Chicchi's Sheriff Bike... the Final Word (maybe)

With the Tour of California in the rear view now, I figured I'd start wrapping up the past two weeks if I can only begin to recall them. Right off the bat, the most exciting thing upon my arrival to Sacramento was to see how the Sheriff bike turned out. I had worked with Lara to frantically get her the design elements she needed in order to get it done in time. It was so last-minute (call it procrastination since I knew since the '09 Tour of Missouri that I would do this) that nobody had seen it until it was unwrapped in Cali! The results were nothing short of fantastic!

This bike quickly became THE most photographed bike at the ToC. Once Chicchi won stage 4 to Modesto, the payoff was truly felt. I think that the best part of it though was that Francesco absolutely loved the bike and all the attention it brought to him.

Here's the back story to this bike... During last year's Tour of Missouri, Chicchi bet me that he'd win the morning of the stage into St. Joseph. We wagered a cowboy-themed bike, since his wins in St. Louis (Gateway to the West) and St. Joseph (Birthplace of the Pony Express), combined with his love for western movies would make for an interesting project and be a fitting reward. With that win in hand, I began thinking about the design. Of course, previously mentioned procrastination set in, and the short timeline I left myself, along with 5 minutes of Adobe Illustrator hackery, left me with a good idea and the following communication to the artist...

How she turns this garbage into such a beautiful bike, I'll never know!

The bike has been talked about all over the place. Most people love it, although there are a few haters as well! For all the photos, more western-themed puns and coverage written by far more creative writers than I, click through to...

• Cannondale
• Velo News
• Road Bike Action
• Twisted Spoke
• Cycle To

The best satisfaction for me came while I was waiting for the Modesto finish in the parking lot. I heard that Chicchi had won and immediately my PR duties took over. I sprinted slightly slower than Cav to the finish area in order to help translate at the podium, the interviews and then the press conference. After arriving to the tent, Chicchi asked me if I saw the finish (I hadn't). With a big smile on his face, he told me that he shot six-shooter style on the finish line! I used this as ammo of my own when responding to an online hater who said that Chicchi must have been embarrassed to race such a bike.

Watch him 'bite' the microphone at 2:19... This guy is my favorite!

Why the 'maybe'? The bike is currently being sent to Philly, where the Sheriff will race it again. Now, 10 laps up the Wall might be too much for Chicchi... but we have a Sagan up our sleeve too!

One Last Look from the Smiling Assassin

I now leave behind Amsterdam and the Giro and make the long trip back to Basel before heading straight to California. Ivan, while warming up, asked me if I was "really going to miss the show? Because I'm going to fly!" Let's hope. Not a bad TT for Ivan today. The real action will come in week 3... when I return!

C-Record... 11 speed Ergo! Why not!?!

All props to La Rueda Tropical for the concept and the awesome Photoshop work. This is most definitely an old article (over a year old!) but for some reason I only found it today... brilliant.

I'm pretty sure you can come fairly close to these ergos with Hudz gum-flavored rubber, but check out the brilliant Campy shellack for the bar wrap! I think this paired with a Kara Ginther carved Brooks saddle and a Revolution Cycle custom head badge (Cicli Masini) would be right up my alley!

I though about this a while back, and you can come fairly close with the current Athena group. They also used to offer an alloy lever with the Centaur group. So all that, combined with a bit of Easy-off and polish would get you in the neighborhood. Next up, figure out how to laser etch or engrave the logos. OR better yet - make some anniversary-like coins. How about cobalto stones for the brake calipers? I know, now I'm getting away from the C-Record concept, but you get the point. With all the carbon out there, doesn't this stuff look great?

Training for l'Eroica!

So the long weekend presented many opportunities for some training d'epoca. This entails my best wool jerseys, clips and straps, and climbing the local hills in the hardest gear possible. Here's a taste... with a little help from Photoshop to make it "period-correct"!

Old Legnano and Bianchi Signs

So my late purchase at the Reggio swap were these two old signs. A rusted out Legnano and a heavy "cardboard" Bianchi, both terribly dirty but also terribly vintage! I got them from a moto guy who was asking FAR less than the "sign guy", who wanted hundreds of euros for some better looking ones. If you ask me, I like these better anyway!

Flashback: La Battaglia Italiana!

Simon at La Gazzetta della Bici recently resparked some interest in the Lampre-Caffita Battaglia Italiana event and bikes that we did back at the 2005 Giro rest day. From the actual press release...

Coppi-Bartali, Hinault-LeMond, Roche-Visentini… Simoni-Cunego! Once again, the cycling world has a rivalry between two champions on the same team that captures the fascination of the tifosi and press. Emotions run high as these battles play out on the roads of Europe. And it will be on the road where ultimate glory will be decided.

2004 saw Damiano Cunego catapult to the top of the cycling world as he sprinted and climbed to overall victory in the Giro d’Italia, leaving his designated captain for the race, Gilberto Simoni, biding his time for another chance at Giro victory.

This year, Cannondale suggests a slightly American way to settle the dispute… take it to the boxing ring! Much like Muhammad Ali’s greatest fights “The Thrilla in Manilla” and “The Rumble in the Jungle”, we see this clash as being 20 rounds (plus prologue!) of pure boxing excitement… the “Battaglia Italiana”.

So published for the first time... here is the actual invitation to the event.

The kit was great. Unfortunately, it was just after the UCI began to enforce rules about team kits not changing during a stage race, so we had to rely on rest-day shenanigans.

As far as the rivalry, it's been well known that these two had issues. This event was possibly the best public breaking of the ice between the two of them.

Check out the fake Everlast-styled Cannondale logo on the gloves... detail!

As far as the bikes, they sold out like THAT (snaps fingers).

Vintage Bike Swap, Reggio nell'Emilia!

Italians love (in no particular order): Mamma, calcio, ciclismo... and motorcycles and cars! I got tipped off that there was to be a big vintage car/moto/bike swap meet in Italy so - off I went! Early Sunday morning, I was speeding off once again toward the boot with Euros in hand hoping to learn a little and pick up a few of those small finishing parts for my 2 old bikes.

Upon arrival, I had not expected to see such a huge footprint. C.A.M.E.R. (Club Auto Moto d'Epoca Reggiano) took up the entire Reggio nell'Emilia fiera (fairgrounds). Unfortunately, it was mostly motos and cars, but the five or six stands for vintage bikes were put on by the cognoscenti of Italian collectors.

The first stand I loitered at for a few minutes had tubs full of FB cranks, hubs... whatever I would have needed if I wasn't already set. Gaslo tape, brake hoods, saddles, old shoes, wool jerseys, it was all to be found in abundance here, even with just a few stands dedicated to bikes.

Luckily, I overheard a little english which led me to meeting John Barron of Velostuf and Cinelli collecting fame. He, his wife and I proceeded to a few more stands and I was happy to lend a translating hand when needed, although he does pretty good by himself. I was also able to pick up a lot of info, history and tips from him.

The better-known Italians in the vintage world were here, and all proved to be extremely helpful. Guys like Ermes Leonardi, Roberto Doganieri, Enzo Pancari, and Luciano Berruti (who recently opened a museum in Cosseria with a large donation from his collection). Berruti is usually the guy doing l'Eroica on the oldest of bikes, with his long mustache and high wheelers.

So what was my haul, besides a sore back from the 9 hours of driving? Balilla brake hoods, Campy repro hoods, 3 colors of old housing, a new pair of old-style shoes, an Atala bell(!), and three gems... Gaslo bar end caps (these 2 aluminum pieces consistently fetch well over $100 on eBay); an old beat up steel Legnano sign; and an old "cardboard" Bianchi sign. I'll have to post these separately, as I also broke rule #1 - bring a good camera. Here is the best of what I could capture on my iPhone...

Monday I was able to put the new shoes to the test. Donning my best wool jersey and Rapha cap, I took the blue Galmozzi out for a quick spin, climbing an easy hill or two in the large ring (preparing myself for limited gearing on the older bikes). I'll just say... the bike rides like a dream and I'm now HYPER-motivated to do l'Eroica and other vintage randonees.

Who Has The Saddest Dog Around? I Do!

Tucker had his cataracts surgery yesterday and I got to pick him up today. Poor little guy looks really rough. The outer corners of his eyes sport big black stitches that stick out a good cm. Evidently, they itch like crazy too! If you pull up his lid (which I won't do), you can see the microfilament stitches on the top of his eyeballs! On top of all that, he's pretty drugged up, he stinks and there is a constant flow of crud coming from both eyes that I have to continually wipe out. Eight eye drops a day plus two new medications to go with his two seizure meds, and we've got a real patient patient! I'm pretty sure if the roles were reversed, he'd do it for me. The good news is... he can see!

I'm pretty sure it won't be long before he's back to race-support form from last year's Giro!

The Campagnolo Cambio Corsa Shifter!

So with all the vintage bike talk around here lately, I thought I'd channel the great Aldo Ross and his demonstration of shifting the Cambio Corsa system. Watch it a few times and notice the point of backpedalling! To see more, along with video of the Paris-Roubaix and his video setup, click here.

In addition, check Gunnar's posts about Cambio Corsa and clangers (of which I am in search of, BTW). UPDATED with patent designs and a photo of Tullio with said system.

Recognize This Statue?

On the way home from Italy recently, I purposefully made a 'wrong' turn onto the A8 towards the airport, forcing me to turn around at the Legnano exit. With some clever help from the iPhone and my TomTom, I navigated to the Piazza Monumento so I could snap a shot of Alberto di Giusssano. Alberto was the 12th century warrior who formed the "Company of Death" that defended the Carroccio of the League at the Battle of Legnano. This statue in the center of Legnano is the symbol of the city, the Northern League political party and, more importantly, of Legnano bicycles!

Best viewed while listening to Verdi's 'La Battaglia di Legnano'.