And so the adventure begins...

As if I don't have enough other BS on my plate, I've decided to tackle the new paintwork on the Salsa CX frame myself. 
Supplies for stripping and priming were purchased this morning. 

PRO-TIP : The heavy duty spray-on stripper is nothing to muck about with...!  As seen in the picture, it bubbled the paint on the frame in about 5 minutes. 
Wear gloves!  Wear a mask!  Wear longsleeves!  Don't get the vapors/overspray on your bare skin.  It burns!  Not like an "I'm on fire, WTF, am I gonna die?" burn, but just an incessant, light stinging that requires nothing short of a shower to get rid of.

I'm still on the fence about paint color.  The winning choice, as of 1:29 on Tuesday, is pearl white.  As one can see, I have taped off a large section of downtube.  It will remain the original creamsicle orange color.  I'm a firm believer in leaving a section of whatever I'm refurbishing as a nod to it's previous life.  Plus, the panel will look pretty dope when I'm done painting and lining the frame.

The new full carbon fork and FSA compressor plug have been ordered.  The 7800 that came off the Ridley will be hanging on the Las Cruces, so it should be pretty light. 

Sure, I could have bought a new frameset, but why?  Anything short of high end carbon isn't any better, and I have a bit of an attachment to this frame.  Plus, I already OWN it! 

The process will be longer than necessary, as I have parental responsibilities that I cannot shirk.  Damn kids...and the fact I'm not going to half-ass the job.  A couple coats of primer, wet-sanded, followed by a few coats of paint, all wet-sanded, will ensure both a good finish, and satisfaction of my OCD.

Happy Tuesday! 

Monday and my $.02

Whooo-hoooo!  I rode outside twice over the weekend.  Neither ride was of any quality, nor quantity, but I got some fresh outside air and sunshine on my paler than usual self.  And I rode the CX bike.  The very same one than landed on top of me when I fell off the log @ FATS. 
This week will be a bit of a bust, considering Junior Mgmt. has swimming lessons again this week...and they start @ 6pm.  That's cool though...at this point, time spent with them is trumping time spent on the bike...and it's gonna be brutally hot again this week. 
I may go down and get the AC unit put back in The ManHole(tm), and spin on the turbo in front of the TV. 

Good show by Marianne Vos yesterday.  3 got away, and stayed away.  The first half of the race was little more than a group ride, but the last 40-50k was a ripper.  Good stuff.  I loved seeing Vos just overcome with emotion.  Truly a moment of humanity.  Of course, she could have also been upset that, despite the fact she just won a Gold medal, all of the photos of said win would be of her wearing that ridiculous Giro Air Attack helmet.

And now my $.02

Radios were banned in both Olympic Road Races, and you know what?  In my admittedly concussion-affected mind, it made for better racing.  Everyone had to be on their toes.  Attacks went and were covered immediately.  And then, when it came down to brass tacks, breaks got away.  Breaks that would have NEVER been given gaps had there been radios.
If there HAD been 2-way communications, team directors would have been losing their collective shit when Vino and Uran rolled away.  You don't let Vino go up the road.  If you do, the loss was deserved.  Same with Vos.  It's not like she is an unknown quantity.  Sure, someone else, but Marianne Vos?  And taking someone like Lizzie Armitstead with her?  See my previous comment about losses...

I think there's a place for radios.  I don't think everyone in the bunch should have them.  Maybe one or two domestiques from each team.  From a pure standpoint of safety, they are good.  Crashes, flats, mechanicals...sure, but just to tell riders that there's a pothole in the road at kilometer 73?  Nope...
Racers would have to rely on their wits and experience...and maybe study the parcours.  You know, like the old days.
I'm no luddite, but sometimes technology takes away from the racing.

As Dennis Miller would say, "That's just my opinion, I could be wrong..."

 And speaking of helmets...
He took the time to put his compression gear on correctly at least...

Now enjoy your Monday.  And remember, riding bikes does a body good....

Namaste...

Vino for President 2012

 "Opulence?  I has it!"

Vino took out the Oly RR in fine fashion.  He and Uran attacked, and the group let them go.  Good win by a good racer, and all-around hardman!
And to those who are questioning his win, go jump!  I could make the argument, but I'll let Vino do it himself...

"While reading the press comments regarding my last victory in Liege-Bastogne-Liege I was deeply saddened. I don’t understand this persecution against me.

I can’t do anything against the doubts hanging over me since the 2007 case, but I reject all the accusations brought against me today, without any evidence. Since my return in August, I have always been honest with the press, I responded to all requests for interviews, I have hidden nothing.

Ironically, my victory in Liège seems to revive old jealousies for which I am not responsible. The media comments contrast with the hundreds of congratulatory messages from fans that I keep getting on my website and my Facebook page. I don’t understand this discrepancy.

As if I had to be forbidden of success on my bike to leave everyone with a clear conscience. In which sport are we allowed to be at the start of a competition without the right to win?

I love cycling, it gave me everything and I want to give it good things in return. I paid two years on suspension for the dark years of my career. If I repeated that I didn’t want to talk about it, it’s only for the sake of my sport. I don’t think cycling needs to reconsider all these dirty stories to move forward. This is my personal vision of this problem, everybody is not obliged to share it. Obviously my attitude that I consider the most correct and most respectful way possible is one more time misinterpreted. I'm sorry.

Again, I have nothing to hide. Since my come back I have been the subject of more than 30 doping tests, all negatives, including 21 in the context of the Adams [the whereabouts system]. This allows me to validate my biological passport and therefore to race. In Tenerife, where I had my recent training before the Tour of Trentino that arose the indignation of some journalists, I was subject to two unannounced blood and urine tests in two weeks. I can’t do more than what the sport regulations ask me, to prove my honesty.

Today, I only wish to be respected as I respect everyone, my colleagues in the peloton as well as the journalists. I don’t want to be the only and too easy target for all the ills of cycling."

-A. Vinokourov

He ain't wrong...

Real class shown by the British fans too.  Booing Vino after his win, and yelling "doper".  Betting they would have kept traps shut had Millar won today.  

The best part?  

Pat McQuaid looked like he passed a fucking stone.  I love it.  How's it taste Pat?  Seems by your face that it's bitter...

Oh, and I actually rode outside today.  First time in nearly month.  The knee felt pretty good, but the legs as a whole wondered what the hell was going on for the first hour.  24 days of inactivity makes the body a bit wonky.  I felt like a lab pup hitting a growth spurt.  No matter, it came back around, and felt nice to be out in the sorta fresh air.

 No info?  No problemo...!

Me and KT and become pretty close lately.  The shit works...

OK...another ride outside tomorrow...

Time to start searching for some parts to get the Salsa rebuilt (again)...

Peace and Phil Wood Grease!

Pro-Tip...

Today's Pro-Tip...



If you encounter wild horses, or any wild animal, on a ride, remember that said animal has the ability to bite the shit out of you!

And I know I've posted this video before, but it merits a re-post...



3.5 weeks off the bike.  I can't tell if I'm itchy to ride, or itchy to sell all of my shit at this point.  I'm going to ride tomorrow morning.  Haven't decided if the turbo, or if I'll actually venture outside.  The "pain" has largely subsided, but the stiffness remains.  It was suggested that I spin easily, just to knock the rust off, and to get some blood flowing.  I'm down with that plan.  

Now to do a little work for the Boss.  We have to order a new vehicle, and I've been tasked with figuring out what oddball combination of colors and packages will yield the vehicle we desire.  Of course, the Toyota website is excruciatingly difficult to navigate, so the task will take longer than it really should.  Doing this did give us the Boss' current vehicle, so what's 30 minutes between friends?

And the Salsa is gonna get torn down this weekend and sent to the powdercoater.  As much as I WANT a new CX frame, one just simply is not warranted.  The Salsa is light, stiff, fits, and I own it.  With a new full-carbon fork, and the 7800 group, it won't be heavy, and my costs will be pretty minimal.  It won't be a "new" bike, but it will be just fine for what I'm doing with it...

And on that note, have a good and productive weekend.  Namaste.

What a Bitch!

Kevin Van Hoovels should really lose his Belgian citizenship for this behavior! 

TdF 2012

Le Tour in 100 pictures....

Happy Tuesday!

#@*%*!$#*@%&#!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So last night, I decide to be a good doggie daddy, and give our poor, aged JRT a bath.  Upon lifting her boney, 14 pound body from the tub, I step on an errant (see also : left on the floor by the Boss) baby bath toy.  I slip, and catch myself.  No problems, right? 
Oh yeah, I twisted my knee...AGAIN.  FUUUUUUUUUUUU...............!  Swollen, tender, sore, stiff...I can't find my thesaurus, so those words will have to suffice. 
I'm strapped up with the finest tape that KT Tape produces, and have made an appointment to see the Surgeon about the knee.  There's a definite injury in there now...
Did I say FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU.............! a moment ago.  Oh, I did?  OK....

My other duties don't stop, so I guess I'm gimping around in pain for the foreseeable future.  Super.

 Where's the cardboard Johan Bruyneel cutout?  Nice short dresses on the podium girls too! 

 Have people not learned that Hinault will beat you if you hop on the podium? 

 Stellar ride by Tejay.  Kid is a stud.  Outpaced his 'team leader' with absolutely no support. 

And Sagan.  Another horse.  First Tour...Maillot Vert.  Nice work young man!  And check that chainring!  It's not a 53!  Kudos to Cannondale too, for actually taking the time to use the Pantone color guide to accurately match the greens...unlike Pinarello, who just threw some Ferrari Fly Yellow on Wiggo's Dogma. 

Don't know what to do about riding/exercise?  Anybody have a Schwinn AirDyne?  Lifting weights is out, as muscle memory is a cruel mistress.  I really don't need to get any bigger.  I guess a radical change in diet is on the horizon.  Less calories out means less calories in...dammit...

Hope you have a better day than me!

Back on the horse...a little...

So the knee isn't so painful anymore.  If you come to this little page of dumbness regularly, you know my intense disdain for the trainer.  That has not changed, but the dirty bastard will serve a purpose over the next week or so.
Instead of riding outside, and trying to go too hard, or even falling off the bike...again, I rode the turbo this weekend.  An hour Saturday, and an hour Sunday.
The leg is stiff, but it rolled around without issue.  This shall be the schedule for the next week or so.  Plus it's hot as balls in the ManHole(tm), so while I'm not exactly getting any fitter, I'm sweating like a Lindsay Graham Republican.

And I watched the 2011 Roubaix DVD.  I'd forgotten how big of a pussy Hushovd was in that race...

 Au revoir Big George!  Thanks for the memories.  Maybe we'll see you at Donaldson Center...

 I wore my Doc Martens this morning while watching the stage into Paris.  It just felt right...

 Wiggo wins.  Stamps his authority on the final TT...like a BOSS!  Some said the Tour was boring.  Those same people have probably only watched the Tour since Lance won #5.  No frame of reference.  If you watched the Indurain years, then you know boring...

 Och showing that they only has SMedium shirts left at BMC Service Course...

 My favorite photo of the Tour...

Brian Holm looks pissed.  I would be too.  Zero results.  Highest placed rider in 27th...and it wasn't the angry midget.  He finished 32nd.  Stick to the Classics boys...

I'm ready for a beach trip...

Peace and Phil Wood grease!

End o' the week...

Thankfully...
I'm pretty much over it.  Haven't ridden in two+ weeks.  Been working like a slave around here.  Moved 3 yards of gravel yesterday in just under two hours...by hand.  Rocky training.  Got up this morning and felt like the side of beef that Rocky beat the shit out of in the movie.

Gonna attempt to ride in the morning.  Something slow and easy to see how the knee feels.

 Big George ate it yesterday.  Got up and finished...dragging Cuddles to the line...#profi

 Yeah, the shirtless guy handing out musette's to GreenEdge?  Robbie McEwen.  Nice!

And Cav went from 500+ today, and showed CLEAN wheels to the bunch.  Not even close.
And speaking of Le Tour, a giant Newfoundland dog got loose and ran out today.  Several riders crashed...several didn't.  It was an accident, nothing more.  It's not like the owner deliberately sent the dog out into the road.  Sure, I'd be upset too, but Gilbert went too far.  He went after the dog, and the owner.  In the video, a little girl was cowering in fear.  Really?
I lost a little respect for ole PhilGil today.  That's a punk move, period.  Lucky the big ass dog didn't take it as a threat and eat his boney ass.  Newfies are gentle until you threaten their people...then you get 150+ pounds of black dog gnawing on you!

Go ride this weekend.

Namaste!

A little something...

 Just a quick reminder from Sky's head wrench in case you had plans to fondle Wiggo's back-up bike...

 This one is a two-parter:
1) It's just a nice pic of a tired old dog, and who doesn't like that?
2) Is this where bike companies got the idea for the under stay brake?

Yes Peter, you certainly do...

 Frank is missing Andy something fierce!






>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Yeah...it's nice....>>>>>>>>>>>>>>









And this is just funny...

Nothing going on here.  Waiting for the OK from the Doc to ride.  Probably Thursday...easy.  I'm becoming increasingly difficult to get along with...
I need to get out of the house!   Trips to Lowe's and Target aren't cutting it...

Maybe some retail therapy is in order...

Namaste...

Sunday...

So the Boss is leaving to day for something or other in Charleston.  She'll be back tomorrow night, so I'm single parenting until then, like that's any great change from usual.
It just means no ridey on Sunday morning for the kid.  No big deal.  I tried to ride yesterday, and was borderline one-legging it.  My knee is just not good.  Nothing torn, or broken, just a seriously strained/sprained LCL.  To add insult to injury (literally), I flatted before we ever crossed the river.  Maybe that was sign that I should have just stayed home.  Oh well...

Instead of, I don't know, coming home, icing the knee, and lazing about, I went outside and finished placing the lumber in the driveway.  Nothing like hossing around 200 lb. 6x6x8 timers with a bad wheel.  I did get to break out the chainsaw though.  I like the chainsaw...it keeps my derelict neighbors on their toes.  Either way, the new timbers are DONE.  Now to order the stone to go in the driveway.  Sweey...more manual labor.

I'm guessing you're all watching the Tour, so there's no need for a recap...you know what happened.

Here's a KICKASS video of the Tour anyway...from 1962...pay attention @ 8:30...the more things change...

 Baller knows no age...nor race...

 Yep, that's a whole lot of broken high dollar shit...

 To those who think Cav is a shitty teammate.  Name another WC you've seen going back to the team car for bottles.  Go ahead...I'll wait...

 "You know, without looking, it DOES feel just like Andy's..."

Ok...time to lay around.  Not working today.  Of course, I've already been to Publix, and washed the truck.  It's 10am...

Namaste...

So, the Tour looks to be over...

Is there a feed to the Tour of Poland?  Looks like the racing there is pretty good.  Stybar won the stage in Poland today, over a bunch of dudes with names that are difficult, at best, to pronounce.

As The Rev said earlier, it looks like the Tour will NOT be won by the strongest rider.  Froome and VanGarderen were the horses today, but as one is wont to do with strong horses, they were both required to pull others around.  That's why race radios suck.  While those of us who can remember the 1986 Tour (yes, the Tour is really old) were jumping up and down, hoping Froome could play the part of Hinault to Wiggo's LeMond, poor Chris was called back to the team leader.  Weaksauce...
He should have just kept going and claimed his radio was dead.

And Tejay waiting on Cadel?  Fuck Cuddles.  He's not even gonna get on the podium.  Go up the road young man!  Blow it up!

 Once again, DrunkCyclist hits the nail on the head...

 Speaking of the Tour of Poland, poor Niki Terpstra crashed out, but couldn't leave the race until they frisked him.

And I know Tommy V lost the polka dot jersey today, but the look on his face is priceless.  Reminds me of this scene...

No ridey tonight.  the plan was to go out and spin around, but thunder and rain said NO!  That's cool...a couple more days to rest the knee.  I can tell I've spent enough time off the bike, as I'm getting itchy, and feeling guilty for not riding.

Oh, and file this under bullshit.  Hmmm...not hard to connect the dots.  Kevin Livingston runs Medalist.  Livingston and the UniBaller are chummy.  Andreu runs Kenda/5 Hour.  Somehow, one of the strongest teams in the US gets a snub.  Also curious that Bontrager-Livestrong GOT a bid to Utah...
Remember, a fish goes rotten at the head first....
Is Livingston still living in Lance's basement?

OK...enjoy your evening...

Namaste...

Massa got me workin'...

Jesus...
Yes, I feel like the Mexican guy who lives around the corner.  The Boss has been off work since last Wednesday, and she's been working me like she picked me up in front of Home Depot.
200+ feet of wood fence pressure washed?  Check!
5 cubic yards of gravel and dirt removed from driveway?  Check!
11 6x6x8 timbers picked up from Lowe's?  Check!

And it seems like my days as a back-pimp are over, as I returned the back-hoe this morning.  One would think that running a backhoe is easy, relaxing work.  I'm fried.  My hands are dead from all of the above work, and I'm mentally just gone, like that I was ever really present anyway. 
Constantly paying attention to one's surroundings while operating a 2.5 ton tractor-like backhoe vehicle is taxing.  The opportunity to inflict damage to pretty much everything in a small/medium-sized radius is omnipresent.  Care must be taken...and that made my brain hurt!

Thank Dog she went back to work this morning.  I can get some rest...

This is much how our conversations have gone the past several days....

 Yes, Sagan rode a wheelie up the climb @ Belles Filles.  Badass...!  Video is below...yes, he is riding a wheelie with no hands...

Look, it's the new Clif Bar flavor...salt-cured pork meat....

She must work out...(name the movie...not a hard one!)

Still off the bike.  Knee is getting better.  Still sore, and a bit painful, but it seems all of the manual labor I've been engaged in has served as a sort of physical therapy.  A couple more days off the bike...
And I'm sort of glad I missed the WeCola ride last Thursday.  According to Il Prof, there were a couple of incidents.  A crash due to over-lapping wheels, which is pretty silly on a group ride, and a bicycle vs. car run-in because someone was a bit too eager and ran a red light (the bike).
Guys...it's a group ride.  Running the stop signs @ 321, and running lights?  Really?  Folks in cars are already trying to kill us!  Don't make it easier!

Okay...gotta jet...
Have a Good Monday!

Poor little Tyler...

Okay.  Dude crashes a lot.  When you watch the video, click thru to Youtube and look at all of the related videos.  They are all "Farrar crashes...." from different races.
Get a CX bike man.  You'll be better for it.
And after analyzing the crash video, he took himself out.  The boy tried to push into a line, and Peter Veelers from Argos-Shimano said NOPE!  Then Petacchi slammed the door.  Sorry TyTy, but you're to blame...

Oh, and if you're gonna go after someone in their own team bus, go in hard.  Start pushing and shoving.  Get loud.  Throw a forearm shiver if necessary.  Don't go over, act mad, get man-handled by a couple of 145 pound guys, then whine like 14 year old girl who got cut from cheerleading.  Man up Buttercup!

Look...he had poo-poo face before he crossed the finish line.  Maybe Garmin-Sharp is courting new potential sponsors.  Garmin-Sharp-Kleenex?  Garmin-Sharp-Midol?  Should be Garmin-Sharp-BandAid...

 I can't decide what's going on in this shot of Jens.  Is he listening intently to the question, or is he trying to crush the reporter's head using only his mind?  Is he thinking, "You know, I could kill this guy, and no one would ever question my reasoning..."

 BREAKING NEWS : Leipheimer's TT bike stolen from the OPQS team truck.  Any info should be forwarded to : angrymidget@OPQS.com

And as a closer, I think we should all start following Heidu Klum on Twitter.  No real reason why...


Time to go pressure wash the fence.  Can't ride...knee is still stiff and sore.  May as well be productive.

Have a good Friday. 

Namaste!

Well, that was fun...

...right up to the point of the injury...
Seriously though, it was fun.  JBrstl and I loaded up yesterday, and headed to FATS for a 4th of July adventure.  We met Hackathorne, Damon, Toby S, and one other at the trail head, and rolled out.  Did I mention that they were all on 29ers, and Bristol and I were riding CX bikes?  Yeah, we saw them for 10 minutes in the parking lot, then a couple of times on the trail, and that was it.  No worries though, it was good to see the smiling faces of guys I consider friends, and who actually enjoy riding their bicycles.
(Not to self : Go to Charleston and ride with Hackathorne...soon...)

We did the bottom three loops @ FATS, and I can say with some degree of certainty, that they are big fun, even when getting the shit beaten out of us on skinny CX tires, and very rigid CX bikes.  About 1/2 way, the was a LARGE pine tree across the trail.  It had obviously been there for a long while, as the bark was gone, and someone built a step-up to get over it.  Instead of merely getting off, climbing over, and re-mounting, I chose to be a wiseass and attempt a CX dismount/remount.  My carbon soled Diadoras chose NOT to grip the top of the log, and I slipped off the back side.  My left leg got caught under me, and bent at an angle one can only call, obtuse.  I felt, and heard, a POP, and was on the ground...bike on top of me. 

As I rocked back and forth, much like a Romanian orphan, contemplating the pain/damage, I came to the realization that we were WAAAY back in the woods, and my only real option was to go all Rule #5, and finish the ride.  And so I did...

That mishap notwithstanding, it was a good time, and something different that drove home the fact that i really like to ride bikes!

Today, the knee is STIFF, and SORE, but remarkably undamaged.  Slight sprain...nothing more.  A few days off the bike, then a few easy days, and I'll be back to the low-functioning idiot I was before. 

Only one pic today, but there's so much wrong with it that it should hold you over for a while...

Hydraulic brakes, Di2, and Garmin three-way.  Looks like two octopi making with the bang bang.  What a fucking mess....

Oh, and Il Prof is starting his West Coast Madness Tour in the coming days.  Follow his (mis)adventures...

Have a good day... #namaste

Another Monday? Oy...

 Alan Gilbert is cooler than you...

 Sagan proved that he is, in fact, a full grown man.  Here are his SRM stats from yesterday.  You should sell yours now...

 I'm really torn on this one.  Cool, or does it look jacked up?

 Hope you like your stem slammed though!!!

 Andre GriePool?  Not helping the whole "cyclists are homos" thing guys...just not helping!

DZ didn't do great in the prologue, but this picture is pretty badass, in a jingo-istic, America...Fuck Yeah sort of way...

Ok...stay inside...gonna be 127 again today...

And there's talk of a quick trip to FATS on Wednesday.  CX or MTB bikes.  No Strava sections, or penile comparisons, just some fun in the woods near where the Irish Travelers live.

#namaste