Hans Rey, Danny MacAskill & Steve Peat
fisticuffs | tour de france edition
Barredo told Spanish journalists that tempers flared with about 20km to go in the stage. According to Barredo, Costa elbowed him in the gut as he passed, nearly throwing him off the bike and knocking the breath out of him.
not that i’d ever put my bike in one of those boxes
The Portland International Airport now has a bike assembly station.
According to Jason Gately with the Port of Portland, the new bike assembly station offers a workstand with two clamps, basic tools (pedal wrench, pump, etc…), and maps and other literature about biking resources in the region. Airport employees who bike to work are also expected to take advantage of the new workstation. Tools are loaned out through the Welcome Oregon kiosk.
fixed gear bicycle tricks
thanks Kurt
on dope
There were 14 other podium spots available during his seven-year streak and, in all, eight riders occupied them. Five of those riders at some point admitted doping, were suspended for it, were convicted of it in court, or paid a fine to have charges settled: Ivan Basso, Raimondas Rumsas, Jan Ullrich, Alexander Vinokourov and Alex Zulle. Two others were linked to doping investigations then cleared or never charged: Joseba Beloki and Andreas Kloden. Just one, Fernando Escartin, had no direct association with doping allegations (though his Kelme team later would).
What I concluded—and as it turns out, this was the most isolating judgment I could have arrived at, because neither side agrees with me—is that based solely on what we publicly know, there’s no rigorously objective path to either yes or no. Whatever you believe about Armstrong is a matter more of faith than fact. Those of us who weren’t there seem to decide first what we believe about Armstrong, then construct a canon from the same set of incidents cited by those who just as passionately swear the opposite.
Also, in the New York Times:
It has long been known that athletes can use small, carefully timed doses of the blood booster EPO to beat urine-based drug tests yet still gain a significant performance advantage. But research by scientists in Australia and France has found that the technique also eludes the long-range biological passport program that was supposed to overcome the shortcomings of conventional testing.
The Ride
These cover images brought me to The Ride Journal and, after perusing the first issue, I’m more captured by the images than the writing. Regardless, if I can find a copy of Issue 3 I’ll be buying it.
Synergetic Hybrid Bicycle
The Sanyo eneloop bike was just named “Best of Innovations” at CES.
Momentum had a full review:
I love the fully integrated “feel” of this bike. Many eBikes seem hacked together, with a motor, battery and other components tacked onto a basic bike design. Sanyo’s 15 years of experience selling eBikes in Japan results in a well designed whole bike laden with features but without the clutter. Cables and wires are routed internally through the frame for a clean look. Regenerative technology gives a claimed 18 percent increase in battery life for a range of up to 40 miles. Even slight pedal pressure is enough to engage the electric assist, quickly boosting the rider to the 250 watt motor’s 15 mph top speed.
levi’s gran fondo | coleman valley road…
We turned left. At first it didn’t seem that bad. I told myself everyone had made a big deal about this section because of how late in the day it came. I pretended it wasn’t going to be too bad.
Before the ride an acquaintance had told me, as he accompanied me for a training ride, that Coleman Valley road wouldn’t be the so bad because “you could see the top.” At the time I’d thought it was a silly thing to say. As the incline increased more than 16% and I looked up the road at the cyclists half way up the climb the only thought I had was that I was never going to make it.
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octopus caps
Sometime after Christmas I’ll be ordering my own custom cycling cap from Octopus Caps.
Hipsters discussing Cyclocross
levi’s gran fondo | the pacific coast highway
Freewheeling down the 18% grade it didn’t take long to reach the left turn onto the Highway 1. Volunteers stopped traffic and waved us onto the two lane highway. We continued downhill, using most of the right lane to take the switchbacks. When the road turned and we rolled toward the ocean the cold wind blasted me in the face; I shivered.
There was a short, mild incline just after the decent then the road flattened and several short pace-lines formed. I had expected a severe crosswind as we road parallel to the beach and was happy to find that the wind was mostly behind us.
Every few seconds I wanted to stop to take a photo. I never did. Instead, I rode on, a little worried that if I stopped riding I’d never want to start again.
It was and easy tempo past Jenner and over the mouth of the Russian River. Just after the river we stopped at what would be our last break. Quickly, we snacked and filled our bottles and then we were back on the road.
Either the road turned or the wind shifted but almost immediately the ride was a lot less pleasant. Gusts pushed my bike and I around. Ahead there was a left turn that promised to lead us out of the wind and, maybe if we started in Jenner, I might have looked forward to escaping the brutal wind but at mile 75 I didn’t even want to think about Coleman Valley Road.
king ridge revisited
On Sunday Sam and I returned to King Ridge. We brought his sister. This is what it looked like.
levi’s gran fondo | miles 26 – 34
After the rest stop the road was flat, if not just slightly up hill. Sam and I passed a few riders, taking turns in the wind. As I pulled, Sam tucked in behind, taking full advantage of my slipstream, a line of riders in matching jerseys overtook us and I hitched on to the back wheel, happy to sit there as the wind blew in our faces.
We stayed with them around a right hand turn but as they moved to the left to pace a slower moving pace line the rider directly in front of me started to fade, a gap opened and we were dropped. Sam took on the work and we started picking up riders. One at a time they latched on to our wheels. We alternated shifts in the wind and pulled the group along road. It felt good. At one point we had 10 or 11 riders in our group. We churned out a manageable pace and they relied on us. It wasn’t part of our plan, but it felt good.
levi’s gran fondo | miles 0 – 25
We rolled our bikes across the grass, walking with the steady stream of cyclists. A voice told us the time and talked about the course. I didn’t listen. The voice said to make sure we started with the right group, “be conservative” he said. We steered our bikes through the crowd and found a spot in the intermediate group, “top 35%,” the sign said. It was as far back as we could get.
People shuffled, straddling bikes. Cleats clicked in and out of pedals. I munched on a cliff bar, more anxious than hungry. The count down started, “…three, two, one, go.”
We waited.
levi’s gran fondo | really?
On Friday night we sat in camp chairs and contemplated blowing off the ride in exchange for a weekend of carefree camping (crappy photos below the fold).
how green is my bike ride?
The Sierra Club can help you find out how green your ride is. I scored a 77 and would have done much better if my bike was made out of bamboo, like this one:
via TreeHugger
