Yesterday. (Approved by Hincapie.)
Today. (Approved by Indurain.)
Compliments of my NYC Dutchie
March 10th, 2010 by James Selman
The ethics of stealing a bike
March 1st, 2010 by James Selman
http://www.vimeo.com/9022799
Nice little piece of entertainment by Casey Niestat that has to do with bicycles (which some of you may have locked or left locked long ago).
Vitamin G with ice
December 5th, 2009 by James Selman
Some secret dirt that was beautiful dirt became “private dirt”… Such a damn dirt shame.
Sublime: Passage Armstrong
November 24th, 2009 by James Selman
With ATX still on the brain and searching for some old old files from 2003 back in PDX, I ran across these images a Dutch friend had sent me just after the “did he just do that?” incident. The large photo, as well as the video stills, are sort of remarkable seeing them again. It’s so French, the culture of cycling (the official Gendarme, the lovely Lady in hat) and at the same time so American (LA tongue-in-cheek concentration over Beloki, see: Jordan; Ali-Liston)… And with his first ‘cross race under the belt just the winter prior, sport (and art) imitated life (and sport).
Though doubtful Armstrong was feeling as strong as a bee during this Stage 9 to Gap, it was truly was the first big stomach punch of good-bad luck of many in the fight for No. 5. After a 7th in the Paris Prologue (new cleats/hip/power issues), a lackluster ascent of L’Alpe and this almost T-bone of Beloki on the gummy tarmac into Gap (with Joseba’s famous director Manolo Saiz screaming in his ear, “Let Armstrong lead!”) – there was to come the dehydration and 7 kilo loss in the ITT to Ulle and the musette crash with Mayo. Many felt he won it at Luz-Ardiden, on the way to finally feeling somewhat normal, but I think somehow limiting his losses on Stage 13 to Plateau de Bonascre, a day removed from the disastrous ITT, when virtually out of yellow near the summit, showed the real panache.
This streak of good-bad luck was pretty astonishing looking back, or maybe it was the old adage of making your own luck, as Radio Freddy saw it, “It’s the little things… That’s what makes the difference.” In 2003, as in most of his seven wins, this attention to detail was probably the difference maker between a loss (as all the big No. 5s had experienced) and a 50-odd second victory.
Seven years removed, 2010 will see LA more or less going back to the old routine, no Giro (but the nice week long Tour of Cali) and then recon’ing every pothole of the TdF route with Le Dauphiné for a tune-up… So will it be Contador for number three? A Schleck brother? World Champ Downunder with Big George as his Wingman? All I know is that it’s November and The Texan already knows the profiles. So don’t count out the old man, I sure wouldn’t bet against it.
