Nothing to see here...

So it seems Spring has arrived.  One would never know however, what with the 30+ degree temperature shifts, and the fine crust of pollen that is covering everything.  Hope everyone likes the color yellow!
The Pollen count scale tops out at 12.  Today, the count is supposed to be 11.2!!!  Enjoy.

Here's a little racing from the last few days...

E3 Harelbeke (Just watch the last 40km or so)



Gent-Wevelgem (last 25km)



E3H was better racing.  Just sayin'....
Nice of Farrar to sketch out and ruin Griepel's Spring campaign too!

See!  GIFs are better backwards...

Two weeks!  TWO WEEKS!

Thinking these should be available...

Saw this over the weekend, and then got it from Junk this morning.  There's is a lot going on in this photo.  A whole lot...

Saturday was a slog.  I slept in...WHAT?  Yeah...until 8:30.  How very odd...
The Salsa got it's last ride before going to the media blaster.  2 hours.  Out thru the dirt, or should I say, heavy wetness that was The Powerstation.

Yeah...it was damp.  Just wasn't a lot of fun.  And the white and orange livery is no more.  Still trying to figure out what to do next...

Sunday, it was breezy....for the first 3 hours.  The last 30 minutes was an exercise in courage.  20-25mph head to head/cross winds on 12th St., that begat a ripping 9mph climb over the I-77 overpass.  It was actually a bit sketchy at a couple of points.  I honestly don't think I've ridden in gusty wind like that before.
The rest of the ride was good.  Crosswind going out.  Dead tail heading into Swansea that lead to a 40mph town line sprint.  Crosswind across the ridge, and then the aforementioned slap in the mouth by Ma Nature.
Every ride has a price one must pay.  Sunday's entry fee just came at the end.

 BTW...aero bikes are cool, until there's a 20+ mp crosswind.  Just sayin'...

Because, other than the breeze, the day was pretty brilliant!

It's supposed to be nice, and pollen-y, all week.  Get some Nasacort, and go outside.  It will be 90+ degrees before we know it!

Time to go to Target...

Note to self...

...eat a little bit in the afternoon...before a ride...any ride.
Wow...empty tank last night.  I was just hollow.  Wanted to ride hard.  Just couldn't.  I guess the muffin I ate @ 2:45 wasn't enough?
Kinda of a funky ride last night too.  Some people who have talked immeasurable amounts of trash about the TriCity ride in the past decided to make an appearance.  Do us all a favor...just stay home...or go ride in the Fort. 

And yes, I have become a bit protective of the TriCity ride.  It's a good ride, with a good, enthusiastic group.  Please make an effort not to foul it up, like has been done with a couple of other good rides in this town.

Moving on....

His aero helmet made him so fast that he ran down a car!  Strangely reminiscent of this...

Funny part of Phinney's terrible crash?  ISOGLASS made supposedly "shatterproof" safety glass.  D'oh...

Emily Collins.  Wiggle/Honda Pro Cycling.  My new favorite team. 

Time for Bristol to up his game!  #getinthevan

Fat bikes...PSSSSHHHH....

And another week draws to a close. 
Probably nothing happening in the morning, as it's supposed to rain.  I'm planning on riding, so if anyone is interested, let me know.
Sunday we're riding @ 9 from Colonial Center.  3+ hours out thru Lex/Cal. 
Rubber side down to everyone racing in Chuck this weekend.  Rumor has it that the surface on the course, both days, could be abrasive to flesh.
And if it's wet, run less pressure.  It's no slower, and may save your collarbone.

A kerfuffle?

It seems there may have been a kerfuffle last night on the ride...and I missed it!  Damn!

It seems a certain person was going above and beyond his normal levels of stupid, and fouled up the group.  Like I said, I wasn't there, but the same story was relayed to me by three separate people, so there you go...

Here's a sort-of-pro tip :  If you plan to : '...do my own thing...', go do your own thing by yourself.  If your "coach" has a plan for you, go do it by yourself.  No one cares.  The strongest guys who have ever lived in this town rode with the group.  They rode as quickly, or as slowly, as the group traveled on a particular ride.
When it was time to go fast, they either dragged the group along with them as they took monsterous pulls, or they rode alone.  Marc Williams and Daniel Barry are two perfect examples of this behavior. 
And if one chooses to act like a fuckwit, and then gets called out for it, by more than a half dozen people, a couple of things should happen...
--Don't make BS excuses.  We've heard them all.
--Own the fuck up.  Apologize if necessary.  Don't let it happen again.
--Make an effort to keep a low profile for a bit.  Watch the experienced guys/girls in the group.  Make the effort to be better.
Take this for what it is...constructive criticism, but don't get me wrong.  I'm not the arbiter of all that is good and fair in cycling.  I don't have all of the answers, but PLEASE realize that, on these rides, and rides across the planet, there are always guys who are faster, and who possess decades more knowledge. 
These two things are not mutually exclusive.
We've all been forced to do these things at some point in our lives...cycling or otherwise.
And speaking of BS excuses, don't use words, nor phrases, that have ZERO reference, or make no sense.  It brings to mind this scene from the movie "The Princess Bride"...



And most of all, heed the words from HBStache...

I have extras...

Thanks for your time!

And the "Bike Bill" was summarily crushed under the collective carbon sole of the cycling community.  After Rep. Wendy Nanney was called out for what can only be called sheer ignorance, she pulled her proposed Bill off the table at the Statehouse.  Unfortunately, her attitude remains.
In her statement, it became abundantly clear that she views bicycles as impediments to automobile traffic.  Her want to "...keep the flow of traffic moving..." is a clear indication that she sees us as being in her way.
Ms. Nanney, let me remind you of one thing.  You aren't stuck in traffic.  You ARE traffic.
And to add to her Spinal Tap levels of ineptitude, she deleted all posts and comments made by the cycling community from her Facebook page.  Not a good way to "start a conversation", as she said she was interested in doing.  A conversation isn't one when voices are silenced. 
I asked for a response, but was told Rep. Nanney was unavailable, as she was running to the dry cleaner to pick up her brown shirts. 
And to think that the Tea Party Conservative M.O. is to always call for less Government intrusion into citizen's lives. 
Ironic...party of one...your table is ready.

Let's lighten the mood a bit...

 Spring is upon us.  Remember not to mess around with bees...

And sometimes, cycling GIF files are cooler in reverse...

See...?
Go to reversegif.com to make your own.

Happy Wednesday everyone.  I actually have places to go, and people to see today.  Nothing like having an appointment at the Lexington County Sheriff's Department to start one's day...

Buckle up...

Today might be a long one, so settle in. And yes, you'll want to read all of it...
Well, maybe not ALL, but certain parts...

Let's get started with the abjectly stupid.
It's seems Rep. Nanney (R-Greenville) has authored a Bill in the SC Statehouse that would require cyclist's over the age of 15 to carry liability insurance.  No, this is not the beginnings of an article over at "The Onion".
Here's THE PROPOSED BILL.
Here's why it'll never happen :
Insurance companies have no way to even write such insurance.  There is nothing written in the SC Vehicle Code, nor the SC Insurance Code that would allow this coverage to even be written.
Insurance companies also have NO way to underwrite such coverage.  How would a company assess risk?  There just isn't a way to do so.
Law Enforcement has more important things to do that stop a group of cyclists to ask for their "permits", and to write tickets.
"Yes, we know that Dollar General is being robbed, but we are writing tickets to these scofflaws on their bikes..."
The Courts have more important things to pursue.  Traffic Court would be inundated with cyclist's fighting these inane tickets.  Most cyclists have a little bit of money, higher than average IQs, and plenty of time.  It would gum up the works worse than eating an entire brick of cheddar cheese.
And the DMV?  Please.  Those folks can barely do their jobs now.  Add another layer of complication, and make it bicycle related?  Yeah, that'll really smooth out the experience at the DMV...for everyone.
We should be concerned here, but settle down everyone.  This proposal will never get past first reading.  It's a waste of time and money. 
If you are so inclined, contact Rep. Nanney.  Be nice.  Be respectful.  Show Rep. Nanney that cyclists aren't all uneducated, dirty hippies.  Remind her that we are usually quite steadfast, that we come from all walks of life and ideologies, and that we VOTE.

Moving on to something (marginally) entertaining...
 MSR 2014 (last 100km)



Good rides this weekend.  Nice to be back on the bike after a little bout of sinusitis. Gotta love modern medicine.  Killed it before it got into my chest, and that's what matters.
Saturday we did a LexCo loop, and rode a bit shorter, as I had to be at #2's Futbol match.  It was a good time.  85km in the sun and wind, and I made it in time for kickoff.
And remember...hills build strength...headwinds build character.
Oh, and his team won 4-1.
Sunday, Il Prof and I ventured out into Lower Richland for a bit longer tour.  We did the old, "Hey, where does this road go...", and found a couple of really nice roads, and a town that was once booming, but no longer exists.  Kingville, SC.

 Sort of cool, and thought provoking at the same time.  I'm planning to drive out and poke around in the near future.
We also discovered a couple of ways to make rides out there a bit longer, but never too far from home.  And the roads and terrain were pretty brilliant.

Not much to look at, but that's not necessarily a bad thing now, is it?
Once back to Service Course, I turned and burned.  Quick shower and lunch, then loaded up and headed out for another ride.

Another 20km on top of the 105km racked up just an hour before. It was more fun, and soul-fulfilling than pretty much anything I've done in a long while.

The new trails at Otarre/Old State are open, and pretty damn glorious. They are a great place to ride, run, or walk.  And they link to both The Powerstation, and (with VERY little effort), the Cayce side of the Greenway.  It wouldn't be at all difficult to link together a ride of considerable length that NEVER encountered any sort of vehicular traffic.  And that's a good thing!!
The only complaint was from #2.  It seems his grips need to be replaced. Fortunately, I have some flouro green Oury grips that will match his bike.  This pleased him!

And with that, I bid you Buon Giorno.  Thanks for stopping by! 

It's Friday...you ain't got no job...well, maybe you do...

You can ride a CX bike in the WOODS?  Who knew?

CHRISCROSS from chris akrigg on Vimeo.

Granted, Chris Akrigg is way smoother, but this isn't a new concept.  It's even more fun at night...

I'm no expert, but I know enough to say that someone hooked up some conduit incorrectly.

Milan-Sanremo is this weekend.  Who ya got?  I'm gonna go ahead and take Sagan.  As was discussed earlier this morning, he's sort of a Sean Kelly-esque rider.  Does everything reasonably well, and can snap off a sprint when needed.  A "rouleur" perhaps?

Here's the last 10km from last year's frozen event....



Looks like a rainy end to the race this year...

And a little Cancellara to rally you on.  2008...just scroll to the 55 minute point, and enjoy...



Gonna be nice tomorrow.  We're leaving The Colonial Center @ 0900.  3 hours.  #2 has a Futbol Match @ 12, and I plan on being there for the second half.
Sunday : Same place and time.  Probably longer...

Have a good weekend! 

This and that...

Ok head cold/sinus infection, there are now antibiotics on board...so you can pack up and GTFO whenever you feel like it.  Thanks.

Reading CyclingNews this morning, and saw a story about Sergio Henao's "blood abnormalities".  Team Sky?  Blood issues that look like doping?  You don't say...
I'm shocked...



You mean the team that proclaimed "transparency" a couple of years ago is under the microscope?  Wiggins and Froome may not be killing everyone clean?  The team that puts 5 guys on the front at the base of a climb and just burns everyone off? 
Remind you of a certain team from the late 90s/early 00s?



Next thing someone will tell me is that Garmin, a team full of  ex-dopers who had crises of conscience, is still using.  Of course, Garmin would actually need some results for the banter to grow...

I'll give Henao about a week before Sky sacks him, and holds a presser.

And speaking of pro-dog stuff, please go check out Jered Gruber's Flickr photostream.  His latest photos are from Roma Maxima and Strade Bianche.  If there's such a thing as "photo doping", he's on the juice.

                                                           (Photo : GruberImages)
 There are scores more that are this good, or better.  The Grubers know their way around a camera.

A perfect representation of Moon Moon riding...

I might try to get on the bike tomorrow.  Or not...  Who knows?

OK...break's over...

Spring is here...

How do I know?  A head cold...
Between Junior Management, the weather changes, now the GD pollen, it was only a matter of time.  Honestly, I'm surprised it took this long to arrive.
Back on the OTC meds, and the Neti Pot...

And I wondered why I felt really flat and empty on Saturday.  Just no energy, no power (like there's a lot of that hiding anyway), and very little compunction to ride.  I felt pretty puny when I got back to SC, and it just got worse from there.  Ripping sinus headache, and all the rest...
Still ended up with 100km in the SC sunshine. 

As you can see, it was pretty terrible out in the country on Saturday...

Sunday was to be a missed day anyway, as we'd planned to go to Charlotte for NAHBS.  Very glad the time was taken to do so.  We saw some very cool stuff.  There were frames and bikes that were absolute art.  There were many others that bordered on being silly.  But then again, what I think might be silly, might be worthy of display at MoMA to someone else.
I have to say, the guys at Eriksen and Mosaic were not only the coolest guys at the show, but also made the nicest stuff.

 True Temper S3 steel?  Sure...

 Oversized Ti with a paint job that you'd kill for?  OK...

Another steel rig with killer paint that had sort of "soft-touch'' feel.  It was very odd.
And Kevin from Mosaic was very cool, and willing to talk about theory, and the very small details that I think a lot of other builders just don't consider.
And we've seen Eriksen's work.  Methinks Il Prof made the correct decision in choosing Eriksen, and after talking to the guys at the booth, he does as well.  Nice, down to Earth folks, who are simply the best at what they do.  Proof?  Best road bike and best TIG welding blue ribbons.
And they had this...

Custom Ti fatbike?  Sure..ok...
Lots of amazing work and engineering.  And some just dreamer, around the curve thought.  Calfee showed a tandem that could be separated, and turned into a single.  Yep.  Pop off the back half of the two-seater, bolt on your rear triangle, and go. 
And it wasn't just bike builders.  The guys from Reynolds were there too.  Funniest part of the day?
When asked who came up with the idea of drawing stainless steel hydraulic tubing into diameters large enough for bicycle applications, the Reynolds rep turned, pointed, and said, "Keith...that guy right there...".  Yeah, THAT GUY!  Nutty...
And the price of stainless frames will be coming down soon, as Reynolds has two additional stainless tubesets coming down the pipe.  Thicker tube walls, and a bit lower tensile strengths, but still stainless...

It was well worth the day trip up.  And considering Charlotte is only 1:15 from here, it was an easy drive.

Two more bikes I really liked...

 A "chrome" Festka carbon bike.  Price?  $3900 frameset.  $13,900 as shown. 

 And an Alchemy CX bike.  Almost too nice for CX.  The paint looked like one could check it for depth with one's finger.  They got checked off my list though.  I'll tell you why below...

Finally, the biggest-tired fatbike.  Those are nearly 5" wide. 


Random observations :
1- Lots of dudes with beards.  None could remotely be mistaken for lumberjacks.
2- Very few persons of the female persuasion.  MAYBE 5%. 
3-My take...
If you are a Bespoke bicycle maker.  Act like you want the business.  Engage the people.  I know that it's sometimes repetitive, and can be a pain in the ass.  I've been in retail. 
Examples? 
The guys at Eriksen and Mosaic.  Yeah, we talked about bikes, but we also made jokes, and talked about other stuff. It was like talking to guys I'd know for longer than the 15 minutes of standing in the booth.  They were welcoming, even though it was obvious that they were dragging ass on the third day of NAHBS. 
The guys at Co-Motion were the same way.  We talked bikes, geometries, materials, and even made a little fun of a mutual friend.
Other side of the coin?  Alchemy.  They make some VERY cool bikes.  The issue?  The entire time I tried to engage in conversation, the dude was scrolling thru his fucking iPhone.  I'm not trying to come off as some expert in custom fabrication, but I DO know more about it than 90% of humans.  One would think that these guys would want to talk to like minded folks.  It just didn't seem so. 
My next bike will be metal...but it won't be from Alchemy.
And it wasn't just the "frame" guys.  It seemed to be this way across the board. 
White Industries?  Super nice.  Friendly...outgoing...took the time. 
Chris King?  Never saw one of their dudes out of a chair. 
Guess which hubs I ride?

Okay...it's Monday.  It's shitty outside.  I have a fucking head cold.  And you fine people need to work. 
Have a productive day.

That was better...sort of...

50-ish degrees and windy seems to thin the herd a bit for the group rides.  Tuesday was huge.  Probably 50-60 folks came out.  Last night...maybe a dozen in the front group.
Well, that was how many caught me @ Amazon.
Again, The Boss forgot how to manage her time, and arrived home @ 5:53.  Did I mention the ride leaves at six?
Now, even when I catch EVERY light, it takes 15+ minutes to get to the meeting spot. 
And I HATE having to burn matches just to get TO the ride. 
Out the door, and wound to 95% in the first minute sucks...a lot.
I took every cut through, and short cut I could think of, and ended up in front of the group. 
Once caught, we all settled in for what was a pretty good ride.  It seemed quicker than Tuesday, but that might have been due to the fact that I cashed in a lot of my chips just to meet the group.
Of course, the smaller group, and faster speeds made for a better ride.  There was no stupidity last night...well, except for green Trek dude, but that's just become a game at this point.
"Oh, you want ride off the front.  That's cool.  Why don't you just hang out there in the breeze..."
Good 2:15 on the bike, although between the colder air, the wind, and the pollen, I came home coughing like a miner.

Again, Emily Batty shows that there's NOTHING wrong with the Trek Team kits.

Bling Matthews brought Lars Boom down a couple of days ago.  I don't think Lars was pleased.

And speaking of not pleased.  Kittel had a bit of a tantrum after being brought down 2.5km from the line yesterday.



Then he posted this picture this morning...

Meh...not the first bike ever thrown.  Won't be the last. 

From the "Two Wheels Good" file...
Custom Triumph Scrambler?  Sure, I'll take one...

Might have to run that leg-broiling exhaust under the crankcase though.  Makes my inner thigh warm just looking at it.

The Saturday ride will be departing from The Colonial Center this week.  Still 0900.  It's supposed to rain Sunday, and a few of us are trekking to NAHBS in Charlotte, thus the change.
Spread the word...

Now I'm going to buy food...

We have the monkey...

Here's a picture from the first group ride of the season...

27 miles.  3 very near crashes.  Two due to folks riding over their heads.  One due to forgetting that the human head has the ability to operate on more than one axis.
A bike ride shouldn't result in coming home MORE aggro than when one left the house.
Settle down people.  There's no podium in the parking lot.
And it seems the whole "pointing-out-hazards" thing is lost on a lot of people.  If there's a hole, point it out BEFORE we get to it.  Pointing out shit that's right next to your BB helps no one behind you.  And indication of a smushed squirrel isn't as important as the hubcap-sized piece of missing tarmac that's 25m further up the road.  Prioritize.

If a crash is caused by sheer stupidity, well then...

 Methinks the pace might need to go up a bit to make the ride safer.  Folks might want to take a moment and read THIS ARTICLE again as well...

And one mechanical failure last night, but it sounded like we'd ridden into South Central.

We were JRA...no, really...amid a conversation about stainless steel frames, and Adam's rear tire just blew OUT.  A chorus of "SHIT..." rang out...
Tube blow out.  Sidewall blown out.  A short walk, and a ride from a guy named Sonny followed.  Glad the boy made it home!

And the pollen is already is full effect.  Nice to come home with little, yellow crust balls in the corners of the eyes.  And the "real" allergy season hasn't even begun.

Why is my want for this bike inordinately strong?  Rain bike. Townie bike. Easy spin bike.

)
What the fucking fuck?  Really people?  REALLY?  Wait until Strava/Garmin/ReconJet are all integrated, and linked by Bluetooth, and can be uploaded to the Intarwebs live during the ride.  Then one's coach can call them WHILE they are riding and give them tips.
It will be glorious...

Have a good Wednesday everyone! 

If I may...

I don't like to wax poetic often.  I'll point out the obvious, and it's quite apparent that I wear my heart on my sleeve.  In this case, I'm gonna wax on, like Daniel-Son in Karate Kid.

The weekend that just passed is the very reason people should A) Live in the Southeast, and B) Ride bicycles.  While the rest of the country is still getting their collective asses kicked by Old Man Winter, Spring popped up, and said hello.

Two days of big sun, blue sky, empty roads, and some sights that were just pretty fecking great.  One of those was the vulture that was flying BELOW us today out in rural Lexington County.  It's not often that one gets to see one of nature's greatest flyers sailing on the breeze...from above.  Justin and I were having a conversation, looked right...down into the valley, and saw it at the same time.  We both exclaimed, "Now THAT was cool!" 
Sort of made the ride for me.  It even made up for the two big GD holes Moon Moon rode me through. 
Not-So-Pro Tips :  1)Point out holes.  2) Point out holes BEFORE you ride past them.  

It was terrible out there today...

Now...on to the show...

Your fat bike isn't...

Peter Sagan?  Or Pedo Sagan? 

Columbus XCR Stainless.  MAX tube shapes and sizes.  Add a 44mm headtube, and send one with a 56.5TT, 73.5HTA/73STA, and 40.5 stays to my house.

Some real racing finally happened this weekend in Italy...

Strade Bianche



Roma Maxima (last 3km at least)



And with that, I bid you good day.  I've been up since 3:45am, and am operating on fumes.

Portland South

Another day of 42 and pissy rain.  Makes my joints feel LOVELY.  Wish my knees and hips had grease ports.
Supposed to be sunny and warm-ish this weekend.  And Junior Management is going to the LexCo Branch office, so I'll be able to get some miles...and some shit done around here.

The CX bike will be getting torn down, stripped, and painted.  Crown molding is going up in the bathroom, and some napping will happen.  I have a full weekend planned.

Speaking of, a few of us are batting around going to Charlotte next Saturday for the NAHBS.  There's room in The Beast.  Details aren't hammered out yet, but will be soon.  All are welcome to go look at the pretty, pretty bikes.

Speaking of pretty bikes.  My want for a stainless bike is growing strong.  That Ritte...

As we know, I eschew most ball and stick sports anymore, but when athleticism is shown, I'll give props.  And it goes to Blake Griffin, of the LA Clippers, for this...



Yes, the guy's eyebrows were level with the rim.  As the kids like to say these days, "He got mad hops..." 

Normal rides at the normal times, and places this weekend.  Show up, make the group bigger and better.  Or don't.  They will be good rides, and good times either way. 

Strade Bianche is tomorrow too.  Here's the end of 2012 to whet your appetite...



Enjoy your weekend.