Back at it...sort of...

4 days on the trainer last week.
No, nothing of any consequence, other than getting the legs going around, and trying to rebuild a little leg strength. Even so, 2 hours on the bike is more than I've done for the last 10 weeks. It's something.
And as much as I dislike the trainer, the time passes pretty quickly when one hasn't been on the bike for months. 30 minutes is a blink.
30mins x 4 again this week, then 45 x 4 next week. Once I reach an hour, I'll go outside. Really not worth getting dressed for anything less than an hour. I just don't understand getting Winter kit on, then riding for 30 minutes. Takes longer to kit up, and then get undressed once home.

I suppose I should get the Ridley done too. Thankfully, it's supposed to be warm and sunny this weekend. Might be able to finish the paintwork...

And I'm going to start another little project...

And as it happens, I have a Colnago frame in Service Course.
Jonas did a number on us last weekend...

My poor palms had snow on them! GASP...

Hoogerheide looked like a good time yesterday...


That wasn't mud, it was Nutella...
And here are the steps...42 of them...

The UCI outlawed this...

No ridey today. I need to do some PT exercises. I've released myself from care, as I can do all of the same exercises at home, for free. PT has turned into a VERY expensive hour at the gym. I like my therapist, but not at $75/hour. And his assistant's perma-resting bitchface has gotten tiresome.
So, Peace Out Palmetto Health. You've gotten enough $ from me. I have bike shit to buy!!

And a 73 year old British woman has been charged with reckless driving for mowing down 6 members of the Giant-Alpecin team. She was driving on the wrong side of the road on her Spanish holiday. John Degenkolb and Chad Haga received the most severe injuries...
Click the additional links in the CyclingNews story for all the details. Those guys are DAMN lucky...

Happy Monday! I need to go shovel the driveway...LOLZ.

Hidey-ho...

Another spin on the trainer this morning. Better than the first.
No RoM issues. No pain. A bit of stiffness, but I think that has a two-fold reason.
1) 3 months of not using that leg.
2) PT was yesterday, and we did some new exercises.

Instead of 15 minutes on, then a stretch, I just spun through for a solid 30 minutes. No fuss. The taint needs to toughen back up though...
2009 Milan-San Remo kept me company...


As people are wont to do, I got a new phone for Christmas. That left my perfectly good "old" phone as a paperweight. An internet capable, GPS-enabled paperweight.
Instead of buying a basic Garmin, then whinging later when it quits working, I decided to make my old MotoX into a GPS bike computer.
Using a Garmin attachment point seemed like the best, most elegant (if there is such a thing) solution.
There's a company in Utah called DogEarsGPS. They make a small, billet aluminum piece that replaces the plastic attachment point on the back of a Garmin computer. Why do they make this? Well, the little plastic "dog ears" always break off Garmins.
I bought the piece, did a little measuring, and attached the alu Dog Ear to the back of the phone case.
Works perfectly.

FYI, Service Course sits at 40m/131ft above sea level. The mount is solid as a rock. Can't wait to get outside and try it. That's Google MyTracks, BTW.
Now to dump every non-essential app and program off the old phone.
If your Garmin has broken tabs, order the aluminum piece from DogEars. DO IT!

Style...
Either you have it...

Or you don't...

Why do I imagine that Farrar smells of hair product and patchouli?
Speaking of style...

Peto didn't shave his legs before San Luis. The horror....!!!!

My birthday is just around the corner. Just sayin'...

And with that, I've burned enough of your productivity for the day.

(Sorta) Back at it....

Last week, I was given tacit approval to ride again. It was one of those, "I don't see why not..." sort of things.
Of course, this was after a series of leading questions from my physical therapist. I really like it when people talk to me like a small, dull child. Of course, sometimes, it's necessary.
It this case though, it is not. I've been off the bike for 10 weeks. That's somewhere around 35-40 rides missed. Ballpark? 80-90 HOURS lost.
I'm not going to push through this recovery, and injure myself further. Being off the bike SUUUUCKS!
I rode the trainer this morning. 15 minutes. Stretch. Then another 15 minutes. Pushing that 39x19 around @ 90-ish rpm, with the tire just barely kissing the roller.
Gotta say...it felt pretty good. The action itself was odd at first, but after about 3 minutes, it passed.
No pain. I'm good with that.
Probably do that for the next 5-6 rides. No reason to rush. No pro teams are watching a 46 year old guy in SC.
I will say, my pedal stroke on the right side is different now. Looks, and feels correct, like the knee had been injured for a long while. We'll see how it goes when the pedals are turned in anger...

Fun little course in Lignieres for the World Cup race yesterday...


It also showed why I'll never be a WC. Other than a distinct lack of ability, I cannot ride a one-handed wheelie...
Boonen looked ready to rumble at the Etixx-QuickStep presentation. Hopefully he and Fabi will battle in the Spring Classics

Does this position make anyone else's nethers hurt simply by looking at it?

This just hurts my feelings...
And Cannondale's new kits remind me of something...

Ok...enough for Monday. I'll be updating more than once a week. I got lazy over Christmas/Surgery break.

FUCancer

Seriously, Fuck you cancer. And I mean it.
My friend Ken has cancer. Colon cancer. He's battled it for three years. It's gotten to the point where he is in hospice care. Ken is a young man.
He is a talented musician, a supremely witty writer, a great rider, and a husband. All of those things aside, he is, honestly, one the nicest, most earnest people that I have ever had the privilege to know.
I'm not going to sit here and embellish to make you think we are BFFs. We aren't. BUT...

If you know me, or you ride around here, you know that I ride ALOT, with A LOT of different folks.
I can say, without any sort of equivocation, one of my top 5 rides EVER included Ken.
It was a memorial ride for Ian Foyster. It was a dirt road affair put on by Toby Porter. It was in Lexington. The date was January 2, 2010.
It was a ball-biting cold day. We rolled out anyway. Lots of stuff went on that day. Smiles, laughs, pictures, ball-breaking...and Kenny crashed. And when I say crashed, I mean CRASHED. Normally, on a dirt road, it's no so bad. Ken found the ONE section of dirt that had exposed bedrock. It was NOT a gradual stop.
Upon taking inventory, he pulled off one kneewarmer to find a peanut M&M-sized stone had lodged itself IN his leg. Kinda of odd to see, and definitely a first for me.
He popped the rock out, leaving a little, half-melon ball hole in the side of his knee. We were NOT close to home...or anywhere for that matter.
Ken cleaned up, sacked up, and we rode on. Never a complaint.
That ride was a lot of things. Hard, long, cold, fun, and friendship forming. I think about it often...a little more now.
Ken has been unable to work, and his wife took a leave of absence from USC to help care for him. Bills are doing what bills do...
A YouCaring page has been set up to accept donations for Ken and his wife, to help them get by a little better. If you have a few bucks, please consider tossing it their way.

HERE'S THE LINK!!!!

Thanks!!!

We're all in this thing together!

Sitting here watching the wheels go round.

Lots of CX to watch last weekend. National championships everywhere.
Belgium was probably the best mens' race.



Lightning fast. More of a dirt crit than CX race. If you wanted a grinder of a course, it was up in Asheville.
Both races were great.
Can't embed them, but follow the link below for full replays of both races.

THE LINK

Looked like fun. Sorry I missed freezing my ass off! Really sorry I missed seeing friends from all over the country.

I did get primer AND sealer on the Ridley.

Now to wait for some weather warm enough to lay down some paint...
Not like I can ride the flipping thing anyway!
Also got the new Diadora Vortex Pros set up.

Same sole as my other Diadoras, so it was easy peasy. Gotta say too, I'm no weight weenie...no reason to be, but these things are LIGHT. How light? 100g per shoe. You say big deal, but that's 1/4 pound on each side. And that's rotational weight.
Also stopped down to the fish store with Junior Management, and picked up a new family member.

The boys are all off into Star Wars right now, so they named his Admiral Ackbar. Google it.
All in all, it was a full weekend of doing jack shit.
And there was a discussion about "style". I hate to break it to you, but not many guys today have it. Sagan...Kittel...a few others. It's either there, or it ain't. You can't force style.

 Yates? Style. And the double-bend. Makes my wrists hurt looking at the picture.

Merckx playing the part of Sheriff. Look at the length of the line behind him. He didn't lay down the Law. He WAS the Law.
And so ends today's lesson...
It's Monday, and the sun is out. Go outside.

+12

The kids FINALLY went back to school! And I got to go get the crap kicked out of me at PT. Injured/repaired knee notwithstanding, PT shows just how weak cyclists bodies truly are. Seemingly simple balance exercises are work...even on my good leg.
Might be time to work something into the schedule that requires lateral movement.
Overall though, I'm getting better.
RoM is with 20 degrees of normal. Swelling is almost gone, and as usual, no pain. I'd say that's okay for 12 days.
The Noah got re-sanded last week. I just wasn't happy with the paint on the frame. The paint came from two different production lots, and while one would think they would be the same color, I could tell a difference. My OCD comes home to roost...

Ready for an acetone wipedown,  and a second go w/primer and paint. #noahrepaint #taketwo

A photo posted by MM (@mminsc) on Jan 1, 2016 at 2:36pm PST

 I'm no structural engineer, but this just isn't a good idea...

 Found an idea for the re-design of the dining room. Sent the construction budget thru the roof!!

I'd like to think this old fella was mates with Coppi, and is stopping by to say hello...

I had someone stop by for some advice about a shifting issue on their road bike. The cables and limit screws were all wrong, and the brakes were reversed. We won't mention the installation of the new chain...

Remember, purchase of tools does not include knowledge of use.

Lots of cross around New Year's Day...
Loenhout


GP Sven Nys


Leuven


Sven's little shunt in the ditch broke his fork. Looked like it broke his spirit too. He didn't seem terribly excited about racing from that point.

The Noah is at a standstill until this weekend. It's too cold to lay down any new primer or paint. I'm waiting on the second set of decals too. Hurry up and wait. Story of my life these days...

+5 days

Situation report :
We're at +5 days on the knee surgery. It was no fuss, no muss.
I've had NO pain at all. I'm up and walking...well, limping, around the house. I had PT today, and have 5 more PT appointments. I must also do the PT exercises at home a few times a day.
No big deal.
The swelling in my knee is going down. It looks like a knee now, and not like a boa that swallowed a piglet.
The only things that hurt are the GD stitches. It feels like they want to pull out.
They're coming out Thursday...
Bob, my PT, says I'll be able to ride the trainer in about 3 weeks. WhoooHoooo!

I guess I should start working on the Ridley, eh? Maybe the CX bike is the better choice, b/c of the little gears.

When being a hipster goes bad. Sometimes access to a drill press should be highly restricted.

Zolder Women (KFC 2nd place)


Men


Diegem (Working on some night moves...)


I like Diegem b/c A) It's at night. B) It runs all through the town. They basically take over the village...and the entire village comes out to watch! And the finish...WHOOOO!

And Al-Jazeera has done an expose about pro sports and drugs...


You mean guys who are 6'5" and weigh 250 aren't supposed to be that big and fast? NOOOOO!
And of course, people are already commenting that they don't believe the story about Peyton Manning simply because Al-Jazeera produced the piece. Like that's how ISIS will take us down. Expose pieces about football.
'Merica...
Everyone can come back from debilitating neck surgery to play football with just some PT? Cool...get me his "therapist".

Cyclists are dirty cheaters who dope. Ball and stick athletes use the same shit to come back from injury...it's cool...

I'm out. Time for a nap. Limping around is hard on a brother...

Another Monday

And no bikey over the weekend. Surgery is Wednesday, and to be honest, I'm ready today. Let's get this shit done!
Didn't even mess with the Noah repaint, as it's just too cold to be applying decals, or spraying clearcoat. Yeah, I know it's not COLD, per se, but 50 degree temps is too cold for paintwork.

I did burn time watching a bit of CX, and a lot of futbol.

Antwerp


Namur


And remember my friend Amanda? She was on the top of the podium AGAIN this weekend...both days.

And it seems there may have been a quick start to the race yesterday...

A video posted by A. Amin (@saywhatamin) on Dec 20, 2015 at 3:57pm PST

Nothing says big fun like approaching a curb at high speed on high dollar carbon wheels and high dollar FMBs.
And Amanda won 5 of the 6 "Southern Cross Series" races in TX and OK, stacking some UCI points in the process. Good show Panda...

And from the "Shut Up and Take my Money" files :

 When money is NO, and I mean NOOOO object...
Ti Baum tandem with S&S couplers? If you have to ask the price...you know the rest.

Yes please. 56.5 top tube. 73.5 HTA. 73 STA. The check is in the mail...

And sometimes, four wheels good...

E-Vil, the like Fru-its of the Dev-il. Needs to be lower though...

Should be a fun week. The Boss is on her broom, as is her M.O. around Christmas. Surgery is Wednesday, and Christmas is Friday.
If there is an upside to having surgery two days before Christmas, it's the fact that it gets me out of having to deal with the In-Laws...well, actually, that ENTIRE side of the family.
Cut me Mick....

Friday schtuff

 There IS a bike in this photograph. Seriously...there is...

 Not a big disc brake guy, but I dig this bike...

 You know who this guy is? If not...SHHHHHHHH!
And let's talk about the Briko Stingers. They should bring those back! If Oakley can sell the giant blades, these would sell like hotcakes.

Cannondale's new "gravel/adventure" bike. 650b wheels. Single chainring. Lefty fork. Discs.
Here's a thought...
Just put drop bars on a mountain bike.

Order a Baum, and it comes packed properly. Double boxed? No thanks...

If you haven't heard, American track hope Bobby Lea tested positive. And before people start losing their collective shit (they already have), and start calling BL a "doper", let's look at the situation.
Yeah...he got popped after track Nationals...for Oxycodone.
Here's his "Open Letter to Cycling..."

I have to say, for ME, more questions are raised, than answered.
Oxy (Percocet)? I've taken that shit before...after surgery. Knocks me CLEAN out. And I wake up looking for the cat that crapped in my mouth. It's terrible stuff. Lovingly referred to by dope fiends, and Law Enforcement alike, as Hillbilly Heroin.
Arguments have already begun about it's use. Bobby says he took it to help him sleep. Sure, ok...I get that, but DAMN man, that's like killing a spider in your house with a flamethrower. The spider is dead, but your kitchen is charred.
Take a Benadryl.
And not to mention that it's on the Banned List.
Tramadol is being used in the peloton now, and word is that oxycodone, and even oxycontin, are making their way into the bunch.
Gotta say...better dudes than me to take that stuff and get on a bike.
And so, so dumb...
The real question that is being discussed is addiction. I TRULY hope this isn't the case. By all accounts, Bobby Lea is a stand up, completely honest guy, from a good family.
If addiction is the reasoning, the story is even more tragic.
And speaking of tragedy, USAC and USADA banned him for 16 months. This has effectively ended his career...at 32.
Meanwhile, Tom Danielson, who has doped throughout his entire career, took a 6 month ban for snitching out others, and is currently being investigated for use of T, hopes to race next year.
There doesn't seem to be a whole lot of equity, nor reasoning, in the application of punishment from USADA. I think a ban is necessary, but 16 months? How about 90 days that includes some counseling?

More will come of this, I assure you...

Now to lighten the mood...

 Except bankruptcy Laws, right Donald? His autobiography has 4 Chapter 11s.

Some Star Wars funny....

Have a good weekend! Get your shopping done. It's what I'mma do, considering Tuesday is the last day for me to get anything done...

SSDD

Perfect weekend. 70s. Sunny. No wind. Yeah...I sat on my ever fattening ass, and took it all in.
I did get some work done on the Noah though.

Base paint is down. Waiting for the decals I had made to arrive. Once decaled up, I'll clear coat it. Can't decide on satin clear, or sell out and go full gloss...
The color? Since Lanbo Titanio Grigio was $50-ish per ounce, I went with Ford "Magnetic" Gray. Pretty close, and WAAAY less expensive. I mean WAAAAAAAY less...
As is my life lately, I'm just waiting...

 Matching Pegorettis. Full Super Record. Boras. Special done-by-Dario paint. If you're gonna be a bear, be a grizzly...

 Katusha's new kits. That's a lot of red...

Full Belgium Baum? Make it a 56.5 TT, and box it up...I'm good for the money...

Euro CX
Zilvermeer


Spa Highlights


Like running thru chocolate pudding...

9 days until knee surgery. Oh joy. Merry Christmas to me.

It's Monday. It's raining. Stay inside...and in bed if at all possible.

Friday quickie

The Eriksen is done, so I limped down to Service Course, and tore down the Ridley...
Sanding was a chore. A dusty, dusty chore. There's no paint stripper and wire wheel action on carbon. It was hand-to-frame combat.
5 hours of sanding, water and acetone wipedowns later, the frame was ready for primer.

That's four coats of primer kids. Some light sanding in next on the board, to even out the surface, followed by a bit more light sanding (800-1000 grit), and THEN we'll put color and satin clear on it.
Hopefully get some color laid down this weekend, as it's supposed to be warm.
Decals are on the way...

There's riding the boards, then there's RIDING THE BOARDS...

This is my friend Amanda. She won not one, but TWO UCI points bearing races last weekend. She's sort of a badass, and will be dancing on a larger stage soon, mark my woods.

Danny MacAskill dropped a new video yesterday...
The boy has weapons grade testicles...

Say what you will about Tinkoff, but they always come up with something for training camp.

You had me at hello...

And today's funny GIF...

Tells one what they need to know about Iowa...

And I guess ALL of Team Sky are Estonian Champions...

Enjoy your weekend...for those of us who cannot...

Watching the days go by...

This whole "no riding" thing is starting to get to me. It was pretty nice all weekend.
I worked out, and threw the football with the Junior Management. Just not the same...

I did get to play with bikes a little bit though.
Tear down, overhaul, clean, rebuild...
The Eriksen came by the house, and in the midst of fettling it, I was reminded why it's such a nice frame.
There's no dicking around with it. It just accepts parts easily. No grinding. No tapping threads. No thinking about how to affect a fix.
It's just...right.
The old parts came off, and were placed in a box, to be used later on Dean's beater bike...a Ti Dean.
The King InSet headset was indexed. Everything apart and cleaned. The top bearing was crunchy, so it came out, and got an oil bath, followed by a heaping helping of SRAM ceramic grease.
It's once again smooth. "They" say a King H/S cannot be rebuilt. Yeah...okay...

And the new D/A 9000 BB? Yeah...that's smooth design. Same size as the BB shell. No fuss, no muss.
I'm about halfway done with the overhaul. The new Ultegra 11v is going on without issue.
I know that D/A is the benchmark, but the new Ultegra mechanical is super nice. Good fit and finish, and MUCH lighter than 10V Ultegra...especially the cassettes. And honestly, it's all most of us (99%) will ever need.
It'll be done in a few days. I'll post pictures...

Rouleur posted an opinion piece about Lance. It's dead on the money.

 Gosforth 953 Stainless. Stock. Off the peg. $1350-ish...shipped to the US. Add a King headset, and an Enve fork, and you're STILL under $2k. Bargain.
One could add an Ultegra kit, decent cockpit, and nice wheels, and still be just a TICK over $3k. FOR A STAINLESS BIKE!!!
But you go ahead an go buy that Tarmac...

Same deal with this Genesis 853 frameset. WAY oversized 853. Big fork. <$1500 frameset. Again, $3k for an Ultegra bike. Crazy talk...

1982. Brompton wanted Raleigh to buy them, and their designs. Raleigh, in their politely British way, declined.
Today, Raleigh is no longer a British company, while Brompton is going strong. Seems that it worked out for Brompton.

I'm not here for the cash!!!

Essen and Druivencross were last weekend...



Druivencross


Essen looked like a fun course. Flowy.
Druivencross looked heavy. MvdP ain't care. At the end, he was RAILING corners like he was racing a kermesse.

Have a happy Monday! 18 shopping days left...

Mark your calendars

Knee surgery is scheduled for December 23rd. Merry Christmas to me.
Arthroscopic clean out of the right knee, and a repair of the medial meniscus. Outstanding!
No riding for another 10 weeks or so. I should be really easy to get along with by then. And as skinny as Chris Froome...

Speaking of Froome, he (his people) released his data...finally. To be honest, it tells us nothing. And the fact that it's published in Esquire adds to the fluff factor.
He hasn't tested positive...yet...

Go HERE...read for yourself.

Remember when the magazines were doing pieces like this about Lance? Uh huh...

And since the riding is on hold for a while, the repaint of the Ridley is a go. I'll probably gimp down to Service Course this weekend, and strip it down. Might even get after the wet-sanding.
Settled on Lamborghini Titans Grigio with some silver & yellow accents. There will be the obligatory Belgian flags and Flandrian lions as well.
Should keep my little brain occupied for a while...

3 minutes of "Holy crap...that's beautiful...."


Guess I should really get on the whole "shopping" thing, as surgery and Christmas are both looming...