Author: Cris Bloomfield

It’s getting damn hot. Apparently it’s going to get even hotter by midweek. Predictably Britain has been thrown into chaos yet again by the weather. You might think that after several thousands of years our society might have adapted to our maritime climate more effectively. This from Private Eye, continues to remind me that at least we can appreciate the ridiculous state of affairs.

Today I spent the day in the bike shop and the next too days are going to see me stuck inside at home and the office working. Both are hot enough to induce meltdown. Tomorrow night I’m off out on the road bike and out of Manchester, which like London has a geographical position that encourages the formation of high pressure air zones above the city that allow things to get pretty uncomfortable. Up in the Peaks things get a bit cooler.

As Sleepless approaches the surrounding hype is beginning to grow and people are getting set for this weekend. Jed and I are hoping that things will go according to plan, but you never can tell with these things. Preparation has to help. Talking of preparation Biker reports that getting the energy intake sorted definitely helped him in his recent efforts offroad in Switzerland. He rode the Simplon Race, which started in Brig, Switzerland at the weekend and had this to say:

From: Biker
Subject: Simplon Race

Patient beat me by a couple of minutes. I creamed everyone on the descents! Fucking whacked now. Need about a week of sleep. Managed to eat – definitely helped.

I’ve been promised a bit of a race report, if a recollection can be pulled from what was sounds like one hell of a race and undoubtedly caused a mental blur. This is the same race that kiwi Tim Vincent came second in last year. Full results from this year’s event can be found here. By the looks of the map, the course had a fair bit of climbing involved. I want to do that next year, looks like fun.

I reckon there’s about 2000m climbing on that course

I learnt today that a rider was knocked down and killed at the weekend whilst riding a time trial on the A50 and it just reminds you about how susceptible cyclists are to serious and fatal injuries following accidents with other road traffic. You can understand why raging bike is such a popular site. So popular I’m going to make it site of the week.

Here’s the evidence for Dave Watson’s jump of the Tour peloton, full story is here. Pretty goddamn badass. I’m look forward to seeing the footage on New World Disorder IV.

Biker’s on the hunt for sponsorship this coming winter season and is now on the web. Check him out over at chris-thorne.com. Those videos are looking good.

This is Trek’s new carbon road bike. Guess you’ll either like it or loathe it.

So the biggest event in the cycling calendar is over for another year, but the cycling season is far from over. Here’s just some of the racing that the pro’s will be doing over the next few weeks. And there’s some riding going on indoors in Germany too, good to see the British riders getting up there in the medals.

What’s new on the site? Well there’s now a page of desktop wallpapers available for download from here and there’ll be more when I get back from my trip to the Channel Islands at the end of this month.

I’m getting ready for Sleepless. There’s been a few issues, but I’m on track for getting everything ready…

Back to work today and exhausted after a few days in Norfolk. Getting out of bed this morning was a struggle. It’s a good thing that snooze buttons were invented otherwise I’d be stuffed on many occasions. The drive back last night was long, especially with the dense mist over the Pennines. I felt sorry for the poor soul who had rolled their car onto it roof up on the Snake Pass, visibility was about 5 metres when I crossed over about 1am.

There was so much post to be taken today I resorted to the trailer. As the hitch couldn’t be fitted the whole affair was held in place by a toe strap to the back of the singlespeed. It’s probably the most unstable trailer I’ve ever used, the thing has a tendency to roll and keel over at random. Its high centre of gravity and narrow axle just make that thing crash and burn. It did four times. If I ever need one, I’ll be wanting a BOB Yak.

The rothar.com team jerseys are ready and look mighty fine. I’m pretty stoked that they’ve come out so well, given that the design aspect was pretty much scribbles on bits of paper and a few photocopied graphics. Big thanks to the the T-Shirtman printers on Oldham Street.

The quick release and suspension fork saga continues. James Annan doesn’t feel that things are necessarily going in the right direction on Singletrackworld, but in my mind the poor people bouncing ideas around the better and it does seem now that a few people are working on identifying the factors that need to be considered in the situation. There’s more in this article from Phil Osman and this subsequent forum posting.

Talking of postings this was up on the STW forum too. Sad news if the JMC foundation has folded.

Sometimes when I’m back at the family home, I just don’t have time to get out and ride. It’s a bit of an annoyance because there’s loads of places that I want to go and explore on two wheels, but most of the time I just don’t have time to do it, being kept busy with work around the house. This time I was pretty determined to get out and about and so announced my intentions to get out and ride in advance.

Jed and I managed to get a bit of pre-sleepless in the saddle training in down in Thetford and we’d hoped that the Chillmeister might have joined us but when couldn’t make it on the day. So anyway despite the forecast of imminent rain we headed down to the A11 with his Volvo loaded up with bikes and night riding kit. I think the rain dampened our enthusiasm a bit, because we ditched the Stadiums and just headed off without them.

It was pretty wet. I think this year I’ve done more wet rides in Thetford than dry, which by all accounts makes for muddy bikes to be cleaned and at times depressing prospects, that said tonight’s ride was one of the best I’ve ever had on the swoopy singletrack on the Norfolk/Suffolk border. Everything just seemed to click and the riding was good (despite a puncture towards the end) – riding the rollercoaster in the fading twilight was the highlight of the evening, it was an edgy, sometimes sketchy and jet propelled blast through one of the best singletrack sections in the UK.

At the end the light wasn’t enough to see by under the forest canopy, but back out on the fire roads we managed to snatch a bit more riding before heading back and sighting a deer on the way.

I stopped at JMC’s shrine on the Woodhead Pass last night on the way across the Pennines. I pass it too often without taking the time to do so. It felt good to have stopped and thought about things. I often wonder how Jason would have done on the modern World Cup circuit. I reckon he’d be up there tussling with Peaty, Garcia and Company.

I picked up the rest of the FSR from Biker’s parents place down in Suffolk tonight. He’s lent me his mountain bike routes guidebook to central Switzerland. It means I can crack on with the Surenenpass write up that’s been lurking in the epic rides section of the site for far too long.

Well there’ve been a few changes on rothar.com over the last few days and there’s more to come once I get my head around some scripts. Trying to simplify things and add some new stuff in at the same time. Hope it’s working.

The Tour is looking no less certain than before. Ullrich took two seconds out of Armstrong through sprint bonuses today. The time trial tomorrow looks like it might decide it, but many people are hoping that it’ll go to a show down in Paris. The rothar.com team are still lurking in the lower rankings hampered by being reduced to five men, van Bon was in the breakaway in yesterday’s stage which probably did something for the overall team status. Might have moved up a place…

Team jerseys and artwork were dropped off at the printers today and by this time next week there’ll be some kit to collect. Pictures when it arrives. Riding in Thetford at some point next week and looking forward to catching up with Jed and Chilly.

Loads of Triathletes kicking around Manchester at the moment getting ready for the World Cup race down at Salford Quays. More about the event here. Most of them are interesting, friendly and good to talk too, but in the same breath their bikes get a hell of a hammering and not much looking after. I wonder how many races are lost due to mechanical failure? I was chatting to Heather Evans who came 4th in the Commonwealth Games last year today and having spoken to people like Michellie Jones in the past, I reckon it’s just that Triathletes spend so much time doing training that they just don’t have time to get kit fixed and serviced.

Johnny Waddell is out of his coma and recovering, Dave Watson has spoken about his Le Tour gap jump over at Velo News and this these are some survival tips for cyclists from our caring government. Just don’t say they never do anything for cyclists, mmm okay?

Decent ride last night with Corty and AP, out to Whalley Bridge, up Long Hill, before nailing the decent down to the reservoir dam in the Goyt Valley. Goddammit that is one hell of a descent steep and dead straight followed by a sweeping and tightening left hander. You can get up to about 55mph without pedaling, after that it was up to the Cat and Fiddle via the valley road before racing the traffic down to Macclesfield and heading home through the lanes. Good stuff.

This morning’s breakfast ride was a bit of a joke, turning out to be a solo affair. Just call me billy. First outing that’s needed lights this year. It was dark when I left, but the sunrise was pretty spectacular.

What will this Tour produce next? First there’s been the battle between Lance and any one else who fancied a crack at the Yellow Jersey, there’s been Hamilton battling on with a broken collar bone and now the same guy has successfully sustained a lone breakaway to win a stage where earlier in the same day he was falling off the back of the peloton going up a climb. The guy is a legend. That said I reckon that there’s something missing from this years peloton in the Tour.

The familiar sight of the UCI world champ in his rainbow stripes. I remember watching Gianni Bugno, (twice World Champion in the early 90s) in the 1992 tour, getting involved mixing it up with the other big names. It was exciting stuff. This year Mario Cipollini and his Domina Vacanze team have been excluded from this year’s Tour de France. Race organisers said that Cipollini and his teammates were not considered “strong enough mountain climbers” to be consistent throughout the whole race. Cipollini’s team had been hoping for a wildcard entry, but in the end the remaining places were awarded to French teams Brioches La Boulangere, AG2R and Jean Delatour, and Spanish outfit Euskaltel. Tour director Jean-Marie Leblanc told Paris reporters “It was a painful decision to make.”

The world champion broke the record of stage wins in the Giro d’Italia early this year and asked Leblanc to reconsider his position. “Jean-Marie Leblanc makes me want to vomit,” said Cipollini when he heard that his team had not been retained by Tour organisers. Days before the beginning of the 2000 Tour Cipollini crashed and was unable to start, but in 1999 the last year he rode the world’s biggest cycling race he briefly held the overall leader’s yellow jersey. In all he has won 12 stages but has never finished any of the seven Tours he entered. I reckon the racing is poorer without him.

Freeriders are in the news. John Waddell is in a serious state following his crash at Mont Ste Anne in Quebec. He overshot a jump by about 20 feet, bailed mid flight and took one hell of a tumble. He’s still comatose. Meanwhile Dave Watson did a gap jump on a mountain stage over the road the peloton were riding as they passed underneath. Although he failed to make the transition and needed to be taken off the mountain in an ambulance, the footage should be appearing in New World Disorder IV. Dave is still in custody in a French jail.

On an all together different note, raging bike is worth a look.

First off to settle some confusion (and to confuse those who don’t understand):

“Are You The Judean People’s Front?”
“Fuck off! We’re the People’s Front of Judea!”

I had an appointment with the Physio this morning He reckons that the damage I sustained to my back over two years ago can be effectively treated to prevent the pain reoccurring in future. Good positive vibes, although I guess telling people that they’re body is bust out of shape probably goes down like a shit sandwich. So what he told me is the stuff I’ve been wanting to hear. I’ve come to the conclusion that going through the windscreen of cars is definitely not good for the constitution.

Lance was on fire today. Will it be enough though or is it too little too late? Big Jonny reckons ‘this is the best Tour in ten years. Maybe even more than ten years. It’s unreal’. I thing he’s on to something there, I reckon this Tour is doing big favours for the popularity of the sport, as having spoken to a few people not normally interested in such things, they’ve all commented that they’ve enjoyed following and watching events this year.

I found David Visintainer’s Bike Cafe site today where he says:

To many, cycling might be looked at as simply the hardest endurance sport in the world in which the racing is tough, the season long and the glory is held by but a mere few. On the surface this may hold true but at its core, cycling represents many aspects of life that are easily overlooked. In reality, cycling mirrors life in many ways. Further examination brings to light that cycling encompasses all of the key elements of life; Man vs. Man, Man vs. Nature, and most of all, Man vs. Himself. For there is no other sport in the world in which the thresholds of competition, mental challenges and physical pain are pushed to their limits on a daily basis both in training as well as racing.

Pretty much sums things up. For those with an inclination to race up bloody big mountains these tips for adjusting effectively to altitude might be useful (I’ll make a note for next time). The infamous Zap has been rambling about everything from Greg Lemond to the new SAINT groupset over on Mountain Bike’s site and these guys have apparently being voiding warranties by gravity alone: Team Fat Bastard.

Le Tour is turning out to be the stuff that the grand races should be made of. Nail-biting, tense, action-packed and uncertain. I don’t know if Lance will still be wearing yellow in Paris, but he’s going to really have to fight for it if he wants to keep it on his shoulders. For those of us without the benefit of cable or satellite, Eurosport‘s live coverage on their website offers some sort of substitute. Two more days in the Pyrenees to go.

Team rothar continue to tumble down the rankings. Next year I’ll possibly take the whole thing more seriously. Then again…

6,600 miles, 120 days, deserts, risk of disease and possible death and an $8,000 entry fee. That’d be the Tour d’ Afrique then, well more like a race across Africa. Mental. How long before there’s a race around the World? And this – is outrageous! I’ve expressed my dislike for 29ers before. Now they’ve been sanctioned. Where will the madness end? Mr Gary Fisher has a lot to answer for. Talking of UCI things this year’s MTB World Champs are in Lugano on the Swiss/Italian border. Biker might be making it over for some of the action…

I’ve been pretty impressed with tubeless tyres so far. These guys have obviously had a rough time, because this just isn’t the work of satisfied customers. And on that note and because I don’t want to talk about customers, I’m off for some beer and to design some jerseys.

Last night’s ride was a blast, over before I knew it. Corty managed a low speed not-looking-where-he-was-going stack into the back of another rider and then unceremoniously toppled over into the road much to the amusement of some on-lookers. Good riding, but I had inexplicably tired legs.

I’ve been meaning to link to these photos for some time. Some very nice photography on show, from some unusual angles too. There’s also some nice mountain biking photos over at Shitshifter. Then there’s this, this is RHS’s site – secretsinglespeeder.

As for Le Tour, well its make or break for Lance tomorrow. Time Trial day followed by the mountains. My money’s still on him, but I reckon this is going to be the closest finish for a few years. As for the rothar.com fantasy team, what a pile of crap. Four of the riders chosen from those on offer don’t even seem to be even riding. Other tan my lack of research and team knowledge, what the hell’s that all about?

Busy day to day, but I reckon I have finally ironed out some of the bugs that have been blighting the site since I made some behind the scenes file structure changes a few days ago. I just wish FTP would work the first time around. Dammit there’s even a guest book up here now.

Following on from yesterday’s post here’s part of my response to the GM Nation debate. I feel that large corporations eager to capitalise on new technological advancements have introduced the issue of GM crops into the contemporary political and public arenas of debate. Pursuit of this goal by well-funded, large multinational corporations has circumvented traditional and approved scientific means of testing.

This has meant that the scientific impacts of the introduction of these crops into the environment, has not been investigated. I am especially concerned that there is the possibility that food free of GM material may become increasingly hard to procure in future due to cross-pollination between species, ultimately leading to a situation where there is no alternative to produce containing GM material.

Whilst I have a good understanding of the potential benefits that genetic engineering may hold for the human race in future, I feel that the wealth being invested in current research could be better spent improving the current growing methods and yields of traditional crops, which are often grown in sub-optimal conditions. I am also concerned that the adoption of GM crops by farmers will lead to long-term risks of dependency on crucial key crops. Past experience has shown reliance on single strains to be fraught with economic and social problems.

It is my personal and informed professional opinion that the continued use of a variety of natural variations within a crop affords a greater chance of a successful harvest and provides more protection against the various forms of possible crop devastation. I feel it is my right to be able to choose GM-free produce in future and at present I do not feel that safeguards are in place that will allow this outcome.