioning his skewed reasoning, and by posting pictures of Pros riding their levers high. 
I then posted this photo, of Sean Yates...

I guess Yates was wrong too...but the complete OPPOSITE way. 
No response...at all...for the rest of the night.  Then, the Bell End pulled the ultimate scorned middle school girl move.  He unfollowed me.  Let me tell you, I wept until my pillow was soaked. 
Why do I care?  I really don't.  I'm just writing about it b/c the shit was funny.  It's exactly what Twitter is all about.  Exchange of ideas, and other mostly inane bullshit. If you say stupid stuff, expect to get called out.  Hell, it happens to me on the regular.
I hate to see what that dude does in real life.  Probably a lot of foot stomping and door slamming...

 -end non-rant rant-

 That's just a nice picture...

Really...gear floss.  I'm sure it works, but then again, so do scraps of old t-shirts.  Or take the 3 minutes to pull the cassette OFF, and clean it properly. 

Two Bikes made by preeminent builders.  Both just plain, clean and simple.  Methinks my next road bike will be metal...

No outsidey for me tonight.  Too many hidden icy spots waiting to deposit riders on the heads.

Get back to work...

Ice Station Zebra

Yes, it's true...3 inches of snow will cripple a Southern city. 
The City made a stink on the news about how they had their plows and salt trucks ready to respond.
Well, if that's ready, we're FUCKED if a serious Winter storm ever blows through here.

I threw a leg over the Salsa @ 8:45 this morning, and headed out.  To say the streets were crap would be giving credit to our fair City leadership.  The side streets in the 'wood were passable simply because they hadn't been driven on all that much.
The "main" streets, you know...the ones that one would think may have had some work done them were dangerous...at best.  Black ice, sheet ice, and frozen slush from vehicles driving through.
The plan was to go to The Powerstation and futz around for a bit.  Well, the best laid plans of mice and men....
After it took me a solid 20 minutes to get to USC's baseball stadium, and nearly crashing for the 14th time, I said ...

...and turned around.  I let about 50% of the pressure out of my tires, and eased back towards the 'wood.
The train yard trail looked unmolested, so I took a fast trip through the yard.  (Screw you Security dude.  Catch me if you can...)
There was traction aplenty @ Owens Field.  Snow on grass/dirt does that...

 The frozen tundra of Owens Field

 Yeah...flouro knows no temperature...

Into the trails...
After several loops, the Salsa decided it would rather be a single speed.  Damn downtube cable routing.  And the brakes were becoming little more than a suggestion.  Time to take it back to Service Course.

Sheeefting?  We don't need no steeenking sheeefting!
Still got two hours...a little effort, and a few near-hitting-the-ground experiences.  Never cold for a moment...
Yeah, and my damn bottles froze!

If you have something to do, go do it in the next few hours, b/c when El Sol dips below the trees tonight, everything on the road is going to re-freeze.



Still better than riding the trainer...

Hidey Ho...!

And another Monday greets us with an ungloved slap to the face...
Take the upside.  It's going to be nearly 60 degrees today, thus you all have time to go get supplies for the coming "Midlands Snowpocalypse".
That's right.  Snow is called for tomorrow.  Up to 3 inches. 
Guess I need to go put some knobbier tires on the CX bike.  You prepare your way, I'll prepare mine!
IF it does snow, and anyone wants to do a snow ride, let me know!  I'll be going out anyway...

Good rides this weekend. 
It was nippley Saturday morning.  I rolled at 9...in 27 degrees and a howling 15-20mph wind.  A couple of loops around The PowerStation, and then some exploring. 
Cayce/WeCola is putting a lot of effort into the Riverwalk back off of The PS.  Tons of trails already in, and even more paths through the woods have been cut.  When it's done, it will be Mecca for getting out in the periphery of the largest hardwood swamp in the US. 
The best part is the care they've taken NOT to just destroy the flora in a wholesale manner.  Someone with good sense drew the layout for the trails. 

Yes, that's ice on the water hole!

  So, I turned down this trail...

 And found this...
Seems like they have plans for this particular trail.  There are a few of these terrifically overbuilt bridges out there.
I also like the fact that Cayce/WeCola has the good sense to just close down Old State to vehicle traffic.  No reason to leave it open.  It just invites stupidity.  Closing it allows it to return to nature, and become an even better outdoor resource than it is already.

Los Tres Amigos met on a chilly, breezy Sunday morning for a big, figure 8 loop out thru Lex/Cal.  No real plan.  Just rolling around on a beautiful January morning.  AND we came home with a tailwind.  What the WHAT? 

It's so ugly out there.  You guys would hate it.  We'll take the bullet for you...

I got home with 91km, so I rolled thru the 'wood for a few extra minutes, and hit the door with 100.22km!  I'll take it. 
Following the ride, I tore down the front end, and the BB on the Noah.  It should be done every six months, whether one thinks it's needed or not.  Everything got cleaned, re-greased, and re-assembled. 
A total of 6.5 hours in the saddle for the weekend.  Not too bad in January...

Productivity Killers :

Genesis Volare Team.  953 stainless.  OS headtube/downtube/chainstays.  Understated.  And these guys are looking to enter the US market.  Retail in the UK is 2299GBP, but they told me, via email, that they'd sell a frameset for $2500, including the Enve OS fork!!  Uh, okay...let's put more ideas in my head...

#Svenness 2.16 Leuven
#SVENNESS 2.16 from In The Crosshairs on Vimeo.

TDU Stage 6 Circuit Race


Gotta say, OmegaPharmaQuickStopHouseOfBBQHaberdashery better get their collective shit figured out when it comes to leadouts, b/c Lotto seems to be firing already.  And don't forget, Griepel's main leadout man, Mr. Henderson, is re-cooping after knee surgery.  The train is only gonna get faster...

Another old picture of downtown Columbia.  The building is still there, right behind the Tapp's building.  Could be something cool again...

This just seems like a bad idea.  It's like these guys woke up and decided that they REALLY needed a head injury. 

Now get back to work. 

Friday Funnies

 Masters Racing



Even LeDuc got called out...

I couldn't bring myself to ride the trainer again last night...not twice in a week...
I kitted up and went outside for 90 minutes.  It was cold, but not brutal.  There's one, sigle caveat to that...
It was COLD down by the river. 

 Either two Bigfoots (Bigfeet?), or the biggest damn raccoon on the planet!

Caps...not hats.  That poor cap has been worn under a helmet at night so many times, the damn bill won't even go into the down position anymore.  It's the teenage boy of caps...

Supposed to be ass-biting cold, and windy, Saturday morning.  I'm going out on the CX bike.  Out of the breeze, hopefully.  Sunday?  Who knows?  Probably the standard road ride...

Stage 4 of TDU highlights :



Griepel got off that damn Helium SL, and back on a Noah...

And I'm not real fan of pro throwball, but this is funny...



It's not going to be much nicer next week, so get out, and get after it!

That pesky fine line...

You know the one.  It's been discussed on here before. 
The fine line between hard, and stupid....
Last night, it wasn't cold, and it wasn't raining.  It WAS, however, breezy.  Well, not so much "breezy" as there was a cold wind howling out of the NorthWest at 20-25mph, gusting to 30.
In the warm light of day, I'd ride in such conditions.  In the dark of night, knowing that drivers aren't looking for a cyclist getting blown into the path of the 2-ton steel cage, the smart play was to stay home.
Yep, I bailed.  I'm hard, but not not stupid.  And yes, I know this point is subject to argument...
I buckled...and rode the trainer.  Hate that thing...
I did have the 09 edition of Roubaix to keep me company, but still...
Want a suspect in a crime to talk?  Put 'em on the turbo for an hour.  They'll tell you what you need to know.
It was also a bit of a give back, as I wasn't gone for 2.5 hours.  This is important, as I likely WILL be gone for that long tonight.  The SWOBO RoadShow is pulling into town today, and will be at The Cock -n- Bull from 6-9pm.  You should come up.  Bikes, beers, laughs, shenanigans...
I even invited the Columbia Quad Squad Roller Derby girls.  If they show up, shit might get real.  Speaking of, the ladies have a bout on February 8th @ Jamil Temple.  Should be a good time.  I'm going...and bringing my heckling "A" Game.

Eye candy :

And for his next trick, Tommeke the Magnificent will wedge himself into this cooler...

NOS Campagnolo bits.  AKA "The Campy Retirement Plan"

Main Street.  Columbia.  1968.  Call me a luddite, but that looks pretty freaking nice!

Just look at it for a moment.  Let it sink in...

And Sidi takes hi-viz, and 80s throwbacks to a whole new, much higher, level...

I listen to Tool, or other heavy music to prep for a race.  Sven has coffee, and watches old movie musicals.  Seems to work for him...

Can we try this?



#Svenness 2.15 (Belgian Nats version)

#SVENNESS 2.15 from In The Crosshairs on Vimeo.

OK...get back to work.  I should probably get my day started too.  The duties of Facilities Manager here at Corpo never end...

Windy...party of one...?

That was pretty much the theme for the weekend.
It was 30 and windy Saturday morning, so I headed out to The PowerStation in a futile effort to get away from the breeze.  No such luck.  Even out there, deep in the trees, the wind howled.  And even 4 days past the last rain, the dirt was still wet and heavy in spots.  The 'washout', as it is now known, has turned into a section reminiscent of Hoogerheide. 
No worries though...choose a line, and keep pedaling...

Out to Eastman and back in.  A couple of trips up Gervais, and a parking garage gave me a tick over 2 easy hours.  Plenty on a windy 30-40 degree day. 

Still pretty damn nice out there...

Sometimes I'm surprised about rides.  Sunday, on a 40 degree, blustery morning, we actually had a good sized group.  Onward towards Lex/Cal. 
The trip out was big fun.  The trees knocked down the WSW wind, and the sun felt glorious as we climbed over the ridgeline towards Hwy 6. 
Once ON HWY6, the script flipped a bit.  Block headwind @ 15-20mph was waiting on us.  Honestly, it wasn't bad until we hit the farmlands surrounding Swansea.  Then it became an exercise in head-down-grind-it-out riding.  The stretch is only about 9 miles, but it was plenty.  Cal and I were both getting the old 'effort headache', if that's any indication...
Once I'd mopped up the town limit sprint, we stopped at the BP.  The plan was to continue on to Pelion for @ 80 miles.  That plan changed.  TVH said he was going straight back in.  After a little murmuring, the die was cast.  Il Prof continued on, solo, to Pelion, while the rest of us rolled down 321...with a pretty nice cross/tailwind.
Even in bailing,and taking the "short" option, I ended up with 105km.  It was enough. 
Gotta say though, sure it was windy, but the sky was big and blue, the sun was warm, and the group was jovial.  Can't ask a whole lot more!

 Borderline perfect road...except for the drunk bumps!  Thanks Obama!

 Good morning everyone!

 Yes, the sky was THAT blue out in the country!!  The wind B-slapped us right over that next rise in the road...

I was operational yesterday afternoon.  Today, I can feel that I have entered my mid-40s.  #stiff  Where's that cranberry Red Bull?

As an aside, I had some greasy black shit all over my bike when I got home.  Don't know what it was, but y'all may want to wipe your bikes down.

The Tour Down Under started.  As Ford and I talked about yesterday, there are only three interesting stages.  The crit to open the race, the climbing stage up Willunga, and the last day crit. 
Here's the full People's Choice Classic...



Big sprint from the big sprinters!  And a 53kmh average.  It hurts just to type that...
And how about Griepel's helmet?  You can have your Lion of Flanders.  I want the gorilla cover!

And CX is wrapping up in Europe.  Leuven was yesterday.  Great course.  Designers should take note...
The outcome was predictable though...



#svenness  The guys at Trek are as happy as a puppy who found the cat box.

Paging Mr. Edwards...Mr. Edwards to the Mapei Colnago courtesy phone...

Uh...okay... a Gulf livery Ritte...

And I know I posted this not long ago, but the decision was reached yesterday that the Belkin Bianchis are the nicest looking pro bikes thus far in 2014.

And with that, I return you to your Monday activities.  Mine will consist of trying not to commit infanticide, as the kids are out of school for the next two days.  Didn't we just have Christmas break?  South Carolina, 50th in education, #1 in your heart!

Gonna be 60 and sunny today.  Go outside...even if it's to eat lunch!

Please sir...can I have some more?

I wonder what the pseudo-feminist Twitterati will have to say about this?
What is it, you ask?
Alison Powers, of the newly formed UHC Pro Women outfit is the race leader at the newly formed Tour de San Luis Feminin.
Hmmm...they'll probably complain, again, that the pink and flowers are bad for women's cycling.  Nevermind, again, the fact that the new UHC program hired a bunch of women, and support staff, and the race itself is a first time event for the ladies.  I'm sure some extra staff was probably brought on for that as well.
But, you know, the clothing is what to concentrate on here.
Personally, I love it.  I think it looks pretty fucking spectacular.  All she needs is some hot pink HBStache socks...

And speaking of UHC, while they didn't get a nod for Il Giro (what a crock of shit), they DID get chosen for Milan-San Remo.  Nice work Mr. Tamayo...

In other pro-dog news, rumor is that Horner is going to Lampre.  About time!  I was worried that he was going to go all 'Juwanna Mann' on us...


Fun little ride last night on a pretty perfect, crisp, Winter's eve.  I went out solo, as my mood, and motivation both left a little to be desired.  Once out, and rolling, both improved measurably.
Sure it was chilly, but not that freeze your man fruit cold.  Crisp and clean cold is good.
90 minutes later, I was back at Service Course, in much better knick.
I do like riding at night, alone.  Senses are heightened, are other than not getting killed by a 2-ton car, cares are few.
Speaking of, I'd like to give a special shout out to the uptight fellow in the big-body Lexus that honked at me at the intersection of Huger and Gervais.  Yeah, I took the whole lane...AT THE RED LIGHT!!  Once green, I rolled thru and got over to the right.  He honked again.
I stayed within 50-100m of his bumper for the whole trip up through the Vista.  I caught him at the light by WIS, knocked on his window, smiled big, and waved.
Yep, you jackass, I got here in the exact amount of time it took you.  Aren't you glad you professed to be in such a hurry by honking?
And thank you, kind, overly-tighty-whitey wearing stranger, for pissing me of just enough to go hard up Gervais.  Your ass-holish-ness just made me a little stronger!

I laugh in your general direction sir...

Looks like a blue sky weekend.  Sure, it'll be a little chilly, but that's why they make Roubaix fabric now, isn't it?

Time to get on the SCDMV website, if it works today, and try to solve an issue.  If not, I'll be headed to the DMV on Monday.  Keep me in your thoughts...

Enjoy your weekend...I plan to...

Looking California...feeling Minnesota...

So yeah, the sun is out.  The sky is big and blue.  Looks pretty brilliant.  It's 40 degrees. 
Hey, I'm cool with it.  I'll ride in whatever. 
Could be in Wisconsin...

I know people up there ride in that shit, but HELL no.  Maybe once in while...for the novelty of it, but Not on the regular.  And I'm not buying one of those stupid fat bikes...
Spend the money on some E-Motion rollers, a computrainer, and a flat screen.  Build your own Hurt Locker in the basement...

Fun ride Tuesday night.  Just sort of rolled around.  2.5 hours of rolling around beats riding the trainer...every time...regardless.  Larger group than expected too.  Pretty much the core bunch, but that was cool with everyone involved...
Got to ride in shorts too.  Sure, some Mad Alchemy Embro was involved, but riding in shorts, on a January night, just doesn't suck.
Probably be forced to wear knickers tonight, as it's not going to be 60 when I leave...dammit!

Speaking of what to wear...

Yeah...people on Instagram and Twitter were giving Marcel Kittel stick for rocking a sleeveless jersey.  It's 115 degrees in Australia, and he's Marcel F'ing Kittel.  He can wear whatever he likes...

And folks were in FULL whinge mode about this kit.  Yeah, it's a women's team in Europe.  One "fan" remarked on Twitter that the kit "...was insulting to those women athletes...".  Oh shut the fuck up with your feminist ranting BS.  Be happy that there's a NEW women's team on the block.  A team that hired not only racers, but support staff as well.  That's a lot of jobs...and she's upset by a pink, flowery team kit? 
I know the person who is "upset", and she'd probably bitch that a brick of gold was too heavy to carry...or eat...
Again, it's marketing.  If you don't like it, cool, but you're talking about it, so it has already done it's job! 
And let's be honest, it's better than this...

Flowery, happy pink, or dookie brown?  I know which I'd pick...

And I know I give Cav a hearty ration of crap, but this picture is pretty good stuff.  Cav and the fam...OK with me...

NEWSFLASH:

The Swobo Tour will be pulling into Columbia on Wednesday, January 22nd @ 6pm.  Come on up to The Cock and Bull on Rosewood. 
El Jefe de Swobo will have test bikes to ride, likely some beer on tap, and a whole lot of fun. 
And ride your bike there if you can...
And El Jefe named the Van..."Halen"...get it?  Yeah...too easy.  I'm still partial to my entry...
"Jean Claude Damn Van"

I think that was it for today...if not, it just wasn't that important...not that any of this other stuff was...

Blue skies...go outside and get some Sun on your face...

Tuesday morning quickie

And let's be honest...who doesn't love that?

Lotto-Belisol leadout practice (via Hendy)

Greg Henderson - Lotto Belisol lead-out drills from cycling tips on Vimeo.

This is how many beer handups I took...

If I must...

A closer look at those Diadora Vortex Movistar Edition shoes.  The want is strong...

Don't hate Flecha!  He's FAB-U-LOUS!  Just check the watch...

Husqvarna Nuda custom.  Looks like it just want to punch someone...

Uh, Jens looks ready for the season...
And I know people have bitched about the Trek kits, but I like it.  Simple, clean, no ancillary bullshit.  Someone on the Twitters actually said that they expected more b/c Trek is so good at marketing.
Yeah, Trek is good at marketing.  You're talking about it, aren't you?

I don't know why I want this, but I just do.  It belongs to my friend Hunter.  He had it built custom.  So cool...

Katie Compton passing Sanne Cant, and Marianne Vos.  I hear that certain Doppler Effect sound every time I watch it...you know the one!

OK...get back to work.  The day is supposed to get better as it progresses.  Go outside and play.