when is a brake a brake?

Used to be that we only had to worry about whether or not we were cheap posers. Now, in addition to integrity issues, it appears we might be haunted by the spectre of the law. Or is it hunted? Since Winnipeg cops have a penchant for bandwagon jumping (witness their attempt to mimic NYC cops in their approach to Crticial Mass), let's hope they don't come across this news. Then again, maybe it's just pathetic self-rationalization that we suffer from.

Check out the latest obstacle for fixed-gear fans, courtesy of cars-r-coffins:

Illegal Fixies?
Rant: Dang! Out of Portland comes this crazy nooze...

Judge finds fault with fixies
Posted by Jonathan Maus on July 28th, 2006

Yesterday at the Multnomah County Courthouse the law came down against fixed gear bicycles.

On June 1, 2006 Portland bike messenger Ayla Holland was given a ticket for allegedly violating Oregon Revised Statute (ORS) 815.280(2)(a) which states,

A bicycle must be equipped with a brake that enables the operator to make the braked wheels skid on dry, level, clean pavement. strong enough to skid tire.

At issue was whether Holland’s fixed gear bicycle met this requirement. She and her lawyer Mark Ginsberg thought it did, but Officer Barnum of the Portland Police Bureau thought otherwise so they brought the matter in front of a traffic court Judge.

According to Officer Barnum, he stopped Holland at SW First and Jefferson and told her that she was in violation of the law and that she must put a front brake on her fixie to avoid a ticket. Holland disagreed. She and Ginsberg claim that Oregon statute does not clearly define what a brake is and that as long as a bicycle can perform a “skid on dry, level clean pavement” it does not need to have a separate, traditional braking device.

At the start of the trial it was clear that neither the Judge nor the Officer understood just what a fixed-gear bicycle was. To help them visualize, Ginsberg likened a fixie to a child’s Big Wheel. Once everyone was clear and the cop was finished with his opening testimony, Ginsberg began his cross-examination:

Ginsberg (to Officer Barnum):

“When you approached the rider did she stop?”

Officer Barnum:

“Yes.”

Ginsberg:

“How’d she stop the bike?”

Officer Barnum:

“I don’t know.”

Ginsberg:

“The gear itself stopped the bike.”

Officer Barnum:

“But the gear is not a brake.”

From the outset, the judge seemed to agree with the cop and it was up to Ginsberg to change his mind. The trial began to hinge on the definition of brake. Ginsberg continued to ask questions of the cop.

Ginsberg:

“What is a brake?”

Officer Barnum:

“A lever, a caliper or a coaster brake hub.”

Ginsberg:

“Can you show the court where in the vehicle code a brake is defined as such?”

Officer Barnum:

“No.”

Ginsberg:

“Did you at any time during the traffic stop ask my client if she could skid (thus meeting the performance requirement of the statute)?”

Officer Barnum:

“No.”

At this point the judge seemed increasingly exasperated with Ginsberg’s direction and pointed out that “brake” was a commonly accepted term. To end this line of questioning, Ginsberg offered to demonstrate to the court that Holland could easily bring her fixed-gear bike to a skid on dry, level pavement. The judge declined his offer.

Now it was time for Officer Barnum to ask questions. He asked Holland,

“What would you do if your chain broke?”

Holland:

“I would use my feet.”

Officer Barnum:

“What if your leg muscles had a spasm?”

Holland:

“I’m not sure…these are emergency situations.”

Ginsberg interjected with a question for Holland:

“Did any of these situations happen on the day you were stopped?”

Holland:

“No.”

Now it was time for Officer Barnum to submit his closing testimony. He continued to argue that nowhere in the statute does it say gears can be utilized as brakes (it doesn’t say they can’t either). He also said that “motorists and the public deserve to have these bikes be properly equipped,” and that a “skid is not as good or safe as a stop.” “The requirement,” he said, “has not been met.”

Now it was Ginsberg’s turn. He said,

“The state is overreaching in seeking to define a brake as a lever and a caliper. The question remains; is the fixed gear the brake? The statutes are clear that the answer is yes.”

To solidify his point, he took out a huge Webster’s dictionary and opened it to the word “brake.” The definition stated that a brake is a “device to arrest the motion of a vehicle.” It did not stipulate anything about a distinct lever or caliper. In his last few comments he proclaimed that the current statute is not well-written and that it is “frightening to require only a front brake.”

With both sides at rest, it was time for the Judge’s final opinion. His contention was that the main source of braking power on a fixed gear are the muscles of the rider, not the gear itself. To this end, he questioned how messengers—whom he’s seen riding “much too fast”—could stop safely.

In the Judge’s opinion, gearing itself and/or leg muscles are not a sufficient source of braking power. He said,

“The brake must be a device separate from the musclulature of the rider. Take me for instance. I don’t have leg muscles as strong as a messenger…how would I stop safely?”

He then turned directly to Ginsberg and said,

“If your client had a stick she could rub against her tire, you’d have a case. I don’t believe the defense has convinced me to broaden the definition of a brake. I find the defendant guilty.”

So now Holland has 30 days to either attach a hand brake to her bike and pay a $73 fine, or appeal the decision. In talking with her outside the courtroom it seemed like she did not think the Judge’s opinion was fair and I wouldn’t be surprised if she and Ginsberg decide to continue the fight.

This decision by the Judge raises some concerns and questions. Will the cops now feel emboldened to go out and ticket everyone on a fixed-gear? Are fixed-gears now essentially illegal? Are fixed-gears truly a public safety hazard?

Fixed gears have become a huge trend across the country and with hundreds if not thousands of them in Portland, I don’t think we’ve heard the end of this issue.

Still reading? Now read the (entirely appropriate) retort by aflowercallednowhere:

broke break baroque

There is a lot of talk around bike blogs and newsgroups about whether the law should require brakes on fixies and even what constitutes "brakes". I feel there are more important things the law needs to focus on, and that the decision to have brakes or no brakes is up to the rider, but I also feel that legislating common sense can't be done because people are inherently stupid and subject to the whims of fashion and herd mentality.

Some of the things that the "brakeless faction" are missing out on or rationalizing away are 1) chains snap, and no chain on a fixie means out of control. Only the people who have never had a chain snap while stomping hard on the pedals actually believe that they will be able to make an emergency stop on their bike as fast as they could without a chain. I've had 2 chains snap in my life, and both times they were absolutely catastrophic split-second rides off the seat and up onto the bars. To think I could have stopped the bike on a dime right after it happened is just stupidity. 2) Most of the braking power on a bike is on the front wheel. You know that and I know that. Explain to me how, in an emergency situation, it can possibly be anywhere near as fast to stop by doing the fixie skid as opposed to backpressure on the pedals and clamping down on the front brake. 3) Most people I know who race track don't ride track bikes on the street. Most people I know who ride brakeless track bikes on the street are following fixie/messenger fashion trends and ride maybe a couple miles to work or to the bar where they park their bike so all their fixie friends can see them. 4) I would venture to guess that a good portion of fixie riders, just like a good portion of any people that do anything, aren't exceptionally skilled at what they do. There is a world of difference in abilities between the average fixie scenester and the experienced bike messenger or experienced racer. All people are not equal in all things, to think they are is stupidity. Most people arguing that skid-stops are superior probably could not get it together enough to even begin a skid-stop in the split-second the old lady opens her door in front of you, while they may have had a chance of stopping if their fingers were on their brake levers (as they should always be in heavy traffic and dangerous circumstances).

I ride a fixie solely because it's lighter and easier on my long flat commute on bike paths and a few blocks of city streets, and also to some extent because it never breaks down or needs adjustments. The novelty and uniqueness of riding a fixie is pretty much gone for me after these thousands of miles and from riding it almost an hour and a half (20 miles, with grocery stops) every day, the quirks internalized. If the commute were easier on a unicycle, well, then I'd ride the unicycle. I could care less about the coolness factor because I'm not trying to look cool or get laid. If it were easier to ride a geared-bike to work I would ride a geared bike. Fixies, by their very nature, are extremely limiting. They only do one thing well. Turning on a dime and by body language is a function of frame geometry, not whether it is a fixie or not. Riding a fixie doesn't mean you are a better rider or a cooler person. Coolness is all inside, and if you're a loser then the coolest fixie in the world won't fix that. if you have to rely on a fixie to define social life and to get laid, then you maybe should think about your life a little bit.

The mythical fixie zen is all fine and good. Being a slave to fashion with your bars a foot lower than your seat and no brakes on a bike that never has been near a track is all fine and good. It's a free country, be whatever you want to be. Just don't be so stupid and obviously rationalizing (out of insecurity?) that going brakeless is "safer", because it's not. Accept the fact that if you ride brakeless you are tempting fate, especially if the chain snaps, and be proud of the fact. Play it up like you're hardcore and tempting death. Use it to boost your macho ego or to solve your penis envy or to get college chicks, whatever, just don't claim it's "safer" anywhere except on a closed track or risk looking like a real idiot to the majority of people who don't think being an urban bike messenger is cool and rad. Have insurance for reconstructive surgery when the chain snaps in traffic, and accept it when you are responsible for your bike accident, and not the person in the car you are trying to blame it on.

If you still aren't convinced then ask yourself if you know more about bikes and are as respected a rider/fountain of knowledge as Sheldon Brown. Didn't think so. Then Kent Peterson? Didn't think so.

"Some fixed-gear riders ride on the road without brakes. This is a bad idea. I know, I've tried it. If you do it, and have any sense of self-preservation at all, it will cause you to go much slower than you otherwise could, everytime you go through an intersection, or pass a driveway. The need for constant extra vigilance takes a great deal of the fun out of cycling. You really should have a front brake. A front brake, all by itself, will stop a bicycle as fast as it is possible to stop. This is true because when you are applying the front brake to the maximum, there is no weight on the rear wheel, so it has no traction." --Sheldon "Captain Bike" Brown

"Some young, strong and idealistic riders ride fixies with no brakes other than the fixed wheel and slow only with the strength of their legs. Most folks with a respect for physics and a desire to live opt for at least a front brake. Old, un-cool people like me have both front and rear brakes on their machines." --Kent Peterson

Like I said, ride with brakes or without, just don't try to rationalize a decision that's not based on logic and common sense. Ride brakeless all you want, it's still (kind of) a free country. Just don't believe your own bullshit, and don't blame anyone except yourself if you're unlucky enough to have something go terribly wrong. Taking possession and ownership of your decisions, and the responsibility of the results both good and bad, is power. Falling victim to your own rationalizing is weakness.

counter-consternation

I must admit I find all the speculation and soul searching about Floyd just a little bit amusing. I'm even amused at myself for getting caught up in it. We seem driven by a need to believe and to disbelieve all at the same time. And so all this ongoing talk is just a way to keep alive the paradoxes that somehow define us.

In any case, here are two more perspectives on the matter, in case you haven't heard enough already:

#1 Drugs can't ruin a good story

So then Landis goes and tests positive ... I don't feel betrayed or let down, because I now know enough about testosterone to know that Landis didn't decimate the competition on the road into Morzine by using a drug. If it had been EPO or some sort of blood doping, that would be different. But testosterone doesn't enhance performance in that fashion. I think the sadness I feel (in addition to being a little appalled at how quickly he's been crucified, and the fact that self-serving individuals and organizations are using him to further their own agendas -- I'm talking to you Dick Pound and Greg Lemond, and even, to a lesser extent, Bill Plaschke), is an almost childlike sense of innocence lost.

#2 Wash your bottles

Now the news about Mr Landis, and my initial reaction was crushing. Against my better judgement I'd been rooting for the guy, hoping that somehow this Tour would be better, that things were on the upswing. But they are not. After about 24hr I had become resigned to it. But then the scientist kicked in. One of the dirty little secrets of antibody-based testing is that the test is only as good as the specificity of the antibody, and that is sometimes not as good as we would like. The T/E test would be done by ELISA, an antibody-binding based test. Mr Landis's team need to make sure that what has been detected as testosterone is actually testosterone and not something else that cross-reacts with the Anti-T in the ELISA. They need to insist on a second method used in parallel that will give a more authentic identification of the testosterone, as well as an independent measure of the level. I would recommend Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectroscopy (GC-MS) or High-Performance Liquid Chromatograpy-MS if there is enough sample. The chief suspect for cross-reactivity in my opinion would be plasticisers (probably phthalate esters) and the most likely source would be those 70 bottles. I'm sure the team mechanics didn't carefully soak and wash them before use, the phthalate esters can be absorbed through the skin as well as through the gut, and I've personal experience of these compounds interfering with steroid assays (although it wasn't an ELISA test). Only when the high testosterone value is confirmed should there be a search for the reason for it, and Mr Landis may be doing himself a disservice with all this public speculation (now there's Jack Daniels as well as the beer?!)

proof update?

well, it doesn't really feel like much of a step forward, although they got the lettering on the collar right... the collar was the original colour they gave for the sides, then I asked them to get it closer to the logo... I guess someone's colour-blind.

Not as bad as the person who doesn't speak English or ride bikes doing the lettering on Hal's hat. The original said "singiespeed"... maybe we should have just left it.

bike club lives on monday nights

okay, the pictures are a little blurry, but here is the evidence the bike club lives; a sweet ride to vj's following the living legends game on monday.


the decision is made - no pizza -VJ's


bikes take up way less space than cars


burgers, dogs and fries at 11:00

consternation

Some sort of explanation would seem to be in order for this latest twist in the plot. Don't know why this wasn't made known earlier. Courtesy of cyclingnews.com:

The New York Times edition of Tuesday, August 1 has published information which substantiates previous reports in French L'Equipe newspaper, according to which exogenous, synthetic testosterone was found in Floyd Landis' A sample of July 20. A source "within the UCI anti-doping department, with knowledge of the result" Landis' probe returned, said in an interview that some of the testosterone in his body had come from an external source and was not produced by his system.

The Isotope Ratio Mass Spectrometry test (IRMS), which differentiates between natural and synthetic testosterone, was done after Landis' ratio of testosterone/epitestosterone was found to be more than twice what is allowed under World Anti-Doping Agency rules, the person said.

Landis' personal doctor, Dr. Brent Kay of Temecula, California, told the New York Times he hoped that the results of the test and of the initial T/E test were false positives. He did, however, confirm rumours that the initial test found a ratio of 11/1 in Landis's system. He and Landis are seeking an explanation for that high level.

The result of Landis' B sample is expected to be known before the week-end.

Morden ride

Good day for a bike ride. Better day to jump in the lake after the ride. 34 C. with a humidex rating of 44 C while we were out. No wonder I felt like my head was going to explode. Even better day to get together for post-ride dogs and beers. Happy Birthday Jonny S.

Tuesday am ride: Tour de Nick's. Ride out to St. Fancis Xavier and beyond. Breakfast at Nicks Inn on the way back. Will confirm time etc. at post-ultimate gathering.

Average weather in Moab:

December: High 46 F; Low 21 F
January: High 41 F; Low 20F

Poison Spider Bicycles has this to say about the matter:

Winter mountain biking is Moab's best kept secret. Moab winters are mild and generally sunny. Snow storms are infrequent and accumulation usually melts within a day. Warm gloves, a rain shell, and a light hat that fits under your helmet will make the day. Conditions are great and you've got the trails to yourself.

This is follow-up from a conversation that took place in Jonny S's backyard this evening. It should be pretty easy to figure out what the topic was. To be continued . . . .

alleycat alleycat alleycat

time for another alleycat race. if there is enough interest (reply to this message) i'll set up another alleycat (messenger) race for next monday (aug. 6th), time to be determined. the thinking being that it is a holiday and we have no ultimate game so there should be enough people aroung who need something to do on that evening. dogs would be in order for a post event event.

ciao, alberto

Morden

Ride tomorrow in Morden. Meet at Colert beach at 12 noon. The more the merrier.

Floyd and Larry

Floyd will be appearing on Larry King Live tonight. 8pm, I believe.

Also, pezcyclingnews has their usual interesting take on some of the latest developments.

I'm definitely up for a ride on Sunday. Where and when should we meet?

sunday, morden sunday

poor floyd - tarred and feathered before all the evidence is in. having said that, i am starting to agree with dave from evil cycling that pro cycling sucks. its getting hard to believe anymore.

for those who are going cycling on sunday - i called james and he would probably like to join up for any ride on that day. sadly, i will not be able to make it because i made plans for that day, hoping that it would be a saturday ride. so, make sure to call james before you ride. have fun

more

This year's Tour was an emotional roller coaster right from the very beginning. Just when it looked like the wild ride had come to an end and some semblance of order restored, suddenly we find ourselves back on a train that is hurtling out of control.

Sadly, this will continue on for weeks. I won't even try to keep up. But it feels kind of odd to let it drop now. So a couple of noteworthy items.

Floyd has broken his silence in an interview with Sports Illustrated's Austin Murphy. As is customary in rider responses to doping charges, he says he didn't do it. I'll let you judge for yourself.

The media have been hounding Floyd's mother, whom they were celebrating only days earlier, even if in a patronizing sort of way. The poor woman. Here's some of what she has to say:

She said that she wouldn't blame her son if he was taking medication to treat the pain in his injured hip, but "if it's something worse than that, then he doesn't deserve to win. I didn't talk to him since that hit the fan, but I'm keeping things even keel until I know what the facts are. I know that this is a temptation to every rider but I'm not going to jump to conclusions ... It disappoints me."

Later on, after speaking to her son on the phone, she says: “He said, ’There’s no way,”’ she said in an interview with The Associated Press at her home in Farmersville, Pa. “I really believe him.”

Arlene Landis said it could take two weeks for the results of the backup test to be made public.

“Why couldn’t they take care of this before they pronounced him the winner?” she said. “Lance (Armstrong) went through this too. Somebody doesn’t want him to win.

“Why do they put you through two weeks of misery and spoil your crown? My opinion is when he comes on top of this everyone will think so much more of him. So that’s what valleys are for, right?”

'They like to make a good man look bad. If that's what they are doing, they will be disappointed,' she said just moments after speaking by telephone with her son from inside the family home in this tiny farming community.

Their conversation came just hours after it was disclosed that Landis had tested positive for high levels of testosterone during one leg of the race that ended Sunday.

'When he comes out on top of this everyone will think so much more of him. That's what valleys are for,' she said.

'He said he was sorry I was being mobbed,' the cycling champion's mother said as television trucks and press cars started to clog up the local road.

They spoke for seven to 10 minutes, said Landis' mother.

'I told him I'm praying intensely for you,' she said before driving away with a family member.

Finally, someone who seems to know a little something of the science and medicine behind the testing for testosterone explains some of what will be at issue over the next few weeks. The most interesting thing I've read is that anyone whose ever challenged the results of a negative testosterone test has been successful and fully reinstated. But then again the UCI and Tour de France are intent on cracking down in the hardest of ways these days in order to give the impression that nobody succeeds in cheating at cycling. The scary thing is that recent accounts--the Floyd Landis case aside for a moment--suggest they'd rather wrongly exclude someone than take the chance that they might beat the system.

So no matter how all of this turns out in the end, it looks doubtful that it won't be settled conclusively. That's too bad, because it would be nice to move on either way.

say it isn't so, Floyd

On Wednesday it was announced that a rider in the Tour has tested positive in his A sample. Also on Wednesday, Floyd did not appear at a post-Tour criterium in the Netherlands he was scheduled to appear at, citing his hip problem. Needless to say, this has raised all kinds of speculation that Floyd is the rider in question. Time will tell, I suppose. In the mean time, let's hope this turns out to be a case of the media jumping to conclusions.

See the stories at cyclingnews.com and VeloNews.

Update:

Phonak confirms Landis positive (courtesy of cyclingnews.com)

The Phonak team has confirmed the speculation that Floyd Landis returned a positive A sample after his win in stage 17 of the Tour de France. "The Phonak Cycling Team was notified yesterday by the UCI about an unusual level of Testosterone/Epitestosterone ratio in the test made on Floyd Landis after stage 17 of the Tour de France," said the team in a statement. "The team management and the rider were both totally surprised of this physiological result.

"The rider will ask in the upcoming days for the counter analysis to prove either that this result is coming from a natural process or that this is resulting from a mistake in the confirmation. In application of the Pro Tour Ethical Code, the rider will not race anymore until this problem is totally clear.

"If the result of the B sample analysis confirms the result of the A sample, the rider will be dismissed and will then pass the corresponding endocrinological examinations."

Meanwhile, Floyd's Mom also believes that Floyd's astonishing ride on stage 17 benefitted from some "external" assistance. But she attributes God, not testosterone, for his superhuman breakaway.

I don't know what to say. I confess that I have no idea how the science behind all of this works. I hope those guys in the lab know what they're doing. I sheepishly admit that I hope this will all sort itself out yet, but I admit to feeling more than a little naive in saying that.

Having said that, it's noteworthy that several of the riders implicated in Operacion Puerto have been officially cleared of any involvement. It appears they were wrongly booted from the Tour. See the letter from Allan Davis, who was one of those riders barred from racing:

As you all know, I was forced to not take part in this year's Tour de France after being named in a list of riders that are implicated in the Operacion Puerto.

I have been wrongly named in this list. I do not know Dr Fuentes, I have never spoken to Dr Fuentes either in person or on the phone and I have never had any reason to want to meet Dr Fuentes. I have requested a copy of the documents which are meant to implicate me, but to date I am still not sure how and in what way I am meant to be implicated.

To date, I have preferred to be silent and wait for justice to prove that I have nothing to do with Operacion Puerto. I am now over this whole situation. I thought it was finally over last Thursday when the Judge of the Operation Puerto sent a certified letter stating that my teammates from the Tour de France and I have nothing to do with proceedings in Madrid. I now find that my team can not include me in the upcoming races as the UCI have stated that I am still part of their investigation.

I invite or even demand that the UCI, ACF, Spanish Judicial system or whoever needs to, carry out a DNA test to finally clear my name from all of this. I understand that this is my choice and every individual is free to do whatever he feels he needs to do.

Should the DNA test prove that I am associated to this case, I will hang up my cycling shoes the day after and head home to Bundaberg and start looking for a normal job.

All of this is very frustrating when all I want to do is ride my bike and be able to make a living for my wife, kids and myself.

Allan Davis.

just because

hmmmm...maybe i need an afro and some gold boots

The story of Floyd

Expect more of this in the weeks (years?) to come. Strange Mennonite background, a wrecked hip, the implosion and dramatic comeback. Floyd's win will get him plenty of attention. Won't even try to keep up. But see the cyclingnews and VeloNews stories, as well as the New York Times article (may require an account--which is free--you should all be reading the Times daily anyway).

bike and swim

A while back I talked about a family day at Grand Beach – biking for those who wanted to bike and a day at the beach for others; seems like biking at Grand Beach is out for now. Word is that all back country travel in Provincial Parks is out until we get some rain, including any biking on the trails (Paddy and his crew were turned away at Grand Beach this last weekend). Another option would be Morden which has a fine beach and some good bike trails. What weekend and day would suit people best?

Also, Crash is dead; long live Alberto.

Floyd's beer

The beer over which Floyd's so-called suicide mission was plotted.


The last stage is under way. The riders are just beginning the first of eight circuits of the Champs Elysees. Almost there.

All the time spent watching the Tour has cut into my riding time a bit. 200 kms in the last two days, though, which feels good. Off to Winnipeg Beach until Wednesday for more riding.

yellow

He did it! Unbelievable. How did he do it? "I think I'm a person who works hard and I don't like to give up," Landis said. "Otherwise I'm just another human being."

Hal, Dave, and myself celebrated with some grappa hooch from Slovenia. Yum--especially at 10 in the morning. That stuff really is rocket fuel. Forget scotch club.

See VeloNews and Pez for full reports.

Today's top 10:

1 Serguei Gonchar (Ukr) T-Mobile - 1.07.45 (50.48 km/h)
2 Andreas Klöden (Ger) T-Mobile - 0.41
3 Floyd Landis (USA) Phonak - 1.11
4 Oscar Pereiro (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne-Illes Balears - 2.40
5 Sebastian Lang (Ger) Gerolsteiner - 3.18
6 David Zabriskie (USA) Team CSC - 3.35
7 Viatscheslav Ekimov (Rus) Discovery Channel - 3.41
8 Cadel Evans (Aus) Davitamon-Lotto - 3.41
9 Bert Grabsch (Ger) Phonak - 3.43
10 Damiano Cunego (Ita) Lampre-Fondital - 3.44


General Classification:

1. Floyd Landis (USA), Phonakn - 85.42.30
2. Oscar Pereiro Sio (Sp), Caisse d'Epargne-I.B. - 0:59
3. Andréas Klöden (G), T-Mobile - 1:29
4. Carlos Sastre (Sp), CSC - 3:13
5. Cadel Evans (Aus), Davitamon-Lott - 5:08
6. Denis Menchov (Rus), Rabobank - 7:06
7. Cyril Dessel (F), Ag2r Prevoyance - 8:41
8. Christophe Moreau (F), Ag2r Prevoyance - 9:37
9. Haimar Zubeldia (Sp), Euskaltel-Euskadi - 12:05
10. Michael Rogers (Aus), T-Mobile - 15:07

killing time

While I wait for Floyd to start the ride of his life, may as well continue to revel in the glory of Thursday's epic ride:

Epic Landis "could not be held back" (from cyclingnews.com)

By Hedwig Kröner in Mâcon

Opinions diverged in the press room on the unfolding of Thursday's last Tour de France mountain stage: with Floyd Landis attacking in the first climb of the day, able to turn such an impressive gear, didn't the rest of the GC teams commit a fatal error in letting him take the lead? Searching for an answer, Cyclingnews asked around within the peloton on the next morning in Morzine.

Polkadot jersey wearer Michael Rasmussen nodded. "It wasn't really up to us to chase Landis, as we're not the ones who have the Tour favourite," he said. "But there are definitely some other teams that made a huge tactical error yesterday - those who had their riders placed second and third on GC [T-Mobile and Team CSC - ed.]."

Then again, could Landis' attack have been just a tad too fast to follow? Cadel Evans, an excellent climber for his part, seemed to think so. "When Floyd went, I just thought 'what the hell is he doing?'," the Davitamon-Lotto racer said. "It tactically didn't seem like a sensible thing to do, but I didn't know he had the legs like that... nobody did! He went so fast from the start, he rode the whole peloton off his wheels! Nobody could follow."

Just one rider actually did: T-Mobile's Patrik Sinkewitz, ordered on the Phonak rider's wheel like a shackle. What did he think during all these kilometres, before getting dropped mercilessly at the foot of the final mountain, the Col de Joux-Plane? "I just thought that he must have had a motor hidden somewhere!" the 2004 Deutschland Tour winner said. "Usually, when you're on somebody's wheel, you can spare some energy - but I just couldn't yesterday. I was constantly in the red. The other riders couldn't follow him, either. He was just extremely fast."

What about the peloton, shouldn't it not have let him go? "Well, that's not what happened," he continued. "The teams behind didn't go soft, either - they knew of the danger Landis represented, and rode hard. But he was just a class stronger yesterday, nobody could hold him back!"

Even if T-Mobile and CSC had started to really chase earlier, wouldn't Landis have been caught? "Maybe they would have raced the first climb faster, but then there wouldn't have been any riders left to hold that pace afterwards," explained Sinkewitz. "That wouldn't have made a difference."

Evans' teammate Chris Horner, himself a climber and race tactics specialist, agreed. "It was epic!," he summed it up. "It was just legendary. Everybody was chasing yesterday. People have said 'T-Mobile should have worked sooner' - but no one could have worked any sooner! We were going as fast as we possibly could! And if we would have been any faster on the climb, there would have been no T-Mobile guys left!

"The only place T-Mobile could have done any work is when they did: through the valley, when they made up some time on Floyd. That was the only place you could go fast. The T-Mobile guys were stuffed just like anyone else. The pace the Caisse d'Epargnes set up in the climb was the fastest we could go."

Horner did evoke one last eventuality to counter Landis' move, but discarded it right away: "One possibility would have been for the Top 10 GC guys to all work together at a 100 percent, and that's it," he said. "But that has never happened in the Tour, and it's never happened in any other race I've done before - and it never will. It was an epic scenario, which I've never seen in my entire career!"

See also the interview with Floyd's trainer, Allen Lim, on the science behind Thursday's dramatic victory.

Another take on Floyd's monster attack attributes it to the beer he drank the night before. We here at FGBC have learned to appreciate how a good beverage contributes to bike riding. But this is unheard of in the pro peloton. Maybe they are slowly catching on. Of course, this is even further justification for the fact that Floyd has been named an honorary FGBC member.

To hear from the man himself, see Floyd's interview with Bicycling Magazine. Turns out it was not Skynyrd he was singing to himself for 163 kms on Thursday, but Metallica. That will do too.

In other news--not that anybody cares at this point--Jan Ullrich has been dumped by his team.

resurrection

First of all, I need to stress that I am not making any of this up. That needs to be said because today we witnessed a staggering, unfathomably dominant performance at the Tour. In fact, this has to rank up there as one of the most epic demonstrations of courage in the history of this fabled race. To say this stage was unbelievable is like saying that southern Manitoba is flat. I still find it hard to comprehend what I just watched unfold today in the Alps.

Left for dead just 24 hours ago, his dream of winning the Tour seemingly shattered, Floyd rode himself back into contention today. He could have been forgiven for throwing in the towel after yesterday's disaster. But Floyd says he came here to win the Tour, and apparently he's not going to quit until the final lap of the Champs Elysees on Sunday. He's got his bullets back and more.

Since he began the day a whopping 8:08 behind Pereiro, he had to make his move early. It was not an option to try and take back that much time by waiting to attack on the final climb, as we've become accustomed to in the Lance Armstrong era. It is definitely possible to lose 8 minutes in one climb, as Floyd showed yesterday. But to close that kind of gap over a whole group of contenders is simply not possible. So Floyd attacked at the base of the first climb, only 50 km into the race. Forget Armstrong. Floyd is an old school kind of guy, and this was an attack reminiscent of "the Cannibal," Eddy Merckx, whose son Axel rides on Floyd's team, and who apparently phoned last night to help plot the counter-attack. Others tried to hold on to Floyd's wheel, but none of them were able to keep up with his torrid pace. "He was like a motor bike. He was unbelievable," gushed T-Mobile's Michael Rogers. And once he got a gap, he just kept going faster and faster, like a great southern rock anthem. It must have been Freebird he was singing today, as he soloed his way over all the day's big climbs. The fact that today's stage was basically up and down all day long was no doubt a significant factor in Floyd's favour and a key part of his tactics for the day. There wern't really any flat sections for the peloton to benefit from drafting off one another. And unlike yesterday, he made sure to take on plenty of food and water today. It seemed like he was dousing himself every 5 minutes, keeping nice and cool.

At one point, his lead swelled to over 9 minutes. That's when Carlos Sastre, sitting 2nd on the GC, 6:15 ahead of Floyd, at the start of the day, dropped the rest and tried to salvage his own chances. Sastre was able to cut Floyd's time gap to just over 5 minutes by the time he crested the last climb of the day. But Floyd is much better than most at going down a mountain, and he was able to increase his lead by another 40 seconds by the time he got back down to the finish in Morzine. Combined with the bonus time he picked up by winning the stage and all the intermediate sprints along the way, Floyd almost took back the entire deficit he had to Sastre heading into the day! Pereiro was able to hang onto his yellow jersey, but just barely.

Floyd now catapaults back up to 3rd place, 30 seconds behind Pereiro and a mere 18 back of Sastre. Incredibly, he's back to 2 minutes ahead of Kloden, Evans, and Menchov, who appeared to be the main challengers only a week ago. It's tempting to say that their hopes for the podium are over. But given the rule of anarchy governing this year's Tour, it would be wise to wait for the fat lady to start bellowing before making any decisive pronouncements.

Yesterday Floyd conceded, "I don't expect to win this Tour anymore." But at the same time he vowed not to give up, saying "It's never easy to get back eight minutes but I'll keep fighting to the end and try." Interviewed after the stage today, Floyd says he now believes he can win this Tour. At the very least, he refuses simply to give it away: "I told everybody last night that if somebody wants to win this race, they're going to have to earn it." All of a sudden, the burden of proof seems to have shifted once again and the stage is now set for a thrilling showdown in Saturday's 57 km time trial. Floyd is a much better time triallist than either Pereiro or Sastre: Sastre finished 1:11 behind Floyd in the first TT, and Pereiro was 1:41 back. "I'm confident in my time trialing, if you saw today, then you probably agree with me," Landis said. "I want to win the Tour, whatever I've got to do. If I had a bad day, I had to make up for it." It looks like he just might be able to pull it off.

No matter how this plays out, it's fair to say that Floyd has made this one of the most exciting Tours ever. Not to take anything away from his dominance, but Lance Armstrong took all the suspense out of the Tour for seven years. This year, however, with the jostling of positions and the makeup of the GC changing almost daily, a sense of dramatic tension has been restored in a big way. This Tour is an emotional roller coaster, and there are still three days left to go.

Some post-race quotes:

Floyd Landis: “Yesterday had nothing to do with pressure. I felt bad from the beginning and it was not a day that you wanted to feel bad, there was no point on the course that you had any time to recover. It was a disaster. It may not have looked as though I was trying but it was as hard as I could go. I’d like to say that I was just trying to make the race exciting but that was all I had. I didn’t spend too much time thinking during today’s stage. The plan right at the beginning was to do what we did.

"After that, all I could do was hope that, behind me, they were disorganised or not strong enough to catch me. I didn’t have a whole lot of information, only the time differences every now and then but it’s hard to tell what’s going on behind. When the time gaps stay the same for a long period of time, I was pretty sure that they were working as hard as they could and that I was going to be OK. It wouldn’t be any fun if I told you what was going to happen next. What I hope happens is obvious, I’d like to win therace. The only decisive day left is the time trial and I’m fairly confident in my time trialling ability – assuming I didn’t overdo it today, and there’s a chance of that… but we’ll have to wait and see.”

Carlos Sastre: “I think we’ve done all we could, what happened today was that Landis was just very impressive. He’s got himself back into the race and he can now win it like the rest of us. The final time trial will show how much strength we’ve all got left, the desire we’ve got to win and it will depend a little on how well you go in that discipline.”

Phonak team manager John Lelangue: “Last night after the stage there was a catastrophic atmosphere but we were quick to respond. After dinner there was a bit of time to reflect everyone was really motivated to do something in the stage today. My father called me and said that we had to try everything and attack on the Col des Saisies. After all, we had nothing to lose. To finish sixth or 26th… it’s the same thing, so why not? Then this morning, Eddy Merckx called and told me the same thing, so we decided to do it. Now Floyd is in a really good position and has a big chance to win this race but something else can always happen… even tomorrow.”

Today's top 10:

1. Floyd Landis (USA) Phonak - 5.23.36 (37.175 km/h)
2. Carlos Sastre (Spa) Team CSC - 5.42
3. Christophe Moreau (Fra) AG2R-Prevoyance - 5.58
4. Damiano Cunego (Ita) Lampre-Fondital - 6.40
5. Michael Boogerd (Ned) Rabobank - 7.08
6. Frank Schleck (Lux) Team CSC - 7.08
7. Oscar Pereiro (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne-Illes Balears - 7.08
8. Andreas Klöden (Ger) T-Mobile - 7.08
9. Haimar Zubeldia (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi - 7.08
10. Cadel Evans (Aus) Davitamon-Lotto - 7.20


Top 10 Overall:

1. Oscar Pereiro Sio (Sp), Caisse d'Epargne-I.B. - 80:08:49
2. Carlos Sastre (Sp), CSC - 00:12
3. Floyd Landis (USA), Phonak - 00:30
4. Andréas Klöden (G), T-Mobile - 02:29
5. Cadel Evans (Aus), Davitamon-Lotto - 03:08
6. Denis Menchov (Rus), Rabobank - 04:14
7. Cyril Dessel (F), Ag2r Prevoyance - 04:24
8. Christophe Moreau (F), Ag2r Prevoyance - 05:45
9. Haimar Zubeldia (Sp), Euskaltel-Euskadi - 08:16
10. Michael Rogers (Aus), T-Mobile - 12:13

See PezCyclingnews and VeloNews for full reports, pictures, and complete results.

And don't forget: Never mess with a mad Mennonite:

Gimme Back My Bullets

If Floyd did have a Skynyrd song going through his head, this was definitely the tune of the day. But mustering up so much as a meagre hum looked like it was well beyond his capacities today. Stage 16 was rated the Queen stage of the Tour--the hardest stage--with two HC climbs and another uphill finish. And it was clearly one mountain too many for Floyd. He ran out of ammunition on today's last climb. He was completely and utterly out of gas. I'm not sure whether the appropriate metaphor is that he exploded or simply wilted away. But either way, his performance today was epic in all the wrong ways. And so his dream of winning the Tour comes horribly, devastatingly crashing down to earth with the brutal thud of limp and lifeless corpse. Struggling to drag his body up that last mountain Floyd looked like he was dead today. In the end, he lost over 10 minutes to the stage winner, Michael Rasmussen, and plummeted 10 spots to 11th overall, now sitting at over 8 minutes back. Pereiro is back in yellow, and everything remains up in the air as to how this is finally going to play itself out. As sad as it was to watch today's stage unfold, this is the most exciting Tour in years in terms of the race itself.

PezCycling News has the best report. Bobby Julich assumes that Floyd simply bonked. But Floyd's trainer, Allen Lim, says that's not what happened. But most significant of all are Floyd's own reflections on the day. He seems to be handling it about as well as one could possibly expect. Hopefully he can bounce back tomorrow, and maybe even win the final time trial.

back in yellow

The general consensus among the commentators all along has been that the three hard days in the Alps will determine the winner of this year's Tour. After the first of these today--a mountain top finish on Alpe d'Huez--once again it looks like the Tour de Floyd. Frank Schleck won the stage, proving to be the strongest of a 20 man break that was out in front most of the way. Floyd's strategy seems to be to let the contenders set the pace and he just rides behind the one who goes out the fastest. Today that was Andreas Kloden. The two of them rode up the last 5 km together, having dropped Cadel Evans, Carlos Sastre and, most significantly, Dennis Menchov. So Floyd's back in the driver's seat and it's up to the others to attack. There will be plenty of opportunity for that over the next two stages. But the way Floyd is riding right now, that looks like it will be a tall order to gain any significant time on him. Look at his face compared to that of Kloden in the picture above. It's almost as if he's just crusing along singing himself a Skynyrd song in his head. Maybe Gimme Three Steps or perhaps Am I Losing? No Floyd, you're not losing. You're about to win the Tour de France! See the brief post-race interview with cyclingnews.com.

Top 10 on the GC now reads as follows:

1 Floyd Landis (USA) Phonak - 69.00.05 (41.535 km/h)
2 Oscar Pereiro (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne-Illes Balears - +0.10
3 Cyril Dessel (Fra) AG2R-Prevoyance - 2.02
4 Denis Menchov (Rus) Rabobank - 2.12
5 Carlos Sastre (Spa) Team CSC - 2.17
6 Andreas Klöden (Ger) T-Mobile - 2.29
7 Cadel Evans (Aus) Davitamon-Lotto - 2.56
8 Michael Rogers (Aus) T-Mobile - 5.01
9 Levi Leipheimer (USA) Gerolsteiner - 6.18
10 Haimar Zubeldia (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi - 6.20

The biggest concern of the day is the fact that my cable cut out with about 5 kms to go. Nothing but static. Fortunately, LeAnn came through as a backup so that we could catch the finish. But it appears that the TdF headquarters will be out of commission for a while. Shaw says they'll get right on it and have someone out Friday afternoon. Great. Thanks for the concern, guys. Given that I only have cable hooked up for one month out of the year, this is shaping up to be a rather sour customer service experience.

Floyd's gamble

Floyd gave away the yellow jersey yesterday. He let a breakaway get a long way up the road and decided that his team would not ride too hard to defend it. Since no other teams were willing to work to bring them back, the yellow jersey now sits on the shoulders of his former teammate, Oscar Pereiro, who began the stage a whopping 28:45 minutes behind Floyd. This was a tactical move, designed to save the team from the pressure of having to ride to defend the jersey for the next several stages. Floyd is apparently pretty confident that he can get back in the lead during the three killer stages in the Alps that start on Tuesday. Others not so sure that this was the right move. See the diary of CSC rider Bobby Julich. See also the discussion with Floyd and his team manager on cyclingnews.com. We'll see whose right soon enough.

Holy shit! As I'm writing this, two guys in today's six man breakaway just overshot a corner and went somersaulting over the barriers. Another went skidding across the road before he slammed into it. Nasty. One rider, Matthias Kessler, was able to continue, but it looks like the other two are on the way to the hospital and out of the Tour. Sounds like Ric Verbrugghe has a broken leg and David Canada broke his collarbone. Boom. It's over.

fixies are for fakes

So it looks like fixed gear bikes have hit the mainstream. I suppose we should have seen this coming. We've seen them popping up all over the place. There are 5 or 6 on my block alone. And here we thought Winnipeg was just a cutting-edge kind of place. I think there may even be a few FGBC members who ride em. That bike in the picture looks really familiar. But now the onus is clearly on their shoulders to show that they're not just cheap posers or a bunch of sorry refuse-to-grow-old guys looking for an adrenaline fix. When the Wall Street Journal runs an article on fixies, their cool factor takes a serious hit. Bummer. Maybe gears don't signify loserdom after all. Anybody wanna buy a cheap fixie?

Correct me if I'm wrong, but is it even possible to find a mountain bike with 28 gears given current configuration possibilities?

Floyd takes charge

The major players layed down their big cards today at the Tour. And Floyd played the biggest card of all. The time for bluffing is over. This was a killer stage, with 4 Cat 1 climbs and 1 HC mountain. Floyd took a page out of his old boss's playbook today. Just like Armstrong always used to, he made a decisive statement in the first hard mountain stage. He finished 3rd in an exclusive lead group of three, alongside Dennis Menchov and Levi Leipheimer. And in the process he put time into some of his major rivals. Cadel Evans finished 17 seconds back, and Andreas Kloden conceded a minute and a half. It was Kloden's T-Mobile team that turned up the heat on the second last climb, forcing everyone with aspirations for the overall victory to get serious. The pressure ended up whittling the lead group down to 18 riders. And on the final climb Menchov's Rabobank team took over. Rasmussen and Boogerd kept up an infernal pace as the lead group continued to shrink one rider at a time until only 5 were left. Finally, Landis and Menchov stepped on the gas, spitting Evans and Carlos Sastre out the back end.

Almost as exciting is the fact that Discovery Channel seems to have completely imploded. Heading into the Tour with what they claimed were 4-5 potential contenders, it doesn't look like they've got any left at this point. Jose Azevedo is their highest placed rider at 7:27 back. Their man for the future, Popovych, is 9 minutes down. And as for all the talk about George Hincapie as a potential GC guy: he's over 23 minutes back. And Savoldelli is still further behind. They've had a good run for the past 7 years, but this year it looks like it will finally be sombody else's turn. I guess they should have tried a little bit harder to keep Floyd a few years back.

The top ten of the GC now looks like this:

1 Floyd Landis (USA) Phonak 49.18.07
2 Cyril Dessel (Fra) AG2R-Prevoyance 0.08
3 Denis Menchov (Rus) Rabobank 1.01
4 Cadel Evans (Aus) Davitamon-Lotto 1.17
5 Carlos Sastre (Spa) Team CSC 1.52
6 Andreas Klöden (Ger) T-Mobile 2.29
7 Michael Rogers (Aus) T-Mobile 3.22
8 Juan Miguel Mercado (Spa) Agritubel 3.33
9 Christophe Moreau (Fra) AG2R-Prevoyance 3.44
10 Marcus Fothen (Ger) Gerolsteiner 4.17

For a full report, see VeloNews. See also the post-stage interview with Floyd from cyclingnews, which includes this incredibly stupid exchange:

Q: Does the religion of your mother allow her to watch television - will she have seen her son take the yellow jersey?
FL: It's not so much that she can't watch television; it's more that they don't have the desire to have it in the house. But she will be watching from somewhere, I'm sure.

Q: Can you give us a quick briefing on your childhood, your family, what got you into cycling and the motivation behind that?
FL: Nah, I probably can't give you a quick briefing on that... I grew up in a very religious family, I have four sisters and a brother, all of whom are wonderful brothers and sisters. I have exceptional parents; I happen to be a little bit high-strung for that lifestyle (laughs) - dunno if you can use that about yourself - anyway, a friend of mine and I got into mountain biking when we were 15-16. We started doing local MTB races, which led me to... this. I skipped a lot there, but you get the idea!

Q: Did you parents support your bike racing?
FL: For a while, they were not so happy about it. But they've adjusted, I think. Why? The Mennonites tend to stay away from professional sport, and anything generally... famous, I guess. I don't know. That's a tough one. But they're fine with it now.

The top picks for the podium now look to be Landis, Menchov, and Evans. Too bad for Leipheimer that he had such a disastrous time trial. He'd be right up there too. But after a few relatively flat stages over the next few days, the Alps are still looming on the horizon and it's always possible that this could change yet.

Most importantly, Floyd rode today like he's planning to win the Tour. Doesn't he look nice in yellow?

always ride prepared

From a recent profile of Floyd in ESPN's Magazine:

When Landis–who spends much of the racing season in Spain–churns out 100-mile (or more) training rides through the mountains near his home in Murrieta, Calif., he’s accompanied by his wife’s 18-year old brother, Max Basile. Max follows in a small SUV, and next to him sit the tools of his trade: a can of Mace and a stun gun. These are meant to protect Landis in case someone on these back roads, maybe a redneck type with spandex issues, messes with him. But wouldn’t just one weapon of mass deterrence suffice? ‘No,’ Landis says, as if the idea borders on blasphemy. ‘We need ‘em both. That way we can blind ‘em before we shock ‘em’.

I could have used some of those weapons last time we rode out at Tinker. Tomek came flying by me cussing up a storm, and right behind him a couple of pissed off dogs snapping at our heels. Fortunately, they weren't able to counter our acceleration. But a stun gun sounds like more fun.

If the x-rays of Floyd's hip were for Penner, this is for Unger. Floyd's training advisor Allen Lim is writing a daily column for Bicycling Magazine's coverage of the Tour, providing a glimpse of some of the science involved in bike racing. See, for example, this analysis of Floyd's performance in the time trial. Also interesting is the interview with Lim in cyclingnews.com.

In case anyone still cares, the LA Times recently did an in-depth article on the latest round of doping allegations against Lance Armstrong.

I discovered a new road riding route last night. I often ride out to Headingly. This time I continued to St Francois Xavier (the white horse) and beyond on Hwy 26 to Pigeon Lake. The road follows the Assiniboine River and has plenty of trees for wind shelter. It has a paved shoulder, the surface is as smooth as fine scotch, and there's almost no traffic. Did my first 100 km ride of the season. Felt great. Getting ready for that La Rivierre ride later in the season.

slovenija 3

another off-road ride yesterday, absolutely beautiful. one small problem - two flat tires which meant a 2.5 km hike home.

a quick note on how my riding days start. get up in the morning and have coffee, hot-chocolate, bread, nutella, prosciutto, and cheese. go and ride. come home have more cheese, proscuitto, wine and beer. about as close to heaven as you can get without dying (i get close on some of the climbs one has to do).

for fun laura and i went tandem paragliding yesterday. oh-my-god. running off an alpine meadow attached to a parachute/wing and then gliding around the mountains - absoultely mind-blowing.

chris you really need to get here. we drove over a mountain pass (vršič). 1611 meters high, with km after km of switch-backs. just nuts. a ton of cyclists on the road trying the pass. if you climbed it in one effort you would achieve lifetime stud status. have pictures.

ciao, alberto.

Garbage Hill Ride

Sorry for the short notice on this one. Darryl, Joshua and myself are heading to Garbage Hill tomorrow (Wednesday) to see how are climbing legs can handle the heat. Plan to leave from my place at 11am. Arrive earlier to watch the first mountain stage of this year's Tour if you like.

I'll likely be doing a longer road ride in the evening as well. Others welcome.

Floyd's Hip

Note the apostrophe. These can be tricky, in part because of the difficult case of its and it's. My students just can't seem to get that one down. In any case, I'm not declaring that Floyd is hip. That has already been well documented, given his penchant for Skynryd and ZZ Top, his moustache, etc. I'm talking about the hip of Floyd. Back in January of 2003, Floyd hit a patch of gravel on his way back from a training session, fell hard and broke his hip. He had surgery immediately and was able to recover in time to ride the Tour in 2003. But apparently all is not as well as it appeared. Turns out he's got the same degenerative condition that derailed the brilliant career of Bo Jackson. He's scheduled for hip replacement surgery right after the Tour. Perhaps this will give him some extra motivation to go for it all this year. Although his team and doctors are making optimistic claims about a full recovery, the future has to be a big question mark, especially in light of Jackson's inability to recover. But there's reason to be optimistic, I suppose. His trainer, Allan Lim, puts it this way: "He will come back and be much, much stronger than he is now. People haven't seen more than 80 percent of Floyd." Interesting that we haven't heard any of this come up before. Remember that Floyd doesn't have much use for excuses. But now that it looks like he has a chance to win the Tour de France, the media is on the hunt for material. And the Lance Armstrong formula has proved to be near flawless. Though this story is hardly of that magnitude, everybody seems to love a good tale about overcoming the medical odds. No doubt these stories tell us more about ourselves than Floyd. At any rate, check out the story by Samuel Abt as well as the longer profile by Daniel Coyle, which includes this great quote from Dave Zabriskie: ‘‘There aren’t many guys in the peloton’’ — the main pack of riders in a road bicycle race — ‘‘who are willing to tell Lance to go screw himself,’’ says David Zabriskie, a top American who rides for the Danish CSC team. ‘‘Floyd just didn’t care.’’ Today is a rest day at the Tour, so Floyd held a news conference to address the matter. See the report from VeloNews. It even has an X-Ray, which will no doubt get Penner excited.

slovenija 2

just when you thought it could not get any better...today was a 1.5 hour ride in the hills of slovenija (the correct spelling). un-f#&$ing belivable. i am definately coming back. in fact, i propose that we should make a trip to this country for the ultimate spring ride. will do another ride tomorrow.

watching italy win the world cup in italy...well let's just say it was crazy. have video and will post later.

ciao, alberto (my brother-in-law, told everyone this is my name because the ˝h˝ is to hard to say, and that alberto is easier to pronounce).

from slovenia

quick note to say that went for a 40km (1900 ft of vertical) bike ride today. unbeliveable. for the first time in my life i actually wanted (and it pains me to say this) a road bike. felt like the tour de france. the scenery was outstanding (will post pictures later). the ride included 5km climb and 4km downhill with 16% grade (if you have the yaichees a 100kmph would be possible). it also pains me to say this, but gears are needed. too many other stories to tell. off to italy tonight to watch the finals of the world cup.

later, crash

Floyd's TT

Floyd didn't win the TT today. He finished 2nd to Sergei Gonchar (not the hockey player) by a minute. But as far as the GC goes, he was clearly the day's big winner. Gontchar is a TT specialist and no threat to win the Tour. So at the end of the day Floyd gains time over all the significant contenders. And he also beat some pretty solid TT riders: Current World TT champ Michael Rogers was 23 seconds slower, and Dave Zabriskie was about a minute back. We've had to endure lots of hype about George Hincapie as a GC contender due to OLN's zealot-like devotion to Armstrong's Discovery team. But he finished almost 2 minutes behind Floyd. And all of this despite some more mechanical misfortune for Floyd. His handlebars cracked while out on course and he was forced to switch bikes, which likely cost him somewhere around 10-20 seconds. He was also forced by the UCI rules committee to alter his riding position just before the start, but it didn't seem to bother him too much. The big loser of the day was Leipheimer, who conceded over 5 minutes to Floyd, and probably any chance of winning the Tour. Bobby Julich also had a horrible day. He took a corner too fast and went down hard, bouncing along the curb for about 20 meters. His Tour is over.

He didn't become the first Mennonite to don the yellow jersey today. But Landis now has to be considered a big-time favourite. But there is of course the small matter of the mountains that remains. It's easy to lose 15 minutes on a hard mountain stage if you have a bad day.

Current overall standings look like this:

1 Serguei Gonchar (Ukr) T-Mobile 30.23.20
2 Floyd Landis (USA) Phonak 1.00
3 Michael Rogers (Aus) T-Mobile 1.08
4 Patrik Sinkewitz (Ger) T-Mobile 1.45
5 Marcus Fothen (Ger) Gerolsteiner 1.50
6 Andreas Klöden (Ger) T-Mobile 1.50
7 Vladimir Karpets (Rus) Caisse d'Epargne 1.52
8 Cadel Evans (Aus) Davitamon-Lotto 1.52
9 Denis Menchov (Rus) Rabobank 2.00
10 David Zabriskie (USA) Team CSC 2.03

stages to watch

I'm aware that not all FGBC are as geekily dedicated to watching the Tour daily as I am. So as a public service to those who might be considering watching a day or two, I offer up some key stages.

1) Saturday, July 7 - Time Trial: the first big shakeup of the GC standings
2) Wednesday, July 12 - this is the first mountain stage, which could prove significant. But since the last 40 kms are downhill, things may come together before the end.
3) Thursday, July 13 - This stage ends with a long uphill finish, and includes 4 cat 1 climbs, plus one that is rated HC (beyond classification). If Lance were still racing, this is where he'd make a decisive statement.
4) Tuesday, July 18 - L'Aple d'Huez: a legendary climb. Everyone dreams of winning here.
5) Wednesday, July 19 - final uphill finish stage: last big chance for the climbers to gain some time, though the next stage might provide some opportunities as well, with the HC Col de Joux-Plane just 12 km from the finish in Morzine.
6) Saturday, July 22 - final TT on the 2nd last day. If things stay relatively close, which they are likely to do, this is where it all gets settled.

After a week to get the legs warmed up, it all starts tomorrow.

And of course, another article on Floyd.

Floyd's goal for the TT

This is how Floyd responded to a reporter's question concerning his approach to Saturday's important time trial: "The time-trial? What do you want to know about it? It's long and I'm going to try and win it. I just don't know if I will." Sounds like a reasonable objective.

Meanwhile, cycling god Eddy Merckx has tabbed Floyd as a favourite to reach the top step of the podium. Check out the story at velonews.com.

And finally, an article on the bike Floyd will be riding while he crushes the competition in the TT.

Go Floyd!

another Floyd article

That cyclingnews interview with Floyd in the previous post kind of sucked, I know. But since OLN still seems bent on smearing their collective lips all over Lance's filthy ass, there just isn't much coverage available right now. There's more nostalgia there than a Bob Costas baseball game. In any case, here is an article that is worth reading, if only because it's written by the legendary Samuel Abt.

The first big day is Saturday. There may be minor shake-ups during the next two stages, but things will really start to get sorted out in the first time trial.

TdF update

Stage 4 is under way. Floyd currently sits 7th at 16 seconds back. See his interview with cyclingnews.com here. With the GC contenders continuing to fall, this one is shaping up to be a bit of a last man standing affair. Alejandro Valverde got KO'd yesterday. A touch of wheels in the peloton and he ends up with a broken collarbone. Freddy Rodriguez got knocked out too as a result of a crash with Erik Dekker, who mangled his face and lost a bunch of his teeth. Stuart O'Grady fractured a vertebrae, but he took to the start today to see if he can continue. Life at the Tour can be a bit rough. A few excerpts from cyclingnews.com:

A crash with 54 km to go took out Davitamon's Fred Rodriguez and Rabobank's Erik Dekker. Both abandoned the race immediately, and although Rodriguez didn't break any bones, he suffered heavy concussion. Dekker suffered concussion and serious facial injuries: abrasions, facial trauma, a contusion, a ripped upper lip, as well as a couple of broken teeth. He was kept unconscious on Tuesday night so that his face could be cleaned. Thus ended what is almost certainly his final Tour de France.

Sandy Casar (Française des Jeux) finished 137th in yesterday's third stage after being taken out by a drunken spectator at the foot of the Cauberg. The spectator then got into an argument with Casar's DS Marc Madiot, while others tried to steal the Frenchman's wheels. Although Casar lost several minutes, he was credited with the time of the first group (five seconds behind winner Kessler), and therefore is just 39 seconds behind on GC.

Critical Mass Report

This is from Kenton. I don't believe we have a portfolio for activism, but perhaps he should be christened the director of civil disobedience. Then again, that would not be in keeping with the "leaderless" philosophy of critical mass. In the spirit of our "self-governing collective," maybe activist figurehead makes more sense. But that sounds rather toothless. Any suggestions?

It was my first critical mass and I expected to be surrounded by anarchists and what the Free Press called "neo hippies"... While I am not sure what either of those two sweeping categories look like, I was really surprised to see such a broad cross section of our city out on Friday. Young kids in chariots and older folks who look like they came from Whyte Ridge. A leaderless group is something to behold and the train of bikes got off to a slow start from Central Park to the Leg. By the time we hit Broadway things were worked out and we took all three lanes, with the peloton stretching from Union station to the Leg buildings! I suspect the police estimates of 300 were drastically understated for sure. The highlight was Portage and Main where the critical mass stopped the long weekend Friday traffic for about ten minutes, cyclists raising their bikes in the air while letting only transit buses through (see attached photo). It really was a different feeling to be among so many other bikes on the same streets where I am normally paying rather close attention, lest I be side swiped by a bus or by a car that simply is not looking for a cyclist. All in all an empowering bit of civil disobedience that I would strongly recommmend to others. As expected with such a large turnout, the police were very low key and well behaved. My favorite tshirt in the crowd read "cycling is a moral act!"

wake up Floyd!

Floyd has a reputation for being nonchalant and easy going, but this is taking it just a little too far. He failed to show up on time at the start ramp today. Must have been waiting for a ZZ Top song to finish on his ipod. In a time trial, the clock starts at regular intervals whether a rider is at the gate or not. So by the time he actually started, 8 seconds had ticked off the clock. This really sucks, becuase he missed winning the stage by 9 seconds. The good news is that he rode a great race. He's clearly on good form, and now sits in 9th place. Right there with the rest of the contenders for the GC. Thor Hushovd--likely the coolest name in the peloton--takes the win. Hincapie was 2nd, less than a second back. And the winner of last year's opening stage, Zabriskie, took 3rd. Valverde was right there too at 5th. Definitely a threat to win it all.

So we're off. The next several stages favor the sprinters. Look for some long breakaway attempts and plenty of finish-line crashes. Coverage starts tomorrow at 7:30 am.

race follow up

first, thank god that this was a bike race and did not have anything to do with running (other than up the hill) or g would have schooled us big time.

kudos to dr. h for a well executed race. hard on my tail the whole time until the last 200 meters or so where he passed me to take the race (i had blown up like a roman candle and had no gas left in the tank to use but a couple of cliches). some good back and forths through the race including a pass and re-pass on the uphill corner following the downhill, and a well placed elbow and forearm (by me) to prevent a pass through the gate at the top of the hill - racing can be a little cut throat.

of course my only criticism is that there is not enough technical elements to this race (this is only me crying). i look forward to the family race and wienner roast/knock down derby at bur oak later this summer because the course has more technical elements.

throwing out the date of Sunday August 6th for the Grand Beach ride and family swim day. hope this works for people.

finally...this bike was shown at the handmade bike show this year. it comes from ant and is made of wood and cooper...very cool...and of course, its a fixie

Ullrich, Basso Out

This is fucking huge! Operacion Puerto has dropped like a bomb and rocked the Tour. This makes the Festina scandal of 1998 look minor by comparison. Apparently, this is no longer just circumstantial evidence. These guys were the heavy, heavy favourites. It's like Gretzky and Lemieux being suspended from the NHL in the early 90s. Also gone is Francisco Mancebo who finished 4th last year. Vinokourov's whole team looks to be gone, despite the fact that he's not been implicated. Floyd looks to be clean. But so many Phonak riders have gotten in trouble in the last few years that it makes me just a little nervous. Apparently more suspensions will be announced throughout the day. We all knew the Tour would have a different look this year with Lance's absence. But this isn't just a changed landscape so much as a whole new world. Read the stories here and here and here.

If things stay as they are, the new favourites are Floyd, Levi Leipheimer, and maybe even George Hincapie. Or possibly some really young blood like Valverde. But Spanish riders are almost by definition under suspicion these days.

Garbage Hill Race Report

Yup, it hurt alright. A real lung-buster, this one.

Better turnout than I'd feared. Johnny G, Hal, and myself. And 2 fans: Charlene's Dad and uncle Karl. Tried to convince them to race, but they didn't bite.

4 laps of Garbage hill. Basically the standard training route minus the steep climb. So 3 times up per lap. Close race. The closest of any I can remember. Well, the messenger race was close I guess. But nobody really knew it until it was all over. All three of us pretty much stayed together for the first lap. Then Johnny dropped off a bit. Hal and I stayed together the whole race. I yo-yo'd off his back wheel for 95% of the race. Tried to pass a few times, but couldn't pull it off. Until the final climb up to the finish. I stood up, pushed a bigger gear, passed him and held on for the win by 15-20 seconds. Gears came in handy this time around. Johnny came in 1-2 minutes back.

Good times. Feels good to race again. Kind of makes me want to go out and get a race license to give Penner some company in the 30+ Sport gang.

Next race: Waterfront Dr. Road Race. Cobblestones, traffic circles. Classic Euro-style road racing. Coming in mid-late July, after everyone's back from their various trips. Don't forget to take pics on your rides to share on the blog.

The Tour starts Saturday morning. Despite the looming doping controversy, I'll still be glued to the TV every morning for the next three weeks. All are welcome.

Millar Time

Given all the talk about doping these days arising from "Operacion Puerto," this year's TdF is beginning on a rather sour note. Sounds like some big names are poised to fall soon. Ullrich, Basso, Beloki, Mancebo, just to name a few of the biggest ones. Ouch!

But for those who want to retain at least a glimmer of hope in these dim times, the story of David Millar looks refreshingly like it might be heading on the opposite trajectory. Millar is coming off a two year ban for using EPO. The difference: he was not caught by a test, but confessed to taking it. That alone is a breath of fresh air when everyone else uses the strategy of deny, deny, deny. Let's hope Millar can make good on his promise to show that it's possible to win while riding clean. See the full story at VeloNews.

another race....sorry, a ride for those interested

from paddy

july 2nd.(this Sunday)7am.4 laps.Epinnette Trailhead(Newfoundland Trail)100 miles.self-supportedbring your own whoppers.pass this along to whomever you think would be interested/capable...this is a "competitive" ride-not a sanctioned race, and it's 100 miles-offroad, and it's on rain or shine, and there's no prizes, other than bragging rights...and saddle sores......see ya at 7....

Garbage Hill Race

The race is on. Need to get back to the one race a month minimum after the May layoff.

Thursday June 29 at Garbage Hill. Meet at 8:45 at the SW corner to go over the route. Race starts at 9pm. Hoping for a decent turnout, despite the rather meagre odds of that happening. It would be a shame to have a race with no racers.

Got out for a few laps tonight. Kind of drove home the point that while I have been putting in a decent amount of miles lately, I've been doing no focused training. And no racing at all. This is going to hurt. But it will be fun too--especially over beers afterwards.

Sounds like Hal is already throwing out excuses. Floyd has a nice take on excuses: "To my way of thinking, it doesn't matter if your goddamn head fell off or your legs exploded. If you didn't make it, you didn't make it. One excuse is as good as the other. There's only one rule. The guy who trains the hardest, the most, wins. Period." Consider that a challenge--even if one I'm almost certain I can't back up. Let's see if Floyd's law holds up?

Dave Z

We all know that Floyd has been named an honorary member of the FGBC. And we're expecting big things from him over the next few weeks. But I think his pal Dave Zabriskie might warrant consideration for honorary membership as well. Check out his latest report from Spain. Mullets, Skynyrd, riding bikes. Does it get any better than this?

Mentioning Skynyrd reminds me that Duane Roland died this week. You might think you don't know him, but really you do. He can be heard every now and then over the sound system at the F&H riffing it up on his guitar for Molly Hatchet. We are so lucky that our clubhouse has such good taste in music.

Critical Mass

Received this note from Kenton Lobe this morning:

Hello folks,

As a cyclist I am aware that there is much to be done in Winnipeg to truly make the city safe and inviting for people who want to make a responsible choice for their personal health, the health of our environment and our communities. This Friday (June 30) at 4:30pm cyclists from all walks of life will gather at Central Park and together ride through downtown as a peaceful protest to the dominant car culture.

You may be aware that the Winnipeg Police have had two previous incidents with this ride - both instances have resulted in formal charges of policy brutality. I invite you to a peaceful protest where we can, for a brief time, imagine and model together what spirited energy means for those who choose to view the world from two wheels
instead of four. Invite a friend (or two!)...

Peace,

kl

I'm aware that FGBC members are divided on these sorts of events. I find myself genuinely ambivalent on this question. Perhaps our next event should be a panel discussion at the F&H. We could hold it on karaoke night which, given the high turnout, might give us a sense of the barometer on cycling-related matters on our home turf.

Looks like we're leaning towards Thursday for the Garbage Hill race--unless there is an avalanche of other preferences in the next little while. I will post a confirmation with a course description later this evening. Didn't get there last night. My head was still ringing from ultimate on Monday. But I'm heading there around 7pm this evening. Call if you want to ride.

want to race?

There will be a race this week at Garbage Hill. Guaranteed. Even if I'm the only one there. Hal leaves on Sunday for 2 weeks, and it would only be fair to give him the opportunity to show how all his training there in the last while translates into a dominant performance. Apparently today is out. Wednesday does not look good either. I doubt we'll find a day that works for everybody. So the race will be on the day most people can make it. So please respond with a comment (it's not very hard) and declare your availability (or not) on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. Start time will be around 9pm. I hope to head over there this evening to decide on the course. Will probably leave around 8:30 or 9:00. Call if you're interested in joining me.

On my ride into work this morning, I started thinking about possible routes for a FGBC road ride. By my count there are now at least 7 FGBC riders with road bikes: myself, Unger, Johnny G, Jonny S, Hal, Vic, Juan Eppstein. Penner apparently has one on the way. And there may be others. What are we waiting for? I propose the following route. Start in Morden. Head west on Hwy 3 through La Rivierre to Hwy 34. North on 34 to Swan Lake. East on Hwy 23 to the Jordan Elevator. South on Hwy 3 back to Morden. By my count, that would be about 160 kms. Perfect. A century ride with a couple of good climbs. Thoughts?

The Floyd media coverage keeps pouring in. This time he's shown up on the cover of Bicycling Magazine. This one's kind of different. Not so much a standard profile as a transcription of a conversation between Floyd and his training partner Dave Zabriskie. These guys have a reputation as the goofballs of the peloton. Lance used to refer to them as Dumb and Dumber when they were his teammates on US Postal. Check out the article here.

Floyd wants you . . .

. . . to ride your bike.

Excuse the gratuitous Floyd post. But this picture, lifted from Velo News, was too good to pass up. The Tour starts next Saturday with a short prologue TT in Strasbourg. This is French Menno country, so it's almost as if Floyd is racing on home territory. The cable is hooked up. Coverage starts at 7:30 am. Bring your yerba and fruit loops to the official FGBC TdF headquarters in my basement. Coffee and meaningless chatter will be provided.

Looks like a good weekend for bike riding is shaping up. Perfect way to kick off summer. A whole whack of folks are heading out to Spruce Woods for the weekend. Officially billed as "Family Camping," I believe, this could also be considered training for the Blunderd Hunderd--Paddy H's race consisting of 4 laps of the Epinette trail. This takes place on July 2--next Sunday. Camping and drinks on Saturday. A relatively low-key affair, as far as races go. And no race license required, so a good opportunity to line up against the locals. Would be nice to put in a showing on behalf of FGBC, especially since we missed out on the single speed champeenship.

I believe I've successfully fixed my shifting problems. And Unger has found the source of his chain-skipping woes. No more excuses.

no race tonight

Response to my latest race proposal have been lukewarm, at best. Some have promised, however, that they can make it next week. Would have been nice to have some sort of summer solstice race. But there will still be plenty of light next week. So we'll try again. Stay tuned for further details. Will try to hammer something out over beers this weekend at Spruce Woods.

Nice ride out to Lockport and back this morning. Johnny S, Unger, and myself. More and more road bikes are popping up amongst the FGBC rank and file. Perhaps some sort of largish road ride is in order. Once we have our jerseys we can go and taunt the FOG guys.

Exciting moment at the Cambridge last night: Some disgruntled and apparently grieving drunk very nearly hurtled a glass at our table after having been cut off by the server. Fortunately, he was still able to realize, as he was just about to throw, that this might not be the best response to the situation at hand. So we were spared the decision of whether it would be best to catch or duck. After being shown the door, the poor guy did charge back in. But with the numbers being roughly 30 - 1 against him, he was not able to consummate his rage with any sort of physical contact. Whew!

paddy in the hole

Wasn't there to witness Hal's latest. But spectacular as I'm sure it was, he'd be hard-pressed to beat the performance that Paddy H pulled on our ride yesterday. Flying down a gravel road at almost 70 kmh, he tries to skid around a corner. Impressive skid. Longer than James D, even. But he misjudges his speed and overshoots the corner. And then he just disappears. Problem is it wasn't just a ditch, but a 10 ft. drop into a boulder filled hole. Nice.

this is why they call me crash

By popular demand (well from Chris anyways)....on Friday I wanted to get a quick training lap in before I went to Morden (was there twice this weekend - for golf on Saturday and then a ride on Sunday). On my second intervals lap the extra tube I had strapped to the rail under my seat (never use toe clip straps for this) came out and fell into my freewheel, locking up my back wheel. Not a bad thing if your going up hill at 17 kmph - a very bad thing if your going downhill at 50 kmph. I lost control and spilled at the bottom of the hill on the North side (there is something about that downhill). Any ways, after the dust settled I took inventory and came out of the crash with scrapes on my right knee, right butt and hip, right elbow and abrassions to the 'ol melon because my helmet cracked in three places (I now have a brand new bucket). I was pretty ugly piece of work as I rode home with blood on my arm and leg, and with more dust and dirt on me than Pig Pen from Peanuts. Yet I will continue to go back - probably tomorrow for another training ride (maybe I am just perfecting my wipe outs on this piece of crap dirt hill). Your all invited to see if I make it through this next training session.

Tour Time

The Tour de France starts in two weeks. The cable guy is coming later today. The basement at 206 Home St. will be the TdF headquarters. All are welcome.

The articles on Floyd are starting to pile up. Now that Lance is finally gone, Floyd is getting plenty of media attention. Everyone loves a Mennonite freak show.


While Floyd now has to be counted as a legitimate contender, Jan Ullrich is looking awfully good these days. He blew away the field in the TT at the Tour de Suisse yesterday. And Basso is coming off a huge win in Italy, where he simply rode away from everyone in the mountains. A classic battle between the time trialists and climbers. Should be interesting.

Hal, tell us about your latest adventure at Garbage Hill.

race across america; and up garbage hill

Hal posted something a while back on Jure Robic, winner of the past two editions of the Race Across America. He didn't fare so well this time around, pulling out with pneumonia. Mountain bike legend Tinker Juarez is racing this year for the first time. He currently sits in 3rd place. See the current standings here.

It is time to resume the FGBC racing schedule. Last race was almost 2 months ago. Garbage Hill seems to be the preferred location for the next race. The days will be long next week. We could probably start at 9:30 and still race in the light. Tuesday?

lifted from the 117 blog

the way it should play out. the following text is from the 117 blog (blog site for one on one, the best bike shop in minneapolis). i highlighted my favourite line in the post.

Jun 10, 2006 - 1:06 pm
Well, you know bad things are going to happen when someone goes into Dan's apartment and helps themselves to a bike. I pity the sucker that is seen riding it. Dark blue/blackish Redline Mono-cog, silver labeling/pinstriping, Avid disc brakes, black Viscious cycles rigid fork, Kenda small-block tires. If seen, don't call anybody, just derby that bastard to the ground and bring the bike to the shop. Don't worry, if it's Dan he'll forgive you. If it's not, they deserve it. Dan says he will pay for any damage to your own bike, car, bus, whatever, due to the impact with said persons. If you're the culprit and you happen to read this I suggest either bringing it back today or staying far far away for the rest of your life. bh

Jun 12, 2006 - 10:46 am
It's baaaaccckkk. Props to our man Sam, hanging out at the Muddy Waters at the right time last night to see a couple of guys roll by on bikes, one of which was Dan's Redline. Chased them down, slapped a lock on the bike and got it back less than 48 hours fom the theft. Kick ass. bh

anybody have a torque wrench?

so, i've been doing a bunch more messing around... straightened the bent back rotor a bit more by taking it off (although it's still a little wobbly), and then had to learn how to properly re-align the brakes. I get it now, and they're better than ever... too good... I'm going to go over the bars yet if I'm lucky...

anyway, everything has a torque rating on it... is there a source that says x in-lbs = "tight" and x+10 means, "tight as you can make it". I don't want to undertighten, 'cause something might fall off, and overtightening can warp and screw stuff up.

bike maintenance is fun... so far...

spring ride

stellar event. can't imagine it being any better.

if you have pics, please send them to me at:
dnbarg @ yahoo.ca

I will gather them together and put them on the media page of our website. That way, they can be easily revisited, as opposed to lost in the massive archives of the blog...

Spring Ride Pics

Nice riding this weekend boys and girls. Good times. Here are a few highlights and lowlights. More to come, I'm sure. Can't wait until next year.

Battery Rock, Jonny S. style

Clipped in

Car-boom!

Ass

Where's Lump?

the campground

there are two campgrounds at Falcon: Beach and Lakeshore... I don't have my email from Juan handy, so I'm kind of guessing based on what I've gleaned from the docs on the Manitoba Conservation/whiteshell website that we're at the Lakeshore campground.

Here's a bit of the townsite map... I've put a yellow dot on what's designated group use until the end of June...

more spring ride details

the meeting times have changed slightly to 9:30 at Deacon's Corner and 3:00 at Falcon Lake Ski Hill.

Things to bring:

• smallish change to pay for camping (could be around $10 or less) and dogs for dogfest
• firewood
• tarps
• a spare tube for your bike (tools, pump, etc should be in ready supply)

Dogfest:
- yes. the prescribed dogs are being brought in from Blumenort. There were 16 folk counted "in" last night at the meeting... I am ordering 3 per, plus maybe a couple extra... if you weren't at the meeting, and you're wondering if you were counted "in", please check with Jonny S in Altona, or me in Winnipeg.
- please let me know if you're bailing on the event so not too many dogs are... OK, forget it, can too many dogs really be purchased? I know Unger will be good for a whole bunch of them... Oh, if you're not coming, let us know so we can bring extra buns.
- condiment status is uncertain at this point.
- bring your own buns
- bring your own creamed corn

Scotch Club
- a few trios have been created to make a bit of higher end scotch possible... if you want to sample, get yourself into a trio

Clubhouse Beer
- those who contributed (even once or twice) to the tally at the clubhouse will have some beer available to them.

that's enough for now.

early riding times for the spring ride

monday's meeting turned up a couple of ideas... we temporarily settled on this:
Friday
1. meet at Deacon's Corner at 9:30. Drive straight to Ingolf (Ingulf?) and ride.
2. meet at the Falcon trail (the downhill skiing facility) parking lot at 2:00pm. Ride.

lunch somehow inbetween. we can check in at the campsite at around 4:30, although we may not be there by then.

looks like a good sized crew riding on Friday.

maybe we'll nail a few more things down this next Monday.

If anyone wants a call as to when and where the meeting will take place, please let me know and I'd be happy to make a few calls from the Ultimate field.

and the answer is....

$31.63

A woman went into a bank to cash a check. By mistake the teller gave her dollars for cents and cents for dollars. She put the money in her purse. On the way home she gave a beggar a nickle. When she got home, she found that she had exactly twice the amount of the check she had cashed. She didn't have any money in her wallet before going to the bank. What was the exact amount of that check?

The amount must have been $31.63. She received $63.31. After she dropped a nickel there would remain the sum of $63.26, which is twice the amount of the check.

No, I did not figure this out. I'm a librarian, all I do is find things.

No more rye and cokes for Chess.

i'm hooked

everyday i visit the fixed gear gallery to see other people's latest projects. very cool



here's the perfect bike for your next time trial, sprint, trip to the corner store

bike deal underway

so, some $$ exchanged hands today... i've been in possesion of the Rocky for a bit now, but formal steps were taken today. i gave hal a cheque, he gave me some sundry items. the rear shock actually comes with this super fancy pump... and he's got all, and i mean all, the manuals in a binder... it's incredible. even the seatpost has a comprehensive info sheet. i have some reading to do...

anybody have size 10.5 cycling shoes i can borrow to try that system on for a bit?