Mini-post

The new Dura-Ace 9000 series crank. Can't decide if I like it, or if it looks like a club foot.

I'm no clairvoyant, but something really bad is about to happen in the above pic.

Yeah, I think a tear, or two, would be shed...


Francesco Moser is STILL waaay cooler than any of us.

Sun's out...

How was your weekend?

Saturday was a CX singletrack sort of day. Didn't feel great, but just ground it out. Funny part? I was within 1 minute of my usual ride time for that loop, AND rode about a mile longer on the singletrack. I definitely need to swap out the file treads for something more aggressive too. Too much sliding and lack of traction, even with my big rear end over the back wheel!

Sunday...well, it was wet...


And a bit sloppy...


And I came home with some stuff on my legs...


Two hours in 60 degree rain, wind and slop was still better than riding the turbo. Of course, as it usually happens, it stopped raining about 3 minutes for the house...

The highlights of the ride? I actually felt good, and I got honked at by a lady in a Prius WHILE she was pulling into church. The irony was lost on one of us...

The rest of the day was devoted to running around like a headless chicken to get things together for #2's birthday party, and making the effort not to hit my father-in-law in the skull with a parang, all while absorbing his passive/aggressive behavior. I guess haters ARE gonna hate...

To say I was spent at the end of the day is an understatement...

Oh, yeah...I'm 42 today...whoppiiieeeeeee!

Friday update

I twattered and Facebook-elized about this yesterday, and thought it was done, but I just read the article again, and am left no less incredulous. The NY Gran Fondo is drug testing. Really? WTF? Drug testing at a cookie ride?
Of course, my buddy Boyd brought up a good point. He reminded how racers, and wannabes alike, will put someone in the ditch for a prime. The NY Gran Fondo has some damn nice prizes, so why wouldn't certain folks douche out and hook up the T-patch for a few weeks prior?

Still, it boggles the mind. If someone needs to take WHATEVER to win an amateur race, or even a high dollar cookie ride, then they should re-assess the reasons they ride, and their life as a whole.

Another really good ride last night. Big group and plenty quick. My plan was to sit in and just roll the legs over. I stuck to the plan, except for the climb out to 302. It's funny how about 15 seconds of inattention can force one to put it in the PainCave for then next 5 minutes. I let a gap open...on the descent (dumbass! -Ed.), thinking that I would just roll right back into the bunch. Wrong answer.
The gap quickly became 250m. Knowing how the front bunch doesn't sit up at 302, I knew I had a better chance of re-attaching myself to the group on the climb than catching a group of 8 on the downhill run back to town.
Hindsight is 20/20. I got back on AT the turn, but it seemed everyone in the front was on the rivet on the climb as well, as they all slowed to a near crawl. The second group caught us, and we came in with a group of a dozen+.

News :

Andy Schleck does little to assuage the belief that he's a whinger. Maybe he should have gone with Hesjedal @ 9 km to go. Maybe he missed the move while sitting in the back, pining for his brother.

The entire BMC team wants success, indivdually, in the Giro. This means that none of them will actually find it.

Speaking of PainCave. Look at these faces...


When the faces of top level pros look this distorted, the shit hurts, period!

Sea Otter is going on...

And the fine folks at Ritte and TRP just changed the game...
Electronic shifting coupled with hydraulic braking (discs). Welcome to the future, it started yesterday!

Oh, and 5 years ago today, I became a dad for the second time. Happy Birthday #2!

Something wicked this way comes...

So IF is building a frame out of Columbus XcR stainless steel tubing. No big deal, right? Well, the bike shown above is XcR tubing that's drawn on the old Columbus MAX tooling.

For those of you who have trouble putting together 2 and 2, that means it's stainless tubing in MAX dimensions.

Methinks that I may have found my next bicycle frame...

The very thought of it makes me feel all warm on the inside...

Bizarro...

Last night's WeCola ride was really good. Huge group (45-50) and a beautiful evening.

It was really odd though. I felt iffy, but had really good legs. Spinning the gear over was not taxing in the least...until the speeds got over about 43kph. Anything between 30-43kph was easy, just rolling along...on wheels or on the front. HR and PE were very low. Any speed over 44 got hard...
I couldn't get my HR up over about 160 or so.
I'm tired. Tossing and turning night after night will do that...

Breaking Fleche Wallonne news...

Evie Stevens (USA) wins the womens race.

Joaquin Rodriguez (Katusha) wins the mens. Both won with seering attacks on the Muur.




And say what you want about the Ritte boys, but they make a DAMN sexy TT bike. Actually, all of their offerings are quite libidinous.


Their custom stainless offerings make me feel like I'm climbing the rope in gym class!


And if you read their blog, you'll see that the SS and carbon/SS offerings are nearly as stiff as the full carbon bikes. I'm betting that NONE of us would be able to discern which was which if blindfolded!

And with that...enjoy your Humpday...

What was that?

So I woke up yesterday morning feeling like I'd been on my feet all day, and made a drive to Charlotte and back...wait, I did...
Crunchy back and heavy legs met me for breakfast. I had a bowl of Kashi...
I almost bailed altogether, but Rule #5 swung into the kitchen and smacked me in the back of the head.
CX bike, party of two...your ride is ready...

HA! Suckas!
The Dirt was just fine, thank you!

700x33 file treads FTW!

I felt pretty flat as I left Service Course, but it was one of those rides that get better the longer one stays in the saddle.
Once on the dirt, things opened up and the speed and effort came free and easy. Instead of turning for home, I did the big loop, including poaching some prime double track on the property of a certain Lexington County chemical company.
Once I turned for home, the tailwind was giving me a nice push, so I knocked on the door of the PainCave. No one answered, so I let myself in...
15 minutes later, I left. It was a nice visit...

All told, a quality 2:15 was spent on the Jericho. I came home dusty (thanks big redneck truck on Old State) and happy. Moe's was consumed shortly thereafter...

Here's something to watch on your Monday afternoon :

Mavic @ Roubaix



And OPQS @ Roubaix



Ever wonder how they make the Cobblestone Trophy? Well, wonder no more...

I have a chunk of Belgian Pave. It holds the door open in Service Course...

Critter

I discovered yesterday exactly WHY I was super fit a handful of years ago. It had everything to do with the fact that I did my Palmetto Trail CX loop twice a week. 2 hours of grindy, total body riding. 'Twas big fun.
And a big thanks to whoever is now taking care of the trail out there. New sections have been routed through the recent logging activity, and the entire trail out to Wildcat has been cleared. Don't make a snap judgment though! It's still a task on 35c file tread tires...

Anyone know where I can get a fern?

Pee stop...

Upon my return to Service Course, I participated in some parenting activities before loading up and heading to Charlotte for the big $ Presby Crits. Here's the photographic proof...

It was big fun and super fast racing from both the ladies and the men. Once again, UHC showed how it was done at the end of a race. Hilton Clarke took home the W, and $12,500 for his effort.

I also learned two things that I need to spend money on.
1) An intermediate lens. the 18-55 is too small for some stuff, and the 100-300 is too big.
2) A powered auxiliary flash. The flash on the SLR is neither bright enough, nor does it recycle quickly enough.
Let the Ebay searching commence...

I had offers of spare bedrooms, but being the MENSA member that I am, I chose to come home in the wee hours. I'm tired right now...but I'm gonna go spin in a little while. My back and legs are shot from standing/walking last night.

Friday the 13th

He won Paris-Camembert. Guessing it's not his favorite cheese?

Voeckler won Brabantse-Pijl in a brilliant solo move. It seems he may have also passed a stone...

Got this from my friend Rob yesterday. Coolest thing I've seen in a long time!

Gotta love the guys at GoPro. (FWIW, I use a Contour...)

VICKY, WATCH OUT, IT'S RIGHT BEHIND YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Good ride last night. I let the front group go when guys started attacking through the stop signs, across traffic.
I felt okay, but could definitely tell two things. I'm not 100% yet...not even close, and I've taken far too much time away from the bicycle(s).

Since the Saturday group is dead, it looks like a CX ride is in order for tomorrow morning. There's some single (and double) track that's calling me. I just need to grind right now.

And I'm headed to Charlotte tomorrow night for the Presby Crit. $25k purse for the ladies, and $50k for the men. Last year was fast from the gun in both races. Should be the same this year.

Peace and chicken grease!

Head up...Eyes up

Scary shit for Tony Martin. What's really scary is the fact that this could happen to any of us. He was just riding along, in the bike lane, and got creamed.
Pay attention, be aware of your surroundings, and keep your head on a swivel!

That was...well...interesting...

Yesterday, as the afternoon progressed, the sky became increasingly cloudy, and the wind seemed to pick up.
I rolled out into a strong NE headwind, thinking that my direction of travel would avoid the impending weather.
Yeah, I was wrong.
Once to 12th St., the wind was blowing at what can only be considered a fevered pace. Couple that with the rain that was falling at acute angles, and you have yourself a bit of a maelstrom. I could have turned for home, and had a ripper of a tailwind back to Service Course, but discretion and intelligence but must have clocked out for the day. I stayed out...
I knew there was going to be trouble when I was doing little more than rolling the cranks over and tipping 50kph. 38kph over the I-77 overpass? Sure, that shit happens everyday....
Over 77, a dust devil was swirling about on the dirt pad that will, one day, be the location of a giant Flying J Truck Stop. Yeah, I kept going...

The 50kph fun continued until the end of 12th. Upon traversing the corner at speed that could be deemed unsafe, my front wheel was sent wildly off course by a gust of wind. As my sphincter returned to normal size and shape, my inner monologue made the decision, finally, that we should probably go home.

The return trip on 12th St. was a 22-25kph fistfight. Just a slog...
The tailwind out was now slapping me, literally and figuratively, in the mouth. The wind was carrying more debris than I've seen in a long time. Fortunately, most of it ended up in my eyes, making my contacts feel like they were affixed to my eyeballs with 1000 tiny hooks.

I finally made it home @ 7:30. It was dark...30 minutes early. My decision to turn around, albeit late, was a good one. Anyone out after about 7:45 was screwed.

Rules 5 and 9 were definitely in play last night, and the line between hard and stupid was blurry, at best.

Humps for a Hump Day...


I'm gonna go wash my eyes out with saline...AGAIN...

Hoy-ly Crap!

Boonen doesn't grab a musette in the feed zone! He uses The Force!!

(speaking in third person) " Andre will sign your item, but Andre will NOT stand to do so..."
OR... ow to sign an autograph...LIKE A BOSS!

Here's where I was last weekend...



Hoy slipped through that gap like he was covered in Astroglide!

DeVlaeminck calls EVERYBODY out.

Good ride by Mini-Phinney. Great ride by Handsome George...a true hardman of the North!! He and Guesdon have knocked down 17 editions each...crazy!

And will everyone PLEASE STFU about Phinney doing so well in his FIRST Roubaix!! Last I checked, he won U23 Roubaix TWICE !!! Yeah, it's U23, but it's not like they ride around an office park, and across 50m of smooth bricks. It's still Roubaix, just a bit shorter...

And we're done...

Have a good Tuesday!

Kinda not work safe

And we're baaaack....

Holy shi-atsu...I'm a bit wrecked right now.

While working at a women only cycling camp is really fun and rewarding for the cycling soul, it's also really fucking tiring. I put down about 50 hours of work in 3.5 days. And how was your weekend?

Even though I'm tired, and only got to ride 3 hours over the weekend, I'm completely satisfied and centered. Being around 14 campers, and 8 staff (not including myself) who just love bikes, will do that for you.

Big thanks to Chad Andrews @ Totalcyclist for allowing me to once again be a part of the great thing he has created. I've made friends, and had experiences that will stay with me for a lifetime.

Okay, enough of the gushy stuff...

Jered Gruber's Roubaix pics...

How about BoomBoom? 60k? Yeah, I thought he'd lost his mind too. The ones who lost their minds are the collection of dumbasses who let he and Terpstra just roll away. What'd they think, he was jumping off the front to go take a pee? Simple fucks...



I know you all watched it as well, but here are a few highlights...



Tommeke has never had what could be considered "suplesse", but towards the end of the race, his pedal stroke was U-G-L-Y!! Pedal squares? Not quite. Squares would have been prettier. It looked like some sort of ratcheting was going on. No matter though, as he wasn't slowing down, nor was he coming back.

Riding with FORCE was the theme...

BoomBoom etched himself into the annals of both Roubaix, and true Classics heroes. It was like watching Museeuw or Tchmil ride away. Just brilliant...

One can't help but wonder how the race would have unfolded had Cancellara been in attendance. One thing we could have surely counted on from Fabian was at least one equipment failure...

Back on the horse tomorrow...should be interesting...

Worky Worky

Day 3 of Totalcyclist DivaCamp is about to kick off, so I'll be brief.

14 ladies...14 bikes...

Big fun thus far. I've even snuck in a couple of good, albeit short rides.

We're headed out to Hunting Island State Park today. It's big and blue out there today...go ride your bikes!

There will be a full post, with photo goodness, at some point Sunday.

Time to make the donuts...

This way to Roubaix...

Hey, TVH...I told you the day-glo colors were coming back! AND they're Sidis! You need them!

There ARE, in fact, bicycles in this photo...

Boonen is trying hard to be likable, and it's working. If he wins Roubaix, and pulls that little medallion out...

Roubaix is Sunday. To prime the pump, go pick up this book. It's well worth the $40!

The difference between Belgian/French high school kids and American high school kids....

Pay money. Go to Belgium. Get your ass kicked. Oh, what fun it would be...

Tomorrow a.m., I'm heading to Beaufort for the 3rd edition of DivaCamp. Long days and some hard work, but it's big fun simply because the entire group...campers and staff alike, just love to ride their bicycles. It's 4 days of exactly what cycling should be...
The next camp will be in the fall, somewhere in the mountain of Southern Virginia. If you know someone who might be interested, pass on the link, or contact me. Sorry...ladies only!

Time to go pack...

Keep it classy Kentucky...

Simple, yet effective...

Firefly looks like they are going after some of Trek's market...

Cancellara's collarbone...(no shit). They didn't even bother with plates and screws. They just rodded the flipping thing! Bet that shit feels GOOD today! Hope he enjoys secondary security checks at the airport!

I may need to re-think my stance on swimming.

Now, on to the show...



So Kentucky won the NCAA BouncyBall Championship last night. WooHoo! WooHoo cares?
Evidently, the students of UK, and the residents of Lexington care SO much that they rioted, burned cars, broke windows, and a guy got SHOT! What a celebration of a win! Keep it classy you over-entitled douchebags. Then again, had USC won, no one would have even shown up. That's just how ineffectual Carolina fans are. Another rant for another day...I digress...

Calipari bought the Championship...plain and simple. Let's just say that recruiting violations follow him like a small, well-trained dog. UMass? Memphis? Yeah, vacating wins and Championships is a good way to build a legacy. Kentucky turned the page from the days of Adolph Rupp, Joe B. Hall, and Tubby Smith. All honest guys and great coaches. When you turn to guys like Pitino and Calipari, you seemingly welcome trouble with the NCAA. I guess winning and the almighty dollar have become more important at UK.

Such is the reason that I turned my back on college basketball years ago. It's little more than a minor-league feeder system for the NBA. Sad part? Most of the guys either NEVER go to the NBA, or if they do, only play for 3-4 years. They piss all of their money away, and end up the tallest employee at the Water Department. And most leave college early...without that sheepskin...and don't go back...

It makes the World of professional cycling look squeeky clean. What's worse. whacking up some illegal PEDs in order to provide for your family, or the colleges and NCAA using the "student" athletes as little more than de facto gladiators?



Speaking of the riots in Kentucky, last I checked, I hadn't heard of any riots in Brugge or Kortrijk last Sunday after Boonen won Flanders!

RvV / Rides

If you want to see some outstanding photos from yesterday's RvV, check out Jered Gruber's Flickr set.
Just check out all of his pictures...he's pretty brilliant...

Anyway, the race was good. Too bad for Cancellara...
The new route was, well, missing something. Perhaps the Muur? Sure, going up the Kwaremont and the Paterberg several times made the race hard, but the Muur is what identifies the RvV. Removing it from the race is akin to taking the Arenberg Forest out of Paris-Roubaix.

Here's the last 20km of the race...



Some pics from yesterday...it was a good day.

Nice little frontage road climb out...not telling you where it is...

Heavy traffic in Calhoun County...

Second ride of the day...

#2 practicing his turns...

#1 likes riding in the dirt. Could I be raising a mountain biker? Shudder to think...

C'mon dad, try to keep up...

Have a good Monday!

The Force

So after I peeled off from Il Prof's 160km loop this morning, I was content riding alone for the 50km home.
Coming down a descent, into a turn, I felt truly uneasy, almost light-headed and dizzy. Was I having a stroke? An aneurysm? What the hell man?

When I got home, I read the news that Cancellara crashed and shattered his collarbone.

My "episode" was a disturbance in The Force.

Fortunately, the Swiss can have him back by Roubaix on Easter Sunday.

I DVR'd the Ronde, and will watch the mayhem tonight. Good win for BoomBoom! Betting that there will be a shortage of Colombian Marching Powder and barely legal "models" in Belgium tonight!

Here's the finish...(natsound)


Klasiğin son saniyeleri by EurosportTurkiye

RvV tomorrow...

Sounds like a solid plan to me...


Gotta know what's coming!

Awoke to the pitter-patter of steady rain.
Looked at radar.
Meh.
Left @0900...in the rain.
Rode in the rain for an hour.
Clouds broke...sun came out.
Rode in the sun for 1.5 hours.
Collected detritus dried to a crust on legs.
Came home wet, dirty, happy.
2.5 hours on CX bike.
End.

0900 @ Greene and Laurens tomorrow morning.

Namaste.

This and that...

As we all know, I'm not a Campagnolo kind of guy, but this 1984 Bianchi Speciallismo sort of speaks to me. It's kind of like that hot cougar you see every morning when dropping the kids at school. A little age, yet well maintained, and can still put it down when the time comes...

Really Tom? BoomBoom should have a serious conversation with his agent.

Ballerini. BALLER-ini!



The new Trek Domane. Possibly the worst kept secret in the cycling World. Looks pretty cool. I do wonder, however, if the guys at Volagi have seen it yet. The rear triangle seems to borrow the split tail design from the Liscio.

Flanders is Sunday. 0830 on NBC Sports HD...the old Versus...the older OLN. The DVR is already set...

Some good "getting over whatever sickness" rides this week.
I rode short Tuesday, as I was coughing up stuff that looked a bit like rubber cement.
Last night, I got cajoled into doing the whole ride.
Even though I'm still coughing, and I feel like I'm breathing through a silly straw, I tailgunned the front group until getting tailed off on the climb out on Gator...like that's a surprise, since I climb so well. (note the hint of sarcasm?)
Once on 302, I was off by about 400m. There was a big tailwind, so I decided to turn the screw down and see if I could chase back on. I made it to about 150m, coming to a stoplight. The group made it...I did not...DAMMIT. See you guys in the parking lot!

Definitely felt better last night, and this morning. Sometimes, blowing the carbon out of the pipes is a good thing.

And if you're in a thinking mood, spare a thought for Ladd today. He's suffering a few complications from his knee surgery, and is spending some quality time @ Palmetto Richland.


Oh, and Spring Break starts today...I may head to the beach...
6 days...

A day with Mario

(subtitled : Mario will touch you now...)



And they're riding Ultegra Di2...interesting...

Monday...

I hate you so very, very much...


Apparently, Cipo has yet to read the Sexual harassment policy handbook.

Here's the Ridley wearing it's new bits. 7900 w/Rotor cranks. Pretty much everything else remained, as it works flawlessly. And don't listen to the 'experts' who say that you have to run D/A brakes with 7900 b/c of the revised cable pull. The Mavic binders that I've had for years work perfectly...probably better than they did with the 7800 levers.
And the Vitt Open Corsa SC tires ride sublimely. Just billard-table smooth. It's about time the natural sidewalls made a comeback. Old school meets new school...I missed the look.

Check this track out! I'd like to build a small apartment on the infield and wake to this sight every morning.

...and check out Jered Gruber's write-up of E3 Harelbeke. Nice photos and a good synopsis. They chased the race around Flanders on their bikes! I'm jealous...

A warning...

Before you hit "play" on the embedded video, hit 'mute' on your speakers/sound...unless you like really shitty Euro-trash pop music.
I mean, I barely understand Flemish, but it's FAR preferable to the shite that's dubbed over the video.

You've been warned...

Edit : After a couple of complaints on YouTube, one of which was from yours truly, the Euro-trash pop was removed in favor of Flemish.

You're welcome!



So the sinus infection has nearly passed, but the lovely drainage that usually accompanies it has settled in my chest, giving me a nice case of bronchitis. I'm coughing like a coal miner...and it hurts. I've coughed so much, and so hard, that my abs are sore (core workout...woohoo!) and I blew some blood vessels around my right eye. The result is a slighty black eye. I just tell people that The Boss has taken to hitting me again.

No matter though. A week off the bike was making me itchy, so I went out on the resurrected Salsa yesterday for a shakedown ride. No real issues, other than the handlebar tape I put on it sucked a mile of ditch water...and the gear cable housings were about an inch too long. Both issues were little more than aesthetic and have been remedied. An hour on the bike was about all I could manage before an epic fit a coughing took over.

This morning, I rolled out with TVH and IP. Felt a bit better on the bike, but still just really hacky. They turned left to head into Calhoun, and I turned right and brought it to the house. It was a nice 90 minutes/50km.

The Boss has gone to Charleston to shop, and the Management Trainees are at the Lexington Branch Office until later today, so I believe I'm gonna take a nap.

Inspired

Unstoppables from black train films on Vimeo.

Okay...enough moping about feeling sick...time to go ride...