I guess that didn't work out, and I'll just keep my mouth shut now.

Way to go Dre...



On to better news. Family went to a BBQ today. My cycling buddy's family was also there.

*lightbulb*

Yup. We took off with the bikes a bit early and got a beautiful 30 miler in before dark.

Seriously, Dre. Quit cursing the riders!

I'm psyched to see so many exchanges of the maillot jaune this year. Hopefully that'll stay true for a bit. Levi is being very quiet. Expect big things. Levi really hasn't shown his hand yet either. George is looking unusually thin, and I hope to see something special from all of them in the mountains. I still think there's a sleeper out there.


On a totally unrelated note, my neighbor is mowing....RIGHT NOW. yes, its 11:16pm, and he's mowing.

Anyway, no riding again for me. My back is out, and I'm happy I can walk half the time. Its hell getting old.

I rode 25 mi. or so yesterday, at around 1pm...

<BILOXI BLUES>

It was HOT. It was AFRICA HOT. Tarzan couldn't take that sh*t.

</BILOXI BLUES>

Fun, though.

Holy cow there are a lot of wrecks in this thing. Nasty ones too, by the looks of 'em. Cracked vertebrae and such... and the boys still ride on. Hell, they could almost be hockey players.*

For myself, I rode a whopping 15 miles today before the skies opened up and the lightning started. Pooh.





*if, that is, they weighed more than 13 lbs.

Ok all... I'm now this |-------| close to getting my new machine. Rode three or four models today (liked them all). They did not have the model I was most impressed with (for price/components) near my size for a test run, so the owner (who happens to be my size) said he'd bring his in tomorrow for me to ride. If all goes well, I'll be ordering my brand spanking new....

*drum roll*

2006 Lemond Tourmalet (with 105 components except the rear which is ultegra)

*does happy dance*

You mean.... this?

(and congrats!! enjoy!!!)

Thanks Troy. Actually, it's exactly like that only silver (or something close to that). The red one is the 2007 model. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

Good! Double chainrings look much faster than triples.

Looks like a pretty sweet ride! (mumble mumble...too bad I dislike Greg so much)

I still wonder when the first Armstrong will hit the market. Its inevitable, right?

Crashes, T? Yeah, its sad. Crashes happen, but these have been pretty severe, eh?

Back's still out. Still no riding down here.

Thanks for the comments all. The deal is done. Laid out the downstroke this afternoon. Should be delivered and set up by the bike shop by Wednesday. Don't expect to see me around much after that...

Awesome! You're gonna love it!


Zzzzzzzzzzziiiiiiiiiipppppppppppppppppppp!!!!!!!!!!

So Troy, are we riding Saturday?

I'm still too depressed to watch more than the very end of each stage. Normally I would be sitting there watching the whole thing and finding exactly where they are with my giant Michelin atlas of France. Maybe it's good that I'm not that into it this year, so I can do more productive things like read and ride, which I did tonight for 2 hours and a quarter. The drivetrain is making noise; I never put enough oil on after I clean it. I think the chain is even a little rusty.

We're talking about doing the Ultimate ride from Pineville tomorrow morning at 8 am.... weather should be great. PM me with your cell # so I can let you know... but I suspect we're in. We'll probably ride from my place and back as well, 12 miles each way. The 27 miles on the group part can be zippy sometimes, sometimes not, and it usually splits into groups anyway (or have you done this one before? I think maybe you have...).

Conversely, we've also talked about going up to Mooresville (North Charlotte-like) to do an organized 60-miler, but I'm thinkin' probably not. You heard about that one? The Lowe's YMCA?

UPDATE: We're doing the Bike South ride.... I think it's 30 miles or so, and there's a 42 mile option... I hear it averaged around 19 mph last week. We may get dropped if it's faster than that normally (rumor has it that it is), but I know my way around Charlotte, so no worries. It leaves from Bike South (the store) in Pineville... go 77N to 485, then take 485 towards Pineville. Take the Pineville exit (the 2nd one) to get on Highway 51 North. It'll take you back under the Interstate. Go less than a mile or so through 2 lights, then do a U-turn as soon as you can. Once you're headed back south on highway 51, there's a little sidestreet just after the McDonalds. Turn in (it's a right turn now), and you'll see the bike shop there. Big Schwinn sign. Look for people in tight shorts.

Or, on the notion that my directions might SUCK, just MapQuest it:

Bicycles South
8914 Pineville Matthews Rd
Charlotte, NC 28226-4710
(704) 542-6379

Let me know! PM me if you're in, or call my cell.

Troy

Bobby Julich crashed and is out of the Tour. That totally sucks, the CSC team stands zero chance without him and Basso.

On the other hand, good ride today (sorry Dre ). 31 fairly hilly miles, averaged 18.5. It was a workout, especially over the first 20. Phew!

But I'm riding better now, and know why? Spiffy new red tape on the handlebars.

Looks good, Troy. One of the reasons I was looking forward to riding was to see your reaction when I pull up on your bike. They really look similar, though mine has black handlebar tape (and it is lot lower quality frame, but with almost identical paint).

CSC really has had it rough. Maybe Carlos Sastre can pull something out, or Frank Schleck. The time trial results were very strange. What happened to Levi? This really is about the most unpredictable Tour I have ever seen. Whoever wins it will pretty much have come from nowhere, except for maybe Floyd Landis, or if Iban Mayo can do well. I did not see him near the top today, though.

Levi didn't look good at all. Very odd. It reminded me of a couple years ago when Lance dehydrated and lost 15lbs on the time trial. I hope it wasn't that extreme for Levi. Lance is lucky he didn't die that day. Hopefullly he can recover a good bit and come back in the mountains.

Don't forget, gentlemen, the GC will go all topsy tervy again in the mountains.

Let's face it, the weirdest overall stat in this race so far is that Al Trautwig is predicting correctly and winning the announcer's yellow!

best viewing day thus far in the tour today (IMHO). Lots of fun.

oh, and in case anyone lost count... 3 more days until I pick up my Tourmalet...

tick...tick....tick....tick....tourmelat...

I sooooo just love watching le Tour on days like this. Suuuuuuuweeeeeeeet!

Really!? I saw the result and thought I would pass on watching; too much tv already from the World Cup.

If nothing else, LeMond has good names for the different models of his bikes. All the classic venues of cycling--it's really beautiful. Wouldn't it be cool if you get your Tourmalet on the day the race crosses it?

Dre, I totally thought of that today as I was looking on the tour site for the first big climb. They say it's coming by Wednesday, but it would be wild if it came Thursday.

I am so gone when that thing comes in.



btw, my favorite LeMond bike name is the Fillmore.

got to thinking about the Col du Tourmalet and did a little reading. Found a great web site with lots of photos if anyone is interested. I smell a trip to Europe!

9% baby!

I'm stoked for you! I bet you're excited... where do you live anyway?

Ouch.

Dude, I called the bike shop today to "ask about the kind of pedals it came with". Just happened to "check to see if it might have come in since I have you on the phone" while I was at it (It's supposed to be in Wednesday).

Halfway between Detroit and Ann Arbor Michigan. I'm thinking of going to the Columbus Fall Challenge this fall. I've never done it but it sounds like a hoot. Here's a quote from a cycling website about it (I can't find a website for the CFC):

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH........... The Tourmalet is down here in the man-cave..... and it's awesome.

I'd be riding, but it's raining....






edit to post photo (you know you wanna look)

Nice! Enjoy!

I did 20 something yesterday, not far but definitely getting stronger and a *wee* bit faster. I love cycling.

Awesome bike!

I swear watching McEwen shoot out of the pack like that sooooo reminds me of watching Mario back in the day.

I did the time trial with the Rock Hill club tonight. It is on a 10 mile, semi-out-and-back course. My goal was to do 30 minutes, for 20 mph, but I did 27:48. I was really surprised, and I think I can do even better.

Ghostwriter, your bike is cool. I hope someday you can ride it on the real thing. The avatar is cool, too. Tomorrow is the big day!

Julie, is your back better yet? I hope you are able to get out soon.

I think my good time tonight affected my mood.

Thanks, Dre! Feeling a bit better. I did 40 on Saturday, but when I got about 20 into it, my left leg started to go numb, and I was losing power. I pulled into the high school parking lot to lie down for a few minutes to stretch. Some guy drove by afraid I was dead or something. It did help though because I picked up about 2mph as soon as I got back on. I was pretty sore after that on Sunday, so I skipped it. Still having some difficulty, but I'll ride this weekend. Its only 2 weeks to Portland!

My friend who moved to Charlotte will be down Monday, so we may try to ride, weather and traffic permitting. He's been doing the Rock Hill Monday night, apparently massive family ride thingy. He says its really great. I wish we had a better, or more welcoming, group here.

Good to hear that you're riding, Julie. I hope it gets easier for you soon.

Yes, the Monday night ride here is really pretty impressive. This week there must have been 75 or 100. I am afraid that I always get pretty competitive and try to stay with the lead group, so I don't really ride in the spirit of the ride--it is called the "hospitality ride."

It sounds like a good time. Here we have at least 80 people on the emailing list, but no more than 30 ever show up for the Saturday ride(biggest one) because of the gearheads. Its the same reason I quit riding with them. There's no attempt to stay together or encourage newcomers. The club VP tried last year to have people raise their hands for avg speed groups, but the 16-18 group was always inevitably going 20-21 within the first 3 miles. Its great if you can hang, but if you can, forget it. You're dropped and no one cares. I got dropped my first ride with them, and I didn't know the route or where I was for that matter. No one cared. I've talked to several people who feel the same way. I'm considering starting a second group of people who actually want to enjoy the rides rather than pretend they're Robbie McEwen.

Boy, I gotta say Americans look good in yellow.

Nice EZ 15 miler last night to break in the Tourmalet. Felt great!

Got out early this morning and got 35 in. One of these days, I'm gonna get on that thing and never stop pedaling!

I know someone else mentioned it here before, but...

I LOVE JULY!!!

Jules, I've seen your comments many times on the same topic, and I have to say I don't get it. When I go on most of my rides, there are people that more or less plan to go fast, that are aiming for a specific range of speed (e.g., they say, "we average about 21 on this ride"). If I know that, and set out to ride with them, then why do they have a responsibility to slow down when I can't hang? If they like riding that fast then they're entitled. There's certainly no point riding below their skill levels. To me, saying that I'm annoyed because I got dropped feels like I'm just spitting sour grapes because I'm not as good as they are on the bike. So, I either aim for rides where I know the group (or at least part of the group) will be at my pace, or I get dropped and ride alone, or... better still.... I pedal faster and hang. But I certainly wouldn't hang back for somebody that was riding at, say, 12 mph on the flats, would you? So, where's the line? 14? 16? I believe their line is just higher.

Just my $0.02.



Yeah, if but for a moment.

You should start that second group, Julie.

I hope I'm not one of those jerks. I think there are always enough riders to hang back and stay with the slower and newer riders. The Monday night ride always has four or so different speeds, but this week we all went together, and there were little groups all over the place once we split up.
Boy, I never thought of these frustrations you mention, and that I might be a source of them for some people. I will have to look out for some other people next time.

Today I went with a guy from the club up around King's Mountain. We did 42 miles pretty easy, about 15 mph or so. Lots of hills.

What an odd race today in the Tour.

Troy, I think you're totally missing the point. I don't care about getting dropped. People ride faster than I do. No problem. That's the way it works. I don't care. I gained a lot of speed last year trying to keep up with the group. I've ridden with groups before in 2 other states.

The problem here is the attitude of the group. They have no interest in having others join the group. When they say X people will ride Y speed, they don't do it. They've alienated over 50 people who want to ride in a group, but they don't feel welcome because the group only rides in a group if you can keep up with the fastest people. No one else wants to come out to the rides. I've spoken to many of the people who do not want to ride in the group.

My point was, if you advertise a group ride, and you advertise that part of the group will ride 15-17mph, say, then they should ride that speed so the people who come to ride can do it. They shouldn't ride 15-17 for 3 miles then ride 20+.

Dre, I somehow doubt you fit this bill. If you're not telling people you'll hang back and ride 15 with them, you don't fit the bill. Don't worry about it. Its not your responsibility unless you advertise it.

The Tour is still a pretty big question mark.

I'm just hypersensitive.

I agree completely that group rides should go at the speed they say they will in their advertisements.

Then why not get those "50 people" and start a new group? I mean, if so many people want to go slower.... then go slower.

Yeah, that's why I said in my original post that I was considering doing just that. See above.

Going riding today, gonna try and get in 30 miles or so. Nothing like some peddling in 100+ degree heat index.

I'm right behind you Troy. Going out for 30+ about 6:30pm. Hoping for only double digit temps. Let you know how it goes.

Actually, here's a neat way to keep cool:

Anyone catch Lance hosting the ESPY's last night? He was *really* stinking funny.

OK, turned out to be just over 20... I felt like ass. It was SO stinkin' hot out. Still, legs are feelin' pretty good. Even if my heart rate was around 500 or so at 10 mph.

Got out with a group tonight for 31. Average speed was around 18 (a bit high for me at this point). I struggled towards the end with a huge calf cramp. Also, I've been having trouble with my right shoulder. I kept stretching it out on the ride tonight and, thankfully, it didn't bother me until near the end.

The ride tonight was HOT (90+). We did, however, have a nice breeze blowing DIRECTLY INTO OUR FACES THE WHOLE WAY BACK. But, yeah, it was good.

Rode with the group tonight, 31 miles. Still couldn't resist the itch to race ahead and go fast. But I beat one of the guys on the racing team in a sprint, which surprised me. Then I got proud and sprinted up the final stretch when no one else did. I feel like a pretentious jerk.

As for Armstrong on the ESPYs, I laughed once or twice, but I usually feel embarrassed when I see him trying to act or on SNL. He needs to stick to cycling and cancer advocacy, imho. I think the comment on the French was rather tasteless and inflammatory.

So was/are the repeated attempts by the French to discredit Lance's Tour de France wins. Talk about sore losers. Who are they going after next, Miguel Indurain? If they'd spend more time and money on building a good team they'd be better of instead of being international a$$holes.

Are you sure you're fitted on the bike right? I was having cramps for months after I got the bike, even though they "fit" me when I bought it. I went back and got refitted by the same folks and it persisted.... then I went to a dude with a reputation as a great fitter-upper and I've never had issues again (he did everything old school, no measurements... he completely eye-balled it, and asked lots of questions about how I feel, ride, etc.). I've heard similar things about shoulder issues, that often it's position.

Any chance you can ask around for somebody with "the knack" for such things? For me it's made all the difference.

Thanks Troy. I was fitted by the bike shop (one with a very good reputation). The manager who fitted me suggested when I took the bike home that I come back in two weeks to see how it's going.

The cramp in the leg I can deal with (change what I drink, stretch, not ride in 95+heat)... the shoulder is another story completely. If it continues even after going back to the shop for a "check up", I may try to find just the sort of person you describe. Funny thing is that it doesn't happen every time I ride. We'll see I guess.

Just to clarify, the shop I bought my bike at has a great reputation too. And I'm certain there must be *someone* there that can do a proper fitting, but I didn't run into that particular dude in two tries. Just because the shop is fine doesn't mean the putz tightening the screws knows what to do.

That's why I suggested finding A Single Person With A Good Reputation.