The ghost of Tours Past

In 1985, while on a break with Stephen Roche of Ireland, Greg LeMond was ordered by his directeur sportif to wait for his ailing team captain, Bernard Hinault.  LeMond had become the yellow jersey on the road, but the internal politics of a french team with a great french champion trying to win his record tying 5th Tour de France proved too much of an impediment to LeMond taking what looked like his first Tour victory.  At the end of that stage, a completely wasted Hinault appeared gracious for LeMond's sacrifice and vowed to aid LeMond in his bid for the Tour the next year.

In 1986, Hinault clashed with LeMond early in the Tour.  An epic duel between two teammates was put forth upon the roads of France, and there have been few Tours de France as gripping and exciting.  The two riders split their team with French riders siding with Hinault and LeMond having the lithe neo-pro Andy Hampsten and the Canadian workhorse, Steve Bauer, solidly in his camp.  LeMond and Hinault ripped the Tour apart and remade it as a personal race.  LeMond contended that Hinault was going back on his pledge to help him win his first Tour.  Hinault countered that he was helping, but that he never pledged to just give the race to Lemond, either.  Ultimately, LeMond prevailed, but the biggest winners were all of us who got to witness that epic race.  I will never forget those two men, resplendent in their Mondrian-inspired La Vie Claire team kits, hurtling down the Alps helmetless on fragile looking steel framed bicycles, alone except for each other.

Yesterday's stage may be a peek at a potentially brewing epic battle such as that witnessed in 1986.  Questions still linger, though.  There are several scenarios that could play out and various reasons that they are not what is truly going on, but I will give it my best to try and lay them out.

1. There is no rivalry
Could it be that all of this Armstrong-Contador infighting is just a big made up issue put forth by Bruyneel, et al in order to distract the competition and keep them slightly off balance?  This could be another mind game like the ailing Armstrong that was played up to the cameras as a successful bid to get Jan Ullrich to whip his Telekom team to overextend itself prior to the attack that has forever been dubbed, "The look". 
I don't put a lot of faith in this scenario simply because it is too convoluted and the results would be minimal if even apparent.

2. Armstrong is trying to win the Tour
Yesterday's move was pretty heads up racing on the part of Armstrong.  More suspicious is the question of radio communication: did Bruyneel communicate the wind situation to both Contador and Armstrong or did he just communicate with Armstrong?  Since Astana has made it clear that they want to build a team around Contador (and Vinokourov) with or without Bruyneel and Armstrong, could these two be throwing a big monkey wrench into the works by concocting a huge win for Armstrong?
I'm a little more curious about this scenario, but an unproven Armstrong will have to fight for every scrap for the next three weeks to pull this off and that may prove to be to tall of a task for him to pull off.

3. Armstrong is helping Leipheimer win
I suspected this up until yesterday.  It makes since that if Armstrong wants to work against Contador, his best bet is to assist Leipheimer. Levi isn't all that far off the mark when it comes to Contador and could legitimately compete against the guy. 
This scenario lost some plausibility due to the absence of Leipheimer in yesterday's break, but then again it could still be in the running...

4. Armstrong is helping Contador like Hinault helped LeMond
"I said I would help, but I didn't say I'd give it to him."  Maybe this is what's going on, but at this point I have no clue.

5. Team Telekom redux
Maybe there are too many big guns on this team just as there were on Team Telekom.  Ullrich, Vinokourov and Kloden were all super strong, but they seemed to fight more with each other than against the common enemy of Armstrong.  I would think Bruyneel too smart to let this happen, but maybe the lions are out of the cage and there's no getting them back in...  What would be curious in this scenario is how Kloden will react since he has been there/done that with this situtation. 

Fantasy Tour Standings

1. Team Heal with Steel (P. Purcell) - 2148 pts.
2. Team Inizio (S. Norris)                 - 1856 pts.
3  Team Buuuuuuuurn! (C. Hicks)   - 1845 pts.

lanterne rouge Team Player (P. Barrett) - 1355 pts.

Cav' kicks it, Farrar feels it, and Boonen blow(s) it

Having spent the day in Asheville, checking out the WNC Nature Center with Owen and Golden, downing some vegetarian grub at The Laughing Seed, and getting Owen out on his first rock climbing experience at the climbing gym, I had very little time to spend on the scoring of today's Fantasy Tour de France.  But never fear, a BIG, BIG thanks to neopro directeur sportif Jenna King for her awesome and amazing excel spreadsheet skills, I have a much easier job for scoring.  There are still a few kinks to be worked out, but bear with us while we address them.  The main issue to realize is that results are not in order according to who is leading, so you will have to do a bit of figurin' to find out what place you are in (for now).  I will tell you the current podium positions.

 Results after stage 2:

1st place - Team Heal with Steel (P. Purcell)
2nd place - Team Not Caught Yet (E. Winkler)
3rd place - Bernanke's Bumblers (C. Bennett)

lanterne rouge - Team Player (P. Barrett)

And they're off!

Both the real and fantasy tour have started, in case you were wondering.  The Luna Cycles Fantasy Tour de France has a record 23 teams entered!  Suffice it to say, scoring was a bit time consuming so I will refrain from being too verbose and get right to the point.

With an early lead (as usual), Eddie Winkler's Team Not Caught Yet won the stage.  Don't worry too much because his team always gets caught and members will be removed from the race due to various pharmaceutical infractions.

Full Results

Let the Fantasy stress begin!

Many of you have already begun crunching the numbers and making provisional selections for your Fantasy TdF team.  A clarification about doping violators after receiving the first question: if your rider somehow manages to get themselves in trouble prior to the start of the TdF, then like any good DS you are allowed to substitute another rider prior to the start.  If however, your rider gets caught with their hand in the EPO jar during the TdF, then you are down a rider, just as if they had crashed out.  The question of whether the rider's results stand will be handled as follows: a loss of points for the stage they tested positive for and any subsequent results after that stage, but all prior results will stand.

Here is your official entry form: 

The 2009 Luna Cycles Fantasy Tour de France!

Tour de France 2008 - Carrefour D177 & D611
Originally uploaded by Lüfkens

The Fantasy TdF starts this Saturday! This post will serve as the official rules. I am the final arbiter of all rules disputes. I reserve the right to modify or add rules as needed, but I will not do so in an arbitrary or spiteful manner, but only out of a need for clarity.


The Team


You have a budget of $2500. Rider values for all riders listed with bettable odds at Unibet and their values (as determined by their odds for winning each jersey competition and their odds of winning Stage 1) can be found here. Any rider not listed has an assumed value of $100. You must have a team of 5 riders and you may not go over your $2500 budget.


Scoring


Stage finish - every rider will be given points for their placing each stage. If 200 riders start a stage, 1st place will receive 200 pts. while 200th place receives 1 point.


Stage win - stage wins will be determined by the aggregate score for your five man team's points on that days stage. There will be 50 pts. for 1st, 30 pts. for 2nd, and 10 pts. for 3rd.


Jersey competition - you will receive points for each day that one of your riders leads a jersey competition. Yellow jersey - 100 pts. , Green jersey - 75 pts., White Jersey - 75 points, Polka Dot Jersey - 75 points.


I will now steel myself for a flood of questions for clarification. This evening, I will post an entry form for you to fill out. Entries are due by 8 am, July 4th. Good luck! Bon chance!

Clear and Sunny

The rain has finally eased up and with the sunshine, riders have appeared for both the monday and tuesday night rides.  The monday night ride saw 11 riders with most of them coming on one of their first group rides ever!  Big thanks to Joan Boike for pounding the electronic pavement and emailing everyone she could think of to come out and ride!  The tuesday night ride had 22 riders and looked to be a great setup for the race simulation ride that it is advertised as!  Thanks to everyone for coming out and making the rides what they are.

The Luna Cycles Fantasy Tour de France (LCFTdF) gets cranking this weekend!  With a scheduled start of July 4th, you will be able to submit a team through midnight of July 5th.  There are much different rules for this year's race and I will be posting them in the near future.  The broad strokes of the competition are: you will have a team budget and riders will have a value based on their odds as listed on Unibet.com as of July 1st.  Your team must consist of 5 riders.  All finishers of a stage will be awarded points (if 150 riders start, 1st place will receive 150 points and last place will receive 1 point), bonus points will be awarded for stage wins and leaders of jersey competitions.  Start studying!

A reminder that the Saturday group ride will be at 7am instead of 8am due to the increasing temperatures and feedback from members of our cycling community.

"I'm melting! Meltiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiinnnnnnnnnnnngggggggggggg!!!!!"

1938 Ford Truck Rat Rod
Originally uploaded by dave_7

Given that the weather has decided to switch up a bit and ease up on the deluges of the past few weeks, and move more into the arid heat generally associated with the desert, we must ride smart! The 8 am start for the saturday ride should be cooler than the midday heat, but to keep from feeling the blast furnace of the noon day sun, we'll have a 2 hour option. We will do the Cup 'o tea loop for a change of pace.


Don't forget the National T-bucket convention will be in full effect in downtown Lenoir tomorrow!

Thursday ride update

If the weather turns as ugly as it looks on the radar, the bike portion of tonight's Bikes,BBQ&Blues ride will become the BBQ&Blues affair sans Bikes.  If no ride, we will meet at Sister Futs Cafe at 6pm.  See you there!

in the works

Cycling through the Flood
Originally uploaded by anataman

Lots of happenings are just on the horizon. The nefarious, nay devious rules that will comprise this year's Luna Cycles Fantasy Tour de France are nearly complete. The only hint I will give you is that you should study up on the odds being given over at Unibet.com. This year's grand prize is a pair of pimpin' Specialized sunglasses! Second place will receive a pit kit's worth of Pedro's cleaning supplies and 3rd place will receive some lowly prize to be named later. The lanterne rouge will also be appropriately recognized and rewarded for their lack of effort!


We are in the planning stages for a "Day on the Greenway" event. The plan is for us to have all of the greenway bike models that we carry available for test rides at the Lenoir greenway. Everyone who takes a test ride will receive a free raffle ticket for a very cool Specialized Globe 3 spd greenway bike. You will also be able to purchase raffle tickets at the event with all of the proceeds going to Caldwell County Pathways, the awesome people who have worked so hard to make the greenway happen!


Every now and then, someone comes into the shop and asks if we can help them sell something. We usually don't do this, but someone came in with about 4 pairs of very nice tubular wheelsets. The wheelsets were race quality back in their day, but they would now qualify more as training tubulars or cyclocross wheelsets. Come in, check 'em out and make an offer!


After 2 years of drought I hate to say it, but I'd kind of like it to stop raining. It seems like I spend a lot of my free time cleaning up water, contemplating where water is going to drain to, and generally cogitating upon the very nature of fluid dynamics. Needless to say, my basement is trying really hard to evolve into a cistern. I wouldn't really mind it all that much, but we have these really pesky electrical appliances down there too and seems like they wouldn't fare well if even partially submerged. I've been using this waterstop cement to fill cracks and leaks. If you've never used this stuff before think super glue, but more cementy. A lot more cementy. You mix it up and then you have 30 seconds of time bomb disarming terror as you try to shove into place, hold it and hope against hope that you didn't just cement your hand into the basement wall. So far, so good, but it hasn't gotten any easier with practice. Add this stress to the anxiety of water tunneling under our new driveway and you can get a sense of the dread we experience when we hear water hit the roof. The tunnel under the driveway is actually coming along pretty nicely. In fact, I'm thinking about charging admission and conducting some cave tours. How does Lenoir Caverns sound?

Round wheels, chopped pig

Tonight, we're trying to start a new bike community tradition.  Come out for the Thursday night ride (the usual mid-tempo, mid-intensity, no-drop funfest of spirited camaraderie) and then plan on hanging out in the courtyard and enjoying BBQ (or anything else) from Ffuts!  Since they have secured the proper permits, Ffuts is now utilizing the courtyard to serve food and beverages.  Invite the family to join in on the fun, even if they weren't on the ride!  This is one more way we would like try and foster a sense of bike community amongst the two wheeled folk in our area! 

Ride, eat, drink, be merry!  What could be better?

Winning don't have to be pretty...

 

I remember when I was a little kid, watching Richard Petty win some NASCAR race.  I was with my grandfather who always talked about Petty being the greatest driver ever.  We were watching one of those big old console TVs that was built to look like a piece of furniture.  When you turned it on, it took a few seconds for it to warm up and give a decent picture.  But on this day, the picture was mega-bright, like only color tv in the '70's could be and I distinctly remember watching Petty take the checkered flag as he slid across the line upside down after hooking up with some guy coming out of the final turn.  Sometimes, winning isn't pretty, but it's still a win.

Denis Menchov hit the deck hard and slid across the wet cobblestones like the neighborhood kids on their slip 'n slide.  You know that hurt, but Menchov had zero time to even acknowledge the pain.  The running sprint in cycling shoes across wet cobbles chasing a sliding bike was proof positive of athletic prowess alone.  And then, the hero of the story, THE MECHANIC, comes sprinting out of the still braking team car, spare bike in hand, directs Menchov on to it and gives him a push.  All in 10 seconds flat.  Just goes to show, your friendly local bike mechanic may just save your butt one day...

While dramatic, the crash would not have been the way anyone would have wanted to see Menchov lose the Giro.  But not to worry, he put time into DiLuca even with the crash.  And I just sat staring at my computer screen, amazed at how I could be watching the whole thing live...  

The winner of this year's Luna Cycles Fantasy Giro d'Italia is our very own Charles "the smaller" Bennett with 1440 points total.  On the second step is Jack Brown with 1366 points.  Rounding out the podium is Max "the ghost faced killah" Dyer with 1179 points.

Full Results 

Start prepping for the Fantasy Tour de France.  Now that school is done, the rules system will get much more complex in an effort to make the race even more competitive!  Stay tuned!

Late Edition

Lenoir, NC (LC Press, Int'l.) - Big day for Jack Brown, but not enough.  Like Danilo DiLuca, he has closed the gap to a whisker thin margin, but just can't make the pass for the big prize.  Is there enough road left for this duel to win the Luna Cycles Fantasy Giro d'Italia to swing his way?

Full Results

Creeping dread

Lenoir, NC (LC Press, Int'l.) - If you aren't on the edge of your seat over the outcome of this year's Luna Cycles Fantasy Giro d'Italia, you better be inching toward it.  With a scant 142 points seperating 4th from 1st place and a mere 70 points seperating 1st and 2nd, this is still anyone's race.  There are few differences in these 4 teams and therein lies the true nastiness of this particular mystery story.  All 4 teams have Leipheimer, while 3 of the 4 have Basso as well.  At this point, I have to put 2nd place Jack Brown's team as the one to watch given that he is the only one with Danilo DiLuca and he has Carlos Sastre as an angry wildcard, too.  With DiLuca displaying a gritty determination to wrest the maglia rosa from Denis Menchov, tomorrow's climbing finish to Vesuvio may be his moment to emerge victorious.  That 70 point lead just doesn't seem like it will hold up in this humble reporter's opinion...

Full Results

The big shakeup

Lenoir, NC (LC Press, Int'l.) - A big, some may say shocking, win by Carlos Sastre had a seismic effect on the standings in the Luna Cycles Fantasy Giro d'Italia.  Coupled with a poor performance at the worst possible time by Levi Leipheimer, the hopes of some teams took big hits as they tumbled well down from the podium.  This last week in the Giro looks to be a roller coaster and the final standings in the Luna Cycles Fantasy Giro d'Italia are anything but clear.

Full Results

Bringing it home

Lenoir, NC (LC Press, Int'l.) - A quiet day for all of the teams today in the Lun Cycles Fantasy Giro d'Italia. With no team placing a rider higher than 15th in this stage, there was little gain or loss by anyone and the standings remain unchanged.  Could the big guns be holding back ready to explode with a devastating attack here in the final week? Will DiLuca wrest the maglia rosa from the iron fist of Denis Menchov?  Will Levi Leipheimer finally break through and take a Grand Tour win? These are all valid questions that may or may not be satisfactorily answered in the coming days, but there is no doubt that this final week will have its share of fireworks.

Full Results

I worked a night shift of race wrenching for the Middle Ring Mafia at the Burn 24 hour mountain bike race last night.  Jeff was one of the team members competing in the 4 man team category.  I got there about 9 o'clock and lasted until around 3 in the morning.  It was a lot of fun taking care of bikes in the heat of competition, working quickly with care and precision and knowing that everything you do has to be done right.  It has been a long time since I had wrenched in that type of situation and it was a lot of fun.  Ultimately, I succumbed to fatigue and had to call it a night and head home to bed.  Sleep deprivation and a gently rainy day conspired to keep me feeling like taking a nap all day. Hopefully tonight's sleep will set me right and tomorrow will be back to normal...

There's one in every group...

Lenoir, NC (LCPress, Int'l.) - Returning champion Ron Swenson has take a thin lead in this year's Luna Cycles Fantasy Giro d'Italia. Strong time trial and climbing performances by his team have given him the lead, but can it last? With no sprinters, he faces some tough days ahead.  Can his riders do what it takes to secure him his second straight victory?

Full Results

Rest in Peace, Steve Larsen

Steve Larsen, the only American to compete in the world championships in mountain biking, road cycling, cyclocross and triathlon, died suddenly today during a running workout. He is survived by his wife and 5 children. Larsen was 39.  Find out more.


Full Results from today's Luna Cycles Fantasy Giro d'Italia

The killer seals the deal?

Lenoir, NC (LC Press, Int'l.) - Danilo DiLuca, "il killer di Spoltore", soloed to a big win on the Queen stage of the Giro d'Italia today. While I sat in a nearly hermetically sealed classroom administering the first of three big end-of-course standardized tests, big shakeups were taking place in the Luna Cycles Fantasy Giro d'Italia powered by [sponsorship opportunity available]. Jack Brown not only won today's stage by placing all 3 of his riders in top ten, he vaulted from 6th place to 2nd overall! Last year's winner, Ron Swenson, found that an over reliance on sprinters can have disastrous results in the mountains.

Full Results

Experience pays off

Lenoir, NC (LC Press, Int'l.) - Last year's Luna Cycles Fantasy Giro d'Italia winner, Ron Swenson, leapt from mid pack to a podium position with a big stage win today. His two sprinters paid huge dividends and brought him to within 11 points of 2nd place with a keen eye on the top spot on the podium.
Full Results

"Hey that sounds great, Johann, but seriously though, we're gonna get paid right?"

"You can't catch me, I'm the gingerbread man!"

"OMG! You can never find a taxi in Europe! It's like nobody wants to do any work in this country."

hiatus

Lenoir, NC (LC Press, Int'l.) - After a whirlwind tour of Monticello, Washington, and a day of idleness at Busch Gardens-Williamsburg, I have returned home tired and sleep deprived.  But the Luna Cycles Fantasy Giro d'Italia powered by [sponsorship opportunity available] waits for no man and so I have hunkered down and calculated the points for the past two days. Of note is a switch up amongst the top teams and the emergence of Steve Boike as a real threat to Jason Darden in the lanterne rouge competition.

As for the skin tight denim shorts that were provided to me by Max Dyer of the Rock Racing team, I have not been able to get them past my ankles and have decided to pull the stitching out of the seams and have them sewn together around me.  We'll see how this works out...  As for denim skinsuits, that is so 1991!

Full Results

erratum

Williamsburg, VA (LC Press, Int'l) - Accusations by the Rock Racing team were leveled against the Luna Cycles Fantasy Giro d'Italia and its parent organization, the FALD with regard to a scoring irregularity following yesterday's stage. In typical Rock Racing fashion, ds Max Dyer threw baseless accusations of a conspiracy against his team out to the press in an effort to exert some bizarre form of pressure on the respected and august FALD organization.

In a statement released this evening, the head of the FALD said, " We regret any inconvenience to the Rock Racing team, but an error was made in scoring yesterday. After extensive investigation, we have concluded that the source of the error lies with the complimentary Rock&Republic jeans that each member of our organization received prior to the start of the Fantasy Giro d'Italia.  Our head of medical services has determined that the extremely tight jeans caused a severe lack of blood flow to each of our commisaires brains and renedered them incapable of thinking clearly.  The problem has been rectified."

Full Results through stage 6

Menchov munches mountains

College Park, MD (LC Press, Int'l.) - Watched 8 and a half innings of the Orioles at Camden Yards in Baltimore this evening.  Not the most exciting thing I've ever seen, but pro sports in person is always fun. O's gave up 5 runs in the top of the ninth inning.

Charles Bennets TARF unlimited team took the lead in the Luna Cycles Fantasy Giro d'Italia.

Full Results

Quick Giro update

Washington, DC (LC Press, Int'l)- some shakeup in the standings as the climbers had their day in the sun.

Full Results

Garmin rider finds pavement, exits in ambulance... again.

Lenoir, NC (LC Press, Int'l) - American Tyler Farrar issues another warning shot that he may be the second coming of Davis Phinney as he came second to Ale Jet in today's crash filled stage 3 of the Giro d'Italia.  Christian van de Velde is out after crashing on a descent and breaking a rib.  Hopefully, he will be better come Tour time, until then, it's trainer time.

Contentious words being bandied about amongst director sportifs in the Luna Cycles Fantasy Giro d'Italia.  To clarify: 1) those teams that need to submit roster changes will not receive retroactive points for completed stages, 2) no, you can't substitute for van de Velde now that he crashed out. (them's the breaks, kids) 3) one of your riders tests positive, you owe the shop a beer or coffee (our choice!).  Any other disputes, we settle it like men via trial by combat.

Full Results

-out

Not pretty in pink

Lenoir, NC (LC Press, Int'l.) - Another day at the Giro and now it is time to let the sprinters have their fun before the real racing begins. Ale Jet took it to the Manxman, Mark Cavendish, by showing him a clean set of wheels at the finish line. Pettachi became one of an elite few who are able to show that Cavendish is beatable.

In Fantasy Giro news, Cavendish was the only rider to finish in the points for any of the teams. Those teams that have the exact same riders still need to submit a new roster in order to avoid a 4 way tie for whatever place they happen to all finish in.

Full Results






(AP Photo/Marco Trovati)

Raise the roof

Lenoir, NC (LCPress, Int'l) - The fantasy peloton metaphorically rolled out today to face a grueling, brief fantasy team time trial. In an odd coincidence, three teams toed the line with the exact same three man roster of Levi Leipheimer, Ivan Basso, and Mark Cavendish. These director sportifs are invited to submit roster changes that will be effective for tomorrow's stage.
 Full Results

Today's Cycle to Serve metric century was ridden under rare and beautiful sunny skies today. A great ride and great post-ride atmosphere made it a wonderful day. Please pass your thanks on to Bob Giduz and all of the good folks of the Lenoir Rotary Club for their impeccable planning and operating procedure!

Perpetual party boy Tom Boonen tested positive for cocaine for the second time. A) Cocaine is soooooooooooo '80's, but I guess meth would probably be out, too. B) If you get popped one time for out of competition cocaine use, wouldn't you think twice before placing straw to nose? Or is the naked party girl coke dispenser just too irresistable for common sense to kick in? C) Seriously, you think that the Belgians will be able to throw any serious penalty at Boonen without judges and lawyers being threatened or assaulted? I just want  to see the guy break de Vlaeminck's 4 Paris-Roubaix win record, but that's looking slimmer and slimmer...

The Eve

Lenoir, NC (LC Press, Int'l.) - Mild tension fills the air as more and more teams put forth their best hopes of capturing this year's Luna Cycles Fantasy Giro d'Italia sponsored by Big Chuck's Drive-thru Economic Stimulus Service and Pizzeria. Many men have sacrificed precious time staring at the start list of this year's Giro in an attempt to divine the winning combination of grit, stick-to-it-ivness, and pharmacological acumen (or lack thereof) that makes up a truly competitive fantasy cycling team.



The start list is shaping up nicely, but there is still room for more. A reminder that you may enter up until noon tomorrow. Always remember: You must speculate in order to accumulate!

See you tomorrow morning for the Cycle to Serve Metric Century. Don't forget post ride food and libations plus bike washes by Jeremiah Dyer (proceeds will help fund his attendance at the USA Cycling regional junior development camp).

Epic flail

Lenoir, NC (LC Press) - Utter amazement shook the fantasy peloton as it became apparent today that Shawn Moore, Director of the Luna Cycles Fantasy Giro d'Italia, admitted he had nearly forgotten his own event was approaching. "It just kind of snuck up on me...", Moore commented. But after his slip up, Moore was quick to point out that this year's Luna Cycles Fantasy Giro d'Italia sponsored by Big Chuck's Drive-thru Economic Stimulus Service and Pizzeria will be bigger and better than ever before.

While the format remains the same, the competition will prove to be fiercer as many of last year's director sportifs return a year stronger and wiser. This edition of the race will feature a prize list that may include a double date with Mario Cipollini, a pink Ferrari, and Luna Cycles branded merchandise. Many will enter, only one will win.



All entries are due in by noon, Saturday May 9th.

Don't forget: Cycle to Serve is this Saturday. Don't miss it! And don't forget to support Jeremiah Dyer's post ride bike wash fundraiser! Jeremiah is raising money to go to the USA Cycling junior training camp. The kid is a total motor and I look forward to seeing him get better and better. Get your bike washed to support his racing future!

Letting go

I recently sold an old mountain bike frame of mine. I have to admit that I am hopelessly attached to just about every bike I have now or have ever had. Given that bit of knowledge, this bike was special. The bike frame in question was a Kona Hot, a handbuilt Reynolds 853 steel hardtail from 1997. Only 100 of these frames were made each year and you got to choose your paint colors and scheme to further the mystique of uniqueness.

I rode that bike everywhere from the Mammoth Mtn. downhill course to sky island singletrack in Patagonia, AZ. It's amazing to think about all of the trails in all of the places that I rode that bike. All of the adventures that I had on it, all of the sights that I saw and friends that I made while riding it.

For a long time, I have thought about building this frame up as a single speed mountain bike, but that never seemed to pan out. Then I started riding bikes with disc brakes and full suspension and all kinds of new equipment and technology and the steel hardtail frame started looking more and more dated. Finally, I had to admit that I probably wasn't going to be building it back up and that it needed a new home with someone who would have adventures of their own on it. It's still sad though, but at the same time, passing the bike on to someone else has brought up more memories and recollections about riding it than it ever did hanging from a hook in the basement.

There are some bikes that I just can't fathom getting rid of. I still have my first "real" bike, a 1986 Trek 760 road frame. This was the bike that started me down the road to hopeless bike geekdom that I have been traveling all this time. So much racing and riding. I held on to this frame through thick and thin. A hay bale in a Wilmington criterium trashed the fork, the wheelset and tweaked the derailler hanger, but I still held on to it. It lived with my parents for a few years and has traveled around with my various moves over the years as well.

I have begun resurrecting the Trek recently. First thing was to get a steel fork made for it. I took the advice of a friend and had Justin Pogge of Old Field Cycles in Tallahassee, Florida to make a beautiful lugged steel fork for it. Now my efforts turn towards paint and perhaps a lugged steel stem. I don't feel a need to build it up "original" or make it some kind of restoration project, but rather a way to update and breathe new life into something.

Despite rambling on in a questionably sane way about strong attachments to inanimate objects, it feels good to publicly declare one's geekhood. I sincerely hope that everyone develops the memory sense that comes from such a deep bond of attachment. And now I wait not only to rebuild the Trek of my youth, but to build up the new Surly touring bike that is on its way to the shop. New adventures await!

Road trip fever

As part of the ongoing Moore family experiment in pushing the limits of a 2 1/2 year old child, we embarked on a journey to Tallahassee, FL Wednesday night. We left Lenoir at about 8 pm and headed south, confident in the hope that Owen would soon succumb to sleep.  Alas, this was not to be.  If he had had access to toothpicks, Owen would have shoved them into his eyelids like tentpoles in an effort to stay awake.  He sang songs at the top of his lungs, asked for all kinds of snacks and drinks, "read" books to himself and burned through his second, third, fourth, and fifth winds before finally, mercifully falling asleep.

I drove through the night, stopping for gas, food, and caffeine.  Finally, I reached a point where I needed to grab a nap in order to keep going.  I pulled over, layed the seat back, and curled up for a cat nap.  Boom! Owen was up, awake and clamoring for mobility.  No rest for the wicked or the weary, apparently.

We made it to Tallahassee at about 7 am, safe and sound albeit pretty knackered.  A little nap and we were off to the races.  We had gone down to visit our good friend Chris and he had a whirlwind tour lined up for us.  We headed off for the Tallahassee Jr. Museum where we saw all kinds of wildlife, including Florida Panthers, red wolves, black bears, and alligators among others.  The next day, we headed to the coast to the aquarium in Panacea, FL, a little fishing (where we were joined by a wild alligator, but no fish), a trip to Cape St. George for some beach time and a lighthouse visit for Owen to add to his collection.  We ended up in a little town on the gulf for some Appalachicola oysters (very nice) and a seafood dinner. The food was excellent, but everybody was getting tired and we had a long drive home until we could hit the bed.

The next day we headed to St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge. We headed by bike from the visitor's center to the point, through swamps and grassland marshes.  We saw tons of birds (including red-winged blackbirds, blue herons and white herons), more alligators, a big snake, and a cute, fuzzy, brown guinea pig sized mouse (the snake was probably looking for him, too).  We saw another lighthouse, did a short walk out on a levee, and then rode back in.  We had a nice, simple dinner at Chris' house and turned in for our last night.

An early start, an all day drive and Bob's your uncle, we were home.  It's a tough thing when your vacation wears you out and then you have to return to work, but it was all worth it.

One terribly interesting note of caution if you are going to visit Florida: don't even think about smuggling in plants or produce...

 

The beautiful win

What better way to win Roubaix than soloing for the last 12km after all of your competitors fall by the wayside? Boonen put on a display of pure power stomping the pedals, his upper body rocking from side-to-side as he tried to eke out every last watt he could. Pippo Pozzato chased valiantly, but ultimately conceded seconds to Boonen with each passing kilometer. Despite decent weather, this Paris-Roubaix was another legendary one.

Boonen now sits tied with many of the greats like Merckx, Moser and Museeuw, with 3 wins in the Queen of the Classics. Only one man, Roger "Mr. Paris-Roubaix" De Vlaeminck, has won 4. Could Boonen be set to equal, or dare I say surpass, this venerable record? One thing is for sure, the record for fastest Paris-Roubaix doesn't look to be under any threat. Set in 1964 by Peter Post. Compare Boonen's performance yesterday with its average speed of 41.343 kph to Post's '64 record of 45.1 kph, a difference of about 3.8 kph (or 2.3 mph)! But then again, Post and a few others were fuelled by hatred for a former teammate. Even more remarkably, Boonen's performance yesterday still falls short of the second fastest Paris-Roubaix in history, a pace set in 1948 when Rik Van Steenburgen won with an average speed of 43.6 kph! That is still faster than Boonen by 2.3 kph (or 1.4 mph)!

Up, down, turn around, please don't let me hit the ground.

In two days, Paris-Roubaix will start and finish. Approximately 165 riders will depart the small village of Compiegne and if it is a true Paris-Roubaix, i.e. rain, mud and generally horrific conditions, less than half of the starters will actually finish at the velodrome in Roubaix. Much has and will be written about this archaic throwback of a bike race, but dammit this is the race that made me want to be a cyclist.



I can still remember being 15 years old and glued to the tv watching everybody get destroyed by mud and cobbles. Sean Kelly whipping his domestiques into a frenzy to catch the breakaways. Rudi Dhaenens hitting the deck multiple times while wearing no. 13.  As soon as it was over, Jason and I were out riding and imagining our own Roubaix, killing it into the headwind and listening to Phil Ligget poetry in our heads. Roubaix will always be the race I love most dearly above all others.

Everyone is asking for picks for victory, so here goes. George Hincapie will not come through this or any other year as the victor. I wish it were otherwise, but I just don't think he has it. His best shot came when Tom Boonen was his domestique on the U.S. Postal team and that ended with a cartwheel into a ditch. My feeling is that Quickstep may just pull a Mapei and have 3 guys (Boonen, Devolder, and Chavenal) in the final move and will absolutely work over the unfortunate soul(s) that are unlucky enough to be caught up with them. Boonen is the odds on favorite, and for that reason alone I don't think he will win. My tendency is toward Chavenal or Devolder with a heavy lean toward Chavenal. No matter what, it will be exciting. The forecast is for a bit of rain and that will make it a grand race to watch!

Readin' and ridin'

 

     Since spring has decided to give way to winter again, my ratio of reading to riding has swung in favor of books lately.  A Dog in a Hat is the autobiographical memoir of Joe Parkin, recounting his years racing as a Belgian-based, American professional cyclist in the '90's.  Parkin was a workaday domestique who embraced Belgium, vlaamse, and the entire Flemish cycling mindset. 

      The title refers to an old flemish saying: een hond met een hoed op, which means "a dog with a hat on" which refers to seeing something that shouldn't be there.  The book recounts many tales from Parkin's career, some good, some bad.  There are tales of drugs, payoffs to breakaway companions for victory and other gritty stories, but throughout Parkin's love of cycling and Belgium comes through.

    The one down side to this book is that it was such a fast and easy read.  I found myself at the end far too soon for my liking. This is a book I would highly recommend to anyone with even a passing interest in professional cycling.

When focus fails

The past few months my focus has been devoted almost exclusively to finishing my National Boards Teacher Certification. If you don't know what this is, it is a monstrous amount of work that involves about 60 pages of writing, video taping and collecting student work. The reason I even mention this is because the deadline to turn all of this work in was this past week and now I can get on with the business of living outside of this closed little box of focus that I have been living in!

Sadly, my attention has been so diverted that I have almost missed my favorite part of the cycling season. Today was the Tour of Flanders (or Ronde de van Vlaandren) and for the second time in as many years, Stijn Devolder (Quickstep) has won. With three dangerous men in the race (Devolder, Tom Boonen, and Sylvain Chavenal), Quickstep definitely brings guns to the knife fights of the Spring classics. Boonen now seems to be taking the role of diverting attention from Devolder and Chavenal. While everyone watches Boonen (and rightfully so!) Chavenal is free to take the early flyer, while Devolder can play the spoiler if the opportunity arises. The deck is truly stacked against all of the teams with only one clear danger man amongst their ranks. The depth of Quickstep reminds me of the old Mapei team of the late '90's (GB-MG Bianchi before that) when it wasn't a matter of who would win a classic, but which Mapei rider would win.

Yesterday, Jeff, Todd and I had our own little test in the crucible of cycling as we competed in the 6hrs. of Warrior Creek mtn. bike race. Jeff and Todd competed in the solo category, while I teamed up with Megan Carmody from the Boone Bike and Touring team to compete in the coed duo category. Jeff and Todd layed it all out for 6 hours of off-road racing and looked wrung out post race. Megan and I pushed as hard as we could while still having fun and ended up in about 8th place. The one thing that we all discussed after the race was how could anybody do a 24 hr. race! Look for a Luna Cycles team competing in the Burn 24 hour race at Dark Mtn. this May!

Finally, many of you received the April issue of the Luna Cycles Newsletter in your email inbox. If you didn't and would like to receive it in the future, please sign up for our mailing list using the box to the right in the sidebar. Our newsletter includes information on all aspects of cycling, information about store specials, and web only coupons! We will never share or sell your contact information and we will not overwhelm your mailbox!

Enjoy the weather and ride!

What a difference a few months make!

I will now take this time to show serious pride in my kid. I offer no apologies. Owen rocks!
4 months ago:


Owen rips the downhill. from Shawn Moore on Vimeo.

3 months ago:


Owen's first ride with pedals. from Shawn Moore on Vimeo.

5 days ago:


Owen learns to start on his own. from Shawn Moore on Vimeo.

Prepare for Owen to show up at this year's NC Cyclocross Series with mad skills!

Now if the weather will cooperate, we can all get out on our bikes and be kids again.

Clavicle, shmavicle

The sight of Lance Armstrong holding his right elbow in the international sign language sign for "I have broken my collarbone" was not a pleasant thing to see. It is a bad break (pun intended) for Armstrong in his return to the european peloton and could point to his loss of status as the "Boss" of the peloton after his absence the past 3 years. Or it could be just wrong place at the wrong time. The end result though is that there is now a seed of doubt in Armstrong's participation in il Giro d'Italia. Since this would be his first time in the race, it would be very cool to see him tackling the Giro; a race that has a different character from the Tour de France. Hopefully, Armstrong will mend well enough to participate.

Less fortunate is Tyler Farrar of Garmin who seperated his shoulder and now appears to be out for the classics season. Farrar had huge promise given that not only is he the only man so far this year to not look silly in a sprint against Mark Cavendish, but actually beat Cavendish by going past him in a sprint finish to take a win in the 3rd stage of Tirreno-Adriatico. Talk about something to watch for in the classics! Another bad break for an American rider.

Here on the homefront inconsistent weather, too much stuff to do, and a heavy workload have conspired to keep me off the bike. No whining or whingeing, just a statement of fact (and regret). My short term goals are to finish up all of my National Boards Teaching Certification stuff by Friday (deadline is next Tuesday) and try to hit the Uwharrie mtn. bike race on Sunday. Should be a great way to show how out of shape I am AND be a real motivator for the 6 hrs. of Warrior Creek mtn. bike race on April 4th. Fear not dear friends! Despite my lack of time on the bike in reality, I have been maintaining a brutal regimen of positive visualization and active rest that should prove the key factor to these early spring races. That coupled with copious amounts of landscaping work might just add up to a bit of Belgian farmboy fitness for me.

Turn some cranks for me and I hope to see you on the roads and trails soon!

1st race of the day... Cat. 5's

sunrise over Salisbury

6 Hours of Warrior Creek is coming...

You have to come ride the newest playground in WNC!  Check it out:


Warrior's Creek from Greg Carr on Vimeo.

erratum

Apparently, I was pretty out of it when I wrote last night since I put Contador on Team Discovery Channel.  But seriously, now that Lance is back it seems like the only thing different is the shade of blue.  Astana has risen from the ashes of the Vinokourov fiasco and looks to be the most potent stage race team of the bunch.  My bad.

Daylight savings time saved my life.

I don't think I have Seasonal Affective Disorder or anything, but it would be impossible to express how happy it makes me to have sunlight well into the evening. Finally, riding during the week can take place outdoors! The tuesday/thursday shop rides are in full effect and depart from the shop at 5:30 pm. The saturday group ride will now be leaving at 9 am, so we can squeeze in another hour on the bike before dispersing to the four corners of the county to do all of the things we need to accomplish on the weekends.

My posts have been very sparse as of late and I would like to offer an explanation. March 31st is the deadline for the completion of my portfolio for National Boards Professional Teaching Standards certification. To say that I am writing a lot right now would be a severe understatement. I will emerge from the seclusion after this month, but expect to see me out on the group rides as I need to turn my legs to try and slow down the wheels in my head.

A little shop news to give you a heads up on: the Specialized Spring Break Sale will be from March 13th - 22nd.  Loads of free stuff when you buy certain Specialized models.  Make sure to check the shop website for more details!

Paris-Nice just got a whole lot more interesting today as Sylvain Chavenal took the stage and the lead from Alberto Contador.  A late in the game, audacious break seems to have worked.  Can't believe that Discovery would fall asleep at the wheel on something like that, so even greater kudos to Chavenal.  Regardless of the final outcome, Sylvain looks set to pick up where he left off last season and continue his winning ways.  He said of his ride today, "I saw the Rabobank riders gathering in the front," the Frenchman explained. "I took my jacket off - I was ready for the war." Nice to see a frenchman doing well in a big race on home soil.  Friday's mountain finish looks to be the make it or break it stage.  don't forget you can follow the action live on velonews.com and cyclingnews.com.

Spring, is that you?

As the crocuses start to peek out of the ground, one is tempted to herald the coming of Spring.  But the forecast for wintry mix on Sunday would lead the pessimist to feel otherwise.  I find myself firmly in the optimistic camp that Winter is almost over and warmth and green are about to replace cold and dead.  Think positive thoughts and hope for the best.

When in doubt - deny

 

In the high stakes, competitive world of school bus driving, drugs have begun to creep in following the drivers as the salaries and sponsorship deals have grown to astronomical proportions. In an effort to get in front of this lurking problem, school systems across the country have instituted drug testing programs to try and level the playing field and send a strong message that cheaters will not be tolerated in a sport with the storied purity of competition that competitive bus driving has long enjoyed.

Due to some recent stellar performances on the road side of Bus driving competition, I found myself visited by the anti-doping control squad for an unannounced out of competition test. Not to brag, but I have been finding strength in both the extended backing up competitions and in the road course/slalom competitions recently and I viewed my visit by the "vampires" (or more accurately the "urine drainers") as a sign that I have arrived!

In an effort to try and show the future generations of competitive bus drivers that performance enhancing drugs have no place in the sport, I would like to formally announce the launch of my new anti-doping organization, DriveClean. The DriveClean movement seeks to encourage all current and future competitive bus drivers to compete with their natural gifts and talents, honed by years of practice and to not try and take the easy way to victory by using PED's. Together, we can make a difference!

Redemption

You may or may not have noticed, but the biggest deal in North American Men's Professional Road Cycling, the Amgen Tour of California (or AToC for those desperate for initializing) began on Saturday. This race marks the return of Lance Armstrong to his first US race, Floyd Landis to his first post-suspension race and Ivan Basso to his post-suspension era as well.

It struck me as odd that in a week dominated by the performance enhancing drug revelations of Alex Rodriguez, that no fewer than 5 professional cyclists who had served suspensions for drug violations would be in California. They include the aforementioned Landis and Basso along with Stage 1 winner Francesco Mancebo, Tyler Hamilton and Oscar Sevilla (all of Rock Racing - a supportive, half way team that eases those coming off of suspensions back into the rough and tumble world of the pro peloton with all of its temptations and pressures). Couple this with convicted party drug imbiber Tom Boonen (cocaine) and everybody's favorite man in grey (the area between legal and illegal), Lance Armstrong and you just know somebody is going to have to say something. Paul Kimmage, former pro cyclist, journalist, and author of the tell-all drug expose Rough Ride, confronted Armstrong in a press conference and really told it like it is to his face. Armstrong's reaction was to be expected, but his recent dropping of his much touted and publicized self-testing program under the direction of Don Catlin, doesn't exactly make for a strong defense in Armstrong's corner.

What is even funnier is the American public's seeming desire to really, really, really want to forgive A-Rod and move on from the whole drugs mess, while cycling just keeps devolving into a sordid, soap opera like series of scandals and bitter recriminations. Maybe, just maybe, this will be the year that nothing much happens in cycling and the rest of the sports world gets its share of cheaters and dopers exposed.

a day that will live in ignomy

I suffered my Short Track Mountain Bike racing debut yesterday.  Going into it, I wasn't to hopeful about how I would do and in retrospect, that was probably a pretty optimistic outlook given the reality of my race.  Short track, for those of you who don't know, is a mountain bike race that is raced by time (like cyclocross) and features a short course with some technical mtn. biking and some wide open, power sections.

This race started on a sidewalk, went into a parking lot, turned in the parking lot and then dove into a singletrack trail in the woods.  There were lots of high speed berm turns, which are not my forte, and a little bit of climbing.  So how was my race?

(spoken with heavy southern drawl a la NASCAR) First off, I want to thank all of the Fiets Maan Racing and Luna Cycles Crew for getting my SRAM/Crank Brothers/Rock Shox/Specialized Epic Expert bike in perfect condition for today's race.  Things were looking purty good... I came off the line good... hit the woods in about 6th position... and then the bike, she got a little loose in turn 2... I came off the berm funny... slid a little bit and got right into a tree.  I'm just glad all the other racers behind me were able to get around me clean. I guess that's racin'.

I got back in it after putting my chain back on, but I was tentative from then on. I was way back, so not much hope of doing anything, but I stayed in it for the training effort. I didn't finish last which is both gratifying and surprising, but I'll take it.

pushing limits

Yesterday, Jeff and I set out to do a training ride for the upcoming 6 hours of Warrior Creek mountain bike race.  Our plan was to do 4 laps without the myriad stops and breaks that are the hallmark of group mountain bike rides.  Just the two of us in a not quite race simulation ride.

The weather was nice and warm, but inexplicably, the trails were greasy to peanut buttery for long tractionless stretches.  Right off the bat, precious watts were exerted to essentially go nowhere.  Forcing your weight onto the rear wheel proved futile as I was still spinning it while nearly pulling a wheelie.  Our plan looked questionable as we made slow, energy sapping progress.

We got out of the truly sloppy portion of the trail and were greeted with decently tractionable stretches of trail broken up here and there with more glop and goop.  The first lap was finished and we were on the second lap as we realized that the trail was tacking up the riding was getting much better.  For me, the second lap was when the demons started to work on me as I toed into the uncharted waters of more endurance type mountain biking than I am used to.  I pushed through the dark moments and made it to the finish of the second lap, convinced that I had reached my limit and would not be riding further.

We sat and ate, took stock of our physical state and took off for another lap.  At this point, we were 2 laps and 3 hours into the ride.  Physically, we were getting somewhat sore and fatigued, but not unbearably so.  I kinda got alittle concerned about our plan when I noticed that the sun seemed to be going down at a decent rate and the air was getting cooler.

It is weird how fatigue magnifies little mistakes and you find yourself crashing in really stupid circumstances.  I started to walk the short power climbs that were greasy, rather than waste the energy trying to ride them.  Concentration seemed to waver at the wrong moments and it becme a game to try and snap back to attention in time to keep upright and pointed down the trail.  It was nice to come to the end of lap three.  Despite the myriad problems on each of the three laps, average lap times were pretty close to each other.  I was pleased to note that I felt like I had another lap left in me, but was equally pleased to head to the car, get out of the chamois and head home for some food.

Now the question remains: should we do another shakeout ride and push for 6 hours prior to raceday? or just keep training and save it all for the race?

med school bound

Some time back, Kaibab decided to blow both of his rear ACL's.  In September, we got the worst one operated on and he recovered nicely.  In fact, he has been very sweet and appreciative of being in full blown house dog mode. 

At the end of January, we took him in to get the second ACL repaired.  I went in to the vet to visit him after his surgery and there he is, resplendent in a party hat.  Apparently, he decided to start gnawing at his stitches as soon as he regained consciousness.  I brought him home, party hat and all.  We would take it off of him to give him a break and BOOM he'd be gnawing at his stitches like they were going out of style.  So, we left the hat on from that point on.  He started to use it like some kind of weapon, ramming you with the plastic to push you out of the way.  It also served as a kind of funnel/target for Owen to throw food at Kai from the kitchen table.  Lovely.

Friday was the day for Kai to get the stitches out, so Thursday night we decided to take off the party hat and let him chill out for the evening.  When we were getting ready for work Friday morning, Golden asked me, "does it look like his stitches are all gone?"  I looked at the 7 inch incision on his knee and sure enough, zero stitches were present.  Seems Kai decided to remove his own stitches Thursday night.  It isn't really a big deal, but if he was going to do the follow up medical procedure, I wish we could have given him a shot at performing the initial surgery on himself.  We could have saved a lot of money that way...

dreams of warmth

It is truly hard to be happy when the temps drop to the teens at night and the wind is brisk and biting.  I am starting to lapse into daydreams of fun in the sun, sitting in a garden in full bloom with a glass of ice cold white wine (don't ask me, I'm not sure why it's popping up, either).  One of my colleagues at school took off this afternoon for a week in Puerto Vallarta.  I'm stuck in the arctic.  The bad thing is that it is cold, but there is no snow.  No way to engage in fun but fleeting winter sports like snow shoeing, skate skiing or the like.  It's just cold and it is starting to drive me slightly bonkers.

I just got a heads up on a review of the new Fuji D6 tt/tri bike.  We saw this bike at the show and it was more than a little revelatory.  While Fuji makes a solid product, we were really surprised to see such a well thought out, highly engineered and in many ways, revolutionary bike from them.  And while the idea of a time trial is enough to give me the heebies AND the jeebies, I have a deep admiration of the equipment.  This new bike from Fuji is being hailed as a legitimate challenger to the heretofore unchallenged Cervelo P series.  Check it out: Fuji D6 Review

This weekend should (fingers crossed) be warm and great for another long base pace ride.  Talk of a scenic tour of Lake James is in the air.  Hope to see you there!  I'll be the guy with really pasty white legs poking out of his shorts.  ON second thought, I'll be the really good looking guy with really pasty white legs poking out of his shorts.  The other pasty legged guy is Max "ghost faced killah" Dyer...

Oh, what a beautiful day!

Beautiful weather today on our Cycle to Serve loop ride.  Several of us actually stripped down to shorts halfway through!  Four of our team riders from Charlotte made the trip up to join us, swelling our group to about 10.  The pace was just right for base miles, the sun was shining and the conversation was convivial. 

It was great to get out and do a nice, long ride.  Lots of climbing has made it impossible not to remember today's ride for the next few days.  My legs are certainly not used to long road rides, but some chocolate cake and soy milk are helping to ease the pain.

Trainer ride update

Due to a schedule conflict, the trainer ride is canceled for this morning.

All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.

Remember that line from The Shining?  Stuck in that big, snowed in hotel with not much to do, but go crazy and talk to ghosts.  I'm starting to feel that way myself.  As Homer said in The Shinning, "Don't mind if I do!" 

The cold is getting to me.  The wind isn't helping and skies that seem to not vary much out of the grey color scheme are doing me in.  I feel like the whole world is in a funk.  Sure, the economy is bad and getting worse, but having a dull, leaden sky crushing down on you day after day with temperatures that make it too cold to do anything outside are just exacerbating the situation.

There are some bright spots.  Tomorrow will be another day for a shop trainer ride.  Although riding outside is best, riding indoors with other people is at least better than slogging away in the basement by yourself.  Sunday, the temps are supposed to go up a good bit and some of the Luna crew from Charlotte are going to come up and join us for a base mile ride of the Cycle To Serve loop at 9:30 am.  Remember that base pace means slow and steady, convivial conversation, that sort of thing.  Come discover how smart your riding partners are by engaging in actual conversation!  Past group ride conversation topics have included: "Dogs: a critical analysis of the predatory response with respect to breed" and "The dos and don'ts of on-the-bike action photography".  If 9:30 isn't a workable time for you, there will be another group taking off in the opposite direction to meet up with us at 1pm.  I'll post more details later.

Other good news in our little world this week: although one of his classmates had them, Owen managed to not get lice this week.  All of his stuff was in a bag for us to, I guess disinfect or burn or something and he was pretty surly at me looking through his hair for like the 50th time that day, but he was louse free!  And then, he turned around and got something called Fifth's Disease which resembles the 72 hour Leprosy, but adds a kind of cold/cough action to the mix for added fun.  At least it wasn't Monkey Pox.

If you ever get bored and are looking for something to do on a Friday afternoon, drop by the shop and join in the fun of the Luna Cycles Ninja Challenge World Cup of Upper Body Strength.  There are several categories to choose from, but the competition is stiff!  Only in a bike shop would the winning mark of 7 pullups be an unbroken record for the 4th straight week.  Yes, ladies and gentlemen, we cyclists are gifted with the upper body strength of a T. Rex, but that doesn't stop us from trying to unleash our inner power lifter!

Ciao sole!

With temps forecasted in the mid-50's, tomorrow's ride is NOT going to take place indoors but in the great wide open!  We will be hitting the Cycle To Serve loop at base pace.  Plenty of cutoff points if you aren't up for the whole ride.  10 am start.

Andare in bici!

Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

It is not the easiest thing in the world to stay excited about riding a bike when the thought of being outside is enough to cause frostbite.  Sadly, we are deep in the throes of the coldest part of winter; the very heart of darkness (and despair).  Temperatures that flick above 40 degrees feel like a veritable heat wave right now and it is that magic range of the upper 40's that inspires us to get out and ride.

Jeff, Golden, Peter and I headed to Warrior Creek on Sunday to do a little mountain biking.  We decided to ride the loop counter-clockwise this time and both Jeff and I thought that it flowed much better in that direction.  Temps were cool but not freezing and once we got moving everything was fine.  This trail is complete and now the work is turning to some reroutes of old trail sections and buffing the trail to perfection.  BMCC will be doing trail work days every Sunday for the next month or so in an effort to get this trail done and ready for the race there in the Spring.  Check out the BMCC website to get further info on volunteering!  I'll see you out there this Sunday if you can make it.

We wrapped up Warrior's Creek, jumped in the car and drove the 10 minutes to the Overmountain Victory Trail.  Jeff and I took off and immediately noticed that it was a good bit colder on the OVT than it had been at Warrior's Creek.  A few other intrepid souls were out riding, but we largely had the trail to ourselves.  Towards the end of the trail, we both started feeling the effects of cold weather mountain biking for 3+ hours and were glad to get back to the car and its promise of warmth.  The only thing lacking was a coffee shop within a short distance, but life can't be too perfect.

Not sure what the weekend is going to bring weather wise, so a mtb ride this weekend is up in the air.  I plan on heading out to do trail work with Owen and Golden on Sunday, so at least I will get out in the woods one way or the other!  Don't forget shop trainer rides will be on Tuesdays at 6:30 pm for the near future.  Bring a trainer and fight the good fight with others!  The Saturday group ride may or may not be indoors this weekend.  Once I have a clear idea of the weather I will post the call.

"I'm going nowhere, baby!"

 

There is something truly awful about riding the trainer.  I think it is the stationary part, the not going anywhere that heightens the torture of riding indoors.  We started the Saturday morning trainer rides at the shop today due to the fact that it was waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay too cold to even think about riding outside.  Charles the Taller and Peter met me at the shop at 10am and we started setting up.  I brought the trainer and the rollers, just in case somebody showed up without a trainer.   Charles and Peter got started, I turned up the AC/DC and we got underway.

I decided to ride the rollers.  I don't know why, but the rollers seem like the lesser of two evils to me.  I guess it is the constant concentration to avoid the imminent doom that lurks at the edges of the spinning drums that keeps the mind occupied enough to not dwell on the stationary part of the indoor riding session.  The key to riding rollers (I think) is to be in a relaxed state of concentration.  Relax to much and the bike is zigging all over the place.  Tighten up on the bars too much and you are zagging like there is no tomorrow.  Hit things just right and it is almost like being on the road.

You have probably heard the war stories about trainer crashes or been scared witless when you realized how close to the edge your wheel was.  I have honestly never had a bad incident on the rollers, but then again I don't try to ride no hands or fart around like I'm Joe Pro, either.  Rollers are to be viewed as being a quiet kind of cool.  It is cool to ride rollers well, but it is not cool to break them out at your local crit and show off your no hands-back stretching-while riding rollers technique.  However, it is cool to show how good you are on the rollers when warming up at the velodrome, but you better bring your A game to even warrant a glimpse in your direction as there are some serious bike riding skills going on in the fixed gear set.

With all of that out in the open, I managed a 45-50 minute ride on my Roubaix rollers (the drums are really lumpy so it is sort of like riding on a very bumpy road).  Peter kept breaking out the one legged drills on the trainer, swearing up and down that they made time go by faster.  Sure.  Charles sweated along and aptly reminded us that suffering now was the best preparation for the season.  It's funny that we suffer now so that we can suffer more once the weather is warm.  Seems perverse to train by suffering in order to compete at suffering.  Oh well, no one ever promised that life would be logical.

Holy cow!

It is about 8:30 am and it is cold.  Not just a little cold, but a significant, bone-cracking kind of cold.  Don't ride outside!  Come by the shop at 10 am, bring your trainer and we'll do an indoor group ride.  Anytime between 10 and noon will be good.  I'll have tunes and a heater.

No Risk Investment Opportunity!

What if I were to tell you that I had a fabulous, can't lose investment opportunity and that if you act right now you would be on the ground floor of this exciting investment opportunity? Shades of Bernie Madoff, you say? No, says I! 

Well, friends, I am prepared to let you in on the secret to cycling success!  This has been the closely guarded secret of the pros for decades and now, right now, I will give you this training secret FREE OF CHARGE!  But wait, you are probably asking yourself, "What's the catch?"  Fair enough, I won't lie to you, friends.  This investment is an investment in yourself; an investment in the season that will be; the season that lies before you like a wide open road of possibility.  But this investment will require privation, less than ideal conditions at times and one of the most precious of all commodities: time.

Yes friends, if you want to fly up the hills like an angel, sprint like a cheetah or just try to not be the slowest buffalo in the herd, then you must get out and ride your bike now. Yes, now!  In the winter!  When the chill drives the timid into the house for another round of Wii tennis and hot cocoa, you should be bundling up and coming out for the Saturday group ride!  Come out for some good old-fashioned LSD (long slow distance - NOT the other stuff!).  Be prepared for slow, social miles and GASP! talking with other people while riding. 

So, my friends, if you want to be "Better, Harder, Stronger, Faster" this season, NOW is the time to make the investment in yourself!

*while riding your bike in the winter time is a good idea and does usually result in increased performance and overall improvements in ones athletic ability, your actual results may vary. If, after a reasonable time period, you have not experienced improvements that you may define as "reasonable", you are probably not doing something right and should consult your local bike shop for the requisite scowls of disapproval and taunts of being a "whiner".  This is a limited time offer, Winter doesn't last forever, you know, and before you know it your first (race, cookie ride, long ride, mtn. bike epic, etc...) will be here and you will be lamenting missing out on this sure-thing investment opportunity.

In closing, let me say, "I'm gonna get you Shaw Brown!"

Pushing through to a chilly weekend

 

True to form here in the foothills, the weather is taking a nice downturn temperature wise just in time for the weekend.  The timing is uncanny.  Despite the chill, I'm gonna get out on the new mountain bike and do a little Wilson Creek exploration ride.  Jeff and I both want to encourage anyone who wants to come join us for a little fun in the dirt to definitely come ride with us!  I'll let you know when and where to meet up for this Sunday's offroad fun.  Don't worry about your skill level, your ability or your fitness, we just want people to ride with!  Don't have a mtn. bike or wanting to update the one you have?  We have several demo mtn. bikes from Specialized!  For a small fee, you can take out one of our demo bikes and rip around on the trails to get a proper feel for how the bike performs.  And the best part is that if you decide you can't live without a new mtn. bike, you can apply your demo fee to the purchase price!  It's win-win!

As always: I'm gonna get you Shaw Brown.

I'm not a doctor, but I do have a biology degree...

I have this new habit.  Actually, it is more of a procedure... a self-administered procedure.  When I first started cycling, the occassional bike crash was something that didn't really faze me, unless I was significantly injured, i.e. knocked unconscious or severely concussed. When I seperated my shoulder during a mountain bike race, I actually completed the lap and then headed out and completed the next (last) lap.  True, by the end of the race I was unable to move my arm, but I nonetheless thought that I had some minor injury that I would easily recover from.  It seemed that a bike accident had to actually alter my brain waves in order for me to pause and consider what was happening (or in the more significant instances: HAD happened).

Not now, though.  Now, I touch the floor or, lately, the dirt, and I am extremely aware of my physical state.  I still hop back on the bike as quickly as possible (a feat that is taking longer and longer as I get older), but now when I start riding again, I am running self diagnostic checks like some Terminator robot on holiday.  But unlike a real doctor, my internal doctor is not very well trained and seems determined to overlook or blow off symptoms.  So far, my internal doctor is proving to offer no better medical advice than, " Awww, that's nothing.  Just keep riding, the pain will work itself out."  The one benefit is that my internal doctor is free AND he is a great proponent of the healing properties of beer and mexican food.  And chocolate.

My latest gravity encounter saw me get tangled up in my mountain bike on a greasy slick muddy descent.  I ended up trying to see how much lateral movement my knee was capable of withstanding and landed squarely on my IT band.  This sent a shockwave up my quad to my hip, somewhat akin to striking your funny bone, but much, much worse.  After being cleared by the internal doctor, I decided to seek out a second opinion.  Bad move.  Never get a second opinion if you are perfectly happy with the first one.  Shelli, my second consultant, prescribed IT stretches and some sessions with the dreaded foam roller.  Not the prescription I was looking for.  While she is probably on to something, I'm going to see what my dog thinks and go from there...

Don't forget: I'm gonna get you Shaw Brown!

percentages

I don't want to write about the passing of the year or my promises to myself for the next. Instead, I want to share some philosophical insight that may or may not be of interest to you.  Keep in mind two figures: 80% and 1%.  Both of these numbers come from a book that I read a few months ago (well, devoured, actually) called "Let my people go surfing" by Patagonia founder and owner, Yvon Chouinard.

80%
Justify your desire to do multiple things well with the 80% rule.  Work at something, devote time and dedication to its perfection until you are 80% proficient at it.  To be 100% proficient, to be the best in other words, requires a single-minded devotion to the pursuit.  But with 80% proficiency, you have enough skill to be truly good at something, to enjoy it and include it in a quiver of skills and pursuits that you can joyfully participate in without the monk-like asceticism required to reach that 100% point.  I can enjoy cycling, running and other sports and devote time to them as I like and enjoy them at this level.  It's an interesting notion and one worth exploration this year.

1%
This one seems simple, but why does it seem borderline revelatory? This idea stems from the organization called 1% for the planet where businesses set aside 1% of their sales for charitable giving.  Chouinard dubs it a self tax, whereby you can determine how your tax money is spent.  My goal is to take 1% of my pay each month and give it to a different charitable organization.  Whoops, that sounds suspiciously like a resolution.  Oh well.

Here's to continued health and happiness for all in the new year!  Now go ride your bike! 

I'm gonna get you, Shaw Brown!