Portland Cogal v1.1 Post Ride Report

“My teeth are famous!” exclaimed Fränk while Mrs. Scaler was running around with her shiny new camera, documenting the day. This happened quite a few post ride hoppy beverages into the evening after the Portland Cogal.

But let me back up a bit. As most here know, Saturday was the first Velominati Portland Cogal. From the proper VM we had myself, gaswepass, McSqueek, G’rilla, Co Mo, and Sir Fränk. I also invited some friends from my team and a couple other teams. In all we had 14 guys leaving my house.

Scaler911’s Take

As it turned out, weather wise it was not going to be a Rule #9 day at all. Forecast called for sunny skies and 12C. Local meteorologists also promised lighter winds in the am out of the east at around 22-24Kph. Well, they got the first two parts right. As we rolled east through Vantucky, WA toward the crossing over the Columbia River, we already noticed a headwind. When we left the relative shelter of homes and trees and rode onto the exposed Glen Jackson Bridge we were met by a serious cross wind. Fränk looked at me and shouted, “Holy Shit!”. Once on Marine Drive we headed east bound toward the “Wind Tunnel” where the Columbia River Gorge terminates. 14 guys, all pointing somewhere between “fit” and “fucking strong” on the Rad Meter, and we were only averaging around 25-26Kph. Being on the rivet was a ton of work. Near Troutdale (and the shelter of the Sandy River and Historic Columbia River Highway) online weather data for the day stated wind speed to be sustained 48-50Kph with gusts to 67Kph. Right before the sanctuary, the road turns south, and I watched people in front of me going straight forward but leaning to the left 50-60 degrees. Thoughts thrown around the group were: “Fuckin’ Hell”, “Nuking”, “I can’t hear out of my left ear”.

Once on the Sandy River the wind stopped, and the pace went up. At the first regroup, we were two riders short. I knew that now as the road was going uphill, the group was going to be three short. I’d been fighting a nasty cough all week and the lungs were on fire from the first short, low grade climb. We started up again, and as I drifted back, teammates would give me a push on the ass. Wasn’t long before I lost contact, but I knew a serious downhill was coming and I could get back some time. Then a rear flat at the bottom of the 75+Kph decent. I was alone and feeling pretty shitty. I fixed the flat in short order, and went on to the big climbs. The first climb is pretty tough when you’re well. I was pretty deep in the hurt locker when Fränk and my teammates came back to find me.

We started up the second big climb, my team away, Fränk at my side. “You fucking asshole” he says with a smile on his face, “I had no idea how fucking hard these climbs were going to be”. On the last climb into the town of Sandy, Oregon I was pretty sure I was going to die. Given how the lungs felt, and coughing up green ick, I did the unspeakable, and called in the sag wagon. Rest of the group, knowing I was throwing in the towel, headed off toward home, at what was reported to be a blistering pace, the head wind now at their backs. They spent a good deal of time at 48Kph. That had to be fun and quite a sight.

Once back at the house, Mrs. Scaler and her friend had the BBQ going, a fire in our outdoor fireplace, and cases of hoppy beverages -some quality, some plebeian- in the coolers. The more we re-hydrated, the better things got. Topics of discussion ranged from all things cycling, to politics, to Fränk’s fabulous teeth. It was a lovely evening.

It was an honor and a privilege to host this event, and I feel like I’ve made new friends that I will continue to see and ride with in the future. Often.

Thank you to all who came; Thank you to Fränk and G’rilla for being fantastic guests and a huge thank you to Carrie and Mrs. Scaler without who’s help, this would have been impossible!

And, I found out two days later that I had pneumonia. Meh.

– scaler911

Frank’s Take:

“I’m glad you’re not a fat chick with a mustache, dude.” In retrospect, I’m glad I didn’t come in last place, but nevertheless, @Scaler911’s comparison of me to his previous Internet meeting left something to be desired in terms of “glory”.

It’s always strange meeting people from the virtual world; you never really know what to expect, given the likelihood that they don’t look like their avatars. But things kicked off to a fun and relaxed atmosphere almost instantly as I yanked @G’rilla’s bike out of the truck and set about poking fun at the way he wrapped his bars. @Scaler911 jumped right in and I immediately knew we’d get along fine. The three of us cracked a few beers, and headed to the workshop for a bar-wrapping lesson.

Not long after, Mrs. @Scaler911 appeared in the doorway and, after introductions, asked me what I like for breakfast. Wishing to put her at her ease using “humor”, I said, “You know, the usual. Crepes, hand-squeezed orange juice, freshly laid eggs…” Little did I know at the time, Mrs. S is an incredible hostess and that is precisely what I got for breakfast.

I’m one who trains alone most of the time, and what group rides I’ve been on are generally pretty mellow. Aside from the flawless hosting, route-planning, and post-ride party, I have to say that this was one of the hardest and most enjoyable group rides I’ve been on in ages. The climbing was brutally hard and the wind ferocious, but after spending a few hours riding as a group, we got pretty good at flying along together once the wind was at our back.

Riding with a V-Meter means I don’t know how fast I’m going most of the time (other than that I’m going Vkph), but there is little that will make you feel quite as Pro as sitting in a paceline, spinning out your top gear on the flats and sprinting for town lines whose location you have no clue of. Talk about Herd Mentality; some of the faster riders would jump and I’d just chase my lanky ass after them with a big, stoopid grin on my face.

Thanks to everyone for their kindness and hospitality, to both teams who welcomed us into their ride, and a special big thanks to the impeccable hosting of Mrs. Scaler911.

Vive la Vie Velominatus.

Trivia question: We were delayed in our departure on Sunday morning as we waited for G’rilla’s pants to be laundered after being urinated on. Who’s urine was it? (Hint: it wasn’t mine, it wasn’t @Scaler911’s, and it wasn’t G’rilla’s.)

– frank

McSqueek’s Take:

It seems like some of the hardest rides I go on start with an email from @scaler911. Rides up hills that make me feel that I am going to be forced to re-experience what I had for breakfast, but in reverse. Rides long enough that I wish I had eaten MORE breakfast.

I should have known the unseasonably clear skies and mild temperatures would hide something entirely more sinister. Like constant 50 KPH winds.

All melodramatic flourishes aside, the second North American Cogal shaped up to be an quite an experience for those involved.

Even those that didn’t finish.

Like myself.

Now, how in the hell does the co-organizer of the cogal not finish the cogal?

Easy. They (read: me) get literally blown out of the bunch by wind about 28 km into the 130 km ride. Wind so strong that you’d swear both your tires had just flatted, and it’s all you can do as you watch the bunch ride off without you.

“No worries” I tell myself, “I know the route. I’ll just catch up to everyone in Sandy. We’re about to the hilly section; I would have fallen off at some point soon no matter what.”

Boy, I’m a cocky bastard. Turns out the “hilly section” includes 1,000m of climbing, with many sections a few degrees steeper than what I’m comfortable with, kicking me squarely in the junk early and often. Switchbacks which yield more climbing and descents that offer just a tease of a reprise before snapping back into another climb.

I remember thinking to myself at several points along the route, “map my ride is a fucking liar”, as if map my ride was an actual person who purposely mislead me about the severity of the hills.

Cursing at map my ride, cursing the wind, cursing at the road, all was a common theme during my two hours alone in the hills. I didn’t have anyone else (read: @scaler911) to curse so those had to make do.

Finally after about all the climbing I could take this early in the season, I reached Sandy. PERFECT. I’ll grab a coke, have a bite, and be on the way with the guys after a rest.

Only I had arrived 30 minutes after the bunch had left, with only scaler911 waiting. Unbeknownst to him, he had the early stages of pneumonia and was experiencing breathing difficulties, necessitating a call for a ride.

In a moment of weakness, after considering another two hours of riding on my own after spending the previous two hours alone in the hills, decided to wait with scaler and just catch a ride back to the end.

Not my proudest moment, and I spent quite a while feeling like I let myself down rather than pulling a HTFU and finishing the ride. But I had made it through the hardest part, with only another 200m of elevation to be gained over the next 60km.

And there was beer and burgers waiting back at the end – so stick a fork in me, I was done.

I will however be back for a rematch with the same route later this spring. It shall not get the best of me.

– McSqueek

G’rilla’s Take:

I looked forward to the PDX Cogal with anticipation and fear. Anticipation because it’s always great to ride with other Velominati, and fear because I bonked in the last 20km of my previous 120km ride at the beginning of January.

The weather was unseasonably beautiful. It featured every kind of terrain: flat roads into strong headwinds, rivers, steep hills, and mossy forests. Near the town of Sandy we looked out on a forested valley split by a cold river running out to a snow covered Mt. Hood. It was a moment to be lost in time; no photograph could capture the feeling.

The crew was top notch. I love the thrill of descending at 80km/h with 12 riders snaking a line down the mountainside. I met Joshua Liberles, editor of Cyclocross Magazine and the best all-around rider in Oregon last year. People kept a quick pace into the day’s five climbs and we hitched onto a tailwind to sustain 45-50km/h for the last hour.

To top it off, Scaler911 hosted a BBQ that went into the wee hours of the morning with stories of races, crashes, victories, and many laughs.

Overall, this was one of the most difficult and most thrilling rides I’ve been on. It’s definitely one I’ll remember for a long time.

– G’rilla

Gaswepass’ Take:

What an awesome weekend! “Riding” the wave of the big Velominati event – @Cyclops presenting Frank his new frame and all the fanfare that created – the energy levels were high! In a confluence of unusual circumstances, I was able to meet the boys the night before at a local, well loved bike themed brew pub for some casked ipa. Things were off to a promising start for the weekend: great beers, the sun was planning on sticking around- especially important with this route known for epic scenery, our out of town guests were trying to blend in with the locals by reducing their carbon footprint post beer consumption with wing tips on(the brew pub has 2 outdoor exercycles for electricity generation!), and everyone appeared to be stoked. Even my race bike was giddy with anticipation.

Then Saturday morning hit and hit hard. I woke up late with a neck twinge the likes of which I hadn’t encountered since having a small herniated disc 5 years ago. Disorganization struck- did I pack my road shoes? Did I inflate the tires last nite? Oh crap, gotta get rolling! … I pick up a friend who is also my coach, we make it with just enough time to change, be part of a picture or 2, and hear the tail end of casual deliberateness, no-drop and blah blah cell phones and safety…

100V, time to roll, bitch!

Away we go, didn’t inflate despite bringing floor pump. Oh well. The wind is kicking up. Getting twinges of that feeling of showing up for the big test feeling prepared and realizing that maybe it’s on a different chapter than the one I read; my version of pre-test and pre-race jitters. Is there a bathroom on this route, ugh, I need it now! Alright, serenity now. And we haven’t hit the Columbia river yet. Everyone- teammates, colleagues, our visitors from the North, and a couple other visitors looking revved! The energy is contagious, and the sun is just amplifying all the positive energy- lets go riding boys! The ride on the bridge over the Columbia river is an exhilarating start to the day- a significant crosswind is buffeting us, and with a reasonable amount of opposite traffic, there is no tucking to be had. Unfortunately we lost one pretty early on, but as described elsewhere, he made a day of it in the sun, not to be denied the glory of riding in these challenging conditions!

We head east on marine drive. The wind is an oncoming freight train- loud, powerful, unrelenting. Tucking in is marginally of benefit, or so I thought. Then I find myself pulling next to @scaler911. How’d that happen? We got >110km to go and here I am pulling, and it’s brutal! Why doesn’t the garmin give a bonus point or something for that kind of effort? It only recognizes (or so I thought, more on that later) grade and rate of motion. Finally, I get a chance to pull off, um, gracefully and let some of the ringers take the front. I don’t want to slow down the pack by pulling again (burning too many matches early), can’t be too close to the front or risk interfering the progression of pulling the paceline, but if you go low profile and safely tuck-in, that first signpost sprint “snap” leaves you off the back, working 50% harder with 60% less motor. Dude.

We make it to the next transition- out of the wind tunnel and hill-climbing ho! Time to take on some protein, one of those space food thingies. As I was warned, it rapidly “thickens” in my mouth after 2 crunches and then partially dissolving; this means I am now eating coffee flavored paste and those bastards are starting to accelerate (oh yeah, the guy said don’t eat one of these at the beginning of an effort) in to the subtle hill. I needed just 3 more minutes to clear my palate and digest this crap, but I can’t breathe because its now like that scene in The Matrix “Mr. Anderson, what would you do if u couldn’t talk…” Some fluids, a chisel to my back teeth (was that space food or laffy taffy?) and back to now just cramping from that weird shit. I’ve already forgotten about the flattening tires, my neck is just plain annoying in the background, and I’m sliding forward – is my seat doing something weird (tonite I’m going to be acknowledged by my ‘cross team for finishing 9 of 11 races on my pit bike)? 2 more soldiers are fading away – a colleague and ever positive @McSqueek. Now there is no lack of clarity who is pulling up the rear of the pack, also known as my individual time trial. And now my “specialty” – sustained climbing – is going to make us declare the riders that we are. I don’t think I’ve seen Frank or @G’rilla for 20 minutes. Or anyone else, for that matter.

The climbing starts as a roller or 2 (my heft does allow for collecting some additional speed at the bottom of the descent, but what goes down doesn’t always want to come back up…), and then its just ON. My vision has been reduced to pavement 5 feet ahead of me or glancing at that damn garmin device (I hadn’t known that it made sound effects, but it’s designed to laugh when one is climbing @ 6kph). Thank Merckx I hadn’t remembered the chest strap- registering 200bpm while it’s laughing probably woulda fried the circuit! I then started thinking about the app on Scaler’s iphone- the JVA app that allows one to hit a button to hear “shut up legs!” with that fine accent. As the climb wraps up, I find out scaler has flatted and the boys have doubled back (and looking awfully fresh, bastards!) to check on him. I collapse at the end of the climb, alone. Rapidly getting cold, stiffening. They’ve been gone a while now, I’m beginning to wonder if I missed the communiqué that we are just going to double back or something even more sadistic since the climb was “soooo easy, its so nice and sunny, let’s go climb more!” I’m tempted to whip out the phone and text/call someone, but that means removing my soaked full fingered glove which is densely adherent, knowing it’ll never go back on today. WTF.

The really funny thing about being the last one in the pack is the extra rest the strong get waiting for you at the end of climbs. Today, they went and worked more, and I collected myself. I think I got bitten by some radioactive bug or maybe the epo and steak diet has finally worked out. We take off as a group, and the punishment of the hills is gone. I’m cranking the rollers- punching uphill with the big boys, pulling occasionally on the flats with comfort, never so far gone as to be feeling cracked. Then the glory of the wind tunnel in reverse. After riding 4 hours, we are effortlessly frickin flying at 40-50kmph as if we were just warming up on a downhill. Is this what PRO fucken feels like? 2 of us (that would be me and a teammate) set the strava benchmark for that segment (but no KOM as someone musta had their garmin on in their car- @80kph)!

Now, a small potential bone of contention. I’ll be the first to admit that at least internally, I’m a fiercely competitive soul- why else the hell would I be here, right? Admittedly, way, way outclassed and outgunned this glorious day (and we won’t even talk about my rule violations because this is my story, dammit!), which wasn’t a race or even set up as a competitive ride. I never contested successfully one of the signs. But I am declaring myself the winner, sort of. The rule was never decided as to the “finish line,” but I did seize Scaler’s patio door first, which is good enough for me. Frank did declare with a mile to go that no one was going to stop this Dutchman from getting the first beer. That mighta been true. I couldn’t think or even see straight when I first walked into the party atmosphere. But is that important?

-gaswepass

[dmalbum path=”/velominati.com/content/Photo Galleries/frank@velominati.com/Portland Cogal v1.1/”/]

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64 Replies to “Portland Cogal v1.1 Post Ride Report”

  1. Sustained 45-50clicks on the flat?? I am now officially pooping bricks for the flanders ride. Who’s joining me in the bus?

  2. Every time I read one of these I get happy then sad. Happy cause I enjoy reading about it and get stoked for those who participated. And then sad cause i didn’t get to do it.

    What an awesome time and good food and beer. I’m not even going to touch the pee conspiracy(Mc). The cogals are fantastic.

  3. COGAL! COGAL! COGAL!

    You guys are fucking BADASS! Thanks for the writeup. I’ve done some riding in that area, and it is tough, tough, tough.

  4. Well done to all both on the ride and the write-ups. Pneumonia and wind aside, I’m envious of all participants. Do have to question those unopened beers though.

  5. @Kyle

    Well done to all both on the ride and the write-ups. Pneumonia and wind aside, I’m envious of all participants. Do have to question those unopened beers though.

    What unopened beers? The transients that roll thru my alley way to pickup and take the bottles and cans (rather steal them out of the recycling containers) over to Oregon for the $.05 deposit, probably made a cool $100 after we were done. Drink hard, ride harder.

  6. @Kyle

    Frank was bringing beers to the table four or five at a time, so he wouldn’t have to get back up again for awhile…

  7. @RedRanger

    Every time I read one of these I get happy then sad. Happy cause I enjoy reading about it and get stoked for those who participated. And then sad cause i didn’t get to do it.
    The cogals are fantastic.

    +1 to that.

    Also, this line had me laughing out loud at work: “I hadn’t known that it made sound effects, but apparently its designed to laugh when one is climbing @ 6kph- its not clear whether it counts as forward progress).”

    Great write up and sounds like it was an amazing time.

    Congrats to ALL!

  8. @Joe

    Sustained 45-50clicks on the flat?? I am now officially pooping bricks for the flanders ride. Who’s joining me in the bus?

    Gianni Gruppetto Andrews is here, I am the mayor of the laughing group at the back. I was born for that, no worries.

    All this talk of casually deliberate pace, not likely when fast people get together. Still, a great sounding day on the bikes and a proper piss up afterward, it’s what this cogal thing was meant to be.

  9. Good times! All the elements of a great day, the suffering, the camraderie, and you all Looked Fantastic.

    That Bosberg is sweet, but was the guy riding to the airport to catch a flight? Why was his suitcase strapped to the seat?

    And whoever had the bad sense to drink a Corona at least had the good sense not to finish it.

    Well done scaler et al…

  10. @brett

    Good times! All the elements of a great day, the suffering, the camraderie, and you all Looked Fantastic.
    That Bosberg is sweet, but was the guy riding to the airport to catch a flight? Why was his suitcase strapped to the seat?
    And whoever had the bad sense to drink a Corona at least had the good sense not to finish it.
    Well done scaler et al…

    That’d been Mrs. Scaler and Carrie on the Corona’s. She’s an IPA girl at heart, but knew that if the girls who were cooking and drinking 7.2% beers a good 4hrs before we got back, they wouldn’t have made it through the whole night. Merckx bless ’em. Both the ladies kept up with the 12 or so guys.

  11. Very nice work! Forget rain…its wind that makes bike racing/riding interesting. Rule #9 definitely needs a headwind / crosswind clause.

    And PEOPLE! Think harder before posting photos of beer. Its obviously a more divisive subject than tubs/clinchers, COTHO and helmets combined!

  12. This whole article just makes me want to ride my bike. So inspiring. Awesome.

  13. WAY bitd when I lived in PDX I had a Cat1 room mate that took me on an 80k “recovery ride” with him and two racer babes on his team through the area you guys are talking about. Trying to hold their wheels down Marine Dr. was devastating. Hardest ride I’ve ever done.

    Wish I could have been there with you guys but I was in St. George, UT enjoying a winter training camp. If you look closely you can just make out the V-Kit dancing up the hill.

  14. @scaler911

    That’d been Mrs. Scaler and Carrie on the Corona’s. She’s an IPA girl at heart, but knew that if the girls who were cooking and drinking 7.2% beers a good 4hrs before we got back, they wouldn’t have made it through the whole night. Merckx bless ’em. Both the ladies kept up with the 12 or so guys.

    Enough cannot be said about your wonderful wife and her friend. They certainly did cook up a great feast for us.

  15. @mcsqueak

    @scaler911

    That’d been Mrs. Scaler and Carrie on the Corona’s. She’s an IPA girl at heart, but knew that if the girls who were cooking and drinking 7.2% beers a good 4hrs before we got back, they wouldn’t have made it through the whole night. Merckx bless ’em. Both the ladies kept up with the 12 or so guys.

    Enough cannot be said about your wonderful wife and her friend. They certainly did cook up a great feast for us.

    +1

  16. @Joe

    Sustained 45-50clicks on the flat?? I am now officially pooping bricks for the flanders ride. Who’s joining me in the bus?

    Dude! There will be space in the gruppetto. There’s a better class of rider back here anyway…

  17. Well done to all!. Sounds like a great day had by all.
    BTW, any BBQ where someone has the tracky daks and flannelette on spells good times to me.

  18. @mrhallorann

    That’s it!
    We need a Brit Cogal organising ASAP…

    There is one on the Strack Desk waiting to be processed; just a matter of posting that shit up. Also one aptly named the “Prison” Cogal down Under. I daren’t say it, but it seems the servers are (momentarily) running agin and the sites kicking again, so now that the hangmans noose doesn’t look as appealing, I can get to shipping those over to the Cogals page.

  19. @Cyclops

    Was this you shooting off of the front?

    @all,

    Forgot to mention, while climbing through the hills I passed some “good ‘ol boys” cutting logs with chainsaws.

    Thankfully they just yelled “you’re almost to the top!” while revving their saws. Better than hearing “hey boy, you look sure do look purdy in them there outfit…”

    I also had a rottie run out of it’s property and give a half-hearted chase, which was good because I don’t think I could have gone much faster than I was already going up that incline.

  20. @gaswepass
    I have to admit that due to the above, I didn’t red your thesis until now. Solid gold.

    @Calmante

    Who does that Ritte belong to? That thing is gorgeous.

    It’s Joss’s’s, who was Oregons best all-rounder last year. I don’t know what that means, exactly. Sweet bike, but if they all come with an EPMS and squeaky chain, then I’ll not buy one.

  21. @frank

    The Iphone is even worse…

    @all

    Good work and great write-up. Glad the forecast almost worked out. I was a bit underdone with the numbers for the winds, but at least I made sure to highlight it.

    Can’t wait for 200 on 100!

  22. @King Clydesdale

    @frank
    The Iphone is even worse…
    @all
    Good work and great write-up. Glad the forecast almost worked out. I was a bit underdone with the numbers for the winds, but at least I made sure to highlight it.
    Can’t wait for 200 on 100!

    You were mostly right on the money. The wind rages here sometimes (thusly not far up the Columbia from where we were is the world class wind surfing/ kite boarding destination). Just found out that just uphill and east from where we turned south into the shelter, gusts reached 112+/Kph! Holy Merckx!!

  23. @frank

    @gaswepass
    I have to admit that due to the above, I didn’t red your thesis until now. Solid gold.
    @Calmante

    Who does that Ritte belong to? That thing is gorgeous.

    It’s Joss’s’s, who was Oregons best all-rounder last year. I don’t know what that means, exactly. Sweet bike, but if they all come with an EPMS and squeaky chain, then I’ll not buy one.

    Learn something new every day: check these links:
    MASSIVE BRONER FOR HENRI VAN LERBERGHE, THE ‘DEATHRIDER OF LICHTERVELDE’, RIGHT NOW.
    HE TURNED UP ON THE START LINE OF THE 1919 TOUR OF FLANDERS STRAIGHT FROM THE TRENCHES WITHOUT A BIKE. HE BORROWED ONE, ATTACKED THE FAVOURITE JULES VANHEVEL IN FRONT OF HIS OWN HOUSE, AND STOPPED IN SIGHT OF THE VELODROME FOR A COUPLE OF BEERS BEFORE THE FINISH.
    HE STILL FINISHED 14 MINUTES UP ON THE FIELD, DESPITE BEING SO WASTED HE HAD TO COMPLETE HIS LAP OF HONOUR ON FOOT.
    INCIDENTALLY, HE WAS ALSO KNOWN AS ‘RITTE’ – AND WAS THE INSPIRATION FOR A CERTAIN KICKASS BIKE BRAND.-BIGRINGRIDING

    http://www.ritteracing.com/blog/splash-page/

  24. Great write up. What you have there, riding as a close group and having a kick ass time, is all that matters in the world.

  25. @frank

    @gaswepass
    I have to admit that due to the above, I didn’t red your thesis until now. Solid gold.

    Appreciated!

    It’s Joss’s’s, who was Oregons best all-rounder last year. I don’t know what that means, exactly.

    “BAR” is a tip of the hat from OBRA (the Oregon racing body) to the individual accumulating the most points from racing over the course of the year.

  26. @frank

    @mrhallorann

    That’s it!
    We need a Brit Cogal organising ASAP…

    There is one on the Strack Desk waiting to be processed; just a matter of posting that shit up. Also one aptly named the “Prison” Cogal down Under. I daren’t say it, but it seems the servers are (momentarily) running agin and the sites kicking again, so now that the hangmans noose doesn’t look as appealing, I can get to shipping those over to the Cogals page.

    +1!

  27. @brett

    Yeah, those Bosbergs are nice, but I think I’ve got Muur-bone…

    That, Brett, is a work of art

  28. @schmiken

    @frank

    @mrhallorann

    That’s it!We need a Brit Cogal organising ASAP…

    There is one on the Strack Desk waiting to be processed; just a matter of posting that shit up. Also one aptly named the “Prison” Cogal down Under. I daren’t say it, but it seems the servers are (momentarily) running agin and the sites kicking again, so now that the hangmans noose doesn’t look as appealing, I can get to shipping those over to the Cogals page.

    +1!

    Okay guys, I’m organising a Northern Irish Cogal next weekend – 1377km, full circuit of Ireland, Guinness and Gravad Lax at every pub we pass (expect to be back next January) – calling alll Irish Velominati….. well, that’ll be me riding alone then….

    :o(

  29. @Dr C

    Okay guys, I’m organising a Northern Irish Cogal next weekend – 1377km, full circuit of Ireland, Guinness and Gravad Lax at every pub we pass (expect to be back next January) – calling alll Irish Velominati….. well, that’ll be me riding alone then….
    :o(

    Sounds perfect! Can you pay my wages for the fortnight off? Let me know, and I’ll book the flight! :D

  30. Sounds like a great time. Nothing better than a solid group ride to put you in good spirits. Wind like that would have been a nightmare alone. I always feel more able to bear such conditions when I’m in a group.

    Hmm, the urine trivia. My guess is the oversized mouse pictured is to blame. Either G’rilla has his own dogs & the smell was too much or, G’rillas and mice don’t get along that well…

    Cool Ritte. Sorry if I missed it, but who owns that?

    And, it seems both Blue Ribbon AND Corona made a showing at the post-ride party. Ha!

  31. @Ron

    Sounds like a great time. Nothing better than a solid group ride to put you in good spirits. Wind like that would have been a nightmare alone. I always feel more able to bear such conditions when I’m in a group.
    Hmm, the urine trivia. My guess is the oversized mouse pictured is to blame. Either G’rilla has his own dogs & the smell was too much or, G’rillas and mice don’t get along that well…
    Cool Ritte. Sorry if I missed it, but who owns that?
    And, it seems both Blue Ribbon AND Corona made a showing at the post-ride party. Ha!

    Ding! Ding! Ding! We have a winner! Seems that late into the evening, or early in the morning (same same), Little girl was doing her “let me out to pee” dance, and G’rilla thought she wanted to be picked up, rather than let outside. She’s never done that before, and I still feel bad. G’rilla was very gracious about it……..
    Ritte is owned by Joshua Liberles, a friend (and @gaswepass’ coach) that came along. Great guy.

  32. @doubleR

    I put that there, along with a brick inside to try and slow the bunch down to my speed. Didn’t work…

  33. Also, even though I look like a nerd I love seeing my picture and bike on the website when I load it up. Ahhh, ego stroking…

  34. @mcsqueak

    @doubleR
    I put that there, along with a brick inside to try and slow the bunch down to my speed. Didn’t work…

    Did Frank give you shit about the extreme Rule #29 violation?

  35. I’m glad none of you let a little dog urine spoil an otherwise good Cogal! Nice work, G’rilla. Peed on & forced into a retaping tutorial? Jeez, you’re a good man to pull through all of that!

    On another note, what do folks make of Boonen outdueling Cancellara yesterday in Qatar Stage 4? I know Boonen had teammates with him and Fabian didn’t but looks like Big Tom is back on form. And, looking to be in great physical shape. His legs are definitely bigger than his waist. It’s crazy.

  36. @Ron
    My take: Hopefully Tommeke is two months from peaking — cleaning up in preseason races isn’t always a good sign.

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