I’ve been keeping up with the Absa Cape Epic in South Africa all week, and I’ve got to say it’s one of the most gorgeous stage race venues I’ve ever seen, and most grueling, too. The race favorite Christoph Sauser and Burry Stander of team Specialized took control of the race from the very beginning. Each stage is full of amazing scenery. If you’re on Facebook I suggest going to their page to check out all the great photography from each stage. Simply breathtaking.
So what do you think? Who wants to sponsor/join me for an epic adventure next year?
Trek’s new endurance bike, the Domane. Interesting ideas going into this bike, rivaling Specialized’s Roubaix.
I decided to get an Evoc bike travel bag. Considering how much it would cost for a shop to pack, ship, unpack and assemble I would use it towards a quality bag for future rides and races. This bag has been highly reviewed as easy to pack with a lot of space even for a full-suspension 29er like my Specialized Epic. All I have to do is take the wheels, pedals and handlebar off. There are separate compartments for the wheels and plenty of padding and straps to secure the frame and parts. It also folds up nicely when not in use.
This will be my first time flying with a bike, so if you have any tips for me please let me know.
There’s a little known secret in San Francisco called ‘the wiggle’. It’s a bike route that avoids many of the steep grades of the city. It’ll be a nice welcome back to riding real hills instead of the gentle grades of the east. Here in Brooklyn I have to ride at least 20 miles outside of the city to find anything worthy of being considered a leg burner. For mountain biking the best trails are an hour north of the city. It’ll be interesting to go from really technical trails to the relatively buffed out single-track of the Marin Headlands.
When we were in San Francisco checking things out I took a long walk up and over a mountain to come across the Rapha Cycle Club. Situated in the Marina district on the north side of the city, the Rapha Cycle Club is a welcoming space for the road enthusiast. It features a cafe, a gallery, a library of cycling magazines, two big screen TVs for live race coverage, and of course, their entire line of Rapha goods. (more…)
My wife and I just announced to our friends and family that we are moving to San Francisco. While New York has been good to us, we’re looking forward to moving back to the west coast. I, for one, am especially excited about the move. The Marin Headlands and NorCal riding at my doorstep, not to mention all the amazing roads and especially mountains to conquer.
So look out San Francisco, cause here we come!
Great to see the trees and flowers blooming all over New York. It definitely changes my perspective of the city. Just a month ago I was riding in the snow and cold rain, and now we’ve got sunny skies and above average temperatures. I’m savoring every last bit before we turn to the humid summer heat. I should be indoors on my trainer doing steady-state intervals, but I think I deserve to stray away once in a while.
Perfect riding weather in New York today, topping out at 75ยบ. I went out early to Bethpage/Stillwell via Long Island Rail Road. Trail conditions were absolutely perfect for catching some speed. So fast in fact I had the best lap around Stillwell Woods ever, racking up four KOM’s (King of the Mountains). I’m fairly certain my standings won’t hold very long as the weather gets better and better. There are so many fast guys in the area. Just a few hours after my run I was bested in two sections and nearly swiped of my ranking, granted I had ridden longer prior to the Stillwell loop.
It’s fun to compare my times and heart rate zones from almost a year ago. It shows that all my hard work is paying off. The true test will come the next weekend in my first race of the season.
[UPDATE] That was fast, or should I say someone else was faster. Not even a day later someone rips into the Stillwell lap, setting a blistering pace. Damn. Guess I’ll be heading back to challenge it. Gotta love Strava. It’s like racing anytime against anyone.
I’ve been riding two sets of Specialized Roval Control 29 wheels for some time now, one set on my former Stumpjumper hardtail and currently on my Epic. I haven’t had any problems with them so far. They feel very light and stiff. Having been a Chris King hubset user for years now I appreciate the quality of the DT Swiss hubs and the fact that they’re hand-built vs machine-built.. They’re feature straight-pull spokes and interchangeable end caps for different suspension fork dropouts. I run them tube-less with about 23-25 psi.
I’m curious about carbon rims. Being a relatively light rider I think I could manage not destroying them for a few seasons. However, they only offer them in a race-red color option, and I’m very picky when it comes to matching color-ways. Rumor has it that they’re developing a black & white option later this year. I could easily drop a pound in rotation weight.