Category: Bike stuff

Words to live by

~ Patrick O'Grady ~ 6 Comments
Garden of the Gods
The Garden of the Gods makes a fine backdrop to any kind of bike ride.

I took five from chores yesterday to drag the Voodoo Nakisi around the west side of town.

The route I chose is one reason why a cyclo-cross bike — or better yet, a MonsterCrosser® like the Nakisi — is the ideal Bibleburg bicycle. I headed south on the creekside bike path and then west under I-25 to Bear Creek Regional Park, where I picked up a short bit of single-track before settling down to a nice, steady, pulverized-granite climb to Gold Camp Road.

At Gold Camp you can hang a left and ride all the way to Victor, if that’s your idea of a good time. But I haven’t got the legs for that, and anyway there was a stiff wind out of the south, so I took advantage of it and rolled down 26th Street to Colorado Avenue to pick up 31st Street and another steady wind-assisted climb through the Garden of the Gods.

Herself, Buddy and the iPad
Herself and Buddy, a.k.a. Mister Boo, video-chat via iPad with the kinfolks in Maryland.

After the Garden I hit the Sinton Trail and headed for the Goose Gossage Youth Sports Complex, where I briefly contemplated continuing on to Palmer Park for a little more single-track. But then my tummy alarm went off, and I recalled a bit of leftover steak and potatoes in the ’fridge at home, so off I went.

Herself was having a spot of fun with technology, video-chatting with her mom and a sister in Maryland via FaceTime on the iPad, occasionally taking a break to play Words With Friends with one or the other. I won’t play until someone comes up with a dirty version.

As it turns out I probably should have gone for the extra miles. Today is about 30 degrees cooler than yesterday, and windy, too, with a spot of rain from time to time. And the chores have returned, too, goddamnit (good for 476,209 points in Scrabble).

So that’ll teach me, right? Probably not.

Chirp … chirp … chirp. …

~ Patrick O'Grady ~ 7 Comments
Highway 24
Pikes Peak as seen from Highway 24 near the Banning-Lewis Ranch.

Wow — the sound of all those virtual crickets digitally chirping is deafening.

The days have seemed about 90 minutes long lately. Bicycle Retailer and Industry News deadlines have been coming and going like cabs at McCarran International Airport. Likewise bicycle reviews for Adventure Cyclist. I just wrapped up the Cyfac Vintage; next in line is a Moots MXYBB, with a Van Nicholas Amazon Rohloff waiting in the wings.

Too, I’m been chiming in during Charles Pelkey’s live updates from the Giro, for all the good it does him. And Herself and I celebrated our 22nd anniversary on the 12th.

So, yeah. Busy busy busy, especially considering that I remain seriously underemployed — and, as a geezer who earned his chops in a dying profession, am likely to stay that way. Well, that just means more time to ride, no?

So I go out and flog myself around the countryside for a couple of hours, followed by a bite of lunch, and by the time the day’s Amgen Tour of California stage rolls around I could give a shit. I mean, I like Peter Sagan and all, but four stage wins? For reals? And today brings the time trial in Bakersfield. Pass the toothpicks, someone, I need to prop my eyelids open.

Of course, with my eyelids propped open, I can’t not look at stupid shit like this, from Rep. Mike Coffman (R-Fuckwit). Jesus H. Christ on a flatcar. Most states in the Union put their crazy people in mental institutions. Colorado sends them to the U.S. House of Representatives.


Phinney tests positive for grass

~ Patrick O'Grady ~ 10 Comments

I filled in for the lawyerin’ Charles Pelkey this morning at Live Update Guy, doing my usual half-assed imitation of the master.

While I was juggling video, comments, stats and what have you I nearly missed maglia rosa Taylor Phinney riding straight off the road and into the grass at high speed. This would be hairy enough on the average pro road bike, but this being the team time trial Phinney was on his TT bike — and he managed to keep it upright and get back on the road (though he would have less luck holding onto his leader’s jersey).

So, chapeau to young Mr. Phinney. Nobody will ever know whether he could have stayed in pink had not Roberto Ferrari taken him down with that stupid sprint of his. But I think we can all agree that he certainly would have had an easier time of it today.

Chapeau, too, to Garmin-Barracuda and Ramunas Navardauskas for winning the stage and taking the overall lead.

What’s my line?

~ Patrick O'Grady ~ 12 Comments

Man, did you folks see Roberto Ferrari take out Mark Cavendish and Taylor Phinney in today’s Giro d’Italia stage? Judas priest. Cav’ went down like someone shot him from the sidelines.

“I was doing my sprint. I didn’t see him,” Ferrari told Cyclingnews. “I don’t know what happened because it was all behind me, my foot slipped. I had to switch lines because another rider moved abruptly.”

Bullshit. He was trying to hit a gap that wasn’t there. Relegation was too gentle a punishment. Every rider on Team Sky, BMC or any other squad with a man on the deck should be permitted to queue up for a chance to kick Ferrari in the nuts.

Hot spot, cool heads at BMC

~ Patrick O'Grady ~ 11 Comments

Bravo to BMC for towing maglia rosa Taylor Phinney back to the bunch in stage 2 of the Giro d’Italia after a late mechanical left him off the back and in peril of surrendering his overall lead. And Mark Cavendish — well, what can you say about him that hasn’t already been said? Dude is the Joe Frazier of sprinting.

Finally, boo to the Giro management for permitting what appeared to be a pointlessly hazardous finale to an early sprint stage, when everyone’s already as nervous as a long-tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs. With dudes bunny-hopping medians and a hard right-hander 500m from the line it’s a wonder more people didn’t come off in the final kilometers. I’ll look forward to reading what the experts on the scene have to say in that regard.

I gave Charles “Live Update Guy” Pelkey a hand with today’s coverage, as did the Fat Guy. Now it’s time for me to ride my own damn’ bike. Well, Cyfac’s, anyway. More later.