I hit the 600 mile mark today on my bike heading home from work. Not bad since I bought my bike in April. That’s about 5 miles a day. I need to build a feed or a counter for my mileage to post on the blog.
Commuting is fun; I just wish I lived further away from work!
I’m also saving a gallon or more of gas a day by riding my bike.
So the Tour de France is over, now what? Nothing to blog about. Not true, it’s time to ride like hell. There are a couple of local rides I want to do in the next week or two:
I am also working on filming some How To’s with my local bike shop, Mad Dog, on bike maintenance, and some bike reviews. We’ll post them here, Mad Dog’s site and Tubetorial.
And if I can get motivated, or find some training partners I’d like to start training for a triathlon. We’ll see!
Found a great review on the new 2008 Gary Fisher Superfly on Twenty Nine Inches. Only thing missing is a comparison of other bikes. I want to know how it compares to other XC mountain bikes like the S-works Epic.
As predicted the Spaniard, Alberto Contador, won the Yellow jersey of the Tour de France. Cadel Evans and Levi Leipheimer finished respectively 2nd & 3rd. Before the final stage into Paris there whisperings by the media and fans alike that Evans, 23 seconds behind Contador, would attempt to make a final attack on the yellow jersey. But the rumors were just that: rumors. Steeped in race tradition there would be no attack; rather riders giving high-fives and posing for pictures. For showmanship the sprinters would battle it out in the final kilometers, and the race leaders would finish safely in the peloton.
Many unfamiliar to the sport will question why there was no race to the end, and that Evans and Leipheimer should have battled Contador for the yellow jersey. Such notion should be dismissed for two reasons:
Contador is only 24 years old, and a tour rookie, it looks like he will have his chance to dominate the sport like Lance Armstrong. He will also have his distractors, who won’t accept his victory, and in their eyes the Dane, Michael Rassmusen, was robbed of the yellow jersey at the last moment.
This might be true, and here in lies the problem: the UCI, the Tour, teams, and the athletes have to come together and create a cohesive federation that levels the playing field against cheaters, but upholds a standard of due process for every rider and team.
Maybe this will happen before next years tour.
Despite the off-the-road drama of the Tour, stage 19, was the most exciting stage of the 3 week event. Discovery came in and did what they do best: WIN! Contador maintained his lead over Ausie Cadel Evans by 23 seconds; enough to keep the yellow jersey and (probably) win his first Tour de France.
But the day belonged to American Levi Leipheimer of the Discovery team. Third in GC standings, behind Cantador and Evans, Leipheimer blew the time trial off its hinges. Evans, who finished second, was 51 seconds behind; Leipheimer put himself 6 seconds behind Evans, and 30 seconds behind Cantador in the GC. This will probably go down as the ride of his life!
Not to distract from Leipheimer’s tremendous accomplishment, but isn’t it interesting that 30 seconds is the difference between him and the Yellow jersey. If he could have improved any 5 of the 18 stages by 6 seconds he could be wearing yellow.
How do you mentally make up the seconds? These guys push themselves to the wall and over, so to imagine that seconds can be improved is pretty difficult. Obsession, it’s the only thing I think drives these guys through this much pain, which explains a lot for the cheaters.
The drama off the road is more intense than the drama on the road at the Tour de France. What the hell is going on? Is it the riders? Is it the UCI? WADA? Tour leader Michael Rassmusen was “sacked” by his team for lying about his whereabouts during last month, thus, missing unscheduled drug tests.
Eurosport.com is reporting that Ras was sent packing because “someone” says they saw the star cyclist training in Italy, and not Mexico, where he had registered w/ the UCI. If this is the reason he was sacked and forced to quit the Tour just days before he was about to win, then, the UCI is the problem! Like the case against Landis, there is no due process for the athlete when anyone can accuse you of wrong doing.
I think the bicycle manufactures should start their own cycling federation, and screw the UCI. These companies like Trek, Specialized, Felt etc all have skin in this game; they are the natural candidates to create either a riders union or a new federation.
Maybe to protect the Tours branding they should cancel next years race. Thoughts?
If Ras did lie then good riddance!
Eurosport.com is reporting that, pre-race favorite and winner of stages 13 & 15 of this years race, Alexander Vinokourov has tested positive for doping. His A sample found two different types of red blood cells, which assumes the athlete has had blood transfusion. The test wast taken just prior to his stage 13 time trial win. Vino has withdrawn from the Tour.
Despite the positive sample A test I believe judgment needs to be withheld until the process has been completed. I hope Dick Pound and Pat McQuaid will bite their tongues, and avoid the media debacle they created around Floyd Landis. I believe there is little due process for athletes in the middle of doping scandals, so it is important to be objective and fair before casting judgment. I hope for the sport of cycling and for the Tour de France this is a mistake. If it turns out to be true I hope the athletes will get their damn priorities straight.
Ok, the Enertia is not really cooler than a Harley, but I would probably choose the electric motorcycle over the gas guzzling pollutant hog. I’m probably in the minority of Americans, who could fall in love with a motorcycle that doesn’t rumble the windows of your neighbors. But there is a growing demand for green, and like the Prius the Enertia is pretty cool.
CO2 emission grams per kilometer is 22 g compared to 140 and 130 for the average motorcycle and Toyota Prius respectively. Granted this can be reduced further if you are recharging the Enertia w/ a renewable source i.e. Wind or Solar.
Unlike a Harley you won’t be screaming 70 mph down the highway heading to Sturgis because the Enertia only does a top speed of 50 mph for approximately 45 miles, which makes this bike very much a commuter, and roam around the neighborhood cruiser.
At $11,000 - $15,000 the price is a little steep, but if mass production can get the Enertia down around $5,000 or $6,000 then this becomes a great alternative to driving your car during the spring - summer - fall months. Until then I think I’ll ride my ZEV (Zero Emissions Vehicle) and eventually buy a Prius.
At one point in my life I was huge Michael Vick fan; in part because he played at VT and because of his athletic abilities on the field. But now I have absolutely no respect for him or his family. He disgusts me!
I read a very interesting article by Mark Kriegel on FoxSports.com about Nike’s lack of corporate responsibility when it comes to the athletes they sponsor, and the chances of Vick ever winning the PR game of his life. Screw the Super Bowl, if he can’t prove to the public a clear path to innocence he will be crucified! Kreigel puts dog fighting in a very succinct light when he wrote:
Still, the fact is, there is no way for Vick to win here. Even if he wins in court, the damage will be severe. A bar fight, a substance abuse problem, all of that can be dealt with. But in the public’s mind, dogfighting is somewhere between wife-beating and the ultimate sin, point-shaving.
For the sports fanatic points shaving is an ultimate sin, but for a father and a husband being a wife-beater is disgusting.
A few hours after Kreigel’s post Nike announced they were suspending the release of any marketing communication regarding Vick’s new shoe, but not the release of the actual product. Nike you disgust me too. Vick does afford due process, but why don’t you send a clear message to athletes that their off the field images and the money they make are tied just as intrinsically to the image on the field? Why weren’t the shoes suspended? Change the name of the shoe! Sending such a message has nothing to do w/ due process, but everything to do with corporate responsibility (which they so proudly boast on their site). Very sad.
Vick and NIKE get the Rosie Award.
There is one thing that I know w/o a doubt; take care of your butt and your butt will take care of you. This is true for toilet paper as it is for bike saddles. Unfortunately the saddle sold w/ my Trek Madone was absolutely horrible. Ok, there are probably worse bike saddles than the unknown Bontrager, but I couldn’t suffer any longer (neither would Napoleon and his generals).
I’ve learned in cycling the equation is simple: discomfort = speed OR comfort = slower. So goes the equation w/ saddles, if you want speed you have to endure discomfort, or go w/ comfort and have a huge seat that adds unnecessary grams to your bike. This is why I bought the Specialized Alias, it’s not the uber-racing-toupe saddle, nor is it grandma’s spring supported bubble butt seat. At 250 g it’s light and comfortable.
The comfortable in this saddle is not the gel or padding, but in Specialized’s own words, “Combined with our medically tested Body Geometry blood-flow technology to reduce numbness, the Alias redefines the crossing point between ergonomic comfort and pro-level performance.” In less marketing speak they’ve cut out the center of the saddle so your generals don’t sit in your throat while your ride.
Another feature Specialized offers in their saddles: 3 sizes. My previous seat was to narrow, so I went w/ the 143 mm. They also offer 130 mm and 150 mm.
I haven’t broken in this saddle, but on the short rides I’ve already felt the difference, and so has my bottom.
Rant: I’m not sure who’s to blame Trek or the reseller. I blame Trek, because they should never allow any of there bikes to be sold w/ crappy seats. Even a starter bike should be sold with a decent seat b/c the rider will judge his early biking experiences on the seat and not whether has the lightest crank or derailer. Just as important don’t sell a Madone w/ a crappy seat w/ the notion that the customer should upgrade. That is wrong on many levels and should be obvious. If a customer wants a cheap seat to lower the price of a bike than let them ask for a crappy seat. It’s just good business.
Dick pound gets my first ever Rosie award for sucking! The president of WADA opens his mouth and does nothing but destroy people’s reputation without warrant. He will be leaving WADA soon, but the damage has already been done. Read Washington Post columnist Sally Jenkins rant about Pound’s abuse at the bully pulpit.
Dick deserves a public flogging. Congratulations you have won the first ever Rosie award (Rosie awards are given to people, companies, ideas and products that I think suck).
