217: Its a Love Hate Thing.

My brain fucking hurts and I just ate a whole bag of licorice. Some days that is how things go. You know the ones, where everything seems to be going along so well, you are about to take a European Busman's Holiday. And Bam! Like an untimely Volcano erupting, your head explodes. However, I'm not going to let this just up and turn into one of "those days." Too easy, and I have my eye on you brain hurt. And besides, the world looks like it is about to come to an end anyway, what kind of problems could I really have?

Ok, I do have one. I can hear people having sex down the hall. And not the kind of sex that makes you sort of cock your head and listen a little longer than you should. Also not the kind of sex that would make you stop in the hallway of the hotel and tense up and listen. This sounds like grunting, sweaty, traveling salesman sex. Which I am guessing it is.

I love New York City, Oh yeah, New York City. Andrew W.K. could not have been more right. The town is easy to love and easy to get really annoyed with really quickly. That must be what happens when you jam that many people onto an island and hope for the best? You get the crazies along with the not so crazies.


Signature Cycles let me borrow an Ellium Race. Nice little bike there. And when I say little, I do mean little, it was smaller than what I am used to riding, but it gave me the chance to think about fit a little more than usual. Molly, Zac (CBS) and I discussed quite a bit of fit questions a couple weeks ago in Seattle and it was fun to think about them in the context of another bike. Or were we discussing the newest Bounce Society video? Can't remember.

And Paul Levine, from Signature is one of the guys who has pioneered, or at the very least, greatly helped advance the conversation of fit in the bicycle arena, so it is always good to hang around there, have a look and listen to what is going on. Grant showed me one of the most mind blowing commuter bicycles I have ever seen.


And these are all the reasons why I love visiting New York City. Even though I feel a bit more comfortable in a town like Boston, it is still a little tame when it comes to the drama. Maybe there is not a great enough mixture of things in Boston. Wheras in NYC it is not uncommon to talk to people about Bicycle Fit one minute and the next find yourself awoken in the middle of the night to the sound of a woman screaming bloody murder. And I am not talking about funny bloody murder, I am talking about someone by themselves screaming at the top of their lungs. A wild beast with no friends to impress. Only sadness and rage to expel. I covered myself with my blanket and tried not to think of a Medusa head floating outside the door to my room.

And then, juxtapose (not the magazine Lance) that with being up at 5:00 am to ride around town with a bunch of skinnier-than-thou professional cyclists from England and you might start to see what I am talking about. It was great to ride through Central Park (never done that before) and ride up next to James Nord along the way. I had seen his tumblr through Velogogo, which is one that I like very much. And then when you are riding along next to someone and look over and go No shit, that's the guy that geeks out on bikes via the interwebs like myself. We talked for a little bit about those same interwebs and also about just how fucking skinny the ankles of all the Rapha Condor Sharp guys really are. Like it makes you feel kind of pervy and weird to not only look at them, but comment on them as well, but still it was really funny..


Dan Sharp and I are officially on the road with this trip. You can see some of our adventures over on the Rapha Blog. And Damn if he doesn't Hot It Up with the Camera these days. We have been getting each other pumped and stoked and all that neat stuff that you do on the West Coast for weeks. But now that Mount Vesuvius Part 2: The Reckoning is taking place, that might not actually be the case. Our flight over to see Fleche Wallone has officially been canceled until further notice.

Maybe some other sort of trip is in the works if that will not work out? East Coast Bike Tour? I mean I was really hoping for the sunny shores of Belgium, so what would be second on that list? Seriously, ideas? I thought about saying, you know what, I'm going to wait, I'm going to wait a bit and then go to the tour or something to that effect, but then I realized, I do not want to see the Tour. But I do want to see Fleche Wallone and LBL. (ok, I do want to see the Tour as well...damn, it is such a hard line to walk - enthusiasm is)


PS - whomever sent over the below photo is awesome. I could not put the whole thing up because it is owned and shot by my hero Terry Richardson, but you can look at the whole thing HERE. And you should. Over and Over and Over again. The other Fabs. What a guy.

213: Clash of the Titans

Photo by Chris Milliman

There really is not much to say when, seated I might add, Mr. Cancellara straight up CANCELS all the odds that Tom B. is going to win at today's Ronde van Vlaanderen. I keep hearing "Seated Till April, Seated Till April" while watching that move over and over. Even though it was not so much of a move as it was as that Cancellara was seeing different lines than Boonen.

If this is any indication of that, well, Cancel is going to crush a few more hopes this spring.

That familiarly disheartening sheepish look that some of the cyclists took on as they dismounted their bicycles (Devolder's was particularly heartbreaking) left me in amazement over what happens lest you miss that winning break. This will be an all to familiar sight to those riders next weekend at Battenkill that do not make it over the top of that dirt climb in the front. I am in no way bragging and was thankful to make it there last year after missing it on the previous two attempts. Godspeed to the throngs that will partake.

Looking back through this time last year brings up more than a few memories of the bleak landscape (not Battenkill, Belgium). The bars, all smelling the same with cigarettes, spilled beer, and possibly the scent of windburned skin, if there is such a thing.

Belgium — Part Two: Entry One
April 3, 2009

In any case I missed that God forsaken land so much I thought I should go back. D. Sharp and I just bought our tickets to check out the Fléche Wallone, and LBL. Sure, sure we are going to miss next weekends Monument Roubaix, but this way it ensures that we get to see two new ones in quick succession.

This will be the one (similar to last year) in which we explore the country that has produced some of the best cyclists ever to have lived. You could go straight to the top of that list (Merckx) or just jump around however you like (the immortalized Vandenbroucke, or the DeVlamaenek's, as well their contemporaries Boonen, Devolder). I was reminded of this train stop when reading Bill's new book. He takes a page (just one, and he does it so well) to describe the effect of Merckx on the cycling world this is near the end of the page by the way, after the description linking the Grand Tours to the Super Bowl and World Series.

"In his peak years he was victorious in one-third of all the races he entered, an unheard-of and still unmatched ration in a sport in which four of five wins a year make a rider one of the best there is. It's no stretch to argue that this cyclist ruled his sport in a way Michael Jordan and Roger Federer combined don't equal. For all of this, Eddy Merckx had a subway stop named after him." (Pg 14 — Tour de Lance )

All just background for the conversation on Lance though. You know, the one that you had today with your buddies while you were punching each other in the arm and rooting for Cancellara and Tornado Tom at the same time. Shouting out "no! Yessss!" and not really caring because either of those two winning makes you happy. Although, it helps with the 'putting him into context' part, if you will.

I guess it works because no one can mention anything about Professional Cycling these days without muttering Lance Armstrong under their breath. The tough thing is not knowing. Not knowing why you are muttering his name, not knowing why you hate him, or love him, only knowing that apparently both of these emotions can exist at the same time. Hence, the mutter.

Photo by Chris Milliman

Well, Milliman also captured one of Lance today. And whatever you do, Lance, to maintain that hawkish look of determination, well, you just keep on doing that one as long as you can. Only, at some point you are going to have to lose the bib-extensions, because they just look ridiculous and out of place in contrast to the graceful-yet-forceful pushiness of the Belgian landscape. You might be able to get away with that in the Tour, but not here.

Although at the same time it is comforting to be reminded that he gets covered in the same shit and grime that the rest of them do. Or, rather, that he is getting covered in that shit this year, for a change. What tactic is this Mr. Armstrong? What secrets do you hold in store for us as the year progresses (see, there I go talking about him again.)

"We pass Menchov, who's been dropped. Bruyneel looks out at him and says, "Menchov." A pause. "That's Menchov there." There's Both awe and regret in his voice, as if we're driving by a dying lion our safari party shot. Saxo goes to the front and jumps the pace, and the gap to the break comes down to about 3 minutes. Up ahead , the break is splintering under its own attacks." (Pg — 251 Tour de Lance)

Not really sure what the above quote has to do with the events that unfolded today although reading it out loud to Kyle and Molly seemed like the right thing to do this evening. And when you say something out loud it sounded a little more right than when I just typed the words. Menchov was not there but the the dying lion surely was. No matter who you decide to give that moniker to. This thought, that not only was the dying lion part of the mis-en-scene but was also somehow caused by the whole heaving throng that was cannot be escaped.

It is going to be a good year, or at the very least, interesting.

192: Out Riding.

Here are some shots from riding around here the last few days. It does not suck to ride in February. Even if you get wet once in a while. Speaking of riding around check out this site The Blue and Red . His shots from riding around are much nicer (and more arty) than mine for certain. Did a nice little montage of his riding shots in the new EmbroV5. Are you keeping track of all the hints I've provided this week?

I know that Saturday looks like it was more standing around than anything, but we really did ride for almost four hours. Up, then down. Then back up. And then down some more. And then loads of coffee. Which was good. Does everyone not start their day with a quad americano? Why do people look at me weird when I order that?

Also, since we are talking about hints, Dan Sharp is seen riding here (with his Mapei hat sticking out of his back pocket) he also shot some photos for the new issue of Ira Ryan and Tony Periera's Workshops. And Slate can be seen here riding his Ira Ryan "West Hills" style bike. Good stuff.

Friday

Saturday

171: Storytime.

Il Centenario - Una Storia
(The 100th Giro - A Story)

Photos:
Dan Sharp

Story:
Joe Staples
Max Erdenberger
Jeremy Dunn

Take a look at it one more time. It is a little sped, up, but that is just because I know you want to actually get one for yourself. Spend a little time with it. Because this is what this art deserves. But think about the bicycle races that you have been to while you watch it. Think about what it feels like to attend them.



You wake up in the morning and head out to the spot where you know you can watch the race unfold. If you live somewhere like France, or in this case Italy, others may be doing the same thing. Getting in their cars and driving out to similar spots. You will know some of them by their Faema supporters jackets, scarfs, or maybe a cycle cap. On the other hand if you are living somewhere in the Midwestern United States and you are heading out to watch bike racing you might be doing it alone.

Either way, find a spot where you know the race will pass and wait.

Then the race will come. Sometimes it will be followed by the sound of a helicopter, but it will always have a car or motorcycle out front leading the way. Hopefully you are on a mountaintop and get more than a passing glimpse of this spectacular parade.


At the finish line everyone is waiting. Everyone that has come from miles around are all gathered to welcome their hero, whomever it may be, into their arms. The others slink away to try and come back and do it again the next day.

And then as you return to your home via your car, a train or three cafes you are left with those images. Those brief and hopefully vivid memories of the day.


----------------------------------------------

The real reason why I was psyched to go to Dan Sharp's Show the other night was a little more selfish than I made it out to be. And maybe that is wrong. You see, I was involved in the creation of this printed piece that you see in the video. Mr. Joe Staples told me of his idea to help Dan Sharp create a piece with his photos from his trip to Italy (I might be wrong here, but there was something like 5,000 photos that they started with.) And this little beauty (the above publication) is the result.

So, Joe together with Max Erdenberger went through the process of selecting photos that told this story of the daily attending of a race. This is the pared down version of what really went into it, but I would only confuse you with their ruckus tale of mathmatics combined with really, really good taste.* Aside: One of the cool things is that they did this with the entire collection of Giro photos from this year, making all kinds of small stories come out along the way.

Then they went back through (and this is where I got to come in and help) and started to flesh out the story that was to be told through this piece. I didn't really help all that much aside from pointing to photos and saying "Yes! I love that photo" (which was a lot) and "Hrm, I don't know if that works here?"

The result is Il Centenario - Una Storia and it is pretty damn awesome.

Get one: ampersandvintage@mac.com ask for Myles.

And stay tuned while we try to find another venue to show these photos as Vanilla had to get back to work...ha!


Max's Twitter photo alone would shame both Lemond and Millar into giving back their entire Oakley collections.

(also, this is the first Vanilla Sacha White built)

170: Postcards from Italy

The Vanilla Workshop housed the photos of Dan Sharp Friday evening. His photos from the 2009 Giro d'Italia is the setting for a pretty awesome exploration of not only the Italian bike racing experience, but also a study of his surroundings while in Italy.

In early May, Mr. Sharp headed out to Italy with nothing more than a few cameras and a plan to follow the Giro as it wound around through this small country. It was pretty fun to follow his travels through his (and Ira's) Flickr page (as following a pro race can prove to be pretty time consuming) but it was even more exciting to see these photos printed on a larger scale.



It was great to see the photos hanging next to the tools in the shop as well. A sort of constant reminder of what goes into making the bicycles that are being raced. Maybe not these exact ones, but definitely along the lines of perfomace bicycles. This is after all where the race specific Speedvagen bicycles are made.


These photos do a good job of pacing themselves out as well. Open roads, mist covered forests and the huge vistas that are brought on by the Dolomites are reminders that we are still in Italy. Then we see the familiar kits that are seen throughout. That candor captured with some of the Astana riders (and Johan in particular) are nice as Lance is somewhat an afterthought in this story. As every cycling newsoutfit every where had to tell the story of big L it is pretty cool to see what was going on with everyone else.

The waiting, and waiting only to have the riders whiz by in a manner of seconds. Pack up your vehicle and try to find another spot, if you are lucky. Well, Dan must be lucky because in the span of 21 days this man captured more than a few moments that help define what this race is all about.


One should note that Dan also has some of these Giro photos appear in the 2009 Rouleur Photo Annual, of which the opening ceremony took place a few short weeks ago. This should further cement Sharp as a photographer to keep an eye on in the Cycling world. As one of the founding photographers of the Rapha Continental (and also my first glimpse at it when he and DWP helped me with my Embrocation booth at Nahbs) and a regular contributor to the Nike and Nau camps he certainly has more than enough expertise to rely on.



The other really cool thing about the show was that Dan had on hand his own little printed story of the trip. Such a great way to display his great photos. But the interesting thing about this is the story told within. Joe Staples (whom I know you have seen here before) and Max Erdenberger (whom I would just plain like to see more) created the the story that plays out through these pages. Somehow I was lucky to get a credit on this as well, but all I did was to help them choose the photos that helped tell this story. (More on that later).

I can tell, you are now wondering where you can get ahold of this little publication yourself. Dan was selling them for $20 a piece and only printed 1oo. Pretty amazing little stocking stuffer if you ask me. If you are into that sort of thing. Me, I am.

Myles (ampersandvintage@mac.com) over at Ampersand might be able to help out in that arena. I stopped by his booth at the Publication Fare this afternoon and he had them in stock. If you are in PDX and looking to pick up copies of this, Embrocation, or Rouleur he carries them all (and I have been trying to get him to branch out and carry some other, weirder cycling and sports publications...hint hint...).

169: Il Centenario: Tonight.