Look, shiny!
E’s got a spectacular new Bianchi … wow factor is through the roof!
New & shiny always catches my attention. In the past two weeks three of my friends have bought new bikes.
That’s not unusual really. There’s always a lot of upgrading going around, especially among the mid-life crisis crowd that I mostly ride with. As a sports-car substitute, a carbon-fibre framed road bike is probably cheaper and less hazardous to your health and your licence than say, a Lotus Elise.
And I love it when my friends get these new bikes. The buzz of it all. The excitement of making the decision to upgrade (or even the decision to buy your first serious road bike or mountain bike). The delicious agony of which bike to buy, which trick bits to get which will make the bike indelibly “yours”, tiny detail decisions about elements such as saddles, seatposts, right down to water bottle cages and handlebar tape. And the final thrill, showing off the new bike to mates on its first couple of rides.
But new & shiny only gets you moving for a short time, I think. Even the shiniest, newest, blingiest bike eventually becomes just your road bike, or your mountain bike. I have a beautiful road bike … its frame is made of titanium, for goodness sake. But do I even notice the Enigma when I’m riding 95% of the time? Not so much.
But even so, there’s something motivating about this newness & shininess. Perhaps its the commitment to training and improving your cycling that’s embodied in the purchase. Nobody wants to be that bloke who bought an expensive bike which now just sits in the shed, its flat tyres mocking him every time he goes to fetch a screwdriver or spanner.
So bravo to my friends on the new bikes! I hope to spend many hours riding with you enjoying your new purchases. And one day, but not anytime soon, I will rejoin the ranks of those who purchase new bicycles.
Some days are diamonds …
I had a great weekend, on and off the bike. It’s Tuesday now but I’m still buzzing about how good the weekend was.
The road-bike riding bit, first.
Saturday, OMG-its-very-early. A group of the South Bank bunch meets at BWL’s place, loads into three cars and heads down to Canungra, for an assault on O’Reillys (Green Mountains is the proper placename, but its universally known as O’Reillys).
The ride to O’Reillys is about 35 km: 10km to the base of the climb, a steady 13km climb to the next landmark, the alpaca farm, then a plateau section before the road kicks up again through rainforest to the guest-house and Lamington NP camping ground.
See, he can win with good team support
UCI Road World Championships: Men’s Elite Road Race, Route Maps & Results | Cyclingnews.com.
Cadel Evans kicks the butt of the Italian and Spanish superstars in the Worlds … after great support from Stuey O’Grady, Simon Gerrans, Mick Rogers, Wes Sulzberger et al.
Cadel played out the last lap absolutely perfectly, and actually took advantage of a tiny tactical error by the Spanish. He responded to the Joaquin Rodriguez attack that was just supposed to be a softening up move for Sanchez or Valverde, and made it into the winning move. Great tactical awareness combined with having the best legs gave him the chance for the daring escape on the final climb.
This was a win for the ages. Just brilliant.
Grafton to Inverell
The race was on last week. Congrats to friends who competed and all did awesome rides:
From the results page, here are my highlights:
- Craig Dickson, 10th in B grade, in 7:03:22.20
- Craig Briant, 23rd in B grade in 7:05:56.36
- Liam McCarthy, 44th in B grade in 7:34:03
- Aaron Pickett-Heaps, 28th in C grade, in 7:28:01
- Dean Winchester, 46th in C grade, in 7:40:16.02
Legends.
Everybody loves Jens, part II
Saxo Bank – Taking The Lead » Archive » a message from jens.
This is why.
“I am better than expected. I’m a bit beat up, and hurting a bit, but nothing that’s going to kill me.”
Everybody loves Jens
“It was horrifying to see Voigt crash out of this Tour de France on Tuesday, not only because he is smart and honest and loyal and funny and tireless, but also because it happened in a place where he is usually in his element, flying down a mountainside on a mission.”
Bonnie Ford, ESPN, who is an excellent writer on cycling, in a piece called Jens Voigt is the conscience of cycling.
Di Luca was on the juice, sorry ’bout that
The International Cycling Union (UCI) announced Wednesday that it has suspended Italian Danilo Di Luca for two positive tests for the EPO derivative CERA. The LPR-Brakes rider’s doping control samples showed evidence of the banned blood booster on two occasions – on May 20 and 28th during the 2009 Giro d’Italia.
via Di Luca Positive For CERA In Giro | Cyclingnews.com.
Hmm, I’m just so sorry to have predicted this.
Don’t over-tighten it, it might snap
“I’m not necessarily aiming for yellow, I’m just looking to do my best ride I can and consolidate where I am. I’m not stupid enough to think I can beat Contador. I think he’s proven he’s by far the best bike rider in this race and you never really know how hard to tighten stuff before it breaks and I don’t want to over-tighten things.”
via Wiggins Ready To Seize The Day | Cyclingnews.com.
Great quote. Brad Wiggins in Cyclingnews today.
UPDATE (23/07/09): I think he might have snapped it last night. We’ll see if it really is broken in tonight’s time trial.
Heinrich, Alberto, & Brad Wiggins
Winter in Brisbane … can’t beat it.
- Getting up before dawn for a bike ride.
- Staying up to watch le Tour.
- And trying to keep it all in balance with the rest of your life & work.
The heroes of the last week, from my p.o.v.
Heinrich Haussler. What a ride from Aussie HH to win on a cold & rainy day near the German border. As many have pointed out, he took advantage of weather conditions similar to a Belgian spring day to firstly get in the breakaway, and secondly demolish his breakaway companions with a show of strength and daring rarely seen on any stage of the Tour. The most impressive ride of any breakaway in this year’s event.
Alberto Contador. All along I have been saying that he is the top favourite for the Tour. Last night was the decisive stage, and he smashed them. Game over. He is now the undisputed leader of the undisputed strongest team in the race. The only interest now is what shape Astana will take for 2010, and which team Alberto will ride for in the future. Because there’s no earthly reason why he shouldn’t win at least the next three or four Tours. He is that good.
Bradley Wiggins. Now that is a transformation, from pursuiter to Grand Tour contender. Put it this way, the two best pursuiters of all time, Chris Boardman and Bradley McGee, were never able to make the transition into becoming top riders in the mountains. Wiggins seems at the moment to have done it with about six months work. Astounding. If he can keep it up, he looms as Contador’s only real rival, which is a sentence I did not think I would ever write.
All this, and mountain biking on a Sunday afternoon in Karawatha Forest. Life is good.
Cadel’s free to fly … if he can
So Astana’s in total control of the Tour now.
I think it’s a real possibility to think about: Can Astana fill all three podium spots? Contador’s still the heavy favourite in my book … in the Giro Lance showed that he just doesn’t have the jump on climbs that he used to have, and I think Contador will show on Friday night that he does rule the roost.
But a podium of Alberto, Lance and Levi (or Andreas Kloden for that matter) doesn’t seem at all far-fetched at this stage. Put it this way: in the last few years, who are the riders who have attacked Astana and made it stick? That’s right, no one. Once you’ve lost time on Contador/Armstrong, it’s very very very very hard to get it back.
So, Cadel, this is freedom. Nobody who understands bike racing thinks you can win. But you might gain some fans with some attacking riding! I reckon that his best bet … not silly Pantani-style attacks, but just seize the moment when it occurs. Counter attack when the Astana boys have reduced the bunch to the last five or six. Go for it on the second-last col of the day … go for it whenever there’s half a chance. More Vino than Pantani is the style I’m looking for. Cadel (and Menchov for that matter, and even Sastre) has nothing to lose. So why not?