The start of February is the worst time of year for me. It's been two months since I have raced. It has been cold, wet, dark and dreary and the weekends, my only refuge from the trainer, have not been good either. Frankly, I am mentally drained and dread hopping on the trainer.

Adding to my distress is that the race season starts in three weeks. Yes, it is only Froze Toes, but the start of season is still the start of the road season.

I should have ridden outside today but I opted for the trainer again because I wasn't sure about the condition of the roads in IL. The trainer workout went well but I absolutely cannot ride the trainer again tomorrow and still keep my sanity. Even though it will be colder than today, my mind needs a break. Four hours in the fresh air will do wonders for me.

February is still winter but, in general, the weather slightly improves throughout the month. And, hopefully, my attitude will be improving starting tomorrow.

I can't wait.

I was looking at the photos from Ag2r...

I was looking at the photos from Ag2r's team presentation this morning.  As a team, Ag2r doesn't exactly light my cycling passions afire so I did not bother reading the article explaining how they will conquer the cycling world in 2010.  Instead, I scanned the photos taken of the brown-shorted wonders.

Nick Roche was there, resplendent in his Irish jersey as well as the appropriately named French Champion, Dimitri Champion, showing off the tricolor

The first team photo I saw looked rather bland.  Taken in an office, in front of a blue screen that was not big enough and several riders on the left completely distracted.  I can only guess this isn't the "official" photo.  But, I digress.  One of these guys is a troublemaker.  Can you guess which one?

No, it is not the Richard Nixon looking dude in suit and pink tie.

Check out the guy behind Champion Champion in this second photo.  I like this guy, whoever he is.  He doesn't like being stuck in the back.  He wants the limelight.  He might just have a future.

 

Mavic has a long history in the sport...

Mavic has a long history in the sport of cycling but, in the past couple years, they seem to have lost their way to some degree.  First was the release of the R-Sys wheel system.  The carbon spoke had several well publicized catastrophic wheel failures that seemed to occur for no apparent reason.  Mavic seems to be sticking by the R-Sys wheel's reliability and, with time, perhaps they will perfect the technology.

More disturbing than the R-Sys is Mavic's latest wheel creation.  A picture is worth a thousand words so I will only say this idea will NOT sweep the cycling world.

Obvious headline of the Day

Obvious headline of the Day

Cyclingnews reported today that "Quick Step to focus on the classics in 2010"  Is that really news?  That headline is only slightly less obvious than a headline reading "Greipel wins Tour Down Under stage"

Amid the start of the race season at ...

Amid the flurry of team presentations and the start of the race season at the Tour Down Under, the organizers of the Giro d'Italia unveiled this years leaders jerseys.  This particular practice seems, for the most part, unique to the Giro.  The Tour de France jerseys may have slightly different sponsors from year to year but they have the basic yellow, green, white and polka dot jerseys.  The Giro tends to let designers have a little freedom while keeping with the basic theme.

When I saw the pictures of this year's Giro jerseys, I was quite excited.  I was swept away by the shape, the wonderful lines and the obvious softness.

And, while on the subject, the jersey looks okay too

Since I am unqualified...

I present to you the new Footon-Servetto-Fuji team kits.

Since, according to "Anonymous Style Expert", I am unqualified to comment on team kits because I did not go to design school I give you the thoughts of another unqualified commentator.  Steve from steephill.tv had this to say on Twitter about Footon's gold(?) kits with a big footprint on them.

"Cycling kit designers are still on strike. This new jersey from Footon-Servetto-Fuji is really taking a beating."

and

"Anyone on a pro team w/ a bad kit (there are now many) will be inspired more than ever to win their RR Nationals." 

Good times.

Good times.

I actually managed to tick off a reader.  For years I have dispensed innocuous, mindless drivel onto this little nook of the interwebs for my own amusement.  Why anybody would bother to read this blog is beyond me but, apparently a few people are masochists and submit themselves to my random thoughts.

My hit counts are staggering low.  Google tells me, for instance, that I have averaged 8.5 visitors per day this month.  How can I have .5 visitors?  My guess is that my anonymous, angry reader is only half a person.

A full person could not possibly be so conceited as to think that only design school graduates can express opinions about race kits.  How dare I, the stylistically challenged and uneducated, dare suggest that Team Sky's blue stripe and giant lightbulb design on the back of their jerseys is bad.  I just do not understand the genius of the design.

Get accustomed to my comments Anonymous Style Expert, there will be more.

Rabobank

Rabobank began it's team sponsorship back in 1996.  Now, in their fourteenth year, they are among the longest running sponsors in the sport and the longest among ProTour teams.

If you were to believe Cyclingnews.com's caption writers, Rabobank has planned their team well into the future.

It is good to know Rabobank will still be around in 2020.  I am not sure that these guys will still be competitive at that point, however.

The new mega-bucks

The new mega-bucks super squad, Team Sky, had their team presentation Monday.  It looked to be the typically exciting affair with skinny, lycra clad guys standing around on stage answering questions about how their team is so much better than the other skinny teams that are standing around stages around the world answering questions while dressed in lycra.

The evenings activities did give us the opportunity to see Team Sky's new kit.  Initial photos indicated a very understated kit black kit with a blue chest stripe emblazoned with the word SKY.  Nice, simple and actually a little too boring for me, which is hard to do.  Maybe some small pinstriping in an accent color would have been nice to make the blue stripe stand out but it did not look awful.  The jerseys benefits by having one major sponsor.  The design is not bogged down with ten different company names cluttering up the jersey.  And, ten bonus points for wearing black shorts.  The most unique feature is having the riders name on the side panel of the jersey.

Those were my first impressions of the jersey.  Then I saw the back of the jersey and, frankly, I am puzzled.  First, the title sponsor is a tiny little logo.  Brilliant marketing.  Second is an full length, inch wide blue stripe running down the spine of the rider.  The stripe is not a terribly offensive feature but it is rather contradictory to the horizontal stripe across the front of the jersey.  And the third most puzzling feature on the back of the jersey is a giant, white, lightbulb shaped blob covering much of the back.  What is that?  Why?

I'm also a little disturbed by Team Sky's decision to use Jaguar's for team cars.  Jaguar's are fine cars but a little over the top for a team car.  Using Jaguars takes Team Sky dangerously close to Rock Racing use of Hummers for team cars and being associated with Rock Racing has not been something many people seek.

Let me correct that statement, Rock has been a refuge for dopers and ex-dopers.  Hamilton, Sevilla, Botero, Leogrande and Mancebo.  Mancebo wasn't caught but was so scared of Puerto he immediately "retired" until Rock came knocking.

Rock also has a penchant for going after aging Italian stars.  Cipollini was signed a couple years ago and now Rock is reportedly at the top of nearly retired, Gilberto Simoni's list of teams... provided Rock actually gets licensed as a Pro Continental team.  That's a big IF, given their track record but the I give them credit for sticking with the sport despite their own missteps, gaffes and the recession which has reportedly hit the company hard.  Actually Simoni and Rock actually makes a little now that I think about it.  Not is only is Gilberto an over the hill Italian climber but he, or his mother, can supply the team with cocaine tainted candy.  Excellent!

Speaking of climbers, one hit wonder Jose Rujano claims that he is back and will win the Giro.  This prediction flies in the face of the fact that Rujano has had no success as a cyclist for the last four years.  He figures he can win because he is one of the three best climbers in the world.  And he is modest, too.

Who are the two better climbers according to Rujano?  Alberto Contador.  That makes sense.  And #2 is Joaquin Rodridguez.  Excuse me, Joaquin Rodriguez?  Me thinks Jose has been chewing on some of Simoni's Colombian coke candy.

Rujano's logic is that Armstrong and A. Schleck are not natural climbers.  Okay, I guess he defines a climber as a guy capable of repeated quick accelerations of speed up the mountain.  Frankly, I consider a good climber as being someone who gets to the top of the mountain ahead of the others.  And, on that count, I can list a bunch of people better than Rujano.

By his definition, he MAY be right.  Right off the top of my head, I would list Ricco as a better climber, too.  Oh sure, he was on the juice.  But, for all we know, so was Rujano.  I will have to give some more thought about current climbers and see what I come up with.

More 2010 race kits are being revealed.

More 2010 race kits are being revealed.

 

Let's get this over with right now.  Best jersey of 2010, regardless of what is revealed in the future, is Quick Step's new jersey.  Not completely new since they wanted to wear the jersey at Roubaix last year.  But, thanks to the UCI, that was not allowed.  I'm so pleased that Quick Step did not leave this design in ash heap of history and will be using it full time.  Simple, classic perfection.

 

 

Next up, Katusha.  No big deal here.  The kit was not good last year and it has not changed, except for having blue sleeves for 2010.  Move along, not much to see here.

 

Lastly, Astana presented their new kit.  Actually, I like the basic design better than last year.  It is clean and simple and I like that.  The bad news is getting rid of the darker blue shorts.  Now, they kind of look like a giant robin's egg.  Just to clear up any confusion, robin eggs are not a good thing in my view.  They should be recognizable in the peloton, however, so I give them some points for that.

 

The other exciting news about Astana is that they revealed a team picture.  The first team picture that I have seen this year.  Astana used what is probably the second most common team picture.  The overhead photo. 

 

Aside from being shot from above there is not much to say.  What catches my eye, however, are the oddities in this photo.  Who is the management guy in the back row wearing a blue shirt when the other three are wearing white?  Also, who is the guy wearing the yellow Mavic shoes in the front row, when everyone else is wearing white shoes?  Did he not get the "white shoes" memo?  Finally, who are the guys in the far upper left of the picture?  They are not in race kit but, wow, are they sticks!!!

!!! 

 

 

 

Right now I am feeling a little geeke...

Right now I am feeling rather geeked up about the news of the Vino Fondo on May 1st.  130 miles out in the hilly wine country between Augusta and Hermann.  That will be an ass-kicker of a route and a worthy route for a Gran Fondo, but I like the idea of the challenge. 

 

If I end up doing Rouge-Roubaix in March this could be an epic Spring.

I can't let the year end without

I cannot let the year end without commenting on what was the "Ideal Gift" for Christmas.  And, if Rapha says it is ideal, they mean that it is ideal for putting an unreasonable dent your credit card bill.  This year's ideal gift, according to their completely unbiased website, was the Essentials Case. 

 

It really is amazing how a single letter can change the meaning of a word.  Take the "S" in Essentials, as an example.  This zippered bad may carry essentials for riding.  An inner tube, levers, CO2, etc.  However, I can't help but think Rapha would like you to remove the "S" and think the bag itself is essential.

 

Personally, I have never had a problem with using a jersey pocket to carry my essentials.  It seems to me, that is why we have pockets on jerseys.  They are not there for their good looks.  But, hey, that's just me.  I have even less problems using a jersey pocket or bike bag when I see that Rapha is charging it's typically outrageous price of $55 for a 4"x6" zippered bag.  Why $55?  Well, it has a zipper on two, yes TWO, sides.  I know that is impressive but it also has the words Bon Courage written on the bag.  That seals the deal for me.  I'm ordering five of them.

 

When I first saw the Essentials Bag, the first thing that came to mind was toe clippers.  That may seem strange but my dear, departed mother made a leather bag for holding nail clippers about 25 years ago.  Oddly enough, her bag was also 4"x6".  And, as a bonus, her bag had a zipper was on THREE sides.  Heck, with some nice photography and some flowery, self-important verbage, she probably could have sold this bag for $65.

I can't let the year end without

I cannot let the year end without commenting on what was the "Ideal Gift" for Christmas.  And, if Rapha says it is ideal, they mean that it is ideal for putting an unreasonable dent your credit card bill.  This year's ideal gift, according to their completely unbiased website, was the Essentials Case. 

 

It really is amazing how a single letter can change the meaning of a word.  Take the "S" in Essentials, as an example.  This zippered bad may carry essentials for riding.  An inner tube, levers, CO2, etc.  However, I can't help but think Rapha would like you to remove the "S" and think the bag itself is essential.

 

Personally, I have never had a problem with using a jersey pocket to carry my essentials.  It seems to me, that is why we have pockets on jerseys.  They are not there for their good looks.  But, hey, that's just me.  I have even less problems using a jersey pocket or bike bag when I see that Rapha is charging it's typically outrageous price of $55 for a 4"x6" zippered bag.  Why $55?  Well, it has a zipper on two, yes TWO, sides.  I know that is impressive but it also has the words Bon Courage written on the bag.  That seals the deal for me.  I'm ordering five of them.

 

When I first saw the Essentials Bag, the first thing that came to mind was toe clippers.  That may seem strange but my dear, departed mother made a leather bag for holding nail clippers about 25 years ago.  Oddly enough, her bag was also 4"x6".  And, as a bonus, her bag had a zipper was on THREE sides.  Heck, with some nice photography and some flowery, self-important verbage, she probably could have sold this bag for $65.

Brad Wiggins long-rumored and often d...

Brad(ley) Wiggins long-rumored and often denied signing with Team Sky finally happened this week.  His departure is rather low-class in my view.  For months he has been denying any move to Sky and then he would turn around say something in the press that would clear(ley) indicate his desire to switch teams.  That would then lead to more denials, etc, etc, etc.

 

Now, a little more than a month before the 2010 season starts, he leaves the team with whom he has signed a contract.  Transfers and buyouts are nothing new in cycling but it has always seemed to happen earlier than December.  Particular(ley) someone who is thought to be a team leader.

 

Out of curiosity, I looked for info on Roberto Heras' switch from Kelme to US Postal in 2000.  Heras' transfer was similar.  He was a team leader still under contract with Kelme for another year.  Heras official(ley) signed with Postal on November 5th.   But, he revealed on Sept 19 that he had a verbal agreement with US Postal.

 

Even more regrettable than Brad(ley)'s late signing are the photos taken at the Team Sky press conference.  Sorry, but neck scarves and velvet jackets do not belong in cycling.  I think Brad(ley) had a few extra pints at the pub to cause him to dress so bad(ley)

Next year's team kits are beginning t...

 

Next year's team kits are beginning to roll out.  Time to find out what teamS will look sartorially resplendant and what teams will look like an aerodynamic Bozo the clowns.

First came news of Cervelo TestTeam's updated kit.  The picture they released shows them returning to the mostly black design they began the year with in 2009. 

"We're really happy with the new design of the kit," said Gerard Vroomen, co-founder of Cervélo. "The Cervélo TestTeam riders are back in black, making it easy to pick them out of the bunch. While Castelli has gone more futuristic in its fabrics, the look is updated with the classic bar across the chest, harking back to the bike industry teams of yesteryear. Finally, the signature 'é' logo on the back really stands out."

Sounds exciting doesn't it?  It's amazing what a red horizontal stripe across the chest can do for a fashion conscious cyclist.

As an example, look at the "pitiful" 2009 jerseys.

But, the addition of the red stripe on the jersey (and some fake clouds in the background) instantly transforms Thor Hushovd and Claudia Hausler into dapper dandies. 

Meanwhile, Le Shaque du Radio unveiled a prototype jersey design.  In an email that I, as a very important person in the cycling industry, received from Le Shaque du Radio Monday evening the jersey is described this way...

"It was our goal this year to create something visually distinctive and a look that was symbolic of what we feel Team RadioShack is all about: cutting edge technology, speed, strength, determination and a global message to LIVESTRONG. The experts at Nike and our partners at RadioShack helped to create this fast form-fitting design using various textures and patterns symbolizing the themes of new technology, global connectivity and community. We think it looks pretty damn cool."

Holy crap, I think I just peed my pants with excitement.  The marketing guy really earned his keep with that description.

 

Don't get me wrong, I think it works fine as a race kit.  It is simple, clean and fairly distinctive.  I'm a little surprised the Radio Shack logo is not a little bigger but all is fine in my book.

But really, when did a block of red and a block of gray come to symbolize cutting edge technology, speed, strength and determination?

And what are these various textures and patterns that symbolize the themes of new technology, global connectivity and community?  Those must be the polka dots.

Maybe polka dots do symbolize new technology.  This mouse is all the evidence I need.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Next year's team kits are beginning to roll out.  Time to find out what teamS will look sartorially resplendant and what teams will look like an aerodynamic Bozo the clowns.

First came news of Cervelo TestTeam's updated kit.  The picture they released shows them returning to the mostly black design they began the year with in 2009. 

"We're really happy with the new design of the kit," said Gerard Vroomen, co-founder of Cervélo. "The Cervélo TestTeam riders are back in black, making it easy to pick them out of the bunch. While Castelli has gone more futuristic in its fabrics, the look is updated with the classic bar across the chest, harking back to the bike industry teams of yesteryear. Finally, the signature 'é' logo on the back really stands out."

Sounds exciting doesn't it?  It's amazing what a red horizontal stripe across the chest can do for a fashion conscious cyclist.

As an example, look at the "pitiful" 2009 jerseys.

But, the addition of the red stripe on the jersey (and some fake clouds in the background) instantly transforms Thor Hushovd and Claudia Hausler into dapper dandies. 

 

Meanwhile, Le Shaque du Radio unveiled a prototype jersey design.  In an email that I, as a very important person in the cycling industry, received from Le Shaque du Radio Monday evening the jersey is described this way...

It was our goal this year to create something visually distinctive and a look that was symbolic of what we feel Team RadioShack is all about: cutting edge technology, speed, strength, determination and a global message to LIVESTRONG. The experts at Nike and our partners at RadioShack helped to create this fast form-fitting design using various textures and patterns symbolizing the themes of new technology, global connectivity and community. We think it looks pretty damn cool.

Holy crap, I think I just peed my pants.  The marketing guy really earned his keep with that description.

Don't get me wrong, I think it works fine a race kit.  It is simple, clean and fairly distinctive.  I'm a little surprised the Radio Shack logo is not a little bigger but all is fine in my book.

But really, when did a block of red and a block of gray come to symbolize cutting edge technology, speed, strength and determination?

And what are these various textures and patterns that symbolize the themes of new technology, global connectivity and community?  Those must be the polka dots.

Have you been wondering what the future of fashion in our globally connected and tecnologically advanced 21st century will be?

http://fashaddix.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/michael-kors-black-polka-dot-dress.jpg

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Velonews.com is one of my regular mor...

 

Velonews.com is one of my regular morning reads.  Actually, it is more of a scan of the front page to see if they have any news that cyclingnews does not.  Rarely, does that happen because it is just not very good for timely reporting of news.  They do occasionally have a feature article thats interesting or some technical questions answered that can be useful.

One item on their website that I rarely pay any attention to is the "Rider Profile" section.  One thing I find odd is that it is not uncommon for the profiled rider to be somebody that I have never, ever heard of in my life.  I'm not Mr Know-it-all about pro cyclists but I do follow the sport pretty closely and think I know a large number of riders.  Regardless, the "Rider Profile" typically basic rider info like nationality, team, height, weight, what type of rider they are and palmares for a rider.

Sunday night I was up late waiting for some processes at work to complete so I had time to kill.  I scrolled down the Velonews page and glanced at the Rider Profile and saw they had chosen to profile Didier Henriette Henriette.

Who?  Didier Henriette Henriette?

What an interesting name.  Folks with double names strike me funny for some reason.  The first person I knew about with that type of naming was former UN Secretary General Boutros Boutros-Ghali.  A classic name in my book.  More recently in the news was Afghani presidential candidate Abdullah Abdullah.  Unfortunately, he lost a controversial election so the world was left searching for a new double-namer.  Naturally, the news of a cyclist named Didier Henriette Henriette got me a little excited.

Much to my chagrin Velonews just has bad webmasters.  This became evident when today's featured rider was Jake Rytlewski Rytlewski.  But, I digress.

When I saw the name Didier Henriette Henriette I had to click on his name to find out more about this soon-to-be favorite cyclist of mine.  Below is what I found, thanks to Velonews.

 

Call me crazy but, if Velonews is going to profile someone, should they not have just a tiny bit more information than his nationality and date of birth.  Is that really a rider profile?  Do they not even know what team pays Monsieur Henriette Henriette's salary?

Why even bother.