Weekly Roundup October 31st (Happy Halloween!)

Happy Halloween to one and al, any good costumes? Here’s the weekly roundup for this week. I apologize for taking the extra day to get this out, but I think it’s worth it.

Spin Bike Shop: I know, it’s the third week I’m mentioning this, and the second time this week. This should prove that I really dig these guys and that I have a strong feeling the event is going to be cool as heck. If nothing else, remember it’s in a suburb outside of Cleveland… there could be snow! November 10th, Spin will be hosting the Cross my Heart and Hope to Die Willoughby Cyclocross Spectacular at Todd Field in Downtown Willoughby, Ohio. For more information and to register go to the Team Spin site.

Fat Cyclist: Once again “Fatty” has been banging out the blogs. This weeks fave for me is Allure. A story about the bikes Elden has owned (too many to count) and the sweet customs that are currently being built. You need to read the comments to fully appreciate how many really cool custom handmade bikes are out there and being built. Elden “Fatty” Nelson has also been busy with his weekly column at Bike Radar. This week he gives us How To Be A Quick Change Artist. For those of you who just don’t want to get caught changing in the parkinglot, or just don’t have the time, Fatty breaks down the artistry of changing while riding.

Competitors Radio Show: The two podcasts that I’ve been addicted to like crack lately have been out a while. The reason I pulled them back out is that all of the talk about the Tour de France and, because of TDF, doping have been fresh on my mind. The podcast is a two part series with author David Walsh. Walsh wrote the books “LA Confidential”, and “From Lance To Landis”. The books have caused a great deal of controversy in Walsh’s accusations of doping in the Tour, especially in regards to both Armstrong and Landis. You can download the two podcasts here: David Walsh (Part I), and David Walsh (Part II)

Hottie Of The week: Once again I am bringing this back just for Matt. This week I’m going to be a total schmuck, why? Simple, I can! I am going to go so far out on a limb for this weeks hottie, but I have a reason. My hottie this week came up in a conversation over the weekend. She is a fellow Italian (plus 500 points). Furthermore I feel she is what I would like to call a “Justified Hottie”. While she is not a part of the cycling world, her hotness allows me to make an executive decision and make her the hottie of the week. Also it’s my blog, so nyah! Without further adieu Giada De Laurentiis.

Bike Snob NYC: This post went up the day of my last roundup, and missed making that list. So here it is now, Worst Of NYC Craigslist Bike Ads 28-32. A great look at the steaming piles that wind up on Craigslist, and the outrageous amount of money people want for them. Also, have to throw kudos out to Bike Snob for getting an interview and pictorial in Bicycling Magazines December issue.

That about covers my week of distractions. Until tomorrow.

Cyclocross In Cleveland, Ohio Area

Welcome one and all to another edition of Cycling Phun. Because I am a schmuck and had to put a story about a man having sex with a bike yesterday, and the fact that I don’t want to let this go until tomorrow due to time constraints, and want to take tomorrow to do something cool for Halloween, I’m going to push the weekly roundup to tomorrow, and post this story today. (OK, deep breath… compose myself, aaand good.)

Today I am going to throw out a plug that I’m not getting paid for, but probably should be. The reason I am so gracious, you ask? Simple, and may I say I’m extremely glad you did. It’s not a straightforward answer, rather a few answers in one.
1) I really like these guys, they’re good people.
2) The shop is one of those local rider owned shops where the service is to die for.
3) I would love to see a great turnout for the aforementioned crew and reasons.
4) I hope to be able to call a favor down the road based on this, if or when they figure out who the heck keeps pushing the
race.
5) I have friends and acquaintances in the race.

With that said, Saturday November 10th, Spin Bike Shop will be hosting the Cross My Heart And Hope To Die Willoughby Cyclocross Spectacular at Todd Field in Downtown Willoughby, Ohio. For more information and to register go to the Team Spin site. Or simply check out the flyer below. Mention that you saw it here when you talk to them!

Must Have Been One Hot Bike

I’m going to push back the story I was going to post today until tomorrow to keep this fresh piece of juicy info hot! If I shared the first part of this story previously, I apologize, but it is somewhat important in the scheme of things.
My wife once gave me the option, gave me an ultimatum, call it what you will. I have my bike in my bedroom in my home. One day while I was gazing, yes I was gazing… far much more than just a glance or a stare, anyway I was gazing at my bike and my wife said “If you’d like, I can sleep on the couch so that you can sleep with your bike next to you.” After thinking about that for a minute, I came to the realization that she was being sarcastic. I also realized I should probably pay a little more attention to her than my bike. However I didn’t learn. I proceeded to start a conversation on how exactly one would have “sexual relations” with a bicycle. We got into far too long of a discussion, just starting a conversation about it can be categorized as “far too long”, about the subject and preceded to come up with some interesting ideas. This is neither the time, nor place for those to be shared.
The reason I bring this up; apparently the wife and I are not the only two people to ponder this. You see, recently a man was put on the “sex offenders’ register” in Scotland. I’m not going to get to deep in the story, but you can read about it for yourself. Man Who Had Sex With Bike In Court can be found in the Telegraph UK website. It’s a very interesting read. I won’t even ask why he was put on the register, since they came into his hostel room after opening a locked door with a master key, but whatever. The more important part of the story for today is that guy was trying to sex up his bike. I really don’t think I have to say anything more, do I?

It's That Time Of Year Again

So it begins, and I can tell how it is going to end as I have been here so many times before. I woke up to darkness, with the faint sound of rain on my window. Under the covers, but cold enough to shiver. It’s fall in the northeast, and you can probably guess what that means. Yes, snow is just around the corner. I’ve already come to the realization that any day I am able to get outside on the bike will be a blessing, and I have the trainer on order. This year I refuse to let the weather get the best of me. I’m not going to put fifteen pounds on again this year, I’m not going to let the amount of work I’ve done so far get away from me, and dare I say I’m going to put myself in a position to not only continue next year, but excel.
You may be asking why I put this out there. I don’t know. Maybe I’m trying to encourage others in the same boat, maybe I’m trying to encourage myself. Hell, maybe I’m just trying to put it out there so that I have something to be held accountable for. I have enough people in my life that will read this, and give me hell when they see me slip, and that’s a good thing. I feel a challenge coming on. I can’t explain what just yet, but I think this may be a good time to put forth a challenge. Are you going to go stagnant this winter, or are you going to do everything possible to come back from the long winter and be as good as or better than you were last year?
I’d be interested to hear what you have to say. If you think you are interested in having a friendly challenge let me know. If I get enough people who are interested, I’d love to have an online challenge. I’ll think about what I can throw together for a prize or something for the winner, and we’ll go to it. If you’re interested, leave a comment, and we’ll chat about it.

2008 Tour de France Details Announced

It was made official in an 11:30 BST news conference. The 95th Tour de France, starting July 5th and leaving from Brest, will not have the usual 5 – 10km prologue. This will be the first time in 41 years (last was the 1967 Tour) that they have skipped the prologue. Apparently one hope seems to be keeping time trailers from pulling the yellow. In Christian Prudhomme’s second full year lkeading the Tour, he seems to be dropping the hammer a bit, amidst the doping fiascos of past Tour’s. Prudhomme was also quoted as saying “No teams are guarteed being at the start line” and has alluded to being in favor of the UCI and WADA the introduction ‘biological passports’ of sorts. I can’t help but think that the blood testing in this years Tour is going to be a total wreck.
The Tour will begin in Brest and spend the first few days in France’s Brittany region. From there it will head counter-clockwise south for the first TT in Cholet for stage four. By stage six this year, the climbing will begin. A flat in eight, followed by ten and eleven climbs (with a rest day in between), and more flats in twelve, thirteen, and fourteen. Fifteen takes us into the iften overlooked high mountains of Digne-les-Bains in the southern French Alps and (this is where it gets good on account I’m Italian), up into the Italian Alps (WOO HOO!). Then another rest day, and onto sixteen and seventeen into the extremely high mountains. Eighteen will drop slightly followed by a stage nineteen time trial. Rounding out the race, twenty will be slight hills and finally the twentieth at the Champs-Élysées.
This year, says Prudehomme, twenty teams will be invited, and all of the riders will have to comply with the concept of blood passports (read as ‘biological passports). Also, they will drop the time bonuses at the end of the stages.

Below you can find a table of the race stages, and the cities:
Tour de France 2008
Stage 1 Saturday 5 July Brest to Plumelec 195km Flat
Stage 2 Sunday 6 July Auray to Saint-Brieuc 165km Flat
Stage 3 Monday 7 July Saint-Maloto Nantes 195km Flat
Stage 4 Tuesday 8 July Cholet to Cholet 29km I.T.T.
Stage 5 Wednesday 9 July Cholet to Châteauroux 230km Flat
Stage 6 Thursday 10 July Aigurande to Super-Besse Sancy 195km Hilly
Stage 7 Friday 11 July Brioude to Aurillac 158km Hilly
Stage 8 Saturday 12 July Figeac to Toulouse 174km Flat
Stage 9 Sunday 13 July Toulouse to Bagnères-de-Bigorre 222km Mtn.
Stage 10 Monday 14 July Pau to Hautacam 154km Mtn.
Rest Day Tuesday 15 July Pau - -
Stage 11 Wednesday 16 July Lannemezan to Foix 166km Hilly
Stage 12 Thursday 17 July Lavelanet to Narbonne 168km Flat
Stage 13 Friday 18 July Narbonne to Nîmes 182 km Flat
Stage 14 Saturday 19 July Nîmes to Digne-les-Bains 182km Flat
Stage 15 Sunday 20 July Digne-les-Bains to Prato Nevoso 216km Mtn.
Rest Day Monday 21 July Cueno - -
Stage 16 Tuesday 22 July Cuneo to Jausiers 157km Mtn.
Stage 17 Wednesday 23 July Embrun to L'Alpe-d'Huez 210km Mtn.
Stage 18 Thursday 24 July Bourg-d'Oisans to Saint-Étienne 197km Hilly
Stage 19 Friday 25 July Roanne to Montluçon 163km Flat
Stage 20 Saturday 26 July Cérilly to Saint-Amand-Montrond 53km I.T.T.
Stage 21 Sunday 27 July Étampes to Paris (Champs-Élysées) 143km Flat

Details
• Total Distance: 3500km
• 10 flat stages
• 5 mountain stages
• 4 medium mountain stages
• 2 Individual Time-trials
• No Team Time Trial
• 4 mountain-top finishes
• 2 rest days
• 82 kilometers of individual time-trials
• A total of 19 Category 1, Category 2 or 'hors categorie' climbs
Table and Details compiled from AP press release*

File Under: Woo Hoo

As a "WOP" I have to admit I got just a bit giddy when I saw this. What could it be? could it be The Tour de France returning to Italy? Woo hoo! Next year it is likely that the Tour will take a detour through Italy for the first time since 1999. According to reports, the summit of Pratonevoso in northwest Italy expected to be included as part of the 2008 Tour route.
Apparently the tour is also set to depart from Brest for only the third time in the Tours history, and the Tour will begin without a prologue for the first time in forty years.
We will find out for sure tomorrow in the official unvieling of the 95th Tour, in Paris. The event is likely to bring out such top riders as Alberto Contador, Cadel Evans, Oscar Pereiro, Thomas Voeckler and Mauricio Soler.
Until tomorrow.

Weekly Roundup October 23rd

I have to admit. I kind of like the idea of a weekly roundup. It gives me an opportunity to share some of what I've really been enjoying over the last week, as well as affording me the opportunity to get a post off without putting so much into it that it eats up my job time and gets me fired. I also like doing it on Tuesday... no real reason, just seems like a good time. So for this week, here goes:
Spin Bike Shop: November 10th, Spin will be hosting the Cross my Heart and Hope to Die Willoughby Cyclocross Spectacular at Todd Field in Downtown Willoughby, Ohio. For more information and to register go to the Team Spin site.
Fat Cyclist: Fatty has two really cool things going in the last week. The first is his Wednesday 10/17 post Stranger In A Strange Bike Shop. We've all been there, you go into a shop and know no one. They look at you like your an idiot, you try to get across just how much you actually know, and so starts the dance. Fatty has some advice on how to get around this.
Also, he brings us this weeks installment of Humor, on bikeradar. 8 Halloween Costumes For Cyclists is a look at how lazy we, as cyclists, tend to be about our Halloween costumes, and ways we can improve.
Niki Gudex: File under - swoon. This one is for Matt, who suggests everyone needs a "Babe Of The Day". I don't think Cycling Phun does, but if I did she would fit the bill just fine.
The Wah Report: Jared shares some info on the move to NC, and some photos of his new cross life in NC.
Mole Day: Finally a quick shout out to my fellow friends in the science field. Hppy Mole Day! That's right, a throw back to high school chemistry! Today is Mole Day, and they have their own website.
Well, that about sums up my week. I'd also like to point out that there is a severe lack of comments. Please feel free to leave any comments that you would like. I'd love to hear what everyone has to say. Bye for now.

Sadly, No Joy In Cleveland

It's close enough to midnight, and the Tribe is down 11-2 right now. I just received "the text" from a friend of mine (Matt) who is currently debating jumping the I480 bridge as we speak. For those of you who don't know what I speak of: The I480 bridge is actually called the Valley View Bridge. The Valley View Bridge is just that, a bridge over a very deep valley. 4150 feet long, and 212 feet high, you go off, you go splat. Back to my point. We're down nine runs in the top of the 9th, and in Matt's words "Thanks going out to the Indians pitching staff, who brought the gas cans to the ballpark in this historic loss." I want to take a moment to say a few things. Some of them will piss off Tribe fans, I don't care. Some you might agree with, good. Bottom line is that they are points that have to be made.
First off, Thank You Cleveland Indians! I know, we're not in the World Series. Ya know what? No one thought we would have made it this far. You gave us an amazing ride this year and I, for one, am proud as hell of you! On a happier note I will never forget seeing my first ever 5-4-3 triple play in person. I am truly proud to call myself an Indians fan.
Second, thanks Wedgie for being an awesome coach. For getting us this far with an amazing team of guys!
Finally (God it pains me to say this) congratulations to Boston. One of the big problems I think we have in Cleveland is we can't admit when we've just been outplayed. We were, Cleveland was up three games to one and we couldn't seal the deal. So congratulations to the Sox.
I would also like to take this opportunity to thank those of you in Boston who did not take me up on my "Open Letter Bet". I really didn't want to have to buy anything for anyone anyway. So thanks.
With all of this said, and while it hurts like hell to see them lose; the Tribe will always be my team, I will always be their fan, and I'm psyched as hell for the season they gave. Win or lose they poured their heart and soul into it, and it was great.
Thanks Indians... Next year.

Giving Away The Yellow

If ay of you have been away from virtually any news source lately, let me bring you up-to-date on what virtually every news source has been reporting this past week. Oscar Pereiro received the 2006 TDF Yellow Jersey this past Monday, in what could only be described (in my own words) as an idiotic spectacle. While we can debate whether or not the Jersey should be switching hands in the first place, the bigger question in my eyes is this; why do it now, especially with Landis still in the midst of an appeal? If they decide not to reject the appeal from Landis will the now stripped jersey be returned to him? Will Oscar lose the yellow jersey? Will anyone even give a (expletive deleted) anymore? This situation, other doping allegations, request for DNA, et al. has me asking if the Tour realizes tat they are making a horrible mockery of a great sport. Surely it is not helping the popularity of the sport, people are questioning everyone who rides 24-7. Furthermore, is it possible that cycling could ever truly recover from this? I guess it will remain to be seen.

Ode to Fatty: Get Rid Of Fitness

I wanted to take a moment to pay homage to an article that was written by Elden “Fatty” Nelson. The article that I wrote about Tuesday, How To Get Rid Of Unwanted Fitness, made me think of another story recently in the news. I thought it was a great tie in, and felt that it could help those eager to get rid of that pesky fitness.
Recently Hardee’s, the beacon of the organic health food market, introduced two brilliant menu items. The first: The Country Breakfast Burrito. Made with two omelets, five hashrounds, bacon, sausage, ham, shredded cheddar, covered in sausage gravy and wrapped in a flour tortilla. Weighing in at 920 calories, 500mg cholesterol and 1970mg of sodium, this salt bomb will keep those electrolytes up, way up. Feel free to skip the Gatorade.
OK, that was breakfast, now for lunch. Enter, The Monster Thick Burger. TWO third pound Beef Patties, three slices of American cheese, four strips of Bacon, and Mayo served on a Buttered Bun. Yeah, buttered. This bad boy hits the scales at 1410 calories, a mere 229mg cholesterol (hey, that’s less than half the cholesterol of breakfast), and a mind numbing 2740mg of sodium. I’d say you still have no need to look into salt replacement yet.
With a breakfast and lunch like that, who needs dinner? At 2330 the average person has eaten their entire caloric intake for the day (based on a 2000 calorie/day diet) and then some. Furthermore, why stop there? Surely you’ll add a large Crispy Curls Fry, and a large Hand Scooped Shake! On second thought, maybe you should scratch the shake and go for the large Diet Coke. Wouldn’t want to be a pig, right?
At this rate, you should have no problem losing your fitness.

Cleveland Indians 7-3 Over Boston Red Sox

Right now I have to be honest. I'm not saying a WORD after what Boston has done in the past. With that said, facts are friendly, and the Tribe is up three games to one in the series, game five at home Thursday night 7:00 EST. If the Indians take game five, they're off to the World Series. For those of you who missed it, one Indians fan actually got kicked out for throwing the Yukilis homerun back onto the field. One game separates us from the big one, Let's Go Tribe!

News Roundup: October 16th

Apologies for having a limited amount of time today, but I did want to touch on a few stories in the world of cycling:

This weekend brings us the Giro DiLombardia. You can catch it on Versus (formerly OLN) at 5:00 PM EST. Unfortunately, for him, Danilo Di Luca (Giro d'Italia winner) will not be there. He was banned from cycling for three months for ties to Italian doctor, Dr Carlo Santuccione. Dr Santuccione is believed to be the leader of a doping ring involving cyclists.

In somewhat related news, I was found not guilty of doping charges. The accusation arose due to a mentioned addiction to Muesli. I was connected to someone who goes by the name of "Sprocketboy", who provided a bad as heck Muesli recipe. Apparently the USADA had no idea that Muesli is actually composed of Oats, Yogurt, Apples and various other wholesome ingredients. Needless to say, the charges were immediately dropped.

Fat Cyclist Elden Nelson has put out his latest BikeRadar article. Click to read: How To Get Rid Of Unwanted Fitness.

Spin Bike Shop in Willoughby, Ohio (and Lakewood) will be hosting their "Cross My Heart And Hope To Die Willoughby Cyclocross Spectacular" (heh heh, I get it: "cross" my heart) on Saturday November 10th, at Todd Field in Downtown Willoughby, Ohio. More information on the event, and how to register can be found at the Team Spin website. Please tell them you heard about it at the Cycling Phun Blog.

And as always, please check out the cool blogs to the right, that are distracting me from earning a living. Yes, they're just that good.

ALCS Game Three: Cleveland 4 Boston 2

OK, now it is official! I can write my blog for the night. Before I start let me say the following; I am going to try to get a post done tomorrow, but due to work cannot make any promises. Just consider that fair warning. The only thing I can promise is an update to the Indians game tomorrow night. With that being said...
The Cleveland Indians have done it again! Final score Tribe 4 Boston Red Sux (er, Sox) 2. Once again the Tribe played a great game. The highlight for me might have been when Lofton sent one soaring for a two run homer. After rounding the bases and heading into the dugout, fans at their feet screaming seemingly without end, he came back out of the dugout only to have the crowd noise triple in volume. I have to say, it actually made the air on my arms stand up it was that cool. Not to mention the game was only about three and a half hours, first time in the playoffs I remember not having to stay up till all hours of the night.
This win puts the Indians up two games to one over Boston. Game four tomorrow, an off day, and then game five Thursday. Both games will be in Cleveland, and I still insist there will be no need for games six or seven which would be in Boston. I'm still banking on Tribe in five.

2006 Tour Jersey

Oscar Pereiro will receive his long awaited, and often disputed, TDF Yellow Jersey. While we can debate whether or not the Jersey should be switching hands, the Spaniard is slated to receive the Jersey as the official 2006 Tour winner around 6:00 PM Madrid time Monday. The ceremony will supposedly be officiated by tour director Christian Prudhomme, ASO president Patrice Clerc and Spanish sports minister Jaime Lissavetzky.

Pereiro was officially awarded the honor of 2006 Tour winner after Floyd Landis lost his doping case on September 20, 2007, you can read more about the ruling here. This is still currently being appealed by Landis. If they reject the appeal from Landis, he will remain the only winner in Tour history to have his title stripped due to a doping violation. Despite the fact that Landis has an ongoing appeal, officials have awarded Pereiro the title of 2006 Tour winner.

Tribe Embarrasses Sox 13-6!

Once again, I know and appreciate that baseball has nothing to do with cycling. However I do feel this post is once again justified. I'd like to start by saying: Yes, it is 1:37 AM EST, and no, there was NO way I was going to bed till this game was finished. Boy am I glad I didn't.
The Cleveland Indians won game two against the Boston Red Sox. The final score of the five hour fourteen minute game Indians-13 Red Sox-6. The Tribe blew the game open in the top of the eleventh inning, breaking a record for most points scored in extra innings in a playoff game with a whopping seven points. This ties the series at one a piece, with the Tribe coming home to Cleveland for the next three games. I said it before, and I'll say it again, Tribe in five!
Once again the Tribe is showing the reason they are in the series.

Random Rants Volume One

First off let me apologize for missing a post yesterday. I could explain why, but it would bore the living crap out of you. So I will post today in hopes that it will make amends for the wrong I have done. Along with some soap-boxing I would like to take a minute to update readers on some of my favorite daily distractions. With that said, to the rants:

Doping: Is anyone else out there just sick and tired of hearing about doping. Im beginning to think that, save the "locals", there isn't a person alive who isn't doping. Landis is appealing his ban, more recently Italian cyclist Giuseppe Muraglia got himself a two-year suspension, Rasmussen, T-Mobile team members, and on and on and on... The botching of tests, it's just out of hand already. To a point now where I don't know a person alive who has any idea what the answer is.

Baseball: I know it has nothing to do with cycling, but the playoffs are upon us. My team, the Cleveland Indians (The Tribe) are currently in the ALCS Playoffs vs the Red Sox. I had an open letter to my friends in Boston, and suppose I could entertain any bets from people living in Bahston who might see this blog. I'm taking The Tribe in the series. If you're interested, drop me a line or leave a comment.

The Wah Report: Id like to take a quick minute to say a very special congrats to Jared and Family, who recently moved to North Carolina and is expecting his first little one. Congratulations and best wishes to you and your family! You can check out his blog at The Wah Report

Fat Cyclist: What can I say, after reading this guys stuff for some time now, it's what made me get the half cocked idea to try my hand at this blogging thing. I never personally met the Fat Cyclist (Elden Nelson), but if you are a regular at his site, you know it's like one big happy (albeit slightly dysfunctional) family. His posts go from hilarious, to heart-wrenching and everywhere in-between. Lately his posts have been a bit on the serious side, but it's a side that is wonderfully touching at the same time. Check him out at Fat Cyclist, and his weekly posts at bikeradar.

First Vote Results: Finally, I just wanted to touch bas on how the first Cycling Phun vote turned out. I asked the readers "What Do You Ride?" The results we're as follows:
I like my road bike 14 (37%)
I prefer mountain bikes 10 (27%)
I ride both but mainly road 10 (27%)
I ride both but mainly mountain 7 (18%)
I ride a hybrid 2 (5%)
I ride a different style (BMX, Cruiser, Etc.) 3 (8%)
Bike, oh... I must be at the wrong blog 2 (5%)
For those of you who "we're at the wrong blog", thanks for visiting. You're always welcome here anytime. Grab a beer, just keep your feet off the table for God's sake! To my Roadies, woo hoo! I apologize to my fellow Cross Riders; I'm sorry, I messed the proverbial bed. Don't hate me, please. I just didn't think to add Cross specifically.

On that note, I think it's as good a time as any to say goodbye, that and since I actually feel bad for making you read this far for the anti-climactic end. I hope your weekend is wonderful and please, stop in again soon.

Ode to Diet Coke

I have to get this out of my system, it is a post based on a June 21st blog post on Random Reviewer: Review of Diet Coke. It got me to thinking about one of my first loves, Diet Coke®, but also made me feel like a bit of a punk. You see, I have a bit of a confession to make based on a very recent discovery. I have cheated; there, I said it. I have betrayed my sweet (but not too sweet) muse, Diet Coke.

Let me give you a bit of background on my love of Diet Coke. I’ve always liked it, well most of the Diet Coke family anyway. I’ve always thought it was the right mix of “Coke but not too sweet”, and not as “burn a hole in your stomach acidy” as Diet Pepsi. Sure, some of the flavors tasted like someone pissed in a batch, but everyone has a bad day (see: DC Vanilla, DC SPLENDA, DC Lemon, and what the hell was DC Plus! Vitamins… in cola? Really? Isn’t that like pink fuzzy dice on the rearview mirror of a Porsche Boxter? It just doesn’t belong. Also, Caffeine Free; Taste is fine but if I didn’t want caffeine free I’d simply skip the DC… and coffee, but that’s for another day. The aforementioned flavors are like trying your luck at a cycling race with a broken leg; you might be able to do it, but you're still a schmuck for trying.) Diet Coke was great. Diet Coke with Lime, do I need to explain why this was the perfect combination of flavor? The only way to make Diet with Lime better is a heaping helping of Jack; I digress. Final example, DC Cherry=Great, Vanilla=piss, Cherry & Vanilla=Divinity! Again, only thing to make it better is Jack (side note: I may need to re-think my alcohol intake, but not now). OK, onto my betrayal.

It started as a one-night stand. There she was, Diet Pepsi Max®, and on a very special “Newly Released Promotional Price!” Hey, I’ve go bills to pay, not to mention expensive hobbies to keep up with. I’ll let you sucker me in once to save some dough. That, my friends, is where I made my mistake. I can’t figure out exactly what the crack like addictive quality of Diet Pepsi Max is, but it is truly a new favorite for me. Is there room in the relationship, er, fridge for both? I just hope that I haven’t broken my true loves heart.

The News: MoreOn Floyd Edition

Well, if you are currently living in a box let me bring you up to speed. Floyd Landis was found guilty of doping. So starts the saga. Today Floyd announced that he will file a final appeal of the ruling and on the stripping of his Tour de France title, and awarding it to Oscar Pereiro instead. Long and short of it is... he is putting everything on the line in order to prove that the allegations against him are way off. Landis still insists that he won the Tour fair and square and without doping, going so far as to point out that doping is worse now than ever and that the current system needs a rebuild from the ground up. Let me just add my two sense and say the WADA & USADA just blow, and you may remember they botched the first test. Landis fought the two initial tests (the T/E and the Carbon Isotope) on the account they were both flawed.
Apparently Landis may also be in trouble on account he raced in an August 11th mountain-bike race (you can find a photo, and stories all around this "Fat Cyclist" post) that was a sanctioned event, so they may push back his original suspension which was supposed to start January of 2007.

The Deal With Fixies

I have one question that has been bugging me quite a bit lately. What’s the big deal with fixies? I mean seriously. It seems pretty crazy to me. I see the use in a velodrome, but what is the positive spin to put one on the street. I get the idea. The front are rear sprockets basically work out to a common gear, if you would be so kind as to let me be really generic about it. Say you’re using 48 in front and 16 in the rear (I’m using this based on a ratio I read about). You can compare it to a (what I’m running right now on my current road bike) 53-39 front and a 12-26 rear. I fully understand the principle of this; your cadence isn’t wicked fast but your not busting that which your chamois is set in place to protect just to pedal.

*This is where I side track for a minute… if you give this blog a chance for a while, you will learn I habitually sidetrack. I cannot say it’s ADD, since I’ve never gone for a diagnosis. Anyway why, also, is it that a good deal of the aforementioned fixie riders that I’ve seen don’t wear pants with chamois? Doesn’t that just hurt?

OK, back to the original question. Doesn’t it just suck when your riding hills. Do you just avoid hills like the plague? Seriously, you get a hill where you’re able to hit, like, 40 MPH on a downhill, your cadence should kill you, no? And I further understand that there is the theory to throw your feet in the air and let the hill run its course, but c’mon.

Now with all of this being said, I have to admit I also very intrigued by the idea of fixed gears. I’d actually love to get on one and try it out, but am deathly afraid, no, mortified, at the idea.

Indians Take The Series In Four

WOW! That's all that I can say... wow. The Indians beat the most over payed, over hyped team in MLB history. I've got a couple points to leave you with as to why I'm happy the Yankees lost:

1) They suck, if not for the Yankees being most expensive "bought team" in history... really, the team wasn't built it was bought.
2) Joe Torre is gone. According to George Steinbrenner His job was on the line, being the highest-paid manager in baseball, Steinbrenner was quoted as saying, "I don't think we'd take him back if we don't win this series."
3) Cleveland is that much closer to a very deserved World Series win. We've been building he team for years, now lets cash the check. Eric Wedge, one of the greatest coaches ever, mark my word.
4) I can (hopefully) make some money, or get some cool sh__ from my Boston friends. Consider this an open letter, I will be taking any bets you guys want to dish. Cleveland beer for Boston beer, hats, shirts, whatever.

I have nothing more to say than congratulations to the Tribe... make us proud guys!

Bikes vs. Bikes

I'm guessing it is going to break down as such...
40% of you are looking at the title and know exactly where this is going to go, 40% of you saw the title and the "?" just popped up above your head, and 20% don't give, and have just completely tuned out for the rest of this post. I urge all to keep reading.

I got into a “discussion” the other day with one of the people I work with, which of course means that in the end I was right. But I digress. At any rate, I made the comment that there is no way on Earth anyone could get me on a motorcycle for any reason. The point I was making isn’t that I feel motorcycles are unsafe, rather too many people drive like utter asses. As I delve deeper into making my point, I look to freeway traffic to help me out here. All was going fine, until he realized he held the trump card. So as I am ranting about how being on a five-hundred pound engine with wheels, doing upwards of 30 MPH when you’re going extremely slow, he pulls it; the trump card to the whole conversation. He points out that I have a problem being a large “hard to wreck if you’re paying attention” piece of machinery, while “(I) have no problem whatsoever being on a tiny twenty five pound or so (I corrected him, my bike is sub-twenty… didn’t help my argument) two wheel (and I) might as well be walking.” After my initial reaction, defending what I do in my free-time for recreation and health, it got me to thinking. I’ve ranted, in this blog actually, about how much I tend to hate cars, and how people have forgotten how to drive with bicycle traffic on the road. I’ve actually cut my road travel quite a bit, almost entirely really, and have replaced it with parkways and trails.

Then, this weekend I was out, we got stuck, in the car, in a line of traffic. Eventually they let us pass, but there was none of the usual. No broken tail lights, no fluids on the road, no parts strewn about. Then I saw it. One of the police cars, trunk open, a bike crammed into the trunk. When all was said and done, it left me questioning how safe we really are. It kind of gave me a new appreciation for what we do, and how dangerous it could be. It really made me want to move to a more secluded place, where there is far less traffic.

I do have two questions for everyone too, do any of you guys or gals also ride motorcycles? If so, do you feel safer, less safe, never thought about it? Just curious.

Tribe Wins, 2-1 Over Yankees In The Bottom Of The 11th

It's the bottom of the 11th, bases loaded, two outs, three balls two strikes...
...the pitch...
...hit to right field, Indians score, and go on to win the game 2-1. The Tribe now goes on to New York up two game to zero!
Congratulations to the Cleveland Indians, make us proud in New York!

Tribe Spanks The Yanks!

WOOOO HOOOO!!!!! That's all I have to say. I'm going to be the first to admit to you that this WILL BE the Friday 10/05 post for my blog. I feel bad just phoning it in, especially a day early, and after missing a post Wednesday, but I'm going to do it
1) Because I am actually pretty busy as heck this week
2) Because I'm busy I'm going to take the easy way out
3) I may just go binge drink tomorrow after work
4) MY TEAM WON!!!!!
That's right, the Cleveland Indians won a crazy 12-3 SPANKING of the New York Yankees. Furthermore, tomorrow at 5:00 PM is game 2, so even if I am not at work, I'll be misbehaving with wings and beer or something, somewhere. With that being said.
1) To all of the Yankee fans who've been talking sh.. the past few days, HA! Can't wait for tomorrow.
2) To Lebron "wearing my Yankees hat to the Tribe game in my home city like a schmuck" James, you are only a basketball player, you are spitting in the face of every fan of Cleveland sports that supports you, and you're pissing us off.
3) I don't really have a three, I just felt like there should be one so I could have...
4) New York, at least we don't have to BUY our team... we can train 'em!
OK, I'm done ranting now. OH, and just to tie this into cycling... Uh, OK, I got nothing. Ya know what; It doesn't matter... THE CLEVELAND INDIANS WON!

Freakin' Cars Redux

As a continuation to the “Freakin’ Cars” post from a week ago. I am curious about something; Morgan and I were speaking the other day about the cycling climate, if you will, in the area. There is a city near us, actually between Morgan and I, who was having an issue with the amount of cycling, skateboarding, rollerblading, and the like, traffic in the area. People were complaining on both sides, and it was getting pretty ugly. The solution, or so they thought, was to put bike lanes in, what seems to be, 95% of the city. Everyone was ecstatic, or so it would seem. The cyclist have their lanes, the cars have their lanes, now we can all live in peace and harmony, right? Not exactly. The best I could figure is; the cars are pissed off that cyclist have their own lanes, this results in cars cutting off cyclists, bottles being throw at cyclists, cigarettes being flicked at cyclist, laying on the horn to scare the crap out of us… I can go on and on, but we’ve all been there and you get the point. What I DON’T get is what the deal is? That’s to say; shouldn’t the motorists be happy that the bikes are in their own lane, out of the way of traffic? How is it they could still having animosity towards cyclists? Is there anyone out there who can answer this, because we’re baffled? Furthermore is there anyone who lives in an area where the same things go on?
P.S. Please allow me to apologize for the over-use of commas appearing in this post. I must admit, I have a huge, and sick, comma fetish, and, it is, at times, uncontrollable, I mean. Again, Sorry.

New tour to come to the US in 2008

For those of you who have not yet heard, a new Grand Tour event will come to the US in 2008. PorkoVelo Enterprises, LLC just recently announce the RATUSALOT tour in 2008. For more information on this amazing race, visit the "bikeradar" website for more information. You can also find more information on the "Fat Cyclist" website. Check it out!

Fat Cyclist : One For The Guys

Todays Fat Cyclist blog was pretty darn funny. In a blog post that Elden might as well have called "My sister is hot, oh and Colorado is pretty this time of year", Fatty delves into the "The Biker Babes" recent group ride in Colorado. I can't do it justice, so just read it at the aforementioned link.

2008 UCI Road Schedule

Pluck straight from the annals of bikeradar and UCI, the 2008 Road Schedule is out! This years Tour de France will start on Saturday 5 July 2008. Don't forget this year we will also get a chance to see road racing in the 2008 Summer Olympics. I will be working with a Vegas casino, yet to be named, to allow readers to bet on who will be the first to get accused of doping, who will be the first to get caught actually doping, and who will be the first to insist that even though it really looks like they were doping and the tests were positive they were not, in fact doping(breathe).
Please note: The last part was not true, yet. On second thought, I may run with that.

Major road races 2008

ProTour

January
22nd-27th: Tour Down Under (Aus)
March
9-16th: Paris-Nice (Fra) HC ∆
12th-18th: Tirreno-Adriatico (Ita) HC ∆
22nd: Milano-Sanremo (Ita) *∆
April
6th: Ronde van Vlaanderen (Bel)
7th-April 12th: Vuelta Ciclista al Pais Vasco (Spa)
9th: Gent-Wevelgem (Bel)
13th: Paris-Roubaix (Fra) *∆
20th: Amstel Gold Race (Ned)
23rd: La Flèche Wallonne (Bel) HC ∆
27th: Liège-Bastogne-Liège (Bel) *∆
29th-May 4th: Tour de Romandie (Swi)
May
10th-June 1st: Giro d'Italia (Ita) *∆
19th-25th: Volta a Catalunya (Spa)
June
8-15th: Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré (Fra)
14th-June 22nd: Tour de Suisse (Swi)
22nd: Team Time Trial (Ned)
July
5th-27th: Tour de France (Fra) *†
August
2nd: Clasica Ciclista San Sebastian (Spa)
9th: Olympic Games Time Trial (Chi) †
13th: Olympic Games Road Race (Chi) †
20th-27th: Eneco Tour (Bel, Ned, Lux)
25th: GP Ouest France-Plouay (Fra)
29th-September 6th: Deutschland Tour (Ger)
30th-September 21st: Vuelta a España (Spa) *∆
September
7th: Vattenfall Cyclassics (Ger)
15-21th: Tour de Pologne (Pol)
25th: World Championships Time Trial (Ita) †
28th: World Championships Road Race (Ita) †
October
5th: Finale (TBC)
12th: Paris-Tours (Fra) HC ∆
18th: Giro di Lombardia (Ita) *∆

* = New class at the top of the hierarchy
† = World Calendar
∆ = UCI Europe Tour