Lincoln Continental / Rapha Ride Report

Rapha has published an extensive Daniel Wakefield Paisley slide show, his essay, the Matt Wills plotted cue sheet and map, and the film from last spring's Lincoln Continental ride — more informally known 'round these parts as the Ponca Ride.

Good Idea

Johnny Wikkerink has a good idea. And good execution of said idea. Recycled inner tube wallets...

i love cyclocross. i couldn't stay away.

Trailer, tickets, ect.

Cog #7

Cog #7 is out on the streets.

Coverage of bikes and the people who ride them, by the people who ride them: Milwaukee, Seattle, Taipei, Osaka, Montreal, Chicago, Kenosha, Madison, Boston, and elsewhere.

Subscribe and you'll get it quick (in a sweet hand screened envelope with a couple stickers).

For back issues, Cog merch, and more, visit cogmag.com

Leg-Breaking Alpine Adventures

... wherein it is written — on whatever it is they write in on up there — that a bicycle’s true value isn’t measured in pounds or price tags, but merely by where it can take you.

Via: A Continuous Lean

Rat Bike Show Tonight - Dead Center Eccentricity

The show's tonight (Friday) at Against The Wall Gallery in Havelock.

Group ride to the show leaves from Recycled Bike Shop at 5:50.

150 Miles Of Dirt In Nebraska

The images are trickling in and they're about as epic as you'd expect.


What you'll find at In Flagrante Photo is the still photography work of the two video dudes on Rapha's Lincoln Continental ride — Dave Christenson and Adam Kolkman — as blogged by Carey Schleicher-Haselhorst.

More (video and stills) to come, fo sho.

Thoughts In Anticipation (slight return)

Behold.

This is the spirited steed that I'll be astride for the Rapha Ride tomorrow — the Salsa Podio.

While it’s no custom ti beauty or some jealousy inducing classic steel rig, don’t be mistaken, it's a very fine road bike judged by any standard, and in the two months that I've had the Podio, it’s stood up respectably on all the stages I’ve pushed in out onto — rainy afternoon journeys, a few Wednesday worlds, and the ultimate platform (at least for the immediate future), gravel road rides.

The shape you see it in here is exactly as it will be piloted all day on Tuesday — 100psi 25s, a fresh computer, a spare tube, and a pump. Simple. The forecast is for rain and more rain, so it’ll also be covered in a wet grit, but it’s no more and no less than any of us will be needing on our century and a half north to Ponca.

We hope.

The rest of our companions are on their way here right now from MLPS and should arrive just in time for The Oven and a beer, and then all the anticipation will be done.

Long live long rides.

Lincoln Continental

As you may have read over at Skip’s, it’s Rapha Continental season, and two of their Continental Calling 2009 rides are being hosted by Nebraska residents: Today’s M22 ride in Michigan led by the EnduroSnob himself and a the Lincoln Continental (Lincoln to Ponca) hosted by Wills and myself.

The route to Ponca is a familiar one for a pretty big group of local gravelers, but when the call came and the ride was tapped as one of the springtime epics to be added to Rapha’s list of rides, it was accompanied by the question: “It can be done on road bikes, right? That’s kind of our deal.”

“I guess.” Was my answer.

So the past few months have been … I don’t want to say an experiment, but more like a good excuse to explore the limits of slickys on gravel roads. Turns out, the limits are zero-to-none. In fact, as Woodman, Wills, Pool, and others will attest, riding road bikes on hilly country gravel and dirty minimum maintainence roads has much to offer in terms of low traffic, scenery, steep grades, and the occasional slippery turn.

“So what.” You’re saying.

So next week, Wills and I are hosting these dudes we don't know — who in one form or another have done something like 30 big rides in 40 days — on a weirdly clandestine version of our annual Ponca Ride. Yeah, the one where we leave at like dark o'clock in the morning. Yeah, the one that’s like twelve hours of ride time. Yeah, the one that’s usually done on MTBs.

Rapha Riders' longest stretch of gravel so far? Seven miles.
Lincoln Continental's longest stretch of pavement? Seven miles.

We should be fine (he he).
I guess.

P.S. Don't forget the real run-what-you-brung Ponca Ride on June 19th.

Bike Shop

I love the bike shop. Everybody should have a "bike shop" to love too. I happen to work two doors down from mine. It's in between the sushi restaurant and beer station, so dropping by happens pretty often. Some days, just for fun... because I know they love it when I do this... I become that guy with nothing to do, who just comes in to talk, when everybody is super busy working. Yeah, I'll just walk right up to my buddy Mike and stand with that uncomfortable distance between us, while he's with a customer. The distance that says, I'm right here, but I'm gonna pretend like I don't need attention right away, even though I want it anyway. OH GOSH, who doesn't love that happening to them.

Today was one of those days that upon entering, I realized everyone was too busy to talk with anyone they know wasn't there to spend money. Just as I was going in for the hover, a friend diverted my attention and I quickly lost any ambition to intentionally annoy people, abandoning my prey for the sure deal. The weather has recently turned warm, so we began talking about bikes, bike riding and where each of us have ridden so far this year. This is what I like to call the exchange of information, a.k.a the pissing contest. What better place to have one, at least among friends, than in the bike shop where loads of strangers can see how cool you are? Of course, other folks quickly piped up with their stories, new old faces walked through the door. And before you knew it, I had plans to go ride with someone this weekend, had some more information regarding some trails I hadn't yet seen this year and gained some fatherly advice from just some guy I know from around. Thank you bike shop, how did I ever get by with you.

treating myself ...

... to a new commuter bike.

my commuter has always been like my pants.
i buy nice pants for work. pants get old, they become work pants.
kinda like my commuter. it is an old mtb. used to be my nice bike. now it's old, so it get commuter duty.

a new bike will be a change of pace, nice and new, and used daily.

I'm a Cliche

It's been hard keeping with my California Bohemian slacker roots but i've been trying.

Tuesday:
10:45am, wake up (with daylight saving it's hard to get up earlier)
11-1pm, coffee (organic, roasted by my friend in SF)
1-2pm, breakfast on front porch with ocean view (yogurt, granola, dried cranberries)
2-5pm, bike ride with pro bike racer friend (the only friend with the same schedule as me)
5-6pm, 3rd coffee (#2 was on bike ride)
6-8pm, reading and staring at wall dreaming of various art projects
8-10pm, dinner (organic locally grown salad with roasted pecans, dried cranberries, local goat cheese)
10-12am, Euro movie: Do You Remember Dolly Bell? (Emir Kusturica, 1981)
12am, too late to meet blog posting dealine ... slacking on blogging

Park's Good

Grasshopper Adventure Series

No road closures. No CHP. No H2O. No sag. No prizes. Perfect.

No Mosquitos?

If Hutchi keeps making ads like this, I'll keep posting them on the site—no charge.
I could use some 29" Mosquitos, though, if anyone is listening.

Not Pretty

Awesome campaign for Inline Courier in Berlin.

Bike Courier Services: Not Pretty, But Fast

I thought I was a pretty good mechanic

This guy is out jedi-ing everybody.

I heart bikes

Blow Me

"Sometimes when the winds of change blow a bunch of debris gets caught in the spokes."

—Bike Snob NYC

OC Fixed Torso Covers

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