Giro

Defies the standards of the tour, and for that reason it is unexpectedly more intriguing. I don't want to imagine doing a TT for 1:40 and know for a fact that course would take me well over 2 hours. Let just say a suffer fest. I must say that watching a full peloton is more appealling to watch on the tv set, but in personl that constant queue of riders keep the entertainment cycling thru. I would much rather be a tifosi drinking a lemoncello than putting the hurt on like only a race of truth can.

Bad ride

Well, I guess I am due. I am riding on a set of hayes that are 7 years old. At granogue I had very little front brake. Didn't matter because there was mud to slow ya down. Anyway. So the pads were shot. I had the entire bike cleaned and apart since the race. Threw it all back together for the Wednesday Victory ride. Even with new pads the brake was not there, so I quickly bled the system. Felt the brake. it has some bite, but then went soft. oh well ride anyways. down the first hill and the brake was gone, but luckily the rear had bite and new pads, so only the real steep downs were going to be trouble. I also noticed a wheel wobble. I actually had noticed it at granogue, but thought it was just the mass of mud. At a re-group stop I found a loose spoke. I was going to tighten it when I noticed that the flange of the hub had broken. wobbly wheel, no front brake and a broken hub. Oh well wen to the back and kept riding. next thing on a very steep up, my wheel came loose in the drops, it slid forward in the horz drop and the tire rub on the frame. Stop told other just to move along and I will catch up. Straighten the wheel, tighten the bolts and back under way. Survied the rest of the highly accelerating ride with little other adversity. But upon wearing my sun glasses this morning I also noticed that the rubber piece on the arm had been lost. Should have stayed home and went to the boys baseball game. now I have to find out what is wrong with the brake, try and get a replacement front hub which entails taking the wheel apart and putting it back together, and look for some lost legs(honey don't worry that is a cycling term for lost power).

Jonny law

pulled me over on my bike tonight around 9:30pm. Said I made an illegal right on red. Forced me to go home because I had no rear blinker. Went home came back out with a blinker and was night riding a county park that closes at night, a state trooper slows and spots me. I turn out to the road to talk, and he slowly kept going. Went to Marsh and did a nice loop. legs felt fresh until the road ride home. Man, can't a guy just get out for a peaceful spin. First guy told me I had to follow all the traffic laws as a motorist. I said well they sure don't treat you like another motorist out there. Not like I am going to stop at lights from now on, look both ways double check and go! No sure how a ticket can be enfororced when there is no way to identify a person. I wish I recorded the stop.

Cinco De Mayo

Yes, today is the day, that Americans celebrate Mexico's whatever. Why, not so sure. When it started, also lost along the way. I must admit any reason to drink tequila and eat burritos is a good reason to me.

So, too much of this Rain in putting a damper on this "On the Rocks" . I might as well just call it because I don't think people are recovered yet from this Granogue. So the call must be made. Alternate date is August 16, and actually the course may be better because we will be starting from a different spot.

I will leave you with this from my morning commute. Cycling tip # 9 don't be late. The quickest route is most surely not the best route.

Messed and Mudded

Granogue turned into the sloppiest, messiest mud I have seen. As written before on this blog, when the mud turns to recycled peanut butter, and I have to walk my ride turns south. not sure I could have power for 4 hours regardless, but that workout was hardly cycling. Pictures to come when ever they pop up on the web. Still cleanning the mud out of the eyes. Place is like a moment frozen in time, when the Dupont came out in aristocratic pre-industrial attire, 20 coaches with horses, wagon, trumpet and marksmen.
Took apart the entire bike to clean and get the water out of the steel frame. Two shot bb bearings, and disc pads. Everything is sitting on top of news paper with a spray of lube. frames hanging on the stand. 32 20 was fine, course had some hills, but the walking in mud with the mud clinging to the bike is what halted me. dam bike must had been fifty pounds. When a saw a junior hoisting his bike, I thought that thing must way twice his weight. Congrats to all that indured that slog.

How I ride.

but preferably like this,

PSA - Trail Work

These guys help maintain and improve our local trails. They have done a great job adding a nice system at Marsh Creek. This Sunday@9 @the lake they will be at French Creek. Sorry for the lack of content just too much to do.

http://www.patrailhands.org/

four

had a very unexpected and quite unusual injury while watching tv. I was watching hockey playoff. I had been practcing my golf swing at the same time. Okay so you see where this is going. I was sitting in my chair holding the 9 iron. The Flyers just went up 3-2 in the second, lot of players fom both teams were coming in hard with their sticks high. Anyway, the call against the flyers, was bad. So bad I swung the club into a plastic laundry basket, it bounced off the basket and deflected into my shin. Having shins of a well, mtb biker, I didn't take much too it, until my son said dad your bleeding. A little surprised I looked down saying ah that is nothing, to the sight of blood gushing down my leg. I quickly when to the kitchen and put a clean dish towel on it, mean while I had left puddles of blood from each step. After cleaning up the blood in the kitchen we guazed and taped the wound. The flat edge of the club must have punctured right in, because when I cleaned it out and moved my foot you could see straight to the bone, my son nearly puked. I went on to help the wife with the carpet, then resumed watching the game. Not sure how I am going to handle riding, I guess gauze, tape and maybe some saran wrap.

Weekend Review

Good weekend! Headed to Bethany beach in lower DE, just above Ocean City, MD. Left the bikes at home in an effort to recover some before racing goes full speed (although full speed will be half speed this year). Anyways, beautiful weather on Friday. In past years we have met in Milton for the Dog Fish Head brewery tour. Man if you never have been, I would say go. Follow the tour from Milton and head the the pub at Rehoboth. The year I was there, the secret tour beer was Raison D'Xtra 16 % monster. Even if it was only 3 oz after a few, i had a buzz. So back to this year. Nice weather, so we went to the beach. I decided it was nice enough to hop in even though it was 60 degrees out and 50 degree water, but the sun was shining.

After the beach a couple for the guys went into town to play some Hoops. I wrestled in high school, but I am a good height and can jump. Our game of 21 turn into an all out 5 on 5 with the delawarian locals. My one cousin nearly brawling, had me being a peace maker. My legs still hurt from running and jumping on hard top.

Onto Friday Happy hour, hor dors, beer, cosmos, what ever you like. Saturday was wind blown and rain all day. didn't stop the kids from wanting to be out, from a morning bike ride on rt 1 with 3 kids and my dads 10 speed, to building sand castle in the heavy wind and rain. All went down well, I won a game of poker that night, drank a few choice brew, some of which, home brews, big dinner, all was well, Sunday is easter and the bunny thing is still fun for the kids so they awoke ready for some sweets and treats. While loading the car for the return trip, I left the doors open and the interiors on. After a nice noon time meal, we were about to hit the road when we found out the battery was done. After some time with jumpers 30 minutes or more, women and dad antagonizing me the hole time, with 3A on the way the car started and we headed home. Home just in time for Master,flyers, Roubaix, phils and a couple of beers. Roubaix is such a cool race. And the flemish really seemed to be out in numbers, Thor Husvof (sp) went down hard and Boonen cranked it home. Too bad flerys lost their chance for home ice, and I learned you don't have to be thin to be a good golfer. Too bad for Perrry and Chambell both played a great tournament. That is the quick and dirty, which I am not correcting. Caught up in a web at work. so, enjoy, wet and wild wednesday, I sure am looking forward to some muddin.

Not Made in the USA

well here is the latest... maybe the last...factory made bike made in the USA. Buy out...sell out the American way... at least that is what it has seemed to become.
*taking from cycling news

Cannondale shuttering US production
By Gary Boulanger, US editor, Bikeradar.com
Cannondale is undergoing more changes Photo ©: Kirsten Robbins

Dorel Industries, parent company of Cannondale, Schwinn, GT, Mongoose and Sugoi, announced it was consolidating locations in the United States, while phasing out production in its Bedford, Pennsylvania factory.
"Today is the beginning of a very exciting period for Dorel's Recreational/Leisure business," said Jeff McGuane, president of Cannondale Sports Group (CSG) North America. McGuane, who has been with Cannondale since 1994 and most recently was President ofCSG International, was named to his new post last month.
Dorel purchased Cannondale and Sugoi from Pegasus Partners for nearly US$200 million cash in early February 2008. Cannondale, an early pioneer of production aluminium bikes, began importing carbon frames from Taiwan in 2007.
The number of Bedford employess will shrink from 300 to 100 by late 2010, as Cannondale transitions 100 percent of its production to its new facility in Taichung, Taiwan. The Bedford facility will be used for final bicycle and Headshok assembly, some CNC machining, testing and quality control, bicycle warranty repair, inside sales/service, distribution and customer support/administration (including a new call center on-site).
The Lake Forest, California and Longmont, Colorado facilities, home to GT and its testing facilities for years, will close as part of the consolidation. All high-end jobs will be based out of Cannondale's original Bethel, Connecticut facility, with some current employees being offered jobs in Connecticut.
Pacific Cycles, based in Madison, Wisconsin, will focus strictly on mass market bikes, where its roots lie since Chris Hornung began selling bikes from the Orient in the mid 1970s. Dorel bought Pacific for US$375 million in 2004.
According to Dorel, all North American product development, marketing and business management functions for all four cycling brands (Cannondale, Schwinn, GT and Mongoose) will move to Bethel, within the newly named Cycling Sports Group (formerly the Cannondale Sports Group).
"Our vision is to create the most innovative and admired company in the recreation and leisure marketplace, and to become a global leader, which is why the Dorel segment was established in the first place," said Robert Baird, president of Dorel's Recreational/Leisure segment. "The strategy for transforming that vision into reality requires a unified, collaborative, and highly engaged workforce, relentlessly committed to innovation and supported by management in rapidly advancing the quality of the products and services we deliver.
"The Cannondale purchase led us to segment our bicycle business to provide best-in-class service to the distinct retailer categories," he added. "Naturally, Cannondale and CSG are key components of our commitment to our independent bicycle dealers (IBD) as we realize how critical IBDs are to the cycling community and to us.
Roman Kreuziger and the Liquigas boys Photo ©: Christophe Mury

"In addition to the plans outlined above, and to ensure we delight our customers with our distinctive brands, innovative products and impactful in-store programs, we are also consolidating our North American CSG operations to two locations from five."
Dorel has created 'Five Centers of Excellence' around the world, with each location focused on a specific market segment or expertise. These centers will be based in:
* Bethel, Connecticut (global headquarters and innovation centre for high-end and enthusiast bicycles);
* Basel, Switzerland (for high-end and enthusiast bicycles sold/marketed in Europe);
* Madison, Wisconsin (for global mass market products);
* Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada (for active lifestyle and urban apparel and footwear); and
* Taichung, Taiwan (for coordination of sourcing, testing and quality of Asian suppliers/partners)
Bedford has been its domestic bicycle manufacturing hub since the first model, the ST500, rolled off the line in 1983. Company founder Joe Montgomery sold panniers and child trailers in 1971, taking the company public in 1995. A misguided effort into motorcycle production brought the company to bankruptcy in 2003. Italian road star and 2006 Giro d'Italia winner Ivan Basso currently races a Cannondale SuperSix HiMod carbon road bike with the Liquigas team. Stars who've raced Cannondales include Mario Cipollini, Damiano Cunego and Gilberto Simoni (Saeco), Tinker Juarez, Brian Lopes, Missy Giove, and Myles Rockwell.
Dorel, founded in 1962, is a Montreal-based publicly traded company with annual sales of US$2 billion.