So professional...............

There are very few things that Pros do that regular dorks on bike do as well (go fast uphill for example), but thanks to the Pezcyclingnews website, I discovered 2 things I have in common with the Pros of the Saunier Duval team.
1. I think it is critical to staying warm to keep your neck covered. I hate those hood/entire head masks, so I rock a "neck gaiter" or whatever you want to call it and so does the pint sized, pocket rocket, power house, Leanardo Piepoli!
2.Recovery is the key and you need to search out every legal advantage. As seen above I am not afraid of doing what needs to be done. I was ashamed of my compression socks until I saw this photo. Me and the boys in yellow are on the same page-but they don't have SE Racing socks and the dog to chill with-so sad for them.
Now if I could lose another 20 pounds and gain a couple 100 watts I might be getting somewhere.

Hara Krishna Festival Part 2 LP. Krsna Rock #25

More traditional kirtans on this German record that may mark Hansadutta's first grab at the spotlight. Front and center on the cover(which is one of the best Krsna LP covers!) and getting plenty of credit on the labels, Hansa is putting himself out there and telegraphing the desire for recorded fame that lead to infamy with his two solo albums. He is even rocking it shirtless heart throb fashion on the back cover.
The cover is a veritable who's who of celebrity dopplegangers(maybe I am crazy but I see Jake Phelps, Richie Underdog, Tyler Hamilton, and Ray Cappo look alikes in the background). The cover is by far the best and most action packed on a devotional record.
Music is all Kirtans. Well done and a good listen-carrying on what HK Festival Part One started.

Record Collecting Pet Peeve #.......

"Acid-Folk" has got to be a term even more misused than "private press". Shit that sounds like John Denver or Emmlyou Harris is hardly "acid fried commune folk damage". It is hard to sell boring new age hippie warbling, but one thing helps for sure-call it "acid folk". Just cause its old doesn't mean its good or crazy.
Wanna be Eagles Cali soft rock or West Texas honky tonk balladering does not have much in common with Charles Manson warbling over his acoustic to the girls around a campfire.

And it's not just old record store assholes that are doing it. Drag City, Devendra Barndoor, etc are all letting journalists run wild with "far out" taglines and generalizations.

White is the new whatever........

Seems like both CSC and Quickstep are adding more white to their kit this year. Not a big fan, but at least the shorts are black for the sake of modesty. Quickstep's move to more white was probably to help reduce the chances of clashing with whatever new accolades Bettini adds to his wardrobe this year.
Training camp photo shoots online have not revealed that much new tech to my eyes, but I will keep searching. Quickstep maintain their monopoly on national championship jerseys with Italy and Belgium.
On team bucking the white trend and proving good guys don't wear white, is Team High Road who are back in black based on this TDU photo. They get an early win.

Trainer Trash

It is that time of year when you spend seemingly endless hours riding the rollers or the trainer trying to be ready for the good weather and open roads.
Any distraction is welcome and TV and DVDs are a must. I have watched way too many hours of bike races while pedaling along like Pavlov's zombie. Skateboarding videos are good, but not always long enough-cause once the feature ends so should the training session.
There is a relatively new genre that I have found to be perfect -the cyclocross documentary. Has race footage and interviews and other things. Much better than watching Roubaix 94 again or waiting for a sprint finish in Grand Tour X 20__ You can choose from Pure,Sweat,Hell, Transition one or two, cyclofile. That is a lot of coverage.
Pure Sweet Hell is like a classic indie rock video. Music is all Northwest style. Lots of super 8. Shows some killer 70s/80s footage. A classic. Excellent on the trainer cause it's arty enough to keep you focussed and watching the techniques.
Transition 1 is like Bob Seger "turn the page" but about bike racing. Being a pro rules but it sucks. But as bad as it is, who wouldn't trade places with their favorite pro or rocker?
Transition 2 is my favorite. US guys make a Euro assualt. Giant Belgian vending machines, Trebon berating juniors for eating too much. The sequel is better than the original. This is my favorite of the bunch
Cyclofile has some killer segments, but the narrator needs to be hung. This one reminds me of the early 411 skate videos, but this dude is no Lance Mountain.
So you know you have at least 20 hours of trainer time coming, go grab one of these you won't be sorry. Otherwise you better grab Pray for Me and start pedaling!

Bliss Return to Bliss LP

This is thee first record I've gotten from Void Records, but it is their 44th release/rerelease of obscuro late 60s/early 70s rock. Based on the cover art, Bliss were missing the peace train and caught up in the poltical/racial turmoil of the times. 8 songs
Bliss are a power trio who rock out with some blues psych rock. They want to take you on a ride on the "Music Train". Some stand out songs and songtitles. Some Sabbathy psuedo religous lyrical waxing on "Nothing in Life" which works a kind of Planet Caravan ham handed Santana groove. Handsdown the main reason I grabbed this was for the song title "Hippies,Cops, and a Bunch of Rocks"
Void Records releases can be found throught forced exposure and at their ebay store

tour of ireland 1973 footage from velonews

Sick Climb, Crayz wah-wah gaelic funk soundtrack and dudes drinking beer at the end of the ride.
Plus race doctor-no helmet on the back of a motorcycle.
Check out he rest of the clips at VeloNews TV.