It was nice of the "the one who shall not be named" to ride in his normal manner last night. I REALLY enjoyed when he was second wheel, and instead of pulling through at 40kmh, he just stopped pedaling. Yeah thanks for that one. And thanks for running through the queue of cars at the train crossing. Made us all look GOOD.
Can't pull through. Only follows wheels. Chops wheels. Somehow finds legs to sprint at the end, and sprint through the neighborhood to get to the parking lot first.
Yeah...this guy...^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
I must admit though, it was quite fun to let him go off the front and dangle those two times. Each of his solo 'efforts' were short lived. It's harder to be off the front than it looks on TV, ain't it? We giggled a little.
Other than that, it was a pretty fun ride on a borderline perfect evening for cycling. 70 degrees. No humidity. No breeze. Chamber of Commerce stuff.
The Giro is coming....
And speaking of, how about a Giro tribute Baum. I'll need a 56.5 top tube please...
So where was THIS Suburban when I was looking for a truck?
And further proof that if you own a power meter, you should just sell it. Eric Marcotte (US Crit AND RR champ) makes crazy power...for a long time....
At the end of the TWO HOUR crit, he came out of the last corner, and averaged 1014w for 10sec. His average power? 358w...for TWO HOURS!!!
Did I mention he also holds down a full-time job as a Chiropractor?
Rainy Saturday? Nah...
A glance at the radar showed that the rain would stop, so I kitted up, and headed out in the remnants of the showers that passed through. By the time 12th St. was reached, the rain had stopped.
Out to the PowerStation we go...
To say the dirt/mud was heavy would be an understatement. Think riding through chunky peanut butter that's a couple of inches thick. 30-35 kmh is the normal pace on dry days. Saturday? 25kmh...and I WORKED for that pace.
And the bridge at the washout? GONE. Washed downstream. I THINK I could see it about 50m back into the woods, but then again, it could have been Bigfoot.
No matter. It was a good two hours on another Viking day.
Sunday? Polar opposite. Big sun, warm temps...a little breezy.
Out into LexCo, through the farms, South of Swansea, and home. 101km all told. We had a good group, and many smiles and laughs. You know...what a quality bike ride should be.
And we showed TVH one of the best roads out in the sticks. If I had the time, I'd ride it every day.
Once back to Service Course, much food and fluid was consumed. I rested, and sat on the front porch swing with my mom for a bit.
Around 3:30, Junior Management loaded up, and we went for another ride.
All the way out to the end of The PowerStation, around all of the paved trails, then down to the end of Old State. On the way back to the dirt and trails, #2 was following #1, but felt that #1 wasn't quite taking a hard enough pull, so he swung out and punched it. #1 hung on for a moment...maybe 100m, but then the elastic snapped...
Serious boy is serious when laying down the hurt on his brother!! #1 said he let #2 go, but I was there. Yo homie...you got DROPPED! And I can tell you, #2 was putting down watts. He stayed between 27-30kmh for the entire way. On a knobby-tired 24" wheel bike!!
I was impressed.
We looped the trails one more time, and headed home. Another 1:15 in the bag. Another 22.5km. They rode farther than a lot of people yesterday. And it rained on us. Did they want to stop, and go home? Nope! We kept riding...
I ended the day with 123km. Sleep came easy last night.
And thank Dog I have a chiro appointment today. I am crookED.
Last 10km of LBL-
We were out riding when it ended, so I missed the hand-wringing, and righteous indignation that came with Valverde's win. Just as well...I like the guy. I like the way he rides. If you don't, it's a YOU issue.
And Cav won Stage 1 of the Tour of Turkey...
He should have been relegated, as he turned left like Dale Earnhardt Jr. in the sprint.
This would probably be fun to squirt around town on...
Ok...it's 10am...I guess I should get my day started...
Don't hate...
I'm gonna say this once, and own it.
If you come to the ride, and act like an asshole, thus endangering the lives of others, you'll be asked not to come back...EVER. IDGAF.
If you swing out to try to attack the group, and ride into the other lane, almost getting run over by a passing car in the process, it's a YOU issue.
Yes, this stupidity actually happened last night.
For the second Tuesday in a row, the very same dumbass swung out to go around the group, and was almost run down from behind by a passing car. Only this time, the car was full of Lexington County rednecks.
Words were exchanged, and the initial dumbass behavior begat further dumbass behavior, and endangered the entire group.
There are times, and places, to engage in lively debate with drivers, especially if the driver is in the wrong. In this case, the rider in question was 100% the cause of the issue.
Not good. It makes ALL cyclists look bad to drivers. It also makes the cyclist in question look like a complete jackass to other cyclists.
In this case, two wrongs definitely didn't make a right. It simply made for a whole bunch of danger.
A few things :
A) Pulling out to come around the group (crossing the double yellow I might add) is fucking stupid. It's a Tuesday night ride (not Fleche Wallonne), and let's be honest, the person we're talking about here isn't going to ride away from anyone.
B) Take your fucking earbuds out.
Look I get it. I too ride with earbuds, but rarely have them in my EAR (not BOTH ears) in the group. And even if I do, the music is so low that it's barely audible, and I can still hear cars, and the voices of riders around me.
C) After the stupidity that split our little group, the aforementioned dumbass "attacked" again. Bad form, Stupid. Funny that once the pressure went on, he couldn't pull through. Yet when we got to the P.O. sprint he found his legs. Sorry jackass, not happening. You lose...
And attacking through the neighborhood to get to the parking lot first doesn't make you fast, nor a hero. It makes you a wanker. There's no podium waiting for anyone.
D) I know this person probably got home last night, and whinged to his wife about how we're all dicks. Here's how this works :
If one or two people think you're in the wrong, it might be their problem.
If the VAST majority of the group thinks you're in the wrong, YOU'RE IN THE WRONG!!!
And I know that some might be sitting there reading this, asking, "Well, who the hell are you to make these statements...you don't run the ride!"
Here's the thing...
The ride leaves it's current location because of ME. I went to the mat for the ride, and the people who participate, so we could use the parking lot behind SC Farm Bureau Insurance. Ergo, I have a dog in this fight.
Don't like it? That's a YOU problem. Want to discuss it? I'm easy to find.
And yes, words were spoken to the person in question last night, and warnings were given. Fortunately, someone more level-headed than I did the talking to. This was the first, and only, warning that will be given.
And don't get me wrong here. Our not-so-little group is very open. Anyone and everyone is welcome to come out. But let's be clear, we are all a bit protective of one another. Years of riding together does that. If one does something to endanger the group, well...that's just not good...
Get ME hurt because of YOUR stupidity, and there will be trouble.
END RANT.
Other than that... LOL! The ride part of the ride was pretty good. The little group that got away (idiot notwithstanding) was good. We all worked, and rode a steady, hard pace. Nice to have that tailwind home too!
The week is halfway over, and its beautiful outside. Have your lunch outside in the sun today.
So, the weather was largely garbage all weekend. Oh well...
Belgian The F Up!
After soccer Saturday, I threw a leg over the CX bike, and headed out. Never got wet, but the humidity was somewhere in the "Southeast Asia" range. Didn't feel too bad when rolling, but when I stopped for a "break naturel", it became oppressive. Might as well have rained. Couldn't have been much wetter...
It's very green out in the country these days.
Once out of The PowerStation, I rolled through the river trail. The river was definitely on it's way up, and after the rain yesterday, it's expected to be at/over flood stage this week.
I was almost at the end when I started bouncing...DAMMIT!
One of those 2.5mm pieces of wire got me. Thanks to the SC rednecks who drive their cars until the tires are bald, and blow out.
Quick change, and I was headed to Service Course.
Sunday started with rain, some Premier League, and Amstel Gold. The radar said the rain was going to stop, so the kit went on, and the CX bike got pulled out again.
The rain stopped...for a minute. Once I got out, it fired back up. Of course.
Meh...big deal. 70 degrees and rain? Just about perfect. The PowerStation was WET. The fender on the back did little.
Not a day for Columbus riders. Only Vikings.
A tick over 2 hours flew by. Twas a good ride...
And, OF COURSE, it's Monday, and the sun is out...
Speaking of Amstel Gold...
Full Race (in Russian?)
Last 10km (in English)
Tro Bro Leon was yesterday as well...
Can't find a replay...yet...
Here's some onboard footage from Jeremy Roy though...
Looks like fun. My kind of thing...
Guess I'll head down to Service Course and throw the "mountains" cassette on the Ridley. And pull #2's new bike up to the house so he can have it when he gets home from school.
It comes and goes. It's a funny thing.
I'm motivated to ride right now, but not in 55 degrees and rain. So last night, Service Course stayed locked.
I've ridden in enough cold rain in the last couple of years. Just wasn't feeling it last night.
And honestly, all I need is to get popped by some nozzle of his/her way home from work. Low visibility, rain, and slick roads = me not being terribly excited about riding.
Hell, I got right-hooked TWICE on Tuesday evening, and the GD sun was out! AND I was in the bike lane.
Early U10 Futbol tomorrow, then I'll do a few hours on the CX bike. MAYBE I'll go out Sunday in the rain that's been forecast.
GP Denain was Wednesday. Bouhanni seems to have found a turn of speed...
Two races this weekend...
Amstel Gold and Roubaix's bastard little brother, the Tro Bro Leon.
Jered and Ashley will be there again, taking spectacular images... Tro Bro Leon 2014
...and a reason one shouldn't read Bicycling Magazine. Buy proper valve extenders people. You know, the integrated/replaceable ones.
Don't use the screw on extenders. And PLEASE don't slap a foot of teflon tape on the valve. Seriously! Bonobo chimps know that it looks like meat.
And can someone tell Mike that the new Boras are available? 35mm and 50mm clincher versions.
If you're gonna be a bear...
Every so often, a weekend lines up.
Saturday :
U10 futbol. They won 5-1. #2 scored. Both played well.
CX ride. 2 hours. BIG tailwind out 12th. The Powerstation was heavy from all the rain, but didn't preclude doing a couple of loops.
Asshole neighbors were loud @ 3:30am again, so after my ride, I fired up the pressure washer. Think big motorcycle single cylinder with a 3100psi pump attached. You wake me up...I make your hangover hurt worse.
Went to the shop and got some Velox.
Spent the rest of the Chamber of Commerce afternoon outside. Even fell asleep in the sun.
As you can clearly see, it was fairly terrible outside on Saturday!
Sunday :
Woke up (always a plus!), and watched the first part of Roubaix.
Met The Heathens for a nice 115km roll thru Lower Richland. Crosswind out. Cross/Tailwind home.
We came to an agreement yesterday that if you didn't ride on such a nice day, you should sell all of your shit on Ebay. 70degrees. Light breezes. Green countryside.
Got home, ate, played some futbol with Junior Management, had a NERF gun battle, went to Whole Foods.
Solid weekend...
Speaking of Roubaix....
(Arenberg starts at about 38 minutes...)
Carrefore de l'arbre (where the winning move happened)
Peto tosses his bike...
Gotta say, I can't blame him in this instance. Dude had a BAD day.
He had to stop mid-race for a poop. Chased back on, only to suffer a malfunctioning front shifter/mech. The bike change cost him the chance to dice for the podium. THEN Tinkov blames him, and Julich, for his performance.
And Degenkolb deserved the W. He was easily the strongest.
And speaking of pedals, I got some Look Keo Carbon Blades. I like them a lot. Wider platform. More secure feeling. HELLA light. I'll do a full review in the coming days. I will say this though, use the old school, dual density Keo cleats. The Keo "grip" cleats don't play well with the carbon Blade pedals.
It's a difference in cleat thickness. Yes, I checked...
I'll explain more when I post the review...
"When you went down in the cage, five hundred metres, you never knew for sure whether you would be coming up again. Not something to dwell on. Like the Arenberg. Best not even to let the fear in"
-Jean Stablinski
Fun ride last night. Small turnout. No matter. We had a good roll.
No motivation = no effort being put forth.
No one really had any interest in killing it last night. Well, except "he who should not be named". We all wanted to ride steady, and together.
He decided this was his opportunity to "attack" and "sprint". Pretty funny actually...not in a "HA-HA" way.
He'd go...we'd watch.
Slow(er) ride, he's towards the front.
Quick(er) ride, hides in the back, trying to survive.
U10 Futbol tomorrow morning, then a CX ride on the dirt. It's the little things I look forward to...
That's all today's post is going to be. Things to effectively ruin any productivity you may, or may not, have on a Thursday morning.
Didn't ride Tuesday, as I don't ride on the days I get cracked and stretched. So nothing to report there. Crushing...I know...
Roubaix is Sunday. It's sunny in the North of France right now. I'm disappointed too.
It was nice last year too. I think we're about due for a wet race.
And 1994...
Probably still the best race of the "modern" era...
Scheldeprijs was yesterday. Kristoff is killing it. And again, can someone explain to me how Etixx-Quickstep lost this race...?
Scary crash too...
From the "Answer to a question no one asked" File :
A 36er? Really? Because, you know, toe overlap won't be an issue....
Maybe penny farthings will make a comeback...
Ducati custom 250 Scrambler? Shut up and take my money! Mr. Fuller knows his stuff. He's working on a KTM Duke right now. Hmmmm...
And just a reminder...
On the serious tip, thanks to Outspokin' for hooking me up on a Trek MT200 for #2 Junior Management.
His birthday is coming, and being the little brother, he's always gotten the hand-me-down bike. Well, not this time. He's gonna be stoked.
And if you need a proper fit, call them and get Brian to set you up. I watched the process the other day. To say it's thorough would be something of an understatement.
(Hey, Shimano...I'm a pretty good mechanic, and a damn good driver...you know...just in case you're looking to fill some empty positions...)
Looks like Sky's Pinarello bouncy bikes worked out about as well as Museeuw's 1994 full sus rig.
Bikes don't win races kids. Hard men win the Spring classics...
And Patrick Lefevere was up to his old tricks after the race. Terpstra finishes second, and Pat spit the dummy, and shit all over the effort...
He said it was "...the best possible result without a dedicated team leader..."
Basically, he gave Niki a pat on the head and said, "You did good son, but Boonen would have done better..."
Here's a novel idea...GIVE TERPSTRA SOME GD SUPPORT!!!
What a joke...
Me? Yeah...I rode.
Saturday arrived with clouds and rain. CX bike got the call. I went out, looped around Eastman, and came back on The Powerstation.
Note to LexCo...
STOP GRADING THE OPEN END OF THE DIRT ROAD EVERY TWO WEEKS!!
Nothing tests handling skill like bombing off the pavement, straight into 3-4" deep, freshly graded Lexington County dirt/sand. Forward momentum gets arrested quickly.
Other than that, the 2 hours passed quickly, and were pretty good.
Sunday, a few Heathens met for a pleasant ride out thru LexCo.
Fairly terrible yesterday...
Oh, and the pollen count was somewhere in the "Going to Kill You" range...
An easy 110km fell under wheels. It was breezy, but the sun was out, and the temps were just about perfect.
You have your Church...I have mine...
The rest of the day was spent napping, and overhauling the BB on the Ridley. No more clicky-click...
It was rough.
So Pinarello debuted it's "new" Classics bike today. A soft-tail. Journos, and the #fauxperts are all atwitter.
Too bad that several other companies have produced soft-tail, and suspended designs WAY prior to Pinarello's "discovery".
Klein, Ibis, and Cannondale to name a few...
And let's ask Museeuw how his fill suspension Bianchi worked out for him in 1994, when he was chasing Tchmil. The #fauxperts wouldn't know anything about that though...
Coming soon, to a Fondo near you...
Honestly, I'm shocked there's no disc brake version...yet...
It's only $5750. I'll take two.
And here's a Klein Reve from 2005...
And here's the Bianchi monstrosity from '94...
Edit : Moots YBB
Ekimov's Trek from 05
See people, it's nothing new. Nothing to see here...move along...
Actual fun rides this week. Finally feel like things are getting back to normal after The Devil's Cleanse.
The pollen though...holy shit. the scale goes to 12. The level has been hovering somewhere around 137.
Felt really good Tuesday, and actually rode well, including one nearly 15 minute pull on 302 that no one seemed to want to take over.
Tonight, meh...
Tired and mentally fried. Taking three children to the zoo for three hours, DURING Spring Break, will, in fact, deaden one's legs, and brain.
Flanders is this weekend....
Is it bad that I'm hoping for rain and wind in Belgium?
So Saturday, as has happened for the past few, Junior Management had soccer. Games are at 0830, which screws the pooch for making any group rides.
After the game, I came home, ate a bite, and climbed on the CX bike for a couple hours of playing in the dirt.
Perfect day. Sunny. Warm enough. North wind. I headed out 12th with the wind at my back with the knowledge that coming in on the dirt, I'd be sort of protected by the trees.
Rolled out just wanting to turn the legs over. No plan. Well, that North wind was shoving me down the road at 40+ kmh...on knobbies. It was nice.
Turned onto the dirt...a little heavy from the rain, but in good shape. SCE&G manages The Powerstation, so some "maintenance items" are good, some are poor decisions. They cleared the two downed trees, and someone built a bridge across the washout. Awesome...thanks!
Now, yin is always tempered with yang. They also decided to put down some gravel in a couple of the soft spots. Not pea gravel mind you, but fist sized chunks of granite.
I shellaced one of these chunks at about 30 kmh. The back end of the bike flew up about 12 inches. I rode a really nice nose wheelie for a few meters. When the rear of the Salsa came down...still in the gravel...the back tube blew out with prejudice. No slow leak. No snakebite. Think shotgun blast...
Off the bike in the sunshine to change it.
Got everything changed, and started to pump it with the mini pump. Up to about 50psi, and done...or so I thought.
Pushed the pump off the valve and....PSSSSHHHHHH! The top of the presta valve remained in the pump.
I was well and truly screwed.
Studies have shown that minipumps suck. Universally...
Studies have also shown that minipumps fly a really long way when thrown into the woods.
Phone out...call the team car...start walking...
You know what makes your feet and lower legs hurt really bad? Walking almost 2km in soft dirt...in carbon soled shoes.
Team car picked me up, and we returned to Service Course. Did I switch bikes and go back out? Nope. I took it as a sign, and stayed home.
Sunday was sunny, but cold and breezy. Let's try this CX bike thing again.
Same loop. No issues this time.
The pollen count was about 137 on a 12 scale.
And Spring has sprung out in the woods. It's going to be brilliant out there this Summer. Mother Nature is slowly reclaiming the road. It will be full canopy, and double track very soon. I'm cool with that.
And speaking of Mother Nature...
Dear, sweet Mother Nature...you know we love you. We appreciate your temperate, sunny days. You are very kind to those of us who like to play outside. Here's the thing...
Get your shit together! These 40-50 degree temperature swings, punctuated by clouds of yellow, and rain storms, only serve for us to get angry with you. No one likes the headaches, or joint pain.
Some of us are old(er). The shit hurts!
Let's get Spring fully under way! It's almost April!!
Gent Wevelgem was yesterday. Freaking brilliant Belgian Hardman race!
Or HERE'S the last 95km, if you have some Marquis de Sade blood in your veins....
It was very windy yesterday...
Some guys ended up in the canal...
Bet that water was warm...and clean...
Good win for Paolini. An old dog that can still hunt. And as usual, Etixx-Quickstep couldn't close. And since they always need someone to blame, Lefevere blamed Boonen. You know...the guy who's at home, nursing an injury.
Hey Tom...now you know what it's like to be married. No matter what you do, or where you are, it's ALWAYS your fault!
At least Etixx is good for some comedy these days...
And in local-ish racing, Ty Magner, and the Hincapie boys took it to United Healthcare at SunnyKing on Saturday night. Kind of nice to see actually. UHC is so horribly predictable, and boring...
And I gotta say, the Hincapie team kits are pretty dope...
I'll leave you with this...
Smile people...
I know it's a rainy, crappy Monday, but you woke up this morning, and drew breath. Make the most of it.
Dwars door Vlannderen was yesterday. It was Belgian.
And again, Etixx-Quickstep had a guy in the break. Not just a guy, but the WC Michel Kwiatkowski.
And again...again, they came away with bupkis.
And again...again...again, the team management complained that the other riders in the break didn't ride to their liking.
You think I'm kidding? Read this from Cyclingnews...
They actually faulted Cannondale's Van Baarle for not chasing.
Hey Etixx-Quickstep...GFY! Seriously!
If the shoe was on the other foot, and they had a guy attack at 1km to go, the EXACT same tactics would have been used.
I guess they expected Van Baarle and the other Topsport rider (whose teammate was up the road) to chase down the attack, and tow Kwiatkowski to the win. Sorry bro, but you're the WC...chase that shit yourself!
Excuse me, Mr. Lefevre, Johnny Cash has something for you...
I've done this a long time. Ridden and raced enough to know how and when to shut down a chase. Not saying I'm a pro-dog DS, nor an expert. Just saying that I know enough to understand that the Etixx-Quickstep boys got WORKED.
Accept it fellas. Admit it. Move on. Attempt to do better.
And PLEASE admit that you're a bunch of whingers. This is NOT the first time they been in at the kill, and come away empty. Nor is it the first time they've pissed and moaned about it afterwards.
First Cav "drops his chain" (again), then they miss the podium (again), then they whinge about it (again).
Might be time to stop having pillow fights...
And start having conversations about the fact that they're the supposed to be the #1 classics team. Museeuw, Ballerini, and Tafi would be ashamed...
That fine yellow crust that you came home with last night? That's Spring, and it's all over you.
After the ride, it invaded my sinuses, and woke me up at 2 a.m.
Holy headache Batman.
How much pollen is around you ask?
Well yesterday, I was sitting in my truck, and a bee landed on my hood. It began scooping the yellow death off the sheet metal. "Screw flowers...this is much easier..."
Speaking of the ride, I did my best to control it out 12th, and it worked, for the most part. We were all together until Glenn, but the split always happens there.
We gathered back up, and continued on...until...
As normally happens, Gator was the issue. Well, not so much Gator, but the fact that the bigger part of the group didn't bother to roll slowly around the corner, thus leaving the stragglers.
I'm still feeling a bit puny, and am completely NOT fit, so I was in the straggler group...MAYBE 10 seconds behind.
Yeah...we chased back on...and it fucking hurt.
And I don't care what a certain rider has to say. At the top of Gator, we wait, or roll slow around the corner until the group is all together.
It's been that way for the last couple of years, and will be that way Thursday, and through the rest of Spring/Summer.
Try me...
Once into the airport, the back of my bike felt washy. Softening tire...
I figured I might make it home, but NOOOOOOOO! I did make back to the parking lot. Went to change it, and of course, the valve on the tube in my bag was about 5mm too short. Burned a Co2 cart, and said "F it..."
Kevin was kind enough to give me a lift back to Service Course. Normally, I'd change it, and limp home, but not on the carbon wheels. There's a reason my shit always looks new. I take care of it.
I checked the tire under the lights in SC, and nothing. No cuts, no punctures, no debris. Who knows? I'll check it again today before throwing another $15 latex tube in it.
So Cookie Cav was riding his new PowerMax2 cranks at San Remo. FSA cranks, taken apart, and put back together in a power unit. I think we've found the problem...
So yeah...this is happening...
I ain't scared...
The boys at Above Category posted this yesterday. It's this customer's THIRD F8, and 8th Dogma. Hey, it's only money...
I think this guy might be the customer...
Based solely on the GIF, Gerald Ciolek made the Carolina Panthers practice team. Now if he'd broken out with the Ickey Shuffle, I would have been truly impressed.
And last, but certainly not least, a quick dose of instant karma...
Yeah, he deserved that...
Time to order some tubes and Co2 carts.
Happy Wednesday, or as my children reminded me this morning, the last full day of school before Spring Break. Oh joy...
