New Gear. What you want. What you can afford

With winter looming around the corner, all eyes turn to new winter and bad weather gear. I have lusted after this jacket, but can't balance the bigger than Assos price tag with my current pay scale. It was easier to pass on its predecessor with the Pink overdoses, but even an upgraded jacket is hard to comprehend at this price! For $350, it better peddle my bike or help me lose 15 pounds.
To ease my pain, I got a new sweatshirt from Trackstar. Regular clothes with jersey pockets are a good idea, I have an old cotton Campy longsleeve with jersey pockets and when I saw this one, I wanted it. It is a "basic black" sweat shirt with some thoughtful additions. The tougher material at the cuff and waist should help it last. It's light weight(think American Apparel not Champion) and just right to keep you warm without overheating. There are a couple minor complaints. The jersey pockets could have been wider. It might have been better to go with 2 bigger rather than a smaller than usual, but traditional 3. You can't stuff these like traditional jersey pockets. It will give you enough room to maybe skip a backpack, but it won't fit a lock, a 40OZ, or large sub.
Last gripe is the "sizing" which is "super slim jersey fit" which is more like NYC junkie model than euro cut. I got an XL and was glad cause anything smaller would have been way too tight. Sizes like this make it easy to pass on the nachos when you are watching football.
Check trackstar for some nice tee shirt designs as well

Rapha are apparently starting a

Lombardia predictions

Lombardia favorites? Ricco and Sammy Sanchez are lurking. Cadel and Frank Schleck. Cunego? Bettin obviously likes repeat wins. Horner riding hard for a new contract? Can't wait. It will be hard to match the tragedy and emotion of last year which was like an Opera on the bike. Race should be animated to say the least.
Shleck,Ricco, and Bettini will make up the podium.

Ohio Players Observations in Time

It's hard to believe the band on the back cover of this album is the same band of freaks featured on Pain and Ecstasy but it is. The music is also a surprise. Funky southern soul with some rock influences. All the ingredients(minus disco funk cocaine sex overload) are present. The bass stands out and the recording is real live and popping.
The back cover photo is pretty priceless for the dude with a brief case and a pipe. Clearly he would become more at home in leather hot pants and chains a decade or so later.
This Pre-Westbound incarnation of the Players were the back up band for a lot of other artists and live shows. You've got 2 covers "Over the Rainbow"?? and "Summertime"
"Mother in Law" has a hell no vibe that any married man can relate to. "Find someone to Love" is an instrumental, but may be the stand out track on here. Summertime is pretty sprawling at 7 plus minutes with some scatted vocals and a nice flute solo. "Bad Bargain" returns to the Southern Soul sound with lyrics on hard times in the city rather than freaky times.

A deep soul or southern soul surprise from these funky freaks.
Capitol. There is another pressing of this with a different cover-not quite as cool. There is also another album, First Impressions, that collects more work in this style from their early days.

First taste of cold. Fall is in here

No one likes dragging the bike out on cold,dark,rainy,freezing days to get the miles in. Winter makes you wish you choose a different sport cause the choice between Roubaix reruns on the trainer or the Andy Hampsten imitation outdoors, is not a great choice
But none of that matters on the first fall ride. The cold is a nice change, not a crushing pain. You can imagine you are in your own "Race of the falling Leaves"
Today was that day. It was 39' when I walked my dog and 44 when I started to get ready to ride.
First ride with knickers,toe covers,wool socks, and
embrocation. Fall in New England is here. Last weekend it was almost 90
and today it didn't break 50. This is my favorite time of year to
ride-even if it adds a few minutes to getting dressed. Where did I put all
that winter gear? Where is my other glove? All true cycling nerds get
pumped up at the smell of obscure embrocation potions.
Enjoy it while it lasts...............

Team America still in action in October -otherwise known as cyclingnews

Check this top ten from today's Giro dell'Emilia
1 Fränk Schleck (Lux) Team CSC
2 Davide Rebellin (Ita) Gerolsteiner
3 Chris Horner (USA) Predictor-Lotto
4 Riccardo Riccò (Ita) Saunier Duval-Prodir
5 Damiano Cunego (Ita) Lampre-Fondital
6 Cadel Evans (Aus) Predictor-Lotto
7 Sylvester Szmyd (Pol) Lampre-Fondital

Most of these guys have been at the front of races all year! That is impressive from Ricco and Shleck to Evans and Rebellin. But Horner, who still hasn't signed a new contract, is charging! Just goes to show you that maybe there is no off season and you need to be ready to go at all times.
Then in today's Belgian cross news 2 Americans are in the top ten at the Grand Prix de la Région Wallonne. Trebon th and Page 9th!! That is big.

Good Luck Jalabert

Laurent Jalabert was one of my favorite cyclists. A sprinter who remade himself into an all arounder capable of winning what he set his mind to. In Light of his long tenure in with Manolo Saiz, I would imagine he has as many skeletons as trophies in his closets, but none the less he animated many one day races and grand tours.
Since retiring he as run three marathons(including a faster NYC time than Lance) and is competing in the Ironman tomorrow in Hawaii.
Not unlike Zabel, Jalabert was a class act.

The Plot Thickens Hendrix vs There's That Beat magazine

Got a recent copy of "There's That Beat" fanzine last week. Didn't know what to expect, but man is this a good read. Extremely in depth run downs of records and personnel with a ton of info to help you dig.
The Johnny Brantley article alone got me searching for a bunch of records I never would have even looked at. Maple Records, Pre-Westbound Ohio Players, on and on.
A quick trip to a classic rock dinosaur shop got me this copy of allegedly early Hendrix. But thanks to TTB I realize I am holding a Herman Hitson album with him backed up by the Ohio Players and with most of his vocals scrubbed. Stumbling into research and knowledge on this level makes me feel like a kid at the adults table.
"All I want" is a killer track with most(?) vocals intact. Tracks run the gamut from up tempo blues to southern soul. "Psycho" closes it out with some fuzzed out horn driven instrumental madness. No Sonics cover, but not a slacker with Lonnie Youngblood honking away.
The best thing about this record is that almost anyone would overlook it assuming it is some bargain basement Hendrix rehash. It should be easy enough to find-much more so than Herman Hitson 45s or Maple originals! Also a good dose of "buyer's beware" cause if you were there are only trace amounts of Jimi Hendrix on this record.
Just goes to show you if you want to collect records, you've got to keep track of everyone's names on those 45s -then you might start making the connections.
Hat's off to There's That Beat for being a kick ass magazine and adding a half dozen or so records to my want list.