Some fun facts about the ride:

• temps started out around 72 degrees at 7AM, and was exactly 100 degrees when I rolled across the finish line a bit before 3PM
• my ride total was 102 miles in 6 hours and 28 minutes of riding time. I ended up spending a bit over an hour at rest stops, which sounds about right. I usually tried to hurry through them, but often spent 10+ minutes waiting in line for water or food, so that time added up after awhile. I think I passed only 3 or 4 rest stops without stopping.
• there were 13,000+ riders that day. You could tell, it was insane.
• there was a final “unofficial” rest stop about 4 miles before the finish line giving away free beer. I was so incredibly tired and overheated; it was probably the first time in my entire life I’ve passed up free beer.
• one guy rode a unicycle on the 50-mile route. Awesome.
• saw a few gnarly crashes, mostly, it seems, due to inexperience and people simply not paying attention to those around them. Every crash I saw was completely avoidable. Shame. Hope all those people are ok.
• saw lots of people riding back in the sag wagons and/or receiving medical help. I wish people wouldn’t attempt to do 100 miles when they’re not ready for it. I’ve learned the hard way before not to overdo it. So, lessons learned for those people hopefully.
• final point: I had a blast! Not sure if I’ll do it again next year, but we’ll see. It was really too many people to ride around and with, but it was also a lot of fun. If I do go next year, I’ll make sure and sign up early and book a hotel room in Wichita Falls much earlier so I don’t have to stay in the shithole that is Lawton, Oklahoma.

Hotter 'N Hell starting line

The link between sport and politics in cycling is an interesting one, which can only be briefly discussed here but which is one of the themes of this blog. It is worth noting, in particular, that the Tour de France in its early history was a specific political project. Henri Desgrange conceived it as a unifying force for a France dominated largely at the time by regionalism, and also as a project for improving the health and vitality of its population. It also became a tool for upward mobility, for working-class riders to learn bourgeois values but while always remembering their place in society – under the benevolent tutelage of rule-makers such as Desgrange.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=-9fksuS4S9o

I didn’t get as much cycling in as I would have liked, but what the hell, it is vacation after all. I had a great ride over Vail Pass on my Pistola, a day of hiking outside of Aspen, and a day of downhill mountain biking at the Bike Park in Keystone. And to prove that I went mountain biking for the first time in about 8 years:

More photos to come…

Frame: True Temper OX Platinum steel
Fork: Alpha Q CS10 carbon fiber w/ OX Platinum Steerer
Wheels: Ritchey Pro DS wheels + hubs
Tires: Vittoria Rubino Pro 700c x 23c
Bars: Ritchey Logic Comp 31.8
Stem: Ritchey Logic Pro 31.8
Headset: 1 1/8″ Ritchey Logic V2
Crankset: TruVativ Elita C 2.0, 34/50 teeth
BB: TruVativ GXP
Derailleurs: Shimano Ultegra front and rear
Cassette: Shimano 105 10-speed, 11 – 25 teeth
Pedals: Look 237s
Brakes: Shimano 105 w/ 105 STI levers
Saddle: Fizik Aliante w/ Masi carbon fiber seatpost

So I went for something more simple and minimal. Wanted a nice typography and single column (for the most part) layout. So that’s what you see here. I know it’s more ‘bloggy’ now, but whatever. I dig it. And I have a lot more room for adding more features later.

There you have it.

Ordered a brand new Salsa Pistola frameset this morning from Queen City Cycles here in Springfield. Putting on a full Shimano 105 group plus Ritchey wheels/hubs, stem and bars. Actually all the parts are being pulled off of a Masi Speciale. I originally wanted a Speciale but unfortunately Masi has sold out of them in my size for the rest of the year. But Queen City had an extra one lying around, so we’re pulling all the parts off of it and putting it on the Salsa.

Hope to have it built and ready to ride next Saturday. Looking forward to a nice long ride next weekend..

Brad + good beer + too much energy + sudden free time + an amazing vintage bike that needs restoration?

This:

I tore the new Paramount down to the frame (that bottom bracket is REALLY stuck in there) in about 1.5 hours. I had a few sticky pieces, but overall it went pretty smoothly. Especially when you consider this is a 35 year old bike that has never been touched since it was originally assembled. A credit to those builders in Chicago in the 70′s.

I also found out that the bike was originally sold out of a shop in Huntington Beach, CA. Very cool.

Next up: cleaning and degreasing everything, then polishing the chrome parts on the frame and touching up the paint. Then, throwing it all back together again w/ only one or two ‘new’ parts. Otherwise I’m keeping it as original as possible.

You’ll also notice that I now have a workshop, otherwise known as a “man-den.” It’s half of my basement, and I’m stoked that I now have a dedicated space to fixing up bikes. Sadly this will probably lead to at least a few restoration projects a year. More to follow, surely…