Yesterday, Seattle was dark for 15 hours 34 minutes and 37 seconds. Let us not count how much it was light– it is of no use to us. I rode to work in the black, and in the black I rode home.
The darkness is good to me. It shields my filthy chain from those who would judge it. It casts anonymity over the creaking of my bottom bracket. It erases your matching kit to shear black, pretty socks and all. It calls you to simply pedal. And, on the best of days, it gives me the jump on a fellow commuter just asking to be dropped like a pedal wrench in a two-year-old’s hands.
Today will only be one second less dark. Come feel the power of the darkside.
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@Dr C
I reckon Boonie could have chewed up Jens and washed him down with his 52nd beer.
I am only at Level 4 but with diligence and hard work I hope to achieve Level 3.
Here is my first post, so go easy please.
Congratulations to Mark Cavendish on winning BBC Sports Personality of The Year Award. Note to those not in Britain or the BBCs catchment area, this does not mean the Best Sports Person it means the Best Sports Personality. They are different - or at least the BBC thinks so. This has resulted in previous years on some rather odd choices and it also helps if BBC have the franchise to cover your sport for non paid viewing. Well it doesn't for Cycle Road Racing (that belongs to ITV in the UK) but it does for Track Cycling so that is near enough I guess especially as Mark is from a track background. (It also helps if you have a royal connection - enter Zara Phillips, daughter of Princess Ann, pretty much an unknown horse rider until her escalation to SPOTY a couple of years back. Nicole Cooke came about 10th despite me voting for her).
Talking of previous SPOTYs, I am old enough to remember cyclings first, Tom Simpson, in the days of glorious black and white of the mid 60s. Tom was not a great speech maker either but in true fashion he was able to make people laugh with some gentle humour. But we didn't expect our sports men and women to be great talkers back then. Nowadays you can't shut some of them up !
A great site and a great fraternity. Thank you Keepers.
@ChrisO
Pretty tough to chew concrete, which I'm pretty sure Jens is harder than ...
Hardmen in cricket? Perhaps its the colonial in me, but I have a hard time with that concept. I'm sure you are right, I just don't see the sport of cricket sprining to mind when the discussion of "hardmen" comes up.
Managed a couple of rides in the daylight this week, handy given that my front light seems to have given up the ghost, like @Clips and Straps they've had some vicious head/cross winds. Today's included 40km two up with my sensei. In 1983, he averaged 45kph over a 160km time trial on a regular drop handlebar road bike. Even when he's going easy, it can be a bugger to hold his wheel.
temp: 30* today
NW wind 20kph
took the day off to ride 3hr, in the light but lone wolk unlike chris who is hanging with the PRO stud. anyone who does those speeds, those distances are PRO
@Chris
that should have you in good shape for the Hell of the North in April - did you book a room yet?
Got out for 60 km yesterday, crystal clear sunny with crazy 40kph katabatic winds for the first hour and a half of the ride. It was 16 C at home, and at 400m elevation it was maybe 10, with the wind even stronger over exposed parts of the ridgetops.
First ride in the V-kit to boot. Love the way the sleevecuffs hold up my armwarmers. No other jersey does that. Good stuff.
Merckxy Christmas everyone
@roadslave
They are Gommitalia Calypso clinchers - very supple, very nice feel to them.
@il ciclista medio, @Gianni, @mcsqueak, @Dr C
Thanks - I clean all but my rain bike every time I ride them. The rain bike just gets a good rub-down, but no full cleaning. Also, and this is especially true with the steel, it only graces the road on truly dry days.
That steel, with the shiny hubs, is mesmerizing. I've caught myself staring at the hubs and not the road on more than on occasion!
@mcsqueak
I love the Rotundos - I had other 3T's on there and the bend/drop was within a millimeter on them, but they felt totally different. Pick either bar, but just make sure that you match all the bars on all the bikes, or you'll go crazy.
@McTyke
I'm starting to warm up to the little fucker. Especially after his firm declaration that he'll ride "team-issue shorts only" with his bands. It almost felt like he was quoting the Rule in his tweet. Its hard to hate him when he does that.
I started liking him after watching Chasing Legends and then I purchased Boy Racer - now I really think for the most part he's a good bloke except I don't like how things panned out with his ex-girlfriend that was with him for years.