vacation is over

Just got back from vacation, so prepare for some travel shots and more posts about slow training and fear and loathing of the all to closely approaching road season....

PS Rusty's Xcellent Adventures is not very excellent. Next time you are going to take a year off, maybe you should update your website. I hauled shoes, helmet, and kit to Jamaica for no good reason. ARRGGGHHHHH

Ras Rody Organics Trailer from Sean Mattison on Vimeo.

The complete opposite of Rustys is Ras Rody's Organics. I ate lunch here every day. Ital/Vegan amazing food.

So no more Ital lunches, but only a week til Het Volk!!!!!!

The Litter Emerge 1969 goodness

Straight out of Minneapolis. These guys started out in the blown out fuzz garage scene(check the pebbles comps-ACTION WOMAN!), but by 1969 and their 3rd LP, they were up to something pretty good and unique.
The first 2 songs(work with me) reminded me of a more restrained MC5 or the Zulus. Something about the clipped delivery and high pitched vocals of the singer.
3rd track starts out weak but after making you wait 2 minutes finishes strong.
The guitarist can shred and lay down some Blue Cheer worthy solos and the drummer cuts it loose. Their cover of "for what it's worth" is destined to be mixtape staple.
This band gets high marks for dropping the first 7 of 9 songs in under 5 minutes a shot. The save the rest of the time to trip out for 12 minutes on the closer. For a long one it rocks out and doens't meander too much. Leaves time for a DRUM SOLO!!! Last track is a bonus not on the OG LP.
This is a little more timeless than the usual retro reissues. This band managed to go from Yardbirdsy garage to 70s rock/proto punk pretty well. Not just a rarity, it's a good rocking record. One Way Records put this one out.


Check it out here.

Cagey Veteran

Zonhoven. Amazing race. Nys lets Stybar close a huge gap to Klaas V, then lets loose the brutal attack.(5:03 if you can't wait) to get the win. Klaas could have won, he crashed out of the lead on the 2nd to last lap and battled back, but it wasn't to be.
Thanks to cyclingfans for the live link and cyclocrosschannel for the post race footage!.

Ballerini RIP

He loved the bike, loved cycling. Great Champion. Go ride your bike, cause you never know.

Jay Adams Appreciation

Can you even imagine doing it before it was done? The ruler. Freedom Rider

Perfect Mix

Like a groundhog seeing his shadow, bragging about feeling warm on a ride will most likely damn me to 6 extra weeks of freezing my ass off. Regardless, winter on the bike is usually a series of mind numbingly freezing weekend rides outdoors and week nights of mind numbingly boring trainer workouts.
One major highlight is when you manage to dress perfectly for the temperature. Just right. No cold toes. No feeling of clammy sweat trapped under layers of windblocker.
The sweet spot is rare, but when you hit it, it is hard not to brag.
Frozen feet have always been an issue for me. I have experimented with countless sock and overshoe combos to find the magic bullet. I have always avoided winter shoes (they seem like cheap cx ski boots) Besides, I am a Sidi devotee and why mess up something so good if you can just figure out how to wrap the present better instead?
I might have hit the magic formula last weekend. In the past I might have tried to jam too many pairs of socks into the shoe. This kind of compression is going to cause hot spots and cut off circulation. Not good.
The overview

1.Smartwick socks. Tall socks. Real tall.(embrocation plug)
2.DeFeet Woolie Boolies. The best winter wool cycling sock
3.Shoes
4.Toe warmer on top of shoe. I think this is key. On top.

5.Sock weight overshoe-the insulation. If it is super cold I have an old pair of wool socks with a hole cut out of the bottom. Generally it is my ragged, yet reliable Rabobank over socks(these things have been like my security blanket since I got them on ebay)

6.Shoe cover-wind/water block. Overshoes are a hot topic.(as seen here and here). These LG's have done their duty, but I don't know if I will get another winter out of them, so all the bootie talk is appreciated.
So once your done you look like you have clubfoot, but are good to go.

Did 3.5 hours in the high 20s with no issues. Could feel my toes when I got home.
Can't wait to test it out again next week! It was dry day and that helped a lot too.
Disclaimer-I am not trying to claim any hardman status-this is the competition for that crown!

A contest?

I spend way too much time in the basement riding the trainer watching old races and skate vids. Switch it up to rollers to keep it interesting. Still not so much.

today as I was zoning out to barillo's dominating win of the 06 Giro, I surveyed the tableau that I present myself with daily. As a degenerate record collector, there are stacks of 45s and LPS everywhere that I hope my wife won't see. Hard to remember where some of them came from or even what they are
So to pass the time,I tried to name some of the records from what was visible in the piles.
What fun....
But I thought I would offer a contest to all the loyal WWDIS readers. First person to identify 4 or more records will win a prize(TBD). The higher the number the better the prize.
So study the photo below and get your responses back by 02/14. Yeah that sounds good a valentine's day deadline.