Masiguy

Tour de France; Stages 3 and 4

2009-07-07T23:55:00.000-07:00

Ok- again I'm falling behind on the stage coverage... but I've been pretty busy, I swear.

Stage 3; Wind? Big time splits? Drama? Yep... check on all three! What should've been a fairly boring stage with a sprint at the end became a fight for survival for many of the contenders and certainly added to the drama surrounding Astana's team leadership questions. To sum up- as predicted, the race blew apart when the peloton hit the coastal area along the Mediterranean and Columbia set a blistering pace into the winds. Borrowing from the Bjarne Riis playbook, Columbia smashed the field with a full-on assault (though it was claimed to be just a mild acceleration) into the headwinds. This caused a major break in the field that caught almost all of the GC contenders unaware- except for Mr. Armstrong. Speculation swirled about this lucky "co-winky-dink" when Lance and former teammate George Hincapie- now ridig for Columbia- were seen chatting for several minutes before the split occurred. One unhappy dude was Alberto Contador, who happened to lose 41 seconds on the day and dropped to 4th place and 19 seconds behind Lance. Bruyneel tried to play it off as just good tactics, since Lance and the two other Astana riders in the break were seen working at the front with Columbia once the gap was established. I'm sure Alberto agreed with that decision... totally. So even though Cavendish netted another amazing sprint win in the end, the talk of the stage was about Lance's move closer to yellow and Contador's slide away from it. Team drama? Nah- I'm sure it was a very light and jovial evening at the team dinner, the night before the very critical team time trial... totally...

Stage 4- Team Time Trial; TTT's tend to create tons of drama and action "just because", but this year, it's on another level. First, the organizers dropped the limit on the amount of time you can lose- meaning if you finish 5min down, you are 5min in the hole. In the most recent versions of the TTT, losses were capped so that non-TT teams would not be too smashed by time losses. Well, that charity is now gone. Second thing, you add Astana into the mix with too many chiefs and not enough indians, all of'em looking to establish the "pecking order" within the team. The mood was electric and the rift in Astana's camp was totally evident, with Lance and Alberto warming up for the race with at least one other rider between them at all times. Any logical team director would want the two "leaders" to be side by side finalizing and prefecting strategy on such a crucial day... but I have a feeling that might've been akin to taking a match and lighting a blow torch and then stuffing that into an open gas can in an enclosed garage full of kerosene soaked rags... or sumpin' like that.

In the end, almost as could've been predicted, Astana took the convincing win and Lance came within fractions of a second of Yellow. Cancellara kept the jersey for another day, though it might only be for this last day. Saxo Bank managed to finish 3rd, keeping Cancellara in Yellow... but only barely. The real power ride of the day, in my opinion, came from Garmin-Slipstream- finishing second to Astana... but with only 5 riders! Seriously, they rode the TT of their lives to finish so strong with only 5 riders- though those 5 are some of the best TT riders in the world. After losing 4 teammates, they managed to stay focus on their jobs, worked incredibly well together and did not panic. That, friends, is not an easy feat and is something that they are getting far too little credit for. To that end, I say "KUDOS!"

Cadel Evans must've gone to bed grinding his teeth, since the Lotto team nearly imploded out of the blocks, losing Vandenbroeck in the early kilometers. You could nearly hear Cadel's blood pressure rising! His young, inexperienced team simply cracked under the weight of his GC hopes and the pressure of riding to support him. Sitting almost 3 minutes down now, his Tour has now become a much different one, as he now holds 35th place. Denis Menchov dropped down to 72nd at 3:52 down after having a disastrous TTT with the Rabo' squad. BBOX Bouygues Telecom completely ate dirt- literally- with 4 riders going off the road into a ditch. Lampre had some ripped skinsuits as well by the end of the day. The wind, as expected made a big difference on the day.

So now we have 5 Astana riders in the top 10 as the first week is drawing to a close and some of the first "real racing" is coming up. Can they continue to shell the rest of the field and walk away with the top 3 steps of the final Tour podium? It's beginning to smell like a possibility. The friendly rivalry between Columbia and Astana for the title of "world's best team" is looking a wee bit lopsided right now.

Tomorrow's Stage 5 is looking like it could turn into a repeat of Stage 3- crazy coastal winds could play havoc on the field, though I predict people will be a bit more attentive this time. It should end up in a field sprint, but it's hard to say who will have the better legs after such a hard day today. Maybe Farrar can finally get a stage win if Cavendish is feeling the TT aftershocks tomorrow. I guess we'll have to wait a little bit to find out...

Tim

Need a cool shirt?

2009-07-05T20:41:00.000-07:00

Looking for a cool t-shirt? Like all things bike related? Have I got sumthin' you should check out...

My friend Kathleen is an artist- a really good artist. See, she did these "scribbles" that got the attention of some guys who ride bikes- one is a high-profile cycling coach and the other is a 7-time winner of the Tour Day France. They liked her scribbles and other work so much that they commissioned her to do a mural of TdF cycling winners for some swanky training center they're opening in Colorado.

Well, because she's my friend, she gave me one of the shirts- and it's pretty rad!

She's had so much interest in the artwork and the shirts that she is now selling them. So, if you're a bike nerd like me and you like to show off your bike nerdiness (or you're cool and like art), I highly recommend you check these shirts out.

Tell'er Masiguy sent you!

Tim

Tour de France; Two down, 19 to go!

2009-07-05T09:21:00.000-07:00

So we're now two stages into this Tour and we had an interesting race already- though as much from the off-the-bike dramas, as on the bike. That said, the predictable has happened, but the racing has been great just the same.

Stage 1; Cancellara wins the opening stage TT- no surprise there... I shoulda simply declared him the winner in my opening post... but alas. What impressed me most was the fact that Contador finished in 2nd, just 18 seconds off the time of the Olympic TT champ. Wiggins, of Garmin-Slipstream rode a respectable 3rd and then Kloden was 4th, Evans 5th, Leipheimer 6th and Sir Lance of Armstrong was 10th. You would think we have established something of a pecking order in the Astana camp now... but no... still rumbles of "who's the boss" floating around. Poor Carlos Sastre finised the day 1:06 down, but the plucky little climber can not be ruled out with so many climbs in this race- remember how he rode the Giro this year... Then there's Kreuziger, in 7th, who officially now carries the title of "dark horse", though since we're talking about him this much, it means the others are looking at him too. So maybe he's less of a dark horse and more of a not-so-dark-and-slightly-bright horse? BUT... can Liquigas support his efforts? Lots of talent, but can they defend a jersey if he gets it? I dunno... Oh yeah, Evans in 5th- surprised by that because he "looked" like he was going slow on the bike- his form and his pedal cadence seemed slow and labored, yet he came in very well for 5th on a day that did not really suit him that well. Could he be at the Tour to actually contend? Hmmm...

Stage 2; Cavendish wins the sprint with Farrar in second and Roma Feillu in 3rd. Feillu? A French rider in 3rd in a sprint... with other non-French riders in the sprint? Has that happened since Jimmy Casper or Jalabert? I was watching the footage wondering who the non-French guy on the French team was who was in the thick of the sprint. When I found out he was French, I almost fainted!

The day was slated and peppered with several small claimbs that kept things from being too easy, along with the heat. Peaking out at nearly 104 degrees on the road, you can bet there was lots of Evian being slurped down today. Well, some riders mighta been gargling Perrier Jouette, but none the less, people were thirsty. The big motor of Cancellara managed to stay in Yellow after all was said and done, but he was having to work a bit more than he woulda liked, simply due to the climbs and the heat. 4 riders got away and stayed out until around 10km to go- Stef Clement (Rabobank), Cyril Dessel (Ag2r), Jussi Veikkanen (Française des Jeux) and Stéphane Augé (Cofidis). At one point Clement became the new Yellow on the road, but Saxo Bank worked hard to close the gap and keep Fabulous Fabian in Yellow and then the sprinter's teams took over to set things up for the finish.

The break was caught about 10km out, then Mikhail Ignatiev of the Katusha team launched himself into a break of his own as the foursome was being caught and falling apart. He managed to stay out front and probably mouthed a few "hi mom" to the cameras, but was caught with about 5km to go. At that point, the big power men could smell the finish line and were super motivated to get to the front. Columbia- of course- had control of things largely- Cavendish IS the current uber speedster these days, after all. Milram, of all teams, was also up there- possibly trying to get Ciolek set up for the sprint, though I never saw him anywhere near the pointy end of things. Skil-Shimano got their guys up front as well- with most folks assuming it was to lead out Kenny van Hummel... which didn't happen. Cervelo Test Team scrapped it together for Thor Hushovd, who did manage to get 4th on the day. Amazingly, Garmin seemed to be NOWHERE to be seen in the closing kilometers and then- POOF!- showed up with less than 2km to go! Julian Dean deserves a medal for fighting his way to the front to drop Farrar into a position to look like he could try something. Tyler did manage 2nd in the sprint mayhem- which is admirable- but it was a forgone conclusion that Cavendish was going to get the win once his teammate Mark Renshaw pulled off the front and placed him into the driver's seat. He showed everybody a clean set of wheels as he sped to the line without ever having to worry about fighting his way past another rider. Farrar is proving to be a great talent, but is he coming into his best form as Cavendish is set to dominate sprinting for the next several years?

Stage 3; Tomorrow should be another fast finish with the stage being relatively flat. If the coastal winds pick up, look for Saxo Bank to employ its usual tactic of creating splits in the field that catch people in bad positions as the filed breaks into echelons. Riis is famous for employing this tactic, so it could come out of his playbook tomorrow. Barring anything happening, it should be a sprinter's day. With the Team Time Trial coming up the following day though, expect to see the real contenders for the GC trying to minimize losses on the day, as well as trying to stay out of trouble with crashes.

I'm gonna go out on a limb and pick Cavendish for the win. He's just too fast right now and it will take Garmin at least one more try to figure out how to fight against him and the teams with bigger sprint leadouts.

Tim

NOTE; It merits mentioning that Tom Boonen only managed to finish in 174th today. Could it be that the "gastrointestinal upset" mentioned yesterday is real? How fitting would it be that Quick-Step fought so hard to get Tom into the Tour and then he is unable to be a factor in the race? Poor Alan Davis- who was set to replace Tom; he must be pissed beyond belief.

2009 Tour de France; here we go again

2009-07-04T00:45:00.000-07:00

So, there's this bike race in France. Seems that there's this guy there, he's won before but retired and is now unretired from racing. Problem is, he went back to ride for his old boss, but his old boss has new riders who have won some bike races too and think they should get to be The Leader of the team now. Even more of a problem here is that some other guys came to France to win this silly bike race too. THEN... as if that wasn't enough, there's this guy there with a little drug problem (seems to like the powdered stuff after he wins races... and he wins a lot of them) and it's creating a little "drama" along the sidelines and within the team.

There- that's about all you need to know!

Fine... there's more.

If you really just go by the headlines, this Tour should be one for the record books. There's so much drama and intrigue and tons of polemics and head games... it's as if this race was scripted by some cheeseball Hollywood hack who's had a few too many Red Bull/ vodkas. I mean... DANG!!

This race could either be completely lopsided, or it could be wide open. Certain teams- Astana, Quick Step, Silence-Lotto - could completely implode upon themselves. Dark horse riders could shock everybody and take the prize away from the bickering dimwits with bigger salaries/ egos. Or... we might just have a bike race where the strongest rider, with the best team and tactics, simply rides away with the victory and we all get to enjoy some fantastic cycling for the next three weeks... though that seems less and less likely all the time.

Here's a bit of a team by team overview... and hopefully nobody gets thrown out for a failed drug test this year...

Cervelo Test Team; This team is obviously all about returning winner Carlos Sastre, with Thor Hushovd as the Plan B guy if they find that the little Spanish climbing specialist doesn't have the legs. Hushovd will be vying for the Green Jersey of Best Sprinter- though the field is stacked with awesome speedsters. Sastre won last year's race with the genius guidance of Bjarne Riis... and without any other real contenders for the race in his way. Sure, Cadel Evans was supposed to win the race, but Cadel's about as aggressive as a tranquilizer darted elephant. Evans all but gifted the Tour to Sastre last year and had a stronger team to support him. Can Sastre hope for an equally charitable race this year? Likely not... which means the Cervelo crew will have one helluva time trying to get him into Yellow a second time.
Masiguy says- Look for Thor to get a stage win and the rest of the Testers to be in the hunt for chances to score a win as well- most likely with Haussler. Sastre could shock the hell out of me, but I have my doubts... even though I like the guy.

Silence-Lotto; Outside of Evans, this team is kinda devoid of heavy hitters. Sure, they have some excellent all around riders who will slaughter themselves for Cadel, but this Belgian squad is really more suited to the Spring Classics than they are to a three week stage race. With Evans likely to be isolated in the high mountains again, look for Cap'n Cranky to be complaining about how he dislikes the press more than actually trying to win the race... again.
Masiguy says- Greg van Avermaet is a young talent who could manage a stage win while Evans is trying to psyche himself up into actually trying to ride aggressively. Too bad they don't still have Chris Horner around to give them a little more spunk.

Astana; Damn, I almost even hate to mention these guys just because EVERYBODY talks non-stop about them! I promise you the other teams are bringing riders to this race too, yet all you hear about is Astana. Lance, Levi, Alberto, Kloden... each of the four have either won this grand tour or others, or have been on the podium of the Tour. Needless to say, the team has firepower and potent options... but they will possibly be hamstrung by ego and infighting. Rumors of rifts have been swirling since Lance announced his return and Bruyneeel welcomed him back to the team. Contador is arguably the best current grand tour rider around now- having won all 3 of them in 12 months. He's been riding into great form and SHOULD be the man everybody watches. BUT... there's that other dude- Mr. 7. Simply having Lance in the race means it will have a different dynamic to it- regardless of how he rides. Levi, bless his little heart and huge lungs, is possibly "too nice" to have the eggs to wage a war of his own and Kloden is not showing the signs of his former power- possibly from a lack of the T-Mobile "special sauce"... who knows.
Masiguy says- Personally, I expect the wheels to blow off this thing any second. With all the controversy that has surrounded the team with the riders, Lance, and the Astana funding- and now Vinokourov's announced return to the team whether they like it or not... too many rings in this circus and not enough room for all the clowns under this big top.

Team Saxo Bank; I don't know why I still love this team, but I do. Maybe it's because of Cancellara having the ability to just flog the crap out of other riders, or O'Grady's calm grittiness, or Voigt's "harden the f@ck up" attitude and willingness to go on suicide breaks, or the Schleck brothers sharing the same potential for awesomeness. I just like'em. Maybe it's because of Bike Toss Bjarne being the team owner/ director?
Masiguy says- I expect Riis is bringing one hungry team to the Tour. The Schleck's are chomping at the bit to be true contenders and not riding for another team leader. I suspect they are both going to be aggressive and a major pain in the arse for the other contenders. Evans could learn something from those two. Voigt will go off on a long break... or 12... and O'Grady can not ever be ruled out for a stage win. Cancellara is the man to watch in the TT's or any time he is near the front in the closing kilometers of the race. He's no GC threat, but the big Swiss Mister is a monster when it comes to tossing down the wattage.

Rabobank; With Menchov's well-earned Giro win, Rabobank has to feel suddenly like a real threat. And maybe they can be... maybe. I'm not too sure they are fresh enough after the Giro. Denis Menchov is a much more confident man now, but he's gotta be tired. The rest of the team is pretty good too, with Freire being a constant threat in the sprints- especially the ones with a slight rise to the finish. Gesink could prove to be a true revelation as well. However, I expect the Dutch Boys will most likely be riding for stages and a top 10 place.
Masiguy says- My money is on the team to ride well enough to look good and maybe even into the top team spot, but I don't think they have enough juice in the batteries to really contend for the main prize... but I could be wrong.

Garmin-Slipstream; If you're an English speaker, then you are required by law to want to see this team do well. Jonathan Vaughters, the Nutty Professor, is totally likable and a quirky egghead that you just gotta dig. He's almost as fashionably weird as Gary Fisher- just less stoned. JV has a great team that seems to truly like each other and wants to get some wins. Vande Velde had the Tour of his life last year and the question is if he can do it again. It's a bit of an unknown after his crash out of the Giro. But, with the team also there to support Tyler Farrar's chances to get a stage win and maybe even challenge the other sprinters for the Green Jersey, these guys have a chance to do something cool. With the awesome TT power the team possesses, expect to see them challenge for the TTT stage win as well. With all the strength they have, they might actually be able to get yellow... but can they keep it?
Masiguy says- This is one of my emotional favorites and I hope to see them do something great this year. I think Farrar has a true shot to get a win during his first Tour, but he's gonna have his hands full. JVV is a nice dude and I would love to see him get to the podium, but I think many folks wonder if last year was a fluke.

Euskaltel-Euskadi; If you're Basque, you love these guys. If not, you probably have no clue who they are. Assembled with Spanish climbers with names using all the X's and Z's that the Belgians didn't use, these guys are collectively fast when the road starts getting vertical. Outside of that...
Masiguy says- These guys will make other non-climbers cuss and cry in the mountains, but when things really heat up for the GC and the contenders come out to fight, these goat cheese eaters will be wondering what hit them again. But you still have to love their spunkiness and bright orange kits.

Columbia-High Road; Does anybody think this team has a real podium shot? Kirchen and Rogers are great riders, but just outclassed by this stellar field of GC riders. Bob Stapleton has WAY more chance getting Cavendish in Green by Paris with a few stage wins. Hincapie is a guy you want to see win a stage, but can he do it? He's one of the stronger big guys out there and is a real asset to the team, but he's reaching that ever-near twillight of his career.
Masiguy says- With Cavendish being the THE sprinter in the peloton these days, it's a given that all eyes will be on him at the finish of the sprinting stages. Can he hold off a field of motivated guys looking to shut the cocky Brit up? Probably yes, but he'll have more competition than normal. Kirchen and Rogers will ride valiantly, for sure... but...

AG2R-La Mondiale; Well, they won a stage of the Tour of California this year. They ride nice bikes. The largely French team is full of guys who can ride well enough to be paid to ride at the Pro Tour level, so they're faster than me. That said, they don't really have much of a chance for too much success. Without any star riders, outside of Nicholas Roche- the son of Stephen Roche- they really can't be expected to do much more than ride suicide breaks for the TV time.
Masiguy says- Sorta like the Euskaltel guys, these guys are likely to fade out of contention for much of anything once the GC battle gets going, so their one chance is to do something early in the race.

Liquigas; These guys are great- tough stage racers with panache and talent. Pelizotti just rode an awesome Giro and Kreuziger is a real talent as well. The rest of the team is a group of great all around riders who can race for three weeks. They don't really look likely to challenge for a real GC spot, but they'll ride fast and look good doing it.
Masiguy says- Look for a stage win or two. Could be nearly any of the guys on the team, as they are all talented and clever.

Francaise des Jeuz; Another French team with talented riders, yet totally outclassed for GC. They can HOPE for a stage win and might even get one, but they are far from a given and will likely hover out front for TV time more than anything else. It's not like they can't win a stage, but they are going to have a tough time with the real GC riders doing all they can to protect themselves with such a heavy field of favorites. Don't be too sad when they get stomped.
Masiguy says- Sorry, but for all the FdJ fans, there isn't much hope of anything to get too excited about this year. Maybe an early stage win or a win in the final week when the GC riders are resting for the final TT. Maybe.

Caisse D'Epargne; Stacked with talent, but woefully unable to make it happen in a three week race. Pereiro is the 2006 Tour winner... thanks to the title being taken from Floyd Landis. Oscar has about as much chance to win this Tour as I do... and I'm still not at my climbing weight.
Masiguy says- Without Valverde, these poor souls don't stand a GC chance. However, with all the talent they have, they can have realistic goals of a stage win or two.

Cofidis; Nearly entirely French, this team used to have a nice mix of foreign riders to give them a chance to win something. Now they are looking like a ship without a rudder, just following the current and the winds. It's not like they can't ride well, but they don't really have any true firepower.
Masiguy says- Well, stranger things have happened at the Tour, so it's possible they could get a win on a long break that gets away- maybe on one of the days when the teams aren't allowed to use their race radios. I wouldn't bet the farm on it happening though.

Lampre; Another mostly-Italian team filled to the brim with talented riders and a very tough fighting spirit. GC hopefuls- no freakin' way! With guys like Furlan and Ballan though, they are almost assured of a stage win. Ballan is the current World Champ and has not had much chance to show off his stripes thanks to injury and illness, so I'd expect him to have something to prove if he's healthy again.
Masiguy says- Look for Ballan to do something if he's ready to race. If not, Furlan is a tough dude. With other great talent, these guys SHOULD get a win somewhere along the way.

BBOX Bouygues Telecom; Without Voeckler, the team is pretty void of big name riders. The French have a real talent for assembling teams of riders who are talented, yet somewhat outclassed. These guys can win races and have, but they will be chasing this race for three weeks. Unless Voeckler gets lucky, I think these affable guys are likely to be racing for the cameras and not the win.
Masiguy says- Hey, they ride hard and try a lot of crazy attacks. And, since they're French, if they actually win a stage you can expect to see tears of joy and see them eating snails at dinner that night.

Quick Step; Coke Nose Boonen got the legal ok to race just before the Tour was set to begin. That's great for him and all his fans, but will it prove to be a distraction for the team? Most likely, yes. BUT... they still have one of the best teams in the race- just not as GC contenders. The flat stages are going to be controlled by Quick Step looking to get Tornado Tom to the line for the sprints. With guys like Devolder and Chavanel, these guys have lots of chances to win.
Masiguy says- Well, if Tom stays out of the nightclubs and away from the drug dealers, he should have a great race. He might also see the back of Cavendish' wheels a lot too. Or Farrar's. With all the distractions of late, I expect to see him looking for his form to arrive, but if he rides into it he'll be dangerous. Look for Devolder and Chavanel to try to get a win too- especially if Party Boy is off the mark.

Katusha; Vladimir- the Mullet- Karpets and a bunch of other Russian hard men, plus Pozzato and Napolitano means that these dudes have a shot or two at stage wins. Karpets is the GC hope, but he's in way, way over his head... even with the mullet. Pozzato and Napolitano can win races and they are both likely to try something.
Masiguy says- Without McEwen, the chances for stage wins are a little lessened, though Robbie has been off the mark a bit this year. With the Russian contingent looking to do something and the Italian guys (2) looking to get a little fresh pasta as a prize for winning a stage- rather than potatoes and cabbage- these cats could win something. We'll see...

Agritubel; Who? Yes... exactly. With almost an entirely French roster and one Spanish rider, this team is likely to try everything they can to win a stage and get airtime on TV, but a win is not all too likely. Filled with spunk and cheese, this team is likely to get shelled out the back this year. With so many GC riders in the race this year, this little team is just destined to finish with hurt feelings.
Masiguy says- DO NOT BET THE KIDS COLLEGE MONEY ON THESE GUYS!!! Outside of that, can't really think of much to say.

Team Milram; This Teutonic bunch has a lot of talent and they are certainly capable of getting a win. Ciolek is the real deal and can win important races, but can he win in France in July? Since Zabel and Petacchi left the team, it hasn't really done all that much. However, they're a classy bunch and with that German efficiency, they just might surprise folks with a win. If nothing else, they'll have the best techno music playing in the team bus.
Masiguy says- The best shot they have is with Ciolek or Gerdemann, but the others are good riders too. The team is capable of winning in France, but they'll have a lot of more motivated GC teams to fight with and they don't have an uber sprinter anymore.

Skil-Shimano; Here's the token "small team" for the race. Every year the Tour organizers pick a team that gets a raised eyebrow from most people, but these guys can win races that look out of their reach. Without a GC rider, they will be hunting for stage wins and lots of TV time. Fumiyuki Beppu is one of two Japanese riders in the race and will certainly want to get into a break for the television cameras and the folks/ fans back home. He's a good guy, so it'd be nice to see. The Dutch contingency on the team will be working hard to prove they earned the right to be in the race and will likely impress. How they will hold up at the end of the race remains to be seen, but I suspect they will be fighting to finish.
Masiguy says- Here's your chance to make some real money with the betmakers. These guys are the long shots, even though they will likely smack teams like Agritubel and Bouygues around like their personal Barbie dolls.

So there it is! Now you know what's gonna happen... sorta. Or maybe you're even more confused now. Either way, I'm done until tomorrow.

Stage 1; anybody's guess! Most eyes will be on the main guys like Contador, Armstrong, Leipheimer, Vande Velde, Evans and Sastre. I think somebody else might get the win- somebody not an obvious choice. Or Cancellara will just anihilate the entire field and stomp off with their broken dreams dragging behind him. We'll find out in a few hours.

Tim

Good to relax

2009-06-29T22:45:00.000-07:00

This weekend should've been more productive, after such a crazy week last week. I was bound and determined to get a bunch of work done that I wasn't able to finish during the week. We're in the midst of several major projects with overlapping deadlines, so there is no shortage of things that can lead you to have a minor aneurysm all day, every day. I left the office just shy of 9:00PM on Friday and still had plenty of work to do over the weekend- like finishing writing the catalog copy for the new catalogs that are due to be completed any second. It wasn't like I wanted to spend the weekend working, but it was clearly becoming a necessity as I left the office on Friday night.

I woke up Saturday and my lovely bride made sure that I got myself together and out on the road for a ride and she headed off to the YMCA to go for a swim (her thing is swimming). I had a great ride with one of the local groups I irregularly train with. I won't spin a yarn of epic pitched battles and sprint won by bike lengths... but I did have a great time. My legs were "OK", but not stellar. I screwed up my positioning and timing on the main sprint of the ride, so I missed out on the bragging rights (until next weekend any way). BUT... I had fun and realized my fitness is not too terrible, though not anything spectacular.

After the ride and some lunch, Ann and I headed off to a local cafe I recently turned her on to- one that I used to spend nearly every waking hour of my life in nearly 20 years ago. With coffee in my veins and free wifi, I was convinced I'd bang out the last of the catalog copy in short order... but as is frequently the case, I was distracted by my surroundings and the fantastic weather. So, rather than get any meaningful work done, we drove t othe beach and enjoyed the rest of the sunlight and then watched a very nice sunset.

Sunday was a day to sleep in a little and then we hopped on our SoulVille bikes and headed off to ride around the neighborhood and then to the Farmer's Market to get our week's worth of fruits and vegetables. Before we knew it, it was late night and I was sitting here at the dining room table finishing the catalog copy after 11:00PM... but it got done!

(Note the lock; there is only ONE BRAND of lock I trust my bikes with- period. )

In the end, contrary to my intentions to get work done in an orderly fashion, it got put aside for the weekend so I could spend time with my wife and enjoy the weekend... and THEN I scrambled my brains to get the work done! It's not the right technique for everybody... but it worked this time for me.

Tim

Oh... the prettiness is too much!

2009-06-25T06:32:00.001-07:00

I posted this picture collage over on the company site and the Masi Twitter feed yesterday...

I know I'm a terrible hack with Paint (how else can I make photo collages on a PC- suggestions appreciated), but you get an idea of how sexy the new bikes will be. There are SO many good looking bikes coming out over the next several months.

As always, I'm really, really, REALLY excited about the new bikes. I would be here being my usual exuberant and gushy self, but as of late I've just been struggling- with only a little success- to just keep my head above water. We're beyond busy with numerous projects and rapidly approaching deadlines, so I've been nearly invisible here and elsewhere online. I hope to be back to my usual verbose self soon. I keep wanting to record more of my Masiguy Podcasts as well as get more discussions going over on the Shut Up and Drink the Kool-Aid site. Hopefully soon... please be patient.

First round jersey design is done! I'll post the final artwork soon, as well as get the ball rolling for feedback on the matching jersey and bib short "Team Masi"designs. So far, the early design comps' look mighty cool. Hopefully we'll have the first design ready to ship by the Interbike tradeshow in September, so stay tuned for more news.

Ok I gotta run and get to the office. Hoping to sneak out a few minutes early after I get all my catalog copy written and turned in today; tonight is race night at Fiesta Island, so it's crit night! Hoping to get out of the office early enough to pick up my wife from home and bring her to the race to watch- she's very excited about watching me race because she's never seen a bike race up close before. So hopefully I can power through the remaining copy needs and get out of the office quick enough to get her for the race.

See you all again soon... I promise.

Tim

Coming up for a quick breath of air...

2009-06-24T06:14:00.000-07:00

In case you don't follow my Twitterstream and didn't see the news elsewhere, we recorded a new episode of the Spokesmen last night with a new special guest... so check it out.

Still running around busier than a one-armed cotton picker, but I've been managing to ride my bike here and there and have not completely regressed to tubbiness. Got through the filming of our video last week and have been running through other major projects this week... and now have to focus my attention on getting the next edition of the catalog written. We've done all the studio product shots and the new bikes look simply astounding. I always say this, but I am extremely proud of the bikes we have created and I am sure they are going to turn more than a few heads... and hopefully find a way into YOUR living rooms (rather than mine, though I'm sure I'll get a few more).

Married life has been great- my lovely wife and I have been spending as much time together as possible as we settle into all this newness- hence my lack of presence here lately. I'll be back though- I promise- as work settles down a little and things get a bit calmer.

Alright- time to get ready to head out the door to work.

Tim

Video day

2009-06-18T07:39:00.000-07:00

Today is the start of filming- fresh shave... bringing the pretty...
sorta...

Bikes Rock at Bicycle Film Festival

2009-06-17T11:06:00.000-07:00

If you're in New York, you MUST check this out! Masiguy commands you to!

BIKES ROCK

MEDIA ALERT***MEDIA ALERT***MEDIA ALERT

Jon Spencer Blues Explosion perform at Bikes Rock hosted by 42BELOW to kick off the Bicycle Film Festival

WHO: The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion plus special guest kick off the 9^th annual Bicycle Film Festival with an explosive free concert at South Street Seaport.

Originating in New York City, the Bicycle Film Festival is celebrating its 9^th year and is held in over 39 cities worldwide with over 250,000 people expected to attend this year. Signing on as the title sponsor of the BFF, 42BELOW has pledged to support bicycle culture and the way it brings the community together. 42BELOW Vodka was launched in 1998 in the premium vodka segment and has shown strong volume growth since its inception.

WHAT: Bikes Rock a free concert at South Street Seaport with performances by Jon Spencer Blues Explosion including VIP room hosted by 42BELOW for 180 notables and influencers featuring exclusive cocktails created especially for the BFF.

Bikes Rock concert kicking off the Bicycle Film Festival sponsored by 42BELOW

WHEN: Wednesday, June 17^th

6:00pm

WHERE: South Street Seaport

Fulton & South Streets (Pier 17)

PRESS: Kat Van Leer Colu Henry

Full Picture Full Picture

212.995.2480 212.995.2858

kvanleer@fullpic.com chenry@fullpic.com

Follow 42BELOW’s 42 Ride on twitter at welikebike42, where you can follow 42 bicyclists’ cross country journey to benefit the Alliance of Biking and Walking

I SO wish I could be there!

Tim

Insanity

2009-06-16T21:48:00.000-07:00

I rode at lunch today for the first time in a long time- seems like months, but maybe it hasn't been. My schedule and workload has meant a lot more rides on the rollers than I would care to admit to. That said... I'm trying not to complain too much.

Tons of projects going on all at the same time right now- each on it's own would be enough to cause headaches, but all of them combined is enough to cause an aneurysm.

I've been wanting to post more and to share more about the wedding, but I still have another week or two of total commitment to these projects that require the small, remaining amounts of cerebral capacity I still possess.

I will be back- promise. And, as always, I'll have lots to say... or at least I'll say a lot.

Tim

It's not you, it's me...

2009-06-15T06:20:00.000-07:00

Hi Blog, I've missed you. I know I've neglected you a lot lately and we haven't spent much time together. I promise that will change when things settle down a little more. It's been crazy and I know that isn't an excuse. But just know that it isn't you, it's me. You are still very important to me and I promise I will show you that and do my best to make it all up to you as soon as I can get my head back above water and catch my breath. Promise.

You know I love you.

Tim

Is it Friday yet?

2009-06-11T21:50:00.000-07:00

This has been a nutty week- with the jetlag and the work I came back to, and fighting off a cold... and adjusting to a wonderful new life... it's been nuts. I think I've gotten rid of the cold, but the jetlag is kicking my butt for sure. I've only managed to ride twice this week and it has been hard to do that- simply because of the fatigue. All that whining aside, it's great to be home with my bride and with my daughter.

On a much better note, I had my first blood test this week since beginning my cholesterol medications. The tests came back and my cholesterol was super low! With the change of diet, return to frequent riding, the cholesterol medication and taking Omega-3's (fish oil) I have lowered my cholesterol so much that I am now already off the medications! I'm going back in for another blood test in 8 weeks and if the test results are similar I'm off the medications until I really need them again. It feels so good to be "drug free" and even more satisfying to know that simply returning to a better and healthier lifestyle has gotten me to this point. AND... I managed to only gain a few pounds while gone and am now back down to 199.2lbs... which is awesome for me!

Thank you again to everybody for the amazing anount of support and encouragement as I've recovered from the accident and also gotten back to my old, healthier habits.

Alright, it isn't all that late yet, but the jetlag is kicking my butt so I am giving up for tonight. Here's to hoping the weekend allows me a little time to recover further.

Tim

We're back!

2009-06-08T22:55:00.000-07:00

Needless to say, last week was amazing. I am totally jetlagged, as is my new bride. I plan to write a post or two, but thought I'd start by simply sharing the photos from the day.

This is the Flickr gallery of the photogrpaher; George Chen. He's an amazing photographer and a great guy as well. Please leave him a comment if you like what you see. You can also check out some of his other pics on his blog.

I'll be back with more... but for now I need some sleep and need to fight off a cold that is trying to take over.

Thank you again for all the warm wishes and support- it means more to us both than you can possibly know.

Tim

Week off

2009-05-31T21:35:00.000-07:00

I'm leaving in a little bit for LA for a flight to Taiwan tomorrow. I'll likely be offline enitrely for the next week...

... but I'll be back.

Tim

She's 8!

2009-05-31T12:52:00.000-07:00

I can hardly believe she's 8 now...

Minneapolis- in pictures

2009-05-29T20:45:00.000-07:00

Here's a bunch of various, random pictures from Minneapolis. Since "a picture tells a thousand words"... it saves me from doing too much typing!

Spencer Haugh of the LGR team ripping through turn 4 at the NSC velodrome.

Me... in my glowing orb of bike geekness...

Track boards are amazing. The track looks and sounds beautiful!

The fish eye lens gives the image a bit more curve... but it isn't far from reality.

Me and Chuck from Behind Bars hanging with the LGR team after a night of racing at NSC- pretty danged cool!

Me staring out over the track on opening night at the NSC velodrome. It was killing me not be out there racing too!

The Behind Bars crew- Chuck (owner), Josh and Dan- the mighty wrenches!

What an amazing structure!

I love these mics! There's a reason why they are the mic of choice of SO many bands over the years.

I'm told that I make an excellent tripod- far better tripod than model...

Such a cool building! The "texture" of the building was awesome.

Pete Demos getting his photo on! The lovely Katrina was a great sport during the shoot too.

Stasiu's is apparently famous for this urinal... which is a pretty danged cool urinal.

I love this Grain Belt sign! Such an iconic symbol of Minneapolis.

That Nova looked like it hadn't moved in YEARS!

The building has now been converted to awesome lofts! How cool is that?!

I love this mural! Very cool.

Decked out and ready for a day of hauling things around and looking really pretty!

Pete getting the line of bikes before we rolled out- the Speciale LTD at the end belonged to a customer who just happened to roll up and place his bike in the line- it was pretty cool!

Tim

2009-05-29T06:42:00.000-07:00

My week in Minneapolis- Part One

2009-05-24T10:45:00.000-07:00

Did I mention that I went to Minneapolis? Well... I did! I don't even know where to begin other than at the beginning. So lemme start things off...

I was up late Sunday night doing laundry and getting the bike packed safely into the travel case. I was up at 4:00AM so that I could finish packing and ended up taking a lot longer than I wanted to- because I'm a "light traveler" (those who know and work with me are surely rolling their eyes at that). After getting into the taxi and getting to the airport, it was the usual frustration of checking in with the bike case- it seems that I am charged a different price each and every time and that nobody ever knows how to go through the process. Pete, our Creative Director- aka "Sticker Boy"- was already at the gate and sending me text messages every 3.5 seconds... which by the way causes all kinds of problems when you are going through security screening and your phone is going off constantly through the x-ray. I could see the latex gloves going on to hands and could sense an imminent cavity search in my future. Thankfully, the screener could understand the concept of "smart ass coworker".

Our flights to Minneapolis went smoothly and without incident, even carrying the two heavy camera bags that Pete had. It didn't take too long to get our bags once we arrived and after a little confusion, we found our way to the car rental to get our minivan. It should be noted at this point that Pete and I both are confessed directional idiots- neither of us is Magellan. Even though I had directions to the hotel, as provided by the hotel, we also used the GPS on Pete's iPhone as I drove. It should also be noted that Pete is about as a big a Mac iGeek as you can possibly be... I'm just sayin'... but we did make it to the hotel without any problems.

The hotel was in the warehouse district of downtown Minneapolis. After getting settled in and getting my bike built, we waited for Chuck from Behind Bars Bicycle Shop , Nathan Freeman (the videographer/ model/ cool dude) and Spencer Haugh (model/ cool dude/ LGR rider/ guide/ scout) to show up for our first night time location recon' ride. After the guys showed up, we cruised the city looking for a few locations to shoot and even got a few good impromptu sessions in while simply cruising around. It wasn't on our original agenda to get any production work done on Monday night, but it turned out to be a very good night of shooting. After we got done with the shoots and recon, we headed back to the hotel. Pete and I were both still very excited about the city and the evening's first productive shots, so we hopped back on the bikes and took off for some more riding around the area and didn't end up getting back in until about 4:00AM!

One of the many gorgeous night time views of the city- I just wish I could have gotten better pictures in the dark.

Chuck serving as marker to set focal point for Pete. He was pretty good at it too!

Bike in the dark... so artsy and... dark.

Another poor attempt at an artsy pic- the brick texture was just too cool to skip, but I really should leave the picture taking to Pete.

The famous wall of money at Cuzzy's.

Pete getting his photo. It was cool to get a few good shoots in the bag on the first night- it was totally unexpected.

Another one of the many beautiful views of downtown on our first night.

I was smiling on this first ride... but the backpack on my back later became my enemy! All that photo equipment gets WAY heavy and uncomfortable!

Crossing the bridge at night, heading back into downtown. The view was spectacular.

One of the many iconic images of Minneapolis. It is impossible to not admire and appreciate the cool signage and symbols of the city's historic past.

Part Two- the first day of shooting... More to come!

Tim

Minneapolis was amazing!

2009-05-23T08:40:00.000-07:00

Well, still not home yet thanks to delays leaving Minneapolis due to
bad weather in Denver causing major issues. Had to stay overnight in
Denver for new flight home today. Sitting at the gate waiting for
flight another hour and a half. iPhone is keeping me connected to the
outside world.

Making the magic happen

2009-05-19T14:59:00.000-07:00

Getting some good images...

Waiting...

2009-05-18T11:50:00.000-07:00

Almost ready to board the plane to Minneapolis. Beautiful day here in
Denver.

Minneapolis; prepare

2009-05-17T21:29:00.000-07:00

Got through the weekend with a ride on the rollers Saturday night and nice little ride in the dessert heat today (I thought I was gonna melt... or burst into flames). Ran some errands this evening and am now doing laundry and packing up my Speciale Fixed for the week in Minneapolis.

Hope to be in downtown Minneapolis by 5:00PM tomorrow, so I'm pretty stoked. Might gimme enough time to get to the hotel and get the bike put together so I can go for a little spin in the city.

Looks like the photo shoot is gonna come together nicely with a bunch of people volunteering to help make it a great week- again, I thank you.

Gotta get back to laundry, packing and getting the bike into the case. 4:30AM is gonna be here sooner than I would like!

Tim

It's been "one of those weeks"...

2009-05-15T18:25:00.000-07:00

This week has been punctuated with lots of highs and lows. There have been some really great things to happen this week and there were things that I just won't even go into here. Like lots of people, I had "one of those weeks". I certainly don't own the market on bad weeks, that's for sure, and I've had much worse... but it's still been a very draining week, just the same.

The good news is that I still have my daughter with me through the weekend and that is always something that works to improve my outlook on things. We'll likely spend a little time at the beach and maybe even at my mom's pool. We'll hopefully get in another bike ride too. Regardless, I plan to soak in as much time with the Masidaughter as I can.

Monday morning- bright and early- I leave for Minneapolis for the week. I'll be joined by Pete Demos, our Creative Director, and we'll be working on photo and video projects. I'm really looking forward to the week- both for the creative aspects of it and for the fun of being in Minneapolis. I haven't been to Minneapolis since my sister graduated from St. Cloud State, just north of Minneapolis, about 10 years ago. I'm even happier that I'll be traveling with my Speciale Fixed so that I can ride while I am there! I am stoked to get to finally ride in the city- I've wanted to for years. AND... I get to hang out with friends and have fun while at the same time doing my job. Not a bad gig.

So here's to YOU having a great weekend. I am going to make the most out of mine.

Tim

Masi news...

2009-05-14T23:48:00.000-07:00

In case you didn't happen to see the really cool news yet, go here for the details!

Needless to say, I'm pretty stoked about it.

Tim

Calling all Minneapolis Masi owners!

2009-05-12T18:33:00.000-07:00

Next week, May 18th to 22nd, I'll be in Minneapolis with our Creative Director- Pete Demos- working on photo and video projects for our next catalog and other marketing needs. If you're a Masi owner and you're in the Minneapolis/ St. Paul area and would like to possibly be in the catalog or other photos used for the website, ads and other marketing areas let us know. Shoot me an email (address located in my blog profile info) or leave a comment here.

It doesn't matter what era Masi you have or what model- we're looking to simply add as much Masi love to the catalog and other areas as we possibly can.

We'd love to see you and your Masi if you're around during that time... so mark your calendar!

Tim
(Updated; Oh yeah- I need cool locating ideas as well, so email them to me if you have any good suggestions. Better yet- if you can email simple photos, that would be even more awesomer!)