A day in the Appennines

Rode out of Castelnuovo de Garfagnana headed for the Passo di Radice, and found a shortcut!
Anything that cuts 27km down to 15 has to be good, right?
And it was, a nice steady bottom gear gradient all the way to 1200m where the climb turned into a series of steps and switchbacks at what felt like 20% or steeper.
This section I rode step at a time, gasping and dribbling.
And did I mention the wind? Yep, it was blowing hard, not that you would know it here in thriving Pievepelago where I stopped for lunch.
The afternoon turned into a bit of a slog, finishing up at Lizzano in Belvedere, where I found a 15 euro hotel room.

Overlooking the Mediteranean, briefly

Today's plan was to ride over the Passa de somethingorother (Vestita?) to Massa, and then back to Castelnuvo de Garfagnana.
Thats about 80km, probably 2000m climbing.

Rolled myself comfortably to the top of the pass, looked at the faraway Mediteranean and decided that nearly 2 hours of climbing was enough for today.
Nattered incomprendingly with 3 septugenarians in full pro kit, then turned for home stopping only to get a coffee from a Sofia Loren lookalike at Arni.
This turned out to be a good decision- by the time I got to the hotel, did essential abblutions & laundry, and took myself to the Casa di Sandwich & Beer, I had the shakes.
A sandwich 20cm in diameter did not touch the sides, and the pizza slice that followed didnt seem so big either. Methinks I will finish lunch with gelato, then take a nap, before resuming consumption mid-afternoon.

later...
Vege soup, fried polenta with cheese

Yesterday I learned that it is de rigeur to put olive oil in your vege soup, so I knew what to do with first course of the menu turistico in the local spaghettaria.
I have had polenta before, as a frighteningly yellow slop, but fried, it comes in domino shaped slabs, served with a couple of different cheeses.
Interesting, but probably not to be repeated.

At the table nearby, three Germans have a largish dog,which has not tried to get on the table once during their meal. I suspect it has been sedated.

I was dumb today- drank only half a bottle of water, and felt crap most of the afternoon. I need to recognise that climbing in the mountains I am sweating lots, even though I dont feel hot.

Fabian Cancellara cost me another slab of Tuis today. I have resolved to have no more such bets with Tim Woolford until Fabu goes for the Hour Record when we will wager more slabs of bad beer on the total distance.

Demon trouble

So, 2am today, I was awakened by my demons.
Usually they like to nag about my manifold employment-related failings, but today they had some concerns about this trip, such as;
1/ 'am I actually doing the rides I want to do, or am I just goofing around?';
and
2/ 'am I in a holding pattern pending the increasingly unlikely arrival of CTB?';
and
3/ 'will I go home in 2 weeks and be pissed off because I didnt go further, faster, higher, harder?'.
Eventually I packed the little bastards back to the black hole of my subconscious, and enjoyed a few hours sleep.

I was out of Toano before 9, plummeting to Villa Minozzo before clambering up to Ligonchio.
At Ligonchio the demons pointed out that by turning next left, instead of the intended right, I could ride over the 1500m Passa de Pradarena into Tuscany.
Obviously, this would mess with my carefully composed itinerary, but, what the hell, I'm on holiday.

The first couple of kms were steep enough to have me out of the saddle in the 34 x 28 and ready to take the demons to the nearest priest, but I persevered and eventually the gradient flattened out to permit comfortable seated climbing, still in the 28.
I was hoping for a sign marking the top, preferably with a Japanese tourist to operate my camera, but instead I found a restaurant staffed by two luminous beauties, where I had a bowl of soul fortified with some sort of grain, and a desert.

Despite putting on all my warm kit, the descent was cold until about 1200m where I rode into the warm mediteranean air.
The bottom of the descent is 15km from Castelnouvo di Garfagna (hereafter CdG), and since it was only 2pm I considered riding on to Massa, which was scheduled for tomorrow, though in the other direction.
So, cutting to the chase, on this side of the hill it was 28degrees at 3pm (and still at 5pm) so I found an hotel in CdG, did the usual showering and laundering, and am now rehydrating in a bar.

Toano day 2

I'm sitting outside the house in the shade, eating the remainder of the day's provisions ie a banana and half a pack of campagnole biscuits, while willing crucial wardrobe items to dry in the afternoon sun.

Today the sun was out, and after a slothful start I was on the road by about 9:30.
I rolled down the hill that I climbed yesterday a far as Quara, and turned there for Gova, Novellano, Civago, Madonna di Pietrivolta, Frassinoro, Rubiano, Cerredolo, then back up the easier eastern side to Toano.
With eating, picture taking, map reading, roadsign interpretation and lollygagging this approx 70km sub-epic took me about 5 hours.
Like yesterday, about 1700m climbing.
The weather was perfect- fine & sunny, but cool enough that I kept my kneewarmers on until Cerredolo.
Tonight I'm going to venture back over the hill for pizza. Last night's dinner of ham & cheese sandwiches was fun in a desert island sort of way, but to do it twice would be a lowering of standards, wvwn for me.

Tomorrows itinerary is an early start, heading from Toana through Sologno & Ligonchio to No.63, which goes to La Spezia. If I hear that CTB is on his way I will go there and get the train to Milan; otherwise Ill veer southwards towards Massa for more fun in the Appenines.

MORE PHOTOS FROM TOANO

A tale in three parts:

1/ train from Novi to Reggio Emilia.
Its raining.
Spend an hour at Reggio Station eating, getting changed and checking emails where there is free wifi

2/ get on the road, see a road sign for where you want to go, end up lost anyway.
Go back to Reggio and eventually go somewhere that is not even Plan B, but at least you know where you are.
It is flat, kinda windy and still raining.

3/ somewhere south of Ciano d'Enza it stops raining, and the climbing begins.
First up, a steady hour long climb to Castelnovo ne Monti, then after a 400m descent, a 700m grind to Toano, that makes Mountain Rd look ordinary.

Tonight and maybe tomorrow I'm the only inhabitant of an old farmhouse, converted to holiday home. Its a couple of km out of bustling downtown Toano, and totally silent.

An unscheduled return to Castellania

Finally got to see Casa Coppi today, in one of those rare incidents that restore my faith in humanity.

The abridged version: planned to do a few hours in the hills round Castellania.
Just out of Novi Ligure met a guy who spoke no English, who guidedme back to Castellania, where we hung out, visited the Casa which was actually open, then did a quick loop up a (maybe) 300m climb then back to Novi via the birthplace of Costante Girardengo, the original Italian Campionissimo. Because he lived to a ripe old age, he apparently doesn't get a bloody great monument.

Breakfast tomorrow will be at the stazione, before catching the 6:20 to Reggio Emilia. I have 2 alternate plans:
1/ ride about 50km to Toana, and stay at the ancestral farm-now-holiday house of my friend Ricki's in laws;
or
2/ head for La Spezia, and hope that I find somewhere to stay before it gets dark.

On arrival at La Spezia, if CTB is not imminent and I am not totally buggered & demoralised, I will go inland from Massa, and probably loop down towards Lucca.

Spaghetti carbonara and carpaccio in Fausto Coppi's home town

So, it stopped raining, and I got on the road.
Noodled out of Novi Ligure through a series of small towns and nebulous localities, say 'em all together and it sounds like an Italian race commentary.
(Yesterday at the Museo di Campionissimi I watched a vid of the 2002 Milan-San Remo. Out of the last corner its 'Cipollini...Cipollini...Cipollini...Cipollini Vince! ...CipolliniCipolliniCipollini', though my favourite is of Michele Dancelli winning in '70.
After 16 years of foreign winners, Dancelli cries unashamedly while the ever-pragmatic Ernesto Colnago jams a fresh Molteni cap on his head.

You know you're getting close to Castellania by the gradient, and I think it proper to attack it, rather than ride like the tourist I am, but today I was interrupted by the need to photograph some road graffiti, and then by a text from CTB, who was out on the town.

Despite arriving on the right day, I had not arrived at the correct hour for the Casa Coppi to be open, but fortunately the town was festooned with banner sized photos of Coppi on almost every vertical surface.
While looking at these I met an old geezer who took me in hand, showed me the secret stash of Coppi memorabilia and gave me a bundle of Fausto Coppi postcards.
With midday approaching I took myself to the top of the hill to kill a bit of time, then back to the local restaurant for a fabulous lunch.
By 2pm, with no sign of the Casa ever opening, I took myself back to Novi Ligure, to venture out in search of gelato and free wifi.

MORE PHOTOS FROM CASTELLANIA

Return to Coppi country

With my work obligations behind me, I caught the train from Milan to Tortona, then rode the the next 20kms down to Novi Ligure.
The plan is to stay for two or three days, fairly close to Milan in case CTB arrives, and get in some miles. I also want to see the Coppi house at Castellania, which was closed whan I visited in 2006.

Friday AM, I headed south through Gavi, turning left at Voltaggio and over a decent 800m climb to descend into Campo Ligure.
Rain clouds were billowing over the hills from the coast, so I thought better of my plan to lunch at the top of the Turchino, and headed back to Novi Ligure through Ovada.

Noodling around the lakes of Lombardy

With three days free betwixt bouts of work, I took myself on a ride around the lakes north of Milan.

Friday, I rode from Saronno to Luino on Lago di Maggiore, with an 800m vertical detour to a scenic dead end at Campo dei Fiori just out of Varese.


Saturday, I crossed the Swiss border at Monteggio, negotiated the streets of Lugano, crossing back into to Italy a few kms later.
Lunched at Menaggio on the western shore of Lake Como, then headed clockwise around the lake to Belluno.



Sunday AM I headed uphill from Belluno to Valsassina.
Had quiet roads for the first 90 minutes, but towards Lecco ran into the oncoming Milanese Sunday drivers
Made the mistake of following a roadsign for 'MILAN & LECCO' which plummeted me down a series of tunnels obviously not intended for bicycle. Inside, the echoes make it impossible to differentiate cars behind from oncoming, and you are buffeted by weird aircurrents.
Once through Lecco I did some kms on something that looked like a motorway, but, reassured by roadiebunches going in the other direction, stuck it out until a promising offramp presented.
Returned to Saronno via Como, where I stopped for a decent lunch of prosciuto e melone.


MORE PHOTOS

NZ Cyclocross Champs, August 29

MORE INFORMATION

Download the ENTRY FORM

So, what about that Holdsworth?

Readers with long memories may recall my plan to touch up the worst of the paint damage on my Holdsworth Professional frame and build it into a late 60s racing steed as it once was.
The more astute among you might well infer that my long silence on the subject says that all is not well.

After months of desultory action, I gave up on my efforts to touch up the paintwork, ordered a set of transfers from Lloyds and entrusted the job to the multi-talented Walter Thorburn.

A couple of weeks later, Walter called to tell me that beadblasting had exposed a crack underneath the bottom headlug. Being financially and emotionally invested in the project, I rejected the idea of chucking the frame in a skip, and set to replacing the downtube and headlug.

The first problem is that I needed a plain, long point headlug.

The Holdsworth's lugs look like a modified Prugnat Type S, which are probably fairly easy to find, but I decided it was better to make some progress while I was still in the mood.

I dug out a set of Prugnat lugs with triangular cutouts and a some bits of scrap tube, and brazed bits of steel tube scrap into the cutouts. After a morning of filing and sanding I had a passable lookalike of the original.

I quite probably have the correct Reynolds 531 downtube in my inventory, but chose to use Ishiwata 024, because it was closer to the top of the pile, just the right length, and a bit heavier, which seems appropriate on a frame that is earmarked for this year's edition of l'Eroica.
It's a few years since I have replaced a downtube, but to my eyes the end result doesn't look too bad at all.

While I had the frame back, I took the opportunity to cold set the rear dropouts to 126mm so that I can use a 7 speed freewheel. Usually my inner purist would frown at this, but I figure that I was already across the line in the sand when I decided to get the frame repainted, and anyway, a sub-athlete like me needs a wide range of gears for a life threatening outing like Eroica.

More Condor

In response to Oli's question in the comments on the last posting:

When the Condor frame arrived on Tuesday, I had collected most of the parts I thought I would need, and even built up a nifty pair of suitable tubular wheels.
Some of them have worked out, and some others caused me a bit of grief in the attempt to get the bike rideable for the SOLO bunch ride on Friday morning.

First up, the frame needed some love before any parts went on.
At some time the BB threads have been stripped, and rebuilt with bronze, so I ran the Campag taps through, and faced the shell.
The headtube had never been reamed, and is splayed from having oversized headset cups pressed in, so I reamed and faced with the Campag tool, skimming a couple of millimetres off the overall length to accomodate the still-low stack height of the Campagnolo Gran Sport headset.
The forkblades were bent to the right. I did a fair job of straightening them, using my Hague fork jig as a reference, but I may yet ask Oli Brooke-White to get them perfect on his world famous VAR fork straightening jig.

The drivetrain went through a few iterations.
The Campagnolo Record derailler that I wanted to use didn't have the capacity for the 52/42 rings and 14-26 freewheel, so I swapped it for a 1970 Nuovo Record, which turned out to be too worn to use.
Third time lucky, I degreased an '81 Nuovo Record as an interim solution.
Eventually, I'll get the drivetrain configured to work with the Record derailler.

The Campagnolo crankset, bottom bracket and pedals are all temporary.
I have a set of Campag 'con denti'* track pedals in need of a home, and a lead on a set of TA Professional* cranks.

Where I can, I use Suntour Ultra-6 freewheels on bikes with 120mm dropout spacing, but on the Condor the chain catches on the seatstay when shifting from the smallest sprocket. I dug up a nice looking Suntour Perfect 5 speed freewheel, but one of the sprockets was too worn, so I am using the largest 5 sprockets on an Ultra-6 14-24 until I can get an IRD 5 speed 13-24 from the House of Dogboy.

Most of my English bikes have centrepull brakes, so I was planning to use a pair of Universal Super 68 sidepulls, until I found a set of unused Universal Extra calipers lurking in a box of Trademe acquisitions. These are the 'period correct' Universal sidepull, so the 68s can wait for another project.
The gold Universal brakelevers are undeniably a taste crime, but I want to milk the last mileage out of their perished and tattered gum hoods before I swap them for a pair in plain aluminium.

Headset________________Campagnolo Gran Sport
Bottom bracket__________Campagnolo Record
Crankset_______________Campagnolo Nuovo Record 172.5mm
Chainrings ______________Ofmega 42/52
Brakes_________________Universal Extra sidepulls
Brake levers____________Universal
Shift levers_____________Campagnolo Record braze-on
Front derailler___________Campagnolo Record 1st Generation with cable stop
Rear derailler____________Campagnolo Nuovo Record PAT. 81
Hubs__________________Campagnolo Gran Sport 32/40
Freewheel______________Suntour Winner Ultra 6 14-24
Rims__________________Fiamme Red label tubular
Saddle_________________Brooks Professional, butchered
Seatpost_______________Campagnolo Nuovo Record 27.0mm
Stem__________________Cinelli Mod.1 steel 13cm
Handlebars_____________Cinelli Perfection 42cm

*John Barron photo

The Condor is landed

Words to follow
MORE PHOTOS HERE

Achtung!

Stu Hills latest blog is compulsory reading.

Wherein DB blows a trip to Buck House

Gordon Brown called earlier today.
As the man in charge of a major economy headed down the gurgler, you would think he had better things to do, but he said he was calling to thank me for singlehandedly boosting the British economy by the purchase of the 1959 Condor frame below.

Now, anyone who has ever read this blog will immediately realise that I was motivated by not even the slightest flicker of altruism but by a relapse of my chronic CBAD , induced by the curly-lugged fabulosity of this fine specimen of Bill Hurlow's work; however I didn't want to upset Gordo and so let him prattle on a bit.

After a couple of minutes of waffle, he cleared his thoat, hummed and harred a bit, then blurted out that I might like to contribute a similar kings ransom to the British Labour Party, and that in return, he'd fix me up with a knighthood.

I was gobsmacked, and let Gordo know it in no uncertain terms: " You miserable Scots Git, for the price the Condor, I'd expect a peerage"

Fortunately for my personal economy, a quick inventory of the shed reveals a suitable Classic Hits selection of components- 50's Campag Gran Sport wide flange hubs that Simon Kennett rustled up from a recycling centre; 1st generation Record front derailer from John Rhodes; and, just arrived from Wayne Davidson, a Record rear derailler.
If the cable stops under the top tube are not offset to the right, I will use Universal Mod 68 sidepulls, otherwise there's a nice set of Dia-Compes that will serve while I look for some Weinmann or GB sidepulls.

MORE PHOTOS HERE

Money/Mouth v1.2

Timmy: "Just as expected, Cancellara pastes the field in the final TT to win the GC. http://www.bikeradar.com/racing/racestage/report/stage-9-587

We like the 440ml man-cans of Tui DB, just so you know, :)"

DB:


"See attached.
Commit label to memory."

Julian Dean: "Whoever wins the opening time trial, which is likely to be Fabian Cancellara in his current form, will likely hold it until we get into Andorra.”

DB: "This is not about athletic form, but a contest of Timmy's starry eyed love for Fabu versus my natural dark cynicism."

Defy Evolution

The new blog of polymath about town Stu Hill will be worthy of your frequent and diligent attention.

Winter Solstice Ride 2009

You might think this looks like the cover of a Pogues bootleg, but in fact it is CTB dispensing whisky to the 14 true believers who made it up Maungakiekie at 6am on Saturday morning for the Winter Solstice Ride.

Fortified with the finest Scotch, CTB led us on a helterskelter tour of suburban roads, cycleways and footpaths of Auckland to Dispensary Bar, which turned us away, and thence to the welcoming Shakepeare Tavern.

After a couple of warming pints, we took ourselves to Headquarters at the Viaduct Basin for breakfast, followed by a laps of Tamaki Drive.

MORE PHOTOS

Money, Mouth v1.1

Tim Woolford is very sure that I will be buying him a box of beer after the Tour de France Prologue.

Money, Mouth #2

I feel compelled to report that Celebrity Economist Chris Tennent-Brown has wagered $500 with Andrew 'Walt' Walton, that he, CTB, will crush Walt on the 2009 edition of the Lake Taupo Cycle Challenge, and that he will do so riding his Ken Evans or some similar bike with a steel frame, friction shifting and no more than 7 speeds.


It is my understanding that this is, in fact, a vendetta thinly diguised as a bet, and that Walt could get himself off the hook simply by buying the Colnago master frame currently languishing at CYCO.

Money, Mouth #1

From: David Benson
Sent: Friday, 22 May 2009 9:02 a.m.
To: timwoolford
Cc: James Lewis
Subject: RE:

Dude, you're on.


From: timwoolford
Sent: Friday, 22 May 2009 9:01 a.m.
To: David Benson
Cc: James Lewis
Subject: RE:

Box of beers says he buries EVERYONE at the TDF prologue in Monaco!

Tim Woolford _____________________________________________________

From David Benson
22 May 2009 08:41
To "James Lewis" , Tim WOOLFORD cc

Subject RE:
Our Ref
Spartacus (Cancellara) is a pussy
http://www.velonews.com/article/92244/cancellara-says-thursday-s-giro-tt-is-crazy

Swapmeet, Avanti Plus Waipuna, 16th May

Doppelganger

I had entered to ride The Dual on last Saturday, but full of apathy,I deputised the redoubtable Jimmy to impersonate me.
This was a stroke of genius on my part, as I did not feel the slightest pang of discomfort when Jimmy underwent a veritable calvary of by cramp 10kms from the finish.

Not to be totally indolent, I got out on the fixie both days of the weekend.
Saturday I headed into Auckland, catching Carl Dickinson on his immaculate 80s Pinarello in St Heliers, then tagging along with Bob Tuxford and Calvin Bartley from Herne Bay to Mt Eden.
Sunday morning, I headed South expecting a less sociable ride, but found Murray Grace, looking dangerously fit, a couple of clicks from Kingseat.

Winterised

Front mounting bracket
Originally uploaded by bensondoc

When I got my Breakaway fixie frame, I chickened out on brazing on some mudguard fittings, with the excuse that mudguards on a bike with track dropouts would be a pain in the ass.
After a winter of riding with wet ass, I wish I'd made the effort.
Fortunately the humble ziptie makes a fine substitute for a mudguard eyelet, but the lack of a chainstay bridge called for some ingenuity. Inspired by the nifty seat tube widget that comes with the Berthoud Carbon mudguards,I adapted a Blackburn taillight bracket to secure the front part of the rear guard.

MORE MUDGUARD MOUNTING PHOTOS

Best in Show

mar2009 463
Originally uploaded by sal_bass

Although it didn't win any awards at NAHBS, this unpainted fillet brazed Kirk gets my vote.

NAHBS 2009

As a penance for not blogging for a month, I humbly offer a compendium of photo galleries from the '09 North American Handmade Bicycle Show:

Update- some of the links didn't work as originally published. Fixed now.

http://nahbshow.blogspot.com/
http://picasaweb.google.com/nahbshow/
http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?t=495730
http://www.flickr.com/photos/72276612@N00/sets/72157614447629887/
http://picasaweb.google.com/axiomseven/NAHBS2009Indianapolis#
http://flickr.com/photos/84383377@N00/sets/72157594551219816/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/35826940@N02/
Sean Easley's Flickr set
http://www.flickr.com/photos/35824735@N05/
http://s159.photobucket.com/albums/t137/RiverKnife/NAHBS%202009/?albumview=grid
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kurtsj00/sets/72157614498379909

2009- the score so far

With only two months of the year passed, I have already destroyed more than my share of kit:

1/ In an incident of which I cannot tell, one Giro Pneumo helmet.
It is some consolation that my head took all the impact, leaving unscathed a brand new pair of Bicycle Fixation knickers; and that the Ionos that replaced the Pneumo is a much better fit.

2/ Daydreaming while descending Rotorua's Billy T trail , I bent my GT Peace 9r forks against a tree.

3/ One pair Rapha Grand Tour gloves torn in an otherwise unremarkable topple on a gravel road. A replacement pair is not in my budget, so I have ordered a pair of Knog Stranglers.

Tempting...

2610_3
Originally uploaded by bensondoc

but a couple of centimetres too small, this 1976 Tom Ritchey road bike seriously caught my attention when I spotted it on ebay last week.
Despite going through the same process a few times before, I spent a while proving that there is no way I can set up a traditional 57cm road bike to fit me. Maybe if I was 20 years younger...

ebay auction #140297305713
The same photos on flickr

Honjo mudguards, part 1

An unscheduled day off work allowed the time to fit some Honjo hammered aluminium mudguards to Donna's Bob Jackson fixie.
Even with frequent reference to instructions in Bicycle Quarterly and on the Jitensha Studio website the job took a couple of hours, and I'm not done yet.
Both the fork crown eyebolt and the bracket of the rear sliding bridge are too short and the guards sit a little high for my taste, so some custom widgets will be needed before I can call this job finished.

Not the January Retro Ride

Mark Battley's Frejus Super Corsa
Originally uploaded by bensondoc

Weather is not a deterrent for some people, and so, despite Biblical rain showers, 4 people turned up yesterday for the first Retro Ride of 09.

Mark Battley brought his rebuilt Frejus Super Corsa, which he bought from me a while back.

Once we were ensconced in the loungeroom it was hard to get going, so Mark, Peat Alexander and I decided to go to the shed and remove a few non-original braze-ons from Battleys 1968 Colnago frame, leaving CTB and Richard Oddy to battle the elements.

Stuff for sale

In a feeble attempt to simplify my life and make some space, I have a few vintage jerseys, some NJS goodness and a few other widgets listed on Trademe.
Check 'em out HERE

Modern technology disappoints, yet again

PC010414
Originally uploaded by bensondoc

Years ago, I renounced cycle computers, heart rate monitors and other digitalia as bearers of bad news.
Without them, you never have to know that you are slow, in the wrong heart rate zone, or down on power.

So why, when my prehistoric mechanical scales gave such satisfactory readings, did I decide to buy a digital scale?
Whereas in my older and happier analogue world my Ritchey Breakaway was a 19lb featherweight, in the cold light of digital day it weighs 9.54kg, a mere gnats whisker under 21lbs.

It is time to confess that all my earlier bragging was untrue, and that Oli's Hillbrick is the lighter by a sizeable margin.
Some uncharitable readers may opine that we should consider the combined weight of bike and rider, however it is style not weight that counts, but having seen Oli carving through the streets of Wellington on his Bianchi I know when I'm beaten.

Ergopower reach adjustment

Ergopower reach adjustment
Originally uploaded by bensondoc

Until the new '09 model, Campagnolo Ergopower levers had too much reach for small hands.

Here, I put a dab of auto body filler, aka 'bog', in the lever stop notch to move the brake lever about a centimetre closer to the bars.

Mayhem Sessions Revisited

Keeping up appearances

Other projects and obligations have kept the Holdsworth Professional on the backburner lately, but in anticipation of it's eventual completion, I have bought the matching cap.

Warwick Dalton- The Lone Eagle

The Kennett Brothers new biography of Kiwi cycling legend Warwick Dalton will be launched 7pm next Tuesday at Avanti Plus, 25 Levene Place, Mt Wellington.

Click on the image for large size

Post K2 suffering

Today I am neck deep, and sinking, in the black hole of lethargy. Perky on Sunday, fairly jaunty Monday, flat yesterday.
Slept like a baby last night, and woke entirely unrefreshed.
I should be grateful, given that I finished K2 on Saturday unscathed, but it never ceases to surprise me how long it takes for fatigue to really set in.

Unlike my two attempts at K1 when I finished a gibbering mess, this ride went pretty well, thanks to the patience of Gaz & Kate who stuck to our simple, if subversive, plan to ride together and stop for lunch in Coromandel.
After struggling with the headwind between Kuaotuna and the Whangapoua hillclimb, we had a tailwind from Coromandel from Thames that provided some respite before we hit the final Kopu-Hikuai climb.

Tonsorial finetuning

This morning I shaved off my moustache, not in search of some aerodynamic margin, but because after 150kms of suffering this Saturday such a rampant walrus will contain a disgusting amalgam of snot, sweat and bugs.

Little else of my recent action has been so purposeful.
I wanted to do a long ride in the middle of last week, at the speed of a postman as Raphael Geminiani would say, but tiredness and bad worktime management put paid to that plan, so I contented myself with taking Friday off for an extra long weekend, which was dominated by further sloth:

Friday- didn't go to work. Rode into the city via Pt England, then retired to the shed.

Saturday- chores in the morning.
Nap in the afternoon.
Go to proposed fixie riding/beer drinking function on the bus.

Sunday- ride fixie in the rain with CTB.
Had Il Forno been open, we may have been content with doughnuts, but instead we ended up at the pub.

Monday- rise late.
Procrastinate until PM commitments have reduced possible ride time to about 2 hours.
Ride through the faux-Angeleno canyon subdivision atop Redoubt Rd, showing disapproval for the car dependent lifestyle by singing Neil Young's Revolution Blues on the way down the hill.

Crash Diet

PA190365a
Originally uploaded by bensondoc

When the pressure is on, everyone becomes a weight weenie, and after the savage pasting I got in the Waitakeres yesterday, I'm pleased that I have wisely invested in a pair of fancy wheels to assist me at K2.
Lacking the power to get any advantage from aero wheels, I opted for low weight and minimal rolling resistance.
I horsetraded a set of Campag Record 28 hole hubs from Wellington's Capital Cycles, and loaded my credit card with a pair of IRD Cadence rims. Spokes are Wheelsmith- 1.8mm doublebutted on the front & lefthand rear, 2.0 double butted at the driveside.
With Gran Bois Cerf 700 x 28 tyres, the wheels are 620g lighter than my everyday 36 spoke Mavic MA3/Campag Veloce/Gatorskin 28 wheelset, and reduce the weight of my Breakaway to sub-20lb.
Despite the possibility that my scales may be a few decades past their best, I choose to believe that the Ritchey, with a Brooks saddle and no carbon, is no heavier than Oli's 8.76kg/19.31lb Hillbrick.

From Sunday's Retro Ride

PA120324
Originally uploaded by bensondoc

Frosty was in fine form, never got out of the 53 and kept up a constant stream of good natured banter, even when the Type-A carbon bike guys went to the front.
Furthermore, he brought more biscuits than we could eat.

More photos HERE

It is said that the young Tino Tabak pretended to be Anquetil, and back in the 80s I had a workmate who wanted be Sean Kelly.
I don't recall ever wanting to be so specifically someone else, but on the rare occasions I find myself striving in the drops for a semblance of speed, I'm reminded of this photo from the 1991 Bridgestone USA catalog.

I will never match Pineapple Bob's form and athleticism, but this catalog tipped me down the slippery slope on which I still slide.
It introduced me to 'Q factor', the beauty of wool jerseys, and to this quote, from mountaineer Doug Robinson, which still informs my semi-Luddite attitude to new technology:

"Technology is imposed on the land, but technique means conforming to the landscape. One forces a passage, while the other discovers it. The goal of developing technique is to conform to the most improbable landscape by means of the greatest degree of skill and boldness supported by the least equipment."

a break from our usual programming..

sometime nothing uplifts the spirit better than a good goddamned racket like this.
'Turn it up!' as Van Morrison used to say:

Jetset dilemna

This weekend, I wanted to be at Eroica in Tuscany, until I heard about Hardly Strictly Bluegrass in San Francisco.
Instead, I cranked out 110kms on Saturday, and spent yesterday in the shed, futzing with various projects, most notably Gayle's new Fixie Inc Peacemaker.

Zeus 2000 Centrepulls

somecmavicetc038_edited
Originally uploaded by curmudgeon1957

To my mind, the second finest centrepull brake in history.

Though completely surplus to my requirements, I may have to build a bike to justify having bought them.

Trademe mishap

PA020284
Originally uploaded by bensondoc

Darryl Parker was just fooling around on Trademe and accidentally bought this early 90s Colnago Master.
It's had a pretty hard life, with a welded-up righthand rear dropout, and mismatched Ergopowers, but its also got some zoot period kit, like the Cinelli Grammo titanium stem and Royce bottom bracket.

The titanium USE seatpost, though a period correct blingpiece, is an unforgiveable taste crime, so if you have something more suitable, like C-Record or Chorus aero post, please get in touch.