Entries Tagged 'James' ↓

Alter Ego’s new club jersey and shorts kit for 2010

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Alter Ego Jersey-Short

I have had a lot of friends and customers ask Why, and some riding buddy’s have even toss out “traitor”. Why retire my Cervelo SLC SL? Well it has been hard to pass on the best bike I had ever ridden.For the past two years It was my rocket, the Ferrari, a true Pro tour team bike. But all good things have their “day”. This all started at Trek world 2010 back in August  I got to test drive a 6.9 for the first time, Wow this bike impressed me. All the performance that I want and have been use to, but with added comfort all day. After that test drive I started thinking why not?

Why not, be able to pick the paint job that you dream about. Why not be able to pick all of the parts that you want to ride. Why not be able to pick the cable housing color and the cork tape color. Why not be able to pick the decal color on your wheels. Trek bikes call it the end of “No” All of this and delevery times of  14 days or more…. WOW!

This is the bike frame that Lance and the boys fought with in their own team and with the rest of the peleton to win the Tour de France this past summer.

The whole procses is fun form start to finish.

Frist step is jumping on the Trek Project one web site. The hardest step is the first, pick your paint. Select series are stock paint jobs and do not cost extra. Signature series is where your dream bike live. Mutiple combinations can be dreamed up on your computer. I tryed many diffrent paint jobs but kept coming back to the Team Issue with White primary and Chi Rede as the secondary.  Rick kept pressing me to get the Green Flames, but that’s just not my style.

Second step is the drive train. That was easy for me, dream bike = Super Record 11. Once you have ridden Campagnolo you understand. Nothing shifts like it and nothing has the same erogonomics for your hands. Their are three diffrent actions in a modern shifter, and with campy their are 3 diffrent levers for each job. Break lever, up shift lever and a down shift lever. With three up shifts and five down shifts with one sweep of the levers, you can react so fast to any hill or sprint faster that other shifters. And it just looks bad ass and so euro…

Third step is components. Wheels, saddle, bar, stem and housing color. Wheels very easy, Bontrager. More grand tours have been won and raced on these wheels than any other wheel system. They also have a five year warranty on defects. With Project One you get to chose the decal color to make the look of the bike unreal. The bar and stem is getting down to width and length and of course it had to be white. Once this step is done, the fine details are complete by chosing the cranks size, gear compination and cassette sizing.

Total custom, and shipping in 14 days or more, why not!

How does it ride? This is now the best bike I have ever ridden. And I have only has 250km on it so far. It reacts to any thing I want to do so fast. The performance is on par with my past ride, but it is much more comfortable. Three hours in to a ride my body is fresher and I still can rip a killer sprint with out the usual protest from my body. All I can say is look out next year boys…. And last but not least  it looks so much hotter on on the road.  Watch for it on rides next year.

How often do we we get to ride the same bikes that the Pro’s would use in the grand tours?

Well for the past two season I have been very lucky and able to ride and enjoy one of those Pro tour bikes, a Cervelo SLC SL. You can’t get much better than this, I have ridden this bike all over Manitoba, Northwest Ontario a week in Penticton, many group rides and It helped me win my first crit race in 7 years.  This bike is a unreal bike to ride, it is on of the lightest bike on the market and the most aerodynamic. Riding this bike you quickly get use to how torsionally stiff it is, you think where you want to go and your there. You can just rail the turns and know that the back wheel will follow the front end, just as you would expect with the level of engineering. One thing that most of my riding buddy’s got use to, is how stiff the bottom bracket are is, when the sprints started the frame wouldn’t let me down. The Power transfer from the pedals to the back wheel is out standing when you push down on the pedals the bike wants to rocket forward, and for me, often over 60Km/hr.

Dura Ace 7800 is the high end equipment that will not let you down, even in 2009 some pro teams switched back to it after using 7900. I did opt for different brakes on this ride, Bontrager Speed limit Brakes offered a lot of solid stopping power, with the addition of Jagwire Racer cables the stopping power is ample with out breaking the bank.  I also switched out the stock wheels for something nicer, the Bontrager Aeolus 5.0 carbon clinchers with a Powertap rear hub. And yes I trained, raced and road every ride on this wheel set. That alone shows how great these wheels are. Bontrager offers a 5 year warranty on them, and having a power tap with them is a dream. 5000 to 6000 km later I still have not trued them…. wow. The only other upgrade I added  was to the FSA SLK light cranks a Ceramic bottom bracket. And yes it does make a difference. The cranks will spin so easy and will not rob you of any power.

All summed up this was the best bike I have ever owned. I was a hard fought battle to put it out to pasture. I have had so much fun with it and it just looks so hot. It’s a bike that just stands out and some one will enjoy it as much as I have. A long as the next owner dosn’t beat me in a sprint, I’ll be ok in selling it. It will be posted up on our Used bike section and I will post it on the triathlon Web site if you know any one looking for a great deal on a Dream bike watch out for the posts.

Day 1

Longmont CO.

Dave and I got here early and got to borrow some bikes ( RS’s ). We road up from Longmont up to jamestown, and I mean UP. it took us 1hr 10 min to get up to Jamestown. then we went past Jamestown, and the road got f*&^ing steep….. for the next 35 min, it was a brute of a climb. but we topped out after climbing for 2 hrs total. Both of us wanted to turn around a few times, the lungs were burning and no gears left ( cervelo RS’s come stock with 50/34’s, and we both needed more gears )  and the road still when up and up. We both “paperboyed” accross the road a few times. Once we topped out on the climb we turned around and it took us around 10 min’s to get back down to Jamestown ( easly going over 90km/hr quite a few times ) and then working the rest of the down hill down lefthand canyon back down to Longmont.  My legs are so tired now…..
Beer and Pizza was so good……

now it’s off to lay down and rest for tomorrow, New toys and Sales meatings and a few more epic rides up in the “hills” here down in Colorado

Day 2

Well it was more about Work. Loking back over Cervelo 2009 and how the year was and what transpired.

The launching of the Test Team and what they have accomplished so far this year, both Men’s and Wm’s teams was a big undertaking. Looking back it was fun to see the underdog fight and come out on top for the month of June, and Having the top rider in the pro tour all in their first year. Hopefully Thor can take the Green jersey all the way to Paris.

We looked at Test Team Travel, and wow, if only I didn’t just do a Kitchen reno. You can sing up, fly to watch the team race, but you get a CTT kit, a chance to ride some of the Race route and then have dinner with the team after. I don’t think I could ride and hang out whiht Mr. Armstrong, But you could ride and hang out with Thor or Carlos…..

Then we got to see all of the new 2010 Cervelo’s, and wow. I might need / want a new ride for next year. That’s all I can say at this time, untill after interbike…..That afternoon Dave and I only had one and a half hr’s to ride, so we headed out for a hot 90deg F ride in the sun……Not as much climbing but we had a nice spin. That night Cervelo took 50 of us out for a great dinner in down town Boulder. Dave was all over the Mojito’s and I was enjoying the Wine ( our glasses kept on filling up)

Day 3

This was a free day to rome, on the RS’s. Once we sat down with our Cervelo Rep to go over what we might bring nito the shop for 2010. That was easy…. a few of these and some of thoes…. Then we got ready to Ride…. But we were all glued to the Lab tops watching Heinrich Haussler delivering a stunning solo victory. Very cool.

Dave and I headed up to Jamestown again in a group of 10, I watched Dave ride away up the road up with a bunch of Cat1 riders…… Dave held on and reached into his suitcase of courage for the next  3-4 miles, then he smartly stopped and then road with me…. I thanked him for stopping,  But he laughed and told me he was riding at 95% just to keep with them and they just kept dropping gear after gear. Dave and I then road up smartly to Jamestown, picking off a few riders that got spit out the back. We got to the top and then ripped down hill, both of us carving down the turns trying to get all the way down with out using our brakes.  What a great way to finish up a riding I mean Buying trip.  It was work trip…….

Yes it’s true, I attached a race plate to my Cerlevo, pinned number to my jersey and entered a road race. It’s been 5-6 years since I’ve road raced. The nerves were certanly getting to me, day’s before, and all after noon on the day of the race. The nerves settled down once I registered and started my warm up.  The race was a  week night Crit race at the formal gardens at Assinaboine Park. Short, Sweet and a lot of fun. 

The race started out by the Jr. Provincial team setting pace, so I hopped in 4-5 wheel. 3 or 4th laps in, and a Woodcock team member came to the front and set a high pace. I thought ok let see what you can do, I covered for 1/2 of a lap. Then on the east side he pulls aside and I pulled through and upped the pace. Coming around the long corner, I drifted to the west side to gutter him, and he didn’t like it one bit….. but I held my line and held pace. And that was the race line. The wind was from the east so easy to gutter people on both sides. Ah the old race tactics came back quick.

next few laps Rod V. worked with me and we got away, Dave p. caught us and couldn’t work. Rod and I worked, well he work harder. The two of them were killing themselves. then Matt caught and helped a bit. We got a 1/2 lap on the feild, then Matt pulled  through and told me to get on his wheel, He hammered, that killed Rod. I told Matt not to kill him self, but 3/4 of a lap later, he pulled off and told me that he was done. Then I was by my self and  less than 1/2 of a lap from catching the feild. Allen who got dropped helped me a bit and then I caught on. I sat in a litle bit and then pulled out front. 
I pulled away from the group, so Rod couldn’t close, ( I don’t think he was, but I looked back ever corner to check). and then with two laps to go I simply road away from the few other lapped riders that hung onto me.  Soloed the last lap to take the race proper. 

Over all I felt good and had more. the frist bit of the race I was sitting up front and leading a fair bit, I kept thinking, this is not what my coach want’s me to do. But I felt good, and I was going with the flow. 

Winer work pays off. but still room to improve. It was good to be back on the Start line, but it was better crossing the finish line .

More racing to come.

With the coming of a new bike season we have taken the feedback from last year and have upgraded our Club to the 2009 version!

Club info in a nutshell:

Requirements

• Must hold a valid MCA licence (recreational, citizen, or race) for insurance purposes
• $25 fee

Ride Calendar

• Sunday Road Ride
• Monday MTB Ride
• Tuesday & Thursday MTB Ride to coincide with Kids of Mud
• Saturday Road Ride (for FOG members)
• …and Monthly Adventure Rides

Club Benefits

• Earn up to $75 in store credit for riding your bike
• Receive 2 complimentary Ready to Roll tuneups
• Members Only discounts
• Free super cool water bottle
• Free Level 1 and 2 CCA coaching for anyone who wants it

All the Details
AECC Membership Information (MS Word)
AECC Membership Information (Open Office)

AECC Club Ride Information (MS Word)
AECC Club Ride Information (Open Office)

AECC Membership Form (MS Word)
AECC Membership Form (Open Office)

One of the grand classics is celebrating it 100th running on Saturday March 21. Twenty five pro teams of eight riders each will face the 294km race south from Milano and ending in the traditional sprint finish in Sanremo. Before reaching the finish, the riders first must cover the ride south for 130km, then will race along the Ligurian coast broken up by the multiple hard leg breaking climbs or Capos  The last two capo’s are things of legions, the Cipress and the Poggio. Many additions of  MSM have been won or lost on these climbs. The Cipressa sits at km 270, length of 5.6km at 4.9% with max of 9% and is the lead up for poggio. The Poggio is the last chance  for a rider to get away before the sprinters come out to play, it’s 10km left to race.  Last year Fabian Cancellara  got into a 15 man break away on the Poggio and then got away by him self  and time trialed the last 200m to the finish, spoiling the sprinters day. Who will take it tomorrow???

Fabian Cancellara's solo move

Classic or not a Classic?

Monte Paschi Eroica

This will be the 3rd running of this Race tomorrow. What other race of the Pro level runs on gravel roads? The race will cover 190km in total but 57km will be on the Strade Bianche of the area. Some sections up to 13km of the white gravel. It has all of the feeling of the Hell of the North, but gravel sections instead of the Pave. This Race evolved from a cycling event that had participants wearing or riding at least one item form the glory days of cycling. Woolen get ups, turn of the century bikes,  old team replicas, and sipping Chianti at the rest stops were the order of the day. This is in my mind is an instant Classic.  Only true hard men of cycling survive to win this race,  2007-Alexandr Kolobnev and 2008- Fabian Cancellara

Will this be Three in a row for team CSC?

day two heated up of the classic season at Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne, a lot of the top guys raced 209km yesterday in Het volk and took on the feild today. wow.

Boonen pulled out the top rung of the podium today after coming up short yesterday.

Tom Boonen (Quick Step) gets it by a bike length in Kuurne. Photo ©: ISPA

Ah yes, it upon us, the best time of the cycling calendar, Classic Season.

Thor Hushovd (Cervelo TestTeam) gets the win in the season opener in Belgium.

Yesterday it all started with the first one, Het Volk, or now called Omloop Het Nieuwsblad.  Under usually nice weather the real racing season got under way, the usual breakaways formed and lasted until the big boys come out to play. With 55km left in the race Rabobank hammer the pace and when they got to the top of the Taaienberg four of them were at the front, including one of my fav’s, Juan Antonio Flecha. They never go more than a 15 sec on the main field and then after 15km the four were caught buy a groups with all the favorites. The move contained Boonen, Sylvain Chavanel, Leif Hoste, Gilbert, Greg Van Avermaet, Nuyens, Langeveld, Flecha, Posthuma, Bram Tankink, Haussler, Andreas Klier, Hushovd, Pozzato, Niki Terpstra, Martin Velits, Marcus Burghardt, Tomas Vaitkus, Kevyn Ista and Thomas Voeckler. Langeveld and Haussler attacked out of this group but were caught in the last 200m, with Thor Hushovd pulling off the first classic win in 2009 for the Cervelo test team. Hasussler,  Cervelo test team finished in 8th

I love the under dog, a Professional Continental team coming to the top of the Pro tour teams