Tag Archives: WTF

Richmonditis, La Vuelta coverage and the flying bike

 

Dear Rouleurs,

I’m suffering from a severe case of Richmonditis.  Its symptoms include bouts of Tourette’s syndrome like swearing, depression, and a desperate need to curl up in the foetal position on the floor, spontaneous crying and occasional abdominal pain.  It strikes epidemic like levels in Melbourne in the first few weeks of September each year. Its symptoms subside in early October.  It is followed by amnesia and irrational optimism in the months leading up to March of the following year.  Unfortunately once contracted its incurable. Those of you, that are fellow Richmond supporters, will know exactly what I mean.

Also, my current disposition is not helped by being unable to follow the La Vuelta on SBS this year.  Thirty minutes on a few sequential Saturdays is hardly sufficient.  Yes there is that wonderful thing called the Internet…but still.  It is almost enough for me to sign up for Foxtel cable tv. I’ve deliberately avoided doing this in the past for fear of further exceeding the maximum level of “pearshaped”-ness that my 45 year body is allowed to have. I digress.

Oh that's going to hurt Matthew......

Oh that’s going to hurt Matthew……

So the main reason for this particular blog entry was the spectacular crash captured in today’s Sun Herald on page 3. See above.  Dear God, I hope this kid Matthew Rice is ok.  What a horrible crash.  It’s a minor miracle that no-one else was injured. Likewise,  a big “hope you’re ok” to the rider who had a heart attack at Amy’s Grand Fondo.

It’s amazing photo by Stephen Harman and unfortunately I can’t include a link to the online equivalent.  Hopefully this newspaper’s or photographer’s lawyers are too litigious 😉

Until next time,

Marv

Oh Vincenzo what were you thinking….???

Dear Roulers,

There should be a former Tour de France, La Veulta and Giro winner, smacking his forehead and saying ‘Stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid’ or in the Sicilian dialect ‘Stunatu, stunatu, stunatu, stunatu’. Mr Nibali and Mr Shefer of Team Astana – what were you thinking? You both have been thrown out of La Vuelta 2015 for a flagrant ‘sticky bottle’ work with your team car.

This weeks loser - Vincenzo Nibali

Loser – Vincenzo Nibali

And yes, MMT had a recent blog on this very issue. And yes the author cheerfully pointed out that hanging on to a motor bike or car is just plain cheating. You can read the full story here – at SBS Cycling –  Nibali thrown out of Vuelta a Espana.   Looks like the French and the Spanish have decided to give their respective countrymen a better chance at the overall GC title by disqualifying Nibali 😉

Speaking of people that should be kicking themselves, WTF was going on with Stage 1 of the 2015 version of Vuelta. Compacted sand and rubber matting on a TT course that was barely 2 metres wide for its 7km length?? What were the race organisers thinking?? I think Chris Froome’s twitter photos give you a pretty good idea why the Peloton were so unhappy. Notwithstanding, BMC Racing won the event with Orica GreenEdge finishing third.

Loser - Stage 1 La Vuelta TT course

Loser – Stage 1 La Vuelta TT course

Finally, a big ‘Chapeau’ to BMC Racing’s resident Aussie Rohan Dennis who has just won USA Pro Challenge. He finished 40 seconds ahead of his American team-mate Brent Bookwalter.

Winner - BMC's Rohan Dennis

Winner – BMC’s Rohan Dennis

There you have it two winners and 2 losers in the wonderful world of UCI.

Until next time,

Marv

Marv’s Law of Bicycle Punctures….Revisited

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Dear Roulers,

I had intended to write a wrap up of the Giro 2015 and list of where all the surviving Australians placed.  I will digress briefly to contgratulate Luke Durbridge for his second place in Stage 21.  However, this blog is about the new clause I’m adding to my eponymous law of bicycle punctures.  For the record this is second one in 3 weeks.  Its winter, its wet and there is all sorts of crap on the roads at the moment, so therefore its not unexpected.

So this morning I’m keen to do a medium paced, for me at least, 30km. The conditions are cold, wet and windless, in other words perfect for an early morning ride. I set off slowly, I’m still getting used to the SPD-SL clip in-action.  They are super-slippery in wet conditions.  I arrive at the second most irritating traffic lights in Port Melbourne, on the corner of Beaconsfield Parade and Pickles St, when I notice that horrible ride feeling of quickly deflated rear tyre…..sigh.

I’m still a bit sleepy and still warming up.  Consequently I’m mildly annoyed, however as I said before, its not unexpected. After a fit of the fumbles I managed to swap the inner tube over.  I start pumping air into the tyre when I realise …horror… nothing is happening.  I recheck the pump and its seal on the valve.  Then I realise that my new replacement tube has a faulty valve and that I do not have another spare or a repair kit.  Now I’m cold and really irritated.  I trudge back 1.5km back to my house, no doubt mangling the SPD-SL cleats.  I have no choice.  Its this or bare foot which on a wet, cold morning was unthinkable.

So lets go back to the law:

Clause (i) If you are going to get a puncture, it will be at most inconvenient time – Tick -> early morning was very irritating.

Clause (ii) It is inevitable that you will have more punctures on your back wheel – Tick -> back wheel it was.

Clause (iii) It more likely that you will have rear puncture when you haven’t cleaned your rear running gear and/or are wearing new clothing – Cross -> I had just cleaned by gears and I didn’t have new clothing on.

Clause (iv) It is more likely that you will get a puncture when it rains – Tick -> Yep it had rained heavily overnight.

Clause (v) It is more likely that you will get a puncture and then have the weather turn bad with heavy showers making your machine’s parts that much harder to handle. Tick -> It was wet and cold.

Clause (vi) It is more likely that you will get a puncture when you are riding alone when there is no one to help you. Tick -> Yep, I was alone.

Clause (vii) It is more likely that you will get a puncture, if you are stupid enough to boast about never getting one.  Cross -> Nope, I never thought this or said it out loud.

Not bad validation so far, now for another clause,

Clause (viii) It is more likely that you will get a puncture when you have a dud spare, for example one with a faulty valve and no other way of fixing the puncture. Tick -> Yep, this was very F%&#king irritating.

Until next time,

Marv