Great Road Climbs of the Southern Alps

Keeping in line with photo books. Rapha releases its 2nd volume in cycling guides called Great Road Climbs of the Southern Alps. "Written by Graeme Fife with the photography of Pete Drinkell, the book captures the beauty and intrigue of the southern regions of the Alps, exploring climbs and roads steeped in the history of road racing and beyond."

Another cycling photography book. Another auto cop.

At least for me, while cycling everything is slowed down and you can truly appreciate your surroundings. The scenery, people, traffic, buildings. I guarantee you take a bike ride on a normal route you drive and you will see things that you just sped by. I personally can not wait for ALC9 for that reason alone. Going to see more of California in one week then I have in 28 years.

More info, words, and images from here.

Velo Cult Book

A couple years back I had the opportunity to visit the original Velo Cult spot in La Jolla via Hype Mulroney. I was blown away by the great people, and the sheer volume of vintage bikes in the shop and packed in the back of Sky's truck. For Velo Cult to be in the position they are in now is a testament to their ideals to embrace bike culture as a whole not a singular facet of a sport. Be it mountain, road, velo, fixed, or cruiser they got you covered. Please please support one of the best bicycle shops in Southern California.

From clothing to now a book, Velo Cult is definitely doing it big. "This is the 1st sample of the Velo Cult book. The book contains photos I have taken over the past few years. There are photos of framebuilders, rare parts and bikes, riding photos and just about anything bike related. We are in the final stages of finishing the book and are currently looking for printers." This is the book to buy. Combining my two loves, photography and cycling, you know this is auto cop for me.

Words and images from here.

Long Beach Bike Festival

I bet you when you mention Long Beach to someone the first thing they think of are gangsters, or Snoop Dog, or something totally unrelated to cycling. I recently read in Bicycling Magazine's May 2010 issue that the LBC is rated 23rd out of 50 as one of America's Best Bike Cities. Yeah that is right 23 out of 50. The LBC beat out Boston (26/50), Philadelphia (27/50), and Miami (44/50). See the complete list here. Long Beach is headed in the right direction by adding more bike lanes, and promoting bicycle safety and awareness. In the quest to become the best, the city has started an annual bike festival. This year's is between May 7 - 9.

"The annual Long Beach Bicycle Festival consists of anything and everything bicycle-related: from the Fixed Gear Fest contests to bicycle polo, a charity benefit Tour of Long Beach ride, USA Cycling Bicycle Grand Prix to the CYCLESTYLE Fashion Show, food, music, and much more. The event represents the ongoing Bike Long Beach campaign, an innovative plan to make Long Beach "the most cycling friendly urban city in the United States."" You do you Long Beach.

The events I'm most looking forward too are the Fixed Gear Fest and the Long Beach Bicycle Grand Prix. I have a good feeling the Fixed Gear Fest is going to be over run with homeless looking people with cut off jean shorts riding some conversion trying to trick. Should be good times. Sadly, I did not get my hipster membership renewed I'll just be there snapping pics and loling it up. The Grand Prix should be complete opposite. It should be real good race with a large purse and local pro-am teams competing. Bahati was there last year racing on Rock Racing.

If you have the time and live in the area, make an effort to come and support a worthy campaign. It's sad not more large metro cities are not doing this. Get out, ride, and discover your city.

Words and images from here.

iMINUSD for Cinelli MASH

Initially, I was not a fan of the green colorway. But after seeing a proper picture it is definitely growing on me. Plus, iMINUSD's build is legit. Check the write up here.

Specs:
Frame: Cinelli MASH green

Fork: Cinelli
Crankset: Campagnolo Record Pista – Tufram Sugino Zen
Cog & Chain: Phil 17T – Izumi Super V
Saddle: Selle Italia SLR Evolution
Stem: Nitto CT-80
Seatpost: Thomson
Wheelset: iD42 Polished – Campagnolo Record Pista
Pedalset: Speedplay
Tires: Continental GatorHardshell

Team Hype Rides ALC9 Day on the Ride

Over the weekend Team Hype handled Day on the Ride. It was a great opportunity to see how an actual day of ALC9 would be. The route was tough, and only getting 3 hours of sleep did not help. I blame Team Hype fundraiser for that. There was a lot more climbing than I thought there would be, and being fixed did not make it easier. Ascending was not as bad descending. With no coasting I was spinning out a lot, and it was taxing on the legs. Babies need not apply.

The route up to the 1st rest stop was nice. I was hopped on the adrenaline from the excitement. So the lack of a real breakfast had no affect on the first 17 miles. Rode along the coast for a bit, and through a lot of neighborhoods. When we got to the rest stop met Team Lope Tyre Clubbe, who are also riding ALC fixed. Nice to see another crew committed to riding 545 miles with no coasting. After the much needed food and Powerade, we saddled up and started to ride to the next stop.

Image from here.

The next stop was LUNCH TIME! Boudin's catered lunch. Best. Turkey. Sandwich. Ever. Well, probably not but anything I ate was going to taste good. The route to lunch was my favorite of the entire ride. Bombed down some nice descends, and had some nice long rollers. After handling lunch and a quick nap. We rode to the last rest stop.

Image from here.

Last rest stop with Team Lope. Your eyes do not deceive you that is another Cinelli x Mash SF frame. Built up beautifully by Thom. The route to the last rest stop was definitely not for babies. We had 2 huge climbs which took a lot out of me, and hit some nasty headwind.

I don't remember much of the last leg of the route mainly because I was beat and was looking forward to SF Beerfest. At the end of the ride they had a spaghetti dinner. The pasta and salad were decent. BUT, there were these cookies and cream cookies from Anthony's. If you're in San Francisco DO NOT SLEEP.

Over the course of 8 hours I saw more of San Francisco then I'd ever thought I would. I am convinced the best way to truly appreciate what a city has to offer is to ride through it. I already know after riding 545 miles from San Francisco to Los Angeles I am going to have a brand new appreciation for California. CA > your state abbreviation.

Motivational Wall

Image from here.

You walk into an office, and the first thing you see are 3 maillot jaunes? How's that for motivation? They were probably won by Mellow Johnny himself, Lance Armstrong. It's ironic that the 3 previous pro cycling teams Lance was on has had their service course in the same building, which Team Radioshack now uses. The brand new ProTour team Team Radioshack's service course is housed in the old US Postal Service, Discovery Channel and Astana warehouse in Flemish Belgium.

How fitting is it when Bruyneel calls Lance into his office and he sees his yellow jerseys? Lance, I'm pulling for you at the tour. I mean, a podium finish is nice after a long hiatus. But nothing beats riding into Paris wearing yellow. You do you Dopestrong.

CampaTRACKO!

Image from here.

Trackosaurus Rex gets some love! The build on the Bianchi D2 is actually really nice. Repping that 49x17!

Dhani Tackles the Globe - Italy

If you've been sleeping on this show. Dhani is a NFL linebacker and Renaissance man who travels the globe looking to tackle any sport in any country. In the lastest episode, Dhani embraces Italy's natural beauty through its national passion, cycling. He trains with Olympic and professional cyclist to tackle the mountainous Monte Grappa.

If you missed it, you missed a great episode. You see Dhani meet with Battaglin owner Giovanni Battaglin, winner of the 1981 Giro d’Italia and Vuelta a España and get fitted for his very own world-class bicycle. This was probably the funniest part. You see a 230 pound guy on a 13 pound bike. Dude looked like he was going to snap the carbon frame from just pedaling. He also goes to the Velodrome to learn training techniques from his cycling coach Cristiano. And in between of all that Dhani samples the local fare.

Images from here.

Dhani wasn't in Italy to sight see, he was there to tackle Monte Grappa. Every year there is an race called The Monte Grappa Challenge. Here's the profile:

Monte Grappa is no joke. No babies allowed. Props to Dhani for finishing the race. Even though it took him about 6 hours, the winning time was about 3 hours, it was no small feat. The best part was when Dhani was ascending the mountain and still had the breathe to take a few jabs at Bourdain. Saying all he does is eat, drink, smoke, and stay in 5 star hotels. By watching No Reservations and Dhani Tackles the Globe, I'm absolutely certain the best way to discover Italy or any country or city is to eat and ride through it. On that note who's down to travel and ride?

You can catch it all here.

All in the Details

What makes a bike beast? It's all in the details. Details including small things that set it apart from the other bikes. Be it a badge, color scheme, or a rider.

Fabian Cancellara's Specailized Tarmac SL3 top tube badge. This rig won him the Paris-Roubaix. Notice the cable housing. Image from here.

George Hincapie's BMC Team Machine with custom paint scheme. This year Georgie is the GC lead for a whole new team, Team BMC. Image from here.

Last but not least. Floyd Landis's BMC SLT01 for team Phonak circa 2005. This is hands down one of my all time favorite rigs. From the color scheme to the tubing this is it. Image from here.

Brooklyn Machine Works - Adidas Eddy Merckx Sneakers

Image from here.

On the left is the original Merckx shoe and on the right is the shoe influenced by the older model created by Joe from Brooklyn Machine Works. The new model looks more Samba than anything and too bulky for my taste. Honestly, I liked the silhouette of the original. Adidas should have just retro'd and updated the technology on it. If this colorway will clash with your wardrobe, you're in luck Adidas is also releasing a black and white version. Look for this at your local hypebeast cycling stockist.

2010 "Queen of the Classics" - Cancellara Wins!

Image from here.

Today Fabian Cancellara dominated the 2010 Classics season by winning at Paris-Roubaix. Winning today put Cancellara in cycling history books. Many people win Paris-Roubaix but not many win the Tour of Flanders/Paris-Roubaix double. "I wanted the double, I wanted to do something that left a mark in the history of cycling," said Cancellara after his win. "Many great riders have won this race and it’s an honour for me to now have won it twice like the late Franco Ballerini did. That's just one of the reasons why I wanted to do the double."

Like in Tour of Flanders Cancellara had bike issues, but that did not stop him. With 50km left, Cancellara made the break from the lead pack and never looked back. Boonen was caught sleeping in the rear of the peloton and all chances of winning Paris-Roubaix left when Cancellara accelerated. "I hadn't planned to attack in that moment," said Cancellara. "But that's racing, it's important to seize the right moment and I got it exactly right. When I went, the gap was there and it was increasing, so I went full gas but with a little left just in case because there was a long way to go. But I made it." Words from here. You do you Cancellara.

Recap from Versus.

Team Hype and BCD in PV

This past Saturday, April 10, Mike and I joined up with Beach City Dash (BCD) crew to train in PV for the Tour de Cure (TDC) happening May 2. I've ridden the same routes in PV for awhile, so it was nice to change it up. The route was about 29 miles and had 3 climbs on the route with the rest being rollers. We handled the route fixed to train for TDC and ALC.

Out of the 3 climbs, I've done 1 of them. The 1st climb was in the first mile or 2. Wasn't too bad, but being so early in the ride and not being warmed up made it a little rough. The 2nd was the most brutal. The street was called Anchovy and easily the shortest and hardest climb I've ever done. It was so steep we had to zig zag our way up. The 3rd, and my favorite climb, was the switch backs up to Marymount College.

Mike and I had to leave early, because we had to cancel out our training and get wrecked at LA beerfest. Train hard to party hard. The BCD crew ended up doing the rest of the route hitting up the radio tower and PV Drive North. While Mike and I went back down the switch backs and back on PV Drive West. A solid route to train on made better with good company.

To Live & Ride in L.A.

To Live & Ride In L.A. [Teaser A] from TRAFIK on Vimeo.

Trafik presents To Live & Ride in L.A. "To Live & Ride in L.A. is a fast-paced trip through the busy streets and back-alleys of the City of Angels." Words from here. Caught the teaser way back, but recently stumbled upon their blog and Vimeo. Dope collection of L.A based fixed gear videos. Hoping the mini documentary drops sooner than later.

Some people may hate on the L.A cycling scene, but the City of Angels has so much to offer. Fiending for a climb? Hammer up PV, Griffith Park, GMR, and Newport Coast just to name a few. Looking for a chill ride? Coast the strand from Redondo Beach to Venice or Long Beach to Newport. Got that itch to race? Prepare for El Dorado Park, or train in weekday sessions throughout the South Bay. I got much love for the City. Where else can you literally ride all year, and layering up means just putting on some arm warmers? Yeah, I thought so.

Tour of California - Stage 7

On Saturday May 22 stage 7 of the Tour of California brings us to Downtown Los Angeles for the individual TT (time trial). The course is set up to be 2 laps each 10.5 miles long, running through "several downtown Los Angeles icons, including the Millennium Biltmore Hotel, Walt Disney Concert Hall, Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels and Los Angeles City Hall, before returning to the finish area at L.A. LIVE. " Video and text from here. I lol'd when they passed through Exposition Blvd. That street is real rough right now due to the light rail construction. Going to be interesting to see how the riders handle it, because when you think TT you don't think part cyclocross course.

Last year Team Hype caught the end of stage 7 in Pasadena. 2009 marked the return of Lance so we had to make the trip out to see it. This year Lance is on a whole new squad, Team Radioshack. The team rosters for Tour of California aren't listed yet, but the team rosters for the Giro are and Radioshack is lacking on the list. With the exclusion from the Giro d'Italia this year, I'm hoping Lance and company will come out in full force in California. Especially looking forward to Levi Leipheimer dominating the TT.

WTB Fixed Tandem

Shotgun backseat.

Image from here.

2010 Tour of Flanders - Cancellara Wins!

The Tour of Flanders (Dutch: Ronde van Vlaanderen) is a road cycling race held in Flanders, Belgium. It is held every spring, exactly one week before Paris-Roubaix, and it used to be part of the UCI World Cup. It is now part of the UCI ProTour and is regarded as one of the 'Monuments' of the European professional cycling calendar. Text from here.

The tour just happened on April 4. The Swiss rider Fabian Cancellara laid the hurt on Tom Boonen to win the Tour on the last climb of the course. Cancellara accelerated away on the legendary cobblestone "Muur" climb which has a staggering 20% gradient, and Boonen could not respond. American riders Lance Armstrong, Tyler Farrar and George Hincapie finished with the peloton.

With the Tour of Flanders complete, here are some major races to look forward to.

Paris Roubaix - April 11.

Giro d'Italia - May 8 - 30.

Tour of California - May 16 - 23.

Tour De France - July 3 - 25.

You can catch all this on Versus.

Selle San Marco REGALe

It is the REGALe, “e” means evolution of a model that doesn’t need presentations. "Indeed, the new saddle is founded on the known REGAL, born during the seventies and used by the greatest riders as Cipollini, Boonen, McEwen, LeMonde and Chiappucci. Classical inspiration, ultra-modern performances." Text and images from here.

I started cycling on the OG Regal and loved it. It was comfortable out the box, and the long rails made it easy to dial my position exactly how I wanted it. The only thing I didn't like was the weight. It weighed in at a hefty 370g. Being a weight weenie I switched to a Specialized Toupe, which also got an update. The Toupe weighed in at almost half the Regal did. But with the REGALe, weight is no longer a concern coming in at 179g for the carbon model. I might have to beast and cop a REGALe. I mean if the OG Regal was good enough for the Tornado. The REGALe has to make me go FASTeR.

Red Bull Mini Drome

Mini Drome through the eyes of Grunt5 from Grant Davis on Vimeo.

Alltrack 2010 happened April 1-4th in New Zealand with the highlight of the event being the Red Bull Mini Drome. I caught the teaser last month which showed the development and construction of the drome. Dope concept and execution. Even better crashes. Pics, lap times, and a brief follow up from the guy's at Steadyrollin'.

Besides the crashes, the best part was the guy who won the event. A straight up beast rocking a Supreme shirt and cut off jean shorts. He gives hope to all you fixie beasts that if you set your goals high enough you too can win a pair of EC90s TKO (ebay value: $1,200+) then ebay the wheelset to cop some proper pants from Outlier. Unless that homless look is your steez. Then you do you.

Blockhead Stem IB – Integrated Brake Lever

Half stem half brake lever 100% dope. CW&T introduces the Blockhead Stem with an integrated brake lever. For those who always wanted to rock a brake but were afraid it would ruin your hipster street cred. A brief description from the officialness:

"The Blockhead Stem IB is our Blockhead Stem with an integrated brake lever. The lever is tucked neatly into the stem and is just long enough for two fingers. We designed it to be used with a front brake so the cable can be cut really short and straight, eliminating friction within the brake cable housing."

The best part about this stem is that the design is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution - Noncommercial - Share Alike 3.0. Which means you can take the design, modify it, and machine it. The 3D file can be found on CW&T's site.

Beast Lock

It's a lock. What's so beast about it?

Wait. A wrench too! NO WAI! SO BEAST! More images here.

Are you on of those people who always asks, "Who has that 15mm wrench?" or "Wait, who's bringing their u-lock?". Well, if you answered yes to one of those questions this 15mm u-lock socket from Monkey Likes Shiny is exactly for the lazy damn do I have to bring my lock you. I'll even simplify it more. Just buy the u-lock socket and pop it on your Evo or Gray Kryptonite lock. More details at the Monkey blog post. Expect to see this at beast shops around you.