Bob Seger System

Don't know why I searched for this song, but I was rewarded. Detroit OG.

Worlds on the Way and some odds and ends

Worlds are only 11 days away!!! Another Italy vs Spain affair or can Luxemborg spoil the party? Chavenel could be a dark horse for France-he has had a great year and is still strong.
Bettini ether'd Valverde saying about his rival "[Alejandro] Valverde will be third, but you can't let him out of your sights." Ouch.
Shlecks, Schumacher, Sanchez-there are a lot of S's with a chance. Lets hope the announcer doesn't have a lisp.
Belgium could be ass out but maybe Devolder or Gilbert can do something?
US is doomed. Sending four promising young guns to back up Leiphemer. A real motivational leader to work for.... Garmin is really looking like the US Rabobank as three out of the four dudes ride for Garmin.
Worlds are often anti-climatic, but the course is tough and there are plenty of guys in form.


Even without Colnago, Milram will be riding in style! Lightweight as team wheel supplier??? Sick

Brad came through with this story and says stop whining about your commute/

Garzelli wins at GP Wallonie

Garzelli is like the Brett Michels of cyling. What is up with the fucking head wraps?
Just deal, you are bald. Summer, fall,winter, doesn't matter-he has some giant bandana under his helmet. I am not even commenting on the fact that it is generally pink. He has a least won the Giro, so why not. So Aqua-Sapone dominate the race and allow Garzelli to give Ballerini a big FU for not picking him for the Worlds. What race can DiLuca win to make his non-selection an issue?
Regardless, Garzelli had a good win at the GP Wallonie which is just the kind of tough but under the radar race (a la the Tro Bro Leon) that I love and wish I could see more of! Cobbled climbs,iffy weather, plenty of continental teams ,and of course Collstrap had Borut Bozic there!

BMC had some US guys in the race. Best placed was Taylor Tolleson 120th 10 minutes back.

Smokey Vs Norman

The story goes that Berry Gordy had Smokey Robisnon produce this one and Whitfield produce "Ain't to Proud to beg". Winner got to continue to produce the Temptations.
Tough loss for Smokey cause this is a killer song.

Norman Whitfield RIP

The music will do the talking for him, but RIP to the man who brought the harder pysch soul sound to Motown. All is forgiven for Rose Royce.....

I also owe Jerry Wexler a bon voyage as well.

Charlie Varrick

Previous movie reviews here have set the bar pretty high, so a movie has to be pretty special to get a mention. Walter Matthau as the star is always a good first step.
1973 was the year when they cast Matthau as a crop duster turned bank robber. After a heist in which he steals the Mob's money, he has to face off with hitman Jo Don Baker. If you liked the dude in No Country for Old Men, you will love JDB's character.
As if all this wasn't enough, when was the last time you saw a car vs biplane chase?
Directed by the same guy that did Dirty Harry so it has a similar vibe and some of the same actors.

Do Something

Think about this. Then read a book. Maybe Blackwater by Jeremy Scahill or Wrecking Crew by Thomas Franks.
Ghost War by Steve Coll is a true classic if you want some context and history.
Fiasco collects and expands on Thomas Ricks excellent Atlantic articles.
Either way figure it out.
You could maybe even buy one of these at a local bookstore or try an amazon alternative.



It is not too hard to believe that the Republican convention came with a hearty helping of police oppression, but rather than shrug it off like I did, Ted Leo got together and recorded a benefit 4 song ep that you can download on the Touch and Go site.
Includes Amebix and Cocksparrer covers. "Rapid Response" indeed. "I got your number" comes off as more Undertones than Trouble on the Terraces but is still rad. Amebix? They have not stood the test of time for me, but this is a solid solo rework. Read a couple of the books above and you will agree that "Paranoia(is never enough)"!


So in conclussion, it feels like we are ready for the curtain call of the 2nd gilded age and its hard to believe so many were so asleep at the switch that it happened again.

The joy of the 5K

Last year I ran a bunch of 5Ks anc Cross country races through the fall and winter. It was fun and pretty effective cross-training. I am really looking forward to hitting some of these races again this year!
The 5K is like the everyman's chance to shine event. A relatively pain free way to test yourself and push for PRs. You can stick a toe in the pain cave or cannonball in, but either way it's over in around 20 minutes. They are also fun and usually have beer and food at the end.
If there was a cycling equivalent of the 5K you might see way more people getting involved and maybe even having fun.
Rolling up to the weekend oval crit and negotiating the long silences, hard looks, and pre race rituals of mega-competitors can get old fast. Maybe I am not type A enough, but racing should be fun first.

I guess I need to just start racing cross and get it over with

Road to Roubaix DVD

Road to Roubaix. This DVD ably checks off all the requirements for a Roubaix related item. Testimonials to its epic nature, close ups of the cobbles, historical footage, and of course, another Hincapie interview. Roubaix is such a monument and its fans such rabid obsessed geeks that it is hard to come up with a new angle on it. This DVDis well done and heads into an artier rouleur style with some B/W action. Regardless, if there is Roubaix footage, there is a hardcore group of super fans that will buy it. I am one of them for sure(even if Flanders is becoming by favorite Spring Classic)It all started with Mapei's dominance in the 90s. Tchmil in 94.(on VHS well after the fact) 2001-2003 Roubaix were unreal. So many key moments from Knaven, Musseew,etc. Epic mud covered solo attacks and counter attacks. Now we are in the dusty years, but back to the feature presentation.

A few things that stood out....
The commonly held "fact" is that "heavier" riders do better at Roubaix. Cancellara and Boonen may be heavier than a pint sized climber, but this film catches them looking super gaunt. When you seem them next to regular humans you realize they are only "heavy" compared to emanuelle sella or something. PVP looks like a corpse and Boonen is super gaunt.
Training footage is always cool. Ditto for the brief mechanics coverage(especially the deja vu footage of the mechanic lubing the cassette with a brush a la A Sunday In Hell) Some of the race footage really captures how fast they are going-better than WCP footage. The Lars Michelson crash is super gnarly.

PVP talking about "loving the stones" is a rad moment.

Post Race and shower footage is pretty rad. (do I have to say "no homo"?) 06 was super dusty so dudes look wasted and covered in filth.

As always Sean Kelly is amazing-he needs subtitles more than Oasis.

I would have been stoked if the interviews with non-Roubaix guys like Lance, Levi, or Basso were more confrontational. I would have loved to see Levi being like "are you serious? Roubaix? Me? Fuck that" instead of being all reverential. Were Tafi,Ballerini,Tchmil, Backstedt, Hammond,Peeters,Knaaven, etc not available? Never Mind Museew,De Vlaeminck, or Merckx. Too much Disco training camp footage.

Overall a good film, but like Julien DeVriese, I might be over it. Way better than "cobbles baby" and nice accompaniment to watching the 06 O'Grady win
Came is very "green" dvd case and minimal shipping packaging. Also got a poster with mine. Nice. Masterlink films. Go get it.