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?

jersey update

My Visa has been hit for $500+ from the jersey people. Actually, I knew it was coming because I had faxed the order away (with my VISA # and signature on it), and then I heard nothing for quite a while... I emailed a couple of times, nothing. Finally I called because I was getting a little freaked that I had faxed the wrong place... and maybe someone else was enjoying my Visa...

Anyway, I talked to a nice guy, and he says things are underway.

Chris and I did a bit more preliminary math (before he left), and figured $35 might be the target we're looking at after shipping and whatnot.

Wednesday Night Race

Finished my first race. essentially undamaged except for minor abrasions here and there. there was no lapping and I do believe that I did not finish last in my class. Would have done better except for a minor fiasco at the end of lap #1.

penner

camping arrangements for spring ride

Well, Juan Eppstein has done his work. While our hope had been to get into West Hawk, that's not an option, so we're in the group use area at Falcon... yup, a bit of a drive to the trail, but it affords flexibility in numbers, cost and hopefully seclusion that one can't really put a price on. Sweet work Juan.

suspension

well, i think i'm ready to get off my high horse in regards to suspension... yes, i cultivated a bit of a superiority complex in myself because i don't have it, and still finish the ride... it's a little like single speeding. :)

even with flat pedals, i think i was able to ride through the bur oak trail at least half a time as fast on the Rocky as on my stiffy... (rode the Univega through last week, and had to hang on for dear life in some of the rooty stuff)

as soon as we get a few drivetrain issues worked out, a cheque will most likely be written.

race

my first race will we May 17.

I will try not to be lapped but will be happy with finishing.

I might need a ride out to the event, anyone else heading out to the event??

penner

riding at Burr Oak tomorrow

I'm going to do a ride at Burr Oak tomorrow morning (Friday). Leaving my place at 9:00am,
back here by 11:30. Call if you're interested.

darryl

a good read

from the NY Times

Tinker Creek

The Rocky Mountain demo at Tinker Creek is this Thursday.

A note from James:

Just a reminder... the Rocky Demo is this Thursday evening, May 11. In order to be as close to singletrack as possible, we'll stage it from the west edge of the Klassen pasture. From the Tinker Creek intersection, go 2 miles south, up the hill, gradual curve to the right... go another mile west, just past the Trans Canada trailhead, turn right or North up the Mennonite cemetery road another mile. We'll be set up on top of the hill in the pasture to your right. I'll try and post a few signs.

Bring a friend or 2 if you have... should be a great time.
Cheers,
James & Jon
TCC

minutes, may 8, 2006

sweet evening... gathering at the clubhouse after ultimate. five riders from churchill park to the clubhouse... and then jonny and his other brother jonny joined us, also on bikes... and for the first time, the lonely driver was the evangelist himself, dr. h. maybe i'll drive next week, because i don't want this to happen again...

note to those not present, and to those thinking about joining the gang tonight (tuesday)...
- the gathering is now moved to Monday... most of the club will not be there if you go... it is now a post-ultimate thing.

word on the spring ride is that Altona will be out in full force... six or seven strong. I was going to use the word "riders", but, well, what with the duke and all, "riders" seemed a little overdone. juan, we need a group site. could be 16+ people... one of the big questions, ringing off the clubhouse walls: "Where's Bergen?" perhaps some calling will need to be done.

note to all interested: the Tinker Creek Rocky Mountain fiesta is next thursday. Talk to Hal if you're interested in going out to ride bikes you can't afford.

the heat is on, on that front. I rode to Hal's and swapped the trusty Univega for the Rocky for the ride home. What with the knobbies and all, it doesn't seem to role as easily as my trusty blue steed... and all those gears! what do people do with them all (single speeders need not respond). The real test will come tomorrow when I put it through it's paces in the catwalk category... (oh yah, and the KoM are riding at Garbage Hill in the eve, so I guess I'll give that a go too...

dr.h's rules of the road #1

If you have your ipod on way too loud . . . . If, in other words, my repeated shouts of "on your left" go entirely unnoticed . . . . And especially if you are walking side by side, taking up the whole path . . . . Then I will blow by you as fast and as close as I can without actually knocking you down. And if you shriek like a rabid camel then I will take that as confirmation that my mission has been accomplished. Pay attention.

KOM Race

Apparently the first Kids of Mud race happened this Thursday. Would be great to see a report. Expecting big things from Coach Penner's protoges. This is the future.

bur oak ride

seems to me that people favoured an earlier ride. anyone who is interested can meet in the parking lot @10:30. for those who are interested, i plan on biking to bur oak - need to leave city @ 9:00 (it is approx 35kms from my place).

the world's fastest Mennonite on two wheels

That's how VeloNews refers to Floyd Landis. Sounds impressive, but I don't see how such a title can be bestowed when he has beaten any other Mennos in an honest race. Perhaps FGBC should sponsor some sort of event in which the fastest Mennonite on two wheels could be determined fair and square. Maybe we should invite Floyd to the CMU Alumni bike race this September.

Then again, to speak of Floyd as the fastest Mennonite in the world is perhaps not to give him enough credit. This spring, he's been the fastest guy on two wheels period--at least in the three stage races he's entered. And he's getting some decent press for his efforts too. This week he appears on the cover of VeloNews for the 3rd time in the last 4 issues.

here you go

these are laura's new wheels, which we'll pick up on monday.

ride anyone....

still plan on going out tomorrow; rain, snow or shine

there was some talk about bur oak ride on saturday. comment to this post, state you time and intentions.

Miller Time

Floyd's great and all. But this guy should be an honorary FGBC member for all the right reasons.

Seems I had the wrong link. It's fixed now.

Coach Penner

The caption under this picture, from the MCA site, reads: "Congratulations to our Level I and Level II Mountain Bike Coach candidates." Would you want this man teaching your children the delicate art of navigating tiny, almost imperceptible, tree stumps and other small obstacles? I guess they don't ask for references.

See also the comments on Lindsay and Dallas from Guitar Ted. Those of us who have gotten used to being beaten by him race after race might have come to take Lindsay a little bit for granted. But clearly these guys are impressed with the old man.

dogfest?

Bike Club is still on for Tuesday. Whether dogfest is a go, however, depends on the weather. We'll have to play that by ear. The F&H will be the alternate location. Unless it's absolutely pouring, I'm still up for a ride. Meet at my place at 8:30.

A bit more on Trans Iowa, courtesy of Guitar Ted:

Crazy Canadians! While Jeff and I watched the lead group plow it's way through the last "B" road sector, we noticed that there were two extra fellows tagging along in the back. They turned out to be none other than Dallas Sigurdur and Lindsey Gauld who were the Canadian counterparts to Paddy Hummeny, who had been grinding along in the front for most of the event. An amazing bridge up! Lindsey and Dallas had been no where to be seen just ten miles back and here they were! Paddy was suffering badly from a respitory ailment that he had been battling for a week, so he pulled the plug, along with three others from the lead group, in Sutherland. Dallas and Lindsey kept grinding, and soon, they were the only two left standing. At the 119 mile mark, in Mallard, Iowa, they finally pulled out. It was about seven in the evening, and no one was going to get to Algona. The Crazy Canadians gave it their all, but the course and the forces of nature conspired to beat all challengers this year!

Trans Iowa

Lindsay, Paddy, Steve and some other local guys drove down to Iowa this weekend to take part in the 2nd Trans Iowa race. Looks like it was a wet and sloppy affair. And after all that suffering, nobody won because nobody made it to the halfway point inside the time limit. But apparently Lindsay and Dallas got closer than anyone else. Check out the video here. Anybody want to try to go next year? According to Hal, Lindsay and Paddy are also talking about a race around Lake Manitoba. Should be fun in a masochistic sort of way. We might have to start making our races a little longer.

Dogfest on Tuesday

This Tuesday we will be leaving the familiar cozy confines of the F&H and venturing out into the cruel suburban world for the spring dogfest at Juan Eppstein's. Same deal as usual. But for those who don't know what "usual" means, here are some instructions from the dogfest czar himself:

For dogfest, bring dogs or reasonable facsimile, buns, drinks, munchies (peanuts, spits, etc.). I can supply condiments. Any drivers should bring extra lawn chairs and roasting stick.

I assume we will do some sort of group ride before hand. So meet at my place at 8:30 once again and we'll decide where to go from there, planning to arrive for the dogfest at around 10. Last time we rode out to NK to meet Darryl and Penner (or did Penner take the van?). Should we do that again?

it's the truth ruth

fixie is where it's at

(take note of the headline)

ride report

dr.h and i enjoyed (if that is the right word for it) an early morning ride to lockport and back this morning. we started at 5:15 and we were finished before 8:00 so i could shower and change before my reference desk duties at 8:30. i hope to be doing this on a weekly basis, look for emails inviting those interested in doing some early morning road rides.

alleycat race results

by all accounts it was a well received event, but i'll leave the report of the race to the participants.

8 riders showed up for the race: penner, james f, aiden, darryl, jon , john, juan and chris. times and placements were as follows:

james f: 56:30 (+2:00 minute penalty) = 58:30
aiden e: 58:10 (+2:00 minute penalty) = 1:00:10
darryl: 1:00:08 (+2:00 minute penalty) = 1:02:08
jon g: 1:05:09 (+2:00 minute penalty) = 1:07:09
john k: 1:05:12 (+2:00 minute penalty) = 1:07:12
juan e: 1:05:30 (+6:00 minute penalty) = 1:11:30
chris h: 1:10:10 (-12:00 minute bonus) = 58:10: (winner)
penner: DQ

prizes:
1st place - chris h: bottle of wine and $20
2nd place - james f: loaf of velo artisan bread
last place - juan e: loaf of velo artisan bread
1/2 of collected entry fee - penner: $20

here is the manifest the particpants had to complete:

1. Pick up package from Geez Magazine Headquarters; instructions for delivery location will be on package.

(the package was an empty six, which they had to deliver to the Fox and Hound beer vendor for $.60 and verification card)


2. Globe Theater (Portage Place) – Who is the director/producer of the movie U-Carmen e-Khayelitsha?

answer: Mark Donford-May


3. City Hall – What does the red plaque on the South East corner of City Hall commemorate?

answer: Winnipeg General Strike


4. What is the make of the bike hanging on the wood-fired brick oven at Velo Artisan Bread (293 Carpathia)?

answer: CCM


5. St Boniface Basillica – Find Louis Reil’s gravestone; what is the exact date of his death?

answer: November 16, 1885


6. Exchange – What company occupies room 706 of the Silpit Building (70 Arthur St)?

answer: Sofa Logic


7. Osborne Village – What is the phone number of the Medical Clinic located at 478 River Avenue?

answer: 453-4310


8. St. Boniface Hospital – What is the name of the Research Centre building?

answer: G Campbell MacLean Building


9. Forks – What are the hours of operation for the Explore Manitoba Centre?

answer: 10-6


10. Finish – Fox and Hound


2:00 minute penalty for every mistake on your manifest; more than 4 mistakes disqualifies you from the race.

11. BONUS RUN (-12:00 minutes): Go to Kenaston Wine Market, ask for AJ and get his middle name (1855 Grant).

answer: Kampeas

the race is on

the course has been mapped and we're good to go for tomorrow. remember, you need a pack, lock and pen. the last post by chris, attesting to his riding skills, bodes well for the other participants in the race. see you at dr h.'s @ 9:00.

rider down

Now that the snow is all gone, we can go fast again. But watch out for loose gravel around those corners. Took one a bit too wide this morning, and caught a bit of winter sand. Boom. Have a bit of road rash on my knee and hip and my elbow is banged up. But it's the missing chunk of my pinkie that hurts the most. Doesn't hurt enough, though, to keep me from racing tomorrow. Can't wait. It should be fun.

Floyd holds on

Floyd Landis is a certified badass. Tom Danielson can really climb. Last year he took over a minute out of Floyd on this same climb. But this year he couldn't shake Floyd. They attacked and counter-attacked each other all the way to the finish. While Danielson took the stage win, Floyd didn't concede any time and so keeps his 4 second lead heading into tomorrows final stage. Barring disaster, he should be able to hold win his third straight stage race. Can't wait for July. See the full report here.

Alleycat

To help everyone get prepared for Tuesday's messenger race, an article on Pittsburgh Alleycat races courtesy of the Bike Blog:

Pittsburgh Tribune Review, April 17, 2006

By Andrew Johnson

Gothic black bottoms, down-the-back dreadlocks and pierced septums don't exactly mesh with Lance Armstrong's image. Michael Camp, 29, of Rochester, is no Armstrong. He likes to combine his bike rides with a trip to the 31st Street Pub, a Strip District staple.

Camp recently downed a Presque Isle Pilsner before riding in The Caffeinator Alleycat, an organized bike race around the city. Other participants of the same race prepared for the aerobic test by smoking.

An "alleycat" is a bike messenger-style race, where renegade riders compete in an urban setting at breakneck, red-light defying speeds. It's one of the last remaining vestiges for these mostly male cyclists, whose profession is disappearing in a digital world where electronic court filings have replaced hard copy documents.

Ian Newell, 27, works for Quick Messenger on the South Side and said the trade is down in Pittsburgh.

Triangle Messenger Service lasted in the city nearly 20 years and grew to 25 bike messengers, before closing four years ago. Newell said he's one of four messengers at Quick, one of the city's bigger companies, among several small ones.

Brad Kenner, 27, of the South Side, said he biked briefly for Jet Messenger Service, Uptown, before quitting. He said after an eight-hour shift, he sometimes pulled in $40. Kenner blamed technology for the dwindling need for bike messengers.

With the Caffeinator Alleycat earlier this month, they brought the street spirit of maverick bicycle riding back to Pittsburgh -- at least for the day.

In this race, about 40 bikers tried to navigate the quickest way to seven coffeehouses -- downing beverages at each -- between Mellon Park and the Mexican War Streets.

Alleycat races, in general, are a nod to bike messengers' creativity in finding their city targets, organizer Brian Janaszek said. Janaszek said there are about six to eight of these under-the-radar local races a year. They are advertised in a magazine called Dirt Rag and on blogs.

The group at this alleycat was more Social Distortion than Tour de France.

Frank Elia, 41, brought eight members from BABE -- Beaver Area Bike Enthusiasts. Elia drank a Pabst Blue Ribbon and wore a utility man's blue workshirt that said "Kirk."

He said his group loves the fixed-gear bikes popular among messengers. The stripped-down bike, with super-skinny tires, gets him close to the road, producing a "Zen"-like ride.

"It's a pure feeling," Elia said.

A fixed-gear bike doesn't shift, not even into neutral, and a biker can't coast on one, even downhill. If the cyclist stops pedaling, a heels-over-head handlebar flip often follows. Some at the alleycat added brakes to their rigs, but many bike messengers slow down solely using their pedals.

Camp, a child therapist in Beaver County, has a burgundy-colored Schwinn Traveler steel frame, dating back to the time of President Reagan's near-assassination. The bike cost him $55 to construct.

Adam McNeish, 28, of Butler, crashed the single-speed party with something more elaborate. It still fit the category of low-tech, though. McNeish used a section of gray plastic outdoor floor mat for a super-long banana seat for his recumbent bicycle. He said the gray mat was better than the green mats with flowers on them. He had to look hard to find it.

A recumbent bicycle is the kind of extended low-rider bike one sits down in. It looks like something made for circus performers.

McNeish, after a wobbly start, went missing from the finishing line.

But Brian Rayburn, 20, a University of Pittsburgh sophomore, was there. Rayburn crossed the finish line first. He ditched his bike and ran into Beleza Community Coffeehouse on Buena Vista Street in the Mexican War Streets, practically heaving.

Rayburn was the only non-courier who said he aspired to be a full-time, bike messenger.

Tour de Georgia

Floyd's scorching form continues. Today he used his unique "praying Landis" time trial position to shred the field at the Tour de Goergia. The long course, with a steep climb and a technical descent, was perfect for Floyd. Only Tom Danielson was able to keep it close, finishing 4 seconds back. Floyd and Danielson now sit 1-2 in the GC, setting up a nice rematch on Saturday for the nasty uphill finish at Brasstown Bald. This is the place where Floyd lost his lead to Danielson last year. It is also the place where he had the much publicized run in with Lance Armstrong. Let's hope he'll leave with better memories this time around. A full report is available at cyclingnews.com.

Also, check out the nice little profile of Floyd courtesy of Daily Peloton.

Spent last night getting the IRO set up. Back to grinding it out at 48 x 15. Should be able to hold your wheel now, Vic.

fgbc messenger race - tuesday, april 25

okay, here is the skinny....

be at dr h's by 9:00 to receive your manifests. you have 5 minutes to study the manifest, and then the race is on. you need to have a pack, lock and pen. don't bring your good bike if you have one - remember this is a messenger race, and they don't ride the shiny or wear spandex (okay - orgininally I had the word latex in here , but that is way too kinky and wrong on so many levels - i think it was the image of dr h. in a chocolate latex suit that was just too disturbing...).

minutes april 18, 2006

a fine gathering.
five riders: g, jonny n, juan, dr. h, secretary
post ride additions: james, hal, president

the secretary met the riders half way at city hall, then we visited a trail in point douglas, saw the oldest house in winnipeg (it sure looks old) and examined the site for the new community centre in that area. next to the bike dump... not a place you'll likely stumble on by accident. we have committed to a visit there some time when it's open. next to the red river college princess campus where juan enthused over various elements of construction and design... finally, to headquarters.... oh, passed the fraternal order of eagles eyrie... now that's a clubhouse. columns, orange and blue neon, the works...

discussion:
- first kids of mud event for the offspring of the president and secretary. lots of kids, lots of bikes. moderate to minimum volume of tears. the 8 & 9 yr olds practiced using the front brake on slight declines... the goal: the appropriate amount of "front".
- the most massive bike parts catalogue was brought by hal. incredible. bicycle seat for $550 anyone? bike armour for the president - priceless.
- hal laid the special fgbc bike deal terms on the table... certain persons are feeling a certain amount of heat over this opportunity. a deal so good it can't be published on this site.
- next week's meeting: the messenger race. stay tuned for more details. start time 9:00.
- week after: dog fest at juan's. sweet.

bike for sale

it just sits in the basement any ways...

anyone interested in a 2001 Rocky Mountain Instinct? some changes to the bike include:

• Avid mechanical disk brakes (the Magura Clara's sucked)
• new bottom bracket last year (rode bike a handful of times since installation)
• newer rings (rode bike a handful of times since installation)
• newer cogs (rode bike a handful of times since installation)
• replaced all bushings
• maintenance on shocks (new seals and oil replacement)

I am going to do a compete tune-up on the bike including ordering some bushing for the rear shock (need because of a little play). It comes with SPD pedals if you want (sorry Penner, I will need these pedals for the bike, unless the purchaser does not want them - I have a set of older Ritcheys you can have for free).

price - I haven't decided yet; will know soon once I talk to James - but it will be very fair.

how do I pay for this mess - FGBC members are eligible for a wide variety of payment plans (O.A.C. - kidding), I will negotiate

this is a time limited offer before I put it up for sale on the MCA site, etc.

Bicycle Film Festival

Perhaps a trip to Minneapolis is in order sometime in July.

Paris-Roubaix

Paris-Roubaix has got to be one of the most interesting one-day races around. No real climbs or anything, just cobblestones. And they can do a lot of damage, as George Hincapie can attest. Here are a few videos to check out: another highlight package from Velonews and a bunch more, including Hincapie's bike exploding, as well as the controversial train-crossing incident, courtesy of OLN.

new bikes, new rider

Another good ride last night: Penner, Vic, Darryl, Jonny G, Jonny N, Chris, Hal (and Unger at the F&H). Highlights included a movie shoot, VJs, a tall bike sighting.

Penner and Vic debuted their new bikes at last night's ride. I believe Penner's bike has already made an appearance on the blog. Vic was moving too fast to get a picture, but here is one from the Devinci site:



Also making his riding debut last night was Jonny N. That makes it three Jonny's, by my count. Perhaps we should all change our names to Jonny. Kind of like the Ramones.

Looks like the race schedule is switching to Tuesdays. Makes a lot of sense. The messenger race is scheduled for April 25. Perhaps also a race/relay around the Leg. or the formal gardens next Tuesday.

sign of the times

Congrats to all of the participants of the LRL; if I don't start showing up to more races I'm going to start getting the rep of being a softie (maybe I already have a rep).

Planning on a ride at Bur Oak on Thursday evening - Wednesday night races start next week - anyone interested in trying the trails?

Also, going to try Grand Beach sometime next week in the afternoon and was wondering if anyone would want to try that as well?

Finally, from the wire services....

(KP International) A man aroused suspicion from a taxi driver taking him to the Durham Tees Valley Airport in northern England after the man requested the driver play music that sparked terrorism fear.
Harraj Mann was headed for the airport to catch his flight to London, when he asked to listen to The Clash's punk anthem 'London Calling' and began singing along.

Some of the lyrics from the song, including "War is declared and battle come down," along with Mann's demeanor made the driver apprehensive so he notified police who arrested Mann while he was on the plane. (Mann also reportedly sang along to Zeppelin's 'Immigrant Song' that includes the line "The hammer of the gods will drive out ships to new lands, to fight the horde, singing and crying: Valhalla, I am coming").
Mann was escorted from the plane, had his luggage searched and was put through rigorous questioning.
After a thorough check under the Terrorism Act, Mann was released, but his plane had already taken off.
"Safety is paramount and we respond to concerns from members of the public in the way they would expect us to," said a spokesperson for the Durham police.

"I was laughing about it," said Mann. "But all my mates are absolutely furious. It's just left me bemused."
Mann said, "I mean obviously the political climate these days is like walking on egg shells, but I mean there's caution and then there's taking it to the point where it's absurd and ludicrous."

Louis Riel race report

Sweet little race this evening. Six racers showed up to honor admirable acts of political insurrection by taking part in the Louis Riel classic. A bit of a different format this time around. A 20 minute relay, doing laps around the ramps by the Louis Riel statue behind the Leg. Kenton got a significant gap off the start and he and Jonny G were able to maintain it for the rest of the race. They even threatened to lap Vic and Chris for a while, but were held off. Penner did not crash. But the yellow flag had to come out for Unger. His front brake cable broke and he nailed the cement wall virtually head on. His nerves were a bit frayed for a while, but fortunately there was no physical damage either to Unger or his bike. After the race resumed, the gaps all pretty much stayed the same for the remaining 15 minutes.

Final standings:

1) Kenton/Jonny G - 22 laps
2) Penner/Unger - 21 laps
3) Vic/Chris - 21 laps

This was of course preceded by a few rounds of knockdown. A bit different without ice, but still good fun.

Prizes (courtesy of president Penner) and post-race bullshit followed in my front yard.

Tuesday night ride is on again. Meet at my place at 8:30. F&H around 10pm.

the jersey redux

Last chance for comments.

front

back

ride report, next race

Nice turnout for the Tuesday night ride last night: Darryl, Jonny G, Unger, Vic, Hal, Chris. One minor incident involving a spontaneous dismount into the bushes, but nothing serious. This occured while previewing the course for the next race. And while my latest demonstration of bike-handling ineptitude did prompt some discussion, the course was deemed race worthy. The race will take place on Sunday at 9pm. Meet at my place around 8:30 if you want to ride over together. Otherwise, meet at the Louis Riel statue behind the Leg. Some sort of post-race gathering will take place somewhere. There may even be some prizes. Hal is working on an Alley Cat/Messenger race later in the month. Start memorizing your map of downtown Winnipeg and stay tuned for further details.

The jersey discussion is coming along nicely. We seem to have reached a decision about design basics. Waiting to hear back about some technical details concerning images. Hopefully that won't set us back too much. Perhaps the secretary can relay that info if and when it is received.

A flurry of bike-purchasing activity has taken place at Olympia recently. The formation of the next generation is apparently under way.

Official tally at the F&H: $903 spent so far, which translates into $135 in FGD. How close can we get to $200 before the spring ride? This is starting to feel like a fundraising drive.

Tusday night ride

Ride tomorrow. Meet at my place at 8:30. Estimated arrival at the clubhouse around 10pm. Where we go in between to be determined. Would be nice if some folks from the NK chapter could join in. If it's too far to ride the whole thing, drive up to here and ride from there.

learning to ride all over again

natural cycle comes through and the green machine is now an it. the fixed learning curve is a not too steep, but some schooling still needs to happen; hmmm, my shoe lace is untied, maybe i should stop pedaling and take a look...nope...nadda...not going to happen.

everyone should get neutered, it makes biking even more fun than before

big thanks to darryl for the jersey work; with a little bit of luck we'll have something by mid summer.

jersey debate open

comments please.