Tour Stage 1

The family B. is eating more of their many pints of CSA blueberries watching Brest-Plumelec.

Garmin-Chipotle seems to be getting quite a bit of press from VS. tv.

29 MPH SW winds? There’s your chicago training.

Anyone know the reason so many American flags lining the Tour are in B&W?

I should point out that the cheesy over the top sentimentality of the commercial that VS. is showing where they play doping riders in reverse, actually affects me. When they defrock Landis, it really seems poignant. Is this one of the ways in which film allows an expanded understanding of time a la Deleuze’s Cinema?

K-division of RDC I-day ride

85k 21k/hr. Rode to Evanston, around a bit, and back. Brunch and beer at the wonderful Chicago Diner.

A was a total champ. I hereby toss all relevant pacing concern from the previous post. I’m hugging her wheel after any bloody mary consumption. As long as everyone will wait for me, we’ll be just fine.

Gear report: Castelli Due bibs are awesome, and not just cause the chamois (codenamed KISS) is red and has a set of lips prominently embossed at the prow. Ah, the italians. They use the “chamois shouldn’t be noticed” approach, as opposed to the Depends methodology. A picked up a set of the corresponding shorts on the way home and seems pleased as well.

TDF via streetview

The googlers think of everything.

Roasted

The Cascade 1200k bruthas and sistahs are being roasted alive. Looks like pretty consistent daytime temps in the 100s. Only a few have finished and lots of DNFs.

doping

So Landis loses his appeal

and

a few days ago the times ran a story showing some serious problems detecting the (very effective) most common doping drug: EPO.

Kinda doesn’t look good when you’re stripping the maillot jaune from the winner of the most visible biking event in the world while sneaky reporters are showing your testing seems to have worse than random accuracy.

“The paper certainly is an eye-opener,” said Don Catlin, the chief executive of Anti-Doping Research, a nonprofit group in Los Angeles. “It’s quite remarkable.”

Hahahah. No kidding?

Challenge Issued

I hereby propose the first annual K/B Family Stupor Hilly Century. I have a route. It will hurt. But with a really early leave time, this could be a fairly epic feeling day that all four of us could finish.

The course flows through my favorite parts of Dane county (including the hill that gave me a PR top speed). Hitting the Roxbury, Wollersheim, the wisconsin river, Mazo (nude beach option), Cross Plains for coffee and Essers Best, My favorite view of the Capitol, A&S’s Favorite Madison Bar, both lakes and end of the day cerveza y antojitos.

I say, let’s have a serious all day-er out in WI this year!

PS there will be hills.

Gears, tubs, muffins oh my!

Summary is here.

Selle San Marco Regal

If Tom Boonen is riding one, I suppose it’s got to be decent. Review here. I am thinkin this model (note the chrome rivets as opposed to the copper):

About $100 via fleabay.

PRO tested on the below:

And while we’re talkin what gets you through the P-R, here are the requisite tires:

Vittoria Pave EVO PROs. Available in tubular AND clincher Not in any other color though.

Gluing and Cascade 1200

Gluing tubs kinda sucks.

and

Follow along with the people having fun at the Cascade 1200k this weekend.

Vittorias and century

At long, long last: a set of Vittorias are stretching on the rims. Glue up will be tomorrow early am in place of the morning ride. Tomorrow is a rest day for 30 on sat and my first VC group lead (the Slow Group) on Sunday for 70. Unofficial plans are for a post-70 breakway for beers in Wicker Park and an even 100. All day in the saddle on new tire tech, new gears tech and gossamer wheels! Yay!

Went through blackbird row this morning sans RP and no attacks. Must be the pink. I don’t blame ‘em: it scared me at first too.