Double Day

Did the old double day yesterday...
Left the house @ 9 for a spin and felt terrible. Bad stomach, bad legs, bad lungs...you get the idea. The first 30 minutes was the very definition of suck. Something funny happened on the way home though. I had a tailwind the entire way and could just turn my legs over, get my HR up and give some effort. I did 3 5minute efforts and each one got progressively easier and seemed to push out the bad stuff. Going up Gervais wasn't so bad...going through USC campus didn't suck either. It made me feel old though. While I look at the young chippies walking around in their shorts and sundresses and think, "DAMN!", they look at me and think, "look at the creepy old dude on the bike!". The idea that I'm actually old enough to have children that age is one I really don't want to think about for long!
Anyway, I lazed about (read: did housework) for the afternoon, took a catnap when the MTs went down for theirs and generally did as little as possible.
I had to rush to make it to the group ride @ 6. The pace was quicker than usual on the way out and stayed pretty steady for the entire ride. The group worked pretty well together until the normal folks did their normal bullshit. Funny that they want to go hard when the rest of the group is just rolling through, but when the hammer meets the anvil, they tend not to be around...
After Airbase, we (the 4 PV) just rolled in.
I ended up with 110km and 3:30 on the bike.
This morning, I awoke to a crunchy back and some STIFF legs. I got on the bike and rode for exactly 55 minutes, never in anything bigger than the 39/15. Most of the stiffness is gone, but I will visit my friend the foam roller tonight!
3 hours tomorrow and 3 hours on Sunday...

Busy days

Monday was nutty...contactors, errands, general BS that takes all day...
Tuesday morning...same deal. Contractors, furniture breakdown and moving to make room for the new furniture...creating a grouchy back and some tired legs!
Then the TNCWC...
There was actually a decent turnout last night, yet it didn't seem that motivation levels were high for anyone. The race ebbed and flowed until a break of 3 got away. The chase would start, then stop, then start, then stop. All the while, the break was riding a steady pace and staying out by a full straight. The was enough horsepower to chase it down, but no one really wanted to do the work, I know I had zero interest in doing a whole lot of work. Oh, and one of the juniors needs to really work on some handling skills. He nearly took Meat out in turn two and about 10 minutes later, he missed turn four completely and nailed his brakes in the middle of the bunch.
Derek ended up taking the sprint from Jamie and Gordon. Ladd won the field sprint for 4th. Kenny, you really don't need a 54 chainring...or an 11!
Tomorrow is a double day, rain or shine. Then a spin on Friday morning. A shorter ride Saturday (likely in the rain) and then ride Sunday...nice little 5 ride/4 day stack.

yes and no

Doog and I met Saturday morning @ 7:30 to ride three hours. His mom is in town, so he needed to get back early. It was cool with me. I hate to get up that early to ride, but I like being home @ 10:30 with 3 hours and 50+ miles.
We rode relatively easy until we got onto Airbase. We were both feeling a bit flat, but did a nice, even, hard-ish tempo for the entire length. It felt pretty good and sort of opened my legs.
I got home @ the aforementioned time, cleaned up, and immediately started hanging cabinets in my kitchen. Got them all hung and now have very little use of my right hand and wrist. I really need to invest in a hammer drill! No leverage and 75 year old rough hewn oak studs make driving screws really fun!
I woke up this morning, got dressed to ride, spun through Shandon on my way to the Fort and just turned around. I felt fine, but my hand is jacked and I had zero motivation to ride. My ride partner had his phone on ignore...
When I got home, #1 son said he wanted an 'adventure', so we packed up Moby and headed to The Swamp. It's kind of nice to have a lightly visited National Park 20 minutes from the house. We, and I mean WE, walked the elevated boardwalk trail. The whole trail is nearly three miles through an old-growth floodplain swamp. Both of the MTs walked the whole way. That's a long way for short legs!!! #2 passsed out in the truck on the way home.

Specialized Toupe Ti 143 review...
It's not for me. Read all of the marketing drivel you like. It will either fit your body, or it won't.
I rode it for 160km+. It was fine when my hands were on the tops or the hoods, but in the drops and hammering, it just was not comfortable. There's very little padding in the nose and the nose is very short. I could feel my perineal nerve getting crushed with every pedal stroke when I was riding tempo in the drops. This is the second Specialized saddle I've tried over the years and neither have worked for me.
It's also very low profile. I was forced to put an 8mm spacer in my seatmast/cap to get my saddle height where it needed to be. The good? It's really light! 191 grams on the scale. If you are looking for a weight-weenie saddle and don't mind having your junk crushed, it may be the right one for you!

Trying a Fizik Arione next and then maybe an Antares...

Oh, and get well to TVH. He ran over (literally) a chihuahua on Saturday and went down hard. He's a little bunged up, but nothing on his person is broken. His Colnago didn't get off so lucky. Levers, hoods, saddle...all farked. He also smashed his helmet.
As for the dog, well, it got run over flush by TVH AND Dr. Jones. They said it ran off, presumably to expire quietly under the house.
See you guys @ the TNCWC.

2X

Yesterday, the plan was to go out and spin for an hour on the road. I dropped the MTs at school and as soon as I pulled into the driveway, the rain started to fall.
The cross rig needed a shake down ride, so I pulled it out and rolled into the rain. It wasn't bad. The bike worked fine with it's new parts and the rain actually felt pretty good. I can tell you that Ultegra SL cranks are waaay stiffer than FSA SL-K carbon ones and the new Look Quartz pedals are very nice...stomp and go.
Anyway, I did the HoP(tm) loop down around the river. The rain felt good, my lungs were working properly and the legs felt like they were attached, so once I got to River Drive, I rode hard. I ended up riding @ 92-95% for 20 minutes...in the driving rain...and it felt good.
The rain picked up on the spin through campus and the 'hood. As soon as I got home and leaned the bike against the stairs, lightning hit...CLOSE! And of course, as it always goes in my life, the rain stopped about an hour later.

The group met at 6, as usual, and went off through the Fort. Well, they did, I turned and headed home.
The Specialized Toupe saddle that I'm borrowing from Shrews is waaaaay lower profile than the Flite I took off. I measured seat height and it looked the same...well, it wasn't. I felt like I was sitting in a hole, so I blew home. I can't just raise the post on the Ridley as it don't have one...
I ran to the ManHole(tm), grabbed 5mm, 8mm, and 10mm spacers. I threw in the 5mm and took off, riding the loop backwards to meet the group. The 5mm wasn't enough, so I stopped, again, took it out and dropped in the 8mm...perfect. The rest of my wrong-way chase was a 45 minute effort at 90%+. I met the group just after the 4-way stop, turned and chased onto the back. I rolled in with the group and, even with my detour, ended with almost 70km and 2 hours on the bike.
I ended with just shy of 100km for the day and 3 hours of ride time. I feel like things are coming back around after being sick.
Doog and I are meeting @ 7:30 in the morning for 2.5 to 3 hours, including some tempo. All are welcome...

I'll give a more in depth review of both the Toupe saddle and the Quartz pedals in the near future.

A plug

If any of you fine folks who frequent my little pill party are in SE Pennsylvania, and need a good rub, hit up my friend Beth.
She specializes in Swedish, Deep Tissue and Sports massage. She's a CMT and a certified personal trainer. Beth knows her shit! She's also very cool and full of personality. No sense getting rubbed down by someone who can't carry on a conversation...

Check her site:
http://www.getzmassagetherapy.com/

I've also added site over in LINKAGE.

Thanks!

M

Stupid Wdenesday

(Yeah, I know I spelled it wrong...)

So I've come to the conclusion that Glenn Beck of CNN is batshit, around the bend, head injury crazy. He actually said that every piece of legislation that Obama is trying to push through Congress is tantamount to REPARATIONS! Really? Did you come up with this on your own Glenn, or did you get a letter from the Klan and figure that they had it right? Seriously, he's said it more than once...Google it...
I don't agree with much of what Mr. Obama says, and to be perfectly honest, I think ALL politicians are full of shit, regardless of party affiliation, but saying that the President is trying to back door reparations is just plain idiotic! What's next, universal healthcare including 40 acres and a mule?
Next, a thread on RBR is full of FAIL! It's a thread about cleaning white handlebar tape. Morons on there are talking about cleaning tape with Simple Green, dish soap, Gojo hand cleaner and myriad other things. All just terrible, inane ideas. Clean your bars with a chemical based compound...go ahead. Now, go ride in the rain. Need to wipe your face? Go for it! Feel that burning in your eyes, nose and mouth? THAT'S THE FUCKING CHEMICALS!!!!
If you want to always have clean tape, maybe white isn't the best choice for you. They make gray, off white, every color in the rainbow and the ever popular BLACK!
Yeah, I rock white tape and don't mind when it's dirty. It shows me that I've had my fat ass on the bike. When it gets too dirty for me to look at anymore, I re-wrap the bars with clean, crisp white tape. It's a re-birth of sorts. Something fresh and new to drive me to the bike.

Think with your heads people...

And lastly, file this under "answer to questions not asked"...
You all probably know that I'm no fan of Trek bicycles, but this is just really, really dumb...
Carbon, single speed, belt drive...
http://twitpic.com/dlvlv
Maybe I'm getting old and slowly becoming a luddite, but I just don't understand this...
I guess it's something for the Fixie Douchebag w/a Trust fund set. I'm willing to bet there will be at least one of these in town sooner than later.

Checking in...

Well, I got up @ 0515 Saturday morning and should have just gone back to bed. I felt iffy on the VERY early ride to Charlotte to race, but figured I could gut it out for 45 minutes.
Bad Omen #1: Setting up the bike on the trainer to warm-up and my 14 year old trainer broke. POS!! :) The handle that tightens the clamps on the skewer spun freely and wouldn't secure the rear wheel. Considering I bought the thing in 1995, I should have expected a failure at some point. At least it didn't fail while I was in the middle of warming up. Falling off the trainer is right up there with kicking yourself in the nuts.
Bad Omen #2: Forgot my chamois butter...team shorts w/no chamois butter is baaaad.
As I've chronicled in previous posts, the buckle on my right shoe has slowly been dying, thanks to my crash back in April. Well, the little plastic/aluminum bastard gave up on me during the race. I stood to come out of the last corner and my foot nearly exited my shoe. Two times in two races! I felt fine and planned on staying in, provided the SRAM Neutral Support guy had some duct tape. He did not...! How the F does a guy with a dozen full bikes and sets of Zipps NOT have duct tape. For safety's sake, I opted to drop out and drive my happy ass back to Cola.
Buckles and straps are in transit from Diadora as we speak.
Timberlake had the best finish of the day with a 20th. The rest of the team...well...I don't think any of them really want to discuss it!
Sunday, Doog and I met with the plan to do 3 hours somewhere slightly North of easy. Neither of us felt as that plan was ambitious, so we did 2:15. I did feel better the longer we stayed out though. I felt a little bad though, after I led the boy down a dirt road that had been newly converted to gravel and he flatted.

This morning, Doog and I met for a nice 2+ hour jaunt through the flats. The plan was to beat the heat, and we did, barely! It was 87 when got home...at 1115!!! I'll pass on racing the crit in swampy heat. It's just the thing that makes me feel like shit the next day. Off the bike tomorrow, but a double day on Thursday.

Peace out...

We'll see...

Went out Thursday with the group...probably should have turned off, but made the turn down to Elon with the bunch. The plan was to go out and do some openers and then go home. Well, I did some openers in the form of smashing the big ring all the way down to Elon. I went up the climb easy, thinking that the group would soft pedal, as usual, after going over the top. No such luck.
It was a nice chase all the way down to Bunky's. The ride got really fast on the run to Airbase, so I sat up. No sense in deadening my legs further considering my suspect level of fitness right now. I watched the bunch roll off into the distance and sat my pace @ 32-35kmh and just pedaled my big ass back to the house. I ended with one hour hard and one hour moderate, which was a little too much considering I'm racing in the morning. My legs were a bit stiff this morning. Gonna go visit the foam roller in a few minutes.

Wake up call comes at 0530 (not a typo) and then plan is to roll out the Battle Wagon(tm) @ 0630. Since my passengers bailed on me, I'm flying solo to Charlotte. I want to get there early enough to actually get a proper warmup this time. Every race this year, but one, I've done without warming up before. Some people can do it, but I'm 39 and have more slow-twitch fibers than fast at this point. The big diesel needs to get warmed up.

The course is short and technical, which I like. Whether it likes me is TBD...
Like I said...We'll see...

OR

TNCWC

Is it hot enough for you? Yes, actually, thank you! There's nothing quite like lazing about in a 75 degree house all day, only to get dressed to go out and race in 95 degree heat. The body (mine at least) does not like this violent change in temperature and effort. I think I need to go outside during the day and get my blood moving.
Anyway, the race went off as usual, and as has been the M.O. for the past few months, the turnout was pretty low. I couldn't really tell if it was fast, slow, or somewhere in between, as I've been sick and off the bike. It felt fast to me, but I still have goo in my chest, so breathing was fun, fun, fun. The legs were good, but the lungs were suspect.
The race itself stayed together for the most part. Attacks never got anywhere and the race ended in a bunch (what was left of it) sprint. Coco took it pretty easily for yet another PV win.

8 days off the bike and a sinus infection have definitely affected what little bit of fitness I had before I fell ill. If the old 3/1 rule is correct, I have about 3 weeks of work to do to get back to where I was, which was mediocre anyway. Kinda like clawing my way back to the middle!

I really need to track down some buckle for my shoes as well. It's not an entirely pleasant feeling to have the buckle come undone when making an effort @ 45kmh. Let the scouring of the internet begin.

And Operation Two Wheeler begins tomorrow for #1. He got a 'pedal bike' for his birthday, so it's time to break the bad boy out!

Back on the horse

Well, my 'issue' has been resolved, but I'm still a tad under the weather. As most who ride would do, I got on the bike anyway. After 8 days off, Saturday's ride was a bit rough for the first hour or so. Even though we were going SLOOOOW, the legs felt barely attached to the rest of my body. The fact that it was like riding through a wet washcloth didn't exactly help. If you look up 'humid' in the dictionary, it says, see 31 July 2009.
Coco, Meat and I did right at 2.5 hours at little more than talking pace, but it was really all I wanted. I DID get to expel a lot of 'stuff' that has been lingering in my sinuses and I felt better for the ride.
Sunday, Il Prof's ride had a larger than usual turnout, which was great. Once we got to the end of Double Elon, the majority of the bunch decided to turn and cut off a bit of the ride. FK, Rich and Doog took off on Airbase, while Chris and I spun and talked.
It was another cloudy, humid day, but better than Saturday. I felt better too. The legs are still there, I just need to get rid of the goo that's hanging around in my chest.

#2's 4th birthday was yesterday. He had a party at The Little Gym. That place is genius! A big open room with a padded floor, tumbling mats and big crash pads....a 4 year old's dream scenario. AND, the employees take care of everything. No setting up, no keeping kids entertained, no cleanup...worth every penny!!! Of course, he made out like a bandit in the gift department. Then we went to dinner with the fam @ Rockaway's. It was a long day, to say the least. I was so tired, I couldn't go to sleep and once I did, I was wide awake @ 5 a.m.!! Naps will be had by all today!

See you guys @ the TNCWC!

Why I hate pro football and baseball...

Goddamn it. My Irish is up today. It's bad enough that I can't ride due to a 'procedure' I had to remedy an evil little bastard of a saddle sore, but sports radio and TV has made my ass redder than usual.
Let's start with the NFL...
Goodell reinstated Michael "the dog killer" Vick? WHAT THE FUCK? It's bad enough that he only served 20 months for his part in financing, and participating in, a dog fighting ring, but now, he has the opportunity to get back into football and make millions again!!! If I was the owner of a multi-billion dollar corporation, which most teams are these days, would I want this douchebag to be the first thing people think of when my company is mentioned? Hell no...
Here's how it would go...
"Yeah, I like the Carolina Panthers, but they signed Michael Vick." That would always be the caveat. No thanks, I'll pass!
Vick needs to do whatever college-dropout felons do when they get out of the joint. Muck stalls, clean pools, work at the recycling plant, etc.
I'd like to believe that, deep down, I'm a forgiving person. In this case...NOPE! Fuck YOU Michael Vick!!! I sincerely hope that the very first time you take a five-step drop, that you are pancaked by a 260 pound linebacker traveling at top speed...and BOTH of your knees get blown out!!
You deserve nothing less!

On to Baseball...
I've ranted in the recent past about the steroid-eating d-bags that populate baseball these days, so we won't go there. I will say that keeping Pete Rose out of the Hall is an injustice of epic proportions. Yeah, he gambled...ON HIS OWN TEAM! The guy was so supremely confident in his guys that he bet ON them to win!!! Yeah, he might have sounded a bit like a broken record after he got banned, but he had a right to. The lifetime banning was little more than Bart Giamatti's hard-on for the game of baseball. If Giamatti can see what is going on in baseball now, he spinning in his grave.
Pete Rose played the game the way it should be played, period! Hustle, give everything, swing at the ball...and WIN! Yeah, I'm a homer. I grew up on the Reds in the "Big Red Machine" era.
I was at the game when Pete tied the hit record. I still have the ticket stub!!!
The fact that A-Fraud, ManRam, Bonds, et al are likely going to the Hall is wrong. Baseball is a game of numbers, and theirs are severly skewed and inflated. Hank Aaron is absolutely correct when he says that their numbers should have the big * beside them.
Evidently, Bud Selig is considering Rose for the Hall. If ol' Bud loves the game as much as he claims, They should have a special cermony just for Pete!!!
Hell, half of the guys in the Hall were complete a-holes outside of the game. OUTSIDE the game!!

whew...I'm exhausted....................

Quickie part 2

Still feel like crap...no ride today...slept A LOT!

Columbia HTC and Cav are faster than everyone! As Team Astana's guy twittered, Cav went "Horizon" on the field...

Out!

Quickie

No ride today. Sinuses are full of something that appears to be not entirely human.
I slept in until 9:30 (thanks to the H.O.) and then watched Ventoux...crazy stuff right there! I think Lance has shown he's back, even if he didn't win Le Tour.
I know people will poo-poo it and the naysayers will call him a doper, but that's their cross to bear. And he has a message for you...

Another double day

So Doog shamed me into riding yesterday morning. We did a short (90 minute) cruise through LR and I got home in time to watch the end of the TT. No more than 5 minutes passed after Contador finished and Bond calls me. No hello, no greeting of any kind. He simply says, "I'm calling bullshit..."! I have to say that I agree fully. Contador put the screw down on Cancellara in a flat TT? Really?
I hope the UCI dope testers didn't spill of Contador's piss on themselves, because I'm confident it would burn flesh.
That dude has found whatever new dope is out there, and he's ON IT!!

The Thursday ride went off as usual and it was a really good ride, except for a normal bullshit of people who can't just pull through and over. Hanging people out isn't cool, ever! I don't know what gets into certain little brains. There are guys in the bunch that I'll accept attacks from, but a certain few, who cannot even fathom ever getting clear of the group need to reign it in. In their cases, they deserve to be chased down.

I can say, with a large degree of certainty, that I was outta gas when I got home last night. 110km and 3:45 ride time for the day makes a brother tired. That doesn't equate to a high avg. speed, but one easy ride and a second hard ride make the tank run dry! I have felt pretty mealy all day today as well! I guess it's good for me...

We're riding @ 8 in the morning from the gate.

TNCWC

Both of the MTs are in 'school' this week, so I took advantage and went out on the bike yesterday morning. Coco and Doog swung by La Casa @ 0915 and we headed out for an easy spin. The plan was to do an hour, but we ended up with 90 minutes. The ride itself was uneventful, except for Coco breaking his rear Ksyrium...again. We rolled across the bridge on shop at 35kmh and the spoke just let go. Considering he's riding a cracked frame, the sound of the spoke breaking was unsettling, to say the least. At least he broke it on our bullshit morning ride than in the middle of the TNCWC!
The TNCWC assemblage was a bit larger than usual last night, but it was to be short lived. The first race lap was slower than the neutral lap, until FK lit the fuse. We went from 30kmh to 50kmh in about 150m. The initial break of 3 was caught, yet the pace didn't slacken until the 21 minute mark. That slackening of pace lasted approximately 17 seconds. The rest of the race was markedly faster than the past few weeks. The wheat was separated from the chaff pretty quickly last night. There was nowhere to hide and the line was single file for pretty much the entire 55 minutes.
I was out of gas (didn't eat/drink enough through the day) at the end and sat up through the last turn. Doog ended up taking the W and there was PV all over the front. Of course, of the 15 or so finishers, 8 were PV...
It was a fast and fun night and everyone stayed rubber-side down.

As for Jens, he's got facial injuries, including a broken cheekbone (yeoouch!), and a grade 3 concussion. Not bad considering how and where he crashed! Get well Jens!

Jens...

Zipp owes Mr. Voigt something for this failure...


Original Video- More videos at TinyPic

Sunday and PV podium

So the MTs were out at the spa for Saturday night/Sunday, so I slept in (a little) and then met Doog for an easy spin through LR. 2 hours...what a freakin' perfect day outside!
Got home, ran some errands and took a nice, much needed, nap before the H.O. returned with the MTs. I also cleaned the nasty, nasty bike.

The weekend races in Asheville were also a boon the podium totals for PV.
Let's start at the top...
Coco - 1st Cat3 crit (and he's moving on to the 2s)
GW - 2nd Cat4 TT
Doog - 3rd Cat3 RR
Jay - 3rd Masters RR and 3rd Masters crit
Bond - 3rd Masters TT

Not a bad weekend for the team...

I just pressure washed the front and side of the house, including 50 feet of wood privacy fence. As much as I hate to say this, I actually LIKE using the pressure washer. It helps with my need for instant gratification. An okay way to spend a rest day too...

TNCWC tomorrow night. Be there...

End o' the week

No ride Thursday, as it was storming like a beotch in Lower Richland. I sent both MTs to school Friday morning, so Doog and I met and rode. We went pretty easy and I ended with almost 2 hours. Picked up the boys at school and then met Doog, again, for lunch at Yo Burrito.
Pretty much everyone is in Asheville racing today, so I met Doug and we did a nice, steady 2:20 on the bike. Ended with 70km. It was BEAUTIFUL this morning. A light breeze and cooler than usual temps made for a nice ride.

Now for a bit of a rant...

Garmin/Slipstream sucks, period! That are led by a douchebag and, after today's stage, are pretty much the pariah in the peloton. Hincapie was in the break, 8+ minutes up and in the virtual yellow. Astana was riding piano on the front and let the gap go open. AG2R had zero chance of defending the MJ, so Garmin, who had ZERO reason to chase, went to the front and started drilling it. The rift between Columbia and Garmin is the only reason for this. Why on Earth would you chase the break when none of them are going to be threats in the next few days, including Big George? One of their own guys was in the break too!!!! If George hadn't been up the road, DB Vaughters would have never ordered them to chase. As Ron Burgundy would say, "Stay classy JV!"
Hincapie is a consummate professional. If anyone deserves to wear the MJ, even for a day, it's him. And don't, for a moment, think that Lance and Astana were chasing. LA and George have been friends forever, and are to this day.

I want to like Garmin, just because they are an American team, but I just cannot. Vaughters is a smug, self-righteous douchecanoe who thinks that he's bigger than the sport that has given him such a nice life. There are moments that you just shouldn't fuck around with history and tradition. Unfortunately, Vaughters didn't understand that today. He ostensibly robbed a one of the most liked guys (and a patron) in the peloton of a life-long dream.

Go Team Columbia/HTC...!!!!!!!!!!!!

As an aside, the neutral support guy from Mavic who botched Voigt's wheel change should be shit-canned...TONIGHT! That was some amateur hour shit! And then they wouldn't help pace him back up to the break. Hacks!

TNCWC

Weird night last night. A few attacks went, but it seemed that no one really wanted to work...either in the breaks, or chasing them down. There were parts of the race that were blister-raising fast, but a few times, we went up the hill @ >30kmh.
With 4 to go, FK (formerly Der Kaiser...thank Crusty for the new nickname!), Paul and Crustofferson himself got away. The group kind of just watched them stretch it out. A little chase group of three got 1/2 way across just before 2 to go. I swallowed hard and closed it down in the hopes that someone would counter when we got there, only to be disappointed...
The three escapees stayed away and the rest of us sprinted half-heartedly for the field finish. Crusty and FK played 'Chip and Dale', one trying to give the win and the other not really wanting it. After you? No, after you!
I finished 9th, felt pretty good and had too much left in the tank at the end.
At least the field was little bigger this week.

As an aside, how about Cavendish? The kid is a fucking stud!
And Garmin/Slipstream...shut up with the excuses why Farrar can't beat Cav. It sounds kind of sad and pathetic.

Oh, and here's a GREAT Versus commercial!

Vive Le Tour

Week one over. More questions than answers. Lance or Contador? Personally, I'm pulling for LA again simply because it would grate the collective ass of the cheese-eating-surrender-monkeys. They've tested him EVERY day of the Tour, including 3 in a 48 hour period. He's at 40+ tests since August of last year...let it go people!
Rest day tomorrow...flat next week...then on to the Alps, which is when the race will truly begin...

I went out Saturday and did what amounted to an 80km solo ride after I was unceremoniously left for dead by my compatriots out in the middle of the Swamp. This was after I was run through a pothole at speed and lost my full bottle to the ditch. Yelling and whistling is of little consequence when heads are down and earbuds are at high volume. After chasing for around 15 at 40kmh+, I settled into a steady 35kmh pace and rode tempo for the next hour.
80km in 2:20...
Once I got home, I had the pleasure of manually digging 24 inch deep holes and planting 8 foot posts in concrete for the H.O.'s new trellis/blind to hide the shitbox rental property next door. The feeling still hasn't returned in my right hand from the post hole diggers.

This morning, a few stragglers showed for the Il Prof ride @ 7:30. We headed out through the Fort and 3 of us made the decision to go short. Crusty yelled at me for letting a 100m gap open, so I closed it @ 55kmh...you're welcome! We rode a light-ish tempo to Backswamp, where RHR, Crusty and I turned off to head home. We took nice, even, 2-ish minute pulls for the rest of the ride. I know riding at 7:30 is early, but it's nice to get home from a good 2-hour ride at 9:30 in the morning. I cleaned my bike and then lazed about for the rest of the day.

After dinner, the H.O., MTs and I went to Lowes to buy a tiller and wheelbarrow. They close @ 8 on Sunday, but evidently, customer service ends at 7:30. They were more concerned with getting the store buttoned up to go home than they were in my $400. I'll be heading to Sears in the morning to pick up my new tiller and choose a big ass wheelbarrow!

Hope everyone had a good weekend! Peace!

Oooof!

The TNCWC went off last night and was brutal from the gun. Der Kaiser took off and shattered the field on the first lap. There was no backing off the gas for the first 30 minutes. Break...chase...break...chase...shower...rinse...repeat!
The last 25 minutes weren't much different than the first 30. The line was long and thin.
It came down to a field sprint and Coco showed clean wheels to the group for the win. Doogie was 4th and Bond 6th. Another good night for PV!
On the other hand, I wasn't ready for the pace. I felt like shit and didn't bother to warmup. Pay retail? Yes, please! After 30 minutes at vomit threshold, I sat up and spun around. I think the weekend caught up with me. A lot of miles and not a lot of sleep does not make one ride effectively, to say the least!
I think I'm going to take a couple of days off the bike. Motivation is returning, but I'm just plain tired.

Do Not Pass Go...

Mr. Morales better enjoy visits from RCSD, because he's going to be getting a few more. The complaint was signed this morning!
I'll stay on top of this on principle!!!

Been a while

Sorry everyone, it's been a little mad around here lately.
Last Thursday, we got seriously harassed by a cager. Unfortunately, it isn't the group's first run in with the fat bastard. This time, he fraked with the wrong person. I may be a pain in the ass, but I have juice around these parts. One of my old college friends happens to be a Prosecutor for Richland County. She got a call!
Action will be taken today... :)- I also worked my own back channels and got a cornucopia of the guy's personal info. Here's his name, address and Phone #, if anyone wants it...
Michael A Morales
521 Harmon Rd
Hopkins, SC 29061-8623
(803) 776-4851
Fuck with the bull...

Saturday, several of us made the trip to NC to ride the Fabulous 4th loop. The day started EARLY...0500 to be exact. The big group rolled out right @ 0800. It seemed that the lead group started a bit slower than usual this year, but the first hour was still quick and people were getting popped off left and right. I got gapped off on a climb when people started dumping gears and dropping chains, but got back on after burning a rather large match. The funny thing was the fact that I felt better after killing it to get across. I sat up after 90 minutes with the front group for the sake of self-preservation. I was in No-Mans Land for the next hour, riding alone. The last hour, I rode with a small group, until my front tire had an explosive decompression near the top of Camp Old Indian. I rode it flat to the water station.
After a quick change, I was on my way. I rode with a couple of folks for the rest of the climbs and then rode away on the decent into Tryon. Ended with 3:39 ride time, including the flat and a two water stops. Not great, but I felt good on the bike, never pushed really hard and wasn't comatose for the rest of my day, which is important when the MTs are involved.
Bond finished first @ 2:58. Doog was fourth @ the same time. It's a great ride that's well organized and loads of fun, even for non-climbers. 110km and 7600ft of climbing!
Sunday, Mandrus, Doug and I went out @ 8. My legs were STIFF. We ended up with 90km in 2:40. I felt better for riding though. 200km this weekend!
Let's just say I'm taking today off the bike. TNCWC tomorrow night. Maybe some folks will show up...Bond says he's coming out...grrreeeeaaaat!

TNCWC

Blah, blah, blah, blah...
It was hot. No one showed up. A break went away just after halfway. Reed and I bridged. He stuck, I did not. Chase group was laughable. I quit and just rolled around until the end. Toby went with @ 5 to go and stayed away. Coco won (what was left of the) field sprint.

Non sono motivato per guidare la mia bicicletta!

Going to ride tomorrow night to shake down the bike before the 4th of July ride. Saturday is 68 miles and 7600 feet of climbing...oh goody! Then I get to come home and sit around with the H.O.'s parents. Happy 4th of July to me!

And to Thomas Dekker...you're a giant fucking douchebag! Oh, how I wish Bruyneel would release Horner so he could go race the Tour for Lotto and stick it up Astana's collective ass.

Tired

Friday- The Grandmas came to get the MTs for the weekend, so the H.O. and I decided to go bowling. About halfway through our 2nd game, the lights went out and the disco balls came on. We didn't plan on going to 'Rock and Roll' night at the bowling alley, but it kind of turned out that way. It was a damn good time. I rolled games of 105, 132 and 89 (left-handed).
Saturday- Got up and went to the lightly attended Saturday ride. BSG was going on and it was balls hot, so turnout was poor. We lost two at the water tower on Tank Hill. Coco, Mulo and I stayed together on the run out and turned left on Leesburg, headed for Congress. I took a long pull, rolled off on the next roller and promptly ran over something. I heard a click-click-click, stopped pedaling and looked down to see what I'd hit, then heard 'hhiiisssss'...FUCK! I didn't yell anything and by the time I figured out that I'd flatted, the boyz were up the road. I stopped and found a 1/2" sheet metal screw sticking out of my Open Corsa CX. The stop to change the flat was extended due to the fact I had to boot the tire. Once finished, I just turned up Elon, looped across the flats and went home.
Spackle, caulk and paint filled my afternoon...oh joy!
Saturday night we went to Rosso (average food, overpriced and REALLY bitchy hostesses!) and saw Star Trek (really good movie!).
Sunday- Slept in until almost 8...yes, that's sleeping in around here. Then we buttoned up the paintwork and installed the new Vizio LCD in kitchen. Yes, we have a flat-screen above the fridge...don't hate!

(A Mini-Rant)
WalMart sucks balls, we all know this, but their level of suck reached new heights Sunday afternoon. The H.O. and I went to WallyWorld to get the LCD TV for the kitchen because they had it in stock and their price was 15% cheaper than Target. Well, it turns out that WalSuck doesn't honor their own internet pricing!!! WTF?!?!
I can buy it online and pick it up in the store, but can't just buy it there, FOR THE INTERNET PRICE!!! I hear dumb shit everyday, but that's EASILY the dumbest shit I've heard for a long, long while! We walked out, drove to Target and paid 15% more!! F you WalSuck!!!

I'm tired from last week's riding and going full-steam all weekend! No riding until Tuesday night for me!

Friday Funnies

In Sanford's defense, 'Argentinian Tail' does sound an awful lot like 'Appalachian Trail' !!!

Michael Jackson actually died of food poisoning!!! He ate an 11 year old weiner!!!

Triumph and the.Michael Jackson Trial.
by matzevolt

Rode yesterday morning...felt lazy the rest of the day, so I bailed on the night ride. I doubt anyone showed anyway. People are getting ready for BSG and a few went to Greenville to race.

Ride Saturday morning @ 8 from the gate. Figure on 3 hours.

601

601st post...time flies when you're blabbering on about inane shit!

Tuesday- Got up, did my morning stuff, took the MTs to school and got on the bike. My legs felt like utter garbage from my bonk on Sunday. The first 30 minutes of the ride were iffy, at best. I did an hour and just spun my legs around, trying to get rid of the stiffness.
As usual, the TNCWC went off. I don't know why the turnouts have been so slim lately. One can speculate, but it's still a bit befuddling. Last night we started with @ 30 and that group dwindled down pretty quickly, as there was nowhere to hide. Nothing got too far away all night. I sat in for the most part, still pretty empty inside and pushing around legs that were little more than meat sticks. @ 40 minutes, I'd had enough abuse and dropped out. The group all came together with one to go, but someone must have thrown a grenade on the backstretch. The group was shattered coming to the finish. The top 8 finished pretty much together, but the rest were spread out all over the finish straight.
PV is back in control with 4 in the top 8. Coco took out yet another sprint victory.
This morning, I really didn't feel like riding, but since both MTs are in school this week, I figured I should take advantage of the unusual opportunity. I got on the bike and felt pretty good. I didn't push, but rode 30-35 kmh with relative ease and felt better as the ride progressed.
Another double day tomorrow, including the Thursday ride should set me right. Big KM week with some stacked days including a couple of doubles...

Time for a nap...

If it doesn't kill you...

Saturday - 95km 3 hours
Legs were definitely better than Thursday, but still in my little 'funk'. We did the Eastover loop and it was HOT, even though we left @ 7:30. I've been riding in PA for a week, where it was 65-70 and pissing rain. The jump in temps has taken it's toll. I felt okay when I got home, but still needed Five Guys to make it all better. I guess I sould have eaten more...
Sunday - 100km 3:15
We met for the Il Prof ride and did Eastover, across to the Swamp and back in. I felt pretty good for the first two hours or so. Took some long, hard pulls, toed the threshold of the pain cave on Chaingang....then, the wheels pretty much fell off the bus.
Once we got out of the Swamp, my legs decided they they were done for the day and clocked out. There was no warning, no 'hey man, we're gonna bail in 5km' moment, just an acrid burning smell that, after some scene reconstruction, turned out to be my legs. Il Prof and TVH rode away. The last 20km or so was a battle for survival. At one point, I stopped to stretch...it didn't work! Thankfully, the two strongest AARP members in town waited on me and sheparded me home!
I haven't cramped that badly in 10+ years. No bonk either!!!!
To add insult to injury, I hit a broken bottle. The tire didn't flat then, but I'm sure it is now. As long as it was holding a little bit of air, it was getting ridden home!
No ride tomorrow, but 2x on Tuesday...both M.T.s are going to school this week! Sweeet...

It was a dark and stormy evening...

...well, kind of...
The group left in warm and extremely humid conditions. It seemed that no one, save for Der Kaiser really wanted to ride hard last night. We just kind of rolled around at a half-hearted tempo, which was fine since I felt like hammered shit. No legs and no lungs makes for a suckwad ride!
The clouds were following us, but the weather didn't rear it's ugly head until we got to the end of Airbase. The sky got dark, the wind picked up and the cold rain began to fall. Of course, my Blackberry was, as the kids say these days, blowing up. The H.O. called me once at the beginning of the ride, to warn of our impeding doom and then three more times while we were hustling to get home. Here's a quick tip for the H.O. - If I have to stop to answer a call, it's gonna take me longer to get home! If I need you, I'll call you!
To be honest, it really wasn"t bad. Yeah it rained a bit...so what? Yeah there was lightning, but it wasn't incessant. The wind blew, but not badly.
WIS was doing it's usual bang up job of 'Chicken Little' weather forecasting. It was a summer storm, nothing else...and per the Columbia, SC norm, it lasted all of 30 minutes and moved on.

I am really tired of riding in the rain though...5 out of my last 7 rides have included a damp chamois! Time to find another cheapo frame and build a rain rig!

Ride tomorrow morning @ 7:30 from the Gate. Or, for those who are adventerous, 6:30am from Bond's house.

Sunday??? Who knows?

Getting itchy...

I haven't ridden since Sunday morning. The H.O. went to Chicago on business and won't be back until Wednesday night late. I'm getting itchy to get on the bike. To quell that itch, I bought some bike stuff from PBK today! If you can't ride...buy stuff!
I also realized that I left my 15 year old Silca Super Pista pump in PA.!!! GDammit!!! It's coming home...if I have to go get the MFer!!!

Now for a rant...
The Car Audio Department @ BestBuy sucks ditch water. I went last night buy a stereo for my truck. The stock one has gone teets up. I went in knowing exactly what I wanted and what it cost on the BestBuy website. The price, of course, is different in the store. I pointed this out and the wannabe gansta/thug/rapper that was "helping" me said that they're price was correct. First of all, hire some guys that actually have a grasp of English. This guy was probably born within shouting distance of the store and my 4 year old spoke more clearly!
Anyway, MushMouth argued price with me and then told me I wanted the in-dash DVD player, an amp and $500 worth of speakers....
NO, I DON'T YOU DUMBFUCK!!! I came in to buy a deck, the harness, the install kit and the antenna adapter. I've done this before.
He then proceeds to tell me that the warranty on the equipment won't be in force unless THEY do the install. At that point, I simply turned and walked off, but not before chewing the General Manager's ass for @ 5 minutes on my way out the door! As most of you know, I can pack a lot of ass-chewing into a 5 minute stretch.
I then fired off an email to BestBuy, including the names of the morons I dealt with last night.
Today, I got an email saying that I would be receiving a $100 gift card by mail with 7 days and an apology from the VP of Sales.
A day late and a dollar short!! The gift card will likely be given away as a gift to someone else. I won't go back into a BestBuy for a long while, if ever.
I also purchased everything I needed online, saving myself @$50 in the process. Assholes!

Vacation is over...dammit!

Thursday, I did another two hour loop through the hills in Pa.
I got to the turn where the 'longer vs. go home' decision was to be made and since it was 67 degrees and raining, I made the decision to head to the house. I had another good ride though.
We had a little get together Thursday night at MK's house. It was fun to see everyone after so long...too long really...
We stayed up until alomost 1 a.m., which was great, but made for a LONG day Friday.
I got up @ 6 and left at 8 to head home. I made GREAT time until I hit Virginia...less than 3 hours to get from the Philly 'burbs to the other side of DC! I-95 in Virginia really sucks. Bad tarmac, overzealous police and road construction in the middle of the day. I lost 45 minutes waiting in traffic while a crew had 1-1/2 lanes shut down to fix a 15 foot section of damaged guard-rail. 4 trucks and 9 guys are, evidently, needed to effect such a repair...who knew...

I stopped for gas immediately after my time loss, slammed 17.5 gallons into a 18.5 gallon tank and set the speed @ 80 for the rest of the trip. In the middle of NC, I saw lights coming up behind me...FAST...and figured that I was popped. As they lights got close, I could tell they didn't belong to a police vehicle. VERY shortly thereafter, a Porsche 911 Turbo blew by me like I had stopped. As he passed, his wake turbulence shook my truck! He was going 120+ if he was going 11!!!
I got home @ 6...had dinner with Doog, unpacked, showered and went to bed. Saturday involved a lot of sleep. I slept in and then took a 3 hour afternoon nap. The H.O. and M.T.s got home @ 7:30...
Vacation over, peace and silence dead...
I'm going for a ride...

Wet one day, dry the next...

Woke up Monday and felt like complete crap and just skipped riding. I guess sitting in the hot sun for 4 hours, even though I didn't drink, will make you feel hungover the next day.
Tuesday met me with a serious thunderstorm. It was the kind of storm that makes the local weatherguy in Columbia act like an excited 9 year old girl. After it passed (so I thought), I got dressed and headed out. When I was EXACTLY one hour away from the house, all hell broke loose. No lightning and thunder, but biblical rain. Thankfully, the wind didn't start blowing sideways. I ended up riding as hard as I could muster to get home. On the last 2 miles of rollers, I was bombing turns and caught the white line on the inside. Nothing like having the bike squirm out from under you @ 50kmh. I didn't crash, but it couldn't have been much closer! Ended with 2 hours and some good effort.
I'm @ Mark and MK's house now, about 10 minutes from where I lived in high school. I just DO NOT remember the roads being this hilly back then...
I went out @ 7:45 this morning and just rode wherever the pavement took me. There's no escaping the climbing around here, so I decided to embrace it. I hit more 10 minute+ climbs today than I really care to talk about. One climb was 17 minutes in the 39/23 (all I had!) and it averaged 8 percent with a max of 18 percent! Let's just say I didn't sit and spin on the ascent! It was a standing, 185 HR GRIND!!!! It felt strangely good...
I looped around and finally decided to head home. I borrowed a Garmin 705 for the ride. It showed me 48 miles, 2:45 ride time and 4700 feet of climbing! Like I said, it's hilly around here. Of course, the decent was TdF-esque! Long, sweeping turns, smooth tarmac and silly (read STUPID!) high speeds. Joyous!!!
Same loop tomorrow, then hang out again. We're having a cookout tomorrow night and I'm heading back Friday morning...

Pennsyl-freakin-vanias

SoPro and I started our journey friday, spent the night in Emporia, VA and continued on to Philly Saturday morning. Traffic in DC was to be expected. Once we got close to Philly, traffic sucked. PennDOT decided, in their finite wisdom, to paint the lines on 95N, entering the city, on Saturday...at linchtime. Geniuses!
Fortunately, we go to the hotel in plenty of time for SoPro to meet her team and get ready for their ride of the course. I bailed on the ride and got the hell out of the city. I drove to the general area where I would be staying for the next two days and surveyed the lay of the land. It am be hilly 'round here. I was beginning to question my decision to leave the 23s on both wheelsets I brought with me.
I got to my friend Ray's house @ 3:15 and was welcomed with open arms. We hung out all afternoon, cooked out, played pirates with his 4 year old and generally just caught up. After the kids went to bed, I went to bed. Slept like a baby!
This morning, I woke up at my normal time and I was alone. They are some sleeping fools in this family...even the kids!
I got on the bike @ 7:30 and headed out to make an effort to work some of the sitting-in-the-car-for-10-hours stiffness out of my legs. I ended up just cruising around for two hours. Got a couple of really good climbs in and one blisteringly fast decent back to his house. I think the poor lady the the minivan must have just about pooped when I passed her on the decent going almost 75kmh...big fun! Don't know how far I rode, just that I rode for 2 hours and enjoyed it! And the 39/23 combo is right on the edge of what I could push on a couple of the climbs. This place makes Columbia look board flat! Probably do the same loop tomorrow...maybe do it twice...I have the time!
This afternoon we're having a reunion of sorts. Most of the old crew is getting together for burgers and beers.
More updates to follow as the week progresses...

Mulo...I knew it!

Well, we all know Mulo lived in Japan for a short while. As the story goes, he was quite popular with a couple of Japanese ladies. While perusing the internet today, I found a photo that proves that he was a bit more of a ManWhore than he lead us all to believe...

...I mean really...he had his own storefront and everything!

TNCWC #12

Yeah, I went...
Yeah, I felt like crap...7 days on high dose anti-biotics will, in fact, make you feel really bad when exercising. The 90 degree weather was a shock to the system as well.
After @ 20 minutes, JC, Coco and Doog got away...and stayed away. The rest of the group split into two bunches, neither of which had a chance of pulling the break back. I took the pulls I could muster, closed a couple of gaps and just decided that I didn't give a flying monkey crap, so I dropped out @ 35 minutes. By the end, there were more people standing @ the start/finish than actually riding. The PV streak remains...Jay took the win, Doog was 2nd and Coco 3rd.

I have more stuff to do to get the H.O. ready for vacation than I do for myself. My shit is easy. Clothes...check
Riding stuff...check
Bike...check.
As sick and twisted as it sounds, I'm kind of looking forward to the drive. I know I-95 is a clusterfuck of the highest degree, but I haven't been North in such a long time that the task doesn't seem so daunting. I may be singing a different tune in a few days...

Edit-
The time was absolutely correct last night. The break crossed @ 50:03 and the chase group crossed @ 50:20! And to the ONE person who is bitching, either bitch out in the open, OR SHUT THE FUCK UP! Don't grumble like the Hamburglar to whoever will listen. I'll be more than glad to discuss it with you, whenever! I won't be there next week, as I'm going on vacation, so feel free to keep the time. Better yet, get off your dead fucking ass, quit complaining, and do something positive to keep the TNCWC going...like going out with a leafblower, shovel and broom to clean the course like I do @ 6 times a summer.

And lighten the fuck up, it's a practice crit. Garmin isn't going to be calling any of us anytime soon. You still got a workout!

Another reason to love the Giro...

I know it's over, but it was a great race, through a beautiful country...


It also gave us the hottest podium chicks...


...including this ONE! You're welcome JB!

Back on the horse...

I was a little sickly last week...but the drugs are working...
Saturday was the H.O.'s birthday, so I decided to stay around the house and watch #2 while she and #1 went to pick strawberries. Fresh-from-the-field strawberries taste GOOD!!! Anyway, I rode the trainer for 70 minutes with 55 minutes @ 90%. It actually felt pretty good. I got a good sweat, watched the Giro and finished a good workout...all in a little more than an hour.
This morning, Doog lamed out, so I left early and went out solo. We ate at Pasta Fresca last night for B-Day dinner and the heavy pasta and bread laid like the proverbial lump in my gullet. I left the house feeling poorly, at best. The first 30 minutes was a struggle but everything sort of loosened up and the speed became easier to maintain. I made zero effort to ride hard this morning but still managed 33 kmh avg. for my two hour jaunt.
Watching the final Giro TT on the intarwebs...then going down to the ManHole(tm) to do some much needed maintenance to the bikes...then watching the NASCAR race...full day right here!

Somebody 'splain this...

Carbon, light and supposed to be good for your twig and berries, but how in The Wide, Wide World of Sports can you ride this thing w/o smashing your junk in the giant chasm? AND the damn thing is $550!!!

Feeling better...high dose anti-biotics work well...going to ride the trainer tomorrow morning and MAYBE the IL Prof ride (if there is one) on Sunday...

Sick

So, I started feeling bad Sunday night. I ride solo on Monday and it was a struggle. Didn't feel like messing with the TNCWC last night, so I rode with Doog. We did a short cross bike loop and I just felt horrible the entire time.
I woke up this morning with a ripping headache, a fever and a swollen face...WTF???????
I went straight to the Doc this morning...
Some kind of nasal/sinus infection it seems. Bloodwork was normal, so nothing systemic thankfully!
Back on Anti-biotics for another 10 days! They must think I'm a horse, 'cause the pills are GD huge. I also got a shot in my hiney. Grown man or not, that shit just plain stung!
Don't know about riding for the next few days...maybe just spinning on the trainer to keep the legs going around.
As for the TNCWC, it was small again last night. The weather was threatening and the wind was blowing, so the group was small. Nowhere to hide...
Don't know many of the details, but Coco won on his birthhday, so the PV streak remains in play.
Love to chat more, but I feel like shite and am going to bed!

Weekend...

Missed Saturday as the H.O. was working...
Sunday morning, we met at the normal spot and did Il Prof's ride. We did a nice meandering loop around LR and out trough the Swamp. It was wet/dry/wet/dry/wet//dry...you get the idea. The pace was pretty good once we got out to the more open parts of the ride.
The group stayed together and we had a pretty enjoyable ride. 90km in right @ 3 hours. I got home just in tim too! About 7 minutes after I walked in the door, the bottom fell out. It was a biblical rain for about an hour.
This morning, I didn't even bother seeing if anyone wanted to ride, so I hooked up the cross rig and went out to get dirty. I rode for right at 2 hours and did a nice big, dirty loop of Columbia. It was pretty enjoyable, other than the humidity. It was a bit like riding in a pool.
A couple of good days back to back. TNCWC tomorrow night...
Time to watch the end of the Giro stage...Levi FTL! What a joke...

PROOF!!!!!!!!!!!

Now I know this little pill party is dumb...but sometimes, I can prove things that have eluded even the sharpest minds for decades.

Today, I found proof of Bigfoot. Kim Kardashian is Bigfoot!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Just compare the pictures and see for yourself...Look at the gait...!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Good (big) Thursday ride

Yes, shocking...
A good, big group rolled out right on time (another shock) on Thursday. We kind of farted around leaving the Fort and Doug still managed to hit pothole and destroy his front tire.
Once on Ridge, the pace went up and stayed high all the way to the top of Elon.
We gathered up and rode piano to Bunky's. They must have been frying something inside, 'cause it smelled like LOVE as we rolled past.
The pace went up again and stayed pretty damn stiff all the way to the end of Airbase. The number of people taking pulls dwindled and then the number of people dwindled. I was in the complete wrong place in line going over the rise. I pulled through at the base and was followed through by Der Kaiser. He RAISED the pace up the bump and split the group into two sections. Once over, 3 of us bridged and the line started anew @ 45kmh+. This pace shot a few more out the back and we ended up with 6 at the 4 way stop. Dr. LP attacked through the stop sign and the 5 of us chased to bring him back before the sprint. We got him back @ 400 meters from the sign...RW jumped for it while the rest of us sat up.
We gathered again and rode in together. No one even made an effort to raise the pace much past 40kmh.
It was a good ride and easily the best Thursday ride of the year thus far. There were some definite efforts that were above threshold! I felt like crap when I left the house and gradually got better as the ride progressed. No lingering pain from my crash and felt like some form is beginning to trickle back.
No ride Saturday as the H.O. has to work in Greenville, so I'm on MT duty. Ride tomorrow and Monday, regardless of the weather....

TNCWC #10

Temps in the 60s and a stiff wind kept away a good number of folks.
Der Kaiser rolled off the front and we let him go. A couple of guys bridged and they were AWAY! The main body of the group had enough HP to pull it back quickly, but the fact that` there were only 8 of us that would take hard pulls kind of killed the chase. I can't tell you how many little gaps I closed...at least 6 or 8...or how many times I would take a hard pull and trun my head to see people pulling over behind me. This gets a bit old after 45 minutes of it, so when the break, which numbered 7 at this point, was within 100m, I sat up and quit. RW jumped and chased his ass of to get across alone. The rest of the second group imploded. I'm glad RW got across alone, as the majority of the second group didn't deserve to make the split.
We had a 'show up 15 minutes late and attack' violation again last night too!
On the last lap, the break got blown apart. Doog crossed the line alone with Coco and Gordon finishing 2nd and 4th. 10 straight weeks for the PV crew...Doog and Coco are easily 1-2 in the imaginary points standings.
I actually flt pretty good last night too, considering it was my first ride after 4 days off the bike. My legs and back were tired from the weekend, but I could deal with it.
No ride today, as much as I want to, as the H.O. is gone for the day/night for a business meeting. I'll be out Thursday though. Her work is really getting in the way of my riding!

Tired...

Man, I didn't even look at a bike this weekend...and I'm whipped! The H.O. and I took #1 to Beaufort to see the The Blue Angels. MCAS Beaufort puts on a hell of an Airshow, if you're so inclined.

We drove down Friday night and checked into our hotel. Saturday, we got up, had a good breakfast at Waffle House and headed to the MCAS. Looking back, we got there waaaay too early. The Blues started @ 3...we got there @ 11:30!

The static displays were pretty cool, for young and old alike! #1 liked crawling around inside the helicopters. I can say, it's pretty amazing to see the helos and planes up close. Some are bigger than than you'd expect, while others are shockingly small. Example? The Cobra attack helicopter could easily fit in a driveway! On the big side, the B-52 StratoFortess is HUGE!!! Oh, and the female pilot of the B-52 was SMOKING HOT!

Anywho, the Blues went on and were amazing! #1 couldn't quite wrap his head around all of it. Hell, I think I had a little trouble too. I burned up the motor drive on the D-SLR to the tune of 81 pictures! Got some crazy good shots too!

After the madness that was the exit of MCAS Beaufort (it took 90 minutes to get out!), we cleaned up and headed to dinner with some of my old friends. Maj. Mike "Felix" Juenger, his lovely wife and 2 of their 3 daughters. Mike was the XO of VMFA-115 @ MCAS Beaufort. In plain english, he was/is a card carrying, Certified Badass F-18 pilot! However cool you THINK you may be, he's cooler!

He's now in charge of EVERY F-18 in the Marines inventory. Shot Caller...

We had a great dinner @ Panini's in Beaufort and then let the kiddos run around at the park down on the riverfront. A trip for ice cream followed. We got back to the hotel @ 10pm.

Sunday, we rolled out late, had a bite at the continental breakfast bar and then headed to Hunting Island to stroll on the beach.

In the car and back home @ 4:30 yesterday. It was a non-stop weekend, but a whole lot of fun! If you need a short trip that will let you de-compress, Beaufort, SC is the ticket! Quiet, good restaurants, plenty of shopping, great State Park (Hunting Island), lots of history and nice folks!

A fun Thursday ride...

So a few of us met to do the Thursday ride. It's a ride that SHOULD be big, but I guess it's beneath the 'cool kids' and their 'training'.
Anyway, we rolled out easy met Doog at the gate. Once on Ridge, the pace picked up and was steady and quick all the way down to Elon. I made the mistake of waiting for the stragglers and being forced to chase my nuts off to catch back on. Once back on, the group turned into a nice, fast, rolling paceline. Regardless of who was, or wasn't, there, the run down Airbase was fast and hard. Doog jacked the pace everytime he hit the front. Two folks attacked through the stop sign and took Doog with them towards the sprint. RK and I brought it back right before the sprint, in an effort to get SoPro to the front. She jumped waaay early and ended up getting nipped at the end.
The efforts hurt, but felt good. My breathing wasn't the best last night, but I still needed the protracted work.
It was a good ride.
This weekend will be devoted to family time, as we are going to Beaufort for the AirShow @ the MCAS. The Blue Angels are there...#1's little melon is gonna 'asplode!

TNCWC #10

#10...already?
Last night was a beautiful evening. @75 degrees and a light wind blowing out of the East. Big group too...
The race started off at a reasonable pace, but after 15 minutes, the breaks started and the pace went UP. Nothing really got going until right around the 30 minute mark when Bond and Doog got away and stayed out for a LONG time. Bringing them back split the main field a couple of times and required some real work. They didn't return to the fold until 4 to go. Once they were back, things settled down until the last lap. Again, my own inattention led me to be in a shit position going into the final turn. Well, that, and guys who have no reason to be towards the front on the last lap. I still made up quite a few positions until Mulo guttered me @ 300 meters. Thanks team-mate. I still finished 8th and felt human for the first time since my digger.
Coco won pretty easily and PV put 6 in the top 10. The streak continues...
Going back to the guys who shouldn't be in the front...
If you missed the first 10/15/20 minuutes of the race, don't get involved. Stay in the back and roll around. Attacking and going off the front negates the work done by others who had the ability to show up on time.
If you have missed laps, don't get involved in the break/chase/front of the group. Nothing is worse than a lapped rider pulling back into the front and getting in the way when the pace goes up again. Example? The dumbass on the red Torelli who missed AT LEAST 6 laps last night, but always pulled into the top 10, only to create a gap when the pace ramped up. Oh, he couldn't handle his bike for shit either.
I also understand everyone's innate need to ride near the front, but don't rush the front when the pace slows down. Again, all this does is create gaps when the pace goes back up.
Believe me, I realize that I'm not the strongest guy out there and I accept that fact. I also know my limitations and practice what I preach. If any of what I said above offends any of you, maybe it should.

We're riding tempo tonight, if anyone cares to join us.

Hot? Already?

WTF? Let's ease into the whole heat thing...please?
Yesterday, Coco, Mulo, Doog and I left @ 8 and did a long loop. We ended up with right at 4 hours. Out through the flats and back through the hills. Why make it easy on yourself. I felt really good yesterday, even though I hadn't been in the saddle for that long in a great while. Crunchy back? Yes, I'll have that with a side of sore ass!
This morning, we (same bunch minus Doog) met for 3 hours out through Calhoun County. It seems Doog is feeling under the weather. He was feeling well enough to go have beers and wings with Mulo last night though...curious...
We figured, wholly incorrectly, that we'd go out that way and have a nice tailwind bringing us home. It wasn't a killer headwind, but it was enough to bring the speed down and start to suck by the end. I had a bad day today. Bad stomach...an extended stop at the gas station in Gaston...we'll leave it at that.
7 hours on the bike this weekend. One good day, one iffy day, but good miles nonetheless!

Petacchi beats Cav today...clean wheels!

And don't get me started on Boonen, as I'm a bit conflicted...
Can't a brother celebrate a great Spring Classics season with hookers and blow?
Speakng of, enjoy the video...

I hate baseball and football players...

...and KNOWN dopers who sully the reputation of any sport.
It's pretty widely known that major-league baseball players and NFL players are virtually all on some kind of PED. I mean c'mon, guys don't get to be 6'4" and 275 AND run a 4.7 40!!! Granted, people are getting bigger, but guys are putting on 40-50 pounds between college and the NFL...in 6 months!!!
In baseball, you can look at certain guys and see that they're juicers. You don't get bigger and faster as you get older! It just doesn't work that way.
The thing that really grinds my monkey is the fact that 'journalists' take time to bash cycling as a bunch of dopers because a few guys are rotten apples. I'm no apologist, never have been, but you cannot impune an entire sport because a VERY small percentage are doping asssholes.
I was watching 'Real Sports w/Bryant Gumbel' not long ago and he basically called Lance Armstrong out for being a doper. Last I checked Mr. Gumbel, Lance has NEVER tested positive for ANYTHING!!! Do I thing he doped? Don't know...he has a lot to lose by testing positive for PEDs...more than some nobody from Kazakhstan who will go back to shoveling coal after his career.
Yet, Mr. Gumbel defends these ball and stick playing assholes at every turn. In the NFL and MLB, there is no RANDOM testing. They don't show up unannounced, knock on your door @ 7 a.m., and ask you for urine, blood and hair...like they do in pro cycling.
The testers for football and baseball CALL AHEAD to tell the clubhouse/locker-room that they're coming, usually days in advance, so space can be made to carry out the testing. Nothing like giving dopers 72 hours warning, eh?
Manny Ramirez tested positive today and got a 50 game suspension. Sounds like a lot, but the season is 162 games. He'll be back on July 3rd!!! I'm sure he'll receive a hero's welcome too. Slap on the fucking wrist!!!
In cycling, one positive test gets you two years and you have to pay a year's salary to the governing body!!! On average, pro cyclists get tested, randomly, once a month. Lance has been tested 26 times so far in '09!!! A little nutty...
NFL and MLB players get tested, on average, 2x a year!!! And they bitch about it!!! Chickenshits!
Mr. Gumbel made light of Armstrong's delay of a test, by 20 minutes, yet MLB and NFL get 72 hours or so? Oh, by the way, the 'delayed' Armstrong test was negative across the board, thank you very much.
Hey Bryant, why don't you stick to what you know...which isn't cycling or drug-testing?!?!? Talk about your doped up baseball players and their falsified numbers (Hank Aaron is the real HR king!) or the walking examples of modern pharmaceutical science that NFL players have become.
I'd be more than happy to go on HBO and debate Mr. Gumbel in his very own bully pulpit. I'd crush his nuts in a fine powder.

TNCWC #9 and a review

The TNCWC went off tonight. The weather threatened, but never arrived...it was actually pretty nice. The group was small tonight, but there was still enough HP to keep it interesting. We started with @ 20 and ended with @ 15. The pace ebbed and flowed and the pace was a tick slower than usual, but not by much.
It was almost like no one really wanted to race tonight...I know I was severely lacking in motivation. I think my admittedly poor diet over the last few days, in combination with the remnants of whatever funk the MTs gave me, led to heavy legs and a general feeling of malaise.
Ken took out the sprint for the W. The PV streak lives.

It's been a solid month since my ROL Race SL wheels were delivered and I've ridden and raced them exclusively. I ordered them in the beginning of March and waited patiently for 4 weeks. ROL was/is in the process of moving to Austin, and Sean Lambert (the man who own the joint) kept me abreast of the progress. He gave me a delivery date and the wheels arrived exactly on that date. He called me, not the other way around. That's good customer service. Call him and talk about wheels...seriously, he'll talk to you for as long as you feel like staying on the phone.
The Race SLs use ROL's own hubs, which are sourced from Taiwan, but appear to be faithful knock-offs of DT Swiss 240s. The spokes are DT Aerolites and the hoops are produced by Kinlin. Sean and his band of merry men (are there women working @ ROL?) handbuild each and every wheel to a high standard. They come out of the box dead true, round and tensioned evenly.
No ceramics in the hubs, and they aren't needed. The quality of the ROL hubs is higher than a lot of hubs that cost as much as the entire Race SL wheelset. They are dead smooth and roll almost as long as my White Industries H1 hubset, which ain't exactly cheap.
The wheels are stiff, but not to the point of being harsh. The high flange hubs, the 30mm deep hoops and the high tension of the DT Aerolite spokes all lend to this stiffness. I outfitted them with Vittoria Open Corsa CX rubber and Michelin Latex tubes...no point riding low quality tires on high quality wheels. The quality of the ride is very good as well, high dollar tires and tubes notwithstanding. No getting beat up on long rides with these wheels.
They roll like a freight train and corner smoothly and progressively. Once a line is picked, there's not a lot of drama, and that's a good thing when bombing corners @ 40kmh+.
I'm no lightweight, but even at 180 pounds, there's no flex when standing to climb or sprinting out of the saddle.
I've had more wheels than I care to remember. These are keepers. They do everything well and weigh a very reasonable 1545 grams (stated weight is 1550). The bang for the buck is damn good too. $589 for the set! That's no typo folks. You cannot source the parts and have a similar set of wheels built for anywhere close to the cost of the Race SLs. Go ahead, try it...I'll give you links to the pieces if you'd like!
Next on my list is a set of carbon tubies, and the first call I will make is to Sean @ ROL. You simply cannot go wrong with the product, the company or the man who builds and stands behind the wheels!

Quick hit

Thursday- Went out w/Coco and spun for an hour.
Friday- Drove to Spartanburg w/ Doog, Coco, and Mulo to race. Got there barely in time. No warmup. Started hard, but felt okay. @ halfway, I hit a reflector in the middle of turn two and sketched. I gathered it up in time to hit the feet of the barriers and then get locked together with another guy...did I mention this was dead in the middle of the field? I didn't feel like crashing twice in 27 days, so I dropped out, which was probably good, because 2 laps later, there was a huge pileup in the middle of the field. Doog dragged some guy's bike, sans rider, for a few meters. With 5 to go, Mulo got tangled up with a GlobalBike rider and they both ate it on the front stretch. Mulo smacked his head and tore up his knee and elbow. Doog finished 11th and won a prime.
Coco did well in the 2/3 race...pulled the break back by himself and finished 16th. The TIBCO ladies smashed the women's field. It was a clinic on how to race as a team. Brooke showed them clean wheels for the W!
On the ride home,we decided, as a group, to bail on Dilworth.
Saturday- Doog and Timberlake showed at the house to ride @ 9. No Meat, no Coco, no Mulo...
We rolled out towards LR and met RW, SoPro and Rob @ the GMart. Ended with 2.5 hours.
I came home and worked in the yard for another 2 hours. I felt progressively worse as the day went on.
Sunday- Didn't even bother making the effort to ride. Feel like hammered crap. Thanks to the MTs for paying it forward and giving me whatever crud they both have.
I need a nap...

Run for the hills...as long as there are no pigs there...

People, settle the fuck down! More people die of obesity everyday, yet the Pres-O-dent isn't on TV yapping about it. There are 3 BILLION+ people on Earth and a few hundred have the piggy pox. I'll take those odds.
The local news, which admittedly sucks, did a story about BBQ joints and the Swine Flu last night. If you guys were grasping for that last straw, I think you may have just reached it! DHEC is reporting 10 'probable' cases because the kids are sick and just got back from a Senior trip to Mexico. Could it be the regular flu, or just a plain old cold? Considering they flew to a Third World country, partied for a solid week and then got into another flying incubator to fly home, I'd say they are just sick. I ALWAYS get sick after flying. Breathing other people's stale breath and germs just cannot be good for your health.
Egypt is killing 1/2 of their entire pig population, even though they have NO confirmed cases. Some 300,000 pigs are getting a bullet! The rest they are moving away from population centers. Did they miss the memo that the Swine Flu spreads through human contact?

As usual, the media and government are fanning the flames of panic. I'm waiting for the conspiracy theory nutbags to start the banter. "The Government let the virus loose to weed out
(insert a group of your choice here)."

Good God people, obesity is a pandemic. AIDS is a pandemic. Malaria is a pandemic. Cancer is a pandemic.
As for me, I ate bacon yesterday...and it was good!

Riding w/group tonight, but splitting off early. Racing tomorrow and Saturday.

Ward's new bike is cooler than yours...

That was quick...

The TNCWC was the fastest of the year, and the second fastest in the 7 year history of the race, thanks to Team TIBCO. It always nice when you turn around and Brooke Miller is standing next to you. For those that don't know who she is, you should! She didn't get the Stars and Stripes jersey just because she looks good in it...and if you're wondering, she looks DAMN good in it!
Anywho, the pace was high and stayed high for @ 50 of the 55 minutes. There were some attacks, but NOTHING was getting away tonight. The pace was just too high. The time passed quickly. With 3 to go, the pace slackened, only to get jacked HIGH on the last two. Tibco hit the front with one to go and gave what can only be described as a proper leadout...for Rich! Rich came around at the finish and gave PV the win. The streak continues...
Thanks to the Tibco ladies for coming out tonight and gracing us with their presence. They are all very strong and very cool! We'll get to watch them kick ass on Friday night in Spartanburg and Saturday in Charlotte.
Oh, and if you're curious, the fastest crit ever was the night the HealthNet boys showed up 5 years ago. That was a ripper! Thankfully, I missed that pain due to recovery from hernia surgery, but it was cool to watch from the comfort of my easy chair!
I got nothing else...time for bed!

Holy Sheeeeuuuuutttt....!!!!!

I'm an unabashed NASCAR fan. I'm no bandwagon jumper either. I've been watching NASCAR for the majority of my 39 years. Thanks to the huge TV deal, some of it has become terribly boring. Sunday in Talledega was not one of those races. Cars running right @ 200mph, door to door makes for good TV.
The end of the race got a little nutty...
The fence did it's job, the car did it's job and Carl Edwards did a little "Ricky Bobby".

TNCWC tonight @ 6:30. Rumor has it that TIBCO will be in attendance. Mmmmm...racer chicks....

Simple

Today was a simple kind of day on the bike.
Went out solo...no one to wait on to go ride...
Did my standard 2 hour loop through LR...
Stayed @ 20 mph...uphill, downhill, headwind, tailwind...whatever...
Came home with exactly 2 hours and 40.2 miles...
Simple plan accomplished.

I did need a tire lever though. I flatted my front wheel and struggled to remove the tire. I used the skewer and still had trouble. I fought it for a solid 10 minutes or so before getting pissed off and channeling Popeye. I got the skewer started and ripped the tire off barehanded.
And much to my shock, someone actually stopped to see if I needed help...amazing...I was all but finished with the repair, but I appreciate his deed!

Hans Solo

Did the group ride Thursday...felt really flat. My back started cramping at one point, so I just sat up. With all of the back issues I've had in the past few years, I don't F around with back pain. I stretched a bit and caught back on when the group (all 5 of them) were soft pedaling on Double Homey.
Pretty much everyone was racing today, either in Athens @ the Twilight, or at the Tour de Moore in NC, so I let the H.O. have the morning to go to the gym. I wasn't feeling a solo ride outside, as doing efforts alone sucks...at least for me. I opted for the turbo instead. Yes, I know it was BEAUTIFUL outside today!
I did 60 minutes @ 90% with 10 30/30s throw in for good measure. It spun the soreness out of my legs...kind of...
It seems there's no ride tomorrow. I'm riding outside. I need some sun on my pasty body. A couple of hours will be just fine...not wasting another nice day.

An end of the week message

Did an easy spin last night. It was nice to just ride, no worries about speed or HR or power. Beautiful night too!

Ride tonight @ 6 from the gate.

And now, on to our message...

TNCWC #7

Windy...check
Big field full of HP...check
Full 50 minutes plus 2 laps...check
The field was pretty big tonight and it was full of HP. Breaks went and came back the entire night. The final break of 7 got away @ 40 minutes or so and included 4 PV guys.
Since the timing got screwed up last week, I jumped out @ 45 minutes to make sure the final laps were called correctly. With one to go, the break was still together and had 15 seconds or so. The pace must have gotten jacked in the bunch on the backstretch, because the break was all but pulled back.
Bond put the hammer down and crossed the line with a small gap. Doog was second and Coco third. Dr. LP finished it off in 5th. Another strong finish by the team!
Some old faces were out tonight too. The reason they were in town was not a good one, but it was good to see them nonetheless.
As for me, I actually felt better than expected and stayed in without suffering too badly. It was my first real sustained effort since eating it and I could tell a few things. My ribs are not 100%...not even close...maybe 75% or so, I've lost some fitness and my racing mentality hasn't quite returned yet. The first few laps, diving the corners was not an altogether enjoyable act. I settled down after about 20 minutes though. I'll be good to go next week.

4 days...

Nothing like trying to come back from injury by riding 5 out of 6 days. Maybe not the best plan since things went progressively downhill.
Thursday, as I have chronicled, was somewhere between okay and good.
Friday, I returned to the scene of my 'incident'. Didn't crash this time and felt decent just spinning around for 90 minutes.
Saturday, I doubted anyone would show for the Saturday ride so I did 6x5' intervals @ 97-100% on the trainer. I hate the trainer, but I can push myself harder on it than I can outside when riding solo and I only had to devote about 60 minutes to the effort. I felt decent, but really struggled to finish the workout. I worked on bikes for the rest of the afternoon.
Gordon's Cervelo...done...until today when I install the new, ceramic BB...
Ladd's Madone...done...bent chainring replaced...
Ladd's TT bike...done...cables pulled and brake situation handled...ready for the wind tunnel!
My Ridley...new bars installed, headset rebuilt, new tape, cleaned completely...
Sunday was one of those days when your head tells you to just stay home, but as is usually the case, I didn't listen. I felt pretty good going out through the Fort and out Percival to Screaming Eagle. Halfway up, the wheels came off the bus. Thankfully, Mrs. Der Kaiser wasn't feeling too chipper either and sat up with me. We struggled home together...slowly! I felt baaaad! I'm making the effort to drop some poundage off my big self, so I didn't eat a lot on Saturday night. I paid retail for that decision! I was brushing against a full-on bonk by the time I rolled into the yard.
#2's birthday party was yesterday afternoon, so I ate sammiches and cake, as well as breaking my own rule about 'no calories from liquid'! Sweet tea, will in fact, bring you around!
Crit Tuesday night...I'll be keeping time...
Peace!

Bizarro World

So I went out for the group ride last night, only there was no group. I guess the majority of intown people are either racing or have just given up.
Anywho, the small group that did show meandered out and continued meandering until we crossed Cabin Creek (full loop next week...it was dark when we rolled through the 'hood last night @ 8 and the shorter loop is 5 miles less than the full Elon route!). Philip and RW took off and we let them roll off before deciding to chase. They stayed away across the cut through and about 1/3 of the way up Clarkson. Beano took a suicide pull and brought it back...then promptly got blown out the back. At this point, it was 4 of us taking pretty hard pulls. We all stayed together until the end of the ride. Well, kind of...
Philip attacked on Shop, and seeing as I cannot stand to sprint, nor can I pull on the bars, I stayed behind RW and Reed. We caught the green light @ Atlas and I took my own suicude pull to close Philip down on the bridge. RW pulled through and I was done...tailed off on the run in to the sprint. It looked like Philip won. I caught back on at the turn and we rolled in.
My legs were good last night, but I just couldn't move around on the bike. I was forced to sit and just grind. No standing out of corners for the kid. I'd tail off a few meters before a turn and then just roll through as fast as I could to make up the gap. About a dozen of those on a ride tend to wear on the low back and hip flexors. Surprisingly, I could breathe pretty well. My ribs hurt, but I HTFU and gutted it out.
This morning, my back and ribs are sore, but I feel waaay better. I think riding actually helped the injury!
I may go out with the boys tonight to spin around. I guess tomorrow will be a solo ride since no one bothers to show up to the Saturday ride anymore...
Ride Sunday w/Il Prof. The normal spot @ 9am.

Holy sprint finish crash Batman!

TNCWC #6

PV swept the top four spots...sounds like the timing went awry in my absence though...

I bailed as I really didn't feel like getting wet and having to clean a bike. Even though the rain had stopped, it was still wet. Call me a wuss if you like, but I'm recovering nicely from my tete-a-tete with the ground, so any unnecessary risk will not be taken by the kid.
I did, however, go to the ManHole(tm) and knocked out 65' on the trainer. My back and ribs loosened up after about 15 minutes and the rest of my injuries seem to be healed, so I upped the tempo to SST for the last 50'. Got a really good sweat and spin. I may venture outside to ride tomorrow night and Thursday. I have decided that racing this weekend is a bad idea, so I'm skipping Charleston.
My breathing is fine, but I can't pull on the bars out of the saddle, so racing will wait until the first weekend of May.
Still haven't bought a new helmet...wearing my old (uncrashed) Atmos...

The deciding moment @ Roubaix...

Again!

I watch Roubaix every year with joy in my heart. Yesterday was no different! It's hard to understand just HOW it can get more epic and exciting than the year before, but somehow, L'Enfer du Nord surprises us. I watched with attention that I rarely devote to anything else.

It was a warm-ish, dry-ish, windy-ish day, but the action was furious. Guys just killing it...

There was no laying down arms at any point. From Sector 18, throught Arenberg, all the way to the finish, it was game on! Yesterday was a day of fortune. Crashes, mechanicals and flats did the choosing.

The True Hardmen of the North were at the sharp end when those decisions were made. Lady Luck smiled on Tommeke and crapped on big names like Flecha, Hoste, and Hincapie. Sorry George, but maybe it isn't in the cards for you to win this race.

Boonen was too strong. It wouldn't mattered at all if Pozzato had made the bridge...he just would have lost in the velodrome.

deVlaminck should be worried about his "Mr. Roubaix" moniker....