Life as a dog!

Did anybody see the ‘Far Side’ cartoon where a dog is in the courtroom (as the accused) and EVERYONE else is a cat? We as cyclists are the lonely dog in a courtroom full of cats! Don’t expect these ‘products’ of the motor-industrial complex to treat us fairly. And I mean ‘products’ in the worst possible way; brainwashed sedentary slaves to car culture killing the planet and killing uncounted people in their efforts to 'secure’ oil production. The murder is not just on our streets, it is global! Answer; ride a bike, live close to your job, and stop the motor madness!

I'm keeping the SS! No derailleur needed!

Yes, dirt skiing season is here and I rode my fav MB loop, the Foresthill Divide trail. I did not put my foot down! Always reassuring when you realize, even after a long absence, ya still got it!! (or some of it anyway) The hard parts are still hard, but at least I don't have to go out and buy a derailleur. I don't like to face it, but I turned sixty this year. Yech. So what do I do differently? I warm up longer. Lots longer.
My descending skills (I never had much anyway) are non-existent, but I can still grind out a climb. And I look around more.... The foothills are just as gorgeous as ever, the golden fall leaves among the evergreen Valley Oaks, the luminescent green of the winter grass against the the sky..aaah, the sky-a deep shade of blue never seen in summer. God bless winter in California! I'll pray for some rain- or the moon dust will return. I may not have the $$$$ to be at the Gent 6 day races, but I'm a lucky guy anyway!

Tacky thoughts about moon dust.

Nothing says harvest time here in NORCAL more than a heaping helping of moist dirt. The road bike can take a rest. The dirt skiing season has begun! The moon dust of summer is gone, replaced with soil so voluptuously tacky my bike can do no wrong. The Blue Collar is on rails! In the 80's we had the "Anonymous Bike Club'. At that time few group MTB rides existed. The idea was to avoid the usual bike club hassles by having an anti-club. A flyer was distributed giving the time and start location. That's it! We had a blast! Hundreds of memorable bike rides ensued, and we still threaten to resurrect the "ABC" flyer. Keep the rubber side down people!

On the fast track

I rode a fixed gear on the street in the late 70's, just for training. We knew riding a fixed gear on the 'rollers' (the rolling hills near where I lived) was a 'fast track' to leg strength. I believe the current single/fixed gear fascination was instigated by the daunting complexity of modern bikes. From suspension bikes to road bike drivetrains, riders are saying "enough is too much!" and ditching their bouncy bikes for singlespeed 29ers, also ditching the 9/10/11 (where does it stop?) derailleur madness for a little simplicity. Who hasn't heard "your shifter (or cassette or chain or suspension??) is obsolete! You see, all these components work together, and you now need to replace your whole drive train", which naturally costs more than the bike is worth. So now that shimcampysram has changed the drive train (again) you 'need' a whole new bike!!
Oh yeah? So we all rebelled and started thinking outside the 5/6/7/8/9/10/11 box! My next question- how can megacorp's marketing geniuses make our singles and fixies obsolete? Stay tuned, I bet they've already started!

Thank you Lance!!

You gotta love a 37 year old who has the guts to go against all the young guns.
Who doesn't love Lance's art bikes?









If you're in Paris see his exhibition.
Reminds me of the "Super" Mario (Cipollini) outfits.


















Adds a little zest to the serious business of bike racing.
I feel fortunate to live in the "Age of Lance". He jump-started a stale cycling scene, and all of us who love bikes benefited. The bicycle industry, the racing scene, the bike trail down the street from your house, EVERY aspect of our sport owes a debt to Lance.
So-
Thank you Lance!

Contador wins- Americans are sore losers!!!

We can't even watch the national anthem of Spain or watch the awards given to Contador on Versus- because Americans are sore losers and will only broadcast the US anthem when Lance wins. They cut to a Lance interview during the awards. Pussies!!!!
Alberto has done what Armstrong will never do- he has won all 3 grand tours!
Now go home Armstrong, with your tail between your legs and cry about how poorly you were treated!
At least SOME Americans have class, for example Tyler Farrar.....
Go Tyler! And best of luck next year!