Golden...

The antidote to a day of wall to wall rain, grey sky, low visibility.

Golden.... It's all there.

Motorbikes, men opening car doors while they're moving, enough vittoria pavés to make you poo your keks, Cancellara crushing cobble (and the opposition) and a fleeting glimpse of our man Hoste.

I've needed this all week, something to perk up the post cross pre classic doldrums. Thanks to paperthin for providing the inspiration.

Dream On...

Just imagine.

Racing at night, under floodlights. A spectacle supported by the local community and businesses. Impartial trackside spectators interested in the happening rather than your hard suffering friends and family.

Oh if it could only happen in the uk...

...and if it did I wouldn't get a start, not being quick enough.

Time to start looking for a supermarket with a bit of landscaping. I'm sensing a return to my BMX roots without the BM.

Can't see the wood..

...for the cyclocrossers weaving through the tree's.

I feel like I've had a bit of down time on the blog yet with our busy lives there's been quite a bit happening. Racing and training have taken precedence in my valuable free time, with a good few hours spent either frequenting my local park, trail and secret space. The turbo has wakened far too early and has developed an earsplitting squeal, so much so, I was forced to abandon ship and finish a session early to retain my sanity and eardrums.

I've regained my mojo concerning my drawing and have some to upload, I try not to pressure myself into producing output yet I feel like a slacker when I don't. It feels great when you're inspired, get a vibe and want to do something creative. The only thing holding me back is current thinking in space and time. Come on theoretical physicists the world over, let us into the secret of time travel.

The Belgian pro cross ranks head to Namur this weekend, and I'm sure I could conjure a headline from the the words Citadel, Prince and Albert but I won't. Albert's put everyone to the sword so far (3 for 3) and the focus has been on Nys' poor form. The season's only in it's early stages yet, lets not forget Albert's tree incident that put him in hospital and out of action for a good chunk of the season, so there's plenty of time to see Nys come good. Yet the rabid sportsfan always wants results NOW and we may be seeing a changing of the guard. Time to start looking at the U23's to figure out another young pretender.

Back to Namur. I fumbled through the Sporza report airing Albert's concerns that the course is for Mountainbikers ands today had some clarity from cxmag (my flemish isn't so good). So with this in mind maybe Albert should fit a moto....make that maybe everyone else should fit a moto to keep up. The two video clips show the huge elevation transitions of the area. The first is retro, grainy and is right at home at Here Come the Belgians. The second is short and sweet but shows the height gain eloquently.

So what's next? More training, more racing, some drawing and getting stoked on the Belgian cross season.

Stop.....GO!

Our first race as a defined team has been and gone (check our reports here & here), and with it a combination of excitement, frantic designing, bike building, worrying and general stoke for the season opener.

I now feel flat. The general pace that everything came together has been replaced with an ethereal calm. I think I'm addicted and I want more. It's just too quiet.

Quiet is a slight understatement. The turbo has been dragged kicking and screaming from it's summer hiding place. It's hibernation rudely awakened with a volley of intervals and will do so until it's battered body can return to slumber. Not for a good few weeks yet.

My design output has dried up this week, a victim of modern life and it's tribulations. I have the key for the floodgates and expect to turn it in a short while. Keep an eye out for a limited number of team caps making an appearance, you'll have to be quick to get your hands (or head in) one.

The Vuelta's been chugging it's merry Sangria'd way around Spain yet hasn't found it's way on my radar. Even as a child, it wasn't a race I followed or was interested in. Uncanny then, that I flick Eurosport over to see Lars Boom laying waste to the breakaway and finishing alone. Fantastic. Hopefully Rabo will channel his talent towards the only races that matter...The Classics. A Boonen, Boom shootout in Roubaix, how the fantasy cycling mind wanders.

Having said that Boom looks better covered in mud thought, doesn't he.

The cruelty of the microbiologial world has visited Bart Wellens, which is harsh as he's a great competitor. Wax on, wax off karate kid.

So after a flurry of spectating, back to quiet...in preparation for tonights turbo session.

Return to Cool...The Cool pt. 3

The Giro is now becoming a distant memory yet the tribulations of life have succeeded in denying me the chance to sit down and watch it's closing moments. I have it recorded and will watch it, but sacrificing precious recovery sleep when I'm not getting enough as it is, is a difficult choice to make.

I doubt a spring classic would get this treatment, I owe an apology to the Giro.

My pet concept of Sprezzatura warrants a final time trial though.

What does it mean to us? I believe it's probably at the core of Road Cycling. The many blogs that extol the virtues of PRO - from your pre ride customs to bike to riding to post ride refinements - are probably talking about Sprezzatura to varying degrees. Yet blindly striving for inclusion to the club of PRO probably would not be Sprezzatura-like. A Renaissance courtier would have been expected to have a wide range of abilities, all done to their best. In this context we as cyclists should broaden our horizons, embrace our weakspots and work on them, create a sense of balance and do what we do with style.

Sprezzatura did become tarnished with the nonchalance and arrogance of the successful, becoming a highly negative energy focused on the aspirant. Something we should maybe bear in mind as we pass judgement (maybe unintentionally) on our fellow cyclist.

So where does Giovanni Agnelli come into it? The ex head of FIAT was said to be the pinnacle of men's fashion and grooming and with style, flair and knowledge of self he was able to twist the rules of dressing - e.g wearing his wristwatch over his cuff, at will in order to lull his competitors into a false sense of security.

So next time you get dropped by a old guy with unshaven legs, on a nail, with black socks on, stop and think. He may just have more style than you realise.

Waiting....

"Cobble, Cross and Classics are life.......everything before and after is just waiting." Steve McQueen (kinda)

One grand tour down, 2 more to go, turning the cyclist into spectator. Here's Quickstep to help you keep your motivation for the snap of autumn/spring weather.

Dopest of the Dope, better believe I'm the Dopest

It's the last thing I'll say on it...

Rebellin was going to get the poster treatment, but that's all gone to pot (or should that be cera) and now the green arrow has been banned from the Italian pub/bar/brewpub (delete as geographically applicable) for two years.

So until the next cycling newsflash, here's a whole wealth of cycling history and it's black arts, even if it's a wiki and half of it was made up, it's a decent read.

The task of rounding off this post goes to my brother Rob, veteran of many trips to the Classics, with what I thinks a funny quote;

"We once went into a bar in outer Liege called the Sheffield Pub, very scary indeed. The hotel manager where we stayed told us not to do drugs in our room, he must have seen the bikes."

Wonder whether the manager was differentiating between performance enhancing or recreational?

That's Life...

Aaargh Tom, what's going on?

From ascending King of Classics to fallen partyboy, that has everyone walking around shaking their heads in disbelief. Ah Hum....

And 3's my lucky number.. ironic.

Anyways we're not going to get judgemental or preachy here, it would be great to see Boonen destroy more Roubaix lineups and challenge the title of Mr Roubaix for most wins, so I'll leave it to Duane Peters (drug addled pro skater) to offer the musical advice wrapped up in the US Bombs version of Big Frank's (ole blue eyes) That's Life... (have a click and a read, blog junkie)

It has a feeling of - I saw this and though of you to it. So if Tom starts wearing eyeliner, spiking his hair and gettin' too's the warning signs are there.

For those of you looking at me through squinting eyes... I know,I know... this is supposed to be a cycling blog.

It doesn't harm the cyclist to have a variety of interests though, just maybe not the one's Tom's into.

Il faire du vent

I thought it was windy this weekend but this puts it in perspective...

"There is something very unsettling about riding at 60 kph learned over at a 45 degree angle into the wind and your front wheel becoming airborne as you fighting to stay upright..."

Read more on Christian Meier's blog which should develop into an interesting read this year as he's riding for Garmin/Slipstream.

Ride.

Great photo. Leave your desk, get out and ride.

Don't know who took it, I'm guessing a Lotto photoshoot. I saw it while reading this.

Tufty Club

This guy should forget the road and be racing hardcore cross in Belgium. The 3 peaks would be a cakewalk especially with this story.

The life and adventures of of Grizzly A......Sorry I meant Svein Tuft ladies and gentlemen!

The article alludes to him riding Roubaix, I'd love to see that especially if it was a sideways hail, mud strewn affair, I think he'd thrive.