PNW

Another day of gray, misty, Pacific Northwest weather. If I wanted to live in Oregon, I'd move to Oregon.
And by the looks of the forecast, it's not going to end anytime soon...

There will be some damp mornings on the bike this week. Night rides are supposed to start, but I wouldn't hold my breath. Probably best to just push it off until next week. I need to get out to the Powerstation and remove some limbs and debris anyway....

Worlds are over, and while I really don't care that I didn't go to Richmond, the racing was damn good. Every race!

Men's race...

Don't know who the bozos are doing the commentary. Probably someone doing a live podcast...

Ladies

U23

Too bad the UCI cannot deem the Junior Women's race worthy of upload. Chloe Dygart made a Sagan-esque attack for the win. It was fairly brilliant.

All were great races with worthy winners.

And Sagan gets respect for everyone. I'm just wondering what all of the fauxperts who cried out after "The Squeeze" are saying this morning? Probably professing their love for him. Wankers...

And did anyone notice that Peto wasn't riding a Venge?

He was on his OLD camo Tarmac. Wondering how SpecialEd will spin this one? He probably didn't want to be on a bike that rides like a dumptruck for six hours.

Me? I rode both days over the weekend.
Yeah, it was wet. Yeah, I got dirty. Beats the shit out of sitting on the couch, or Dog forbid, riding the trainer.
Made the mistake of riding down past the USC tailgate Saturday morning. I'm patently shocked that there aren't dozens of accidents before games. People just driving like they're the only special snowflakes in the World. Once through the madness, it was quite pleasant. Roads were pretty empty.
The PowerStation was ok...just a little heavy. There's one pretty big limb down, blocking the entire trail. I couldn't do anything with it. I'll get out there at some point this week and get it with the saw.
Same ride Sunday, just a bit more rain and wind.
It why having a CX bike in the quiver is always a good thing.

Happy Monday. I'll be right here, waiting for the pest control guy. The Boss made the appointment for 10:30am, because...you know...I have NOTHING else to do with my morning.

You asked for it...

You asked for rain. You complained, "We NEEEED the rain...!"
Well, you got it. Hope no one was near Main and Whaley yesterday. The water was only about 6 feet deep.
It rained for about 15 hours yesterday.
That idiot, Sam Champion, on The Weather Channel, said that the storm was pushing into the Southeast this morning.
Good to see that moron was paying attention yesterday. Thankfully, today is his last day on the morning shift.

Speaking of rain, you know that thing where you go out, under threatening skies, and smash a ride for 90 minutes, then when you are 15 minutes from home, the bottom drops out?
Yeah, welcome to my ride yesterday morning. Felt great. Just turned the pedals over.
Once across the river, and headed up Gervais, the rain started. By the time I got back to Service Course, it was dumping.
Beautiful...
I'm wet. Shoes are soaked. Bike is filthy. Good ride, all in all.

I'll leave this without comment...

Don't you just love the UCI?

 Kiry wins the TT...

...then gets his bike checked for a motor.

In other TT news, here's yet another reason to dislike UHC...
Villumsen can't get into her preferred TT position on her sponsored Wilier, so she rode a Trek (yeah, it's a Trek), and won Worlds.

Tamayo has a hissy, and threatens to fire her, or may have, then reinstated her...
She wins, and everything is okay with the World.
Willing to bet the farm that had she not won, he would have canned her on the spot.
Here's an idea Mike: Carry some extra Wilier decals in your bag. Not the first time someone has ridden a non-trade team bike.
His excuse? Protecting the sponsor. Um, okay...because, you know, there are SO many Wilier dealers, and folks riding around on Wiliers. Who even imports Wilier now? I remember when a local company was the distributor. They couldn't give them away...
If I was Villumsen, I'd take my maillot arc en ciel, and move on. A World Championship opens other doors.

Cav and Eisel are going to MTN-Quebeka, which will be called Dimension Data next season...probably with ETIHAD Airways on the kit somewhere. Should be interesting to have about a half dozen "sprinters" on the team next year.

Hope everyone took some rain gear to Richmond. It's supposed to rain this weekend. Thank Dog Tejay isn't there! Can you imagine the whinging?

Happy Friday! I'd say go outside and play, but it's really shitty outside. Should be better tomorrow. Do it then...

4 days...

Saturday and Sunday made 4 days in a row on the bike. That hasn't happened for, well...a while.
Neither day involved much effort, but I'm tired nonetheless.
No ridey today...

Also watched the Worlds TTT for Trade Teams. BMC killed it.



Nothing says ouch like 55kph average on the twisty, shoddy pavement in Richmond.
Pros are already complaining that the surfaces around the city are crap. Good job Richmond! You only had a couple of years to fill potholes, pave some roads, and bring manhole cover level with the road surface.

This might have hurt...


If you have Universal Sports, the remainder of the races will be either televised, or streamed live. The Richmond 2015 mobile app will also have the live streams. It's free, and worth the download. Lots of info, and full schedules of events.

The UCI is also streaming the races on their YouTube channel. It's geo-restricted in the US, you know...the country where the races are actually happening, but if you have Hola, you may be able to get around it.

I don't have much to say today...
Here's some stuff to look at...

 Main St. Columbia 1958.

Slammed 1965 Riv. If this car shows up in front of your house, the guy is there to kill you.

This is beautiful, and mesmerizing. It is surely art, but with mastery of the chosen medium.

鳴子系こけし／こけしの岡仁 from dmp on Vimeo.

And if you haven't seen "I am Chris Farley", you should take the time...

Have a good Monday. Yes, it is possible...

A little morning action...

Days are getting short around here. Darkness is falling early. Time changes in a few weeks.
Instead of waiting around for the groups rides, and being forced to come home at dusk, I've been Juan Solo lately.
All of Junior Management is now in school, so my mornings are relatively free...for a few hours at least.

Get up. Knock out a ride. Get home. Have the rest of the day/evening. Simple...really...

I got CRACKED by the chiro on Monday. I was crook-ed.
Tuesday morning, I was stiff and sore. I got on the bike anyway, hoping it would loosen me up. I left the house and pedaled squares for about 45 minutes, then the stiffness worked it's way out, and the rest of the ride was smoooove.
Well, except for the inbred woman who screamed, "Get a job", out her car window at me.
How very original! I'm out riding my $5000+ bike, while wearing $300 worth of kit, and $400 shoes. Idiot.
I yelled back, "Maybe you should have studied harder...!" Pretty confident it was lost on her...

Rode the CX bike Thursday and Friday. Same loop. Same effort. Speaking of effort, there are a few things that will stop a nice, cruise-y interval than crashing through a full, LARGE spiderweb.

It COVERED my helmet, head, and face. Stuck to EVERYTHING. Pretty sure it was unoccupied at the time. Didn't matter. After I'd cleaned off what I could, I was still fairly certain there was a spider on me...somewhere. I'm itchy thinking about it...
As an aside, The PowerStation is in pretty good shape.

 That's funny right there! Feel free to use it...

 Shut up and take my money!!

 Sven is embracing his inner flouro this (his last) season. Wonder if the Crockett comes in that colorway?

Merckx CX bike...I'm listening...

Interbike is going on right now. Haven't seen a whole lot that has piqued my interest. I'm sure that will change in the coming days. There's always plenty to geek out about.
And Worlds are getting ready to kick off in Richmond. Everyone and their brother is going. Not me.
I have a sneaking suspicion it's going to go off just fine. As a spectator though, folks won't be able to see shit.
Plus, it's on TV. I'll be sitting right here, watching it on the 55.
Plus plus, I've spent enough time in the truck, and sleeping in strange beds this Summer.
For those going...Enjoy. I'll be holding down the Fort.
PS- I'll take Sagan...

Enjoy your weekend. Go outside and play!

Eventful

Woke up Thursday and thought, why the F am I going to wait around until 6pm to ride? Dropped The Duke off at school, and was on the bike by 9:15.
Got a nice 2 hours on the CX bike, and was back to Service Course in time to get him at noon.
Riding in 75-80 degrees always beats waiting around all day for it to get hot.
Rumor has it the ride was silly anyway.
The plan was to ride Friday morning as well, but the house looked like a troupe of apes had been living here, so I cleaned. Sometimes it's just gotta be done.
Rode with Statler and Waldorf Saturday morning, and almost met my maker.
Started to turn left onto Double Homie, and Mike yelled, "Watch out...Watch out...!!". I glance over my left shoulder, and a Nissan SUV was sliding past us at a rather oblique angle. I swerved back to the right, and the truck missed me by not a lot.
Had Mike not yelled, I would have gotten hit. Not a question in my mind about that fact.
My only regret is that the asshole driver didn't put it in the ditch, or roll it over. Fucktard...
The rest of the morning, once I settled down, was pretty good.

I hit the door, and my new bar tape had arrived. Sweet.
The Bontrager stuff will NEVER go on my bars again. It just doesn't last. This set was about 6 weeks old, and was coming apart. Shite.
I headed down to SC for the switch back to basic, inexpensive Easton tape.
After unwrapping the bars, I noticed something odd.

Yeah...that's a hole. I fear I'm turning into Dean, as my sweat ate a hole in my bars. Fortunately, I had a brand NOS Deda Newton Deep bar under the bench.
I marked everything, and switched the bars. Didn't take long.
What took a while was battling my OCD in getting the bar angle and lever placement correct...even though I'd marked it all.
I finished, wrapped the bars, then stepped back. The monster was already gnawing at me.
The bars got unwrapped, rolled up a bit, and the lever got pushed down on the bars.
Second time was the charm.

As a pro-tip, change your tape often. Inspect your bars. Leaving tape on for months and months and months isn't a badge of honor. It's a recipe for failure.

The Heathens met Sunday for a normal Swansea loop. The tailwind out didn't bode well for the return.
Once in the fields beyond Swansea, the headwind was stiff.

We managed.

Upside? LexCo paved Fish Hatchery. Downside? They didn't bother to grind the old pavement. They simply paved over the old, cracked, pot-holed stuff. Yeah...it's black, and devoid of holes, but it's not much smoother than before. It'll be chopped up by Spring. Good job guys!
Best part of the ride?
Coming down Old Dunbar, we were drifting down to the light at 321. Cars in front. Cars in back. Red light ahead.
At the light, some ridiculous, blue-haired old bat pulled up, and told us that we needed to, "Share the road or get off...."
I asked why she was so angry. Was it the fact we were legal, or the fact she was going to have to wait at the RED light anyway?
She peeled off to the right, turned, and shot us an old, boney, arthritic, middle finger.
Ah, Lexington County...you never cease in providing quality entertainment.
It was a good ride, in spite of the angry old bitty. She was probably late to her appointment to get MORE blue put in her hair.
90km under wheels in the 70 degree sunshine.

Didn't do much the rest of the day. Hung out. Napped. Practiced some futbol with the kids. Quality.

And with that...I gotta jet. The boy needs to get to school, I need to hit Target, and go to the Chiro.
Full morning.

Short, and slow...

Much like a few people around here, last night's ride was short, and slow.
Let's start from the beginning though...

Radar said a little rain was around, and the sun was actually out, so I kitted up.
The wind was picking up, and the skies were darkening, but as most around here know, the weather changes in minutes.
A smaller than normal group rolled out, which was made even smaller by the the front half not bothering to wait when a split occurred at a red light. Bad form guys...bad form.
Heading out 12th, it was flying monkey dark, and we could SEE the rain falling. Off to the right...the direction we were headed, the sky was clear.
We rode on...
Well, that rain found us, and it was heavy. No "severe" weather, just a deluge and wind.
Some turned back...cough, cough...Mike...
We soldiered on...



People began riding willy-nilly...crossing the white line. Nope...I'm going to the front. Not getting taken down for a silly reason. I drove it through the rain, to the end of 12th. Lo and behold...the rain let up. And my legs decided they wanted no part of the ride anymore.
After 115km yesterday, the pins just weren't interested. The Professor and I took a bunch of cut-throughs, and rolled home slowly. It was all I wanted.
Short and slow...
The bike is filthy. Glad I cleaned it Monday afternoon.
Guess I'll be back down in Service Course shortly...

Sticky Bottle posted a good article about crashes in pro races. Hits the mark...
CRASHES

He's not wrong about those jackholes running alongside the riders. Dudes in costumes. Little kids, Fat guys in flip flops. You aren't cycling fans. You're fucking morons...
You're right up there with the 'fauxperts'.

This idiot is possibly the most egregious offender. If you guys put together a GoFundMe account for bail, I'll be glad to assault him.

Gotta jet. The Duke needs to go to school, and it's my day to provide "healthy snacks". Dog forbid they're late. His teacher needs to spend a few years teaching public school, where her youthful enthusiasm can be beaten down...I mean, tempered.

Good day my friends! Be productive. Or don't...that shit is sometimes overrated.

Fun?

The "Becky Labor Day Ride" was yesterday, sans Becky. She moved, but the ride lives on.
A gaggle of us met early to ride to the ride. Special thanks to Curran for catching us, and making our normal easy roll out into an early morning tempo effort.
About 50 folks rolled out of the parking lot @ 8:15. The group all stayed together until The Swamp. After the first, short stop, things got fun...if your idea of fun is riding above threshold for 30-ish minutes.
A front group formed, and we sort of let them go, with the knowledge that many of them would be back shortly.
And they were...eyes bigger than their engines, and all that...
We caught all but three of them during what could be called 'spirited riding'. Nothing says a good time like steady 45kmh pace on beat-to-shit chipseal roads, and whippy crosswinds. It was as close to Belgian as it gets around here, less the pissy rain and cowshit on the tarmac.
The group gathered up at the second stop, and rolled together between 35-40kmh all the way back the park.
Bottles were filled, and the 'ride to the ride' bunch turned for home. We sort of went the long way...sorry...probably my fault.
No matter. Just a few more kms in the saddle. I ended up with 115km. Felt pretty good considering I've been sick for the better part of two weeks.
And the ride was fun. The whole ride...not just parts.
I'm just wondering how the body will respond later this afternoon, when it's time to get on the bike again.

Last week was a pretty solid week of riding...even with the head cold. 300kms w/o trying real hard, and having a lot of fun. You know, what riding a bike is supposed to be?  I'll take that.

Why do I have a strong want for this bike? It's a little unnatural...

Days are getting shorter too. Guess I should dig out the lights...

Happy Tuesday!

You dirty little mother fu....

So, if you ride, you bike has had a creak. You know the one. The creak that is incessant, wholly bothersome, and won't go away. The creak that requires you chase it, only for you to feel like Wile E. Coyote, Super Genius, chasing the Road Runner.
Yeah...welcome to my life for the past week.
At FoTD, it started. medium to high pitched, obviously in the cranks. Not a deep enough sound for it to be BB creak/knock.
As I could do nothing then, I rode it.
I figured it was chainring bolts. The Ridley had been ridden in the rain several times over the previous month. That shit happens, right?
Nope. Pulled the bolts. Cleaned and greased. Still creaking.
A couple more rides, and it didn't go away. Sometimes creaks go away.
Pedals off. Axles and crank holes cleaned and greased.
Nope. Not the pedals.
Well, it's probably time to pull the BB anyway...
Rotor cranks off the bike. BB pulled. Everything cleaned and greased. Honestly, it needed it.
Re-install. Test ride.
CREEAAAK.
GD it!!!!!!!!
Back down in Service Course, and nearly out of brain power, I stared at the bike. Wondering if it would float after I threw it in the river.
Upon standing, I noticed something. The little nub on the big ring...you know, the one that keeps the chain from getting caught between the crankarm and big ring (should one throw the chain over the outside)?

That 4mm piece of alu had broken loose (shouldn't), moved, and become wedged against the crankarm (again, shouldn't).
Every time the cranks flexed under pressure, it rubbed...and creaked.
Big ring off. Dremel tool out. Bye Bye you dirty little mother fuc....
Cleaned. Reinstalled. Test ride.
No more creak.
3-ish hours. Overhauled the cranks, pedals, and BB. Ain't it always the way?

The Vuelta is going on. Crashes are wiping people out. Neutral service motos are wiping people out. Dudes are testing discs.
That being said, some BRUTAL racing is going on.

Today's stage. What the what? Dumoulin is riding a 34/28 today...

Ouchies....

Remember the Porsche that Matt Brammeier hit (or the Porsche that kept him from flying into the woods...)?

Yeah...that's not gonna buff out...
I ran it through the Mitchell Manual software. Somewhere in the neighborhood of $15k damage.
Ouchies all the way around...

Weird ride last night. We went out SLOOOOW. Too many people. Too many people feeling heroic b/c we were going slow. Rushing the front. Riding beyond their skill level. I had a bad feeling about it, but I knew it wasn't going to catch me out.
At the end of Old Wire, I turned around and rode home at tempo.
Don't know what, if anything, happened...
I got my saddle time, and got rid of more "stuff".

Thinking I might head out to The Powerstation this morning to spin the legs....

Happy Dromedary Day....