Kudo's

I've got to say, George Hincapie has got to be my favorite cyclist. As you may know George won the USPRO road race on Sun. Not only did he win, he won with style and only one other teammate present in the race; not to mention that that teammate, Craig Lewis, was diagnosed with Swine Flu a week ago. Way to go!

It reminds me of a near freak accident that could have seen his pro cycling career taken away... by me. About a year ago I was in Greenville SC with my girlfriend who was running a marathon. We were on our way to the ball park to register for the event and a little stressed both by the unfamiliar surroundings and the lack of parking. As we took our third pass around the many parking lots I saw a spot and made a quick dash for it right as a nice looking fellow dressed modestly in jeans and a red hoodie stepped out from behind an unfortunately large SUV. Fortunately, I posses cat like reflexes and applied the brake liberally giving this mystery pedestrian a bit of a scare. I gave a quick wave to signal "my bad" when I realized that I had almost run over George Hincapie (if ever you read this Mr. Hincapie, I'm sorry). I'm sure that the thought of a career ending crash is ever present in the mind of Pro bikers but I doubt they see it coming from the front bumper of a 2003 Ford Focus.

Makes you think...

Not exactly a newsflash

Here's a shocker: Armstrong admits that there was 'tension' on the Astana team during the Tour. Ferreals? Quel surprise.

Check that, not just tension, but 'real tension,' according to his quote in the CyclingNews article. I dunno Lance, sounds pretty serious. What did you do about it? "There were not only tensions between him [Contador] and me, but other people [were] involved. There was quiet at the dinner table more than once." Whoa. And uncomfortable silence at the dinner table? For shame.

I know that this comes as a surprise to no one, especially given some of the quotes that Armstrong and Contador made in the weeks following the Tour, but I suppose the confirmation is worth something. Interestingly, later on in the article Armstrong does say that he'll be going for a Tour win in '10, and not riding for someone else on the team. Again, not a shocker, but it does mean that Contador and Armstrong will be going wheel-to-wheel next summer.

In the meantime, though, it seems like Armstrong is pursuing attractions of a more musical kind. Keep it real, yo!

NC: represent

Winston-Salem's own John Hamblin finished a somewhat impressive 22nd place in the US Pro Championships ITT. Linus said he was the first starter, which must be a tough position. This placing may seem less impressive given that there were only 23 listed finishers, but he did almost beat Floyd Landis. Nevertheless, Hamblin gets mad props from me for (1) being one of the most dominant cyclocross racers in the NC scene, (2) getting to ride on Richard Sachs' team, (3) being a friendly fellow, and most of all (4) throwin' down, even if it means getting worked-over. I can identify. Hamblin was to Zabriskie at Nationals like I am to Hamblin at NC cyclocross races. He found the toughest race he could compete in, showed up, busted his ass, finishing second-to-last, and is now preparing for the next race. I don't actually know him, so I don't know if he's happy with his finish or he's pissed (I'm guessing he would have been stoked to at least beat Floyd). But I like to think that he's content that he's out there fighting the good fight. So if you see him at a race in NC (or anywhere), cheer for him (don't worry, you can still cheer for me, I'll be coming along many minutes later). If you see him in a bar in NC (or anywhere), buy him a beer (don't worry, you can still buy a beer for me, too).

golden age

stopped by Ye Olde Bicycle Shoppe to set up my tubless 29", disc brake, mountain bike wheels, but got to talkin' to Geoff and Linus about old bikes. Modern bike stuff is functional and light and generally pretty cool, but it is never as beautiful as old stuff. Geoff has a great old Bianchi with a Campy Super Record grouppo, downtube shifters and all. Classic. It got me to thinking that I need to finish fixing up my old Raleigh DL-1 Tourist and also about "Vive le Tour", the 1962 cycling documentary by Louis Malle. I discovered this gem through Dr. H and the lads from Winnipeg's Fort Garry Bike Club.

Malle, if you don't know, is a very interesting director of non-cycling related films, such as "My Dinner with Andre" which subsequently served as a stepping-stone for Wallace Shawn to eventually star opposite of Andre the Giant in "The Princess Bride" and on "Gossip Girl".

"Vive le Tour" is so fantastic because it isn't really about a bike race, at least to the extent that it isn't interested in the results. It's simply about bicycle racing and the little details that make it so compelling. It's also a great time capsule of the classic era with steel bikes, squeaky brakes, and handlebar-mounted water bottles. Riders wore wool jerseys, silly hats, and spare tires. Women cheer from the roadways in beautiful sundresses and men push riders along while wearing cardigan sweaters rather than Speedos. It was a simpler time, when domistiques had to not only pass water bottles to the team leaders, they had to fill them up from roadside hoses. Yes, there is suffering and triumph, terror and comedy. And, of course, there is doping. It's only about 20 minutes long, but definitely worth your time this rainy weekend.

Chocolate Milk, Nature's "Sweet" Recovery Drink?

I recently had the luxury of linking up with a former co-worker of mine from Franklin Street Cycles (now The Bicycle Chain - Chapel Hill) for an afternoon mountain bike ride just west of Boulder, Colorado at Walker Ranch. Caldwell and I crossed paths in cyberspace on Facebook. We hadn't seen or spoken to each other since about 2002.

You see we worked at Franklin Street Cycles (Chapel Hill's finest bicycle institution) together in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Those were the days. Late nights, early rides, building trails and long days selling Trek 820s and Specialized S-Works. While the details of this era are too plentiful to list (and I think both my Mom and Dad regularly read this blog)......I will just go on with the purpose of this post. You see while I left Chapel Hill to move to Chicago (idiot!)...Caldwell moved to SoCal in hopes of becoming a rock star. Well he didn't quite make it as a rock star in LA.....but he did manage to land this timeless classic role in a once famous commercial from a few years back. Check it out.



Caldwell has returned to his roots in North Carolina with his wife and now lives in the Asheville, NC area. While he isn't touring the county with Slayer, he is part of The Reggie Warren Experience and loving it.

Rumor Mill

Could these two be riding together next year for The Shack? Now that Lance is such a nice guy that he tweets ride invitations, could he and Bruyneel try to resurrect Floyd's talent and motivation and give him a second chance?

i'm taking my ball and going home

the big news that rocked the Chapel Hill cycling community is the crash at the Saturday morning ride. the "P-Ride", formerly known as the Performance Ride because it left from the Performance Bicycle Shop (now relocated--not to be mistaken with the Pride Ride (now defunct)), is a local institution for riders across the short-side of the Research Triangle. but so what? you get a bunch of cyclists together, trying to ride fast on narrow country roads. someone crashes. it was bound to happen. people get pissy, then immediately go home and excitedly start shopping for a fancier, new wheelset. what's the big deal?

but what factor has elevated this wreck from comical gaff to an Armstrong/Mayo-esque incident that will be debated for decades? the main issue is that the rider that allegedly caused the crash has a reputation for an erratic and sometimes dangerous riding style. now i'll admit, i was on the ride and i did see the results of the crash, but i didn't see how it happened. all accounts of the accident (excluding any account from the rider in question) seem to support the story that this dude tried to attack from within the pack, somehow ended up getting his bike sideways, crashed himself, and caused a pile-up. totally his fault. adding to matters is the fact that this guy has reportedly brushed off critiques (both friendly and hostile) of his riding and has taken to riding with headphones. i do not personally know this guy and i don't want to use this space here to badmouth him, but i am familiar with his riding style and i will say that i try to stay away from him because i perceive him as dangerous.

i'm not trying to indict this guy or to defend this rider. the issue at hand is safety. as cyclists, we place a lot of trust in the people we ride with, as well as the cars we share the road with. a lapse in concentration, either by one's self of others, can cause an accident. this is part of the bargain we willingly accept. i've done foolish things from time to time, but i like to think that i recognize and learn from my mistakes--sometimes through a comment from another rider, sometimes through road rash. gross negligence, however, may not only affect the individual, but also the group. and the chapel hill group is on edge.

currently, the talk is that this guy will be banned from the group ride. not necessarily permanently, but at least until he exhibits that he can ride more responsibly with others. the process has been playing out on the googlegroup with civility never seen before on an internet forum. i'm not being sarcastic here, it's actually quite impressive. even one of the guys who was taken down in the wreck is writing with a thoughtful and compassionate tone. (the snarkiest debate centered on spelling and grammar (possibly initiated by English scholars)).

this whole controversy provides an interesting question: can you actually ban someone from a group ride? there is no league, no referees, no membership card, no one standing between an individual and the activity. no one, but a collective group. so, the question of "can" is really a question of "how". say someone just decides that they want to ride with you (like that dude in dirty jeans and a clunky mountain bike did, albeit briefly, on the Durham Tuesday ride this week), how can you stop them. you can't just ride quickly away (that's the entire thing that people want to participate in). you can't secretly change the time or the location (at least, not if you want most other people to show up, too). i guess it has to be done with convincing words and group solidarity. pro riders will strike--stop riding and just sit or their bikes or ride very slowly--to protest dangerous riding conditions (occasionally) and doping raids (more frequently). i guess this is the equivalent of taking your ball and going home. when someone makes conditions too dangerous, the fun has to stop. is this the right solution to this problem? will it start us down a slippery slope to also banning wheel suckers or people whose shorts don't match their jerseys and socks and gloves? or, do we need more self-regulation? should other dangerous also be given a "time out" until they are deemed fit to return to society?

What's to be done? I guess we'll see on Saturday.

'Don't ch'all go kissin' no hawgs now, ya hear?'

Who knew that you needed to warn pro cyclists to stay away from the other white meat? And yet, here it is: Hincapie's riding partner is out for this weekend's Greenville race because he's come down with H1N1. (The previous link will hopefully be the only time that we'll be pointing you toward the CDC website.) Looks like Lewis needs a big cup of Big George's HTFU.

No word yet if this will affect Hincapie's rumored jump to Team The Shack. El Lanceadora has added a few more riders, though, and it seems like the team is shaping up quite nicely. Just keep 'em away from the pig, big guy.

going downhill, fast

i'm bloggin' lazy. yes, i'm posting a couple of videos today, but fear not, the blog has not jumped the snake and become just videos stolen from other websites. today's video dump is just a response to yesterday's video and not an end to writing.

after watching an Italian dude descend the Stelvio on his bike without using his hands, my brother quickly (a little too quickly, i might add) sent me the next evolutionary step in going downhill in a pointless manner:



brilliant, eh. this is obviously something i could never do and never would have even though to do, so naturally, i'll make fun of it. my main problem with the feat is bicycle choice. if you want to descend a mountain quickly, use a mountain bike and take a direct route as possible, or use a road bike and use the smoothness of roadways to hit higher top speeds. don't ride a mountain bike on the road. also, if you want to pop a wheelie, i think you technically need a front wheel. it could be argued that the front wheel fell off, necessitating a continuous wheelied descent (sounds like a swell James Bond (Roger Moore-era) movie stunt). but this guy didn't even have a fork. he's actually gone through the trouble to remove the fork, but somehow figure out a way to re-attach his stem and handlebars. actually, this is fairly remarkable, not as a bicycle stunt, but as the first time i've ever seen a freewheeled unicycle--which actually sounds cool.

but, as we've debated before, cyclists, even cool cyclists, are not cool. if we take these two Italian cyclists as a representative example of the coolest cyclists (and based on "Breaking Away", we know that the Italians are the coolest), we may give ourselves a little round of applause. that is, until we watch what the much cooler kids do. namely, skaters. skaters are probably cooler than cyclists. Tony Martin is no Tony Hawk. Kevin Bacon in "Quicksilver" was no Christian Slater in "Gleaming the Cube". two wheels are good, but perhaps four wheels are better. In fact, the guys at the Durham Skate Park are claiming that bikes are not allowed. (they also seem to make fun of "fruit boots", making in-line skates the recumbants of the skateing world.) and, yes, of course, skaters have a much cooler video of dudes going downhill.

Adam Kimmel presents: Claremont HD from adam kimmel on Vimeo.

if i can find their address, and if they're still alive, i'll mail them my lunch money.

'Yeah, but I didn't inhale.'

Alessandro Ballan has now testified to being aware of EPO use with a Clintonian evasion: "They offered me CERA, but I refused it." You can check out the longer -- if not particularly more revealing -- interview at CyclingNews.

It looks like Nancy Reagan won another one! Menudo would be so proud.

Maybe that's what profession cycling needs, a little Gary Coleman teaching them how it's done. On the other hand, think what Gary Coleman could have done if he'd gotten into cycling: a build like that, the proper fitness program, and I bet the dude could have been a hell of a climber. At the very least it would mean his career would have taken a different track from its current downward spiral.

old school/old students

oh, crap. summer's almost over. Pirate has his new Trapper-Keeper for his first day at his new school. Ali is trying to decide which of his 4 or 5 pairs of Vans he'll wear to class. and Adam's daughter is on her way to finishing school to the four of us.

as for me, i'm trying to get ready for a couple of collegiate mountain bike races and learning new ways to try to get around town with the new influx of students. oh, also, graduate (that's right, mom). over the summer, i became accustomed to cutting across east campus to get to the bike shop to meet up for rides. however, campus is aswarm with undergraduates. the new freshman class was born about 1990 or 1991--after the '80s!!! this doesn't stop them from wearing terrible '80s-inspired clothing, but sadly, they have no ironic basis for wearing some of the crappy crap they're wearing. america in the 1980s was overrun by excess and stupidity, exemplified by this guy:




welcome to cycling history 101. class is back in session.

Meritan's Midnight Tour of Memphis

[A post in which I blog about actually riding my bike.]

The last few months have seen my saddle time drop to almost nothing, as I've been relocating from the cold, rainy northeast to the more tropical climes of the mid-south. My transition is now largely over, and I've been hard at work establishing a BCC beachhead on the banks of the Mississippi. While the skinny tires are still resting, and the fatties have yet to shed their upstate mud, the commuter has already made a few happy cruises through town.

I did have a little setback Saturday afternoon, as some routine maintenance led to a Slime-filled tube exploding in my face. In my living room. I'm not sure what happened -- my Specialized Boroughs fit a little loosely, so the tube might have squirmed out -- but I've got to say that I never in a million years thought I'd be scrubbing Slime off my ceiling with a mop. The tube is an experiment in keeping the commuter flat-free (the next one went in fine), and I'll let you know how it turns out.

With everything squared away and the bike back in fine rolling condition, Saturday night brought a new pleasure: Meritan's Midnight Classic Bike Tour of Memphis. It wasn't exactly extreme, but damn it was nice to spin through the cool summer streets with a few hundred of my newfound friends.

The normally humid nights have taken a little break, and we were treated to 60 degrees of crisp air and perfectly clear skies. I'm not sure how many people were there, but I would guess that more than 500 and less than 1000. There were bikes (and bikers) of all shapes and sizes, from a tallbike, to your usual department store cruisers, to the obligatory fixie-hipsters doing battle with the racerbois. Everyone was happy, polite, and outgoingly friendly in was that put a smile on my normally sourpuss face.

My photographic skills are notoriously bad, but I did capture a few snaps of all the cool kids.

All and all a great introduction to the area. Kudos to the event organizers and to all of the friendly, helpful riders. I'm looking forward to doing it again next year!