Man, this weekend is a busy weekend for bike racing and viewing. Let’s start off with the viewing.
Tomorrow is the start of the spring classics, with the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad tomorrow morning. This is the race were Tom Boonen and two of his Etixx–Quick-Step team mates were schooled by one Ian Stannard last year. That has to be one of the most embarrassing moments of Boonen’s career. Video below.
If that isn’t enough, then you can watch Evelyn Stevens attempt the hour record tomorrow morning at Colorado Springs. Both VeloNews and Ella CyclingTips are streaming the event live. I think she is hoping to do around 48 kms, which would be a pretty unbelievable distance.
I was thinking about going to Texas to race, but got behind in life and decided to stay here and race locally. There is a local point race training criterium in Lawrence on Saturday. It is nice because it is 25 miles there each way, so I’ll end up with close to 80 miles for the day, with 5 or 6 sprints. It is supposed to be nearly 70 here, so that means really windy, of course.
Sunday there is the kickoff road race of the region with Froze Toes in Colombia Missouri. This race has been going on forever and is really great. I raced it last year, finishing 2nd. I hope to go there again this year if I feel alright on Sunday.
These will be Tucker’s first bike races. He has about 500 or so more to catch up with Bromont’s record. Better to start young.
I’ve been repairing some old window sashes and once I start a big project, I kind of get caught up in it. But this project would be huge to complete, so I’m slowly chipping away at it. Breathing 100 year old paint and wood dust isn’t the best thing for my lungs, so I’m trying to consciously wear a mask at all time. That is easier said than done.
Bill and I rode 30 miles yesterday at 35 degrees. I underdressed, which just wasted me that much more. It is so weird how cold 35 feels when you’ve been riding at 50 and how warm it feels when you’ve been riding at 20. I still don’t understand how a human body adapts to cold or heat.
Today it is supposed to be nearly 60, then in the upper 60’s, approaching 70 the next three days.
I glued on a tire last night on my rear race wheel. Talk about having trouble. Try to stretch a tire on with 2 1/2 broken fingers. Especially since 1 1/2 of those are thumbs.(yes, I know, thumbs aren’t fingers). Thumbless tire mounting would be a trick.
I’m going to work on Catherine’s bike some, but have to go get it from her garage. Pick up and delivery bike repair. That is what my friend Trent Newcomer is doing out in Fort Collins/Boulder. Check out his deal.
Okay, I’m just babbling. I should probably accomplish something.
Evelyn is staying with Davis and Connie Phinney, which should help here a ton. Catch the live streaming video tomorrow at noon MST, at Velonews.
A little primitive, but it works alright.
Tucker starting to sort of point.
With your messed up fingers, might be a good time to try some of the new tubeless tires. W Dura Ace C24 wheels, the road feel is tremendous–very close to a tubular…
This was the first race that came to my mind when the whole ‘mechanical doping’ thing came up. It just seems unreal. After I watched it closely though, I don’t think there was any mechanical doping, just really amazing riding (maybe too amazing though). Looking forward to watching it tomorrow!
Der – I’ve got a couple sets of C24’s and C35’s. I prefer racing sewups to any tire I’ve ridden tubeless.
Admittedly, I am a bit sensitive to this. Can we find a different name for the use of motors, which is cheating, but not doping? If you cut the course, is it “Course Doping”? If you get a lift in a car….yes that was last season…. is it “Ride Doping”, or maybe “Passenger Doping”. If you cut the UCI the weight limit, is that “Mass doping”?
Steve, what’s the plan with the windows? It seems like a good time to consider a modern window system.
No, I’m not a window salesperson.
curious to know how your windows are going,… I have windows that date back to 1940 and I don’t want to change them. I want to keep the house authentic looking as its a war time house… keep posting some stuff on your windows and upgrades if you may, interested in that stuff.
good on hearing about the racing stuff as well, you folks are lucky to have so many races… we only have races up here 6 months of the year due to the harsh winters (-20oC up north)
Yeah… that Stannard thing was epic. Epic!
All I could think last year when that happened was that their coms were down. I mean, they practically gave Stanard a free ride and then proceeded to to attack as if they were on separate teams(I mean the quick step riders). It was so weird. Play some Benny Hill music or some Keystone music over it and it would have been appropriate. Steve talks about the “experienced/smart” riders of yester-year that may be gone because of radio’d riders….I thought this was a possible good example of this. That, or the race director for quickstep was doing bong hits in the support car.
Mounting a new tire with 2.5 broken fingers shouldn’t be a problem. Try doing it with a grade 3 AC-joint separation .
82- Done it was a grade 4 separation. I’ll argue that 2 thumbs are more useful than a shoulder in this process.