A New Shock for my Mtb.

I found a new supplier of the Dew right next to our warehouse in Germany so I decided to upgrade the shock on this Rize... ps - I love this neon bottle. We used it to light up the warehouse later that evening.

Nostalgia... and Rarity

After losing out on a set of Delta brakes that eventually sold for $480(!), I began to wonder if the somewhat fresh pile of parts in my basement that have become obsolete for today's use will eventually be of value to anyone. I mean, production numbers on everything are so high that you can't really consider anything 'rare'. Plus, mostly-carbon fiber Record groups don't hold the same level of mystique that an old Nuovo Record gruppo does.

I can still remember some of the classic Italian steeds I saw on my first RAGBRAI twenty five years ago. Now, a quick ride in my back yard of France will turn out far more expensive (note I didn't say 'valuable') bikes one after another... all forgettable and likely to be replaced within a couple of years!

Don't get me wrong... I love the 14 lb Super Six that flies up the local hills (when I'm able). I just miss the rarity of it all.

Similarly, my Bucs will be playing in their throwback uni's this weekend. I think the only reason I gravitated to that losing team was due to the orange jerseys and lame logo. Mind you, I was six at the time they joined the NFL.

On a South Dakota farm as a kid, the only time I saw Bucs merchandise was when the JC Penny's Christmas catalog came. Remember the stocking caps with the big ball on the top? I had to have it! I can still remember specific games that were broadcast on CBS back in the day before the NFL Sunday Ticket. Of course, they never won any of them.

But it seems that old is new again... the Bucs will be lucky to win a game this year... just like 1976 all over again! They should stick to the Bucco Bruce logo and creamsickle uni's until they win.

Oh yeah, I forgot. Today, we toss out parts boxes whereas we used to save the packaging! I don't think I'll save the wrapper of any new chainring purchases!

A perfect weekend

As I sat at my desk until 5:00 am Sunday morning watching the Ironman coverage, something amazing was unfolding... Cannondale pro riders that I work with were winning almost EVERY race being run last weekend! For years, I've combined the results of all my teams - whether it be the Bucs (now again the Yucks), Iowa State, Saeco/Lampre/Barloworld/Liquigas, or whatever - looking for a perfect weekend. I soon realized that I'd be better off focusing on just one sport... and last weekend it was cycling where I came up aces! What a job!

As to the results? Check it out here and here. These are the releases I was busy writing, bleary-eyed, until the wee hours of the morn...

My Ciöcc Restoration Project, Part 1

There was always something unknown about Ciöcc bicycles back in Iowa in the '80s. There would always be a few on RAGBRAI. Beautiful bikes that nobody knew anything about, starting with how to pronounce the name. I mean, c'mon... and umlaut in an Italian word? And finishing with two 'C's'? I heard all types of pronunciations, just that NONE of them were right!

As to the meaning, even HE isn't too willing to give it up. Check online and you'll see explanations that it is local dialect for "poker-faced", "drunkard", "gambler" and other variations. There's even a story that Ciöcc bikes were birthed over a card game among Giovanni, Colnago (the clubs), De Rosa (the hearts) and Pinarello (the spades for some reason). I've even read that Giovanni is now dead and that his sons run the business (not true of course). Oh well, perhaps the imagination of the internet.

I was lucky enough to mention this to Gian Carlo, one of my ex team mechanics. GCB happens to be good friends with Ciöcc himself and made a call to him one day while we had lunch in Milan. An hour later and I was at his shop, drooling over an old frame from an ex amateur named Musone. It had to be mine. Sure, it was a bit rusty and needed refinishing, but the price was right and the old maestro was just as interested in seeing it brought back to life.

As for the man himself, much like Irio Tommasini - another maestro I've been lucky to get to know - Giovanni is immensely proud of the work he has done over the years. He took me to his desk and we spent an hour going through his old photos and designs. He explained to me all the innovations he made through the years, and the countless victories achieved on his frames, including that of my good friend Claudio Corti. Claudio won his 1977 U23 World Championship aboard a Ciöcc in San Cristobal, Venezuela. Those who remember seeing Ciöcc frames from the 80's will remember that the San Cristobal was the name on most of the imported models. Soon, I'll finally have my own Ciöcc... a 1973 model of a successful amateur racer from Milan... Musone! Now if I can just finish my search for the perfect Nuovo Record group...

l'Etape du Tour 2010...

Looks like I have my goal for 2010!

Maiden Voyage On My Birthday Present!

After six months of collecting parts and slowly building this baby up to perfection, today was the maiden voyage of my birthday present to myself... this new Cannondale road tandem! We took it out for an hour and a half (I've been off the bike for a while, and my stoker even longer). Moral of the story... build your bikes slowly - they'll be perfect on the first ride, and all that waiting will be so worth it!

(I won't be saying how old I am Monday...)

Here's the buildup...

	Frame	Cannondale Road Tandem
	Fork	Fatty R Tandem
	Rims	Ambrosio w/eyelet and machined sidewall, 40 hole
	Hubs	White Industries Mi6 Disc
	Spokes	DT Swiss Champion, 14g
	Tires	Schwalbe Durano Plus, 700 x 28c
	Pedals	Crank Brothers Candy
	Crank	FSA Carbon SLK Tandem, 30/39/53
	Chain	FSA, Campagnolo Record timing
	Rear Cogs	Campagnolo Record 10-speed, 12-28
	Bottom Bracket	FSA MegaExo, Cannondale eccentric
	Front Derailleur	Campagnolo Triple
	Rear Derailleur	Campagnolo Record, med. cage
	Shifters	Campagnolo Record
	Handlebars	FSA front, Stoker rear
	Stem	FSA front, Cannondale C3 Stoker rear
	Headset	Campagnolo Record
	Brakeset	Avid BB7 Road Disc
	Saddle	Fi:zi'k Aliente, Viper rear
	Seat Post	FSA front, USE suspension rear

l'Etape du Tour!

About 25 Cannondalers (including some retailers and a few friends) headed out to Montélimar, France last weekend to take part in l'Etape du Tour. This is a yearly 'race' ('survival' is more accurate) that covers a stage of the Tour de France (usually a tough mountain stage) and attracts about 10,000 entrants. I'll be posting a video soon of the trip, so I'll just jump right into the event itself...

We woke up at 4:00 to load our bikes and then load up on more pasta and whatever we could stuff down our throats that early. 7-10 hours on the bike burns a lot of calories so it's important to eat, even early. The bus ride to Montélimar was quiet, with everyone either trying to sleep or just nervous about the day ahead. We quickly unloaded, got ready and split up into our starting groups. We were split into four groups (out of eight starting zones). When I arrived, I was struck by a horrible reality... there were THREE toilets to serve about 4,000 people in my closest zones! Oh well, time to ride...

5km in, I heard a pop - Erik's rear tubular blew. Being the one with tubular experience, I stopped and changed it with him. We got going pretty quickly, even though his glue was old and his spare tire had a bump and was already separating from the base tape! 5km later, POP! again! That old spare didn't last long. This time, Jan and Stefan saw us and stopped to wait. I gave Erik my spare and he changed it. That meant I had no spare, with 160km to ride still! When you stop, the thing you realize is that you get passed by up to 500 or more people in an instant! With an already poor starting position, we were now near the back! So we took off and TTT'ed it all the way, blazing past hundreds of riders.

The German-American Express

The first rest stop was chaos, so we decided to skip it and conserve water and food. 45 minutes and one more climb later, we found an oasis on the side of the road to refill. At this point, I started to think about the fact that I was definitely riding over my head with younger, faster guys. I knew my time would come and my ticket would get punched. And it did. Jan was the next to flat - and fixed in short order.

We passed a number of our group on a climb, and a slew more riders on the next. The penultimate climb was when it hit. I just lost the wheel of my guys and told them to go on. There wasn't much left and I'd be alone on Ventoux anyway... and I was. I had a good time at the foot of Ventoux, considering three flats in our group. I calculate we lost 20 minutes to flats. But the real struggle came as I hit the forest at the bottom of Ventoux. It's 7-11% with absolutely zero curves and it NEVER eases up. You are just grinding a steep slope for 20km. Even though I stopped (way too) often, I vowed not to walk one step, unlike many around me. Speaking of, there were lots of walkers, pukers, cryers... and all with good reason. This is a BEAST.

I started to cramp up, which cost me more time resting on my feet. In the end, I was satisfied and more than pleased for that climb to be over. I finished 8:42 and if not for the flats, would've been a bit faster. BUT - I also realize that if I were left on my own the whole way, I would've gone slower to begin with, so thanks for the pace Erik, Jan and Stefan. We formed quite a train!

Of our group, everyone finished in the cutoff time and have stories to last a while. Our ringer finished with an incredible 6:38! It was a great team-building trip. I would like to say we all stayed up until the wee hours drinking beer, but we were all so tired after the ride that I think everyone retired to bed asap after dinner.

Views from the top of famed and feared Ventoux

What a day. Once home, a few of us treated ourselves to Basel's best kebabs! I said I didn't even want to look at my bike for a week. BUT - and get this - when I unloaded it from the car... the rear tire was flat!

Off To L'Etape du Tour!

Wow, what a week. Thanks to all those who sent the love after seeing my Vs. spots. Yesterday, I hosted a group of about 20 friends from Basel who went to Colmar to see the stage. And now we have Pelli in the dots!

I'm now off to the Alps, where on Monday I'll race with 15 guys from Cannondale, and about 10,000 other nut jobs who want to race the Tour's 20th stage. Not sure how I'll do - I've been climbing as much as possible. Just hope my knee holds out! The stats of l'Etape du Tour are... 172km and 4000 meters (!) of climbing. The finish is on top of the summit of one of the most feared cycling climbs in the world... Mont Ventoux!

More Cannondale Video Love

This is our commercial that's currently playing on Versus. It was filmed during this year's Tour of California.

Me... on Versus

Here's the first of two tech spots I did last weekend in Monaco with Versus' Robbie Ventura.