PNW

Another day of gray, misty, Pacific Northwest weather. If I wanted to live in Oregon, I'd move to Oregon.
And by the looks of the forecast, it's not going to end anytime soon...

There will be some damp mornings on the bike this week. Night rides are supposed to start, but I wouldn't hold my breath. Probably best to just push it off until next week. I need to get out to the Powerstation and remove some limbs and debris anyway....

Worlds are over, and while I really don't care that I didn't go to Richmond, the racing was damn good. Every race!

Men's race...

Don't know who the bozos are doing the commentary. Probably someone doing a live podcast...

Ladies

U23

Too bad the UCI cannot deem the Junior Women's race worthy of upload. Chloe Dygart made a Sagan-esque attack for the win. It was fairly brilliant.

All were great races with worthy winners.

And Sagan gets respect for everyone. I'm just wondering what all of the fauxperts who cried out after "The Squeeze" are saying this morning? Probably professing their love for him. Wankers...

And did anyone notice that Peto wasn't riding a Venge?

He was on his OLD camo Tarmac. Wondering how SpecialEd will spin this one? He probably didn't want to be on a bike that rides like a dumptruck for six hours.

Me? I rode both days over the weekend.
Yeah, it was wet. Yeah, I got dirty. Beats the shit out of sitting on the couch, or Dog forbid, riding the trainer.
Made the mistake of riding down past the USC tailgate Saturday morning. I'm patently shocked that there aren't dozens of accidents before games. People just driving like they're the only special snowflakes in the World. Once through the madness, it was quite pleasant. Roads were pretty empty.
The PowerStation was ok...just a little heavy. There's one pretty big limb down, blocking the entire trail. I couldn't do anything with it. I'll get out there at some point this week and get it with the saw.
Same ride Sunday, just a bit more rain and wind.
It why having a CX bike in the quiver is always a good thing.

Happy Monday. I'll be right here, waiting for the pest control guy. The Boss made the appointment for 10:30am, because...you know...I have NOTHING else to do with my morning.

You asked for it...

You asked for rain. You complained, "We NEEEED the rain...!"
Well, you got it. Hope no one was near Main and Whaley yesterday. The water was only about 6 feet deep.
It rained for about 15 hours yesterday.
That idiot, Sam Champion, on The Weather Channel, said that the storm was pushing into the Southeast this morning.
Good to see that moron was paying attention yesterday. Thankfully, today is his last day on the morning shift.

Speaking of rain, you know that thing where you go out, under threatening skies, and smash a ride for 90 minutes, then when you are 15 minutes from home, the bottom drops out?
Yeah, welcome to my ride yesterday morning. Felt great. Just turned the pedals over.
Once across the river, and headed up Gervais, the rain started. By the time I got back to Service Course, it was dumping.
Beautiful...
I'm wet. Shoes are soaked. Bike is filthy. Good ride, all in all.

I'll leave this without comment...

Don't you just love the UCI?

 Kiry wins the TT...

...then gets his bike checked for a motor.

In other TT news, here's yet another reason to dislike UHC...
Villumsen can't get into her preferred TT position on her sponsored Wilier, so she rode a Trek (yeah, it's a Trek), and won Worlds.

Tamayo has a hissy, and threatens to fire her, or may have, then reinstated her...
She wins, and everything is okay with the World.
Willing to bet the farm that had she not won, he would have canned her on the spot.
Here's an idea Mike: Carry some extra Wilier decals in your bag. Not the first time someone has ridden a non-trade team bike.
His excuse? Protecting the sponsor. Um, okay...because, you know, there are SO many Wilier dealers, and folks riding around on Wiliers. Who even imports Wilier now? I remember when a local company was the distributor. They couldn't give them away...
If I was Villumsen, I'd take my maillot arc en ciel, and move on. A World Championship opens other doors.

Cav and Eisel are going to MTN-Quebeka, which will be called Dimension Data next season...probably with ETIHAD Airways on the kit somewhere. Should be interesting to have about a half dozen "sprinters" on the team next year.

Hope everyone took some rain gear to Richmond. It's supposed to rain this weekend. Thank Dog Tejay isn't there! Can you imagine the whinging?

Happy Friday! I'd say go outside and play, but it's really shitty outside. Should be better tomorrow. Do it then...

4 days...

Saturday and Sunday made 4 days in a row on the bike. That hasn't happened for, well...a while.
Neither day involved much effort, but I'm tired nonetheless.
No ridey today...

Also watched the Worlds TTT for Trade Teams. BMC killed it.



Nothing says ouch like 55kph average on the twisty, shoddy pavement in Richmond.
Pros are already complaining that the surfaces around the city are crap. Good job Richmond! You only had a couple of years to fill potholes, pave some roads, and bring manhole cover level with the road surface.

This might have hurt...


If you have Universal Sports, the remainder of the races will be either televised, or streamed live. The Richmond 2015 mobile app will also have the live streams. It's free, and worth the download. Lots of info, and full schedules of events.

The UCI is also streaming the races on their YouTube channel. It's geo-restricted in the US, you know...the country where the races are actually happening, but if you have Hola, you may be able to get around it.

I don't have much to say today...
Here's some stuff to look at...

 Main St. Columbia 1958.

Slammed 1965 Riv. If this car shows up in front of your house, the guy is there to kill you.

This is beautiful, and mesmerizing. It is surely art, but with mastery of the chosen medium.

鳴子系こけし／こけしの岡仁 from dmp on Vimeo.

And if you haven't seen "I am Chris Farley", you should take the time...

Have a good Monday. Yes, it is possible...

A little morning action...

Days are getting short around here. Darkness is falling early. Time changes in a few weeks.
Instead of waiting around for the groups rides, and being forced to come home at dusk, I've been Juan Solo lately.
All of Junior Management is now in school, so my mornings are relatively free...for a few hours at least.

Get up. Knock out a ride. Get home. Have the rest of the day/evening. Simple...really...

I got CRACKED by the chiro on Monday. I was crook-ed.
Tuesday morning, I was stiff and sore. I got on the bike anyway, hoping it would loosen me up. I left the house and pedaled squares for about 45 minutes, then the stiffness worked it's way out, and the rest of the ride was smoooove.
Well, except for the inbred woman who screamed, "Get a job", out her car window at me.
How very original! I'm out riding my $5000+ bike, while wearing $300 worth of kit, and $400 shoes. Idiot.
I yelled back, "Maybe you should have studied harder...!" Pretty confident it was lost on her...

Rode the CX bike Thursday and Friday. Same loop. Same effort. Speaking of effort, there are a few things that will stop a nice, cruise-y interval than crashing through a full, LARGE spiderweb.

It COVERED my helmet, head, and face. Stuck to EVERYTHING. Pretty sure it was unoccupied at the time. Didn't matter. After I'd cleaned off what I could, I was still fairly certain there was a spider on me...somewhere. I'm itchy thinking about it...
As an aside, The PowerStation is in pretty good shape.

 That's funny right there! Feel free to use it...

 Shut up and take my money!!

 Sven is embracing his inner flouro this (his last) season. Wonder if the Crockett comes in that colorway?

Merckx CX bike...I'm listening...

Interbike is going on right now. Haven't seen a whole lot that has piqued my interest. I'm sure that will change in the coming days. There's always plenty to geek out about.
And Worlds are getting ready to kick off in Richmond. Everyone and their brother is going. Not me.
I have a sneaking suspicion it's going to go off just fine. As a spectator though, folks won't be able to see shit.
Plus, it's on TV. I'll be sitting right here, watching it on the 55.
Plus plus, I've spent enough time in the truck, and sleeping in strange beds this Summer.
For those going...Enjoy. I'll be holding down the Fort.
PS- I'll take Sagan...

Enjoy your weekend. Go outside and play!

Eventful

Woke up Thursday and thought, why the F am I going to wait around until 6pm to ride? Dropped The Duke off at school, and was on the bike by 9:15.
Got a nice 2 hours on the CX bike, and was back to Service Course in time to get him at noon.
Riding in 75-80 degrees always beats waiting around all day for it to get hot.
Rumor has it the ride was silly anyway.
The plan was to ride Friday morning as well, but the house looked like a troupe of apes had been living here, so I cleaned. Sometimes it's just gotta be done.
Rode with Statler and Waldorf Saturday morning, and almost met my maker.
Started to turn left onto Double Homie, and Mike yelled, "Watch out...Watch out...!!". I glance over my left shoulder, and a Nissan SUV was sliding past us at a rather oblique angle. I swerved back to the right, and the truck missed me by not a lot.
Had Mike not yelled, I would have gotten hit. Not a question in my mind about that fact.
My only regret is that the asshole driver didn't put it in the ditch, or roll it over. Fucktard...
The rest of the morning, once I settled down, was pretty good.

I hit the door, and my new bar tape had arrived. Sweet.
The Bontrager stuff will NEVER go on my bars again. It just doesn't last. This set was about 6 weeks old, and was coming apart. Shite.
I headed down to SC for the switch back to basic, inexpensive Easton tape.
After unwrapping the bars, I noticed something odd.

Yeah...that's a hole. I fear I'm turning into Dean, as my sweat ate a hole in my bars. Fortunately, I had a brand NOS Deda Newton Deep bar under the bench.
I marked everything, and switched the bars. Didn't take long.
What took a while was battling my OCD in getting the bar angle and lever placement correct...even though I'd marked it all.
I finished, wrapped the bars, then stepped back. The monster was already gnawing at me.
The bars got unwrapped, rolled up a bit, and the lever got pushed down on the bars.
Second time was the charm.

As a pro-tip, change your tape often. Inspect your bars. Leaving tape on for months and months and months isn't a badge of honor. It's a recipe for failure.

The Heathens met Sunday for a normal Swansea loop. The tailwind out didn't bode well for the return.
Once in the fields beyond Swansea, the headwind was stiff.

We managed.

Upside? LexCo paved Fish Hatchery. Downside? They didn't bother to grind the old pavement. They simply paved over the old, cracked, pot-holed stuff. Yeah...it's black, and devoid of holes, but it's not much smoother than before. It'll be chopped up by Spring. Good job guys!
Best part of the ride?
Coming down Old Dunbar, we were drifting down to the light at 321. Cars in front. Cars in back. Red light ahead.
At the light, some ridiculous, blue-haired old bat pulled up, and told us that we needed to, "Share the road or get off...."
I asked why she was so angry. Was it the fact we were legal, or the fact she was going to have to wait at the RED light anyway?
She peeled off to the right, turned, and shot us an old, boney, arthritic, middle finger.
Ah, Lexington County...you never cease in providing quality entertainment.
It was a good ride, in spite of the angry old bitty. She was probably late to her appointment to get MORE blue put in her hair.
90km under wheels in the 70 degree sunshine.

Didn't do much the rest of the day. Hung out. Napped. Practiced some futbol with the kids. Quality.

And with that...I gotta jet. The boy needs to get to school, I need to hit Target, and go to the Chiro.
Full morning.

Short, and slow...

Much like a few people around here, last night's ride was short, and slow.
Let's start from the beginning though...

Radar said a little rain was around, and the sun was actually out, so I kitted up.
The wind was picking up, and the skies were darkening, but as most around here know, the weather changes in minutes.
A smaller than normal group rolled out, which was made even smaller by the the front half not bothering to wait when a split occurred at a red light. Bad form guys...bad form.
Heading out 12th, it was flying monkey dark, and we could SEE the rain falling. Off to the right...the direction we were headed, the sky was clear.
We rode on...
Well, that rain found us, and it was heavy. No "severe" weather, just a deluge and wind.
Some turned back...cough, cough...Mike...
We soldiered on...



People began riding willy-nilly...crossing the white line. Nope...I'm going to the front. Not getting taken down for a silly reason. I drove it through the rain, to the end of 12th. Lo and behold...the rain let up. And my legs decided they wanted no part of the ride anymore.
After 115km yesterday, the pins just weren't interested. The Professor and I took a bunch of cut-throughs, and rolled home slowly. It was all I wanted.
Short and slow...
The bike is filthy. Glad I cleaned it Monday afternoon.
Guess I'll be back down in Service Course shortly...

Sticky Bottle posted a good article about crashes in pro races. Hits the mark...
CRASHES

He's not wrong about those jackholes running alongside the riders. Dudes in costumes. Little kids, Fat guys in flip flops. You aren't cycling fans. You're fucking morons...
You're right up there with the 'fauxperts'.

This idiot is possibly the most egregious offender. If you guys put together a GoFundMe account for bail, I'll be glad to assault him.

Gotta jet. The Duke needs to go to school, and it's my day to provide "healthy snacks". Dog forbid they're late. His teacher needs to spend a few years teaching public school, where her youthful enthusiasm can be beaten down...I mean, tempered.

Good day my friends! Be productive. Or don't...that shit is sometimes overrated.

Fun?

The "Becky Labor Day Ride" was yesterday, sans Becky. She moved, but the ride lives on.
A gaggle of us met early to ride to the ride. Special thanks to Curran for catching us, and making our normal easy roll out into an early morning tempo effort.
About 50 folks rolled out of the parking lot @ 8:15. The group all stayed together until The Swamp. After the first, short stop, things got fun...if your idea of fun is riding above threshold for 30-ish minutes.
A front group formed, and we sort of let them go, with the knowledge that many of them would be back shortly.
And they were...eyes bigger than their engines, and all that...
We caught all but three of them during what could be called 'spirited riding'. Nothing says a good time like steady 45kmh pace on beat-to-shit chipseal roads, and whippy crosswinds. It was as close to Belgian as it gets around here, less the pissy rain and cowshit on the tarmac.
The group gathered up at the second stop, and rolled together between 35-40kmh all the way back the park.
Bottles were filled, and the 'ride to the ride' bunch turned for home. We sort of went the long way...sorry...probably my fault.
No matter. Just a few more kms in the saddle. I ended up with 115km. Felt pretty good considering I've been sick for the better part of two weeks.
And the ride was fun. The whole ride...not just parts.
I'm just wondering how the body will respond later this afternoon, when it's time to get on the bike again.

Last week was a pretty solid week of riding...even with the head cold. 300kms w/o trying real hard, and having a lot of fun. You know, what riding a bike is supposed to be?  I'll take that.

Why do I have a strong want for this bike? It's a little unnatural...

Days are getting shorter too. Guess I should dig out the lights...

Happy Tuesday!

You dirty little mother fu....

So, if you ride, you bike has had a creak. You know the one. The creak that is incessant, wholly bothersome, and won't go away. The creak that requires you chase it, only for you to feel like Wile E. Coyote, Super Genius, chasing the Road Runner.
Yeah...welcome to my life for the past week.
At FoTD, it started. medium to high pitched, obviously in the cranks. Not a deep enough sound for it to be BB creak/knock.
As I could do nothing then, I rode it.
I figured it was chainring bolts. The Ridley had been ridden in the rain several times over the previous month. That shit happens, right?
Nope. Pulled the bolts. Cleaned and greased. Still creaking.
A couple more rides, and it didn't go away. Sometimes creaks go away.
Pedals off. Axles and crank holes cleaned and greased.
Nope. Not the pedals.
Well, it's probably time to pull the BB anyway...
Rotor cranks off the bike. BB pulled. Everything cleaned and greased. Honestly, it needed it.
Re-install. Test ride.
CREEAAAK.
GD it!!!!!!!!
Back down in Service Course, and nearly out of brain power, I stared at the bike. Wondering if it would float after I threw it in the river.
Upon standing, I noticed something. The little nub on the big ring...you know, the one that keeps the chain from getting caught between the crankarm and big ring (should one throw the chain over the outside)?

That 4mm piece of alu had broken loose (shouldn't), moved, and become wedged against the crankarm (again, shouldn't).
Every time the cranks flexed under pressure, it rubbed...and creaked.
Big ring off. Dremel tool out. Bye Bye you dirty little mother fuc....
Cleaned. Reinstalled. Test ride.
No more creak.
3-ish hours. Overhauled the cranks, pedals, and BB. Ain't it always the way?

The Vuelta is going on. Crashes are wiping people out. Neutral service motos are wiping people out. Dudes are testing discs.
That being said, some BRUTAL racing is going on.

Today's stage. What the what? Dumoulin is riding a 34/28 today...

Ouchies....

Remember the Porsche that Matt Brammeier hit (or the Porsche that kept him from flying into the woods...)?

Yeah...that's not gonna buff out...
I ran it through the Mitchell Manual software. Somewhere in the neighborhood of $15k damage.
Ouchies all the way around...

Weird ride last night. We went out SLOOOOW. Too many people. Too many people feeling heroic b/c we were going slow. Rushing the front. Riding beyond their skill level. I had a bad feeling about it, but I knew it wasn't going to catch me out.
At the end of Old Wire, I turned around and rode home at tempo.
Don't know what, if anything, happened...
I got my saddle time, and got rid of more "stuff".

Thinking I might head out to The Powerstation this morning to spin the legs....

Happy Dromedary Day....

Coming back to life

So after the better part of a week, I got back on the bike...
Friday was a test.
Easy HoP on the road bike. Got ride of a lot of "stuff" that was lingering in my head. Pleasant...I know.
Saturday, nothing but a 90km roll through the Swamp. Weather was perfect. 70s and overcast. I wore a baselayer. Whaaaat?
Sunday was a rainy affair. We did the Tues/Thurs loop in a light rain. Just enough moisture to exacerbate the creak that I'm chasing on the Ridley, and make it very, very dirty.
And had a bit of a scare on a raised white line. The front wheel caught it, and decided to head off in a direction other than straight ahead.
Fortunately, the combination of sticky Vittoria Open Corsas, and superior handling skills, kept me vertical and traveling forward. There was a moment of pucker though...
The drugs are working, and the "stuff" in my head is becoming less and less.
I'd like to ride this morning, but I just don't see it happening. It's wet, sort of dark, and I'm tired.
Not to mention that I need to give the Salsa some attention, and make sure the creak emanating from the Ridley has been silenced.
And Target...there's always a trip to Target....

Did you guys know that a CX bike could be ridden on groomed singletrack?

Dirt Merchant & A-Line with CX bike

Who knew?



Me...that's who...except I'm riding UP hill...

Had a few good photos to upload, but The Googles seems to be acting up this morning.

Time to take #3 to school, and head to Target. The joy that is my life on a rainy Monday morning....

Ain't it always the way...

After last Tuesday's swim, er...I mean ride, I really didn't feel like getting wet again on Wednesday. Skies were sort of threatening, and it drizzled early, but knowing I couldn't ride Thursday due to family commitments, I went out anyway.

The thought was to join the OSB ride, but I guess they're all made of sugar, as the mere chance of rain scared everyone off.

I did the HoP, and went home. Not a drop of rain fell...

No ridey for the rest of the week...

Saturday, most of our little band headed to Clinton for The Flight of The Dove.

Great ride, great support, great cause.

Getting up at 5am really sucks though. 

Got there, kitted up, and rolled at 8. Deciding not to get caught in the mayhem, we let the front group roll away. After a few miles, certain chaff had been dropped, and three or four little groups came together to form a nice second bunch.

We rolled together at 35-40kmh for a long while.

Before the left turn to head into Cross Anchor, a tacit agreement had been made to make a quick stop at RS #3, right around the 65km mark. A few of us rolled to the back, and started to slow. About that time, the guys who were on the front decided to ignore the agreement, and rolled past the RS at high speed. 

Oh well...see ya later.

Doug and I stopped, filled bottles, and rolled the remainder of the 101km together. 

Gotta say...it was a good ride. Much better than last year, when I came apart in a fairly spectacular fashion.

3 hours. Easy peasy.

I did a quick change, jumped in The Beast, and was home by 12:30.

Then I got the privilege of listening to my In-Laws yammer for the rest of the afternoon. Should have just driven past the house...

Spun for a bit Sunday. #2 wanted to go, so we hit the dirt road for nearly 90 minutes. He hung in. No whinging at all. That being said, he DID hit the rack, of his own volition, at 7:30 that night. 

All of the MTs went to school yesterday (finally) so I hit the PowerStation. Felt REALLY good. Just sort of stomped the pedals. This is where things went downhill...

About 3pm, I started to feel like shit. Full head. Ripping headache. Hello end of Summer sinus infection...nice of you to join us. MFer....
No sleep last night. Head feels like a football. I feel rough...

A few good rides, some good feelings in the legs...and this...

The Neti Pot and I have become very close since yesterday afternoon...

No ridey tonight...

I might be out Thursday. Definitely by the weekend...

Nibali getting the stickiest bottle EVER.

He got tossed from the Vuelta for it. His team's response? "Show me an honest rider..."

Seriously...GFY Astana.

And you want some argy-bargy?

And you thought Cat 3 crits were crazy....

I need to go lay down...

Happy Tuesday...I'll be under the couch...

A ride with many, many things....

Left late.
Train at the bottom of Rosewood.
Train at Huger.
Raced the train to the Frat/Sorrow Country Club.
Beat it by about 100m.
Took life by the hand to ride through the CC.
Made it to the ride.
Big group.
Seemingly a quick ride. Felt quick. Probably wasn't.
A little rain fell.
I slid a bit on the traffic circle. Sat up, knowing I had to ride home.
Rain started to fall harder.
Looked a bit like this off to the South...

Thought I could beat it home.
Wind picked UP. Rain fell harder.
Rain became blinding. Gusts to 30-ish mph. Was that hail?
Yes...it was hail. Tiny, little, stinging hail.
Rain falling in torrential sheets. That was DEFINITELY lightning.
Got flying monkeys dark. Didn't see the Wicked Witch.

May have stopped if I had. (That's Rachel Weisz BTW)
Didn't stop...already soaked.
Water FLOWING down the road. Hope there's not a pothole.
Dude in a Jeep pulls up beside me to make sure I'm okay. Thanks man! Appreciate your concern.
Big ringed up the hill on Rosewood, and all the way up through the 'hood.
Rode harder to get home that the group ride itself.
Made it back to Service Course.
It was hectic for a little while. Not quite Summer 2011 hectic, but alarming nonetheless.

Wiped down the Noah. Should probably go down and see if it needs to be drained. And re-lube the bits that need it.

It was a good time.

A whole lotta nothing...

Woke up at the crack of 8 on Saturday. It was a mountain weekend for a lot of folks. Not me...
#2 and I loaded up the bikes, the trailer, and various trail clearing implements, and headed out to The Powerstation.
Logs, limbs, and vines were cut and cleared. Previous fallen stuff that would cause problems was raked away.
You're welcome.
And a few of us are formulating a plan to build a crossing over the washout, which is quickly becoming a ravine. One side is rideable...for now...if you have the necessary skill.
It was a good morning. QT spent with the boy, and some good bike karma earned.
Woke up late again Sunday, and did the HoP loop on the road bike. Easy peasy. Made the mistake of coming in on Pulaski, through the Vista. Must have been move in day at the new apartments built down there, as there was a line of about 500 kids and parents. Poor planning on a whole lot of ends.
No thanks...
Once home, I fiddled with the bikes for a bit. New cleats on the road shoes, and general cleaning. I did put a 25mm Vittoria Open Corsa on the Williams WS28 wheels.
Two things :
1) The tire is HUGE. I mean appreciably big. It will likely be the setup for Winter riding.
2) It clears the brakes and stays on the Noah, but BARELY. There MIGHT be 2.5mm clearance on each plane.
Should be interesting to ride. We'll jump off that bridge when we come to it...

 A properly fitting skinsuit. Cipollini, of course...

 Who did the surgery on Peter Stetina's leg? Dr. Mengele? Did his leg get broken OFF?
On the serious, practical tip, how big of a fit issue did this create? That's a whole lot of bent leg going on.
Makes Phinney's leg look like a flesh wound.

If you see someone do this to a Coppi track frame, assault them, and liberate the bike. That shit's just not right!

Time to go buy a computer for the bike. I thought I could go without, but the habit of looking down at a little LCD screen is too ingrained. It's not Froome-esque, by any stretch, but a habit nonetheless.

Happy Monday...first day of school here. So quiet....

Oy vey...my back...

So a week at the beach, throwing children around in the surf, not to mention the driving involved to get to and fro, will jack up a brother's back.
Tuesday and Thursday night's rides were WAY harder than they should have been simply because my back hurt when I tried to pedal with any sort of force.
Fortunately, I got a good Renicking this morning.
Speaking of T/Th rides, the one who shall not be mentioned was in normal form, which is to say, riding like a numpty.
Dropped on Tuesday, only to catch on at a red light, then attacks the group at the sprint. Ran a stop sign in front of traffic Thursday in order to get away from the group. Pssst....we let you go. Take the hint...AND GO!

At least the weather was really nice this week. Cooler, and less humidity. Yeah, I know it was still 90, but it's all relative.

There are two groups headed to the mountains this weekend. One Saturday, and one Sunday. Both will be 100km-ish mile rides. Should be a good time.
I'm staying home. I'm tired, and honestly, don't care to get into another car for a while. I've driven in excess of 40 hours in the last 30 days. No more windshield time for a while.
Instead, #2 MT and I are going to head out the The Powerstation in the morning for some trail work. Probably be out there around 10am, if anyone is interested.
Lots of trees, branches, and various other detritus to clean up after all of the storms.

The Secret Pro had an interesting entry over at CyclingTips...
He always has some surprises. One thing that wasn't surprising is the behavior of Garmin-Cannondale's management towards it's riders.

"Word on the grapevine is that the team has been pretty shitty with certain riders after the Tour, but that’s nothing new. One of their riders who failed to finish the Tour didn’t get invited to the after-Tour team dinner in Paris, something I’ve never heard of. Usually if you’ve been in the race you get to attend and have some sort of celebration."

Really? Not inviting riders to the team party? No wonder Dan Martin refused their contract offer, and is going to QuickStep. Vaughters needs to go away, and let his riders out from under his "management". 
Wonder how all of the Garmin fanboys/girls, and Fauxperts will defend it? 

Parlee went next level with this paintjob.

Custom BMW R90 dirt tracker. Shut up and take my money!!!

And I'll leave with this...

It's a $285, leather covered, bike lock. Shinola is pushing the boundaries of common sense. Seriously. This makes Rapha shit look like an intelligent choice. It doesn't protect your rig any better either. It's a fucking artisan bike lock.

Hipsters, meet your new God.
It's difficult to type while shaking my head. Try it...

Back to Reality

Ugh...
Monday after vacation. Depressing...
At least there's only a week until school starts, and I can ship of the MTs for most of the day.
I really feel bad for The Boss. She had to go back to the office today. I say this because 2 of her 3 underlings are about as emotionally mature as 9 year olds.
They evidently went after each other all week.
I'm honestly convinced one of them has Asperger's.

Anyway...
We drove back for our #undisclosedlocation Saturday. Nearly the entire trip through rural Georgia. We decided that there are four crops in Georgia.
Peanuts. Cotton. Soybeans. Pecans.
That's all we saw.
As Dean pointed out, 3 of the 4 are crops with healthy Government subsidies.
The drive home was uneventful, if not outright boring. The Beast performed admirably, as always. Swallowed up 6 people, and a dog, along with all of out shit, and ran like a champ.

I pulled the Ridley off the roof when we hit Service Course. It was foul. A week's worth of riding, in sun and rain, on tarmac and dirt, PLUS 1000 miles on the roof makes a white bike REALLY nasty.
And I don't know what kind of bugs are flying around in rural Ga., but when they hit the bike, they exploded. Little red firework-esque explosions of bug guts. Puke....
Even though I was dog tired, the bike got cleaned. My OCD prevented it from staying that way.

I rolled out Sunday, and met M & D at the spot for an easy Sunday spin. I felt a bit wrecked, but needed it to get some blood moving. 65km later, I was home.
The yard got cleaned. Thanks last week's storms. The front door was disassembled. Thanks last week's storms. A Whole Foods run was made. And The Beast got a bath to remove the salt, sand, and Ga. bugs.
The remainder of my day was spent lounging on the couch.
Oh, and replacing the bar tape on the Ridley. It was just gross...

 Had a good ride with #2 one of the days. The headwind was brutal, but he said it was cool, it "...makes him stronger..."
True dat buddy, true dat...

Later that night, we rode down to the lighthouse.  Not a bad spin with the kids.

Friday, The Boss wanted to go to a remote beach, so I helped her load the MTs, and then headed out on the bike, and met them there.
I did a few small loops, trying to hide from the 20+ mph breeze off the water, then hit the main road to roll it to our meeting spot. Once on the main road, I had those winds at my back. 40-45kmh was NO effort. Just turned it over. 50kmh was easily obtained.
When I hit the last section of road, through the dunes, I gave it some stick, and stayed over 50kmh for about 10 minutes. It was like motorpacing. So good.
And it was worth the effort....

And now, I get to look up the school supplies list for the MTs. Oh, and a few days make a World of difference.

Enjoy your Monday! I'm going to muddle through...

#undisclosedlocation

I'm on vacation. I'm not telling you where, as I don't want to advertise the spot, and have people come here and ruin it. Just keep enjoying Myrtle Beach and Folly. I hear the sharks are plentiful there right now.

The bike is getting used. A nice big loop was mapped out. about 90-ish minutes for the whole thing. Or it can be shortened/lengthened by on one of the smaller, inner loops. Also discovered a dirt road that cuts through the ancient dunes, and delivers one to the water's edge.
Yeah...I brought the Ridley, but it's only dirt.  

 As far as the eye can see...

 ...or until you hit the water.

It's just a little dirt.

I ran across a woman on a fat bike way out on the dirt. She told me I had the wrong bike. I wonder if she knows that she has a keen sense of irony?

Gonna saddle up for another couple of hours here shortly. I'm in no rush. I'm on vacation.

And to those surprised/shocked/saddened by the news that Tom Danielson got popped, again, for dope...well...you might be part of the problem. 

The guy has doped his entire career. He is the epitome of the phrase "...a donkey into a racehorse...".

He doped while he rode mountain bikes, and that got him his road contracts.

He doped on all of his road teams.

He admitted to blood doping, and served a pittance of a 6 month ban in 2012. The ONLY reason he only got 6 months was the fact that he testified against Lance. 

I have a friend who raced MTBs against him, and used to thump him SOUNDLY at NORBA events. Then, one Spring, TommyD shows up, and starts winning. Hmmmm....

He's also been known to have a dalliance, or 12, with podium girls while his wife was back at home with the kids.

He's a quality human being. 

Vaughters is another lying sack of schmuck. He employs these dopers, and being a doper himself, he defends them. 

TommyT needs the death penalty. No more racing for you. And Vaughters needs to quit, like he said he would if any of his guys on Garmin got popped. He won't though. He's never had the courage of his convictions.

Maybe Danielson can start his own Gran Fondo now. It seems to have worked for others....

Alright...enough for today...

I'm gonna go out on the bike. Then maybe lounge in the pool. Yeah...the house at the beach has a pool. Don't knock it until you try it! I was a skeptic at first too...

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...