Ride Lugged

Got back from Beijing on Sunday. We saw this “Chinese Acrobat Show” the first night, tons of impressive acts, but the bike stunts were the grand finale.

Also FYI: The place is ridiculous, changes my whole perspective on “made in china.” I got measured for a tailormade suit on Friday about 5pm, and it was delivered to my hotel 24 hours later- completely handmade. For 1200 RMB ($160). This service doesn’t exist anywhere else in the world. Not for any money in Milano or Saville row.

!!click for animated bunny hop action!!

!!click for animated Czech solo action!!

!!click for animated Dutch & Belgian action!!

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So today was the second round of the UCI Cyclo X World Cup held in Tabor, about an hour south of Prague.
Verča and I shot down to catch the race. It was a great race with a anticlimactic finish.
(and good to get me psyched for some local Czech cross racing tomorrow morning in prague)

Verča got to cheer on the young (cute?) Czech rider Zdanek Stybar, who shocked everyone with his upset in the first round of the series. She didn’t seem as enthused when the Belgian UCI World Champ rolled by though?!

Stybar could only hold off the powerful Sven Nys for so long. He played his Ace by bunny hopping the 16″ barriers stretching out his early lead but Nys called him on it, and was in front to show everybody what’s up on the second lap.
It was quite impressive!

The unstoppable Belge led a 5 man group, a good 30 seconds off the front for most of the race.

until 2 laps to go, when he edged away and disappeared off the front to lead out solo for the relaxed uncontested win.

UCI world x-champ Erwin Vervecken looked a bit tired trying to get back on his bike 50 minutes into the race. I can’t imagine why?!

The sand made for some fun times. It was easy to see some riders much more comfortable motoring through letting the bike go where it wanted, while others fought and struggled.

And no cycling event is complete without a few strange characters, and with 2 mobile beer trailers set up, the Czechs did not disappoint. From the official decals on his (UCI legal?) helmet, it looks like he is one of the members of the Czech national Cyclocross Team! It must be a fun team, maybe he’s just an alum?
The Czech following was nice to see considering how hard of a time I have had looking for a good selection of cross tires in Praha.

OK, gotta go drink some Bourbon (I mean train) for the morning’s race.
Go ride your bike!
-Cory

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So can you guess which of these finish line pictures was taken by me and which was taken by an Associated France Presse photographer? I’ll give you two guesses!

more good pics to come. including the shots of the crazy fast belge and the young czech sensation bunny-hopping the barriers (a shot by the way that the french press doesn’t have!)

I guess we passed 500 without my knowing it. There goes my plans for a champagne gala event at the ritz, or was that a PBR gala event with ritz crackers? I can’t remember. Anyway, I have been starting to do some drawings from the rides, and while I am going to get to work on the recent Oct 20th Ramble, I havnt yet, so here are some other ones, mostly from ‘Cory’s Last Ride’. It’s all part of an attempt to make art about things I directly experience or observe, rather than wry comments on the state of the onion, er union.

My photos from the Ramble are up:
Set
Slideshow

Here is a quick review of the ride: ~73 Miles, great weather, great people and enough climbing to still feel it three days later.

This Pedal Powered Lamborghini is sick and you know you want it. This thing could prolly score more chicks than a real lambo.

Had at nice ride to and around the Swedish island of Älgo last weekend. It’s in the very inner part of the Stockholm archipelago, a nice 15km from my place.

Also please admire my lovely new (to me) lugged celeste DBS “cykel.” It’s Norwegian, but has as an Italian heart. That’s Nanna’s burgundy lugged Nishiki mixte next to it in the top picture.

so the october centre PA ramble is a scant 2 weeks away. i know i have been training by not riding at all, probally consuming too many adult beverages, and eating cider donuts. take that lance!

so for those who don’t know (although i assume we steadily lose rather than gain readers) the ride starts through rolling farm country. after a short climb into the mtns, we eat lunch a nice view over looking a river valley. from there, 15 miles of dirt mtn roads with all the climbing you want and maybe even some you don’t, and suddenly you are back in farm country, just a few miles from the finish.

what this ride isn’t:

fast

competitive

serious

worth ten points on some racing circuit

worth telling friends about afterwards, cause no one has heard of it

timed

extremely, gratuitously hard

its just a casual roll through the rural landscape that surrounds state college. christine’s not coming, so we need anouther girl if we are going to get mel to come. she doesn’t like 7 hours of just bike boy company. actually i would be interested in getting a rough head count, for spoke card purposes. all i have for sure right now is me, starmer, and deller, and maybe a fellow from harrisburg or two. bone, scott? are you still interested? scott, i’ll have starmer email you.

here is a link back to the previous post, which might have more info and pictures (link).

as for details and ect, i cribbed this from last years ride.

So here are the details: Meet at 209 whitehill st Lemont, PA 16851 @ 8am(ish) on saturday. we leave @ 9. cue sheets to all that need them. plan for an all day ride. this will be a casual, non racepants ride, with only a few hammerheads who dont know what a granny gear is. massive amounts of rain will only serve to shorten the ride by about 20 miles. bring lunch food, riding food, at least 2 water bottles, (refills availible halfway thru ride at lunch break…) warm morning clothing, maybe a poncho/rain coat/rain pants/shoe covers depending on weather. its been about 50 degrees here in the AM, until about 10, so dress appropriately. bring cameras, fall is in full bloom here. bring spare tubes, tire boots, the dirt roads are not in good shape. plan on drinking beer and eating prospectors bbq after the ride. bring say… 10-20 dollars for the communal beer/food fund, depending on what kinda drunk eater you are. directions to my house: from state college: take college ave east towards the mall. about .33 of the way to mall, turn right up towards lemont onto elmwood st. at the light in lemont go straight for about 100 yards, turn left on whitehill, we’re the 3rd house up, red brick, big porch. kudos to those who ride to the ride. silent death stares for those who dont. from DC/b-more ect… once you get on 322, from harrisburg, stay on that for many miles (youll see signs for state college repeatly.) as you start to get closer, say within 10 miles, start looking for the lemont/oakhall exit. take that exit, go left at the stop sign (at the end of the exit) and go pretty much exactly 2 miles, then go right on whitehill st. 3rd house on left, brick, blah blah blah. if you get to a stop lite, you went 100 yards too far. scroll down for a list of recommended stuff to bring/be equipped with. a small tail light and hbar lite wouldnt be a bad notion, either.

Here is my 4 second reivew: The lamps are ugly, the “chairs” are cool, and she looks like she’s “popping squids”.

Swedish designer Frida Ottemo Kallstrom … debuted her collection of recycled bicycle furniture at the Salone Satellite show in Milan this past April.