Maybe it was a sign?

I think Sunday may have been a sign that I needed to get off the bike for a few days.  Monday? Felt puny.  Like small, fuzzy animal puny. 
Tuesday? Lethargic.  Just a bit tired and weary.
No, I didn't even bother to ride, for many reasons.  I felt "meh", thunder was rumbling, the Boss didn't hit the door until well after 6, and the Ridley is not only clean, but also has a brand new, shiny drivetrain. 
So I stayed in the house.  Feel better for it today.
A bunch of good sleeps, coupled with plenty of food and fluid seem to have me coming back around a bit.

And Junior Management is back from the beach, and the body needs time to adjust to that as well.  They will suck the life out of nearly anyone...

Sometimes, one just needs a break...from whatever...

 Budnitz 29er. Belt drive. Rohloff 14v hub. Rigid. Ti. This kind of clicks my buttons...

 Much talk has been passed back and forth about the new Dogma F8 "aero" frameset.  Gotta say, it's pretty nice.  The best write-up I've seen came from Wade, over @ CyclingTips. 

And yes, make mine with a 56.5 TT, 73 seat, and 73.5 head angles.  Please?  Oh, and deep drop bars!  Stupid ergo bars...

Our friend Junk is leaving SC, and heading to Chattanooga.  Seems the Charleston life ran it's course, and he's packing up his family and moving to what could be considered a much better place.  I'm calling dibs on the spare room for USPro next year. 
Speak to me kindly, and I may share...and even spoon with you...

I promise I won't act like this...
Safe travels my friend. You know how to get at me if you need anything!

This was forwarded to me by a female friend who rides with the quotation/warning : "Do NOT walk down the stairs in your cycling shoes..."  She slipped, fell, and then bounced down a few steps.
Ouchies...
Did you guys hear?  Armstrong is back...?

 And everyone has seen the Degenkolb TdS sprint video by now...I hope...
If not, here you go.  If you have, watch it again...



Happy Wednesday...the week is halfway over....

Cracked

No, I wouldn't say it was a full-on bonk, but I did crack Sunday.  Fortunately, I'm smart enough to feel it coming, and I went into "limp mode" early, to protect myself.

We had a nice little group Sunday morning, and did a nice loop out across 176, into Calhoun, then across to Swansea.
I didn't feel great when I left Service Course, but hoped it would be one of those days that got better as I went along.
It was not.

Once rolling out of Swansea, I could feel the wheels starting to come off.  The speed and power, whatever of either there actually is, began to fade away.  I took a big dose of "Fuckitall", and slowed down. 
TVH, Charlie and I rolled home together, at what could be considered a leisurely pace.  Once across the river, TVH and I parted ways, and I rolled back to SC...slowly.  Just enough to keep the body temp under control, and the legs rolling. 
I got in the door, and drank a Coke immediately...then a Sierra Mist...then ate some M&Ms...then a liter of water.  All with about 15 minutes...
After a cool shower, a very large sandwich filled with Boar's Head turkey was consumed, accompanied by a half bag of veggie chips.

Some days you're the windshield.  Some days you're the bug.  I think we all know where this is going...

Then the family got home from a week at the beach. My week of solitude was over...ended with not a bang, but a decided whimper.

It was nice out in the country though...

 Cutting across the ridge line to Swansea...

 ...and now coming OFF the ridge line...

 Hmmm...these roads need investigation.

The cotton fields are less cottony than usual.
And this is where I felt the knock coming. No more pictures were even attempted after this. 
Thank ___________ that the mean-ass German Shepard wasn't out, b/c I would have been 180 pounds of GSD chow.

 Found some pics from the finish of Het Nieuwsblad.  Guys look a bit shell-shocked. 

 One of two things needs to happen here. She needs a bit more ass, or a new pump that's easier to use...

And another from OHN.  Stijn has seen shit man...serious shit...

Hopefully my new chains will hit the door today so I can swap out my clicking and popping drivetrain on the Ridley.  New rings, new chain, new cassette.  Oh boy...

Time get the day rolling...at 10am.  The early bird can kiss my ass today...

Mmmm...steamy...

So yeah...that was fun.  Left the house @ 0815, and rolled back in @ 1000...soaked.  It's only 84 right now, but the humidity is hovering near 339%.
Just a short, early ride today, as I have life to do.  You know...some painting, installing a ceiling fan for the Manager of the Lexington office...
Nice out on the PowerStation though.  Shady, and the road is in good shape.  I took some really nice pictures that would be here....




...but my loving bride seems to have taken the cable for my camera to the beach...not that it fits ANYTHING ELSE WE FREAKING OWN!

Ride tomorrow.  0900 @ Colonial. 

Roxy and I had a "date" last night. Nice quick meal at The British Bulldog out in Irmo.  Cool little pub atmosphere.  Good food.  And we got to watch the end of the Honduras/Ecuador match.  Always good to hang out with the folks you rarely see in anything other than lycra.
BTW, she looks really good in girl clothes!  REALLY.  GOOD.

 Gilbert knows how to get back to the bunch.  Wonder what the bumper of that wagon looks like?

 Eddy's cooking fish. You no want fish? You no eat!

So people want a BikeShare program in Columbia.  Um, ok...

If you go outside today, do it sparingly.  It's gonna be nasty...

I laugh in your general direction...

Heat wave.... oh my God...
So the folks in the Northeast are experiencing some heat.  Ooooooo...it's 90...let the kids out of school early.
Yes, they actually did just that in Philly yesterday. 
A) Not that hot
B) Still in school?  Guess they're making up for the days in was cold and they didn't go.

And the World Cup. Players cramping. Announcers whinging.
It was 84 and 70% humidity.
Folks in Columbia would kill for that weather.  It's supposed to be 98 and 70% humidity today.
I think I'll go outside and paint...

Speaking of, Service Course got a fresh coat of color yesterday.  Needed it badly.  It was starting to look like a lowly yard shed...

Yes, I need to go up top and sweep off the roof.  Maybe this morning...
Then I'll climb the ladder and paint the back of the house....
Oh joy...

Armstrong is BACK!

NOPE!  Just no...

I'm usually against the unzipped jersey thing, but I'll make an exception this time. I will also treat such things on a case by case basis in the future...

Triumph. Bonneville. Scrambler.

And so ends another day of no real content. Time to go outside before in gets Southeast Asia around here.
It was hot Tuesday night.  Gonna be hotter tonight. The hot blonde and I have formulated a plan though.  All are welcome to join...
No...not that...perverts...

HTRWW (Dauphine 2014)

Thanks Cosmo!

So yeah, that was hilly...

The original plan was for a small group to head off to Tryon for a nice little Sunday spin in the mountains.  About a week or so before, the plan changed, and we met up with some guys from Summit, and headed to Caesar's Head instead.  Oh joy...
0500 came EARLY Saturday.  Some brekkie, the normal morning constitutional, and I was out the door to pick up Bristol @ 0645.
Everyone arrived at exactly the same time (when the fuck does THAT happen?), got their collective poop in a group, and the 12 of us were riding before 0900. 
A roll out of Marietta, thru Pumpkintown (yes, it's actually the name of the town), and the fun began.

In all of my riding, I'd never ridden up the front (SC) side of Caesar's Head. Backside? Sure...a few times, but the front...never.  Not that I've actively avoided it, I've just never had the opportunity.
I say opportunity like climbing for the better part of 40', up a climb that averages 6%, is a gift.  My plan was a smart one for a guy who's 180 pounds. Find a gear that felt good (39/24 or 28), sit it at a manageable HR (@85%), and pedal to the ranger station. 
Thankfully, the plan worked out.
3000' of climbing in the first 50km...the makings of a fun morning.

Once over, and a short trip thru the valley...

...the ups and downs started to come fast and furious. A bunch of medium sized ups, and 70kmh+ descents followed, and the next thing I knew, we were back on the road to Marietta.  Said road was possibly the longest 10km stretch EVER. 

All told, it was 115km, and over 7000' of up.  Big fun was had by all. 

Fortunately, the stiffness that set into my aging body was worked out by packing The Boss' vehicle for her beach trip.  That's right...packed the car for a trip I'm not on. 

Sunday morning came early, mainly because I'm not a smart man. Instead of going to bed early-ish, I stayed up and watched LeMans until well into the wee hours.
Even so, we met @ 0900, and rolled for three hours around the flats.  Not a lot of speed was to be had, and soreness didn't come to the top until the last 20 minutes of the ride.  
Another 80km in the book, which put me over 6000km for the year so far.  I'll take it.
And it was pretty freaking nice Sunday morning.

Back to quiet, family-free Service Course for a nice lunch, a nap, and a much needed scrub down of the bike.

No Mancation this year. My mornings will be spent working on the house, then a daily nap, and some riding. Not bad overall...

August in June

Tuesday was brutal.  No, it wasn't fast...not in the least.
It was the heat.  @ 5:30pm, WeatherUnderground said the temp was 97, and the heat index was 107. 
Sure, sounds like a good time to throw a leg over the top tube.
I flatly refused to ride hard.  Did just enough to stay out of trouble, but still came home with a ripping headache.
And no, I wasn't dehydrated...not in the least.  After 25 years of this, that's one part I've actually figured out.
Between the barometer looking like a roller coaster, and the oppressive heat/humidity , my little skull just couldn't take the pressure.
As I get older, and yes, 44 is older, I just cannot go full steam in the, well...full steam...

If there was a pool in my yard, I would have fallen in, and just sunk to the bottom...

We're heading to Caesar's Head on Saturday morning. The final pickup spot is Cracker Barrel in Irmo @ 0645.  The Beast is at capacity, so if you plan to make the trip, a vehicle may be required.  Almost all are welcome.

As for Sunday...who knows?  I do know that I'm NOT paying $60 ride loops of the Fort. You know, the place that cyclists have been largely legislated out of?  Nor am I paying to support the ride "organizer".  He doesn't support any part of the community other than his little piece of it, so why should we support him?

 Proper fitment of bibs...just for the record...

I'd rock this. 

And here's one from the "What The Fuck?" File :
Rolling out this morning, the police were at the end of the street. Two cars, full lights. 
Two City trucks, a garbage truck, and a crashed Explorer.
It seems the Explorer rear-ended the garbage truck. 
First, read that sentence again.  How the HELL does one miss the giant blue truck that smells of old diapers and rotting food?
Here's how...
The driver was bitten by one of the THREE dogs in the truck while trying to break up a dogfight...while moving down Rosewood at 40mph.
She swerved, and hit the garbage truck.  Thank whoever that the guys who work on the truck weren't getting the cans off the curb, nor riding on the back of the truck itself.
Oh, did I mention she was also drunk, and had meth in her pocket?  Did I mention it was 9:30 in the GD MORNING?

Yeah, and cyclists on the road are the real danger.  Knowing Richland County, the idiot woman is probably out of jail already.

Keep your head on a swivel people. The Dumb is getting stronger by the day.

And speaking of August, if you have a CX bike, you should go to this...

Cycle-Smart CX Camp

Space is limited to 30, so sign up early, and sign up often.

Like the stuff inside a Twinkie...

 Can someone PLEASE give Froome a sandwich?  He looks like fucking spider!

 I'm no MTB person, but I know elegant, and well thought out when I see it.  Oh, and that hydraulic tubing?  It's clear. That's the brake fluid giving it the red color!!

 And here, we celebrate the lesser known "Running of The Baby Goats".

 This is in Oregon. I may start a "GoFundMe" account very soon...

Calling Mr. Edwards...Mr. Edwards, please pick up the white courtesy phone.  Triumph Scrambler.
Ok, if I must...
It's made by Kingston Custom in Germany.  

And it seems our ride plans have changed.  Instead of going to Tryon on Sunday, we are heading to Caesar's Head on Saturday.  70-ish mile loop through the borderlands.  Message me if you'd like to join, and I'll dole out the details.

I've already put my 'fat-guy-trying-to-go-uphill' gears on.  12/28 baby!  I ain't skeered. 

I also serviced the rear hub on my new wheels, as folks were becoming afraid of angry bees.  It's still loud.  There's only some much one can do with 6 pawls and 60 engagement points.

Work...yes, I do actually have a job...is calling, and I must answer.

Nearly a productive weekend...

Saturday was a fun ride.  Just me and Mr. Bristol and some CX bikes.  No plan, just hitting every section of dirt near town, and there are quite a few if one knows where to look.

 The Powerstation is in great shape, and returning to the pleasant wooded track it should be.  And NO, I didn't re-touch this shot.  It's THAT green out there. 

Choo-choo...

Old State was in great shape.  A little heavy in spots, but it's not the rutted mess it used to be.  Now that Lexington County has blocked both ends in a manner that all but prevents the a-hole rednecks from "goin' muddin' ", it's actually a nice, quiet place to ride.
Not much wildlife out though.  We only saw a BIG snake, and the better part of 10,000 tadpoles in the ditches along the road.
Once out, we cut around Olympia, and hit the dirt across to Heathwood.
It was a nice 3 hours for me.  JB probably got 4 hours, as he rode in from the house.
Did I mention the humidity?  The air was thick...like snorkel thick...
Then I came home, measured for the new deck, and put together a materials list.  Fucking math...
Told you I was nearly productive...
We headed to Swansea Sunday, in yet another soup of humidity, and headwind.  Once off of Swansea highway though, it was tailwind all the way home.

 Clouds were low and dark...but the wind was at our backs at this point...

 ...and the roads were empty...
Fish Hatchery proved to be the group's undoing. A flat lead to the group splitting, waiting, going different directions, and missing each other.  We were all probably no more than a half mile from on another at any point.

"I don't think the heavy stuff is gonna come down for quite some time...I'd keep riding..."

And those low clouds finally opened...ten minutes from home.  It actually felt quite good.
I blame the fact that I wore white socks, and Roxy wore white shorts, for the rain.  Certain things draw the bad weather TO you.
Once back to SC, the rain had stopped, and the sun was peeking through the clouds.  Don't like the weather in Columbia?  Wait 10 minutes...

The Ridley is sitting in Service Course, waiting to be cleaned. Just didn't get to it yesterday.

The Dauphine started Saturday. The Tour tune-up usually shows who's ON form, and who will have form in four week for the Tour.  Everyone was impressed with Froome's TT win. It raises my eyebrow.  Dude has little racing in his legs, and is killing it four weeks out?
Cyclingfans has feeds every morning...

And I wish there was video of the final stage of the Tour of Luxembourg. Henderson and Griepel got away together, then Griepel won solo.  Probably fun stuff to watch...

Not much else happening...
Get out and enjoy your day!

Late edition...

Sorry...places to go, people to see...

Like any of you were waiting with baited breath anyway...

Fun ride last night. Sort of slow until we got to Gator, then the pace picked up. A few took off.  A few rode slowly (me). Shockingly, those who took off actually waited on 302.
Once the group re-assembled, and even though the call of "No Shenanigans" had gone out early in the ride, all hell broke loose.  A 55kmh run down into South Congaree quickly turned into a 65kmh chase of a very fast LBS owner.
How do I know we were going 65kmh? Well, I was in my 52/12, turning 120rpm, and kept hitting the button.  Unfortunately, there were just no more gears, and no more leg speed.
Thankfully, clearer heads prevailed, and the pace came back down to a reasonable level. 
And it was HOT last night.  94 when I left, and 91 when I hit the door @ 8:15. The humidity was high as well.
Once we got to the P.O. sprint, I turned it off...way off...
It was the first truly "Summer" ride, and I paid for it a little bit.  Once back to Service Course, I crushed a bottle of ice cold San Pellegrino like it was my job.
Hot shower?  No thanks!
I didn't even re-heat dinner.  Cold chicken and brussels sprouts were just fine.

The "active rest week" reset seems to be going fine.  Ride easy Saturday and Sunday...

 The helmet is aero.  Is the rest? 

Ouch.  Ouch.  Ouch.  Ouch.

And I usually despise those run along side pros on a climb while those pros are suffering 1000 deaths, but this is a pretty cool video from the Zoncolon at the Giro.



Nice to see that some of the pro-dogs are good natured dudes. 

Later...I'm outside, and it's humid.  Time to go back inside...

Stuff to look at...

 So yeah...this yet another reason the Giro is cooler than the Tour...
And this picture of Quintana waiting for the TT weirds me out a little...

 Make a Moto Guzzi a scrambler?  Sure, why not...
Or a Yamaha SR400?  That's cool too.  Kinda hot for this style right now...

And Superissimo sent a message to Lefevre and OPQS...
















And the Sidis are sold.  That was quick.  Snooze you lose.

And be sure...Peter Sagan can ride a bike better than you.  ANY bike...



And because I'm in the mood for some Fabi...



OK...get back to work.  I have some shoes to box and ship...

EDIT: Speaking of shoes...

Adam Hansen: Custom Shoes from cycling tips on Vimeo.

The Weekend that was...

It was kid free, so there's that...
Saturday met me with cloudy skies, and wet roads.  Seeing that I'd ridden 415km the week before, I felt ZERO guilt not getting on my clean, white bike.
And who's idea was it to let a person with OCD have a white bike?  That shit is just mean...
Anyway, The Boss wanted to go to Charleston, so we hit the road bright and early.

Nothing like walking around the outlets...in the rain...while carrying bag upon bag...to really destroy one's back and legs.  I thought she wanted me to go for the company.  Nope, she needed a pack animal...
I did get a couple of cool things at the Oakley Vault Store though.  Other than that, it was just a Saturday.

Sunday morning was beautiful, if not a bit breezy.  And if it's breezy at Service Course, it means the wind will be HOWLING out in the country...and it was.
We rolled out into LexCo, and hit a couple of roads we'd never been down before. 

 Yes, this part was a bit of a false flat...

...and once out of the trees, things got all "Summer in Belgium".  Furrowed fields, and a ripping crosswind. I felt like I was tacking into the wind to keep traveling straight...and I was...
Both roads led to Swansea Hwy., and thus, into Swansea. A quick stop, and then battling the wind home.
Staying in the trees, and largely in the valley, keep the winds manageable.
It wasn't a hard ride, but it was damn steady.  And the fact I felt like hot garbage from the day before didn't help things.
Once I'd split off from TVH, the PCU went into "limp mode".  I got home without cracking, but barely.
It was a good 107km either way.  Big sun, big fun!  So nice out there...

Quintana won the Giro...outright.  Don't buy into the whinging from Pat Lefevre.  Yes, it's still going on...and NO, I'm not hotlinking it.  Quintana won, even w/o his so-called "attack" on the descent of the Gavia.  He still took enough time out of Uran to win the race.
Seems like ol' Pat isn't good at maths.
And they finished on the Zoncolon on Saturday.  Ouchies...



All that is available is "Official Highlights" as the Giro has locked down all media, thus earning themselves many, many fans.

Speaking of TVH, he has a pair of thrice worn Sidi Wire Vent Carbon shoes for sale.  White Vernice (the shiny ones...).  Size 45.

He says there's too much room in the forefoot for his liking, and they are definitely bigger than his other size 45 Sidi road shoes. If size 45 Sidis have been tight on you in the past, these might be the kicks that are needed.  Full metal retail is $499, and they can be found for $359-379 on the intarwebs.  Buy these for less!!  Send me a note if interested...

And with that, we've run up on lunchtime.  It's 80 degrees and the humidity is low.  Take your sammich outside.