When does school start?

August 17th.
Can't come soon enough. Maybe I'll be able to get some stuff done around here. And not have to listen to the incessant arguing of children.

Fun ride Tuesday, except for the fact that the group can't wait 15 seconds for the stragglers...at pre-determined gathering points.
Everything was peachy until Gator. I let the gap go to stay back, and pull a few stragglers up to the corner. The group decided to turn onto 302, and punch it. Good job guys! Way to look out for the group. Especially the one guy who'd never been on the ride before.
It's bad form to leave people out in the sticks. Period.
JMR and I buried it down 302, and made no dent in the gap. We picked up more than a few that got put out of the bunch.
Other than that, I actually felt okay on the ride, as if some sort of form was coming back. It was a bit cooler, and the rain that fell on us at the end was pretty nice to ride in.
Not a bad ride, other than the shenanigans of a few.
Tonight...we wait at the top of Gator. It's 15...30 seconds at most. It's not going to kill ANYONE'S ride...and it keeps us from looking like dicks to those from out of town.
And headed over TO the ride, I was forced to use Blossom St.  Fecking trains.
Coming down the bridge, by the Compress, I was rolling at 65kmh. That's 40mph in old money. The speed limit is 35.
Some sorority girl tried to pass me, so she could turn on to Huger. I was going OVER the GD speed limit, but she still tried to right hook me. Nice...

 The 2016 Scott Foil. Me likey. Though it looks suspiciously like the new Ridley Noah SL.

The upside of the Ridley? One can use their choice of bar and stem.
Forcing a customer to use a proprietary bar/stem setup smacks of bad business. It's one of the things that really turned me off when I looked at the new Madone 9. Not everyone likes shallow, ergo bars.
I appreciate the tech. I appreciate the design exercise. BUT...doing both for the sake of it (and marketing) is silly.
Bars, stems, lever placement, etc. is key to fit, and highly personal. I understand that there's SOME degree of adjustment built into these new proprietary "aero" front ends, but most people buying the need/want more.
Cervelo allows for choice as well...

Less than 48 hours until vacay. Again...can't come soon enough.
And big thanks to River Runner for having the Yakima bits I needed.

Hangover

The Tour is over. There were some outstanding individual performances, but the battle for GC was a yawn.
Say what you want about the Armstrong era, but when he won, he WON. The yellow jersey should take the race to people, not sit around and follow wheels.
And speaking of the maillot jaune, shut up about Froome getting yelled at, and spat on. Lance used to show up at the top of the Alpe covered in Dog knows what, and Merckx got punched in 1975, and it ultimately cost him the Tour win.
And Tejay...poor poor Tejay. Always something with that kid. He dropped out with a little chest cold and a headache...while in 3rd. Do we need to mention that Laurens Ten Dam crashed, dislocated his shoulder, popped it back in HIMSELF, then finished the Tour.
Some racers are hard. Some ain't....

Rumor has it that Richie Porte is going to BMC for next year. See ya Tejay. Only a matter of time until you're racing back here in the US.
Speaking of transfers, Alessandro Ballan will be racing for UHC in a matter of weeks, once his doping suspension is over. Will American racing turn into the MLS? A retiring ground for aged pros?

Enough of that....

You know that thing where you don't do any long road rides for a couple of months, then jump right back in the deep end of the pond? Yeah...welcome to my weekend.
Seriously, for whatever reason(s), I have done anything longer than a couple of hours since Mancation.
Saturday, we rolled out through The Swamp, and back in. Standard fare. 80km. Felt pretty good.

As you can see, it was fairly terrible out there. Almost cool in places, and never got what one would call "HOT".
Sunday met me with a tired body. What?
Going out into Lex/Cal felt pretty good. Everything got moving. NICE tailwind into Swansea. JMR led it to the town limit sign, and it was one of those rare occasions when I just needed more gear. Plenty of legs and lungs. It was the 52/12 that let me down. Trying to come around at 60kmh and 115rpm wasn't getting it done. Spin like Froome...I cannot...
We rolled back home, and I ended with 105km. Didn't quite feel as chipper as Saturday. The Boss left with Thing 1 and Thing 2. Thing 3 went down for a snooze, so I closed my eyes for a moment. Or 90 of them...whatever. Semantics. Tomato / Tomatoe.
As the title of this post states, I feel hungover. And the weekend has shown that I need to get back on the bike. My fitness is for shit.
Upside? We passed the spot of Mike's dog incident, and no dog.

Daniel Teklehaimanot laughs at your idea of vascularity.

The ladies raced on the Champs yesterday. It was pretty fun to watch.


And Griepel showed that he's the sprinter this year...


Watch Sagan banging to stay on Kristoff's wheel. Good stuff.

Evidently, Cav was crying after the finish. People were speculating why. He finished 7th, and really was never in the race. Only won a single stage this year.
I would hazard that he was sobbing b/c he knows that his contract is up in about 6 weeks, and a pay cut is on the horizon. It's okay. Save some money, start a Gran Fondo, or a cycling camp on the Isle of Man. Don't feel too bad for the boy. He wakes up next to THIS every morning...

Poor little fella....

Happy Monday. Time to go get some crap done that I've neglected for the last 3 weeks....

Note to self

Don't tickle it.
If you think you want to futz with your bike, even though it's working 100% properly, just don't. Both of my rides this week were shot squarely in the ass b/c I can't leave well enough alone.
Tuesday, I went down to Service Course, and fooled with the F/D on the Ridley. It had been dropping the chain on the inside on downshifts. Well, the TL;DR version of the story is that i didn't make it any better.
I dropped the chain going up Glenn, couldn't shift it back onto the chainring, and watched the group ride away.
And the saddle on the Ridley has felt lower than the CX bike for some time now. Being the fiddly wanker that I am, I raised it 2.5mm RIGHT before the ride yesterday. If you don't think 2.5mm is much, or makes a difference, go raise your saddle that much.
Riding over, it felt odd. I even got off the bike in the parking lot to lower it, but thought, "Nah...it's 2.5mm...what's the big deal?"
Well, call me The Princess from "The Princess and The Pea" if you like, but it KILLED me.
Rolling on the flats, it was fine, but as soon as the road turned up, I was done.
I've been out of alignment for a week+ (thanks trip to Ohio in the wife's POS car), and raising the saddle just exacerbated the issue.
Being higher made me reach a bit with the already short left leg, and THAT stretched the SI joint, causing shooting pain down my leg. I could roll at 30-35kmh, but anything more than that, requiring ANY kind of power, and it just plain hurt.
I rode home, and even before I came in the house, I put the saddle back to it's RETUL recommended height.
This morning, my back hurts, and my hip is sore.
Speaking of, I should probably head back over to Atlanta for a freshening up on the old fit.
I'm going out to the chiro to get straightened out in about 3 hours. Can't come soon enough.

I'd normally do a little Tour talk now, but to be honest, it's been boring. Other than the climb up the Lacets de Montvernier yesterday, and Sagan being in every break, it's all been pretty BLAH.
Alpe d'Huez is tomorrow, and MIGHT be exciting, but I fear it will be more of the same.

I know I've been a critic of carbon CX bikes, and disc brakes, but the 2016 Ridley X-Trail may have changed my mind.

It brings me back to the "One bike for all" thoughts I had not so long ago. One of these with 11v Di2 would be the Swiss Army knife of bicycles. I need to stay strong...

Mmmmm....coffee brown Baum....
And the next time someone bitches about bicycles/cyclists, send them this :

Gotta get JM ready, and run to Whole Foods before getting cracked and straightened.
Peace...

The week that was...

So after the road trip last weekend, Monday hit me like a bar of soap, wrapped in a towel.
Fatigue? Sure...a little. Back and legs shot? Oh yeah...
Tuesday sucked. It was WAY harder than it should have been. Just getting the body moving again after that much windshield time was a struggle.
Sit in? Yep. I was easily located...in the back.
Flatted a rear tire just as we turned to run for home. Super.
Thursday was much better, but it was HOT. Told myself I wasn't going to ride hard, and I didn't. Just rolled around.
Friday, The Boss, and 2 of 3 MTs loaded up, and went to Charleston to watch English Premier League side, West Bromwich Albion, take on the Charleston Battery.

Good match. Nice Evening. Worth the trip...even though it was more windshield time, and we got back LATE. (I-26 is a disaster. If you need to go to Charleston, take the back way!)
Slept LATE on Saturday. Rolled out @ 10, and did a couple of hours on the road bike, solo. It was hot as balls.
This morning, Mike and I rolled out @ 9. Here's where my morning went sideways...
Before we even crossed the river, I flatted the rear again. Nothing in the tire. Same location as the flat on Tuesday. It's a rim strip/pump head issue. Plus, the seam of the Vittoria latex tube is RIGHT NEXT to the damn valve! Poor design kids. Methinks that when I pull the head off the valve, it pulls the seam, and weakens it.
We'll see how the seamless latex Challenge tubes  do...
Anyway...
Once fixed, we rolled, and made it to the steel plant, where I flatted again. Cut the Vittoria OC SC. Another tube, a couple of boots, and some CO2, and we turned around to head home.
I should have taken it as a sign from the Cycling Gods to keep my big ass in the house, but NOOOOOO.
I switched shoes, threw the bottles on the Salsa, and headed back out to the Powerstation.
The dirt was heavy, and last night's storm blew branches everywhere, and fell at least three trees. I say at least, b/c I only made it to the third one. I tried to squeeze through a gap, and bump over the trunk, but the trees' limbs had other ideas.
One reached up and snatched the D/A rear mech CLEAN off the bike.

I may have yelled words very similar to Brother Tucker! Did I mention I was in the MIDDLE of the section? The call was made, and I began to walk.

I trekked through the "off limits" section of woods, and came out onto 12th. About a dozen cars passed. Only one stopped. A Miata. Driven by a 250lb lady. To her, I say, Thank You!
The Boss rolled up shortly thereafter, and I loaded up.

Damage Assessment for the day :
(1) Vittoria Open Corsa SC
(2) tubes (one latex, one butyl)
(2) CO2 carts
(1) D/A rear derailleur

Thankfully, the chain and wheel were okay. Even so, it was a $200-250 morning.
Both bikes are sorted, and ready for action. I was forced to use an Ultegra R/D on the CX bike though. I know...slumming...
Time to get on Ebay, and source some tires....and maybe an old XTR short cage.

On the upside this week, I did get a KILLER deal on some new road shoes.

No more flouro. I was an early adopter, and now that the bandwagon is becoming crowded, I'm getting off. Back to the tried and true. And yes, I'm a Diadora whore.
Also picked up a Park Tool DH-1 Dummy hub. Brilliant little piece of machinery.

Holds the chain steady, and the little black cylinder moves back and forth along the blue "axle". Easy peasy. Buy one. Thank me later.
And I'll leave with this...
I have a bad luck day with equipment, yet this chode, who puts flat bars & platforms, on a Fondriest, rides around freely.

Come on Cycling Gods...help a brother out!!!

1000+ miles

So yeah...I rode 1000+ miles last weekend. Most of it on I-77.
A trip to Ohio and back in less than 50 hours. Yeah...not big fun.
And a note to Chevrolet : The driving position in the Traverse crossover sucks. One sits crooked in the driver's seat. And speaking of the seat, it's a flat, completely non-supportive piece of foam. NO support...ANYWHERE. Obviously built by accountants, not engineers.
But I digress...

Decent ride Thursday, even though it was hot-ish. As I hadn't packed a single thing for our blast to Ohio and back, I rode out with the group on the CX bike, hit the dirt, and came back up through downtown. Nice little spin.
No ridey over the weekend, though the roads in Eastern Ohio, both dirt and paved, would be fairly brilliant to ride on. One would get strong like BULL riding them on a daily basis. There are enough flat sections to roll some speed work for the legs, and plenty of ugly climbs to break them.
And dirt/gravel roads?

I won't mention that the HIGH on Saturday was 82. It was a balmy 61 when I woke up yesterday. Those temps will be seen again here in October...maybe...

BIKE STUFF:

Can someone tell Ochowicw to STFU? He said that the Pro-Conti teams aren't good enough to ride the Tour, and their equipment is second rate.
Really?

I'd ride MTN-Quebeka's Cervelo before I ever thought of throwing a leg over a BMC.
Should we remind him of the little team of crumb-bums that got into the Tour years ago?

Nice mom-jeans Jim...

And this is among the myriad reason Sagan is good for cycling...

And Greipel knows how to do rest day...

Segway-pacing...

Not much else for today. About to get on the floor and see if I can mitigate some of the damage inflicted by Chevrolet...

Hump

If you haven't caught the Tour over the last couple of days, you've missed some craziness...



Yesterday's cobbled stage was pretty brilliant.
I don't care for Froome, but he grit his teeth, and went WAY outside his comfort zone to hang in yesterday. I can respect that.
I would say the same for Tejay, but as soon as a microphone was in his general vicinity, he whinged like an 8th grade girl who got cut from the cheerleading squad. Muppet.
The whole, "He's American, so you should like him..." is little more than jingoistic bullshit. It's funny that everyone he deals with thinks he's an asshole. Yes...yes they do...
Rumor has it his own FATHER has no explanation for his behavior.
I like dudes who show up, kill it, and are gracious. Example?

Hendy was on the BOTTOM of the pile Monday. No whinging from that guy...

And here's the definition of "team"...

Robert Gesink helping Laurens ten Dam at dinner last night. ten Dam dislocated his shoulder on Monday. Popped it back in, and finished the stage....rode the cobbles yesterday...and is racing today. #Nails

Some badass bikes in the Tour this year too. I could post 20 pictures, or you could just go HERE.

Fun ride last night. It was hot as BALLS, so I sat it the back, and watched the shenanigans. Kind of funny.
No efforts were made. Not a damn was given. 2nd ride on the Ridley in the past three weeks. Those big gears felt weird after pushing around a 48 chainring on the CX bike.
Once back from this weekend's trip North, I really need to get back on the road bike.

Gotta go get cracked and stretched for the trip...and watch the Tour...

Long Weekend

Friday was a day off for most. Not me...
Instead of riding, I played the part of loving son, and pressure washed my mother's house. Whoever invented vinyl siding should have their man parts removed. Worst shit ever.
After a morning of gunning a year's worth of crud off the house, my hands, arms and back were shredded. I felt like I had lobster claws.
I'd planned on riding Friday afternoon. I took a nap instead. Then we rolled out to LexCo for the Blowfish game, and some fireworks. The attendance, and enthusiasm was great. The new baseball facility is great. Further proving the theory that the new baseball stadium in Columbia will be a rousing failure. People out there won't drive into Columbia. There's just no need. They can watch good baseball, at a nice park, close to home.
But I digress...
The kids were at the Lexington office for the weekend, so I slept in Saturday. Up at 8:30am. Sure, why not...
A little brekkie, then on the CX bike. 2.5 hours. 70km. 5 sections of dirt.
All of the dirt was HEAVY. Not surprising, as it rained about 2 hours before I left. There's yet another tree down on the PowerStation. I'll clear it next time I'm out there.
Mike and I met yesterday for an easy ride around the T/Th Loop. It was quite nice. A little sunshine, one little section of go-fast, and coming home through W. Cola. Another 65km.
AND the Ridley got the call. Second ride on it in the past month. Felt weird at first. Geometry and all that...
The Boss took the kids to do something with her idiot parents, so I had the afternoon to myself.
I watched the Tour, took a nap, fiddled with the road bike, and made shrimp and grits for dinner. Pretty solid day.

Speaking of the Tour...
There was a lot of banter about Cav losing yesterday. People saying he sat up, or quit. Nope! He got BEAT. Period.


Then, as usual, Cav had a sook, and basically said that if one hasn't raced as a pro, one is an imbecile. And he wonders why people think he's such a wanker.

More important than that, Sagan flatted at 12km to go, got a new bike, and chased back on. #Horse. And Cancellara hit 69kmh in the sprint. But everyone is worried about baby Cav...
Greipel won, and got a special green Ridley....

Yes please! I'll need a medium.

Speaking of Fabi...
Jered Gruber took this photo of him after the prologue. Brilliant.

Gotta go. The Tour is on, and they're finishing on the Mur de Huy today. See ya...

That was weird....

No ride on Tuesday night, as it was a bit, well...stormy...
The Boss came home early yesterday, for some reason, so I got out on the bike. Riding at 2pm...middle of the day, is sort of odd. I'm used to either going out in the morning, or evening. It was an weird sensation.
Still got two hours. Still had fun.
The PowerStation was HEAVY from all of the rain Tuesday. And I cleared yet another fallen tree. You're welcome.
The plan is to ride the road bike tonight, but the weatherman is saying that it's going to rain. Junior Management is going to the LexCo Office this weekend, and leaving just after lunch, so I may get out early.
No ridey tomorrow. I'm being to good son, and pressure washing my mother's house.

 Yeah, you hipster idiot, you deserved that...

 Eddy is no for rock/paper/scissors. Eddy is for punch you in yours mouth.

This hurts my heart a little bit...

Guess I should get my day started. It is 10:15am...

Juan Solo

I've decided that weekend rides will be solo affairs from here on out. I can get out, get my ride done...whatever the plan, and be done. No having to worry about what anyone else is doing.
This was the exact outcome of the weekend, and both rides were pretty damn great.
Saturday - 2.5 hours on the CX bike. Two big loops around The PowerStation, the one through the North side. Two loops around the dirt you ask? Well...
Certain things in life one just doesn't mess with, as one will always lose. Trains are high on this list...

Weather was warm, but pretty damn perfect.

I did get yelled at on Gervais.
Some jackhole yelled at me from his car. Evidently, even with the width of the street, and the smooth flowing traffic, I was "holding him up".
I caught, and passed his car at every light.
At the intersection of Harden and Devine, I caught him again. I looked over, and waved. He said something unintelligible, but I'm sure smart and topical.
I told him he should get a bike, as it was just as fast to get across town, and he'd be less of a fat ass.
His wife laughed. I win.
Sunday was a bit of the same, but it was far cooler outside. Cloudy and a few sprinkles of rain. I felt pretty okay, so I did a little effort.
The PowerStation was heavy from the storms on Saturday night, but the effort was there.
And you're welcome everyone. The storms blew down a couple of big trees. I cleared a path through both. Enjoy.

Welcome to the Jungle.
I've GOT to stop watching that "Finding Bigfoot" show. My inner 8 year old was fucking with me.

As discussed earlier, the quest for a new bike has begun. I love my Salsa. It's ten years old, has been refinished multiple times, but is always ready for whatever I throw at it. Upon seeing two of Salsa's offerings for 2016, I am intrigued...
The Cutthroat

It's meant as more of a loaded.touring/adventure rig. The geometry is suspension corrected. Probably be pretty cool with a Lefty on it...
The Warbird

More my speed. I could probably even live with the SRAM stuff, as the hydro levers are big enough for my meathooks. Needs a double crank though...
Was also offered a pretty silly deal on a Santa Cruz Stigmata...

Of the three though, the Warbird speaks to me...

The Tour starts this week, and in his quest to be the most boring white man on the planet, Vaughters introduced Garmin's new jersey.

I suddenly feel the urge to put on some plus fours, and go hit a bucket of balls. Maybe cycling IS the new golf...
And when people bitch that we don't ride in the bike lane, show them this picture.

Ok...have a productive Monday.......
Watch these first...

(Title goes here)

No ridey on Tuesday. The Boss had a work event, and it was a bit stormy.
I hung out with Junior Management, which lately, has been more fun anyway.
Supposed to be decent this weekend. Cooler. Maybe I'll get on the bike....

Tour news :

No Kittel.
Froome found some form...and missed a couple of tests.
Tejay can't seem to shut the fuck up.
A report about doping is released.
Lance...Lance...Lance...

You know...same old stuff.

Mass start downhill?




My friend Eryn's dog is a funny fellow...

Not much else going on. Sorry. This isn't pee-wee soccer. Not all of these posts can be winners.

Lazy

I rode last weekend, but didn't do much else...
Saturday and Sunday were the same rides. Up early...on the bike...home.
Both went out, and around, The PowerStation, up through Town, and home.
2 hours. No fuss. No muss.
Did I mention that the entirety of The PowerStation is under the canopy...in the shade? Yeah...that take a bit of the sting out of the hellish days we've been experiencing lately.
I rolled back into Service Course @ 11:15am yesterday. It was already 92F.

A little lunch, some lazing about, and Corpo loaded up and went to the pool. It was quite nice, even if the pool temp was equivalent to tepid bathwater. No matter. Junior Management loved it, and that's all that matters.

And I started thinking, which we all know can be a dangerous action for me...
I never go out solo on the road bike any more. Like NEVER! If I go out solo, it's on the CX bike. Usually a combo of some road, but mostly dirt.
Then the 40w bulb started buzzing above my head. Why not get rid of the road bike, and build a super light, semi-trick CX bike?
It would be as light, if not lighter, than the Noah, and have the ability to do whatever I ask it to do.
Dirt? Put the knobbies on. Road? Switch wheels (and pedals, if need be), and I'm good to go.
At the moment, I'm leaning towards a Trek Boone with Ultegra Di2. Cantilever brakes.
Not a bad set-up...

Our friend Boyd put together a little ride in the mountains for July 11th. 100+km. 5000+ feet of climbing. Oh, did I mention that 35+km of the ride is on dirt/gravel roads? It's also been advertised as a "no drop" affair. Be aware though, some heavy hitters will likely be in attendance. "No drop" may not mean what you think it means...

He said that tires needed would be AT LEAST 25mm. HAHAHAHA! If you can wedge a 30mm tire into your road bike, do it. If not, slam a 30-35mm tire on your CX bike.
Challenge makes a good 30mm road tire, as well as a couple fast rolling "grinder" tires.
Compass sells a few BIG volume road/gravel tires.
If it was ME, I'd pick up some of the 32mm Compass Stampede Pass tires.
Unfortunately, it won't be me this time around, as I'll be in Ohio to deliver my grandmother to her final resting place.

I should probably go down a turn on the AC in Service Course, as I actually need to do some work on the Ridley. No...not tearing it down. Not yet, at least...

Tomorrow night, I'm likely going to do the "out with the group...home on the dirt" ride. Feel free to join in, and stay (kind of) out of the heat.

Safe mode

You know...that thing where you start to come apart for no good reason.
Left the house last night...felt bad.
Rode over to the ride...felt bad.
Did the first half of the ride...felt bad.
After we hit Gator, the powerplant clicked into Safe Mode, and I limped home.
It wasn't hot. I was plenty hydrated, and had eaten enough. The body just clocked out, and that was that. Not a bonk...not even close. Just a work stoppage.
Still got 2 hours on the bike.

Looks like Peter Sagan is finding some form right before the Tour...



Cav got blown off the wheel coming to the last corner. Poppin' Fresh, and Etixx-QuickStep, better get their shit together in the next couple of weeks. Cav might win a stage or two, but his goal of the green jersey is a pipe dream.

Mavic introduced "gravel" wheels. $1250 for a 1600+ gram wheelset. Not to be a naysayer, but merely pointing out facts...
One could EASILY buy/build TWO sets of wheels that are stronger, and lighter, than the Mavics, for less than $1250. EASILY. And yes...with disc hubs....

As usual, Bob Mionske clears the air, and gets it right. And yes, the 'you don't pay taxes' argument gets thrown around A LOT. Let's be perfectly clear...
Cycling is NOT an inexpensive hobby. Bikes, shoes, helmets, kits, food...not cheap. I feel fairly confident that the guy on the $8000 carbon wonder bike, wearing $400 shoes, and $300 worth of kit has paid his fair share into the kitty.
If anything, cyclists likely pay MORE simply based on the salary required to ride around on $10k worth of bike and kit. We all own cars, and most of us are homeowners. We pay...

Cav is rolling around on this monstrosity at the Tour de Suisse. Good to see that the company that sues everyone else for designs has "borrowed" some ideas from Parlee (front end) and BMC (rear triangle).

And the faired fork on the SpecialEd? Yeah, it's not "legal" under the terms set for bikes by the UCI, but then again, as we've seen in the past, the UCI's rules can be...shall we say..."fluid".

By the way, the red Parlee shown above was stolen out of it's owner's garage on Wednesday afternoon. He lives in Chicago, and bought the bike from Velosmith. If anyone comes across the bike, please call the guys at Velosmith!

And with that...Happy Friday! Enjoy your weekend. Go outside and play.

Hhhhotttt!

At least it's a moist heat...
Instead of going out, and killing myself yesterday, only to come home and lay prostrate on my new grass. I chose a different path. Yes, I left with the VERY small group, but at the end of 12th. St., I headed for the relative coolness of The Powerstation.
I can say, with some degree of certainty, that it was 10-12-15 degrees cooler back under the canopy. Hell, in the low lying section, it almost felt cool. You know...if low-90s can be considered "cool".
12th. St. was a good time on 33c knobbies with 55psi. Did I mention the "big" ring on the CX bike is a 48? Yeah. It was work.
I may do the same thing on Thursday, if the heat index is 137 degrees again. Feel free to join me...

Eh...you have big happy 70th birstday Eddy!!
And I remind you, Merckx released 70 stainless, Columbus XCr tubed, bikes in honor of Eddy's 70th birthday. Well...69 bikes. Eddy got #1.

Only $17,500. I hear there are a few left...you know...in case you're looking for that perfect Father's Day gift for me.
Speaking of steel Merckx frames, a friend of mine picked this up over the weekend...

Telekom Merckx MAX. Farging bastidge!! He knows it's my white whale too. Just turn the blade...
Honestly, it had to be a hard find, as he has the body proportions of a shaved sasquatch. 63cm. Makes finding a 56 or 57cm seem easy. Seems I need to begin my search anew...

Another hot one today. I'll be escaping the heat by taking two members of Junior Management to see Jurassic World.
Rough gig...

Wait...I forgot...

Sorry...lots going on around here...no post late last week. I'm sure you were all crestfallen...

Thursday ride Bullet points :
-Group separated at the FIRST light.
-We rolled SLOWLY, and waited. They caught...eventually.
-I had a pressure regulation issue. Changed it quickly. Half the group, including a few we waited on, decided NOT to wait.
-6 guys waited.
-We chased, and caught the non-waiters.
-TOWSNBN hid, as per his m.o., then sprinted at the end.
-We're laughing AT you, not WITH you.

I woke up Saturday, and decided that a short-ish ride on the CX bike would be the best option. Junior Management was at the Lexington Office, so I had the chance to knock out a couple of house projects without interruption.
A quick ride out around Eastman, then back in on The PowerStation was the ticket. 2 hours, and I was back. The floor in the back room is now 100% again.
Sunday, I really had no urge to ride long, and a construction project was looming, so I did the same ride as Saturday. It was WAY hotter yesterday. The heat was just rolling off the pavement out at the end of 12th St.
On the dirt, and in the shade, it was almost pleasant. Almost. It was still toasty...
No matter. I felt pretty good, and the dirt is in good nick, so the power went down.
Be glad I don't participate in Strava shenanigans, as the KoM on The PowerStation would now be solidly mine.
The KoM is 8:10. I went 7:52 yesterday, INCLUDING a dismount/run/re-mount thru the washout, and a trip into the ditch to get around a downed tree. And to be honest...and I mean perfectly honest...I could have gone harder. I figure I lost 20-25 seconds with the two obstacles. Ruminate on that....
There's a minute lurking in that 8:10 KoM...easy...
Once back, 65 feet of 4x4x8 lumber was put down, and plated together, to form the new walkway down to Service Course. It's cool...it was only 93 degrees in the shade.
I'm stiff this morning. The whole mid-40s thing is over-rated. Where's the Aleve?

Froome won Dauphine yesterday. Funny how Senor Elbows has NO form all year, goes to Tenerife to train "at altitude", comes back and wins the Tour tune up race. Hmmm...curious...
Tejay finished second, then had a good cry...

Speaking of Froome, does he remind anyone else of the "coffee aliens" from 'Men in Black'?

Mmmmm...Moser....

 Max tubed custom with Campag, Enve, and Rotor? 56.5cm TT please...

And it's a real shame Norco can't be had here. That's a tasty looking rig...except for the FSA cranks. Of course, I DO know a guy that could get me one. Sometimes, it's good to know a Canadian or two...

LOOK? I'm LOOKing! So much to LOOK at....

It's Monday. It's supposed to be 101F today. I'm staying inside.