233: Always More.

Notes on the Tour thus far:

Ouch. Ow.

"That's just bike racing, get on with it." -M. Cavendish

I like that there is a thing called the "Shack Tracker" how clever. Really? I would however like it more if the symbol that popped up was a metal detector. Just for fun.

The first two ads after each break are about Lance (Michelob and Nissan Leaf) and then the third one starts "Can Lance do it again..." or some shit like that. Seems to be a trend here.

J-you-are (Jaguar)

If Julian Dean has to carry that team. Something tells me Julian Dean will carry that team. Otherwise he won't.

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July

We used to joke in bike shops that the two reasons why July is notoriously the slowest month of the year, in terms of sales, was that everyone was either watching the Tour or out riding their bikes because they had just been watching the tour. The joke here being that no one would watch anything, ever, relating to bike racing all year, and then the Tour comes along and suddenly everyone and their brother is glued to the set. Then, as soon as the stage and recap is over they are out on their Cervelo P34's or their Trek MADone bicycles racing to Lexington and back, or tearing through downtown Milwaukee to make it over to the bike path along Lake Michigan.

I am not an early riser.

This will come as no surprise to anyone that has spent any amount of time with me. I want to be, I try to be, but no matter how you slice it, I do not like to get up in the morning. I know for a fact that many, many, many of you will be up in the early morning hours of the day enjoying coffee, eating your breakfast and watching what unfolds in the Tour de France tomorrow. However, the only thing in those last three mentioned that can get me close to getting out of bed is the thought of coffee. So, until that happens I will be burrowed under the covers hoping to eschew any sort of stray light that can and will get through to pierce my eyes and wake me from wherever I may have drifted off to. Which is where I would rather be.

The benefit of having the Tour on in the morning is that your friends will not want to ride until later in the afternoon (9am instead of 7am in most cases) and one can be left in peace. The secondary benefit of the rides being later and the tour being on is that we now have something to talk about rather than the usual which goes dog, kids, wives/girlfriends (in that order). The tertiary benefit of this is that I would rather hear their take on what happens on the day first - seriously - I do not care if you "Spoiler Alert" me all damn day - I just want you to tell me who won. And in this fashion I can build up all the nasty rumors (CAV totes hates Fair-uh) and all the ugly truths (Schlecks do not do this to me) and then go and check them out for myself with the intense-o moments quietly disposed of.

But really, the truth of the matter is that these people, my friends, as they watch the Tour they are filled with this hope (however false) that they will ride in a manner similar to those brightly painted gladiators that they have just viewed. So, then they come out of their hiding places, eyes all squinty at the sun, and we ride. And in July, it seems, we ride harder than usual.

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More Small Publications

Because of all this talk about small publications I keep thinking back to this one that Rich Bravo gave me on my last visit to NYC. Only problem was that I could not decide which was the best background to present it with. As you can see, I decided on the little gravely bits.

The book is small by anyone's standards, which means it is about "yay" big. I held up my hands to show you the actual size, but I am sure you cannot see that at this point. The book is shot and designed by Lucie E. Kim and is part of the MyORB collective of goodness. You can see more photos that are similar to my photos there.

The book is a great look at Keirin racing as an introduction and the format makes the book accessible in a way that handheld paper objects should be. You want to stuff this one in your pocket and take it with you. Here is an idea. Make something like this with blank pages in between the photos? Like a cross between a notebook/journal/love letter to the sport?

Not that you should write over these photos, I do not condone that type of behavior (I did have someone tell me at the 4th of July party I went to that he 'circled up' volume5 so that he could show me all my mistakes at some point). Which, at first struck me as an odd thing to do, and possibly made me a bit angry (not so much as when people roll it up and try to stuff it in things though) but then when I put down the whiskey it made a bunch more sense, because what a better way to illustrate than with my own magazine?


I am enamored with the size of this book, sure, but also the design elements get me going as well. I like the a lot of the photos have been blocked in this strange way that makes you feel like you are not seeing the whole picture, but still gives you enough information to know what is going on. The lines and patterns that make up not only the track itself, but also the entire stadium also lend itself to visually making this velodrome setup feel a bit alien, at the very least foreign. Which I guess makes a lot of sense.


Their website is not the only place to get this book. Bravo told me he picked it up when he went to visit this new shop Adeline Adeline (same one Quirk raved about a while back in What's New). I like that they are carrying alternative publications like the one above and plan on visiting them when I head out to the Cycle Club in the coming weeks. This month is going to be all about publications, I promise.

Here is one last shot to leave you with. This is something that we made over the winter but never fully utilized. Until now that is. July is also the month to send Postcards apparently? And since they play off of one of my favorite things in the world - Mail!!- they cannot be all bad right?

We made four different postcards. There are two cross tyres and two road tyres. If my memory is serving me correctly the one you see here is from the Saxo-Bank team before the start of Paris Roubaix last year. The other road one is also from that collection, and then there are two cross ones as well.

232: Play is Good.

Tabor tonight was fun. Really fun, even though it hurt. Maybe especially because it hurt.

Anyway, I found this video whilst digging back through Backyard Blam tonight. I really do love this blog and that outlook of its creator - Amanda. Her humor seriously warms my heart in the nerdiest of nerdy ways. Plus, she recently gifted me not only a matching set of glasses (but in brown) but also a Backyard Blam T-shirt that I am thinking you might be seeing soon (on me, and not anywhere else - I choose to believe that this shirt is so rare as to be considered a "one off.") So, keep your eyes peeled for that one.


I want this. At first I did not. I poo pooed it. I am not going to lie to you. But, the more I think about it. The more I think it has something to do with the model and the legwarmers and all the dark on the lower half. Just being honest here. But, I've changed my mind and now I want it. It looks hot (as in Super Cool) and now I want one. Curses. And I cannot wait to see the inclusion of the Tourmalet back into the TDF this year. Schlecks Schlecks! You can do it. I think this also has something to do with why I am all of a sudden psyched about this jersey.

The other thing that I want. Since we are on the subject of clothing and wanting at the moment -- Is something from Howies. Anything will do really when it comes down to it. They just do their clothing so well. It is like a hip, functional Patagonia. But better looking. However, with that being said, word on the street (and I have an inside man everywhere) is that the fall Patagonia line is going to blow your crampons right off. Just sayin.

The other reason I am into Howies these days is (not because I heard two really nice stories about their company and how they treat people) but because they produce such great printed materials. When I was lingering around Mr. Strickland's office I picked up one of their little mini-catalog's to thumb through, turns out it was just a little side project book about all of the cool spots that they had been whilst shooting their actual catalog. Why do more companies not do stuff like this? This is what the people (ie - me) want to see. Have a look see.

I got thinking about this one again because of the Embrocation 2.5 that came up the other day. I like these small little nuggets. Little awesome packets of the joy that it took to produce them. I think that there might be a 6.5 in the future. Or something to that effect.

231: When the Morning Comes.

I promised myself that this will only be the length of one beer. Well, there is two swigs left and it is pretty warm at this point. In fact, I am not going to lie, it is kicked.

That is all I have got at this point.

Watch the video below. I know I know, I'm late to the game, but what? I took a break and got inspired. I like that this video uses the sheer genius of the Rube Goldberg, which was another favorite in the Dan Dunn arsenal of cool shit to know. Also, was how to toss an egg off the roof of the school without damaging it.

One take. The whole film cycles through on one take. Or appears to. And I can guarantee that you will find something new every time. Note the State Farm Insurance truck that kicks off the whole Rube Goldberg. Apparently this has been garnering OK Go a lot of attention for its bold drastic take on product placement. Note the "OK Go Thanks State Farm for making this possible" at the end.

I love that this band will never run out of great video ideas. Thanks OK Go.



The video that it instantly brought to mind was this Michel Gondry music video called "Lucas with the Lid Off". For a couple reasons. One of them being the format of the frame and how it moved through the video with the action. The other for its sheer ingenuity (and Solo Take on the action). This was the one thing that fascinated me more than anything in film school. The opening of Touch of Evil (I've talked about this before right?) and the Royal Tenenbaum's ending. So good. But, what they do really well in the above OK Go one is seal the fact that this is a production by showing us the people behind the scenes in the final shot. I get that the whole thing is behind the scenes, but I mean the people making sure that everything is running smoothly behind the camera.

You get little snippets, glimpses of the genius of the action in the Gondry one, but it mostly comes from the main character, who, similar to the band members of OK Go keep re-appearing. Gondry deliberately shows us shots of equipment (cameras etc) but the entirety of the This Too Shall is the background. Everything is revealed in the unfolding of the Goldberg Machine. Whew, this is exhausting and way more than a beers worth. Even a tall Olympia. Know why?

Because there is more.




And here is the really strange part. There is another official video. I read through this letter from OK Go where they break down how the Music Industry works - for them - and then they gave a link to a website where you could watch the video for their new single and this is it. Apparently this was actually the first video that they released for their most recent album in January...

Oh Wikipedia how I love you so.

In any case there was one little section of the letter that seemed to make some sense. It went like this:

That moment – the dawn of internet video – is gone. The internet isn’t as anarchic as it was then. Now there are Madison Avenue firms that specialize in “viral marketing” and the success of our videos is now taught in business school. But here's a secret: zillions of hits was never the point. We're a rock band, and it’s a great gig. Not just because we get to snort drugs off the Queen of England (we do), but because the only thing we are expected to do is make cool stuff. We chase our craziest ideas for a living, and if sharing those ideas takes 40 websites instead of one, it doesn’t make too big a difference to us.

Well, thanks again guys. For being crazy, awesome, and honest. And a welcome distraction to the question of "Who's going to win the Tour de France?" Because, we all know that it is going to be A. Schleck. Or Contador. I can't decide. King of Spain? Or the Lads from Luxe?

Are there any good Tour de France T-Shirts that are going to be rocked for this extravaganza?

Ok, back to work there are fucking magazines to make people.

228: Designers Don't Read Books About Cycling

Have I made it apparent that I like books? Too much? Well, this one is about books as well. And if my calculations are correct (and I'm getting my calculations from Amazon) then today June 15th is the big day. Comic books used to come out on Tuesdays and I would run to the store to get them. Luckily, I am a bit more internet savvy these days, so I do not have to do any running.

I have been reading this book lately Designers Don't Read which I guess is mostly true, but it is probably because they are too hung up on the kerning of this, or whether all those text boxes line up or they have just been staring at the computer screen too long? (Joke)

Anyway, the book, by fellow Portland resident Austin Howe, is broken down into neat essays on various and sundry subjects. Each one of them has a title, but also a secondary header that is the minutes it takes to read the essay. I wonder how they came up with these numbers? The essays began as emails sent out to Howe's favorite designers around the country and ended up becoming this book. And most of them are really good. However, I keep coming back to one at the end. Admittedly, I've only read a few at the beginning and a few at the back. But the below snippet is something that I have been applying to everything that I have been seeing since reading it.

"Art" is the intersection of craft and self-awareness.

It works for everything. Literally. Let us say for a moment that bike racing is indeed Art. That at its highest levels these athletes are performing this insane balancing act that is the craft of their sport intermingled with the self awareness it takes to handle being at that level. But, I think that I will get back to that at some point in the near future.

Today, if it is indeed the 15th, would also happen to be the release date of Mr. Strickland's new book The Tour de Lance. And I think that the two books are related. Do yourself a favor cycling fans and get this book. Actually, get them both, support these literary arts.

I do not usually take notes when I read books. Sometimes, if I am feeling exceptionally rude, and only when I own the book myself, I will write something in the book itself. Or make a little dash or something to remind me later, when looking back through the book that there was something that caught my eye, held my interest for a minute longer, or stood out in the way that it was written. However, this time I kept notes. Furiously scribbled on an Ace Hotel Notepad, lining my own journal and even in the book, I took notes.

The tough thing about them is that my notes, especially if they are written in the height of passion, are almost totally illegible. They look sometimes like Ralph Steadman drawings without the lizards and dinosaurs. And at one point I wrote "FUCK YES" and circled that and drew and arrow towards something that looks like "Beelzebub is in the teamcar." Chew on that one for a minute. (That is not written anywhere in the book, I assure you.)

About a week before I received the book I got a call from Rich Bravo. Now, I don't know if you know this, because I give Rich Bravo a lot of shit, but, not only is he one of the smartest people I know, but he also knows his shit when it comes to books and literature...and writing...and the Classics (which is what he studied in College.)

"I'm reading Bill's new book." He says this to me in a fairly frank manner, maybe knowing that on the other side of the phone I'm clenching my fists in sheer jealousy, maybe not.

"Yeah? How is it?" I respond, obviously hiding my disappointment that I am not reading Bill's new book.

"Well, lets just put it this way, if Bill were a journalist in Vietnam instead of for Cycling and the Tour de France, he would win a Pulitzer for this." This statement coming from anyone else would make me laugh. "Tell me more." I say casually. "I don't know, you will have to read it, but I think what he does best, is not only make the subject accessible to everyone, but the insertion of his own personality into the story is so great that it gives it another dimension." DING — Intersection of Craft and Self-Awareness = Art.

The first weekend that I got the book I went for a long ride. It was sometime in March, but we had an unusually sunny and balmy day here in Portland. I had read the first few paragraphs of the book right before I left, standing awkwardly in the dining room of our house, probably making everyone else late in the process. These first few paragraphs (arguably the most important in the book) where he describes Armstrong's 2009 TT in Monaco at the start of the Tour de France would not leave me for the entirety of my ride.

And when I got home, stripped down to just bib shorts - their straps hanging down - and maybe one sock- and the same spot in the dining room is where I stood and finished the next few chapters.

It struck me a few days later that this book was going to mean something. That it would mean something more than a book about a Cancer survivor, or one of the greatest athletes ever to have lived, because at the base of it, really when he gets in and starts digging (by not digging) you will see that Lance has started to become human. That, as much as he works to fend it off, it still creeps in to everything that he does.

Now, I'm reading back over the last few paragraphs and I keep thinking "But you haven't said anything about the book." Like, an excerpt or something to really convince people that this really is the Bees Knees, as they say. I used a couple excerpts earlier this year, and that image of Menchov, the dying lion, is not one easily forgotten.

There is another one that I wrote down near the Menchov quote that was a such a good description of an exploding pack that I re-read it instantly. And have maybe thought of it a few times in races, whilst moving through a group of riders.

We drove up beside Morabito, the Swiss Astana rider. "We have to keep going," Craig said. We had to drive until we saw Lance. The gap to the break was down to 1:18. The pack seemed to be like a sack open on its downhill side and spilling out its contents as it got dragged upwards. We passed great great groups of riders, whose stench floated behind them...

It is these sweeping descriptions of the bike races that we (I) want to see and feel firsthand that make this account great. It is amazing to see the dirt under the fingernails of the riders (and writers), the gummy sharks that are the secret passage to the underworld that is professional cycling, and ultimately, the people surrounding the greatest cycling empire ever to have lived.

What I am really curious is to see what YOU think of the book.

Apparently, Mr. Armstrength himself was not fond of the book and his furrowed brow, as we all know, casts a wide net. Or however that phrase goes? I honestly kept a keen eye out for anything that could possibly harm the reputation of the golden child whilst reading.

The only thing that I could think that this book possibly does that would put a chink in the Armstrong armor? It makes him look human. And I think that is the one thing he is afraid of. Because, as soon as he's human, then he is just like the rest of us. And really? Who wants that?

095: Finally you too can Be Part of The Tour

Finally.
Finally I've found a news source that I can trust. When passing through the Pdx airport I saw this display. My first inkling was to abandon any hopes of travel and sit in front of the Colombia display and hope to win a new Scott bike. Then I realized its real intent. To inform.


So I got closer, and upon closer inspection I realized that the internet and blogs have finally died and we've returned to a more traditional way to let viewers like you know what is happening in the world of cycling. My favorite part about this display is where it says "Crashes and wind and raing — oh my!" So Clever. And I SO want to be part of the tour.


Breaking News:
I just learned some disturbing news from the road today. I know I'm probably behind on this, but I'll try to post as much information as I can, as it comes it. The times that we live in are rife with information (as you may notice above), when the interwebs are concerned you can get everything you need at the tips of your fingers (or in the airport).

But believe you me, you heard it here first.

Lance won the Tour de France today.

I can't really go into all the details, since I need to head over here to celebrate with him. Apparently he's going to fly right back to Austin to hang out with us and celebrate.

For this:

One lucky team is going to walk away with this little beauty of a trophy. And then we're going to watch the movie afterward. And then we're going to party. A lot. Now, I don't know about you, but this shit is happening in a way that I don't think the TdF is going to ever be able to match. Ever.

I like short sentences.

This is our tour guide to Austin. In conjunction with Erin of course. More on that later. But if you're wondering why Christopher Stanton is so serious. Keep scrolling. He's serious because he means business. Watch out Austin.

See you soon.
High Five.