World Championships - don't believe the hype

As the title says, don't get carried away on the media's pre competition hype. Sadly the Brits were woefully short of the mark and lo and behold Cadel Evans wins the men's title - not the nearly man after all then?

Still can't get my head around the world champion being decided upon one race but there that is how it is - although 19 laps of a 13.8km circuit must mess with your head somewhat.

In other domestic news - i managed to crack my head open on my own car boot, making rather a mess of my head (although the boot still works!) and have been advised to stay off the bike for a few days - also i need a repair done as i am currently locked in bottom gear on the cassette which is ok on the flat but a bit of a killer going uphill. Never mind at least my new wheels will arrive this week - all exciting stuff.

I'm Spartacus

Spartacus - no not that 3 hour epic film from in the Ben Hur genre, but the pseudonym of Fabien Cancellara.

Of course i am reflecting on the TT World championships where he blitzed the opposition - caught up Wiggo by 2 mins and generally showed the rest of the world that you don't mess with the best. - all in all an awesome performance.

Word on the street is that he has his eyes set on the road race title too - so watch out world (the race is coming up later this weekend).

Commiserations to Wiggo though as a mechanical problem put paid to his chances of a possible 3rd - just where was that team car? Interesting post race interview too as he rumour mill continues to grind its conspiracy theories on his next years ride.

Keep an eye on the brit women too Emma Pooley and Nicole Cooke could feature in the womens race.

A Good Week

Have had a good if not great week this wek - realy enjoying the cycling and even feel like my body is finally reacting positively to the exercise too!

Completed 143 miles on the bike this week and will definately break through the 4000 for the year next week!

Went out for my first club ride with NABC last night - just a trundle around the roads north of Norwich but good to ride in a group.

Enjoy speed? - Is that not the reason we all ride? - check this link out - http://www.recumbents.com/wisil/whpsc2009/results.htm

In other news Well done to Edvald Boasson Hagen for his Victory in the ToB - looking good for Team Sky next year, plus belated congratulations to DZ for the Tour of Missouri win and then there is the Vuelta - can't say i am happy that Valverde won but credit where its due - Evans gets a podium place too!

Looking forward to the Worlds - Britain has a strong male and female team - Come on!

Forget Fantasy Football

Much as i loved the Baddiel and Skinner show allured to in the posting title, i discovered something that eclipses that, at least in the range of fantasy games and could become perhaps the coolest virtual toy on the web yesterday:

Trek Bikes, have set up the facility on their website to design your own custom built Madone 5 or 6 Series bike - so much fun (the one pictured above would cost in the region of $8,000 but virtual bikes = virtual dollars so push your respective boat out and Go for it!)

If you really like the design you can print it off, e-mail it to friends or even place an order, the only down side appears that you have to occupy yourself for 30 days whilst it is built though - gonna be a long month...!

Don't mess...

Cyclists - and i count myself proud to be amongst their number, are a good bunch of people and fiercely protective of their own. - Never more typified than this weekend following TV chef James Martin derogatory comments about cyclists in his sunday column in a story about test driving a sports car.

Robbie McEwen and Brad Wiggins amongst many other not quite so famous cyclists leapt a one to the internet to twitter scorn upon aforementioned chef as well as sabotage his Wikipedia page and seemingly crash his website aong with setting up a i hate James Martin Facebook page.

"Herbal Tea drinking, Harriet Harmon voting..bunch of City-boy ponces in fluorescent Spider-Man outfits..." - I think not Mr Martin!

Cycling Cycling everywhere

There is literally loads of Pro events on at the moment...

The Vuelta, with Valverde, Gesink and Evans holding the top 3 - embarassingly it is looking good for Valverde at present.
Tour of Missouri with DZ (of nuts fame) in the lead, Cav got another stage before pulling out with a lung infection. then of course the Tour of Britain pedalled off yesterday - Garmin boys look good, Wiggo leads out his team mate Chris Sutton for the win. - strangely you have to really delve deep into the recesses of teletext to get race reports - thank goodness for the internet - eurosport, bike radar etc.

As for me, 127 miles completed this week, looking forward to another good week ahead.

Cycling Speak

Ok i know that every activity has its own in-jargon, and cycling is no exception - for instance peleton, half wheeling, through and off and many many more.

But today i have sen the best one yet - recall one Mr Asterloza... (yep him who failed a drug test earlier in the year) well his B test has confirmed his disgrace but the team statement reads:

"Euskaltel-Euskadi communicates that Mikel Astarloza has received today the result of testing on the B sample from the anti-doping control carried out on June 26th 2009, and the result is non-negative,"

Non-negative - WTF? is that like Non-Winner, Non-genuine or maybe Non-user of Brain?

whatever next...

September - New Term, new impetus

Hoorah, back to school and all that, and i finally get some half decent mileage in.
153 miles completed this week so a vast improvement on any other single week of the summer, and me thinks that training starts here for the LOWLE side to side escapade next Easter.

Even managed to clinch the deal with my way better half getting a bike too - a bit too upright and suspension loaded for me but nevertheless a bike it is!

Shock news from the world of cycling - Evans leads another Grand Tour albeit for only a short time at the Vuelta, Valverde now wears the Golden Fleece - please don't let him win it.

Congrats to Cav for a sterling win in Missouri, plus Wiggo creams the opposition at the British TT champs.

And finally Tour of Britain kicks off this weekend - fantastic!!!

Catching up - it's been a while

OK so the intent didn't quite match the actual output in terms of mileage and effort this last week - only around 75 miles covered.

I did fit in a trip to Aldi to purchase some Crane Sports Compression wear - £9.99 for shorts and/or long sleeved top - bargain!!! - i got both

The Vuelta has commenced and in amongst the biggest collection of stained riders for a long time (Vino, Valverde, Basso etc) Spartacus won the prologue on a shockingly wet track (Millar would have had it if it were not for the rain i reckon!) Congrats to Ciolek to for coming out of Cav's shadow to finally win a stage (oh yeah Cav isn't racing that'll be why!)

The Vuelta is always a hard one to predict, but lets hope for a decent battle and also that they eventually do get to Spain itself rather than skulking around northern europe as they are at the moment?

Tour of Britain starts in 12 days too, so more cycling action this month than you can shake a spoke at - oh and today is the last day to pre order your new Fat Cyclist gear too.

In other news I am the proud father of the holder of 9 GCSE passes, so my not so little girl can now go to college.

I'm back!

France was great - very sunny and very hot!

1731 miles completed (in the car) plus another 155 on the bike. - Brittany has just the most beautiful scenery and coastlines.

Well done to Cav for another stage win in the Tour of Ireland and also to Russell Downing for winning the whole thing - St Patricks Hill in Cork - Legend.

Also well done to Lance for winning the Leadville 100 and taking the course record in the process