Windy...party of one...?

That was pretty much the theme for the weekend.
It was 30 and windy Saturday morning, so I headed out to The PowerStation in a futile effort to get away from the breeze.  No such luck.  Even out there, deep in the trees, the wind howled.  And even 4 days past the last rain, the dirt was still wet and heavy in spots.  The 'washout', as it is now known, has turned into a section reminiscent of Hoogerheide. 
No worries though...choose a line, and keep pedaling...

Out to Eastman and back in.  A couple of trips up Gervais, and a parking garage gave me a tick over 2 easy hours.  Plenty on a windy 30-40 degree day. 

Still pretty damn nice out there...

Sometimes I'm surprised about rides.  Sunday, on a 40 degree, blustery morning, we actually had a good sized group.  Onward towards Lex/Cal. 
The trip out was big fun.  The trees knocked down the WSW wind, and the sun felt glorious as we climbed over the ridgeline towards Hwy 6. 
Once ON HWY6, the script flipped a bit.  Block headwind @ 15-20mph was waiting on us.  Honestly, it wasn't bad until we hit the farmlands surrounding Swansea.  Then it became an exercise in head-down-grind-it-out riding.  The stretch is only about 9 miles, but it was plenty.  Cal and I were both getting the old 'effort headache', if that's any indication...
Once I'd mopped up the town limit sprint, we stopped at the BP.  The plan was to continue on to Pelion for @ 80 miles.  That plan changed.  TVH said he was going straight back in.  After a little murmuring, the die was cast.  Il Prof continued on, solo, to Pelion, while the rest of us rolled down 321...with a pretty nice cross/tailwind.
Even in bailing,and taking the "short" option, I ended up with 105km.  It was enough. 
Gotta say though, sure it was windy, but the sky was big and blue, the sun was warm, and the group was jovial.  Can't ask a whole lot more!

 Borderline perfect road...except for the drunk bumps!  Thanks Obama!

 Good morning everyone!

 Yes, the sky was THAT blue out in the country!!  The wind B-slapped us right over that next rise in the road...

I was operational yesterday afternoon.  Today, I can feel that I have entered my mid-40s.  #stiff  Where's that cranberry Red Bull?

As an aside, I had some greasy black shit all over my bike when I got home.  Don't know what it was, but y'all may want to wipe your bikes down.

The Tour Down Under started.  As Ford and I talked about yesterday, there are only three interesting stages.  The crit to open the race, the climbing stage up Willunga, and the last day crit. 
Here's the full People's Choice Classic...



Big sprint from the big sprinters!  And a 53kmh average.  It hurts just to type that...
And how about Griepel's helmet?  You can have your Lion of Flanders.  I want the gorilla cover!

And CX is wrapping up in Europe.  Leuven was yesterday.  Great course.  Designers should take note...
The outcome was predictable though...



#svenness  The guys at Trek are as happy as a puppy who found the cat box.

Paging Mr. Edwards...Mr. Edwards to the Mapei Colnago courtesy phone...

Uh...okay... a Gulf livery Ritte...

And I know I posted this not long ago, but the decision was reached yesterday that the Belkin Bianchis are the nicest looking pro bikes thus far in 2014.

And with that, I return you to your Monday activities.  Mine will consist of trying not to commit infanticide, as the kids are out of school for the next two days.  Didn't we just have Christmas break?  South Carolina, 50th in education, #1 in your heart!

Gonna be 60 and sunny today.  Go outside...even if it's to eat lunch!

Please sir...can I have some more?

I wonder what the pseudo-feminist Twitterati will have to say about this?
What is it, you ask?
Alison Powers, of the newly formed UHC Pro Women outfit is the race leader at the newly formed Tour de San Luis Feminin.
Hmmm...they'll probably complain, again, that the pink and flowers are bad for women's cycling.  Nevermind, again, the fact that the new UHC program hired a bunch of women, and support staff, and the race itself is a first time event for the ladies.  I'm sure some extra staff was probably brought on for that as well.
But, you know, the clothing is what to concentrate on here.
Personally, I love it.  I think it looks pretty fucking spectacular.  All she needs is some hot pink HBStache socks...

And speaking of UHC, while they didn't get a nod for Il Giro (what a crock of shit), they DID get chosen for Milan-San Remo.  Nice work Mr. Tamayo...

In other pro-dog news, rumor is that Horner is going to Lampre.  About time!  I was worried that he was going to go all 'Juwanna Mann' on us...


Fun little ride last night on a pretty perfect, crisp, Winter's eve.  I went out solo, as my mood, and motivation both left a little to be desired.  Once out, and rolling, both improved measurably.
Sure it was chilly, but not that freeze your man fruit cold.  Crisp and clean cold is good.
90 minutes later, I was back at Service Course, in much better knick.
I do like riding at night, alone.  Senses are heightened, are other than not getting killed by a 2-ton car, cares are few.
Speaking of, I'd like to give a special shout out to the uptight fellow in the big-body Lexus that honked at me at the intersection of Huger and Gervais.  Yeah, I took the whole lane...AT THE RED LIGHT!!  Once green, I rolled thru and got over to the right.  He honked again.
I stayed within 50-100m of his bumper for the whole trip up through the Vista.  I caught him at the light by WIS, knocked on his window, smiled big, and waved.
Yep, you jackass, I got here in the exact amount of time it took you.  Aren't you glad you professed to be in such a hurry by honking?
And thank you, kind, overly-tighty-whitey wearing stranger, for pissing me of just enough to go hard up Gervais.  Your ass-holish-ness just made me a little stronger!

I laugh in your general direction sir...

Looks like a blue sky weekend.  Sure, it'll be a little chilly, but that's why they make Roubaix fabric now, isn't it?

Time to get on the SCDMV website, if it works today, and try to solve an issue.  If not, I'll be headed to the DMV on Monday.  Keep me in your thoughts...

Enjoy your weekend...I plan to...

Looking California...feeling Minnesota...

So yeah, the sun is out.  The sky is big and blue.  Looks pretty brilliant.  It's 40 degrees. 
Hey, I'm cool with it.  I'll ride in whatever. 
Could be in Wisconsin...

I know people up there ride in that shit, but HELL no.  Maybe once in while...for the novelty of it, but Not on the regular.  And I'm not buying one of those stupid fat bikes...
Spend the money on some E-Motion rollers, a computrainer, and a flat screen.  Build your own Hurt Locker in the basement...

Fun ride Tuesday night.  Just sort of rolled around.  2.5 hours of rolling around beats riding the trainer...every time...regardless.  Larger group than expected too.  Pretty much the core bunch, but that was cool with everyone involved...
Got to ride in shorts too.  Sure, some Mad Alchemy Embro was involved, but riding in shorts, on a January night, just doesn't suck.
Probably be forced to wear knickers tonight, as it's not going to be 60 when I leave...dammit!

Speaking of what to wear...

Yeah...people on Instagram and Twitter were giving Marcel Kittel stick for rocking a sleeveless jersey.  It's 115 degrees in Australia, and he's Marcel F'ing Kittel.  He can wear whatever he likes...

And folks were in FULL whinge mode about this kit.  Yeah, it's a women's team in Europe.  One "fan" remarked on Twitter that the kit "...was insulting to those women athletes...".  Oh shut the fuck up with your feminist ranting BS.  Be happy that there's a NEW women's team on the block.  A team that hired not only racers, but support staff as well.  That's a lot of jobs...and she's upset by a pink, flowery team kit? 
I know the person who is "upset", and she'd probably bitch that a brick of gold was too heavy to carry...or eat...
Again, it's marketing.  If you don't like it, cool, but you're talking about it, so it has already done it's job! 
And let's be honest, it's better than this...

Flowery, happy pink, or dookie brown?  I know which I'd pick...

And I know I give Cav a hearty ration of crap, but this picture is pretty good stuff.  Cav and the fam...OK with me...

NEWSFLASH:

The Swobo Tour will be pulling into Columbia on Wednesday, January 22nd @ 6pm.  Come on up to The Cock and Bull on Rosewood. 
El Jefe de Swobo will have test bikes to ride, likely some beer on tap, and a whole lot of fun. 
And ride your bike there if you can...
And El Jefe named the Van..."Halen"...get it?  Yeah...too easy.  I'm still partial to my entry...
"Jean Claude Damn Van"

I think that was it for today...if not, it just wasn't that important...not that any of this other stuff was...

Blue skies...go outside and get some Sun on your face...

Tuesday morning quickie

And let's be honest...who doesn't love that?

Lotto-Belisol leadout practice (via Hendy)

Greg Henderson - Lotto Belisol lead-out drills from cycling tips on Vimeo.

This is how many beer handups I took...

If I must...

A closer look at those Diadora Vortex Movistar Edition shoes.  The want is strong...

Don't hate Flecha!  He's FAB-U-LOUS!  Just check the watch...

Husqvarna Nuda custom.  Looks like it just want to punch someone...

Uh, Jens looks ready for the season...
And I know people have bitched about the Trek kits, but I like it.  Simple, clean, no ancillary bullshit.  Someone on the Twitters actually said that they expected more b/c Trek is so good at marketing.
Yeah, Trek is good at marketing.  You're talking about it, aren't you?

I don't know why I want this, but I just do.  It belongs to my friend Hunter.  He had it built custom.  So cool...

Katie Compton passing Sanne Cant, and Marianne Vos.  I hear that certain Doppler Effect sound every time I watch it...you know the one!

OK...get back to work.  The day is supposed to get better as it progresses.  Go outside and play.

Whew...that was a full weekend...

Rain, sun, wind, riding, painting...wait...what?

Can it be considered cross training if one rides for a few hours each day, then proceeds to repair drywall, prep, and paint for several hours thereafter?  I'm saying yes...

Saturday morning met us with rain.  It was 68 degrees.  Rain Schmain...where's my fender?  I headed towards The PowerStation, fully expected to be forced to turn around halfway out, as the river was on the rise.  Fortunately, no turn around was necessary.  Out and back, plus a little parking garage action, then a quick stomp up Gervais Street, across the 'hood, and home.

This was quickly followed by a whole lot of hand sanding the newly plastered dining room walls.  Two hours later, we were ready for color.  Two hours after that, we decided that the color chosen for the top of the room was crap...
...in The Beast...headed for Sherwin-Williams.
Color #2 chosen, and put on the wall.  It was the correct choice (a rich, French Vanilla tone, if you're curious), and by 9pm, part one of "Dining Room Overhaul" was complete.
My back?  Shredded.  My legs?  I have legs?
Sleep came easy...

The alarm on the Moto X chimed Sunday morning.  Is this some sort of joke?  I've been asleep for like 90 minutes.  No, It had been nearly 8 hours, but I was tired...well, parts of me were tired...
Fuck it.  Kit up and let's ride...

 50 degrees?  Sunny?  Sun's out...Guns out.  I couldn't go to Boulder for #cxnats, so I brought Boulder to SC.  Mad Alchemy on the legs, HBStache on the feet, Skratch in the bottles.  And I had to send some wattage to Bristol, so I wore the USC kit. 

 Not a bad day out in LexCo

Um, I'm no hydrologist, but that shit is HIGH!

3 hours later, I was back at home, ready to paint again.  Oh joy!
Pro-Tip:  When painting DARK colors, 3 to 4 coats are necessary for total coverage.
The bottom of the room (below the chair rail) is now a lovely, rich, pomegranate color.  With all off the white woodwork, the two colors play well together.  Only had to work for about 3 hours on Sunday...and that was only because Junior Management returned from the Lexington Field Office.
The remainder of the day was spent cleaning, and laying on Clifford...the Big Red couch.

It seems there was some bike racing yesterday...
US CX Nationals (6 hours of coverage...sift thru it at your leisure)



Belgium CX Nats (#svenness)



And two more episodes of #Svenness were released...

#SVENNESS 2.13 from In The Crosshairs on Vimeo.

#SVENNESS 2.14 from In The Crosshairs on Vimeo.

I haven't even watched the last three videos, so don't spoil it for me...GOT IT?

Time to get rolling...

Some much needed Renick-ing is on tap for this morning...

And Cody Kaiser is a better bike handler than you...

$200+/hour?

That was just about the rate of last night's ride.
The rear shifting on the Salsa has been suspect for some time.  The XTR rear mech is OLD, and was nearing the end of it's useful life cycle, and the chain and pulleys had probably seen sunnier days as well.
After the first very nice, very mellow, hour of my ride last night, IT happened.
A level crossing MAY have been taken at an odd angle.  Too much speed MAY have been carried into said level crossing.  The chain MAY have come off, gotten sucked into the chainstay, and may have ripped the aforementioned R/D partially off the frame.
Well, not so much OFF, as clockwise roughly 270 degrees from it's desired (and designed) location.
The slowing-to-a-stop that followed was not gradual.  Fortunately, as damaged as my concussion-addled little brain may be, I knew immediately what had occurred.  Further pedaling stopped, as to not completely destroy the involved drivetrain bits, and I controlled the forced rear wheel stoppage into what can only be considered a high-quality skid-stop.  Too bad no one saw it.  They would have been impressed...
I returned all of the wayward parts to their approximate locations, and decided to limp it home...in one gear...48x16...up into Shandon...it was fun.
The damage?
XTR R/D?  Dead.  Ultegra chain?  Twisted and Dead.  Pulleys?  One broken.  Rear wheel?  A few spokes now have a bit of "character".  Rear Clement LAS?  A NICE flat spot.
All was replaced by 9:30pm to the tune of $0.  And people wonder why I keep my old parts hanging around.
The Las Cruces is now wearing a 7800 D/A rear mech with ceramic pulleys, a new Ultegra chain, and some new salmon KoolStop pads.  Those were needed anyway...
I guess the new bits will get a shakedown tomorrow, as the forecast is a 100% chance of rain.
Other than the nearly catastrophic failure, it was a nice ride...

No pics of the broken parts.  Bad juju...

I have a sudden urge to own a Firefly stem...


Also may suddenly have the sweats for one of these...

You want style?  THIS is style.

Too much?  Or just enough?

Junior Mgmt. is headed to the Lexington Office this weekend.  Ergo, I shall ride a bit, and make the effort to get the dining hall @ HQ finished.  Wonder if Upper Mgmt. will be a help?
Warm and wet tomorrow.  Sunny and cool Sunday.  Go outside and play...

1/2 way

Seems longer...doesn't it? 
School was out yesterday b/c SCE&G has a grid from the 60s.  25 degrees.  Sunny.  No wind.  Power was out to most of Richland 1 schools, and several thousand homes throughout Columbia. 
Their reason?  High volume.  No shit?  Really?  You mean people need to run their heat? 
SCE&G's answer.  Rolling blackouts.  Yeah, they said that shit!  I guess I went to sleep in the USofA, and woke up in Mumbai.
After getting crucified on social media, they suspended the rolling blackouts.  Instead, SCE&G offered advice to "conserve the grid".  This advice?  Turn off electrical appliances.  Computers, TVs, etc.  I was okay with this until I got to the part where they said to unplug your refrigerator to conserve.  Huh?  SCE&G...here are three more letters.  GFY!
Maybe they should take some of the exorbitant rates they charge, due to their monopoly, and upgrade the grid.  Did I mention they want a rate increase? 
I'm glad the WX wasn't actually bad, like in the upper Midwest.  We'd all be breaking up the wood furniture to burn in a fucking barrel.
I'm willing to bet that power didn't go out at their HQ on 12th. St.  Probably dead toasty in there...

-end rant-

Not a fun of the SS CX thing, but I'm definitely a fan of these dudes, and their general attitude towards riding a bicycle...

Transition Rapture CX Bike from Transition Bikes on Vimeo.

Fortunately, the frameset comes with a driveside dropout that will allow one to run a derailleur.  And the choices for a new CX frameset grow...and the water gets muddier.

Plus, it's pretty badass looking!  Only issue?  Discs?  Blech...

Katie Fn Compton won her 21st World Cup CX race last weekend.  She also sealed her second (in a row) World Cup title.  id this get ANY play on US TV?  Nope...just sad...

LikeAVos



Svenness



As for the collective, no ridey last night.  Too damn cold.  Cold and sunshine is one thing.  Cold and dark goes over the hard/stupid line...well into daft.
As an aside, a few of us are planning a ride that with either be big fun, and borderline E-word, or it will break our spirits, and/or kill one, or more, of us.

More to follow...

BTW...the trainer sucks.  Riding 4x5s on the trainer sucks really bad.  That is all...

Have a good Wednesday!  I need to go buy food.  I'm sure the bread and milk aisles are wrecked...

Rise and Grind

So after 2+ weeks of rolling out of the rack whenever my eyes opened, 0600 was a cruel, cruel, unfunny joke this morning.
Junior Management looked like this...

I told them to go to bed last night, but NOOOOOO...they stayed up, whispering back and forth.
Not missing much today, nor tomorrow, anyway.  The weather is LOVELY out my office window right now.  Varying shades of gray.  Nothing more.  At least I don't have to leave the house...

Good, albeit cold, ride this weekend.
Friday, Il Prof and I rolled out into LR for some miles in the sun.  Yeah, it was sunny...and 35 degrees...with a 15-20mph wind out of the North.  We rode for about 2.5 hours, which was approximately the same amount of time it took for normal function to return to my hands once back at Service Course.

I didn't bother Saturday, as The Boss had plans for a little family adventure.
We loaded up and headed out to Kensington Mansion, out in Eastover.  If you live close by, and haven't been, it's worth the trip.  Big slices of American, Southern, and SC history are served up.
I can say, I'd been out there several times, but never in the house itself.  My college roommate's family owned the property for decades after WW2, and actually used the house as a barn of sorts.
They sold the property in the early 80s, and the house was restored to it's former glory by Union Camp Paper.
It's a little bit of an evocative place.  Go out there...stand on the grounds.  You can hear the voices of the past echoing through the Live Oaks.

Sunday, we met @ Hand,and rolled out into LR again.  40...cloudy...chilly...but dry.  Well, dry for a couple of hours at least.  We rolled around for a while, then the rain started.  Going from conversational pace, to a pace that could only be considered "less comfortable" didn't feel great.  Never does.  42 degree rain sometimes forces suffering upon you.
We got home, and we're better for the effort.  The Ridley however, was a hot mess. 

Christmas Break is over.  So good miles were had over the 2-1/2 weeks.  Regardless of weather, it's nice to ride in the daylight!  Guess that ends this week...

WC CX from Rome.  Full coverage, including the end of the Women's race.



Trek went first in the Women under Katie F'n Compton, and third in the men's under #svenness.  Welcome to the party! 

I guess Sven likes the Boone, as he trained 160km on it Friday.  Notice the lack of disc brakes...

As we know, I eschew "pro" bikes, but the new Belkin Bianchi is purty.  The New Movistar Canyon ain't too bad either...

 That being said, I covet Griepel's scoot.

I'm down with all of these...

Yes, that IS pink chrome.  And yes, All day...Every day...

And so the search for a new CX frame is further muddied.  Having trouble getting past the discs though...

Oh...look...blue sky...the weatherman was wrong...again...
Temps should fall all day today, until bottoming out tonight at 15-18 F.  Yeah, not cold by Upper Midwestern standards, but enough to make parts of my Southernized self draw up tight against my body...

Guess I'm on the turbo tomorrow night...(puke)

First Monday of 2014.  Get back to work!!!

#svenness

And how Trek blew into CX...

And how long until this is Justin Bristol?

#vanlife from Crayfish Films on Vimeo.

Happy 2014

Yeah...L.A. had a NYD Ride.  500+ people showed up.  Think about that...

A few of us met yesterday for a nice 80km roll out thru The Swamp.  It was 42 and cloudy, but a damn nice day to ride.  It's a shame people can't deviate from their 'training programs' for one day to come out for a nice, social ride on New Years Day.  I would normally rant here, but as it's a fool's errand anymore, I'll just move on...

Anyway, we had a good ride.  Nary a vehicle in sight for the vast majority of the ride. 

It was a largely colorless day.  I had to edit this pic within an inch of it's life to get any color out if it! 
Then I came home to watch Carolina beat Wisconsin.  Whoo-Hooo!

___________________________________________________________________________________

Nys is on Trek now.  Not like we all haven't known it was coming for months.  Didn't seem to hold him back either, as he won the GP Sven Nys (yeah, his own race) by nearly a minute yesterday on his new Trek Boone. 

Gotta say, it looks nice. 
And yes, he knows how to work the sponsors...

And on discs for some of the race no less...
I'm intrigued by the new offering from Trek.  And yes, I know I've been a detractor of the Big T for years, but the Crockett looks really nice, and the geometry is pretty damn perfect for my oddball, injury-riddled, orangutan-like physique.

It can be had with cantis, and the price is right! 

Think your TT position is aggressive/aero?  Well, Matthew Bottrill begs to differ...

Really?  REALLY?  So Sky and Rapha have come out with this skinsuit.  Just so not necessary.  And let's be honest, it's really not helping to dispel the whole "cyclists are fags..." thing. 

Stybar got his drift on @ Zolder...

And one last thought about LeDuc...
The local rag up there printed a story about good old DoperDave, and it was right on the edge of defending his actions.  Click the link...read the story...then come back.  I'll wait...

Anyway, after reading this garbage, and some other comments from the very guys that LeDuc cheated, I got a little more pissed. 
The article said that people just don't understand the atmosphere of Masters Racing, and the need to stay relevant.  And after some thought, I guess I really don't. 
Sure, I understand the need to strap on a number, and compete.  I do it myself once in a great while.
I don't understand middle-aged (and beyond it seems...) guys who have families and jobs, doping their balls off to win a local race for $75, and a little trophy.  Sure, some have won much larger races, like LeDuc has, but I think we all know WHY he won those races at this point.
I don't understand the need to jeopardize everything one has worked to build in their life outside cycling. 
Does it make these guys sleep better at night to know that they beat guys like me, or myriad other friends I know, in a crit...or a cookie ride? 
I have a friend who raced against these dope(r)s a few years ago, and regularly kicked their asses.  He did it CLEAN.  No shortcuts, no dope, just genetic ability and damn hard work.  It sort of makes the guys who doped look even sadder.  I hope my friend holds his head a little higher these days.  He should...

And here's the kicker, LeDope says he's going to race again after his 2 years is up. 
First, he should have gotten the death penalty, and stripped of his wins.  Hey, USADA did it to Lance.
Second, why would you want to race again?  To show your face?  Does he think that everyone will welcome him back with open arms?  He didn't take a supplement by accident, or ingest a tainted foodstuff.  He knowingly took 'roids, EPO, and speed.  F that guy.
I know the Christian thing to do is to forgive, and turn the other cheek, but I cannot, and neither should you, even if you never raced against him.  He cheated all of us.  And let's be honest here, LeDuc is not a warm, fuzzy, grandpa figure.  He's a sanctimonious douche.  Always has been.  I feel absolutely no remorse in just writing that guy off. 

My sincere hope is that if he comes back, someone will take him wide into a turn, and hook him into the barriers.
I also hope that the other guys in NC who have doped, and there are more than a few, will take something from this episode...

And with that, I bid you all Happy New Year.