tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7988473911707635632024-03-14T11:27:38.981-07:00BarteauO.ohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13320896365548807705noreply@blogger.comBlogger92125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-798847391170763563.post-36567750631114833972013-07-23T07:12:00.000-07:002013-07-23T07:12:48.864-07:00Cinelli Neos Carbon Bar<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaIDLDXTskjEfakCNdPpS9ChzcWcb3_grfTfFvni-7rrwA-bwYJz9RE6eRrYHfi3Jy6Vm2Kb4QV2bbXC0pj7oEV_VdWsRcS4tg6-Rt2lz7BjqwxZNwi-Jg7UpQupvR3GJAihj6esL6I14/s1600/Neos_Bar_505aeda30390e.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaIDLDXTskjEfakCNdPpS9ChzcWcb3_grfTfFvni-7rrwA-bwYJz9RE6eRrYHfi3Jy6Vm2Kb4QV2bbXC0pj7oEV_VdWsRcS4tg6-Rt2lz7BjqwxZNwi-Jg7UpQupvR3GJAihj6esL6I14/s1600/Neos_Bar_505aeda30390e.jpg" height="192" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 9pt; line-height: 13.5pt;">One of
the things I enjoy about my job, is that I get to try different products all the
time. The latest and greatest, as you would say.</span></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 9pt; line-height: 13.5pt;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 9pt; line-height: 13.5pt;">A few months ago I got to spend a quite a few miles riding the Cinelli Neos bar. It was the first carbon fiber handlebar I
had ridden that weighed less than 200 grams and one of the more comfortable bars </span><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;">I have</span><span style="font-size: 9pt; line-height: 13.5pt;"> tried to date. It was stiffer than single-malt Scotch straight from the
bottle, and the feeling just as smooth.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 13.5pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 13.5pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt;">Since
then, I haven’t encountered many truly sub-200g bars. Lots of companies
advertise that their super-light techy, 5k, blah blah XYZ </span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">bar </span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 13.5pt;">weighs less than
your conscience, but a simple fact distinguishes reality from marketing hype:
mold. Well, the plural: <i><u>molds</u></i>.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 13.5pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 13.5pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt;">Most companies
producing bars in the 200-250g range are doing so because they produce all the
bars in halves, trim the sections to length and then bond them to the clamp
section. Three pieces. The extra weight comes from the overlapped carbon in the
bonded areas.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 13.5pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 13.5pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt;">All
sub-200g road bike handlebars have one thing in common: <i>monocoque construction</i>. The key to producing one is machining a
mold for each size. Given that carbon fiber handlebars start in cost around
$250 and run upwards of $500, each new mold can run a few thousand dollars to
cut, a company has to sell a shipping container’s worth of bars to recoup the
development cost and turn a profit.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 13.5pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 13.5pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt;">With the
Neos bar, Cinelli’s lightest offering, riders can choose from four widths (38,
40, 42 and 44cm c-c). It’s a significant commitment on molds to fit and comfort
at the high end of the market.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 13.5pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 13.5pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt;">My
review bar was the 44cm compact (or as they call it, short and shallow). No
matter what you call it, the compact bend, when compared to more traditional
bars, reduces both reach and drop, usually in the range of a half to a full
centimeter. While I’ve heard some riders deride the compact bar for making your
drop position as the same as your bar top position, anyone who has compromised
flexibility can appreciate three usable hand positions. Unless you are still racing,
comfort rates more highly than aerodynamics, and three usable positions is a
winner, at least for me.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 13.5pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 13.5pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt;">This was
my first experience with a compact bend and the big thing I noticed was how
easy it was to ride in the drop position after having spent time on the hoods.
The short drop from the hoods to the drops is easy to manage four hours into a
ride when my hamstrings start to tighten up.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 13.5pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 13.5pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt;">What I
found I liked about the short and shallow drop was the bend of the drop. The
bar bend isn’t as tight as a traditional, but because it doesn’t flatten out
the way an flatter ergo bend does, you don’t turn your wrist when in the drops.
On the off-chance you may not have noticed, when using a traditional bend bar,
your hands don’t bend at the wrist when using the drops, but when using a flat ergo
bend, your hands bend sharply at the wrist. Anyone who has ever had carpal
tunnel syndrome can tell your ongoing road shock makes ergo bars hell due to
the wrist bend.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 13.5pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 13.5pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt;">It took
me a few weeks to get accustomed to the different bend. It seemed to reduce the
reach to the levers a bit (I couldn’t figure out a decent way to measure this)
and gave me a very comfortable position for descending. Under hard sprinting
the bar felt unusually stiff, if not the stiffest bar I’ve used, then easily in
the top three.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 13.5pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 13.5pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt;">Price-wise,
the bar sits in the price range of carbon bars at $249.00. So the tally is:
very light (mine was 188 for 44cm)</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
, very stiff and not most expensive. I like that equation.<o:p></o:p><br />
<div style="line-height: 13.5pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: 13.5pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt;">Taking it
in as a whole, the Neos bar is truly exceptional. Light enough to keep climbers
happy, stiff enough to keep the sprinters jumping up and down with joy and with
enough size choices to satisfy the disgruntled fitter, an inarguable choice for
any rider determined to find the optimal combination of fit, comfort, stiffness
and weight without having to pay top dollar.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
O.ohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13320896365548807705noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-798847391170763563.post-79796079547695055342013-04-03T06:48:00.002-07:002013-04-03T06:48:40.678-07:00brrrrr...Milan San Remo<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZZ97uNqlTgqNJeJXsxATq2iyiDnSnNig8VkNDka6ZSpAeGpiWANf9-OmvX18VOUjLMQE_dkqZYpMLva9YKYow1DLGkJYM8_-tlNLVjyNNtgtYnM52I6jBYJpCW41atuVDVXhkt_tZTlE/s1600/remo+cassette.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZZ97uNqlTgqNJeJXsxATq2iyiDnSnNig8VkNDka6ZSpAeGpiWANf9-OmvX18VOUjLMQE_dkqZYpMLva9YKYow1DLGkJYM8_-tlNLVjyNNtgtYnM52I6jBYJpCW41atuVDVXhkt_tZTlE/s1600/remo+cassette.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />O.ohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13320896365548807705noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-798847391170763563.post-56056947933858054402012-12-20T21:21:00.003-08:002012-12-20T21:21:58.191-08:00Molteni MerckxGot mine!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8ZdXVxxLao1Buu0TUCeUP5Qo5ZJxbEpWqvmx_PkPMd7Hybv71kT9AxISoiwmlruCOQAGz6opC1T6Mg0Da5zSfPl9Ruy0jYGJ_JB2r1wQm58VZOKXK1WiMhW50epAufby7vx8eIeVK82M/s1600/330_04.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8ZdXVxxLao1Buu0TUCeUP5Qo5ZJxbEpWqvmx_PkPMd7Hybv71kT9AxISoiwmlruCOQAGz6opC1T6Mg0Da5zSfPl9Ruy0jYGJ_JB2r1wQm58VZOKXK1WiMhW50epAufby7vx8eIeVK82M/s320/330_04.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />O.ohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13320896365548807705noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-798847391170763563.post-23145979602223451052012-12-14T20:52:00.003-08:002012-12-14T20:52:42.827-08:00Jenson Button<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimejEB033CXzKeFm7SFW7cqpp-SAI1ZjHry0eTG_YyXbvMl00H6sH2f80awbF4RwoEDv1JHwW5b5B-EPEEcRMOwCMvjVPhvhWb4xKtXf6lC3QkMGnFsvUjt9jAG8L5xabTMuZmKKrE0IA/s1600/download.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimejEB033CXzKeFm7SFW7cqpp-SAI1ZjHry0eTG_YyXbvMl00H6sH2f80awbF4RwoEDv1JHwW5b5B-EPEEcRMOwCMvjVPhvhWb4xKtXf6lC3QkMGnFsvUjt9jAG8L5xabTMuZmKKrE0IA/s1600/download.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
He came into today and autographed a photo for me. Awesome.O.ohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13320896365548807705noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-798847391170763563.post-9886277382216565822012-12-14T10:50:00.003-08:002012-12-14T11:15:44.926-08:00Giro d' Italia snapshots<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidWTyLM9lr0aLS9cf8fj4yU1DpFTJPHv0sK2fIWhLmOkZ_4yef-87pvLfpbQ9KtHY_eXY9VwBqTm_bR4wsJZvgMZl_taz_ZLcwk4Nz2gstijWbG_poJmYKik5qTEJZjOpvp0wAyB8M0lY/s1600/582275_10150929521599169_970367668_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidWTyLM9lr0aLS9cf8fj4yU1DpFTJPHv0sK2fIWhLmOkZ_4yef-87pvLfpbQ9KtHY_eXY9VwBqTm_bR4wsJZvgMZl_taz_ZLcwk4Nz2gstijWbG_poJmYKik5qTEJZjOpvp0wAyB8M0lY/s1600/582275_10150929521599169_970367668_n.jpg" height="251" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0uo5m2BRXUb8nmiGYfCXXL7DAsdAw0UaGG0sE_MXn6rgU2wbpuFZwpppACEWEmob_kSKqNV3bSeab3GV62cbAvUOqpmGY42925DQ0e0LFjJSAAIVA939s343I63NTaxiXLBKTeBZmDm0/s1600/481377_10150970912844169_1400758461_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0uo5m2BRXUb8nmiGYfCXXL7DAsdAw0UaGG0sE_MXn6rgU2wbpuFZwpppACEWEmob_kSKqNV3bSeab3GV62cbAvUOqpmGY42925DQ0e0LFjJSAAIVA939s343I63NTaxiXLBKTeBZmDm0/s1600/481377_10150970912844169_1400758461_n.jpg" height="160" width="320" /></a></div>
Last day of Italian week for this blog. A couple of snapshots I love of the Giro.O.ohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13320896365548807705noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-798847391170763563.post-11691963346836502382012-12-11T12:08:00.000-08:002012-12-11T12:08:32.272-08:00Madonna del Ghisallo<br />
<div style="background-color: white; padding: 0px 0px 10px;">
</div>
<div style="border: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="color: #221e1f; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 1.17em; line-height: 1.5em;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="border: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnVYc8oyfBLULx4jCc6W36PJg1RHtdE9hO_M6UfQtKLy8xIGyBnCM0-VjGT2iqJdpAr_xpShJ8wHsBKWj7KGv56CasuyXlxJcQXKNGAZUqSsABXBgdQGZYZF1ESRiSEkmFS8kVj1IXDPk/s1600/gview.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnVYc8oyfBLULx4jCc6W36PJg1RHtdE9hO_M6UfQtKLy8xIGyBnCM0-VjGT2iqJdpAr_xpShJ8wHsBKWj7KGv56CasuyXlxJcQXKNGAZUqSsABXBgdQGZYZF1ESRiSEkmFS8kVj1IXDPk/s1600/gview.jpg" height="238" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="color: #221e1f; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 1.17em; line-height: 1.5em;"><span id="goog_466603318"></span><span id="goog_466603319"></span><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="border: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="color: #221e1f; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 1.17em; line-height: 1.5em;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #221e1f; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 1.17em; line-height: 1.5em;"><i>Continuing with Italian week...</i></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #221e1f; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 1.17em; line-height: 1.5em;"><i><br /></i></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #221e1f;"><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">Legend has it that in </span></span><span style="color: #221e1f;"><span style="line-height: 19.296297073364258px;">medieval</span></span><span style="color: #221e1f;"><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"> times, a local count was being attacked by bandits when he saw an apparition of the Virgin Mary, and running towards this vision saved him. Thus, the Madonna del Ghisallo became the patroness of </span><span style="line-height: 28.074073791503906px;">travelers</span><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"> Then, in 1949 a local priest managed to persuade Pope Pius XII to admit her as the patroness of cyclists. Since then, the small chapel has become a shrine to cycling legends, both living and deceased, and provides a memorial to those who have fallen in our sport.</span></span></span></div>
<div style="border: 0px; color: #221e1f; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Being an almost permanent fixture on the <em style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">percorso</em> of the Giro di Lombardia as well as featuring regularly in the course of the Giro d'Italia has kept the chapel in the forefront of the cycling world over the years and a collection of cycling memorabilia that would be the envy of any museum has accumulated inside. The walls of the tiny chapel are almost covered in pennants of cycling clubs from all over the world, jerseys from champions of the recent and distant past, and most prominently, a selection of bikes that have made history.</span></div>
<div style="border: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #221e1f;"><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">Probably the most famous </span></span><span style="color: #221e1f;"><span style="line-height: 28.074073791503906px;">artifact</span></span><span style="color: #221e1f;"><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"> in the collection is the crumpled bike of 1992 Olympic champion Fabio Casartelli the one that he was riding when he crashed on the descent of the Col de Portet d'Aspet during the 1995 Tour de France. Casartelli was from nearby Como, and his death is still mourned greatly by fans in the area, the bent forks of his bike tell the story of his tragic end. On prominent display to one side of the room is a picture of Marco Pantani. There are none of his bikes or jerseys on display, simply this framed photo of him taking a stage victory on the way to victory in the 1998 Giro d'Italia.</span></span></span></div>
<div style="border: 0px; color: #221e1f; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Other bikes on display around the top of the building are from such great champions as Felice Gimondi, Gianni Motta, Francesco Moser, Gino Bartali and Eddy Merckx. Jerseys are on display from world champions as diverse as Alfredo Binda, Giuseppe Saronni and Mario Cipollini, as well as <em style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">maglie rosa</em> from Gilberto Simoni and Stefano Garzelli. </span></div>
<div style="border: 0px; color: #221e1f; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">An entire wall of the chapel is covered in small mounted pictures: the faces of, mostly unknown riders, who have died before their time. Most of these obviously date from many years ago, but some are quite recent. In the centre of the chapel, an internal flame (which is actually an electric light) burns for all of us on two wheels. Whatever your religious persuasion or lack of it, it's impossible to not feel a great sense of awe when surrounded by all of this history and reverence to the champions of our sport.</span></div>
<div style="border: 0px; color: #221e1f; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
</div>
<h4 style="border: 0px; color: #221e1f; line-height: 18px; margin: 5px 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
Museo del Ciclismo</span></h4>
<div style="border: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #221e1f;"><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">Partly because the collection of cycling </span></span><span style="color: #221e1f;"><span style="line-height: 28.074073791503906px;">artifacts</span></span><span style="color: #221e1f;"><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"> accumulated was becoming far too big for the small chapel, a purpose-built Museo di Ciclismo has been created nearby on the mountaintop. In contrast to the traditional style of the chapel of the Madonna, the ultra-modern museum building is cut into the very side of the mountain itself its massive plate glass windows affording breathtaking views of the Lombardia hills and the Lago di Lecco below.</span></span></span></div>
<div style="border: 0px; color: #221e1f; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The Fondazione Museo del Ciclismo-Madonna del Ghisallo was created in 2000, and its first action was to organise a torch relay from the chapel to the Vatican, delivering it to the then Pope John Paul II. As construction neared completion, on 31 May 2006, Pope Benedict XVI blessed the final stone to be laid, inscribed with the words: "Omnia Vincit Amor" (Love conquers all). Consequently, the link between the museum and the Roman Catholic Church is maintained almost as strongly as that of the chapel itself.</span></div>
<div style="border: 0px; color: #221e1f; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Inside, the museum charts the history of cycling and cycle racing that there is obviously no room for inside the small chapel of the Madonna. The collection of bikes on display ranges from a World War I Bianchi (even the practicalities of camouflage in conflict could not dissuade the grand old company from its signature celeste paint!) to a carbon fibre Colnago Ferrari CF4, and everything in between.</span></div>
<div style="border: 0px; color: #221e1f; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As with most things in Italian cycling, by far the most homage is paid to Fausto Coppi and Gino Bartali. A number of bikes belonging to <em style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">il Campionissimo</em> and <em style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">il Pio</em> are displayed in un-restored state in a central glass cabinet, as well as jerseys worn by both riders. There are also busts and a number of pictures of the two men whose exploits on the road divided Italy.</span></div>
<div style="border: 0px; color: #221e1f; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Other bikes on display include Giuseppe Saronni's 1982 World Championship winning Colnago, an Eddy Merckx from his World Championships of 1974, as well as one from his 1972 Giro di Lombardia victory. An hour record theme is present along one wall, featuring Coppi's 1942 Legnano, Francesco Moser's whacky looking 1984 bike with the enormous rear disc, and Tony Rominger's Colnago from 1994.</span></div>
<div style="border: 0px; color: #221e1f; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">One of the most interesting exhibits is a 1947 Bianchi, thought to be the first ever racing bike to be made from aluminum. By the looks of the narrow tubes, it must have been much lighter than its steel brethren, but also much more flexible. Despite this, respect must go out to the designers for building a bike from a material so much ahead of their time.</span></div>
<div style="border: 0px; color: #221e1f; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As well as all the bikes and jerseys, there is a fascinating collection of original newspapers including a <em style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">l'Auto</em> from 1903, announcing the start of their first ever Tour de France. A selection of front pages from la <em style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Gazzetta dello Sport</em>â Italy's unmistakable pink sports daily that lends its colour to the leaders jersey of the Giro charts some of the great exploits of riders like Gianni Bugno and Marco Pantani.</span></div>
<div style="border: 0px; color: #221e1f; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">No trip to Lombardia was ever complete without a visit to la Madonna del Ghisallo, but with the creation of the Museo del Ciclismo that visit has become all the more worthwhile.</span></div>
<br />O.ohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13320896365548807705noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-798847391170763563.post-43113541038274582572012-11-29T02:00:00.000-08:002012-11-29T08:34:39.103-08:00Throwback Thursday: 1985 Paris Roubaix<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/QvAdfqo43s0?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
One of my all time favourite races, and this particular race during this year is in my top 10 of favourite races of all time. Awesome footage, and you can just feel the tension and excitement.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />O.ohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13320896365548807705noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-798847391170763563.post-56883048006484293992012-11-28T20:58:00.003-08:002012-11-28T20:58:52.120-08:00Lonely wheels in Belgium<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNFLFvtA3YumF26KOOsOylajPZGgsi1S1vnFox1-GynDoJGboGcYRi4QDah078K3NxPa-mHdhFTBrVSbSj9qeH0W-GQkiqyBSw4Q2P7GqUBpZOleOoC38XRIWaRPmlRDyd7-6WcW1GUcw/s1600/lonely.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNFLFvtA3YumF26KOOsOylajPZGgsi1S1vnFox1-GynDoJGboGcYRi4QDah078K3NxPa-mHdhFTBrVSbSj9qeH0W-GQkiqyBSw4Q2P7GqUBpZOleOoC38XRIWaRPmlRDyd7-6WcW1GUcw/s1600/lonely.jpg" height="320" width="213" /></a></div>
<br />O.ohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13320896365548807705noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-798847391170763563.post-25705792472644420482012-11-19T10:45:00.002-08:002012-11-22T12:38:04.831-08:00Look Keo Blade Ti<br />
<div style="background-color: #fefefe; border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 15px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: #fefefe; border: 0px; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 15px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWeKuGWojjgbyGiowmKgzjAZCEvlNp6Nn60fqgdwyVC2THNTPl8LPZSobHKlHYQLlceQvYGIBviV8Grycq9LS0SOzuXJwbLTsz1BCu0jMXeV1HHIdBsMIIRuBn4B-7Pa6BpuKnZneJgVo/s1600/Boonen11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWeKuGWojjgbyGiowmKgzjAZCEvlNp6Nn60fqgdwyVC2THNTPl8LPZSobHKlHYQLlceQvYGIBviV8Grycq9LS0SOzuXJwbLTsz1BCu0jMXeV1HHIdBsMIIRuBn4B-7Pa6BpuKnZneJgVo/s1600/Boonen11.jpg" height="179" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="background-color: #fefefe; border: 0px; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 15px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: #fefefe; border: 0px; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 15px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
France over the years has been good to me; racing, foie gras, the Look Keo Blade Ti pedal. A serious road racer will take the Blade over a perfectly cooked French souffle any day.</div>
<div style="background-color: #fefefe; border: 0px; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 15px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
The Blade weighs in at 94 grams each. It’s carbon, beautiful, pricey at a little over $400 and might be worth every penny depending on your need for the best.</div>
<div style="background-color: #fefefe; border: 0px; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 15px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
The techno-thrill is that a carbon blade replaces the traditional spring. This instantly changes the design equation, saving enough weight to widen the platform. Even compared to the other Keos, the Blade is 17% wider and sports a 31% greater surface area. </div>
<div style="background-color: #fefefe; border: 0px; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 15px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
The first thing every review notes is the on-off quality of the pedal engagement. I love the definitive snap of the Blade when I clip in. There’s never any doubt your in. The exit was just as exacting, but without a loud sound effect signaling departure. Pulling out of the Keo has a simple and muted feel. It’s also good to know that should you ever damage the carbon blade itself, fear not — it’s replaceable.</div>
<div style="background-color: #fefefe; border: 0px; margin-bottom: 15px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
</div>
<div style="border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 15px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
The Blade is an evolution of the other Keos. What I like in particular is the wider platform, a claimed 62mm landing pad that spreads out foot pressure. As a professional fitter and a fan of wide platforms and extra stability when I jump out of the saddle. An increase in power to the drive train without doing more hill repeats is always a good thing.</div>
<div style="border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 15px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
The platform benefit is noticeable at the end of a climb, that last hard ramp when your legs are dead. You’re fighting the bike and you have lost the fine points of control — your feet are sliding right and left on the pedal. I felt confident I was not suddenly going to slip-slide off a narrower pad.</div>
<div style="border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 15px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
Spend time and money working with a bike fit specialist and one of the first things they investigate is the points of contact between you and machine. Pedals and cleats are not only a chance to trim weight, the bigger goal is comfort, a wattage boost and bio-mechanical fluidity. I think the Keo Blade will prove to be an upgrade in terms of knee and foot happiness.</div>
<div style="border: 0px; margin-bottom: 15px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 20px;">Depending on your color choice of Keo cleat, you have a range of flotation devices — the grey is 4.5 degrees, the red with 9 degrees and the black is zero float. My pedals had the grey and that minimal float felt comfortable, however some habits may make some riders wish for red and more freedom of motion side to side.</span></span></div>
<div style="border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 15px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
There are actually two blades to chose from depending on spring rate. T<span style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">he 12Nm and the stiffer 16Nm setting. </span></div>
<div style="border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 15px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"></span></div>
<div style="border: 0px; margin-bottom: 15px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I have never once broke a Ti pedal spindle, however I decided that Ti, for all its seduction, may be suited for a climbing flyweight. The Cromo spindle is also offered for the mere mortals at 115g per pedal and about $100 bucks less. </span></div>
<div style="border: 0px; margin-bottom: 15px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Any questions about spindle diameter affecting stack height have also been engineered out of the discussion. The stainless steel wear plate means that the pedal body underneath could be slim and trim. Weight loss without the height gain. <span style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">If you eye-ball the Keo Blade, you’ll see the extra width is on top, not the bottom. Cornering clearance gets an upgrade. Maybe you’re not a criterium guy trying to pedal too deep into a corner, but it’s still nice to know you’re in the clear.</span></span></div>
<div style="border: 0px; margin-bottom: 15px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Look invented the clip-less pedal back in 1984 and were one of the first frame builders to invest in the incredible potential of carbon fiber. Taking the Look Keo Blades out of the box is an almost an orgasmic pleasure. Sure, there’s a price object quality but there’s also no mistaking the quality, style and technology behind these carbon pedals.</span></div>
<div style="border: 0px; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 15px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<br />O.ohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13320896365548807705noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-798847391170763563.post-1388106113868190912012-11-16T10:17:00.002-08:002012-11-19T08:30:23.569-08:00S-WORKS Prevail <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhip9KqgOCEmSOWIy6uGQhsHjhWMninFZxGfNjFiw1ZryNiUYKujvi-86N8GlKgHZoW5IcHrTQNEAj412PPCOY3byfUCS-bSfZZ2BbR5kbXyhFf6Y9AL1QYNAlBvOwhzkXSDu9gE1i_bGs/s1600/1107_10151247047329169_976996834_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhip9KqgOCEmSOWIy6uGQhsHjhWMninFZxGfNjFiw1ZryNiUYKujvi-86N8GlKgHZoW5IcHrTQNEAj412PPCOY3byfUCS-bSfZZ2BbR5kbXyhFf6Y9AL1QYNAlBvOwhzkXSDu9gE1i_bGs/s1600/1107_10151247047329169_976996834_n.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="background-color: #fefefe; border: 0px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 15px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The Specialized S-Works Prevail road helmet was envisioned as a Giro killer. Given that the head design people used to work at Giro, they know exactly what it would take to stab the beast.</span></div>
<div style="background-color: #fefefe; border: 0px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 15px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Head to head, the two helmets share a number of characteristics and they’re closely matched. On weight the Prevail is within 15 grams of the Aeon (235 vs 220), they’re both well ventilated and high on the style factors. The Prevail also retails for slightly less than the Giro lid ($240 vs $250). However there are a few significant differences with the Prevail that may actually give it the edge.</span></div>
<div style="background-color: #fefefe; border: 0px; color: #333333; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 15px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
</div>
<div style="border: 0px; margin-bottom: 15px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The point Specialized wanted to make was just because a helmet has lots of vents doesn’t mean ventilation is good. They designed the Prevail to align the vents from front to back so the air knows how to flow through and exit. Specialized calls it "4th Dimension Cooling System".</span></div>
<div style="border: 0px; margin-bottom: 15px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The front Mega Mouthport across the forehead sucks in the air and high exhaust vents in the back channel it out. Specialized issued a challenge that I thought was revealing about the Prevail versus Aeon question: “Take a long rod and stick it in the front vent of the Aeon — there’s really no straight shot through.” If you hold both helmets up side by side facing their fronts, you see that the Prevail certainly has more direct exit routes.</span></div>
<div style="border: 0px; margin-bottom: 15px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
</div>
<div style="border: 0px; margin-bottom: 15px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In my road tests of the Prevail, I have found it a super well ventilated helmet especially in this hot tropical climate that I am testing in. There’s also the element of psychological cool and having that wide vent across my sweaty forehead made me feel like I am cooler.</span></div>
<div style="border: 0px; margin-bottom: 15px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">One of the first things you notice about the Prevail is the minimalist webbing and straps — it’s part of the weight loss. It’s another clue you’re not holding a Giro lid. Specialized believes there’s a smarter way to perfect the fit. The Tri-Fix web splitter spreads the straps wider so there is never a need to adjust positioning. In fact, the Prevail requires less strap adjustment than any helmet on the market. Set the strap length and you’re done. I set mine up in under 60 seconds.</span></div>
<div style="border: 0px; margin-bottom: 15px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
</div>
<div style="border: 0px; margin-bottom: 15px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">There is also less monkeying with fit when straps get wet and stretch then dry and contract. Specs say the lightweight 4X DryLite webbing won’t stretch out with sweat or water and so far, I am in agreement. After a month with the Prevail, it’s hard to go back to messing with two straps fed thru a plastic gizmo thingymabobber.</span></div>
<div style="border: 0px; margin-bottom: 15px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As far as design work, it’s difficult to beat the Mindset. The design, ergonomics and build quality are top notch. The Specialized take on the Mindset is easy one handed adjustment for tighter and looser.</span></div>
<div style="border: 0px; margin-bottom: 15px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In fact, the Prevail dial gives you the reassuring click both ways while the Giro loses the clicks when you back it out. What I especially appreciate is the five position possibilities for the height of the rear retention system. You simply pull out or push in the two thin plastic pieces that hook into the body of the helmet. Advantage Prevail.</span></div>
<div style="border: 0px; margin-bottom: 15px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
</div>
<div style="border: 0px; margin-bottom: 15px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It’s almost inevitable that one day we’re all going to crash. At Specialized they look at crashes as energy management — how to disperse that incredible impact energy so you don’t have brain trauma. The Prevail uses Dual Density EPS to optimize impact performance. Because there’s less protection on the side, the harder, stronger density foam protects against those kinds of crashes.</span></div>
<div style="border: 0px; margin-bottom: 15px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The Prevail also sports a Kevlar-reinforced Inner Matrix to trim some weight and dial up the crush dynamic. It’s worth noting that unlike many helmet designers, Specialized does their own expensive verification tests for safety in house. The CPSC, SNELL, CE and AS/NZS safety standard tests were all passed with flying colors.</span></div>
<div style="border: 0px; margin-bottom: 15px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
</div>
<div style="border: 0px; margin-bottom: 15px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Just to sum up my experiences with the Prevail, it was an instant and super comfortable fit — with a light weight that disappeared on our head. Venting is excellent, fit adjustment fast and simple and the style factors were high. There are no faults to uncover, no oversights to expose.</span></div>
<div style="border: 0px; margin-bottom: 15px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />O.ohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13320896365548807705noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-798847391170763563.post-26522850736750591642012-11-05T11:06:00.000-08:002012-11-06T20:29:12.351-08:00Tarmac SL4 S-WORKS<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: verdana, Georgia; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: verdana, Georgia; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: verdana, Georgia; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_iQHdAG-k8YiIIvV6KUrGIZ833MLtPaXNSqsk_ashnKCECMJeuIUEaGXw5jHvyEidX6Xzu3H2xkMTviRQHrS5rHfYQXbjdBb-mGoxVZaO-6mTsmDvek7JZz2s8ItXKN8AmrJJigTLe3U/s1600/2012-09-29+15.01.05.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_iQHdAG-k8YiIIvV6KUrGIZ833MLtPaXNSqsk_ashnKCECMJeuIUEaGXw5jHvyEidX6Xzu3H2xkMTviRQHrS5rHfYQXbjdBb-mGoxVZaO-6mTsmDvek7JZz2s8ItXKN8AmrJJigTLe3U/s1600/2012-09-29+15.01.05.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: verdana, Georgia; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: verdana, Georgia; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: verdana, Georgia; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">When we see a Ferrari flash by in the fast lane and rip through some corners we think speed, technology and of course, money. While it does posses all of those things, to put them in a cycling category it would be nothing more than a high-end commuter. They are not race cars. Chances are everyone reading this owns a bike or two closer to a professional level race bike than any road car ever gets to a race car. In fact, for about $8000 dollars and a trip to your local bike shop you can ride the exact same race bike as your heroes. No amount of money is going to put a McLaren or Ferrari F1 car in your garage for daily driving. This is one of the greatest features of cycling. We get to experience the same performance as the pros. Cycling is the everyman’s sport after all.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana, Georgia; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">I’ve had a lot of experience on the Tarmac SL4 and it is an incredible race machine; stiffer through the bottom bracket and chain stays, while more forgiving to impacts at the front than the SL3. I often found myself drawn to the Tarmac SL4 over and over again, it has a crispness and liveliness I have yet to experience with another bike I have ever owned.</span><br style="font-family: verdana, Georgia; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;" /><br style="font-family: verdana, Georgia; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="font-family: verdana, Georgia; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">It uses the same modulus carbon, the same design features, and is essentially the same in terms of geometry, as Boonen's or Contador's. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana, Georgia; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">My 'official test review' ride on the Tarmac SL4 was a four-hour love affair. As I rode the bike out to the climbs I found myself experiencing the SL4 I already knew and loved. The head tube felt incredibly racey, while the front end kept the handling steady, predictable and precise. The rear stays had a zippy feel to them when I accelerated. I had total confidence in this machine. </span><br style="font-family: verdana, Georgia; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;" /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana, Georgia; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">The Tarmac SL4 remains incredibly composed on rough roads. Keep your weight in the saddle and the jarring isn’t enough to interfere with power transfer. The front of the bike is simply incredible. The new one-and-three-eighths lower bearing of the head tube keeps the bike on line while allowing it to soak up impacts. The bike makes quick direction changes, necessary in the group as it splinters on the cobbles in Northern France, very easy. The bike can be flicked from one side of the road to the other at speed with no drama. </span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: verdana, Georgia; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: verdana, Georgia; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">Coming back down the other side of reality here on the local roads, I found another piece of evidence; we all talk about the climbs but the descents down the back of the local mountain in Honolulu, Tantalus are just as steep (9% in some spots), just as narrow and swerve left and right at will, basically this bike holds its line.</span><br style="font-family: verdana, Georgia; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;" /><br style="font-family: verdana, Georgia; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="font-family: verdana, Georgia; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">It is undoubtedly a full-tilt race bike but amazingly it is as at home on your local roads as it is on Alpe d’Huez. </span></span>O.ohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13320896365548807705noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-798847391170763563.post-24100663117218271202012-11-03T23:35:00.001-07:002012-11-03T23:36:54.179-07:00Mavic R-Sys SLR<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 20px;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAzo7uuFnNRVgdBH1RjgTh0EQgVkIr7eaPkAdwGOQ1HhasM5AS3X76Coci4HAckKzNXigIOP7dtj8ObFkIgw9XTa8xIq3K87RiK9_yI13PZwx5Lbpx-TPPI_CITRr_6-CQ4NxGjGbXzX0/s1600/slr.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAzo7uuFnNRVgdBH1RjgTh0EQgVkIr7eaPkAdwGOQ1HhasM5AS3X76Coci4HAckKzNXigIOP7dtj8ObFkIgw9XTa8xIq3K87RiK9_yI13PZwx5Lbpx-TPPI_CITRr_6-CQ4NxGjGbXzX0/s1600/slr.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 20px;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 20px;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; line-height: 20px;">I have a friend who is Mavic tech support in </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; line-height: 20px;">Belgium and France, you know the one that drives in </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; line-height: 20px;">yellow</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; line-height: 20px;"> cars, following the famous races in Europe. He is constantly sending me pics of prototype wheels that I will never see made to the public, and making me green (or should I say Mavic yellow) with envy.</span></span></div>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; line-height: 20px;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div>
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; line-height: 20px;">It's a terrible tease, and one that would be unforgivable if they didn't offer an array of race-proven wheels. The </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, Times, serif;"><span style="line-height: 20px;">R-Sys </span></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; line-height: 20px;">SLR is a wheel I have seen under a few pro riders in the grand tours for some time now and has finally been offered to the general public. It's a race-specific wheel designed for pure speed. </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; line-height: 20px; text-align: center;">There is so much more to this wheelset than meets the eye. The </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, Times, serif;"><span style="line-height: 20px;">R-Sys </span></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; line-height: 20px; text-align: center;">SLR have all of the usual features you would expect: design superiority, Mavic's highest quality sealed bearing hubs, bladed and carbon spokes.</span></span></div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; line-height: 20px;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; line-height: 20px;">
<span style="background-color: white;">It should come as no surprise then that these wheels are fast and made for racing. They're equally at home in races against the clock, road races or climbing and even a Gran Fondo. One of the most surprising aspect of the R-Sys SLR is just how rideable they were to me. They're an extreme looking wheelset, and bred for racing, but they are surprisingly easy to ride and I've found them at home on a wider range of road types and course profiles than their aggressive looks would suggest. Like most high end wheels these are best at higher speeds where they hold and roll smoothly but the R-Sys SLR also accelerate more readily than I would expect given their specifications. This combination of fast and steady at high speeds plus rapid acceleration makes the R-Sys SLR ideal for climbers who need a wheel that is capable of accelerating in the fast lead-up to a mountain top finish line. The fact that they slip through the wind and are remarkably stiff under load doesn't hurt either.</span></div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; line-height: 20px;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; line-height: 20px;">
<span style="background-color: white;">To be honest I am not really that shocked by how rideable these wheels are and I plan to use them as my go-to race wheels in all including the hilliest rides in the coming seasons. The R-Sys SLR comes as a wheel/tire system with Mavic's own Yksion Griplink and Powerlink front and rear specific tires. The set also includes Mavic's quick release skewers, special brake pads, padded wheel bags and all the tools required for rim and hub adjustments, and these babies weigh in at <span style="font-family: Tahoma, helvetica, arial; font-weight: bold; line-height: 17px;">1295 grams</span><span style="font-family: Tahoma, helvetica, arial; line-height: 17px;"> (without tires)</span>. </span></div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; line-height: 20px;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; line-height: 20px;">
<span style="background-color: white;">Now if I can just get my friend to let me test one of those factory team support cars...</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both; font-size: 13px; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnO5nyqmC4DOh1qTJdLUjzgDXo6Ke7RB1CkxJUUqm3zLmuAu2XOTB5bq9E902VP-FBPtVvl-QIO9q5JWIVNMszyH7FD3ReUk7ijke6Nmbohpp4eKZAV_duNBIoxiNenpBQIoiwkWnV_6E/s1600/mavic+nrs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnO5nyqmC4DOh1qTJdLUjzgDXo6Ke7RB1CkxJUUqm3zLmuAu2XOTB5bq9E902VP-FBPtVvl-QIO9q5JWIVNMszyH7FD3ReUk7ijke6Nmbohpp4eKZAV_duNBIoxiNenpBQIoiwkWnV_6E/s1600/mavic+nrs.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px;">
<br /></div>
</div>
O.ohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13320896365548807705noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-798847391170763563.post-16978375080855047532012-10-31T09:06:00.001-07:002012-10-31T09:06:14.281-07:00Chicane Saddle<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnm9jkjc_4iScGiXA0Vh3hfqTo-yGOIociGMsk4k7-_lK7bf7x8nsLgdOdjAAMdusuw71xaaSmVhW3MnsQNDUUQszpkiztGsAH9zxtBFJfAt3_gDf1cplajQQBEVpRXqSvVNLHuPgJreI/s1600/1331890390959-ee82r0szo8bi-670-75.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnm9jkjc_4iScGiXA0Vh3hfqTo-yGOIociGMsk4k7-_lK7bf7x8nsLgdOdjAAMdusuw71xaaSmVhW3MnsQNDUUQszpkiztGsAH9zxtBFJfAt3_gDf1cplajQQBEVpRXqSvVNLHuPgJreI/s1600/1331890390959-ee82r0szo8bi-670-75.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="font-family: arial; font-size: small;">
The first thing that I noticed about the new Specialized S-Works Chicane is that the shaping of the saddle is much different than the other Specialized saddles. The Chicane still offers 3 different widths for sit-bone placement, but the overall seating platform for the saddle isn’t as flat as the Toupé or Romin. The sides of the saddle are rounded down and the overall saddle seems more streamlined when viewing front-to-rear. The Chicane saddle is a return to what Specialized describes as a “traditional racing shape". My inside sources say that Boonen had alot to do with this for the development of this saddle. In addition, the Chicane is distinctive among the other road saddles in that the pressure relief to “assure blood flow to sensitive arteries” is not a cut-out but rather just a depression in the padding. I was quite surprised with the amount of padding on the Chicane. It had been my past experience with high-end road saddles that the amount of padding is inversely proportional to the cost of the saddle with the upper-end saddles offering little to none.</div>
<div style="font-family: arial; font-size: small;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: arial; font-size: small;">
Sitting on the Chicane for the first time, I knew almost immediately that it was a very nice saddle. The difference between the padding on the Chicane and the relative lack thereof on my previous saddle is comparable to the differing feeling between sitting on a plastic fold-out chair versus a padded office-chair. The dual density padding of the Chicane does a great job of providing great comfort AND support. Combine this padding with the inherent flex from the full carbon rails and shell, and you have a wonderfully comfy saddle.The rounded platform seems to be more comfortable than a wide, flat platform while riding an aggressive position in the drops. The upturn on the back of the saddle makes an upright climbing position comfortable as well.</div>
<div style="font-family: arial; font-size: small;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: arial; font-size: small;">
I’ve put many-a-mile on the Chicane since I purchased it. However, my ultimate torture test for it was a ride I did on an extraordinary rough road where I live. The biggest compliment I can give the saddle is that I never really thought about it during the ride. The Chicane kept my butt as one of the few areas of my body that didn’t hurt.</div>
<div style="font-family: arial; font-size: small;">
Be aware that the Chicane might require you to replace your current post. This saddle requires a top-clamp seatpost. If you have any questions regarding whether your current post will work with the Chicane, ask your local Specialized dealer or send your question to Specialized through their website or through their Twitter customer service account @theMasterLink. </div>
<div style="font-family: arial; font-size: small;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: arial; font-size: small;">
Technical facts and features of the saddle can be found on the <a href="http://www.specialized.com/us/en/bc/SBCEqProduct.jsp?spid=64274" target="_blank">Specialized site</a>.</div>
<div style="font-family: arial; font-size: small;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: arial; font-size: small;">
This saddle and the recently released S-Works Toupé represent the top-of-the-line road saddles in the Specialized range. As expected with this status, they are also the most expensive saddles Specialized offers. The retail pricing for each is set at $300, but considering how comfortable this saddle is, I have no regrets about my purchase. If you’re not getting enough comfort out of your current saddle, it’s money well spent.</div>
O.ohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13320896365548807705noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-798847391170763563.post-20961700236966215232012-10-26T10:53:00.003-07:002012-10-26T10:53:50.448-07:002013 Road World Championship Mascot<br />
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 10px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
With cycling still reeling from the fallout of the Lance Armstrong doping scandal, organizers of next year’s UCI World Road Championships in Florence, Italy, have unveiled an unlikely mascot — Pinocchio.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 10px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
With the UCI under increasing scrutiny over its handling of the Armstrong Affair, and as riders from that era open up about their doping pasts, the choice of the wooden, fictional character whose nose lengthens when he lies is, from some perspectives, potentially ironic.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 10px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
The World Championship race organizers, however, see otherwise.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 10px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
“Ours is a Pinocchio connected to his origins, happy, athletic and attentive,” according to the <a href="http://velonews.competitor.com/2012/10/news/toscana2013.it" style="border: 0px; color: #666699; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank" title="official website">official website</a> of the 2013 world championships. “He is looking at the horizon, expressing an optimistic attitude versus the future. The expression of his face is smiling, happy, positive and at the same time astonished.”</div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 10px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="text-align: center;">Race organizers added, “Our Pinocchio is happy that his land, Tuscany, has been chosen to host the world championships of cycling. The outline is athletic and slim like a real rider.”</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 10px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="text-align: center;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjufUNqRvkoVJ0KECu11DnQ__vezpkJgaHTuOXyLfDJDedAAnvRt733lWRu4816n3i46znYl3aHYAFyec0uFutct4PUm1B89akDLdhyphenhyphen035NJsqihMwcQri1Wi_-XkZPpA7KK7gNH61JEHg/s1600/Screen-shot-2012-10-26-at-10.47.10-AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjufUNqRvkoVJ0KECu11DnQ__vezpkJgaHTuOXyLfDJDedAAnvRt733lWRu4816n3i46znYl3aHYAFyec0uFutct4PUm1B89akDLdhyphenhyphen035NJsqihMwcQri1Wi_-XkZPpA7KK7gNH61JEHg/s1600/Screen-shot-2012-10-26-at-10.47.10-AM.png" /></a></div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 10px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="text-align: center;"><br /></span></div>
O.ohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13320896365548807705noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-798847391170763563.post-48079452856050941422012-10-24T11:05:00.002-07:002012-10-24T11:05:52.323-07:00Fin<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOXxrBrCElv4dFOizdYTbxdZBtrdw-guheUQtNLElHkh-ePIdvuCqfRrehw1qx9ITXuvuI4J2EdEnJdda66rgPHVhPRScLEcOLUgUoSpcWr4pxoeCyktTy9LWZcjsXRr70rcs3i_mS514/s1600/facebook_25567+(1).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOXxrBrCElv4dFOizdYTbxdZBtrdw-guheUQtNLElHkh-ePIdvuCqfRrehw1qx9ITXuvuI4J2EdEnJdda66rgPHVhPRScLEcOLUgUoSpcWr4pxoeCyktTy9LWZcjsXRr70rcs3i_mS514/s1600/facebook_25567+(1).jpg" height="320" width="238" /></a></div>
<br />O.ohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13320896365548807705noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-798847391170763563.post-41565537280116298652012-10-19T17:54:00.001-07:002012-10-19T17:54:32.164-07:00Fiorenzo Magni<br />
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 10px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<i>This article ran in Velo News</i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgALalyuUz9SGKcuxvGfhDHCRL40shcs7RlZz94g-tjwhF_eqrQJKkLGyFt0Rc8P-MG1ifEXAUYNBXVbtt2LyqdQZfvtnTyAGWrOyXxxAZB4iedsftyLtcHUlphiAgJT_ncT3JJFcjF9qw/s1600/magni.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgALalyuUz9SGKcuxvGfhDHCRL40shcs7RlZz94g-tjwhF_eqrQJKkLGyFt0Rc8P-MG1ifEXAUYNBXVbtt2LyqdQZfvtnTyAGWrOyXxxAZB4iedsftyLtcHUlphiAgJT_ncT3JJFcjF9qw/s1600/magni.jpg" height="218" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 10px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
In many ways, Fiorenzo Magni was the ultimate hard man of professional cycling. Racing in the same period as the iconic Fausto Coppi and Gino Bartali, Magni was still hugely successful, winning the Giro d’Italia and his national title three times as well as completing a remarkable hat-trick in the Ronde van Vlaanderen. Because of his gritty victories in that classic over the war-ravaged roads of Belgium they called him the Lion of Flanders.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 10px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
Magni actually welcomed challenging conditions. “Cold, wind, rainy or snowy days were music to my ears,” Magni told Italian interviewer Valeria Paoletti five years ago. “In all three of my Tour of Flanders victories I remember cold, terrible weather. I was in my element!”</div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 10px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
There were any number of examples that emphasized Magni’s toughness, but the race that fully cemented his reputation was his last Giro, in 1956, at age 36. He wanted to end his career with honor, but that was compromised when he crashed on a descent in his native Tuscany on stage 12 and broke his left collarbone. He finished the stage, refused to have a cast put on and vowed to continue, despite all the major mountain stages to come.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 10px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
Stage 15 was a time trial up the challenging San Luca climb in Bologna. In his warm-up, Magni found he couldn’t pull on the bars with his left arm, so his mechanic Faliero Masi (who later built custom frames for the stars) fixed a length of inner tube to his stem and Magni gripped the other end of the rubber in his teeth to help him get up the ultra-steep gradient.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 10px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
The next day, because of his weakened arm, he lost control when his front wheel hit a trench and he fell again on his left side. “I fainted from the pain,” he said. “When I realized I was being taken to the hospital [by ambulance] I screamed at the driver to stop.” Magni got back on his bike and the peloton slowed to let him return. He refused an x-ray [he was later diagnosed with a broken left elbow] and stayed in the race.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 10px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
His bulldog spirit showed through on stage 20, the infamous day over four mountain passes that ended in a snowstorm on Monte Bondone. Dozens, including race leader Pasquale Fornara, quit in the awful conditions, but not the hardy Magni. He plugged on to end the stage in third behind a victorious Charly Gaul, who took over the pink jersey — while Magni climbed to second. Now that’s how you end a hardman career.</div>
O.ohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13320896365548807705noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-798847391170763563.post-35751627017715124892012-10-06T20:27:00.002-07:002012-10-31T11:13:39.863-07:00Alcyon<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieG_aRAM9yxnEGRqxkJDHQaXCtW33q362AO3HxWb2jTvxqfU2MAlS1ao2DNo-Z8_GEn5fsmoy2ASEjhWzIk9IzFC9l_OtSPRaDbQyTgHZ5MGpwFOVdTt3AwRkSBGTOJUGcBjTc9IJUyx4/s1600/beeldbank_kortrijk_germainderycke.jpg-1024x748.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="233" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieG_aRAM9yxnEGRqxkJDHQaXCtW33q362AO3HxWb2jTvxqfU2MAlS1ao2DNo-Z8_GEn5fsmoy2ASEjhWzIk9IzFC9l_OtSPRaDbQyTgHZ5MGpwFOVdTt3AwRkSBGTOJUGcBjTc9IJUyx4/s320/beeldbank_kortrijk_germainderycke.jpg-1024x748.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<h3 style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #858585; font-family: 'Droid Sans', sans-serif; font-weight: normal; font: inherit; line-height: 25px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
Where does the blue in the Belgian Jersey come from? Why did the Belgians decide to adopt the colour?</h3>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #454545; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 22px;">Alcyon wasn’t too happy when Tour de France director Henri Desgrange decided in 1930 to allow only national teams to compete in the world’s toughest cycling race of that time. Plus we know that Alcyon had a very strong relationship with Belgian cycling since some of the best Belgian riders had been winning the Tour de France and many classic races on their Alcyon Bicycles. Odiel Defraeye was the first Belgian winning the Tour de France in 1912, on a genuine blue Alcyon bicycle. But also Maurice Dewaele, Romain and Sylvère Maes were part of the strong professional Alcyon cycling team when winning their Tour.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #454545; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 22px;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #454545; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 22px;">It is believed that Alcyon talked the Belgian Federation into adopting their trademark colour. Now you know.</span></div>
</div>
O.ohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13320896365548807705noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-798847391170763563.post-71368364703782073182012-09-29T11:23:00.001-07:002012-09-29T11:23:18.377-07:00Muro di Sormano<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="background-color: #fefefe; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;">The Muro di Sormano was a controversial inclusion in the Giro di Lombardia for three years in the 1960's - 1960, 1961, and 1962. After which, the climb was removed and left to the annals of legend until 2012. 50 years later, race organizers, RCS, re-introduced the famed wall to Il Lombardia</span><br />
<span style="background-color: #fefefe; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1nez_V-KSFqCMDI3n5IbbGs-dEv_isgaWneMQ4L6OPDS80LSlih4QE3F3pUBBvEfbkWILwXzqu6MdREjmaEYNVcQZ6BFDV1qpgoh67ciu3qbFbEmqCYIkeWPusKHD6skN4RnSleV0xWw/s1600/8032364428_baec9c1dcc_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1nez_V-KSFqCMDI3n5IbbGs-dEv_isgaWneMQ4L6OPDS80LSlih4QE3F3pUBBvEfbkWILwXzqu6MdREjmaEYNVcQZ6BFDV1qpgoh67ciu3qbFbEmqCYIkeWPusKHD6skN4RnSleV0xWw/s320/8032364428_baec9c1dcc_b.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
<span style="background-color: #fefefe; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span></div>
O.ohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13320896365548807705noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-798847391170763563.post-21645789565391153602012-08-08T09:01:00.000-07:002012-08-08T09:01:44.401-07:00<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFTef5_CHNP_lIuARxuurJ8RrUwXERwygS_d6Eihle3GiuZT39ycuELyjAu-m4doDgOvGmg0DNUXw21FPunIPJb4p-iUqhn25CAv1rHIapN2EKscxzp9L1JsIo5HnG99TnfRhnwxWfMM4/s1600/tumblr_m6xx1ekUHf1rnvy5qo1_500.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="206" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFTef5_CHNP_lIuARxuurJ8RrUwXERwygS_d6Eihle3GiuZT39ycuELyjAu-m4doDgOvGmg0DNUXw21FPunIPJb4p-iUqhn25CAv1rHIapN2EKscxzp9L1JsIo5HnG99TnfRhnwxWfMM4/s320/tumblr_m6xx1ekUHf1rnvy5qo1_500.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br /></div>O.ohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13320896365548807705noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-798847391170763563.post-70118631247353141832012-08-08T08:59:00.001-07:002012-08-08T08:59:54.761-07:00<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuQ8neCI5Aim8eTMEk9DPsD3chXjg4QFfgrgj4HMCfwlgWDrHEsjrepfqtPkYKce3Jdcp__YUR0Z4ypJjqBVfgH5rHxxSk948z6hRTL8zmj6nuOgCANqxpCcxdE03Jb-3KRahfoPlJaLM/s1600/tumblr_m7rtekLdTb1qm86t3o1_500.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuQ8neCI5Aim8eTMEk9DPsD3chXjg4QFfgrgj4HMCfwlgWDrHEsjrepfqtPkYKce3Jdcp__YUR0Z4ypJjqBVfgH5rHxxSk948z6hRTL8zmj6nuOgCANqxpCcxdE03Jb-3KRahfoPlJaLM/s320/tumblr_m7rtekLdTb1qm86t3o1_500.jpg" width="238" /></a></div>
<br /></div>O.ohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13320896365548807705noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-798847391170763563.post-16627961897769862782012-07-19T21:03:00.001-07:002012-07-19T21:03:38.277-07:00Bianchi Fiat<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxPAqKNScB2lemNZGqvjiuEPJDrr005clTv3II8dlJjK3QhPmMYYYvRyULXs5_gB97CHCE0lF6xFoFfpYEGVZMDLJ5srps7ZZHGIzf7zTEGC696cCSlonAP2CBBYjIfQEGk7b-iyvczKI/s1600/tumblr_m3fzf4x9bg1r7cgomo1_500.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="216" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxPAqKNScB2lemNZGqvjiuEPJDrr005clTv3II8dlJjK3QhPmMYYYvRyULXs5_gB97CHCE0lF6xFoFfpYEGVZMDLJ5srps7ZZHGIzf7zTEGC696cCSlonAP2CBBYjIfQEGk7b-iyvczKI/s320/tumblr_m3fzf4x9bg1r7cgomo1_500.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br /></div>O.ohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13320896365548807705noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-798847391170763563.post-3383287024071058732012-07-19T21:02:00.001-07:002012-07-19T21:02:41.325-07:00Italiano<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8oPTvukZSuuMpItuEBhdKko3x5qlKorvOJ-KZ-pJARsgRf9qWnHq2r6G1jH-maj5w6uTgsFNeQS2k6zatTIFyJ1oOQFwBgU-8F3okYiXLd5SPLFQZuEgYYLrZhyphenhyphenebf2UXGpf66RY_5i4/s1600/tumblr_m06l65IqpV1qazg1ao1_500.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8oPTvukZSuuMpItuEBhdKko3x5qlKorvOJ-KZ-pJARsgRf9qWnHq2r6G1jH-maj5w6uTgsFNeQS2k6zatTIFyJ1oOQFwBgU-8F3okYiXLd5SPLFQZuEgYYLrZhyphenhyphenebf2UXGpf66RY_5i4/s320/tumblr_m06l65IqpV1qazg1ao1_500.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br /></div>O.ohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13320896365548807705noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-798847391170763563.post-25918231157177674442012-07-19T21:00:00.001-07:002012-07-19T21:00:30.448-07:00<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1mEWgafijEDfFfclU8s_E3CqexZq-Pd4aw5-j7ORowJprJ8SabsyAmvlPkaOfsAgXD5upbEB4V_VfiSFaD-xpuilVmWknmaYxXzAeuY3PRmVlslEUuAkvlaXVQluLGdDkLwcXDTaJPi0/s1600/ambrosio_005.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1mEWgafijEDfFfclU8s_E3CqexZq-Pd4aw5-j7ORowJprJ8SabsyAmvlPkaOfsAgXD5upbEB4V_VfiSFaD-xpuilVmWknmaYxXzAeuY3PRmVlslEUuAkvlaXVQluLGdDkLwcXDTaJPi0/s320/ambrosio_005.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br /></div>O.ohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13320896365548807705noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-798847391170763563.post-62389716619298389712012-07-18T09:14:00.000-07:002012-07-18T10:45:05.657-07:00Bike Frame Manufacturing<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<b style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: magenta; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">We come from a culture that, not long ago, to have a bike made by a master, made in his workshop, was the epitome of a bicycle. There were no other options for a serious cyclists. Pro racers had Serotta or Peggorietti make their bike and then paint it with the logo of their sponsor. That’s not the reality now. The reality is the bikes are made by that 45-year-old woman in China. […] In 15 years from now, when bikes are made by robot fabricators, people will be saying yeah, sure they’re fast, but there was something about those Asian bikes made by those Chinese women you just cant find in the robotic bikes.</span></b></div><div style='clear: both; text-align: center; font-size: xx-small;'>Published with Blogger-droid v1.5.9</div>O.ohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13320896365548807705noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-798847391170763563.post-75533682816641916492012-07-17T21:18:00.005-07:002012-07-17T21:18:37.087-07:00Merckx the Saint<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHwHG_x3xYyfIQIFIBe0W4jkMh4TXBkF_1hoc0Bzn_N-GxY8FUobDi2XDT5GiK46eiwRvHCKRNx4RbPD2Vt8iP3Cx8siFiWXjIAAZnOhSaabwwYyXWFFiNmMcU2npe7VS_RKGBBC518fE/s1600/tumblr_m2l6x160TI1qgqju7o1_400.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHwHG_x3xYyfIQIFIBe0W4jkMh4TXBkF_1hoc0Bzn_N-GxY8FUobDi2XDT5GiK46eiwRvHCKRNx4RbPD2Vt8iP3Cx8siFiWXjIAAZnOhSaabwwYyXWFFiNmMcU2npe7VS_RKGBBC518fE/s320/tumblr_m2l6x160TI1qgqju7o1_400.jpg" width="230" /></a></div>
<br /></div>O.ohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13320896365548807705noreply@blogger.com0