Spring Classics Pool: Races This Weekend

Omloop Het Volk on Saturday. Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne on Sunday.

Teams due by 11pm today. Once they're all in, I'll post the teams.

OTT: Alejandro Escovedo, As I Fall

Thursday Anticipation

Deadline extended. Teams will be accepted until Friday, 11pm: fortgarrybikeclubATgmailDOTcom. We have 10 teams submitted so far. But there's still room for more. Everything you need to know is here. Het Volk is on Saturday. Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne on Sunday. Starlists available here. Also, see CN's Het Volk preview. Pez has one too.

[update: 2/28/08, 2:48 pm] Note the change in race schedule. Milano-Torino has been moved to fall. It will be replaced for our purposes with the Monte Paschi Eroica.

T minus 9 days:


Race organizer Johnny S sends the following note. Note that he would like a response to help assist in the planning. Please respond. If you don't have his email, drop a comment below. Also, plan to bring $5 to help pay for the facilities:

Good times on a bike...

Team relay race in the park, caged knockdown matches, slow race tournemant, rink dogs, wii games for giggles, plenty of home baked prizes, a clubhouse/church, beer and basketball on the big screen. Small town fun and games. Saturday, March 8.

TIme line:
2:30 registration and team draws at the seeds of life church
3:00 races begin
5:30 back to the clubhouse
- bragging, bitching, awards, rink dogs, wii, byob and a some food of any kind to share
8:00 bball game

Family friendly event.

Plenty of places to sleep if anybody wants to crash in our little hamlet.

Spread the word - plans are shaping up.

Let me know if your interested.

[update: 2/28/08, 11:59 am] I just received a note from El Presidente: Friday night is "Indian Meal Night" at South Forty!! So if anyone is planning to head down south a little earlier, let him know so he can reserve you a seat. A weekend in Altona with curry, bike racing, and college hoops. Sounds perfect. I'll check the schedule and see if we can make it work.

T minus 92 days:


Ice Bergen didn't make it last year. Hopefully he'll be back this year for the 6th edition.

OTT: Teitur, Boy Can She Sing

Ice TT Results

That hurt. My legs and lungs are still burning. But it was good times just the same. Better in retrospect, of course. 13 racers showed up for the first annual FGBC Ice TT, including 4 first-timers. It was more like a snow TT in the end, since the ice was just freshly zambonied and impossible to ride. We stuck to the walking path. Fortunately, it was packed down pretty hard.

There was a slight timing malfunction--i.e., I accidently cleared my stopwatch. It seems that the times were about 1-2 minutes faster than the times listed below. But the time gaps are correct.

Good times at the clubhouse, as usual. Always nice to walk in to Skynyrd on the hi fi.

Results:

Chris - 13.55
Luke - 14.56
Luc - 14.58
Craig - 15.08
Jonny G - 15.13
Ian - 15.29
Benjamin - 15.40
Dave L - 16.01
Scott - 17.02
Jonny N - 18.00
Jonny B - 18.57
Colin - 20.00
Deanna - 20.42

I was too busy recording times to take action photos. But here are a couple for the archives. More from Scott. Luc should have more too.




OTT: Mark Geary, It Beats Me

Got Thighs?

Ice TT tonight. Be there.

Snow Crit #5 = ITT

The Tuesday night race scene continues tomorrow. But this week's Snow Crit involves a bit of a twist. In fact, it won't be a criterium at all. Rather, we're doing an individual time trial. On ice. It's the first (annual?) FGBC Ice TT. The race of truth, baby. Or would that be dare? From The Forks to Omand's Creek via the world's longest skating path.

Meet at the coffee shop in Johnson Terminal at 9:30 or so for pre-race fuel and to figure out how we're going to time this thing (bring a watch). Or, if you want to ride over together, be at my place by 9:15.

I ran in to Tenacious V yesterday while out for a walk on the race course. He said there's only two more weeks of Hummelt Hockey left. Another sign that spring is just around the corner. The new FGBC season begins in earnest shortly.

OTT: Spoon, Believing is Art

Dave Z's Moustache

... is awesome. Almost as awesome as Johnny S's 'Stache Cross stache. Kind of makes you wish it was 2007 instead of 2008 and we were racing. Kind of.



His teammate Steven Cozza's looking pretty good too:


DZ and the boys are racing the T of California right now. DZ's sitting in 6th place after yesterday's ITT with two stages remaining. Leipheimer looks to be cruising to a repeat victory. But the important thing is that the racing has begun. Spring is just around the corner. In a few weeks we'll be doing laps on the road at BHP.

OTT: Ian Ball, The Elephant Pharmacy

This one's for Jonny B

Team Organic Athlete to ride Calfee bamboo bikes:

LA SELVA BEACH, CA (BRAIN)—Organic Athlete has formed a new partnership with Calfee Design that will see the first vegan cycling team racing on Calfee bamboo bikes.

In a unique partnership, Organic Athlete is teaming up with Calfee to not only ride the bikes, but to co-promote and develop the brand. The result is a team whose message of personal health and social change now manifests itself in the form of a green, renewable bicycle.

"I've been riding a bamboo bike for over a year now. I can honestly say it's the best riding bike I've ever had," said Bradley Saul, founder of Organic Athlete and a Category one cyclist. “I’m pleased to have the team on the bikes.”

Organic Athlete, a nonprofit membership organization, started its elite cycling team in 2007 with a focus on vegan athletes; athletes that eat whole, plant foods and avoid animal products. The team shows through competition that it is not only possible to live on a plant-based diet, but to thrive, even to succeed at the highest level. Five athletes will be riding the bamboo bikes this year.

Craig Calfee designs his bamboo bike to give an elite bicycle racer everything needed to succeed. With finely mitered bamboo tubing, Calfee binds the frame together with a special hemp-finer wrap. And the natural strength an resilience of Bamboo gives the frame the lively feel and endless durability heretofore only attributed to carbon fiber.

Veggie Power!

OTT: Hollowblue, First Avenue

Thursday Anticipation

T minus 16 days:


The sign says "You're Always Welcome in Altona." It's so true. A multi-stage race, dogfest, and Duke vs. Carolina. They really know how to do it right down south.


Het Volk in T minus 9 days:


A few more teams would be nice. Send them to fortgarrybikeclubATgmailDOTcom by Feb. 27. Can anyone beat Andy? Did I mention that there a bottle of Half Pints up for grabs for the winner?


T minus 98 days:


We've cracked the 100 day barrier! The event of the season is just around the corner. I can almost smell the apple flavoured smoke.

OTT: Limbeck, Honk & Wave

DUKES CYCLE

Sad day for Toronto
There was a massive Fire in Torontos West End. Dukes Cycle burnt to the ground!
Dukes Cycle has been a Queen Street fixture for over 80 years.
My brother and I would always walk to Dukes when I was in TO for a visit. Always manages to leave with a little something.
We connected with an employee, Roger, who was originally from here, he was an weekly reader of the FGBC blog

Sad that a good shop is gone.

http://torontoist.com/2008/02/massive_fire_hi.php
http://torontoist.com/2008/02/phototo_queen_s.php

2007-08 FGBC CX Pool: Done

Not to be missed amid all the excitement surrounding the local race scene was the conclusion to the cyclocross season over in the land of frites & mayo and yeasty beer. The Superprestige and GvA series both wrapped up this weekend. And Niels Albert won both races. It'll be fun to watch him battle it out next year with Boom.

Over in the CX Pool, the only question remaining concerning the overall prize is how much Andy would win by. He wins it by over 1030 points! That's more points than Laura and Swatty had for the entire season. There was, however, a change in the race for 2nd place. Despite Nys fading down the stretch, Albert's late-season supremacy was enough for Vic to leap over me on the last race of the season to occupy the 2nd step of the podium. Nicely done boys.

Superprestige #7 - Vorselaar:

Albert - 150
Simunik - 125
S. Vanthourenhout - 100
Vervecken - 90
Wellens - 80
Groenendaal - 75
Nys - 70
Stybar - 65
D. Vanthourenhout - 60
Al - 55
Bianco - 50
De Knegt - 45
Peeters - 40
Van Gils - 35
Pauwels - 30
Vantornout - 25
Van den Bosch - 20
Verstraeten - 15
Berkmans - 10
Page - 5

Race Results:

Rachel - 360
Vic - 320
Andy - 295
Arlene - 220
Matt - 215
Tomek - 155
Naomi - 150
Hal - 150
Chris - 145
Jonny - 110
Paddy - 45
Laura - 5
Dallas - 5
David - 0

Overall Standings:

Andy - 6310
Chris - 5435
Vic - 5355
Matt - 4805
Naomi - 4145
Rachel - 4015
Arlene - 3930
Jonny - 3375
Hal - 3290
Tomek - 2355
Paddy - 1670
Dallas - 1375
David - 1020
Laura - 815


GvA #8 - Oostmalle:

Albert - 150
Wellens - 125
Boom - 100
Nys - 90
Vervecken - 80
S Vanthourenout - 75
Pauwels - 70
Stybar - 65
Aernouts - 60
Groenendaal - 55
Al - 50
De Knegt - 45
D Vanthourenhout - 40
Meeusen - 35
Vantornout - 30
Tielens - 25
Baestaens - 20
Berden - 15
Van Nuffel - 10
Van den Bosch - 5

Race Results:

Andy - 355
Vic - 280
Matt - 280
Hal - 250
Arlene - 215
Jonny - 195
Rachel - 190
Chris - 170
Tomek - 150
Naomi - 130
Paddy - 105
Laura - 0
Dallas - 0
David - 0

Final Standings:

Andy - 6665
Vic - 5635
Chris - 5605
Matt - 5085
Naomi - 4275
Rachel - 4205
Arlene - 4145
Jonny - 3570
Hal - 3540
Tomek - 2505
Paddy - 1775
Dallas - 1375
David - 1020
Laura - 815

Thanks to everyone for taking part. The Spring Classics Pool kicks off on March 1 with Het Volk. Submit your teams in by Feb. 27 to get in on the action.

OTT: Onethousand Pictures, Take My Everything

Nordic Cross Standings

Based on Alberto's formula which varies according to the number of participants, there was a big pile of points at stake in 24 Hours of Sedition. So after the fifth race in the series, the point totals are as follows:

Chris - 490
Hal - 470
Dave E - 430
Jonny G - 320
Paddy - 300
Ian - 290
Vic - 280
Tomek - 190
Brad - 190
LeAnn - 180
Unger - 180
Darryl - 160
Dave L - 160
Luc - 160
Adam - 140
Dave D - 120
Johnny S - 120
Naomi - 100
Aiden - 90
Penner - 80
Colin - 60
Jonny B - 50
James - 40
Adrian A - 40
Jonny N - 40
Liam - 30
Matt - 10

Nordic Cross #6 is the 3rd annual Tour of Altona on March 8. Johnny S and El Presidente already have a plan--at least for the basketball game. More details to come. The game is at 8pm, I believe. So plan for an afternoon race.

OTT: White Rabbits, Dinner Party

Six more cents

. . . from Paddy, Dave L, and Dave D.

Tuesday Night Ride tonight? Ummm, we'll see. If anything, it'll likely be a little wheel work at Sanctoral Cycle.

OTT: Les Savy Fav, The Lowest Bitter

my two cents

The commemorative video may take longer than the Dr anticipates... but something will arrive. For now... I will say this was one of the sweetest Louis Riel holidays I've ever had... and post two critical pics.Deluxe turnout. Sorry If I cut someone off... it was all I could do to keep the camera from falling... (again).

What would this event be without a significant chinsicle (or three) from the Dr.

24 Hours of Sedition: Done

The 2nd annucal FGBC winter 24 hour race is in the books. Nicely done boys and girls. Let the memorial mythologizing commence. 24 participants. A record turnout. Quite a bit more collective riding than last year too, I think. And with shorter laps, more activity at Sedition Central. The sunny skies and north wind conspired to make the weather conditions less than optimal. The singletrack section rocked. The snow drifts behind the St B. hospital sucked. The twisty ramp down from the footbridge to the river was fun. The wind-polished ice was icy. The last corner on the river into the howling wind was just plain unfair. The Louis Riel quiz was educational. And the Sal's lap, to top it all off, was perfect. A well-rounded affair. There was a dogfest or two (boiled), there were chinsicles, a mandatory Big Lebowski lap (it just keeps getting better and better on each subsequent viewing), lots of sweet prizes, and generally plenty of good times had by all.

Between Ian's 2:15-3:14 am late night lap and Juan Eppstein launching a vigorous early morning attack at 5:42 am, it was even a legitimate a 24 hour race this year.

Thanks all for coming out. And thanks to Fort Garry Brewing Company, Half Pints, and Velo Artisan Bread, and Tomek/Dave L for the prizes. You know where to find it.

There was also plenty of stuff left behind at Sedition Central. The most notable is probably Brad's drivers license and Master Card.

Token photos:

Pre-race conference

The Quizmaster explains

Le Grand Depart

Early in the first lap, the mood is high

Lap 1 commemoration

Desolate river section

Mandatory Big Lebowski lap

The secretary will have his memorial movie up shortly. If you have photos, post them. Or you can send them to fortgarrybikeclubATgmailDOTcom.

Results:

Team race:

Tomek/Dave E - 21
Chris/Adam - 19
Hal/Luc - 18
Ian/Dave L - 17
Jonny G/LeAnn - 15
Paddy/Jonny B - 14
Darryl/Brad - 14
Penner/Johnny S - 13
Dave U/Jonny N - 13
Vic/Dave D - 12
Aiden/Colin - 12
James/Naomi - 4

Solo:

Chris - 13
Dave E - 12
Ian - 11
Paddy - 10
Hal - 10
Tomek - 9
Dave U - 8
Jonny G - 8
Luc - 8
LeAnn - 7
Vic - 7
Brad - 7
Johnny S - 7
Dave L - 6
Adam - 6
Aiden - 6
Penner - 6
Darryl - 6
Colin - 6
Dave D - 5
Jonny N - 5
Jonny B - 4
James - 2
Naomi - 2

OTT: Tom Waits, The Black Rider

count it down

Sedition commences in t minus 21 hours.

Jonnys G & S, Unger and myself just got back from a test run of the course. The conditions are perfect right now. This morning's freezing rain ended up not posing a problem at all. Not only was it not slippery, it seemed to make things grippier. And it looks like we'll be spared the snow, so the course should be super sweet.

The course is 13.5 kms. It took us 48 minutes to complete one lap--at a very relaxed pace. So a 45-50 minute lap is probably about as long as can be expected, unless something bad happens. By comparison, last year there were many laps that took as long as an hour and a half.

Colin, we're counting on you to bring the Big Lebowski. I hope that's okay.

The schedule:

9:00 am - coffee & cinnamon buns
9:30 am - draw for teams
10:00 am - le grand depart
Sal's lap, Big Lebowski, dogfest, etc. - TBD

Startlist:

Paddy
Naomi
Ian
Brad
Dave L
Hal
Jonny B
Jonny N
Tomek
Vic
Johnny S
Luc
Colin
Jonny G
Penner
Chris
Unger
Secretary
Dallas
Juan Eppstein
James
LeAnn
Aiden
Adam?
Lindsay?

If you're not giddy with excitement, well . . . you should be. But this should help.



OTT: Wooden Stars, The Summer I Drank Myself to Death

This could get interesting

Forecast

Issued: 11.00 AM CST Friday 15 February 2008

Saturday: Snow at times heavy. Risk of freezing rain in the morning. Snowfall amount 5 to 10 cm. Blowing snow late in the day. Wind south 20 km/h becoming northwest 40 gusting to 60 in the afternoon. High zero.

Sunday: Cloudy with 60 percent chance of flurries. Low minus 11. High minus 8.

Monday: Sunny. Low minus 24. High minus 18.

OTT: Whiskeytown, Lo-Fi Tennessee Mountain Angel

piano blink... or lucky buggers riding in the mall

all the talk we've wasted on riding bike in the mall... we just have to shoot a music video. Hawksley Workman's new video is all low ridin' in the mall. sweet.
watch on yahoo here.

Thursday Anticipation: Johnny S Edition

He's a pround papa once again. Congratulations Johnny!

T minus 3 days:


Race Roster:

Paddy
Naomi
Ian
Brad
Dave L
Hal
Jonny B
Jonny N
Tomek
Vic
Johnny S
Luc
Colin
Jonny G
Penner
Chris
Unger
Secretary
Dallas
Juan Eppstein
James
LeAnn
Lindsay?
Adam?

Others?

T Minus 15 weeks:


T minus 15 days:


Johnny S may not be featured explicitly in this one. But we all know how much he hates the steep hills. So consider this one a gesture of solidarity. Even the pros have to push their bikes up the hill from time to time.

Teams submitted so far: Chris, Matt, Dallas, Jonny B.

OTT: Great Lake Swimmers, Gonna Make It Through This Year

Tuesday Night in Retrospect

Jonny, Craig, and me
Slip-sliding through Munson Park
Swept the podium

Race results:

Chris
Craig
Jonny G

Jonny G looked to have 2nd place easily under control, but he went down on a slippery corner during the penultimate lap and had to settle for 3rd. Well done, boys.

Low-key night at the F&H. Just Juan Eppstein, Victor, James, Jonny G, and me. Everything is figured out. For now.

Secretary's ribs
Must be aching like crazy
Nowhere to be seen

The roster for this weekend looks to be shaping up nicely. The weather is looking good too. Thanks to all who have responded. I suspect, however, that there may be others who are planning to participate. A response would be nice.

OTT: The Constantines, Hard Feelings

Snow Crit #4

Munson Park is on Wellington Crescent, just east of Shaarey Zedek and across from St Mary's Academy. Pre-race coffee at Bar Italia, 9:15-ish. Be there.

OTT: Crystal Skulls, No Room for Change

24 Hours of Sedition: The Details

One week from today, we'll be almost 10 hours in. Hopefully it'll be a little warmer then than it is right now. But it might not be, godforsaken land that we live in. There is no backup plan. The race is on, no matter what. They didn't have a cold weather contingency plan in 1869 and neither do we.

The general structure will be basically the same as last year. Just to make it confusing, we will once again be running two races simultaneously. A solo race and a two-person team race. You can win both. Lose both. Win one and lose one. Or neither. You might even end up racing against your teammate. It'll all become clear in due course. Or it won't. Teams will be determined by a random draw just prior to the start of the race. It's not a relay, though. Team members can both be on the course at the same time. Your team results are the total number of laps completed by the two team members combined. The solo race is the one that counts for the Nordic Cross series.

Race HQ--hereafter known as Sedition Central--is, once again, my house. The course, however, is entirely different. This year we head west toward the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers. We'll pass the much discussed remnants of Upper Fort Garry where the Rebellion went down. We'll also pass a commemorative statue of Louis or two and pay a visit to the grave site. There will be some riverbank singletrack, lots of snow packed walking trail, and a good amount of frozen river riding, not to mention a few cx-style run-ups. Other than the two blocks from my place to the river and a little bit on Cornish, it's all off-road.

There will also be an educational component, organized by the poosher and his comrade, Colin. Yes, it's part of the race. This is Nordic Cross. It's not just about riding your bike. In fact, sometimes it's not about riding your bike at all, as the Duker can attest. In any case, be warned that you will have to do some reading. It won't be that hard though. And there are pictures.

The race begins at 10am. Sharp. The course will not be marked, so the first lap is a controlled start. Coffee and cinnamon buns commence at 9am. Draw for teams happens at 9:30. You are more than welcome to drop off your stuff on Saturday if you like.

Bring food and beverage for yourself. If you run out, or are too lazy to plan ahead, there is a Sal's right on the course. There are also plenty of convenience stores close by. If you’d like to bring something for everyone to share, that wouldn’t be refused. Maybe Alberto will bring some bread. Kitchen appliances will be available. We will try to clear out the fridge as much as possible, but fridge space will no doubt be rather limited.

So long as it's not closed for the holiday, Monday morning will involve a mandatory Sal's lap.

There will, of course, be a dog-fest at some point. Maybe this year it will be outside around the fire. But last year's microwave dogfest was a classic. Bring dogs and buns.

There will also be a Big Lebowski screening again. Maybe there will actually be people awake and watching by the end. Maybe not.

If you are planning to catch some sleep at any point, bring whatever you need to facilitate that.

The president will be hitting up Orest and Brewmaster Dave for some prizes.

Some indication of who is planning to participate would be much appreciated. Drop a comment below. It's really not that difficult.

Any further details will be sorted out at the F&H on Tuesday Night. If not, then we'll figure things out at some point during the race itself. Or at least we'll kill a couple of hours talking about it. If you need more clarity than that, then you're probably beyond help. At the very least, you might want to consider looking for someone else to ride with. The FGBC flies by the seat of its collective pants. We are, after all, exactly what we are.

OTT: Gillian Welch, Only One and Only

monday night movie

not to make it a weekly event, but it looks like there is another (and hopefully better) movie worth catching at cinematheque. this is england is a film by shane meadows about a young boy in early 80's england who is bullied and finds friendship and acceptance with a group local skinheads. cheery and uplifting - probably not...but winner of some awards. movie starts at 9:00.

FGBC Classics Pool: Rules and Riders

Rules: Select a team of nine riders from the list below. You have $30 to spend. Spend it wisely. I've already listed the races. But if you need to be reminded, go here. Send your rosters to fortgarrybikeclubATgmailDOTcom by February 27. Note that the rankings are based on the results for this same collection of races last year. There a few exceptions to account for those studs who would have done much better had they not done only a few races (e.g., Pettachi, Cunego, Sanchez). They may show up for more this year. Then again, they may not. Of course, the same thing can be said for those who showed up for a whole bunch of races last year. With different teams and different racing programs, their priorities might be different. Roll the dice and take your chances. It's called gambling. It's fun. And in this case at least, the stakes are low. No entry fee. A bottle of Half Pints for the winner.

Scoring:

Points for the top 30, as follows:

350
300
275
250
225
200
175
150
125
110
100
95
90
85
80
75
70
65
60
55
50
45
40
35
30
25
20
15
10
5

In addition, since just finishing is an accomplishment in some of these races, every finisher below 30th place receives 3 points.

Riders & Values [updated: Hincapie & Voeckler have been added. I know I said $3 for GH, but that seems a bit low for a guy who has a history of strong, if unlucky, performances at Paris-Roubaix and finished 3rd at the Tour of Flanders and 5th at Gent-Wevelgem in 2006. It all depends on what his schedule with High Road looks like, I suppose.]

Tom Boonen - 19
Danilo Di Luca - 13
Oscar Friere - 13
Stuart O'Grady - 11
Alessandro Petacchi - 9
Daniele Bennati - 9
Davide Rebellin - 9
Marcus Burghardt - 9
Robbie McEwen - 9
Alejandro Valverde - 8
Damiano Cunego - 8
Kim Kirchen - 8
Nick Nuyens - 8
Paolo Bettini - 8
Juan Antonio Flecha - 7
Roger Hammond - 7
Samuel Sanchez - 7
Baden Cooke - 6
Frank Schleck - 6
Mattias Kessler - 6
Robbie Hunter - 6
Thomas Vaitkus - 6
David Kopp - 5
Filippo Pozzato - 5
Gert Steegmans - 5
Phillipe Gilbert - 5
Alessandro Ballan - 4
Graeme Brown - 4
George Hincapie - 4
Karsten Kroon - 4
Luca Paolini - 4
Ricardo Ricco - 4
Stefan Schumacher - 4
Thor Hushovd - 4
Stefan Wesemann - 4
Wouter Weylandt - 4
Allan Davis - 3
Erik Zabel - 3
Fabian Cancellara - 3
Juan Mauricio Soler - 3
Leif Hoste - 3
Matthew Hayman - 3
Nico Eeckhout - 3
[update: 2/28/08] Thomas Dekker - 3
Roy Sentjens - 3
Vladimir Gusev - 3
Allan Johansen - 2
Bert De Waele - 2
Christophe Mengin - 2
Claudio Cucinotta - 2
Enrico Gasparotto - 2
Fabian Wegmann - 2
Francisco Ventoso - 2
Gabriele Balducci - 2
Gorik Gardeyn - 2
Iljo Keisse - 2
John Gadret - 2
Kenny Van Hummel - 2
Manuel Quinziato - 2
[update: 2/28/08] Marcel Sieberg - 2
Murilio Fischer - 2
Olaf Pollack - 2
Rinaldo Nocentini - 2
Roberto Petito - 2
Sebastian Chavanel - 2
Staf Schierlinckx - 2
William Bonnet - 2
Aart Vierhouten - 1
Alexandre Botcharov - 1
Alexandre Usov - 1
Andreas Klier - 1
Arnaud Coyot - 1
Bastiaan Giling - 1
Benoit Salmon - 1
Bert Roesems - 1
Bram Tankink - 1
Christian Murro - 1
Christophe Laurent - 1
Daniel Musiol - 1
Daniele Pietropolli - 1
Danilo Napolitano - 1
Dmitry Muravyev - 1
Enrico Franzoi - 1
Eric Bauman - 1
Fabio Baldato - 1
Frederic Amorison - 1
Gabriele Bosisio - 1
Geoffroy Lequatre - 1
Ghyllebert - 1
Jerome Pineau - 1
Jesus Del Nero - 1
Johan Van Summeren - 1
Jose Rojas Gil - 1
Juan Cobo Acebo - 1
Jukka Vastaranta - 1
Kevin Van Impe - 1
Lars Bak - 1
Lars Michaelson - 1
Laurens Ten Dam - 1
Linus Gerdemann - 1
LucaSolari - 1
Manuel Mori - 1
Mario Aerts - 1
Mark Cavendish - 1
Max Van Heeswijk - 1
Robert Gesink - 1
Ruggero Marzoli - 1
Salvatore Commesso - 1
Serguei Ivanov - 1
Stefan Van Dijk - 1
Steven Caethoven - 1
Steven De Jongh - 1
Stijn Devolder - 1
Tadej Valjavec - 1
Thomas Voeckler - 1
Tyler Farrar - 1
Vincente Reynes - 1
Yaroslav Popovych - 1
Yuriy Krivstov - 1

OTT: Wax Poetic, White Dove

Rock 'n Roll Posengers?

Kind of sophomoric and cliched. More than kind of, in fact. "On whose Authority? I have none over me." Are you still in high school? Time to sell your fixies, kids. If this keeps up, they'll be selling them at Sport Check before too long. But it's still a good ride. Watch:

Background

To put the poster of the president below in its proper context, especially for those unfortunate not to have been present at the inaugural ride, click here. Ahh, memories. That he managed to muster a smile (or is that a grimace?) and a gesture well-being for the camera is just one among the multitude of reasons that he is our revered figurehead leader.

OTT: Bottomless Pit, Leave the Light On

Thursday Anticipation

T minus 10 days:



T minus 16 weeks:

Tuesday night in image and verse

A spectral presence?
Or merely a foggy lens?
Either way, sweet ride

Desolate river
Punctuated by skaters,
Makeshift zamboni

Sheldon Brown has died
Critical Mass is in court
Adam is depressed

Meagre hockey crowd
Just the one with hurting ribs
Not good for "the book"

Big game tonight. Go Devils!

OTT: The Dudes, Fist

Ride Comrades

The 2008 US Presidential Campaign

Just in time for Super Tuesday comes this brief primer from FGBC associate, the Angry Clown. It's all you really need to know.



OTT: The Subhumans, Celebrity

movie night

as per discussions at icebike - terror's advocate, 7:00 tonight (mon., feb 4) at cinematheque. maybe overpriced beers at king's head.

Ice Bike X

Fast course, blood soaked lungs
Only ten dollars per lap
Wretched off-camber

Results aren't up yet are posted. But I think I remember the top 6 at least:

1. Dan N
2. Rob H
3. Paul B
4. Chris H
5. Olli H
6. Hal L

Decent FGBC turnout, not great. The president built up a new bike for the event. Tinker Tim won the Paddy Wagon. The next generation did well too. Good times had by all. Even the hecklers could be observed smiling from time to time between moments of I'm-too-good-for-this surliness. Too bad the secretary was in Cincy.

Token photos:















OTT: Autumn's Grey Solace, Treasure Box

Hoogstraten

It's Albert again at Superprestige #7 in Hoogstraten. Stybar is second. Sven Vanthournout third. Boom and Albert are both 22. Albert just turned 22 today. Their young legs have way more gas left in them than the tired old legs of Nys and Wellens at this point. Full results and report over at CN.

Andy wins another one and stretches his lead to over 700 points. Can he push it to 1000 by the end of the season? Vic is making a late run for 2nd. Too bad Nys is running out of gas. But my team seems to have even less left in the tank.

Top 20:

Albert - 150
Stybar - 125
S. Vanthourenhout - 100
Simunik - 90
Nys - 80
Wellens - 75
Pauwels - 70
Vantornout - 65
Vervecken - 60
Page - 55
Aernouts - 50
Fontana - 45
Peeters - 40
Berden - 35
Al - 30
D. Vanthourenhout - 25
De Knegt - 20
Bianco - 15
Groenendaal - 10
Daelmans - 5


Today's Results:

Andy - 355
Arlene - 330
Vic - 295
Rachel - 265
Matt - 255
Tomek - 205
Chris - 185
Naomi - 160
Hal - 150
Jonny - 145
Paddy - 70
Laura - 55
Dallas - 55
David - 0


Overall Standings:

Andy - 6015
Chris - 5290
Vic - 5035
Matt - 4590
Naomi - 3995
Arlene - 3710
Rachel - 3655
Jonny - 3265
Hal - 3140
Tomek - 2200
Paddy - 1625
Dallas - 1370
David - 1020
Laura - 810

OTT: The Go-Betweens, The Statue

Krawaten Cross

Fresh off his U23 win in Treviso last weekend, Niels Albert showed he can race with the big boys too. With Boom taking the day off, Albert made sure to win another one for the younguns. Full results at CN.

Over in the FGBC Pool, the only thing Andy's got to worry about is when people will pony up their $5 entry fees. The sooner the better, folks. Vic takes the win on the day, and Swatty finally cracks the elusive 1000 point barrier.

Top 20:

Albert - 150
Wellens - 125
Nys - 100
S. Vanthourenhout - 90
Stybar - 80
Groenendaal - 75
Vervecken - 70
D. Vanthourenhout - 65
Pauwels - 60
Aernouts - 55
Peeters - 50
Al - 45
Bianco - 40
Berden - 35
Verstraeten - 30
Mourey - 25
De Knegt - 20
Simunik - 15
Heule - 10
Daelmans - 5


Today's Results:

Vic - 365
Andy - 325
Rachel - 260
Arlene - 230
Matt - 200
Naomi - 195
Jonny - 185
Tomek - 175
Chris - 170
Hal - 150
Paddy - 75
David - 25
Laura - 10
Dallas - 0


Overall Standings:

Andy - 5660
Chris - 5105
Vic - 4740
Matt - 4335
Naomi - 3835
Rachel - 3390
Arlene - 3380
Jonny - 3120
Hal - 2990
Tomek - 1995
Paddy - 1555
Dallas - 1315
David - 1020
Laura - 755

OTT: Wax Poetic, U&I

Pre-race Haiku

Sweet ride with Jonny
Icebike course seems rather fast
Don't gear down, gear up

Unless you're in Cincinnati, there's no good reason for not being there. And don't forget to wear the sweetest jersey in the world.

OTT: Townes Van Zant, Tower Song

Ride this afternoon

3pm or so at my place.

Letter from Mexico

Introductory Haiku:

Bicycle Nomads
They're post-oppositional
Not docile bodies

"... the lyricism of marginality may find inspiration on the image of the "outlaw", the great social nomad, who prowls on the confines of a docile frightened order."
-- Michel Foucault

They move about in god knows what numbers, in antic, vanguard brigades of traveling informational protest parties and parades, in groups that emerge like mushrooms overnight then vanish into the demos. They are “post-oppositional,” inclined to throw parties instead of rocks. They embrace an entire mode of being that requires of its practitioners a lifestyle devoted to subversive theatricality, with the hope that, by riding around on a bicycle that has been painstakingly decorated to look like a giant butterfly, for instance, we all might, at some fantasy tipping point, run off and join the circus, too. They are wonder actuators, joggling those who pass them by in automobiles. It’s full-time dream work, yet it requires knowledge of practical skills. It helps if you are able to weld with a torch or sew costumes, for instance—to juggle, to play an instrument, to read the schematics for commercial or household electrical circuitry, to modify bicycles, to spend long hours outfitting them so that they might appear like fantastic bugs. To ask them what they do for a living, as I did a few times out of nervousness or habit, is to provoke from them an awkward silence, to betray, in effect, what seems like an unbridgeable divide between my work-a-day life—saddled with its burdens and deadlines and vistas of deferred happiness—and theirs. An ocean exists between the New Bedouins and squares like me. They don’t do anything for a living. They live for a living.

Read the full story here. It's good writing. More here.

FGBC Spring Classics Pool: The Races

Ooh, ooh, that smell. Can't you smell that smell? The smell of cobbles and mud is around you. The Spring races are just around the corner. It all begins one month from today with Het Volk. Here are the races that will count (with links to last year's results):

Mar. 1 - Omloop Het Volk
Mar. 2 - Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne
Mar. 8 - Milano-Torino [Moved to October this year]
Mar. 8 - Monte Pasche Eroica
Mar. 22 - Milan-San Remo
Mar. 26 - Dwars Door Vlaanderen
Mar. 29 - E3 Prijs Vlaanderen
Mar. 30 - De Brabantse Pijl
Apr. 6 - Ronde van Vlaanderen
Apr. 9 - Gent-Wevelgem
Apr. 13 - Paris-Roubaix
Apr. 16 - Scheldeprijs Vlaanderen
Apr. 20 - Amstel Gold Race
Apr. 23 - La Flèche Wallonne
Apr. 27 - Liège - Bastogne - Liège

Rider list and values coming soon.

OTT: Magnolia Electric Co., Hard to Love a Man