With a voracious appetite for blog based bicycle reading, I've been battling the inner demon which has had me sitting back and soaking it all up without reciprocating and putting some effort (and content) back into it.

I've thoroughly enjoyed Ryan and Whit's coverage of Le Tour. I've given up on any pretension to write with flair and poise, I'll leave it to these guys (I'll stick to scribbling). On the flip side Cylingnews has just about had it with me, they may as well remove news from the title, or was that part of the redesign strategy?

I love this post by Molly Cameron. I empathise with his preseason wobble concerning the effort he's putting in as the outcome is, as yet unknown. I'm feeling the same although my training effort is inversely proportionate to his. The complexities of life transpire to make my recent training hours short (mmm, that's very short) whilst relatively intense. I'll race well this coming season, if they shorten races to 15 minutes.

The British weather has also transpired to rain on our parade. Literally. Non-stop.

Time off the bike isn't all bad thought. Late June we landscaped the garden. 10 days, glorious sunshine, early mornings and late finishes. I lost 6 pounds without trying, forget calorie counting and restrictive eating...go garden. I wonder if Wiggins used this method as his weigh loss strategy.

Advertising dollars spent sponsoring cyclists work. One week I'm looking at this thumbs up, the next week I'm inspired to buy gabions by said company to install in the garden. The fact they were bang on price, easy to build and close by made no difference...Honest.

Anyway, time to get drawing...and riding.

No News is Good News...

Lance has had his press conference, whilst Contador is scratching his head over any future press conferences, their content and what team he'll be representing. A plethora of riders will be outlining their future plans from blue to red, red to blue or red to unemployment. Even British teams are getting in on the act, with RaphaCondor making an announcement later this week.

So not to be outdone, Here Come the Belgians have news to broadcast in the near future. Before that time (patience grasshopper) just a few i's to dot and t's to print...

More Questions than Answers...

So where have all the mountaintop finishes gone?

The chance for the baying crowd to snare a rider with a musette. Crouching too long whilst catching the once in a lifetime photo - to be part of the once in a lifetime rider crash, beamed to the four corners of the world highlighting your lifetime of idiocy.

Denied.

But more importantly, what becomes of the humble promo sunhat?

Given away in their thousands to grace the vein bulging foreheads of sunburned (ironic isn't it), drunken cycling fans. The simple sunhat maintains it's steely understated grip on the world of advertising head wear and surely has been with us through the ages of road racing.

Think I'm making it all up - here's photo evidence via the Rapha blog, with more to be found here.

Yet who's taken any notice?

What happened to all the hat's given away through the ages?

Are there collectors of historic versions?

Do they exchange hands via a sunhat blackmarket, frequented by men in trenchcoats, sunglasses, strange handshakes and suitcases of money?

Is there a café somewhere with them framed and plastered to the wall?

Does a museum exist?

Can we visit it?

Waiting...

Having a relatively artistic temperament, you can be prone to the odd black day. Black is maybe too extreme but sounds better than a Pantone Cool grey 9 day, although in Stockport Cool Grey 9 would be very appropriate somedays.

Anyway, yesterday I was off form. I've come through a period of blog inactivity, finally managed to get out and ride, started to get some drawings together, am collaborating on a great project I wish I could spill the beans on, yet yesterday I just felt low, apathetic and demotivated.

I returned home (after a day of sunshine) to see the heavens open and washout any chance of a decent spin. I sank lower.

Then I started drawing... and got somewhere.

I watched some tv and laughed out loud...

I went to bed... and awoke feeling on top form.

Then I flick back to bartape.net this morning, on the off chance the Roubaix video is posted... and it was. I saw the Flanders clip and whilst enjoying it, I wasn't fully satisfied.

I'll just say my spirits are soaring.

Overlook the best bike/team sales pitch yada yada and soak up some of the images on the 11 minute film.

It's very good for your soul.

All you can eat

I've been away from the keyboard, you probably noticed, yet I haven't been away from a computer. My recent activity (more on that in another post) has kept me working late without the energy nor mental capacity to produce anything more meaningful than a mumble for another mini beer reviver.

I've turned into a consumer and Le Tour's turned us all into eaters at the grand tour buffet. This year seems a whole platter of insanity, it's like the chef decided to serve dessert in between starter and main. My taste buds are on fire.

So here's my contribution to the party. A mild diversion from the prolonged bicycle chess match. The reason we're here. Cross on!

Prepare, turn the sound on, don't watch it all or your ears will bleed.

Do you think you like Cyclocross? I don't think you do.

On a better note (Joke intended) here's some inspiration for the crossista as I know our thought are turning to the leaves falling even though they're in full bloom.

Niels Albert's return to fitness. Great footage of him ripping through the woods.

Enjoy.