10 days on...

So, 10 days post auguring into Greenville County's finest roadside, grassy shoulder, I did a ride.
It seems there's been some grumbling among the cognescenti on the Urban Ride about the CX crew riding too fast, which is wholly ironic, considering we defer on EVERY ride.  Thus, instead, we split off and did our own thing...
9 of us looped greater Cola for the better part of two hours, including a traverse of Old State...in the dark.  It's much less scary with a group. 
I made the mistake of trying out a new light position, down on the skewer.  Not great.  Light is too low to fill in ripples and holes, so EVERYTHING looked like fucking chasm.  Too many shadows...
First time...last time.  Don't know what's not going to work unless it's tried...

Between riding over, doing the loop, and riding home, I got almost 3 hours on the bike last night.  I'll take it.
I also learned a few things.  I'm not healed.  Well, not completely.
I'm healed enough to ride steady, on flat-to-rolling terrain, but anything that involves getting out of the saddle isn't going to happen for a while.  Getting FULL, deep, lung full of air was challenging as well.  Maybe riding like this will be like training at altitude...?

Glad I went out though, as I feel better this morning.  I think the movement, and stretching, helped the healing process.
I rode with the Contour HD as well.  The first 5 minutes of the video looks really cool.  The rest looks like Blair Witch on bikes.

Yes, I would like a little drinky drink...

Rules 5 and 9 in play.  Hard is as hard does... (Forrest Merckx)

Max Merckx...painted up in 7-11 livery...(gonna need a moment...)

The route for the 2014 Tour was announced yesterday.  Less climbing...less TTs...MORE cobbles.  If you were listening closely during the presentation, you could hear Chris Froome's clavicle starting to fracture...

Bitter..Bitter...party of one, your table is ready...
That's a great way to start out a business venture Greg.  Take a dump on the very sport in which you are trying to make money.  When his Lemond/Time venture fails, and it will, how is going to spin it to blame Lance?  Oh, it'll happen...



He's a bit whingy in his AC360 interview, no?  Maybe he's anemic again.  Bet he knows where to get a B12 shot...

And with that, I bid you adieu...
Gotta go track down Halloween costumes for Junior Mgmt.

Hey you, don't watch that...

...watch this...

#SVENNESS 2.3 from In The Crosshairs on Vimeo.

*Did you get the Madness reference?

If the rain holds off, we're doing a CX ride tonight.  Meet at the same spot, at the same time, but we're going to peel off and do something different. 

Everyone is welcome...

A couple of things...

So, after my post yesterday @ VdV, and a few Tweets, I got a note from ol' VdV himself, which was both surprising, and after I read it, off-putting.
He made the effort to qualify his actions by explaining that the bike he cut in half was "...a 9-year old, broken bike...", which was followed by, "...I didn't know there was a market..." for such things.
Well, there is Mr. VandeVelde.  Broken or not, that Cervelo was owned by a certified, full-on, big team, Tour team winning (yes, I'm counting 99 and 01, when LA won), well-known, Euro-Pro.
There are myriad fans, fanboys, and jacket wearers that would have gladly parted with a of couple grand to have that bike...YOUR bike...just hanging in their home, or office. 
An auction, either live at your retirement party, or on Ebay, could have raised a pile of American money, that in turn (as I mentioned yesterday) could have been donated to The Amy Dombroski Fund, or The Bahati Foundation, or whatever charity you chose.
That likely would have garnered you more fans, and even pushed those who were on the fence into liking you a bit more.
Hell, I would have given you props. 
But nope, it was just cut up.  Of course, now, as my friend Frank said, it can be sold TWICE.  Someone can buy the front, and someone can buy the back. 
Do it man...DO IT!



First CX World Cup was yesterday...





Good stuff!  Great course!  Take note American/Local course designers.  Fast, flowy, but with some technical elements.  No one likes 27 back-and-forth turns, or 12 barriers...

First ride back yesterday.  The plan was to meet the other two amigos @ 0900, and ride, but the fast that I've taken to the couch pour le dormir, I neglected to set an alarm. 
Instead, #2 and I loaded up and went for a ride on his new whip. 

 Serious boy is serious...

Rouleur training began yesterday.  He figured out, in about 5 minutes, that one must apply pressure to the pedals when riding thru the rough stuff.  AND he wanted to bomb a muddy section!  That'sa my boy...
After 90 minutes, we got back to The Beast, and headed back to Service Course.  Dude was knackered!
As for me, I actually felt better when I got back.  Got some blood pumping, stretched out the ribs and back, and enjoyed a big blue sky day with my buddy.  Pretty damn good ride I'd say...

 I don't watch football, but DAMN!  This guy got destroyed by the PUNTER!!!

I played football, and have been close to it for a lot of my life, and can tell you, the returner from the Broncos will NEVER live that one down! 

OK...time to get Monday going...

And VdV doesn't get it...at all...

Sorry, the video cannot be embeded, but follow the link below for what borders on a 'Jackass' level of stupidity.

VdV cuts up his bike.

So dumb.  I guess there's not a charity that could ave benefited from the sale of that bike?  Like The Amy Dombroski Fund, or myriad other worthy causes, cycling related or not...

Only serves to cement the fact that I never liked VdV.  I tried, simply b/c he was American, but couldn't bring myself to do it.  Why?  He just sort of rubbed me the wrong way, like he never really enjoyed his chosen profession. 
The fact that he was one of the riders that got a slap on the wrist for a career full of doping bothered me as well.
Some riders get trotted out to the Internet Town Square, and are hung from the gallows, while others, whom we KNOW doped, got minimal suspensions (during the off-season no less), and are hailed as heroes when they retire.

Sorry guys, cutting up a bike like this isn't cool, and it isn't funny.  Especially when some good could have come out of it...

___________________________________________________________________________________


Ribs injuries suck.  Progress is being made, but damn!  We drove up to Ikea yesterday, and some woman's perfume made me sneeze.  Not good.  Felt like a white hot lance had been driven through my side.  I didn't pee myself though.  Like I said...progress.

I was planning to get up and ride with the bunch this morning, but I neglected to set my alarm.  Waking up at 8:15 for an 8:45 departure might work for you, but I can't do it.  I AM getting out the bike this morning though.  I need to get things moving...
A week off the bike is bad, on many levels, for me...

Possibly the best skinsuit ever?

Ok...there's Euro CX to be watched...
Happy Sunday...

Michael Barry Gets It...

Michael Barry: When Riding Becomes Work

To most people cycling is freedom. When asked what their first memory of riding is, they’ll likely recall the joy they felt as they took their first pedal strokes or when they coasted down their first hill. In those moments, they became free from their parents’ grasp and free to move fast and see the neighborhood alone.

In a similar way, the sporting experience should be one of personal growth and development. But for many amateur athletes, it isn’t. Their sense of freedom becomes blurred. Instead, the playing field, or racecourse, becomes a feeder system to the professional ranks. The joy of play withers under the external pressures of performance, business, entertainment, and ego. Physical and mental health becomes secondary to achievement.
In the documentary Senna, the World Champion Formula 1 driver Ayrton Senna was asked to identify the driver who gave him the most satisfaction as a competitor. He said, “I would have to go back to 78 and 79 and 1980. I was go-kart driving as a teammate for Fullerton. He was very experienced, and I enjoyed very much driving with him, because he was fast, he was consistent, he was, for me, a very complete driver, and it was pure driving, pure racing. There wasn’t any politics then, right? And there wasn’t any money involved, either. It was real racing, and I have that as a very good memory.”
Real racing. Pure racing.
When I immersed myself in the business of professional bike racing, I began to feel distanced from what I loved most about riding. Instead of the pure joy of real racing, I felt conflicting emotions.
Those same conflicting emotions arise now in amateur sport, as well, as it becomes progressively more professionalized. Year round, primary school kids log endless hours every week on hockey rinks, baseball diamonds, and soccer fields, often starting before dawn. Masters cyclists are doping just to perform in local races. To compete at a high level in most sports now requires coaching, equipment, attitude, and money that only an elite few can afford.
In a culture fixated on winning, we often lose the essence of the ride, the skate, or the run. As a result, some people will never have the opportunity to compete, because the cost of entry is too high. Others will lose interest as play starts to feel like work. Under the burden of external pressures, many kids will stop playing a sport that they once loved, and they’ll never play again. That’s a tragedy.
Professional athletes have obligations to the employer who pays them. Children have no obligation except to satisfy their own drive to excel at a sport that they love. The joy they feel in the process should remain unadulterated by overeager parents and a society longing for the next champion. Most children don’t get paid to perform and entertain, and neither do most weekend-warrior masters cyclists. They get compensated with the pure joy of participating. In cycling, as in most other sports, we seem to have lost that perspective on why we ride.
Juan Antonio Flecha, my teammate for three years with Sky, was likely the most introspective rider I met during my career. He could isolate himself from the noise on the bus, in the hotel, or on the road to focus on his singular objective. Cycling had given him something as a boy that he didn’t want to lose at any cost. While out training, Flecha doesn’t wear headphones and rarely takes his mobile phone. He regards them as distractions that take away from the experience, which to him is profound, even if it is his job. He wants to hear the sounds of his environment, escape with his thoughts, and return from a ride on a snow-covered mountain worn but calm. He uses the numbers on the powermeter to guide him, but even as he trains meticulously, he doesn’t become so preoccupied with the digital numbers that he loses his perspective on the essence of cycling.
Even at the professional level, competitive sport isn’t only about results, medals, records, or the spoils of victory. It’s also about relationships, how we work within a team, how we improve, what we learn, and how we grow. It’s about being our best and not letting someone else’s results determine how we feel about our own. I learned these lessons the hard way.
In my retirement, I now understand why I rode and why I still love to ride. The praise and accolades of a professional have nothing to do with it, even though I once thought they did. Out with a group of friends on a Saturday morning, we push each other just enough. We sprint and we ride in a tight paceline, cooperating to increase our speed. There are no finish lines or computers to record what we’ve accomplished, just a few stories and memories of a day on our bikes, when we went a bit farther than we’d planned and felt something unique. I still get that unique feeling, and it’s the most meaningful thing that cycling has given to me.

Reprinted w/permission from CC.

As Tesla (the band) once said...

Yes, my boo-boo seems to be healing nicely. 
I progress though the day, then get about 6 hours of semi-restful sleep at night.  Things seem to be coming together as they should.

Want a good time, that's a little painful, you have the opportunity to pay for, and DOESN'T require choosing a safe word before services are rendered?
Go see your chiro/physio, and get your ribs put BACK where they should be, and get your FULL routine done, with a rib injury. 
Two things:
1) I actually did think about yelling out a random "safe" word.
2) I may have pee'd...just a dribble or two, when I was getting adjusted.  Hey...no false male pride here.

My pain threshold is relatively high, but sometimes the body does what the body feels like doing!

No ridey until this weekend, and then I'm going to go down to Service Course, and ride The Infernal Machine.  Probably be on that 35 pound chunk of metal, that would be better served as scrap, for the next few rides. 
My only true fear is hitting the ground again, thru no fault of my own (this time), and getting re-injured. 
So, the turbo it is...

Mmmmm...a Geekhouse track bike...

How many bikes come into London a day, vs. the number of cars?  Proof that people who bitch about traffic ARE traffic.

Uh, that's MR. Nys to you...

And an IF...for when your kid needs the best bike in the rack at school....

And a 80km-ish dirt road/CX/roadbike with 28s/29er on skinnies excursion is being planned.  A loop has been drawn up, and will be re-conned in the near future.  Interest is high, and fun will be had.  There will likely be heckling, and may even be a few surprises along the way.  Everyone is welcome, so spread the word.
Information will be disseminated as it becomes available... 

Gracias...

It's Thursday, after Noon, so the weekend has ostensibly begun...
Go get after it...

Ahhh...crap....

Obviously no riding going on around here.  Kind of don't even want to right now.  The pain has changed.  The dagger-like, shooting pain has largely stopped, unless I decide to make a quick move.  Let's just say that all quick moves have been shelved for the indefinite future!
Sore and stiff, party of one...you table is available.

Sleeping sucks.  I'm no back sleeper, but there's no alternative.  I tossed and turned the first couple of nights.  Last night, I dropped two Flexeril down my gullet, and actually got somewhere around 28 of the needed 40 winks.  Of course, I woke up feeling like San Francisco...a bit foggy.

Doc says NO bikey for at least 10 days.  I'm good with that...

The end of 2013 Paris Tours...



Can someone puh-leeeeeze tell Farrar he's not a sprinter?

And a classic Paris Tours for you...



Tafi breaking hearts, and legs...

Uh, check the trail map, and don't ride over your head...



...as you may end up ON your head...or your buddy's head...

I think I posted this a while ago...
If I did, here it is again.  If not, you're welcome...

MCipollini RB1K IT from Mcipollini on Vimeo.

The OLD homestead, hidden in a valley.  Borderline perfect spot...

And I realized I took virtually NO photos of my ride compatriots on Saturday...

From the Old Madison Square Garden.  Style is just dripping out of this picture....

Wonder if I can affix lights to this thing, and come out to the Urban Ride?

And my friend Greg Howell got his Blue Triad stolen a couple of nights ago.  Right out of his garage...in the daylight hours...while he was eating...in the kitchen...on the other side of the door!!!
IM Florida is in 3 weeks, and he sort of needs his bike.
It had a rear 808 on it when it was lifted, not a disc, but the remainder of the setup is the same.  There are/were only TWO of these in South Carolina.
Keep your eyes peeled.  Greg found a stolen Niner not long ago, and it was returned to it's owner.  Let's do the same for Greg!!
If you see it, call the Law.  If possible, detain the thief until they arrive.  Or, hit the thief with a brick, and take the bike!


And to end, Justin and some other folks are meeting at Owens Field on Wednesday for a little CX practice.  I have the sads...
A least my barrier will get some use!  The game plan is to meet @ 6-ish for some drills, some trail riding, and some smiles.

Now get back to work...I have pain meds to take...

I have an Owieeee...

Let's get this ball rolling at the beginning, shall we?

6 of us packed The Beast tight early Saturday morning, for a trip to Tryon, and a new loop that I threw together.  Twas a good group, and if folks didn't join us, well...they missed out.
We were unloaded and riding @ 9:30, which wasn't bad considering the decidedly 'team vehicle' vibe we had going on.  3 on the roof, 2 on the back, and Rox's baby bike stuffed in the boot.
Nothing says love like pulling out of the parking lot, and hitting the Saluda Grade to start your ride.  Sure, 5% doesn't sound like much, and if you're warmed up, it really isn't.  Fresh out of The Beast's leather interior, and The Grade is a wake up call, delivered like a police asp to the thighs.
Once up and over, we diverted off 176, and rode a section none of us had ever done.  The first part was great, and it went downhill from there, literally, and figuratively.  If you choose to do Pot Shoals Rd., just on the other side of Saluda, have your smallest gear available, and learn to love it.

Charlie looked all serious pro-dude.  Taylor yelled at me for taking his picture while he was suffering...

From the valley floor, it rises about a mile, and tops out @ 19% as your re-join Hwy 176.  Yeah, that was fun-ish.  Cal nabbed to KoM on Strava.  STRAAAAVVVVAAAAA!
Crossing 176 brought us to Lake Summit, and a dirt road that was not expected.  Fortunately, our group of 6 are intrepid, and we ran across a nice lady, and her 37 dogs, who told us that the road was pretty good, and not terribly long.  It was perfect...

Not a terrible view.  I could spend a few days up there...

The next 15 miles or so were all down hill.  A couple of loops around Hwy 25, a few 40+ mph descents, and one 50+ mph descent brought us to Hwy 11, and the base of the Watershed.

 We didn't let Dean's Ti bike in the picture....

The turn onto Old Hwy 25 was a bit wonky, so we stopped to gather up.  Instead of just dismounting, and waiting, I decided to ride into the grass on the shoulder, and met my demise...a basketball sized hole, covered by tall grass...at a blistering 2mph.
The front wheel went in, and didn't come out.  I hit the ground with a resounding thud.  No time to un-clip, get a hand out to brace, or even scream a profanity.  The ground came up to meet my 180 pounds quick!! 
Rox commented that she'd never seen anyone hit the ground THAT fast.
All air escaped my body in a quite immediate fashion, and the involuntary groan commenced.  I came down on top of my right arm, and my elbow was directly under my ribcage.  There was a very distinct popping noise/feel/sensation.  Ribs...JACKED.
After a few minutes, I knew I had to roll, or I was going to get back on the bike.
AND, we were 20+ miles from the truck.  Time to HTFU...
Up the Watershed we go.  I was not riding alone.  The climb was tolerable, until I rolled over any kind of bump in the road.
Bolts of ripping pain shot threw me.

Such a nice climb...that I actually like doing...except on this trip.

Once over the Watershed, the run back to Tryon was worse.  Frost heaves felt like speed bumps.  Once of the main part of the descent, I was so nauseous from the pain, that I really thought I was going to vomit.  If there had been a team car following, I'd have gotten off the bike.
Back to The Beast, we loaded up (thanks for the help fellas), and put it in the breeze.
I tightened up nicely on the drive.  Wonderful...

Fortunately, nothing is broken, but I have 4 bruised ribs, and 2 are displaced.  Every muscle in my core is just wrecked.  I'm in a haze of Flexeril as I sit and punch this out.
It really doesn't hurt if I'm up, or down.  The acts of getting up and down create waves of pain, and touches of the pukey-feels.

Overall though, it was a good time.  Everyone enjoyed it, and we had a damn fine ride thru someone extraordinarily beautiful countryside.
Thank you to those who went.  We'll do it again, and I promise not to augur into the ground like a lawn dart.
Also, thanks to everyone for checking on me over the last few days.  I'm good...just a little stoved up.  I think I needed a break from the bike anyway.

Here's some muddy Euro-CX action from yesterday to burn some productivity...


Back to the normally scheduled filler tomorrow...

Perfetto

Couldn't be much nicer outside today.  AND it's Friday.  WOOT!  (God, I hate that WOOT shit...)
It was pleasant last night for the Urban Ride.  I could tell I hadn't been on the bike in four days though, and that I stood around for a few hours Wednesday night.  Ah, the drudgery that is having VIP tickets to a concert.
Schmoozing with the 'talent', which in this case was The Band Perry...

Yep...Kimberly Perry AIN'T homely...
I'm no country music fanboy, but it was a pretty good show.  Only downside?  The bass player REALLY needed to have the levels on his mic turned down.  Oooof!

Back to bikey stuff...
Fun ride last night, but felt a bit flat.  Still got 2.5 hours on the bike, and only saw my life flash in front of me once.  Special thanks to the hillybilly that cut across three lanes of Fair traffic to pull into Jaco's to park.  My rear Clement LAS now has a NICE bald/flat spot.  Bitch...
The ride dynamic was weird last night.  Some grouchy, aggro dudes were out.  And a couple of triathletes whose bike handling skills are suspect ON the road during the day, much less bombing around in the dark.  And they weren't even the ones who crashed.  Both crashes could be attributed to the old 'over-riding-one's-skill-level' storyline. 

A gaggle of us are headed to Tryon tomorrow for a 100km ride.  Looks to be about 8700' of climbing to, so it should be fun.  Oh, 12/28 cassette, how I love thee!  The WX forecast says 70 and sunny, and the leaves are changing.  Look for a myriad stills, and a few videos in the coming days.  I'm mounting the Contour on the skewer mount, so the descent videos should be interesting. 
We're rolling out of Harmon Field @ 0900...If anyone cares to join us...

My idea of a real 'fatbike'...

Pic courtesy of : Piotr Trybalski  Just a brilliant shot.

Exactly...

And with that, I bid you good day...I SAID GOOD DAY!!!

Tuesday Creamy filling post

Costa in his new WC kit...
Uh...

But then again, who am I to criticize?

 If it attracts friends like that?

Oh Hampsten...why do you tease me so?  I will gladly accept that I was called a 'dumbass' this morning when I let it be known to a friend that I decided against the custom Hampsten build they designed for me, in lieu of another carbon Ridley.  Yes, I may very well be a 'dumbass'...

Notice anything missing here?

 

I think I just threw up a little.  That's what we used to call a 'radically altered HT angle'!

Well...hello...

Things might get interesting very soon...for everyone in pro cycling...

Bikes make for a faster commute in urban areas?  You don't say!!  Could have told you this 15 years ago when I was commuting in Jacksonville...

Rouleur...explained...sounds a bit like someone I know...

End of Lombardia, as everyone said the stream crashed right at the finish...

OK...get back to work...

Hello beautiful...

 Understated Ti bike...

Not-so-understated track bike.
Baum is hitting me where I live lately.  I think it's a sign...

 This Feather is sort of hot too...

Two wheels very good...

Fun rides this weekend...
Charlie, Rox, and I did a long, slow, easy CX ride Saturday.  As it was Charlie's maiden voyage on his new (to him) CX rig, and Rox is still getting her bearings on hers, we didn't exactly kill it.  That being said, Charlie hit the ground once, and Rox fell victim to the deep, and thankfully very soft, LexCo sand.  Gotta keep the speed up thru the loose stuff!
Although I don't like to stop in the middle of a sandpit, this was something we couldn't pass up.

Uh...that'll buff right out.  The LexCo Deputy said there were a lot of empty beer cans inside the little truck.  No shit...REALLY?  Once we chatted for a moment, and Rox got in her run for the day, we ventured onward.
On the way back in, I lit the wick a bit, and did a nice effort from 12th all the way to the K-Rail.  It stung...
Once out of the woods, Charlie looked like he'd just spent a year in 'Nam.

"I've seen things man..."

We looped downtown, and went home.  Just about 3 hours on the bike.  Twas quite fun, other than Charlie's not-toed-in brake squalling like a herniated goose.

Sunday met us with heavy fog.  I guess that was enough to keep folks in bed, as Il Prof, Rox and I were the only ones to show.
10 minutes in, and not even across the damn river, I flatted.  Not a good omen.  Changed, booted, and on our way...
And hour later, Il Prof blew a spoke out of his rear wheel.  Did he go home?  Nope!  We completely undid his rear brake, and he rode that wonky nacho chip for another 2 hours!
Everyone who has ridden with Rox knows she always smiles on the bike.  She also is fond of the old raspberry, as it were...

On the way back in, the fog gave way to a seriously blue sky, a something that almost resembled a tailwind.

Another 3 hours fell under wheel pretty easily, and quickly.  Good rides with good people tend go that way...


The Noah was making all sorts of noise when I got back to Service Course.  Of course, it has really been touched, other than to wipe it down, since it's build date.  Time for a good once over...
That creaking/cracking in the rear wheel?  Yeah, loose frehub...
The creaky pedal?  It seems Keos have a propensity for the bodies to back off the axles.  Second time this has happened.  They got rebuilt, and green Locktite was applied to the threads.
Everything else seemed to be copasetic...
I also affixed the 12/28, as there are plans in the works to go ride in the mountains this weekend.  Supposed to beautimous...
Don't forget about the Cotton Pickin' Metric in Rock Hill on Saturday as well.

And a big "Wheels Down" to the folks who are riding the length of the BRP this week.  Y'all are gonna get a bit damp today.  Once you're wet though, it's not like you can get MORE wet...


Alrighty then...get back to work.  I need to go to Target...

Happy Monday...wear your rain coat...

RIP

As most likely know by now, Amy Dombroski was fatally injured while training in Belgium yesterday. 
She was killed while motorpacing when she, and her moto driver, were struck by a truck. 
She became a terrible statistic at the tender age of 26. 
This happens far too much to cyclists.  It weighs heavy.  I know it did for me last night.  I did not know Amy, but it doesn't matter. 
Amy is us...
I really don't dwell on things when I ride, nor do I let the specter outpace me, but I can tell you, my little concussion-addled brain was racing last night as I soloed home, in the dark.
Ride like they don't see you my friends, 'cause they sure as hell aren't looking...

As for last night, it was a really fun ride.  A bit of a meandering loop, but it was a quality one, and should be remembered for future use.  Some new sections, and some thoughts on how to change the loop in the future to freshen it up.  Twas good...

 From the "Too Much Damn Money" file...

A custom Ti Seven step-thru city bike.  It's replete with discs, and Di2.  Shocked it doesn't have Enve wheels...

And I'm no Orbea fan, but this is pretty near OK with me...

...well, except for the DROP.  That makes my back, and testicles, hurt...

Enough for a Friday.  We'll get back to the inane frivolity soon...

Tangential...

I don't talk about politics on here mainly because, well, it's a fool's errand. Nothing anyone can say is either correct, nor does it please all who read it.
This time is different, and I'm going to make an exception.
What follows is my own, personal, Open Letter to Congress...
Let's just jump in with both feet. You are ALL vile, insipid idiots. Sure, I understand arguing across the aisles. I have degrees in Government and US History after all.
What I don't get is the vitriol...Excuse me...the open CONTEMPT for one another. 
It's like you guys are 10 year old children...oh...wait...that's a throw off on 10 year old children, as the vast majority of them are far smarter, and wiser, than all of Congress...combined.
Why NOW am I lashing out, and ranting about politics? This inane Government shutdown affects ALL of us.
First and foremost are those who are getting furloughed. These poor folks are largely Government employees, and last I checked, not a lot of them are pulling down Congress-type dollars. Hope the bank understands when they can't make their house payments.
And speaking of Congress-type dollars, why are you jackasses still getting paid, while Government employees checks are stopping?
And you those those poor men and women who you chose to send to war zones all of the globe? Yeah, THEY ARE GETTING I.O.U.s.
"Sorry you took that bullet in the thigh...we'll get you paid in a few weeks..."
The freaking PXs @ Fort Jackson are closed.  I guess the folks who live on the largest Army training base in the US don't have to eat, or wipe...
Honestly, for the most part, this doesn't affect my family, except for one very troublesome reason.
My handsome, sensitive, emotional, highly-intelligent, 8 year old was apoplectic when he came home from school Tuesday. Why you ask? His teacher has to explain to her third grade class that they could not go on their field trip to Congaree Swamp National Park today because of the Government shut down.
Sorry, but 8 year old kids shouldn't have to deal with the fact that Congress is behaving in a less mature, and responsible, manner than the kids do on a day to day basis.
I know this seems pretty trivial, given the larger picture, but it serves as an illustration of just how far this shutdown reaches.
Jake wanted to know why? WHY? So I explained it to him with no tint, nor lean to one side or the other. After I finished, he looked me dead in the face, rubbed his nose as 8 year old boys are wont to do, and said, "Well...that's just kind of dumb..."

Yes my son, you are absolutely correct.

Someone on Facebook alluded to the end of Rome.  I can't say that this allusion is not analogous.  The sheer effluence of hubris coming from Washington is shocking.  If one thinks that the majority of the elected officials inside the Beltway, regardless of affiliation, are looking out for any interests, other than their own, then that person is deluded.  
These 'leaders' have forgotten that their duty is to US, the people.  It has become more important to bicker over minutia, than to work in an effort to make things better.  
It's not a perfect solution, but then again, what is?  
I'm leaning towards what our de facto voice of reason said the other night...



Back to our normal, inane programming...

Fun ride Tuesday night.  Lots of new faces, and bikes that were pulled out of the deepest, darkest recesses of garages.  More than a few needed more than some slick tires, and a light!  Lots of popping chains, and mis-shifts.  
Of course, my beat to death CX bike wasn't much different.  It's current needs are a new chain, pulleys, and new cables/housing.  All will be remedied once the chains get here from the UK in a few days.  
I'm sure the month's worth of dried LexCo detritus accumulated on the downtube wasn't exactly helping matters.
It's now clean(ish), and will get overhauled very soon.  I also have some VERY special handlebat tape inbound.  You'll just have to wait and see...
And it's Thursday, so same bat-time, same bat-parking lot for another installment of ... The Night Ride...

Junk had an interesting comment on the Uran crash video from last post.  He said than if ol' Rigoberto had some MTB skillz, he may have saved it...which made me think for a moment.  The only skill that would have saved Senor Uran would have been that of Danny Hart...



The better version of this video?  Here...

OK...get back to work...

Stuff...and other things...

Assos does, in fact, make nice clothing...

Fluoro SO HARD!  Yeah, all this bright paint and fabric that's floating around is probably a re-hash of a fad, but it's cool, and Hi-Vis socks are cheap.
I'm thinking the Jericho frame may get the fluoro treatment.  It's nothing a helping of marine grade paint stripper can't remedy down the road.

What's the proper angle of attack for a double apex corner?  Whatever gets you thru!

He gets this from polydactyl cat...

Speaking of Flouro.  I'm torn here.  I can get a pair of these at a crazy deep discount.  The issue is whether I will be stuck wearing hi-vis shoes in two years, if the fad does, in fact, go the way of the Dodo.  Grrrr.....

So pretty.  Stainless steel Condor...

Uran's crash at Worlds.  Came in a little hot methinks...



Another view of Worlds.  Pretty gnarly day.  Reminiscent of 1993...



And finally, give some love, and some money, to the USC Gamecock Cycling Team.  The kit design has been posted on here, and the pricing is damn good.  The clothes are designed by our very own KindHuman, and will be produced by MOA.  FWIW, MOA makes Rapha clothes...
Now dig thru your couch cushions, and under the seats of your car, and support what Justin Bristol is doing!!
Gamecock Cycling Team is a go...

There are enough of those fugly Clemson kits in this town.

Now, slip and slide...



Urban Ride tonight @ the spot.  6:30pm.  Only come out if you plan on having a good time...