Masiguy

End of one journey and the beginning of another.

2011-01-30T22:00:00.000-08:00

The news is out, thanks to the time difference between here and the UK...

And it is true; I am moving on from Masi and joining ASI (Fuji, Breezer, SE Racing, Kestrel, Terry Precision, & Oval Concepts). I'll be the Lifestyle/ Transportation Category Manager, dealing with bikes from Fuji, Breezer, SE Racing and a few Terry Precision models. The new role will be something of a hybrid of what I have been doing for the past 6.5yrs, blended with more of a traditional Product Manager position. I'll be chasing spec- all around the globe- and working to more directly create the best possible bikes I can for the company, as well as helping to strengthen the voice of the various brands under the ASI umbrella. It's obviously a very big change in my world and one that was not taken without tons of deliberation.

Masi has been my home, my job, my love, my passion and my obsession for the past several years- and even since my childhood in many ways. Leaving the company and my friends there was not entirely unlike the gut wrenching pain and emotional chaos of my divorces. I can not thank the great friends I have still at Masi/ Haro for all of their support and encouragement over the years as we rebuilt a once great brand that had gone quiet over the years. Masi was a much smaller and relatively dormant brand when I was given the opportunity to become the steward of the brand in October of 2004. Since that time, though still a smaller brand, Masi has grown from 8 models and domestic-only distribution to a brand with over 30 models and distribution in nearly a dozen countries... and it continues to grow.

I have been blessed to work with and meet many people who I will be friends with for the rest of my life. I have been to several countries around the world and have been able to ride a bike in many of them- seeing and feeling why the bicycle is the ultimate invention. The job has brought me more joy and happiness than any one post here can possibly detail- it would take me days, if not weeks, to write it. Suffice it to say- it's been an incredible damn ride.

Like most rides though, this one has come to an end- a joyous one at that. My recent trip to Texas to meet with and clinic folks at Sun & Ski in Houston was a very bittersweet one; knowing it was my last trip as "the Masiguy" and not saying anything about the changes coming was very hard for me- the folks at Sun & Ski have become friends over the years I have been working with them. The consumers who have purchased Masi bikes from them are special to me as well. Needless to say, I had some very conflicted and powerful emotions during the trip. But, I also knew that something incredible lay just over the horizon.

The move to ASI represents many changes and challenges that I can not wait to attack with the same passion that helped me to drive and pursue the changes that helped make Masi so much more successful. I am still a race nerd and am very enthusiastic about the sport, but I've grown increasingly passionate about transportation/ commuting bikes over the years and have a strong desire to find ways to make bicycles a bigger part of people's every day lives. As I look at the world that my children will inherit, I see a greater need to get people on bikes more often- either for the environment or for their health. This new role will give me the chance to find ways to make that happen- either through the product or through the advocacy efforts of the company. ASI is one of the most active companies in the industry when it comes to cycling advocacy

I've built something of a reputation in the world of Social Media and alternative marketing strategies, and I plan to do the same with ASI. I'll have the chance to work with some incredibly talented people to help get the word out about all of the various things the brands in the company are doing. I am very excited to work with some incredible people at ASI- from the marketing team, to the product team, to the brand team... I'm going to be getting to work with some amazing people... again.

This new position gives me the luxury of working from home, when I am not in Asia or other parts of the country and world. I'll be on the road quite a lot, especially for the first year or so, but having the chance to see more of my family when I am home means a lot to me. It isn't to say that it won't have it challenges and difficulties, but it's something I feel that I am professionally ready to tackle as I grow and learn.

I'm so thankful for this opportunity- just as I was 6.5yrs ago when I was given the chance to pilot Masi. Masi will always remain a love of mine and the bikes of the past few years will always be "my babies". I am so very proud of the things we did there and I sincerely wish them the very best success in the years ahead. I'll be more than a casual observer... for the rest of my career in the industry.

But now a new chapter begins and I am every bit as excited and nervous as I was on my first day working for Masi- flying to Las Vegas for the Interbike tradeshow, reading catalogs and learning all that I could before hitting the show floor as the new Brand Manager. ASI is my new home and I am excited to get started. With that in mind, I will no longer be posting here... though I have hardly posted here in the past year anyway! I will now begin posting to Two Wheels and Half a Brain and I promise to make every effort I can to keep it alive as much as possible. It's a work in progress still, so forgive the growing pains as I finish building the new blog... it might get hectic and messy, but I'll eventually find something I like and stick with it. I hope.

I can't post this without thanking the thousands and thousands of people who have shared in my life and my world since I created this space more than 5 years ago. YOU have no idea how much you mean to me. I promise that I would be a different person without you all. And not as happy. All of you have impacted my life in many different and wonderful ways- I am so very thankful for your friendship, support and encouragement. I can never repay you enough. But I'll try by continuing to be who I am and to love what I do and share it all with you.

It's not good-bye, it's just a different venue. Same bike geek, new bike channel.

Thank you- from the bottom of my heart.

Tim

I'm divorcing 2010 and starting a fling with 2011!

2010-12-31T20:15:00.000-08:00

2010 was looking a little worn out and bedraggled. Starting to show her age- a little junk in the trunk. A few too many grey hairs. Things a little lower than they once were.

But then 2011 came along and flashed a wicked smile. She's younger, true, but she's also smart, funny, compassionate... and HOT! Oh man, she's got an as... I mean, great personality. I think she's the one- I see a real future with her, one with great promise. I know we've only just met, but I just have a feeling about her... one that just escapes words.

*****

Kidding aside, I wish all of you a fantastic new year that is filled with nothing that you don't want and all that you do. As for me, I plan to keep trying to be the best father and husband I can and try to grow and improve. Maybe fewer mistakes, but not if they come at the expense of learning, growing and gaining new experiences that make me a more complete person.

This past year has been one of many wonderful blessings, like the birth of my second daughter- Lily, and many other big and small things. This poor blog has been neglected, among other projects I've begun or tried to resurrect, but I am hopeful that 2011 will give me the clarity to focus better on the things that have thus far evaded my grasp.

I am blessed to have the people in my life that I do- from friends and family, to acquaintances, to colleagues, to the myriad of professional contacts and associates, to the athletes I work with... to each and every person who happens to stop by here from time to time to see what the hell I've been up to. Thank you all. Sincerely and from the bottom of my heart- I am blessed. Believe me, when things start to add up or burden me and make me search for happiness, I am always brought back to the myriad people in my life. So thanks. I am better because of you.

Here's to hoping that 2011 is a better year for us all- across the globe. It's a Piscean dream to pray for world peace and an end to hunger and strife, but dammit I can't help it. To all of you across the globe- Happy New Year 2011.

Thank you,

Tim

So... where did I leave off?

2010-12-21T22:00:00.000-08:00

Is it really almost 2011? I mean... 2011?! Jeesh...

The year is wrapping up far too fast and this poor, neglected blog has all but withered out of existence recently. Again, my defense- and I feel it's a good one- is that the conversation is still going on, but largely on my Facebook and Twitter pages, as well as the Tumblr picture blog. I love this blog and whatever it is in the process of evolving into, but I have become to the more immediate gratification of near-instant dialog on Twitter and Facebook... as much as it limits my excessively wordy nature (whether that is bad is in the eye of the beholder).

Since the last update in mid-November, I've been running around all over the place of course... duh. Thanksgiving came and went in a turkey fueled blur of fun and family. Lily was unimpressed by the whole experience, but she's still too young to eat anything good... she'll be ready next year. Katie spent more time playing with my nephew Jack than she did eating, which is likely a good thing. The two of them had a blast.

The end of November and first few days of December were spent in New York and Pennsylvania, traveling with my sales rep- Keith Murphy. In the span of just a few days, we saw a whole bunch of bike shops and made some great progress with Masi all the way from Buffalo, NY to Pittsburgh, PA. I'm very excited by the progress we've been making this year- new shops are coming on board all the time and existing shops are trying more products; the Masi Global Domination is in full effect!

The weather, as of late, has been crappy- "cold" and raining- so I have been staying off the bike in an attempt to continue getting healthier. The cough is getting a lot better, though not gone, and the inhaler seems to be helping a little. All in all, I am exercising patience more than my body... but I am holding on to the belief that I will be back in full stride soon enough and the race season ahead will still be full of wins.

The family is doing great; Ann is healthy, though she is hands-down the healthiest person I've ever known. She's still swimming nearly every single day and is now within a couple pounds of her pre-pregnancy weight... which means she weighs nothing again. Katie, aka Masidaughter 1.0 is kicking ass! She is SUCH an amazing child- doing well in school, acting in a Junior Theater play- Alice in Wonderland. She and I still, among other things, share a great of love music together. I hope that I can say that in 10 more years because right now, it really makes me happy to have music in common with her. Lily has several teeth now and is healthy as a tiny, pudgy, pink ox. She scared the hell out of us with a cough that we took her to the doctor about- due to the cough I've had for so long. Turns out that the cough was garden variety and she had a bad ear infection instead... and now she's just fine! Even Masiboy, step-son from previous marriage has made a few cameo visits. He's IN COLLEGE now and working... and is still an excellent young man. I don't see him or hear from him nearly enough for my liking, but it's always great when I do- and it makes me proud to see him each time. All in all, family is the highlight of my existence.

Work is a constant blur. Those of you who have been a reader here for long (my apologies again) will remember those days a few years ago when I would blog "today/ this week was really busy!" Well, now it is more of an exception when things are slow. The brand is doing really well and the 2011 bikes are making a lot of noise for a small, humble brand. The new carbon bikes are in and shipping fast! It is amazing to me to see how well they are doing- amazing only because I had the pleasure and terror of being deeply involved in the design of the frames. When you're shelling out money for molds, you can find yourself losing sleep worrying about geometry or top tube lengths or any number of things. When the products show up, looking like a million bucks and riding like a dream, it is a HUGE relief and release. This past weekend I finally got to ride one of the newly finished bikes that will be in the demo fleet. This was my first ride on the completed product in my size and the suspense had been killing me. It is no exaggeration to say that I was a little (lot) nervous when I first clipped in and rolled away... but that nervousness was quickly replaced with total joy. Let me just say one thing; we got it right. The bike handles perfectly, the bottom bracket stiffness is amazing, the vertical compliance of the seat stays gives it great seated comfort and the oversize headset gives the front end tons of stiffness as well. As much as anything can ever live up to its marketing hype, these bikes surpass my expectations... a lot. Needless to say, I'm super proud of the work we did to create the Evoluzione bikes.

But it isn't all about the carbon bikes this year either- though they are getting some awesome reviews. The new steel bikes are kicking butt too, especially the new CXSS steel single speed cross bike. The bikes are already sold out on my size, so I can't even get one for myself and they are selling out fast in other sizes too. A single speed cross bike isn't for everybody, I know, but man is it a fun bike to ride... especially with "Monster Cross" 700x45 tires!

So the product side of things is really doing great, even with the challenges we face in the marketplace as a smaller brand. New aluminum bikes, lots of great fixies... man, there's a lot of great products.

Again, I'm gonna try to get back to this thing more often... though I know I've said that a few times already and have not followed through all that well. Don't be surprised by continued gaps, but it's more to do with having a new baby than it is a lack of love for you... promise. That said, do stop by and say hello on Twitter and Facebook. I'm there WAY more often than I should be, chasing conversations around the world.

If I don't make it back in time, have a Merry Chrismahanakwanza!

Tim

Ok, ok, ok...

2010-11-15T21:00:00.000-08:00

I know- I really stink at updating this thing. Damned Facebook and Twitter and Tumblr have made it too easy for me to not post here while still having lots of other simultaneous conversations. Well... that and having a new 7 month old daughter and working a lot and currently being very sick.

Yep... sick. Turns out that I now have what is most likely Whooping Cough (aka Pertussis). Just got the diagnosis last Friday. Fortunately, Lily had a pediatrician visit on Monday and has a clean bill of health. So, my doc has me on antibiotics as well as gave me a vaccination (which still hurts) for whooping cough and another for the seasonal flu. Also turns out, that either from the illness or from other causes, I now appear to also have exercise induced asthma and now have to use an Albuterol inhaler! I'm still getting used to using the inhaler- sorta- and learning how to ride again. The first time I rode after using it- Saturday- I felt pretty dizzy and lightheaded on the bike for the first few miles. I've gotten a little better and try not to use it right before I ride, which seems to help, but I'm still coughing A LOT when I ride and having coughing bouts where I nearly pass out because I can't breathe. Which is fun... lemme tell ya...

And, as if all that wasn't enough fun for one bike nerd to deal with, my bloodwork came back today and my cholesterol is too high again (which I knew) and I am now going back onto the medications to keep it in check. Given my family's history of high blood pressure and cholesterol- and death from heart attacks- it's in my best interest to take the medications... especially since I am too lazy and too stubborn to really watch my diet.

The week after Thanksgiving, I'm back on the road- off to the Philly/ Pittsburgh/ Albany/ Buffalo area for about 4 days of travel with my sales rep out there. I'm actually looking forward to seeing some winter weather- since I get to leave and come back to SoCal- and visiting shops in an area I haven't been in for years.

When I'm not in my deathbed, I've been trying to ride as much as my body will allow... which isn't much. It really sucks because I've been itching to have a good winter of training and came out of the race season with some good fitness (for me)... and now it's all on "pause" while I try to recover from this respiratory issue.

Very soon, I'm gonna be working on another video project for work covering the new Evoluzione carbon bikes we're doing. The bikes are amazing and the video project will be a basic educational piece highlighting why they are so great- and it should also be a bit of fun, among all the stress... if I can get well enough to be able to be on camera talking without coughing until unconsciousness!

Family is doing great; Ann is healthy and adjusting to life in the US. She is likely going to head to Taiwan with Lily and my mother soon- maybe not until January/ February and probably stay for a month or two visiting family. We're also looking at renting her condo in Taichung- we don't want to sell it and we're even torn on renting, since we both stay there when we're in Taiwan. Katie, Masidaughter 1.0, is an amazing child too. I am just so thrilled to be her father. She impresses and amazes me all the time. She's so smart and just a great child. Her older brother is now 18 and in college... and it just blows me away. I love that young man and am very proud of who he is becoming. I haven't had much time with him since the divorce, so each time I get to see him and talk to him is wonderful. He's a great boy... man... and I'm very proud of him.

I promise I'm gonna keep coming back to this thing... even if very infrequently. I thank each and every person who continues to come by here. Maybe I'll eventually get back into a rhythm... maybe.

Tim

Moab is hot, dry, dusty and rad!

2010-10-05T21:15:00.000-07:00

Three different week long events in the past month... I am totally fried! The good news is that this last trip to Moab was really great. The Outerbike event- more of a recap to follow- was great, but very slow. However, it allowed for some great bike riding in the Utah canyonlands, which is something I'd never had the chance to do before.

Here are a few pics from the trip... I'll have more to share later...

Sunset at Arches National Park... amazing...

Morning ride before the day's work at Outerbike began...

One happy bike nerd riding Moab's world famous Slickrock Trail... way, WAY cool!

After 15-16 miles of nearly non-stop climbing, I felt a bit like a dead horse myself!

More to come soon... most likely...

Tim

Where did I leave off?

2010-09-27T21:19:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I went to Montreal and came home for three days before leaving for Vegas and returned Saturday evening, just to leave again tomorrow (Tuesday) for Moab, UT and Outerbike!

Needless to say, I haven't been home much lately and feel a little like a stranger around my family... but I'm getting a little better at packing.

Montreal was awesome. Interbike (Vegas- for the last time) was amazing. We're hoping that Outerbike will be a success too.

Things have continued to be beyond busy, so please pardon the delays between posts- I am going to continue to keep trying to commit time to this blog, especially once I get back from Moab next week. Lots and lots of cool things to talk about.

Tim

Interbike is here!

2010-09-20T00:10:00.001-07:00

Sitting in the finally bearable nighttime desert air after 6+ hrs or
driving and then getting demo booth partially done.

Driving

2010-09-07T22:12:00.001-07:00

This may sound the wrong way, but life is driving me these days-
rather than me doing the driving.

No, I'm still not dead...

2010-09-05T23:15:00.000-07:00

If you're one of the 3 readers who still come by to see where the hell I've gone, I just want to let you know that I an mot dead. Maybe you don't follow me on Twitter or you haven't friended me on Facebook, or maybe not seen the new-ish Tumblr blog... if so, I want to reassure you that I am alive and well. Not only that, so are Ann, Katie and Lily.Work is nuts, travel is about to kick off BIG TIME this coming Friday with trips to Montreal (Expocycle), then Vegas Interbike) and then Utah (Outerbike)... meaning I live out of a suitcase for 3/4's of September.

At the moment, I'm fighting off what I hope is the tail end of a nasty cold/ moderate flu. Ann has been making me tradition Taiwanese ginger tea to help me gain my strength back. I've only missed one day of riding- though I've got so much junk in my chest that my breathing is terrible and I am unable to operate with much power. Still, I've got the best form I've had in years and don't want to see it all vanish into thin air, so I've been trying to make sure I ride a little at least.

That form has been paying off lately with some recent great results on the track- well, certainly great for me and especially when considering the extent of my injuries 2yrs ago. Our track here has a great weekly race series every Tuesday night- the TNR Series as we call it. It's a great series of races and it's my home track... and the track that nearly killed me... but I love it. In recent weeks, during the series of "championship" events for the series, I managed to get 2nd place in the B's Points Race and even won the B's Keirin championship (with 2 straight wins). Still my proudest moment came in getting 2rd overall in the San Diego Cup Challenge Match Sprint. This was the first sprint I've done in several years- at least 4- and the first "tournament" of sprints in close to 10! I won my first two sprints after qualifying 7th and then went on to get 2nd in the semifinal and 3rd in the final. All things considered, I am most proud of that series of performances- even though Keirin is my favorite event of all. As a former, dedicated elite level sprinter, feeling a little closer to being "home" means a lot to this old guy and these old legs. I may never get back to competing at the elite level again, but at least I might have a shot of truly becoming competitive within the masters category... maybe.

(Photo; Mark Johnson- Ironstring)

So, in closing, I'm not dead, the family is great, things are spastic but very exciting with the Masi line this year and I'm looking forward to seeing a lot of friends on the road during all this upcoming travel. I can't promise I'll be back to regular daily posting here, but I promise I am going to make a real effort to be back a lot more often.

Oh yeah, and if you've been waiting for me to finish the Tour de France coverage so that you can know who won the race... it wasn't Lance.

Tim

2010 Tour de France- Stage 7 report; Chapeau Chavanel!

2010-07-10T21:45:00.000-07:00

Stage 7 today ended similarly to Stage 2, with Sylvain Chavanel (Quick Step) taking the win and moving into the Yellow jersey after taking a gutsy solo win. Chavanel has bounced back from a terrible crash at this year's Liege-Bastogne-Liege to take two stage wins and the Yellow jersey twice in one Tour. French cycling fans must surely be naming their young boys Sylvain for the remainder of this year at least.

The stage was billed as something of a transition stage into the mountains. The 6 categorized climbs were all relatively "safe" on their own, but with the combination of the last 3 climbs each being category 2 climbs, life was going to be difficult.
Unlike stage 2, Chavanel did not spend the entire day out on his own, but executed a perfectly timed attack to chase down a break that had been out all day. His teammate and Mountains leader Jerome Pineau was in that break and solidified his lead in the Polka Dot jersey. Even though the stage was supposed to be "easy", for a mountain stage, several riders were put into trouble as their legs (or injuries) couldn't handle the intensity of the final climb speeds. In the end, Fabian Cancellara succumbed to the pressure and finished 14+min behind Chavanel. He now switches back to his main role at the Tour of support rider for his team leader Andy Schleck.

Chavanel's victory put him back in Yellow, but it is likely to be another short stay in the golden tunic, as the real Alps are looming ahead and the real race contenders are sharpening their teeth for the battle ahead. After riding smartly today, pre-race semi-favorite Cadel Evans moved into 2nd on GC and is certainly the best placed of the true contenders for the overall. Surprisingly, Garmin's Ryder Hesjedal now sits in 3rd- and looked good on the climbs today... possibly another "Wiggins" in the making? With Schleck in 4th, Vino' in 5th and Contador in 6th, the GC is starting to really take shape. Lance is now up to 14th after looking supremely comfortable today, even when nearly completely alone towards the end. Wiggins sits in 11th, right behind Menchov (Rabobank) and just ahead of Kreuziger (Liguiqas). It's an interesting looking group...

It simply must be noted that Footon-Servetto rider Rafael Valls, a first year pro riding for the mostly forgettable Spanish team, fought bravely by himself to try to catch Chavanel and came within 57 seconds at the finish to grab 2nd and some great exposure for the team. Created from the ashes of the disgraced Saunier-Duval team of doper Riccardo Ricco, this humble team of unlikely riders came to the Tour as gigantic question marks. Valls just missed the win and true vindication for the team, but his effort was valiant and classy.

Tomorrow's Stage 8 promises to bring a lot of pain to the legs of anybody who has not quite recovered from their injuries of previous stages or from the efforts of today. 5 rated climbs, with two of them "only" being category 4 climbs, means that the hurt will last a long time. The final climb of the day- Morzine-Avoriaz- is a category 1 and 23km long, starting after 175km of racing... and the day before the first rest day of the race. Breakaways will certainly be going away constantly, but it is likely going to be the first real fisticuffs between the GC heavyweights. Astana, Saxo and RadioShack will likely all send attacks up the road to force the other GC rival's teams to chase. It was clear today that some of the GC support riders were holding back today, resting for stage 8... so the fireworks are likely to be impressive.

I expect to see Chavanel out of the jersey by the end of the day again... but who will take it from him? The final climb is one that could actually work well for Evans, since it is neither terribly long or terribly steep. It isn't really suited to the explosive nature of either Contador or Schleck, so they might not have much of a chance to get away. In the end... it's likely to be a good day for cycling fans.

Tim

2010 Tour de France- Stage 6 report

2010-07-09T23:45:00.000-07:00

So, looks like Cav has gotten his head back in the game. After a pretty crappy season so far, Cavendish is getting up to speed and racking up the wins again. The sprints have come down to 2 wins by Petacchi, 2 by Cavendish and one by Hushovd... but that will soon change...

Stage 6 was filled with multiple rollers, including four category four climbs, but nothing was strong enough to disrupt the usual early Tour predictability; breakaway gets away and dangles off the front for much of the day, only to be swallowed up by the sprinters in the final kilometers.The stage's 225km played more of a role on the field than the course profile, especially with this weekend's stages bringing the first real taste of the mountains.

In the end, the break never had a chance and Cavendish was delivered brilliantly by his team to another stage win. Tyler Farrar, still nursing a fractured wrist, managed second on the stage with Petacchi 3rd. Petacchi is now on the heels of Hushovd and his Green jersey and Farrar looks destined to get a stage win.

The stage was made all the more interesting by the fight between Barredo and Costa, and McEwen's finish line crash. Some days it just doesn't make sense to get out of bed...

Stage 7 is the first real taste of the mountains ahead, but I expect some fireworks will be on hand. GC riders may or may not feel safe enough to let a break get away or may overreact and begin attacking each other right away, just looking for weaknesses in their rivals. With a category two climb just before the false flat finish, things could get more entertaining. All in all, it should be an interesting stage- it will be interesting to see who shows their cards...

Tim

2010 Tour de France- Stages 4 and 5 reports

2010-07-08T22:00:00.000-07:00

So I have two good reasons for missing my stage recap last night;

Not much happened in the short stage, outside of Cavendish completely screwing the pooch in the sprint that shoulda been his.
And this...

I think you can understand my situation.

(PLUS... I was speaking at my friend Becky Carroll's Marketing via New Media class at UCSD again last night. Becky is kind enough to invite me to speak to the class each year and share my Social Media experiences with them. As always, it was a great evening.)

Alright, you get a two-fer-one special tonight. Or, the inverse- double punishment.

Stage 4-
One of the shortest stages we'll see this year, stage 4 really shoulda been a slam dunk for Cavendish and Columbia. The short course was relatively flat- hilly, but nothing of major concern- and finished with little to get in the way of the sprinters teams. A small break dangled off the front for much of the day, but their chances were slim to none... there was really no way the sprinters were going to let this one get away. So the inevitable happened and the big thigh crowd got their wish and a sprint was set up. However...

... Columbia set up Cavendish for what should have been a victory celebration, but his sprint sputtered as Alessandro Petacchi took his second stage win with convincing speed. On his heels with Garmin's Julian Dean and then Boasson Hagen of Sky. Cavendish rolled across the line in a demoralized 12th... and later was seen firing his helmet out the door of the team bus in frustration, after refusing to speak to the press and heading to his quiet place immediately after the stage.

The GC was left intact with Cancellara in Yellow and Hushovd firmly in Green. All the aching bodies from the carnage of stage 3 were likely very happy that the day had unfolded with so little excitement.

Stage 5-
CyclingNews.com- Cavendish Vindicated in Montargis!
VeloNews.com- Manx Missile Launches!

Don't get me wrong- especially my friends in the UK- I like Cavendish as a sprinter. The kid has a ton of talent and speed. He's a cocky kid with a mouth bigger and faster than his legs, but he's been pretty effective at living up to his trash talking prior to this year. And, I've always respected the way he thanks his teammates and how he genuinely seeks them each out to thank them after every race he wins- since they are the ones who hand deliver him to those wins. BUT... I do think it's kind of funny that much of the cycling press, even the English speaking press, was bashing him for his stellar lack of results and now hail him as the second coming of Christ!

I could go on and on about it all, but I'd rather just get to the racing and the sprint- because they were both pretty good.

The stage was another relatively short and flat one, similar to stage 5. So, just like the day before, a break got away early... even with no chance of survival. After playing with the break, the way a cat plays with a captured mouse, the sprinters teams pulled the break back with the usual surgical precision with about 10km to go. Once the lone straggler was back in the field, Jose Ivan Guttierrez (Caisse d'Epargne), the blood was in the water and the sharks were circling... hungrily.

The finale was ready to be served, as Garmin and Lampre both battled at the front to set up their sprinters- Farrar and Petacchi. However, Columbia stayed focused with their men and it was Mark Renshaw who fought his way through the fray to give Cavendish an opening he was able to use to finish the job today. In a brilliantly timed jump, Cavendish sprang clear to handily win the sprint ahead of a strong Gerald Ciolek (Milram) and surprising Boasson Hagen (Sky). Farrar, who seems to be healing from his injuries pretty well, confessed to having messed the sprint up for himself- jumping to the wrong side of Julian Dean. Hushovd managed 5th and remains in Green... though Boasson Hagen is knocking on the door now with back to back 3rd place finishes in field sprints... from a TT and Classics specialist.

The GC is the same as yesterday, with Cancellara enjoying his final moments in Yellow with the mountains looming. Hushovd is eyeing the other sprinters because his Green jersey is safe... but only barely.

Cavendish's emotional celebrations on the podium today were clearly heartfelt. The pressure for him to perform this year, to the same or better standards as last year has taken a toll on the Boy Racer. His tears were genuine- now let's see if he has learned anything and can carry the obvious speed he has forward.

Stage 6 is going to be a long one- 225km- with four category four climbs to keep things from being "too easy". The last two climbs are near the end of the race, in the last 50km or so. This will keep things interesting at the end, but the sprinters will still be hungry for more... because the real mountains are looming large. "Breakaway" will be the word of the day and with the stage being so long, if the sprinters are lazy the break could stick to the finish. It's not too likely... but it could happen. Team like Katusha could use a win and they have the all day break specialists with all the Russians. It isn't hilly enough for the Euskaltel boys, so they'll relax and plan their attacks for the real mountains. Maybe B-Box will get active. Maybe even Ag2r... or Cofidis. Regardless, somebody will get away and stay away for a long time. The sprinters will want them to come back so that they can go for the win again... however the main GC guys might be content to let some riders low enough on the GC have the day so that they can relax before the bigger climbs arrive. Regardless... it'll be interesting.

Tim

2010 Tour de France- Stage 3 report... it gets messy

2010-07-06T22:35:00.000-07:00

I'm not one to say "I told you so"... but...

Saxo Bank gets Fabian Cancellara back in Yellow, Andy Schleck puts time into all of his rivals (thanks to Fabian's help/ expertise/ experience), the team stamps its authority onto the race as possibly the team to beat... but also sends Frank Schleck to the hospital with a broken collarbone. Andy's brother was the main casualty of a brutally savage day at the Tour. Not unlike eysterday's bloodletting, today's stage changed the outcome of the Tour- one way or another. Andy will now have to face the rest of the Tour without the physical and on-the-road emotional support of his brother. The two brothers would have surely been a very potent one-two punch against both Contador and Armstrong, but now the Saxo script is being rewritten.

The cobbles of Northern France exacted a heavy toll and provided the Tour organizers with another day of controversial spectacle. Riders bounced around the cobbles, with crashes happening all over the route. The pace of the race was unrelenting as well, as riders and teams fought to get into position before each of the 7 sections of pain-inducing ancient road. Along the way, riders and equipment snapped under the pressure. In the end, the Tour was reshaped again, for the second day in a row.

The finish in Arenberg Porte du Hainaut, near the entranceof the infamous Arenberg Forest section of paris-Roubaix, saw Thor Hushovd sprint from a small break group and claim the win ahead of Geraint Thomas (Sky) and cadel Evans (BMC). Evans was the highest placed of the real GC contenders by the end of the day, moving up to 3rd overall. Andy Schleck now sits in 6th, with Contador in 9th and Lance Armstrong in 18th. The race is far from over, but with the way things have been going in this race, every second might become more important than in previous years.

Sylvain Chavanel began the day in Yellow, with a custom painted Eddy Merckx- signed by Sir Eddy himself- and nearly 3 minutes cushion. By the end of an horrendous day for Chavenel, he would slip to 5th after numerous mechanical issues and flats. Chavanel soldiered on as best he could, but the jersey was lost at the end of the day... as was the Green jersey that is now back on the wide shoulders of Thor Hushovd.

In all of the years that Lance has ridden the Tour, today was the first time he has ever experienced a flat tire... and it dropped him to 18th place due to the timing late in the race. Lance rode the stones as if he had been riding them for years, but in the end it was the fickle mmistress Lady Luck who forced him into a very defensive position. After flatting, he and his reliable lieutenant Yaroslav Popovych chased like hell to regain the group. Lance burned up Popo' and had to carry on by himself until reaching a 2nd chase group.

Alberto Contador once again proved that his head is as strong as anybody's in the elite group of multiple Grand Tour winners. AC stormed in to the finish, until flatting just a few hundred meters from the finish line, with the first chase group. Many predicted the ultra lean Contador would be eaten alive by the jarring of the cobbles, but he managed to prove that he is at this Tour to win again. Just as he was previously criticised for his TT abilities, which are now so good that he was able to win the Spanish TT title last year and then beat Cancellara at the tour, Contador has proven that he is a champion who can ride any type of surface.

Another hero of the day has to be Ryder Hesjedal for was in the early break all the way to the finish. He finished the stage in 4th and moves up to 5th on GC. Hesjedal has enjoyed a fantastic season so far this year and today's result is proof that he's maturing as a rider for the harder racers.

It was a day of chaos and broken dreams. Tomorrow's Stage 4 should be the "easiest" of this year's stages- at just 150km and very little climbing. I am sure many sore riders from today and yesterday will be happy to have an easier day tomorrow to recover before things heat back up in the mountains. I'd expect to see the sprinters out in force. since things should be easier... but there are so many injured riders that nothing is certain. Thor should have a shot at a second stage, but I also expect Cav to be trying to redeem himself. Sadly, with his fractured wrist, Farrar may be out of contention, but somebody always seems to rise to the occasion... so we'll just have to wait and see who it is.

Footnote; This was on Velonation.com today after the stage and is a visceral reaction to the stage, given by everybody's favorite hard man Jens Voigt; it's something to think about.

Tim

2010 Tour de France- Stage 2 report

2010-07-05T23:30:00.000-07:00

As if yesterday's crash-fest wasn't enough, today's stage in Belgium proved to be almost as catastrophic as what many fear tomorrow's Stage 3 will be. But we haven't even hit the cobbles yet...

Today's stage was marked by a few large happenings;

Sylvain Chavanel won the stage solo after initiating a break at around 15km into the race. Chavanel, who fractured his skull this year during Liege-Bastogne-Liege on nearly the same roads, came back strong with the goods and won a brilliantly fought stage. Chavanel is among the classiest of the French riders in the peloton and is purported to be an actually decent guy. His win, though helped considerably by the day's 2nd big event, is impressive for the courage and grit it took to survive and continue to hammer the pedals for almost 200km off the front.
The day's second big deal was the crashes, most notably the blood bath on the descent of the Stockeu climb. Francesco Gavazzi (Lampre), who was part of the break that joined with Chavanel, fell out of the back of the break and then crashed on the slippery wet roads of the Stockeu descent. That seemingly minor crash of one man set off a chain reaction of events that changed the face of the 2010 Tour de France. Reportedly, one of the TV motorbikes, in an attempt to avoid Gavazzi, fell over and began to leak oil across the road. By the time the field came chasing along, the road was slickened and more than just a little dangerous. The ensuing carnage and chaos was more like an actual battle scene as riders scrambled to their feet and looked for their bikes and checked their bodies. Nearly all of the favorites were involved in the crash (or crashes) and it looked very much like Andy Schleck's Tour might be over. After getting a bike from teammate Matti Breschel though, Schleck was back in action and chasing hard to regain the field.
The third major event of the day, and what truly cemented Chavanel's still impressive win, was a slowdown of the race by many of the riders- but most notably yellow jersey wearer Cancellara. Losing his jersey in the process to Chavanel, Fabian helped to orchestrate a neutralization of the race so that the chasing riders could regain the field after so many of the riders- estimated at over 60- came down on the slick roads. Even with this slowing of the race, many of the riders never regained the main field- regrettably including Tyler Farrar and Christian Vande Velde (who later abadondoned with two fractured ribs). Both riders completed the stage in great pain and covered in bandages from the race medics.

In the end, Chavanel still earned his impressive win and hardly anybody in the race felt that he should not have won. There were certainly grumblings in the field by those who thought they could've won- or should've- but the bulk of the race agreed that there had been enough bleeding for one day and out of respect for their fellow riders, the race should roll safely to the finish without anybody profiting from the day's carnage.

** And here is where I must have my rant; plug your ears if you are offended easily...**

There were many folks chiming in on Twitter after the stage, calling the riders wimps, pussies and whiners for protesting the race conditions today and neutralizing the finish to allow their fellow racers, teammates and friends to attempt to regain the group.

In my opinion, people who don't know what the fuck they're talking about should really just shut the fuck up. No, I've never held a pro license, but I have ridden with countless pros and have raced with and against many of them over the years as well. Protecting themselves and their fellow riders, or being vocally concerned, does not make them less of a man. These guys do this for a living- not because they chasing down a midlife crisis or because they have a point to prove to themselves or others. Racing is their job and their livelihood, not their hobby. Chris Horner was among those voicing concerns about the race today and I'd like to see some of the people talking shit today tell Chris he's simply being a whiny pussy. It'd be funny... believe me.

It's easy to sit in anonymity at your computer, or just snipe away from a safe electronic distance thinking you're so much better than the riders at the Tour, but until you've "been there and done that" yourself... shut the fuck up.

Alright... I'm done.

Tomorrow is likely to be an even bigger bloodbath than today- especially if it rains again. If the roads are dry, it's still likely to be brutal on the field. With just over 13km of cobbles in store for the riders in multiple chunks, Stage 3 promises to be very painful in a lot of ways; with so many riders starting tomorrow with injuries, it's only going to be worse. The chaos and nervousness of trying to avoid injury and mishap is only going to make things that much worse. With all the GC teams trying to protect their main riders, expect things to get insane at the approach to each cobbled section... and then to deteriorate immediately after.

Teams like Quick-Step, with Chavanel in Yellow, should do well since they are Belgian Classics specialists. Omega Pharma-Lotto should also be quite active, as well as Paris-Roubaix winner Cancellara and his fellow P-R winner/ teammate Stuart O'Grady. The main GC contenders have all scouted the course so that they have a little better idea of what to expect- and fear- so they will be relying on teammates and luck to get them to the finish safely and without losing time.

It is unlikely that the Tour will be won tomorrow, but it could certainly be lost. My only prediction is that there will be some really unhappy riders by the end of the stage... and possibly only one really happy one.

Tim

2010 Tour de France- Stage 1 report

2010-07-04T12:15:00.000-07:00

Narrow roads and a nervous peloton once again lead to several riders hitting the deck during the day's stage. An early breakaway, launched at the drop of the flag by Lars Boom (Rabobank), spent much of the day out on the roads getting TV time... with never a chance of success with the sprinter's teams hungry for a win.

As is almost always the case in the first few days of the Tour, the riders were nervous and fighting for position, which lead to a few riders getting to test the crash worthiness of their bikes, helmets and Lycra. The main "losers" on the day included Mark Cavendish, who was caught up in a crash a few kilometers from the line as he and Jeremy Hunt (Cervelo Test Team) fought for position... which also brought down Oscar Freire. Not long after that, Farrar was nearly taken down by Lloyd Mondory's (Ag2r) solo crash into Farrar's rear wheel. The French rider has something of a reputation for making less than stellar decisions in the chaos of a sprint and lived down to that reputation.

Another crash just past the final kilometer mark- the "flame rouge"- brought down or haulted nearly all of the contenders and big hitters, including Cancellara, Contador and many others. Since the crash happened within the final 3km, all riders were awarded the same time as eventual winner Alessandro Petacchi.

Petacchi, using his powerful long distance sprint, timed his moe to perfection and was able to finish clear of mark Renshaw (Columbia-HTC) and Hushovd. Renshaw, who normally serves as leadout for Cavendish, was tossed into the spotlight as Cav's replacement after he became a non-factor due to his crash. Given Cav's recent spate of asphalt surfing sessions, Renshaw may get a few more chances to finish the job. Hushovd now steps a bit closer to his Green jersey, though it is now occupied by Petacchi, who has enjoyed a nice season this year. At 36, Ale Jet is a little older than he was the last time he won a Tour stage in 2003, but he's proven that he's still pretty quick for an old guy (sorta like me... huh).

Fabian gets to keep his Yellow jersey a little longer, though he'll be stiff tomorrow after his crash today. Contador looked to be unscathed, but will likely have a few bruises as well. Columbia's Adam Hansen hit the deck hard very early in the race and was off to hospital to check for possible fractures. So tomorrow's Stage 2 will see some achy bodies on the start line hoping for a slow start to the day's assault of some of the same roads used in the fabled Spring Classic, Liege-Bastogne-Liege.

Stage 2 will see the field hit lots of smaller, but punchy climbs all day. With a total of 6 categorized climbs (3-4's and 3- 3's), the day is likely to play out like an Ardennes Classic... Liege-Bastogne-Liege... so look for some of the potential GC guys to flex a little muscle to improve their position after a bad prologue... like maybe Wiggins (if he's smart) or Evans. Evans fought a tough LBL, with Vinokourov finally winning the race, so he is unlikely to be given enough freedom to do much tomorrow... but Vino is known for his brash moves and might make a go at trying to have another great day in the region this year. The last of the climbs finishes with less than 15km to the finish- which is slightly downhill- so expect things to get nutty if the field is able to stay together.

If things stay together, expect the main sprinters to be trying to get the win; Petacchi could do well again, but look for Cav and Farrar to really be looking to make a statement. Otherwise, look for a group to get away on the rolling climbs and fight for the finish on narrow roads again. Were he not a threat for the final GC, I'd pick Evans, but he'll be heavily marked. It'd be cool to see somebody like Horner, Boasson Hagen, Voigt or Stuart O'Grady get a day of it. BUT... I'm more expecting to see the Russian headbangers of Katusha flogging themselves, as well as guys like Nicolas Roche (Ag2r), Jurgen Van Den Broeck (Omega Pharma-Lotto), Alessandro Ballan (BMC), Kevin Seeldrayers (Quick Step) or possibly even Damiano Cunego (Lampre) trying to get a shot at things.

Don't be surprised if you feel like you're having flashbacks to April/ May tomorrow... it could be a very interesting day.

Tim

2010 Tour de France- Prologue report

2010-07-03T22:10:00.000-07:00

Guess what? That huge Swiss dude, Fabian what's-his-name, sure seems good at those TT things. I'll bet he might have a future in the sport riding those funny bikes with weird helmets. I'm just thinking out loud here...

Tony Martin was really the only person who had a chance of challenging Fabian today. Tony has been riding exceptionally well and is an exceptional talent, but when Fabian has the pressure on him and is in the spotlight, he seems to nearly always come through with an exceptional performance.

The weather was certainly a factor for the contenders who chose to ride early in hopes of missing the rain that was supposed to come later in the day. The gambled and lost. The rain came earlier than predicted and made the course treacherously slick, resulting in a few nasty crashes- one leading to the exit of BMC rider Mathias Frank, who injured himself well enough to break a bone in his hand and severely hurt his thigh muscle... leaving Cadel Evans minus one rider already.

There were several shocking rides on the day, including Bradley Wiggins riding in the rain to finish well down on the day at 77th, 56 seconds down. Not a great start, for sure, but we're only beginning. But Andy Schleck finished a painful 122nd... so the mountains are already proving to be even more important for him.

Of the other main contenders- ie Lance and Alberto- the race story was a bit different as both had great rides. Lance showed that at 38 he's still a pretty good rider against the clock by finishing a very respectable 4th and Contador just 2 places back in 6th. So even though Fabian ruled the day, the two main protagonists of the race are almost exactly where they want to be... for now.

Notable rides were handed in by David Millar in 3rd and Tyler Farrar in 7th at 28 seconds out of Yellow. Garmin's leader, Vande Velde finished a less than stellar 92nd and 1 minute back... but he's a tough guy... even if fragile. Radioshack also did well to get 4 riders in the top 20- Armstrong (4th), Leipheimer (8th), Brakovic (13th) and Kloden (17th). Astana only managed to get Contador (6th) and Vinokourov (19th) in the top 20... so the pundit's tongues are all a-wagging.

Without a massive screwup/ injury, the prologue is largely pointless in regards to the final GC- usually- so this is really just an exercise in selecting the first classification leaders. However, with Mark Cavendish finishing a dismal 127th and 1:10 down, it looks like the only sprinter with a real hope of wearing yellow is Tyler Farrar... which makes tomorrow's stage important for Garmin...

Stage 1 goes through the narrow and twisty roads of Netherland into Belgium, to finish in Brussels. Netherland is famous for it's strong coastal winds and narrow roads, so you can expect the field to be hyper-nervous as they head to Belgium. The stage passes through Eddy Merckx's hometown in honor of his 65th birthday- so expect Belgian riders to be itching like hell to win the stage in his honor. BUT... it's gonna be an ugly day at 223km with a nervous field trying to minimize losses over the next few days as the race hits the cobbles in Stage 3. There's a short rise before the finish in Brussels, but the approach to the line is downhill. Expect breakaways ALL DAY LONG, but it is unlikely to work because the sprinters are going to be hungry and there are plenty of them in the race with a point to prove;

Farrar is looking for his first Tour win and a shot at Yellow.
Cavendish needs redemption after a crappy season so far.
McEwen is an adopted Belgian and needs to get a win for his large pride.
Allesandro Petacchi wants to show he's still fast enough to be called a Super Sprinter.

But... a wily sprinter like Oscar Freire could easily steal the show. Oscar does well in tough races and if it rains during the long stage, he's in even better shape. Thor Hushovd would love to open his Tour account early as well, since he's hoping to get another Green jersey.

I expect it to be a messy day with lots of chaos and likely numerous crashes- hopefully Vande Velde avoids them and manages to get through safely... given his brittle nature and bad luck. I doubt that Farrar will get Yellow, since fabian is just too strong to lose 28+ seconds on the first stage. I think Farrar has a shot at the win, if Cavendish and Columbia-HTC can't get their act together. I'm pretty sure Garmin would love to get their sprint ace the win he's been hunting, as well as an early Yellow... since it might be their only hope of it being in the team this year.

Today, Fabian proved the motor is in his legs, not his bike. Tomorrow is waiting to see who the new motor is.

Tim

Tour de France 2010- here we go again, for the first time

2010-07-03T00:00:00.000-07:00

Well kids, it's that time of year again- the Tour de France has arrived and now it is time for the cycling world to be up-ended with passion and controversy. In a few hours time, from the time I finish writing this, the Tour will begin with all of the cycling world's eyes staring at Rotterdam for the Tour prologue.

As this Tour begins, controversy again swirls and the ugly specter of doping is again in the news. Though I have not yet had the chance to read the full article, the Wall Street Journal has published a "bombshell" of allegations from Floyd Landis regarding Lance Armstrong and further unproven accusations of doping. Even before that, on the eve of the race, Cervelo Test Team suspended its rider Xavier Florencio- allegedly for breaking the team's code of conduct regarding the use of treatments containing banned substances... in this case, an ointment to treat a saddle sore. Seriously? The ass creme has so much ephedrine that he might fail a doping test? Is he bathing in the stuff or is the team A) so paranoid of bad press if something happens or 2) something more sinister is really behind this expulsion. AND we've now gotten so freaked out by drug doping that riders are resorting to mechanical doping and bikes are being scanned at this year's Tour!

Still one thing remains true; the Tour de France is quite possibly the gretest spectacle in all of sport and even with the sensational news and headlines, the next three weeks will be watched by cycling fans around the world with unmatched excitement as this year's race is arguably the most "open" it has been in several years.

We'll see what sorts of feces get tossed into the fan blades...

And now on to the teams and a few thoughts, comments and predictions.

Astana

The team of two-time winner Alberto Contador and former vampire- "no really, I'm totally clean now, this time"- Alexander Vinokourov. This is the team to beat, on paper. However, this could also be the team to have the most spectacular implosion as well. If Vino and Berto can work together and keep their team intact, then they should win the Tour. Contador is arguably the best stage racer of his generation, having already won all three Grand Tours... before the age of 30. Vino is about as predictable as a 10 year old after downing a case of Red Bull and chasing it down with one of those 3 foot long Pixie Stix. Some will say that Contador runs the risk of having to ride the race alone... but for those who do not remember the internal team polemics at Astana with Lance last year, he essentially won the Tour having to beat all the other teams AND his own.

If they keep their heads and actually work for El Pistolero, the race is his to lose.

1 Alberto Contador Velasco (Spa)
2 David De La Fuente Rasilla (Spa)
3 Andriy Grivko (Ukr)
4 Jesus Hernandez Blazquez (Spa)
5 Maxim Iglinskiy (Kaz)
6 Daniel Navarro Garcia (Spa)
7 Benjamin Noval Gonzalez (Spa)
8 Paolo Tiralongo (Ita)
9 Alexander Vinokourov (Kaz)

Team Saxo Bank
Here's the team of Bjarne- "yes I doped to win my Tour, so you can have your t-shirt back"- Riis. He's an excellent director, which can not be denied, and gets awesome results from his riders. The team is stacked with talent- including the Schleck brothers who so consternated both Alberto and Lance last year. Andy is a very good climber and can stay with Alberto when at his best, but not when it comes to the time trials. Since there is only one real TT this year, Andy has a chance to challenge. With Fabian- "I'll show you my motor"- Cancellara on the squad too, expect some additional fireworks from the team, especially on Stage 3, when they hit the cobblestones. He and Stuart O'Grady are both roubaix winners, so you can expect them to be pushing the pace and making the skinny climbers soil their petite chamois. AND with Jens- "that doesn't hurt"- Voigt, Saxo will certainly make the race hard for other teams.

11 Andy Schleck (Lux)
12 Matti Breschel (Den)
13 Fabian Cancellara (Swi)
14 Jakob Fuglsang (Den)
15 Stuart O'Grady (Aus)
16 Fränk Schleck (Lux)
17 Chris Anker Sørensen (Den)
18 Nicki Sörensen (Den)
19 Jens Voigt (Ger)

Team Radioshack
Well, what do you say about this team other than, "Lance is trying to win number 8"? Bruyneel- the team director with the most Tour wins to his credit- is a tactical genius and his biggest ace up his sleeve is Chris Horner. Horner is like a second Director on the road and in the race. He's supremely gifted at reading races and riders, so he'l; be an incredible asset to the team during the race. Lance is once again surrounded by the strongest team in the race. Love it or hate it- nobdoy else has the depth of Radioshack... aka The Shack. However, only Andreas Kloden has also had a foot on the Tour final podium and has proven his ability to be powerful all the way to the end. Levi- "I'm not actually a Hobbit"- Leipheimer is a totally likeable dude, but he's proven fragile- especially with his bones (will somebody give that boy a glass of whole milk and a block of cheese).

It is a given that nobody wants to win this race more than Radioshack. But can they? More importantly- can Lance?

21 Lance Armstrong (USA)
22 Janez Brajkovic (Slo)
23 Christopher Horner (USA)
24 Andreas Klöden (Ger)
25 Levi Leipheimer (USA)
26 Dmitriy Muravyev (Kaz)
27 Sergio Paulinho (Por)
28 Yaroslav Popovych (Ukr)
29 Grégory Rast (Swi)

Sky Professional Cycling Team
How do you become a Tour contending team over night? Money. Lots and lots and lots of money... and a ruthless pursuit of riders. Sky is a high profile team with great riders who were all purchased with the goal of winning this race. There is a lot of great talent on the roster, but their hopes on pinned on the affable Brad Wiggins. I like Brad because he races on the track, but was his 4th place last year a sign of things to come over the next 3 weeks or was it a happy co-inky-dink? He's proven he's got the goo between the ears to make himself ride well. Can his team support him for the duration of the race if he does have the ride of his life? Of the "contending" teams, Sky raises the most questions for me- they didn't exactly have a stellar Giro and have been erratic all year.

Can they do it and bring the Tour's final jersey to England?

31 Bradley Wiggins (GBr)
32 Michael Barry (Can)
33 Steven Cummings (GBr)
34 Juan Antonio Flecha Giannoni (Spa)
35 Simon Gerrans (Aus)
36 Edvald Boasson Hagen (Nor)
37 Thomas Lövkvist (Swe)
38 Serge Pauwels (Bel)
39 Geraint Thomas (GBr)

Liquigas-Doimo
"No really, I didn't dope!" Ivan Basso just came off an incredible Giro win, his second, and is itching to finally win the Tour that was once thought to be his annointing as a true Campionissimo. Basso was once the guy Lance most feared in a race, but after serving a 2 year suspension for "nearly doping", he's now finally back but not as strong in the TT's as he once was. Then again, this Tour only has one real TT... so he could be in there still. BUT... his support riders at this race are not of the same level as his main rivals. They're good guys- you gotta like guys like Quinziato- but can they keep him in the hunt for 3 weeks?

We'll just have to wait and see what the boys of "leaky gas" can do.

41 Ivan Basso (Ita)
42 Francesco Bellotti (Ita)
43 Kristjan Koren (Slo)
44 Roman Kreuziger (Cze)
45 Alexander Kuschynski (Blr)
46 Daniel Oss (Ita)
47 Manuel Quinziato (Ita)
48 Sylvester Szmyd (Pol)
49 Brian Vandborg (Den)

Garmin - Transitions
Sweet Jesus... talk about fragile. Christain Vande Velde has bones made of balsa wood, or maybe posicle sticks. Poor guy... but he's tough as leather and still manages to ride hard against the odds. He managed to still make the top 10 last year, while riding support for Wiggins, after crashing and breaking a whole bunch of bones at the Giro. Still, you just have to love this team and want them to do well. Jonathan Vaughters may be a fashionable TT nerd, turned into a team owner/ director, but he's a good guy and his riders are all likeable. It's a strong team with tons of talent, so CVV should have great support, even with a contingent of the team there just to get stage wins with Tyler Farrar. Tyler is a good kid, who happens to be damned fast when he's at his best. He's now only missing a Tour win to complete his collection of Grand Tour stage wins. When you toss in Zabriskie, Hesjedal and Millar, the team looks like it can do a good job of playing potential spoiler if the main contenders spend too much time watching each other or updating Twitter.

51 Christian Vande Velde (USA)
52 Julian Dean (NZl)
53 Tyler Farrar (USA)
54 Ryder Hesjedal (Can)
55 Robert Hunter (RSA)
56 Martijn Maaskant (Ned)
57 David Millar (GBr)
58 Johan Van Summeren (Bel)
59 David Zabriskie (USA)

Française des Jeux
Well... long, long ago, in a far away galaxy, the French teams actually had a chance of winning the tour... or at least managing to get out of their own way. Managed by former Roubaix winner marc Madiot, FdJ is a perennial fan favorite. They sometimes manage to get stage wins, but their chances of winning the Tour are marginally better than my own. Made up of awesome support riders and breakaway workers, they lack a leader and can only pray that they are gifted a win. There are worse teams at this Tour, but only barely. I wish them luck because they're under dogs and I've met the owner of Lapierre- the bike sponsor- and shared an awesome dinner and conversation with him. It would be nice to see one of his bikes win a stage.

61 Christophe Le Mevel (Fra)
62 Sandy Casar (Fra)
63 Rémy Di Grégorio (Fra)
64 Anthony Geslin (Fra)
65 Matthieu Ladagnous (Fra)
66 Anthony Roux (Fra)
67 Jérémy Roy (Fra)
68 Wesley Sulzberger (Aus)
69 Benoït Vaugrenard (Fra)

Team Katusha
"I can haz vodka now?" Sponsored by a bunch of Russian companies and the Russian cycling federation, this is a team that is made of some great riders with lots of potential and some truly tough dudes. NEVER underestimate the ability of the Russian riders because only Jens Voigt can handle as much pain as they can. They eat broken glass with every meal and then chug down some good vodka to make them numb. Sadly though, they can't win the Tour with Vladimir Karpets. Vlad has dropped his famous mullet, which held the key to his power, and is not really a threat. The other Russians- Brutt, Ivanov and Kolobnev- are seriously capable of stage wins, especially if the field gets lazy and lets them escape. Robbie McEwen is a little long in the tooth for a true Tour sprinter... but the pocket rocket is one of the best riders in the world when things get dicey in the final meters of a race. Can he still win a stage? Maybe. The Green jersey... not likely.

Expect fireworks from this team and if that doesn't work, just hold on to your drinks at the after party.

71 Vladimir Karpets (Rus)
72 Pavel Brutt (Rus)
73 Serguei Ivanov (Rus)
74 Alexandr Kolobnev (Rus)
75 Robbie McEwen (Aus)
76 Alexandr Pliuschin (Mda)
77 Joaquin Rodriguez (Spa)
78 Stijn Vandenbergh (Bel)
79 Eduard Vorganov (Rus)

AG2R La Mondiale
No. Chance. In. Hell.

Nicolas Roche- sone of Stephen Roche- and Rinaldo Nocentini, who shocked folks by wearing yellow for several days last year, are the stars of this team of otherwise unknowns. Largely a team of French riders, they are possibly even less well equipped to win than FdJ. I'm pretty certain they can all ride better than me, but their chances are relegated to a hopeful stage win from the very classy Roche. Otherwise, they're chasing podium girls in Paris when things are all done.

81 Nicolas Roche (Irl)
82 Maxime Bouet (Fra)
83 Dimitri Champion (Fra)
84 Martin Elmiger (Swi)
85 John Gadret (Fra)
86 David Le Lay (Fra)
87 Lloyd Mondory (Fra)
88 Rinaldo Nocentini (Ita)
89 Christophe Riblon (Fra)

Cervelo Test Team
Carlos Sastre is an underappreciated rider and former winner of the Tour. He's a quite and humble guy- likeable in most respects- which dooms him most of the time. Can he win again? Not likely. Can he get away for a stage win and save his pride? Maybe. The other only real power on the team is in the tough speed of Thor Hushovd. Thor is a Norwegian sledgehammer and will crush most other riders in a sprint after a hard day in the saddle. He's won Green before and can do it again... if his other rivals don't win more consistently. The team is made of guys who are almost all capable of getting away in a break and then winning a stage. Well... except for the guy with the sore ass and plain ticket back to Spain. Will the team be distracted by the issue? I would guess a little, but they're going to be more focused on how they try to get some wins.

91 Carlos Sastre (Spa)
92 Xavier Florencio Cabre (Spa)
93 Volodymir Gustov (Ukr)
94 Jeremy Hunt (GBr)
95 Thor Hushovd (Nor)
96 Andreas Klier (Ger)
97 Ignatas Konovalovas (Ltu)
98 Brett Lancaster (Aus)
99 Daniel Lloyd (GBr)

Omega Pharma-Lotto
Stage wins, plain and simple. This team is built around the Belgian classics, not stage race- which is why Cadel Evans left them at the end of last year. All of the riders are top notch and can do great things... but mostly in long single day races. Nobody expects more than stage wins from this Belgian super team... well, nobody who is familar with the team anyway. They are stacked with talent and will certainly be a factor in the race for stage wins, but not the overall GC. They lack a leader because 3 weeks in July are not as important in Belgium as the Classics months during the Spring.

101 Jurgen Van Den Broeck (Bel)
102 Mario Aerts (Bel)
103 Francis De Greef (Bel)
104 Mickael Delage (Fra)
105 Sebastian Lang (Ger)
106 Matthew Lloyd (Aus)
107 Daniel Moreno Fernandez (Spa)
108 Jurgen Roelandts (Bel)
109 Charles Wegelius (GBr)

Team HTC - Columbia
Mark Cavendish, Mark Cavendish, Mark Cavendish. Now you know the entire story of Columbia-HTC. Sure, they throw in Michael Rogers for good measure, but it's really all about the Manx Missile. Especially if you ask him. Tony Martin could win a TT stage again, but they just really don't have GC riders. Given that Cavendish won 6 stages last year and has had a crappy season this year, you can expect there to be a lot of pressure on the "Boy Racer" when things come to a field sprint. On his best, he IS the best sprinter in the world- period. I'd dare say, he's even faster than me. They have tons of talent built around Cav', so he should win if he's got the form. If not, they have enough talent to hunt other ways to win stages... but no chance to win the overall. None.

111 Mark Cavendish (GBr)
112 Bernhard Eisel (Aut)
113 Bert Grabsch (Ger)
114 Adam Hansen (Aus)
115 Tony Martin (Ger)
116 Maxime Monfort (Bel)
117 Mark Renshaw (Aus)
118 Michael Rogers (Aus)
119 Kanstantsin Siutsou (Blr)

BMC Racing Team
Cadel is only marginally better off with BMC than he was with Omega Pharma-Lotto. His best help will come in the form of George Hincapie. George has been around France a few times, even picked up his wife there, and has an impressive list of Tours he helped Lance win. Cadel will rely on his experience very heavily... well, if he's smart he will. Evans has been a class act this year as World Champion. He's been on the steps of the Tour podium before and has been tantalizingly close to finally winning a Tour for Australia... but there is always that "bad day" or similar implosion. If he can avoid the usual meltdowns, he's got the best support he's ever had and should have his best shot to date at winning. But can he? Can Cadel really win?

Really?

121 Cadel Evans (Aus)
122 Alessandro Ballan (Ita)
123 Brent Bookwalter (USA)
124 Marcus Burghardt (Ger)
125 Mathias Frank (Swi)
126 George Hincapie (USA)
127 Karsten Kroon (Ned)
128 Steve Morabito (Swi)
129 Mauro Santambrogio (Ita)

Quick Step
Like Omega Pharma-Lotto, this is a Belgian Classics team. And without Boonen this year again- though not because he likes a little cocaine, this time- the chances for wins are diminished. Again, like their countrymen, this team is stacked with awesome talent for single day races and stage wins, but they lack a leader capable of contending for 3 weeks. Look for them to make the racing hard, either with breakaways or just good old fashioned Belgian toughness. They need to win something... anything. Sylvain Chavanel- once the next great French hope- is still capable of doing some good things... just not winning the Tour. Ever. On this planet.

131 Sylvain Chavanel (Fra)
132 Carlos Barredo Llamazales (Spa)
133 Kevin De Weert (Bel)
134 Dries Devenyns (Bel)
135 Jérôme Pineau (Fra)
136 Francesco Reda (Ita)
137 Kevin Seeldrayers (Bel)
138 Jurgen Van De Walle (Bel)
139 Maarten Wijnants (Bel)

Team Milram

Here's another team you just have to like. A great team from Germany that has talented riders who can win races, especially tough ones, but they lack a leader who can contend for 3 weeks. Gerald Ciolek would LOVE to finally beat Cavendish in a head to head sprint at the Tour... but can he? So far... no. This is a hungry team looking to prove a point since they are losing their sponsor next season, so they need to win to help find a new paycheck for the team. I have several good friends who work for Focus USA, so I'd be happy to see the Moo Team win a stage or two. But who can do it?

Who?

141 Linus Gerdemann (Ger)
142 Gerald Ciolek (Ger)
143 Johannes Fröhlinger (Ger)
144 Roger Kluge (Ger)
145 Christian Knees (Ger)
146 Luke Roberts (Aus)
147 Thomas Rohregger (Aut)
148 Niki Terpstra (Ned)
149 Fabian Wegmann (Ger)

Bbox Bouygues Telecom
Another French team with no chance in hell of winning the race. None whatsoever. Thomas Voeckler was the gutty defender of the Yellow jersey several years ago during Lance's first reign of terror at the Tour. Now the team is far more likely to get a win out of Pierrick Fedrigo, who won a stage last year in grand fashion. Personally, I'd like to see Japanese rider Yukiya Arashiro win a stage- which is almost as likely as me winning. He's a good rider and he'd be the first ever Japanese rider to win a stage. Since I have lots of rfiends in Japan, that would be cool. Plus, I have friends at Colnago as well and would be happy for them if the team won a stage. Though this is a French team that is way better at picking a good wine or cheese than they are winning races, they don't appear to be jerks.

They've got that going for them.

151 Thomas Voeckler (Fra)
152 Yukiya Arashiro (Jpn)
153 Anthony Charteau (Fra)
154 Pierrick Fedrigo (Fra)
155 Cyril Gautier (Fra)
156 Pierre Rolland (Fra)
157 Matthieu Sprick (Fra)
158 Sébastien Turgot (Fra)
159 Nicolas Vogondy (Fra)

Caisse d'Epargne
Can you remember the days when Moreau was supposed to be the next French Tour winner? Yeah... seems like it was a million years ago to me too. Well, he's old enough now that his usual implosion will seem less dramatic and even more expected. This French-sponsored Spanish powerhouse team is capable of making things happen with Luis Leon Sanchez Gil (WHY FOUR NAMES?). The team uses more letters in their names than all the other teams combined, which I am not sure is not somehow a race tactic- I just hear the team directors of the other teams trying tell their riders who is up the road in the break and finally just giving up when they can't say the whole thing! Like all Spanish teams, they do best in the mountains. Stage 3 and the cobbles should have them collectively dreaming of paella and sangria in Madrid or Barcelona, but hopefully they manage to stay upright... for a change.

161 Luis León Sánchez Gil (Spa)
162 Rui Alberto Faria da Costa (Por)
163 Imanol Erviti Ollo (Spa)
164 José Ivan Gutierrez Palacios (Spa)
165 Vasili Kiryienka (Blr)
166 Christophe Moreau (Fra)
167 Mathieu Perget (Fra)
168 Ruben Plaza Molina (Spa)
169 Jose Joaquin Rojas Gil (Spa)

Cofidis, Le Credit en Ligne
All French, all the time. This is a team that has taken losing races to an art form. So much potential, but so few results. All of the riders are French and they will be turning themselves inside out during the race... just to survive... in hopes of making something magic happen. And they need more than magic, they need a miracle. They also need a new sponsor next year, so expect them to be looking for ANYTHING to brag about in the sponsor hunt. The last time Cofidis saw a Tour podium up close was in 1998 when Bobby Julich stepped on the podium for third. Don't expect that to happen this year, unless 188 other riders drop out.

171 Rein Taaramae (Est)
172 Stéphane Auge (Fra)
173 Samuel Dumoulin (Fra)
174 Julien El Farès (Fra)
175 Christophe Kern (Fra)
176 Sébastien Minard (Fra)
177 Amaël Moinard (Fra)
178 Damien Monier (Fra)
179 Rémi Pauriol (Fra)

Euskaltel - Euskadi
Who doesn't love these guys? Seriously, they just try so damned hard! Olympic champion Sammy Sanchez is a classy rider who can win lots of races, but he's not truly likely to contend at the end of three weeks. Only the Basque can find a way to use as many X's and Z's in their names as the Belgians. These mountain-loving lung freaks are supreme climbers, as a team, but still manage to fall short at the Tour. On paper, in theory, they should "own" the Climber's jersey... but never seem to be able to keep things under control.

Look for the orange jerseys to be at the front on the climbs, at least for awhile. Well, if they manage to make it off the cobbles in stage three in one piece.

181 Samuel Sánchez Gonzalez (Spa)
182 Inaki Isasi Flores (Spa)
183 Egoi Martinez De Esteban (Spa)
184 Juan Jose Oroz Ugalde (Spa)
185 Alan Perez Lezaun (Spa)
186 Ruben Perez Moreno (Spa)
187 Amets Txurruka (Spa)
188 Iban Velasco Murillo (Spa)
189 Gorka Verdugo Marcotegui (Spa)

Rabobank
The Giro and Tour are two totally different races. Denis Menchov won last year's Giro and then was too gassed for the Tour. This year he has saved himself for the Tour in hopes of finally proving his right to be considered a contender. It's not a gamble likely to work, simply because he's not a rider for the steeper climbs and there are not enough TT kilometers for him to make up time. Still, this Dutch wunder team is likely to find a way to win a stage with riders like Lars Boom, Oscar Freire, Robert Gesink and a few others. Rabo' is another one of those teams that should have a Tour win to their name, but don't. They'd like to fix that problem with either Menchov or Gesink...

... but it won't likely happen this year.

191 Denis Menchov (Rus)
192 Lars Boom (Ned)
193 Oscar Freire Gomez (Spa)
194 Juan Manuel Gárate Cepa (Spa)
195 Robert Gesink (Ned)
196 Koos Moerenhout (Ned)
197 Grischa Niermann (Ger)
198 Bram Tankink (Ned)
199 Maarten Tjallingii (Ned)

Lampre-Farnese Vini
Alessandro Petacchi was once the best sprinter in the world and signaled the end for Mario Cippolini as greatest Italian sprinter of thier time. Damiano Cunego was once the next Coppi, after winning the Giro several years ago. Both are still capable winners, but the Tour is full of better riders this year. Cunego could get a win, but Petacchi is unlikely to be able to find a way to beat his younger rivals this year... but I won't count him entirely out because his rvials likely will and he can take advantage of that foolishness. Lampre is a team with great history and they deserve to be in the race every year, but they are not a team one should look at for more than a couple classy wins.

201 Damiano Cunego (Ita)
202 Grega Bole (Slo)
203 Mauro Da Dalto (Ita)
204 Francesco Gavazzi (Ita)
205 Danilo Hondo (Ger)
206 Mirco Lorenzetto (Ita)
207 Adriano Malori (Ita)
208 Alessandro Petacchi (Ita)
209 Simon Spilak (Slo)

Footon-Servetto
Well, they have gold team kits and ride Fuji. That's about all anybody knows about this team of "what's his name" riders. No, they don't flat out suck and have won a few races this year, but they are kinda like Cofidis- a team of riders who have almost no chance of winning unless there is a serious confluence of luck. The team will certainly want to do something to prove they deserve to be in the race and the tour is often kind enough to reward the smaller teams with a little something they can be happy about. Maybe, just maybe, these guys will be "that team" this year. If not... don't say I didn't tell ya.

211 Eros Capecchi (Ita)
212 Jose Alberto Benitez Roman (Spa)
213 Manuel Cardoso (Spa)
214 Arkaitz Duran Daroca (Spa)
215 Markus Eibegger (Aut)
216 Fabio Felline (Ita)
217 Iban Mayoz Echeverria (Spa)
218 Aitor Perez Arrieta (Spa)
219 Rafael Valls Ferri (Spa)

And there you have it! The Tour starts in a few hours, so I am going to bed so I can see a little of the prologue before I go out and pretend I'm a Tour rider with a few friends with shaved legs and Lycra.

Prologue report is next on the menu.

Tim

Tour de France a la Masiguy!

2010-07-02T18:15:00.001-07:00

Ok, it might be much later tonight, but my annual attempt at Tour
coverage begins later tonight with team intros- it's time to get your
French on!

Tim

Sent from my iPhone

I told you I'm not dead...

2010-06-25T23:04:00.001-07:00

See! Here I am! Though certainly heavier than I'd like to be for this time of year, I am at least alive... and on a bike.

We were working on photos for our upcoming catalog and got out today with our Creative Director- Pete Demos- and myself to snap the one remaining photo we needed. The above picture is not that picture... but it's still kinda fun.

Special thanks to Twin 6 for supplying us with clothing for the catalog again, and thanks for making the shorts with very robust strength seams... I'm normally an XL bib, so the LG bibs were straining a little under the pressure, but they made it!

Tim

Reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated.

2010-06-22T21:50:00.000-07:00

No, I'm not dead- even though it may look that way and even though some folks might wish it were true. Alas, I am still "here"... just not HERE.

In all honesty, it's simply been a matter of time, focus and concentration... oh... and work. In other words, it's not you- it's me. This time of year is when things hit the fever pitch of insanity- filming our dealer DVD, writing copy for our catalog and a new sales manual, being the bigger projects- but not the only ones. On top of that, I've been making a better effort to spend more time with my family- as I've come to realize I haven't been very good at that. In the past 3 weeks though, work has been the 800lb gorilla making family time nearly impossible- one day off in 3 weeks and working 23hrs over the weekend. Needless to say, the blog has taken a hit... hard.

But I'm not giving up and I'm not dropping out of the Social Media world at all. In fact, I've been staying pretty active in SM, just focusing the bulk of my attention on Facebook, Twitter and Tumblr (which coincidentally are all very easy to update from my iPhone). So, you can keep tabs on me- if you wish- in each of those locations... but I promise I am going to come back to the blog, once the dust settles. In fact...

... we're now just a little over a week away from the "Tour day France". I think it's time I blow the cobwebs off this thing with semi regular, if not daily, Tour coverage again. I'm going to commit to making a really good attempt to do my daily analysis and predictions. Not sure if I'll go as deep as a stage by stage pre-race analysis this time, but daily highlights from my twisted point of view should be possible. I've always really enjoyed providing that coverage in the past and it's looking like it could be a good race this year. So we'll see how it all unfolds- the race and my "coverage", both.

I'm keeping this short, but you can see what I am up to and what Masi is up to by keeping an eye on these spots;
Masi Twitter
Masi Facebook

My Twitter
My Facebook
My new Tumblr page- almost exclusively pictures and very few words... for those of you who would like to see me go mute...

I'll be back. I promise. I just have to get through this very challenging time and maintain something that resembles a family life.

Yes, I still love you...

Tim

Where did we leave off?

2010-05-08T20:45:00.000-07:00

I'm not dead. Katie is not dead. Lily is not dead. Ann is not dead. We're all alive and well- even if we're not exactly sleeping the way we used to. Things have been beyond uber busy with work and life has been even busier than work. Needless to say, I have a few reasonably decent excuses for the total drop off in posts here. It's funny- I lose sight of how many people read this silly thing until I have a gap in posts and then get emails and phone calls asking if things are ok and wondering what's happening. I am more than a little thankful for the community of friends and family I have- I promise.

Tons has happened since the last time I was here... and I don't even know where to start...

Ann received confirmation from the US Customs and Immigration Services that her application for residency has been received and there are no problems! She's got an appointment to have her "biometrics" recorded later this month... finger prints and picture. It might not sound like much, but it's a huge step toward her being able to come and go between here and Taiwan again without fear of her visa expiring, etc. She'll now be able to get a driver's license and look for work when she is ready again. This is very significant to us and the letter sits prominently on our kitchen table, as if it were an accpetance letter from Harvard or Stanford.
On March 4th- even before this recent break in posting- this ragged old blog had it's 5th birthday and I didn't even say anything. Dang.
I've returned to racing on the track for this season, after April 29th marked the 2 year "anniversary" since my crash. I did my first race this year on the very bike I crashed- it has a small dent in the top tube, but is otherwise straight as an arrow. I had to replace the wheels, saddle and bars... but it is otherwise the same bike. I have to admit, on top of feeling better than I feared I would, it felt really good to wipe away the demons of the crash on that bike- since it had been the maiden voyage for that bike. I didn't win any of the races, but I got a chance to finally really give that frame a fork a really good shake down... better late than never.
Lily, though not a fan of letting her mother and I sleep, is doing great. She's healthy, gaining weight, getting taller and is generally an amazing baby. Katie is still super excited about being a big sister and is still one of the many amazing blessings in my life. Lily is an amazing gift and I can't wait to get to know her, but Katie is already one of the best little people I've ever met and is a great buddy.
Work has been unreal. Masi is doing great and remains something that I am supremely proud to be "in charge of". We've been working hard to create some incredible bikes for the next round of product. I can't wait to see and hear the feedback. So many cool things are cooking... stuff I don't wanna give away yet. I'm obviously very passionate about the bikes we produce and am an enthusiastic cheerleader, but man... this next batch of bikes is insanely cool. On top of the bikes, the new Brev M parts line is really taking off as well. It's amazing to see this stuff taking off when less than a year ago it was all just a concept. Believe me, it's truly crazy how fast things have gone.
Ann has been amazingly supportive of all that has been happening and is a fantastic partner. Even with the baby keeping her awake for what seems like days at a time, she still "forces" me out the door each day when I come home for work to go for a ride, if I didn't have one during the day at work. She shoves me out the door on the weekends as well and pushes me to keep racing too. She knows how much riding means to me and how it keeps me slightly more focused. As an athlete herself, as well as being from the bike industry, she is uniquely qualified to possess that understanding. I am blessed.
Ann's mom was with us here from March 22nd until April 29th. She was a big help for us transitioning from hospital to home. I pretty much lost control of my kitchen... which I am fine with! It was great to have so many wonderful meals cooked for us all the time, but it was also a lot of fun to cook for her and see her enjoy it. While she was here, we got her "hooked" on grilled cheese sandwiches with tomato soup. It was a difficult day for us when we took her to LAX for her return trip to Taiwan. She was ready to go home, in her own way, but we are sad to see her leave and she was sad to leave her daughter and grandaughter behind.
Shut Up and Drink the Kool-Aid is going to come back, I promise... eventually. After making the call for contributors in October, I left it all to sit and ferment again when things went totally sideways... again. I really, really want to bring this project back full strength and hope to have the same potential contributors interested in joining my little band of merry men/ whacky women. I miss the dialog and interaction of the blog, so it's something I really want to bring back to life and add the new voices to as well. I think there is still a lot that can be said about the industry and a lot of insight that would come from the various folks who have expressed an interest in participating. I believe good dialog is something that will help the industry further- and I want to be a part of that still.

There's so many things I am forgetting. I am so brain dead it is impossible for me to remember all the many things that have been happening or are about to. But I wanted to at least recap a few and try to establish a new starting point so I can attempt to get back to more regular blogging again. I miss it here, even though I spend a ton of time on Twitter and Facebook too... so check me out there if you need to keep updated more frequently.

I'll be back... promise.

Tim

Hello... is this thing on?

2010-05-03T06:59:00.001-07:00

I'm not dead, we're all healthy here and California is still a state/
republic. A- been mega/ super/ uber busy and 2- new baby and all
that... so... you know.

I will be back with new blog posts soon and hopefully even tonight (or
at least this week).

Love you, kisses, see you later...

Tim

Sent from my iPhone

We're home and settling in...

2010-04-05T10:00:00.000-07:00

Well, we're home! We got home Saturday early evening- somewhere around 7:30-ish. I had the car seat in the car, still in the box, waiting for the word that we would get discharged. Once they said "ok", I was off like a bullet setting the seat up in the car in the parking garage. I got so many smiles and laughs from people driving by... so many "new dads" do the same thing.

Can you tell she'd just had the epidural?

Don't know why Blogger turns this upside down... but mother and daughter meeting for the 1st time!

Once the paperwork was done and we were given an escort to the front door, after a check of our bracelets and Lily's anklet to make sure we belonged to her, I ran... RAN to the car to get all my girls- Lily, Ann and my mother in law. I drove home with just a bit more caution than usual (cheeky understatement). Lily loved her new car seat- in fact, she went to sleep pretty quickly and on more than one occasion, I've used the seat like a swing when she's been fussy.

The peanut all stretched out! She's got some long legs and her daddy's feet (sadly for her).

Oddly, I don't look like I haven't slept in 48hrs. Man, I love that "new baby" smell! You can buy aerosol car freshener that smells like "new car", so why not "new baby"?

Her new favorite hangout. The seat matches the stroller that somebody gave us (though I still have not figured out who- it was delivered without a name) and snaps into a stroller frame that my brother and his wife gave us. The other car seat we have will be the one used in other cars and when we get a 2nd car.

A little after getting home, Katie came home from being with her mom for a Spring Break camping trip. Her brother drove her over as well, so I had my entire family home for the very first time. I have to admit that I was so overwhelmed with happiness for the moment that I forgot to get a picture of us all together. DANGIT!! Katie was so overjoyed to get to meet her sister and finally "see what she looks like." As soon as we walked in the door- literally- Ann's mom made a direct line to the kitchen and began cooking a special fish soup for Ann. It was actually a pretty touching and sweet thing to watch.

The first night at home was much like the last night in the hospital, meaning there was almost no sleeping going on. Lily was quite fussy for the second night in a row- not like it isn't expected- so we all spent more time awake than we wanted. Thank goodness Ann's mother has been here because it certainly helps to have another set of arms to rock Lily back to sleep in the middle of the night.

Sunday brought Easter to us... a little bleary eyed and foggy headed. In the morning, I took my mother in law to the local Asian supermarket for some traditional supplies- fresh fish, pork kidney and heart and other various fruits and veggies so my "Ma" can prepare some special dishes for Ann. This did, however, require a few phone calls home to Ann so that she could translate for either myself or Ma. Since Ma doesn't speak English- and actually speaks Taiwanese and not Mandarin- communication is sometimes a challenge, but we always make it work somehow. After this comical adventure, it was back home so that I could get a semi-awake shower and head to my sister's house for Easter with the full family. Since Ann hadn't slept in two days and was not feeling well (can't figure out why...), Katie, Lily and myself went to my sister's while Ann and Ma stayed at home and got some much needed rest.

All the family was there and the arrival of Lily was a big highlight. With all my family there, my hands were pretty much free to eat since I never got to touch Lily again... mostly. It was great to spend time with my family outside of the hospital and Lily seemed just fine with going from aunt to uncle to cousin to grandparent. Ironically... she slept almost the entire time we were there. I'll admit a little happy frustration with that. The kids had an Easter egg hunt, which was total chaos as they ran all over the yard in search of "the Golden Egg". It was pretty funny... especially since the bulk of the eggs were "hidden" in plain sight so the littlest of the kids would find them. It was during the hunt that we had the much over publicized earthquake. It was a good one, for sure, but we were never in danger of cracking off the continent and becoming an island... much to the dismay of the TV news networks. Seriously, the coverage of the quake was WAY excessive. I'm sure the fine folks in Mexico are getting tired of hearing about the earthquake that hit Southern California... considering that it was IN Mexico and they are the ones that got damage from it. I mean, a few swimming pools with water sloshing around does not qualify as "news". The kids were in the yard totally unfazed by the quake and we adults noticed the slight rolling and the cars rocking on the street. It was certainly a bigger quake and the first one I've ever felt while being outside... but that's about it. Watching CNN afterwards just made me wanna puke. I think Haiti and Argentina might have a few more real thoughts about quakes than those of us here in SoCal. It's called perspective people... look into it.

Sisters- "punkin" and "peanut". This picture makes me weepy.

Her bucket of loot- she gave away the candy and just kept the cash. The girl just kills me.

The kids digging in to their Easter spoils. Sugar crashes followed shortly after.

I couldn't resist getting a picture of my sister taking a picture of Lily in her lap. Impossible to pass up! Probably updating her Facebook page too.

Last night Lily woke a few times, but then ate and slept for a good 2-3hrs each time. That made a big difference in how all of us are feeling today. We're a little concerned about possible jaundice still, so we may be heading to the pediatrician if we can get an appointment today. She's eating better now and looks pretty good, but she was released from the hospital with instructions to be vigilant about the potential for jaundice, as she was right on the border of acceptable and unacceptable levels for jaundice. Her eyes look crystal clear, so that's a very good sign for now... but we're still watching.

I'm home today, but the "staycation" may be over tomorrow. As much as I want to be home MUCH longer, I do still have to pay the bills somehow... unless somebody wants to loan me a LOT of money interest free and with no down payment.

Lily is sleeping now and Ann is soaking in an Epsom salt bath for a bit. I might have to make some more coffee to make it through the day... but it's a good day to be a daddy. The weight of it all is still sinking in and soon I'll be writing more poetry to capture it all again. The poetry blog has been neglected far too long and now I have TONS of material and emotions to recall. More than once over the past few days, my eyes have watered up. It's no secret that I'm a very Piscean guy, so there's a lot to take in and process.

Lily Annchi Jackson- the newest cutest thing ever.

Thank you all for the amazing support and kindness. The comments on Facebook and Twitter have been very appreciated by all. I'll add more pictures here later, as well as galleries on Facebook and Flickr and maybe Snapfish as well.

Tim

She's here and we're happy!

2010-04-03T13:15:00.001-07:00

Lily Annchi Jackson came peacefully into the world in the very early morning of April 2nd at 1:28. She weighed 7lbs 7.2oz and was 20.25" long! She's got her mother's eyes and hair and my feet (poor thing).

Mom is doing great too- delivery was a little slow to get to the pushing part, but once there things moved quickly. Birth went smoothly and recovery has been good. All in all, things are pretty good!

Lily was a little gussied lastnight, so sleep was a bit difficult, but that is of course to be expected. So far, she's living up to her middle name- Annchi, which means angel.

Her big sister will be coming home today and is very excited to meet her little sister. Lily has been surrounded by love and smiling faces since arriving. Ann's mother is here with us and has been a big help as well.

We're hoping to get to go home today. The car seat is ready to go... as are we.

Thank you again for all of the support- we ALL appreciate it very sincerely.

Tim

-- Post From My iPhone

Slow road to happiness

2010-04-01T16:51:00.000-07:00

We've been at the hospital for nearly 13hrs now. The staff here at
Sharp Mary Birch has been awesome and we've had great treatment.

Highlights of the day...

2010-03-31T21:20:00.000-07:00

Highlights of my day;

1) I ate an enormously gigantic burrito for lunch today. I mean, this thing needed two hands to be lifted and was made with two tortillas. I think I may have scared my coworkers and the two fine folks from our Canadian distributor by eating the entire thing. I haven't eaten dinner because of this thing... it's a gamechanger.

2) I put the baby's bassinet together tonight. Nothing really drives home the fact you are about to have a child in your home quite like the stacks of baby stuff and a bassinet. Well, maybe the fact that my poor 5' tall wife looks like she swallowed a VW Beetle. But outside of that...

I rode for 4 days in a row and now have not ridden for 2. Tomorrow I will ride at lunch again and I am hoping that I will be back on the road to riding as much as time and family will allow.

The ticking baby bomb that is my wife is doing great- she's still swimming and still very active, but she's really getting tired of being pregnant. Can't say I blame her- looking at her HUGE belly, I can totally understand.

It's been almost 9 hours since I ate that burrito log and I am still suffering from a food coma, so I'm calling it quits for today.

Tim
(Try to make beter food choices than I did today... ugh...)

Wiped...

2010-03-30T22:43:00.001-07:00

I had a great time in Taiwan, but the jetlag is really beating me up. I've been fading in and out ever since returning last Wednesday around midnight. Hopefully I'll be back to "normal" soon...

... hopefully.

Tim

Taipei Show 2010, etc...

2010-03-29T00:55:00.000-07:00

So I was in Taiwan again... with almost no internet for the entire 10 days. Sorry for the delayed posting and lack of overall posting... "it's been really busy"... blah, blah, blah... even I am getting tired of hearing that. Honestly.

But yes, it's been busy and remains busy and will stay busy for as long as I can see into the future. In a little more than a week (or less), my second daughter- Masidaughter 2.0- will be arriving in the world. My tiny little Taiwanese wife is growing to be as big as a house... on little stilt legs. It's simply amazing to me that she's still swimming between 1000-1500M every single day. She looks so cumbersome and awkward now, yet she is still as strong as ever and just blows my mind with how tough she is... even though she is beginning to hate me. Sorta.

Taiwan was amazing- as always- and very successful as well. Over the years, and especially since meeting my wife, I have grown to become more and more comfortable in Taiwan and it is now literally my second home- we still own my wife's condo in Taichung. As much as any "foreigner" can be, I really feel that I have become a part of Taiwan and not just the Taiwan bike industry. I still only speak about 5 words of Mandarin, but that doesn't stop the Taiwanese people from truly making me feel welcome and a part of their world. Many people I know have something of a love/hate relationship with Taiwan... but mine is all love.

I returned from Taiwan to having my mother in law here staying with us for the next month or so- she's here to help take care of my wife, in the very traditional Taiwanese way- as well as be here for the birth. Our daughter's name will be Lily Annchi. Annchi means "angel" in Mandarin. And since she is being born in the Spring, she is our Lily- our little flower and angel. We wanted to give her a name that would be both "American" and Taiwanese, to respect the two cultures that have created her. Annchi- pronounced kinda like "awn-chee"- is a name we felt would be less difficult for the usual English tongue to figure out and will hopefully not be one that never gets pronounced correctly. I am very happy to have my mother in law here, even though she doesn't speak English and I speak no Taiwanese (a different dialect than Mandarin). I am very proud to be taken in and accepted by my wife's family- they are wonderful people and clearly played a role in creating the woman I married.

As for the actual trip...

The show itself was very good. I heard some folks saying they felt the actual attendance numbers were down, though I did not really feel that- but I was in lots of meetings and in previous years was in even more meetings and saw very little of the show. So, truthfully, I'm a pretty poor gauge. However, the meetings I had with international distributors were all very good and I am super happy by how the new 2011 products were received. If the ID customers are any kind of an accurate barometer of things to come, the next year is going to be a really good one for Masi. Really, really good. In between meetings, I scoured the floor for "the next big thing" and I can honestly say I saw a lot of really cool things, but nothing really jumped out at me. The biggest thing I noticed was that nearly every supplier offers far more color customization than ever before. Whether it's drivetrain components or just cable housings, color is king. Frankly, that makes me super happy because that means the costs for special colors and color highlights will be coming down. If not this year (2011 product), then certainly next year. All in all, I got a good feeling about 2011. We're not out of the economic slump and there are lots of challenges ahead- like many suppliers saying there will cost increases coming on nearly all products by as much as 20%. Remember 2 years ago when there were materials shortages and high fuel costs driving pricing through the roof? Well, brace yourself for round two... due to changes in labor laws in China (which is actually a good thing globally), many manufacturers expect costs to climb significantly. Add a major labor shortage in the bike manufacturing industry and you have another "perfect storm" to create rising prices. Many experts expect the pricing to fall somewhere in the middle of the 10-20% increases being talked about, but one thing is certain- by the time 2011 and 2012 products begin to show up, costs will be going up too. You have no idea how much I wish that wasn't true... but...

While in Taiwan, our Kenda Pro Cycling p/b Gear Grinder team was racing in the Tour of Taiwan. Most of the other teams in the event had been racing for many weeks during the early Asian race season calendar in events in Langkawi, Malaysia and the Philippines so there were a lot of race-honed legs already in the event. KPC did an awesome job to place Phil Gaimon in 2nd on GC! This was their very first race together and they proved to the racing world that they can compete in UCI events and do well. Phil Gaimon, Johnny Sundt, Chad Hartley, Jake Rytlewski and Chad Birdzilauskas were all badasses! Frankie Andreu lead the team well and team owner Chad Thompson took care of the details as well as helping with the tactical side of things. Mechanic John Columbus and soigneur Janis Burns made things run from behind the scenes and countless other folks like Jackie Shao (who works for our distributor partner) and Eric Yang of Kenda Tires put in the extra efforts that made the team successful. No rider ever does anything alone and this race and this team proved that a collective effort can make big things happen. To understate the obvious- I'm beyond proud of these guys.

After the show and the race, I headed down to Taichung and spent a few nights in my wife's condo while I got some work done at our assembly factory. Bits and pieces of our 2011 sample bikes are beginning to show up for our catalog/ show bikes, so there was a bit of work to be done- as well as fun with friends. Good food, good friends, good times... I love Taichung. After a few days in Taichung though, it was time to head back to the US... and a very long day of traveling. The day began with a cab ride to the High Speed Rail station, HSR to Taoyuan and a very short shuttle bus ride to the airport, a 14hr flight to LAX, a short car ride and dinner with my best friend in LA, a train ride from Union Station to San Diego and then a short car ride home with my wife and mother in law. All told, it came to well over 20hrs of travel. But I got home!

I can hardly remember what happened Thursday in the office as I was in a total fog after getting home at midnight and getting about 4 hours of sleep. I took Friday off and have this Monday off as well, for a little 4 day break. It's been great spending time with my daughter, wife and MIL. I've even ridden my bike the past 3 days... even though it has hurt like hell. I got sick with a cold the day after arriving in Taiwan and I still can't breathe very well. Riding, my legs feel weak but ok... but I feel like I'm breathing through a snot-filled straw. It's been great to ride again- after 2 weeks off the bike again- but it sure feels like I keep starting back up from farther behind than the last time I got back on the bike. That said, I'm happy to be pedaling again. Period. I'll try to keep the whimpering to a minimum... most likely.

And now- a bunch of random pictures!!

The koi pond inside the courtyard area of our condo. It's just a nice little space to relax in... I really like it.

One night while walking around after dinner, I found this really cool little fixie-only shop in Taichung. RH+O... check'em out. I'll be hanging out with them the next time I'm in Taichung, but this time with a bike to ride with them too!

The outdoor plaza a few blocks away from our condo in "little Europe".

The front of my wife's condo building- it's a very nice courtyard setting off the main street, so it is quiet and comfortable.

Gorgeous lugged forks for Speciale Fixed Ultimate frames... too, too purdy.

I don't even need to say anything about how beautiful that is...

Beautiful Alare Bellissima frames getting ready for assembly... they sure are pretty!

The host shop for the Q&A with the riders is actually a great Masi dealer as well. This display of Mini-Velo bikes was pretty impressive.

It looks to me like Johnny is wondering why the hell he has to share a "stage" with me. I would probably wonder the same thing Johnny...

After the ride, the team did some Q&A with the riders who came out to get a chance to ride with the team. It was a very enthusiastic group.

On Sunday, as Johnny was nursing a post-birthday hangover, the team did a nice little group ride. It was really cool!

Johnny Sundt- his birthday was on Saturday, the final stage of the race... and after flogging himself to protect Phil's GC position, he still managed to get 5th on the stage! At the post race party, he and I shared a birthday cake... and a "thumbs up"!

Frankie Andreu, after the final stage of the Tour of Taiwan- looking pretty happy to have clinched that 2nd place on GC with Phil Gaimon.

My birthday was in Taiwan again this year- 3rd or 4th year now- and this year we went to Modern Toilet for dinner. We'd heard about the place last year and were just dieing to try it out. It's all toilet themed... and they do a great job of it! It's pretty funny for sure. I liked my ice cream though...

This is called "foot drumming" and she uses her foot to change the sound of the drum. It's very cool. There were 4 drummers in the performance at the Velo/ Wellgo dinner party before the Taipei Show started. This was only 1 of the 3-4 performances during the dinner... one of the major highlights of my trip to the Taipei Show each year.

Until the next time (which I hope won't be long from now)...

Tim

I'm still not dead- I'm in Taiwan!

2010-03-21T01:43:00.001-07:00

Sorry for the lack of blogging- it's been a very busy week here in
Taiwan.

Time...

2010-03-09T19:30:00.000-08:00

Time is one of those things that seems to never be around in a big enough quantity- unless you're waiting for something/ someone.

Time is always around in short supply.

Time heals all wounds, or at least many of them.

Time always runs out too quickly.

Time is forgiving, until it isn't.

Time is usually more important when it is our own and less when it belongs to somebody else.

Time is a universal unit of measure, yet many people have no concept of it (like my 8 year old daughter).

Time is precious, time is important and time should never be wasted.

***

Time is something that seems to be escaping me a lot these days and I never have enough of it to go around for all the things I want to do, people I want to be with and work I need to do.

Time is sometimes an evil bitch.

I am often reminded of what time means to me. Mostly, time is what I have to share with my family and when that is stretched thin, I get melancholy... I admit it.

Tim(e)

This one time, at Kenda Pro Cycling p/b Gear Grinder camp...

2010-03-04T20:50:00.000-08:00

Just got in last night after a week away- spent a few days with the Kenda Pro Cycling p/b Gear Grinder team and then a few days traveling with my Georgia area sales rep- Scott Williford- visiting some area bike shops. Both parts of the trip were too short, but both were really good.

I had thankfully uneventful flights to Atlanta, Georgia and then got my rental car and headed down to Macon. Though I was tempted beyond all measure to stop at every Waffle House or BBQ joint along the way, I managed to make it into Macon fairly quickly- with only one brief tangle with Atlanta traffic... YAY!!

I got in early enough to hang out with team mechanic John Columbus and his hired help (and my Twitter buddy) Josh Boggs! I sat with the two of them as they put together team bikes- they're both smart enough to know better than to let me work on the bikes. Josh's incredibly cute daughter Sophie was there as well- she is a total doll!

The next day, was more bike building and more rider arrivals. That afternoon, I got out for a nice ride with Mario Mazza (one of the sponsors and also a rider) and Bruce Thompson (father of Chad Thompson- team owner- and legal counsel for the team). We rode for about 2-2.5hrs in the strong winds on some great country roads around Macon. It was great to get out and spin the legs after being on a plane the day before.

It was nice to be out on a ride!

More riders arrived and that night we had a nice team dinner and then the first of the nightly team meetings. Chad Thompson welcomes the riders to the camp and we all introduced ourselves. Frankie Andreu, the team's new Director, spoke to the riders as well and talked about his plans and hopes for the team. Lemme tell you- he's a straight forward guy and the team is going to benefit from his experience as one of the top American professionals ever. The fire of a competitor is still very visible in his eyes and it is not hard to see why he had such a successful professional career.

Johnny Sundt getting fit to his new team bike by rider and fitter Jim Baldesare.

Team owner Chad Thompson talking to the riders and introducing everybody on the first night as Frankie listens.

The "real" boss of any cycling team- the soigneur- Janis Burns!

The next morning was an early one and we headed out on the roads for a 3.5hr ride again. Billed as a "shakedown ride" for the riders on new bikes/ bike setups, the ride was "mellow" for the pros... though I was dragging my tongue in my spokes by the end. The highlight, as it is each year, was simply getting to ride and chat with the guys. Getting to hang out on a bike and ride with new riders like Johnny Sundt and Chad Hartley, or returning riders like Jake Rytlewski is always a thrill... and yes, I admit I had to fight off the bike geek fanboy moments while riding and chatting with Frankie. More meetings and bike fits followed- after I fell asleep and took a 3hr nap after the ride!

Frankie checking his messages during our one brief stop of the ride.

The next morning was another early one, as we drove back to the Atlanta area to take part in a group ride and Q&A with Frankie and a few of the riders at Lifetime Fitness. A few of the riders were having performance tests done, for VO2 and lactate threshold. Frankie and I rode from Lifetime Fitness to Outspokin Bicycles for a short meet and greet before heading back to Lifetime with a few other riders and joining up with the much larger group that came out to ride with the team. It was another great Georgia ride in the cold and wind... except for all them danged hills!

Frankie signing autographs at Outspokin... oddly, nobody wanted my autograph...

A whole lot of sexiness lined up at Lifetime Fitness!

Team rider Chad Hartley talking about nutrition during the Q&A session.

Frankie Andreu with some doughy looking fat guy... no wait... that's me... DAMN!

My rep, Scott, joined me at the ride and once everyhing was done with the ride and the team, I left with him to begin the dealer portion of my stay in Georgia... which will be in Part II of this trip recap!!

Stay tuned kids!

Tim

Umkay...

2010-02-23T18:45:00.000-08:00

Tim
(Oh yeah... I'll be back when I can catch my breath again.)

I fear for the future...

2010-02-18T21:40:00.000-08:00

The future scares me sometimes... and currently because I am responsible for helping to shape it!

Last night, for the 3rd year in a row, I spoke at my friend Becky Carroll's New Media class at UCSD. This year's class is the largest one she's had to date- with 34 students learning about New Media/ Social Media. Whether she's told the class or not- teachers sometimes don't (wink)- she also says this is the best class she's had to date...

Once again, Becky had me in the class to speak about the experiences I've had with resurrecting Masi via Social Media. I shared my passion for SM (and Masi) with the class and then we had an excellent Q&A period. In the excitement of it all, I forgot to snap any pictures; I had planned to snap a few during my presentation and post them to Twitter while in the class... but my arms were flailing too much (and my gums were flapping).

The class was great- just as Becky told me- and the Q&A time was a blast for me. Those who know me know that I am nearly as passionate about SM as I am bicycles and Masi, so getting into a great conversation about SM was really a blast. Previous years were really a lot of fun too, so I can't really say this class is any "better" than the previous two years- but there was a lot of engagement and the discussion period probably could have gone on for another hour... well, I could have gone on for another hour on my own.

So, if you're among the students from the class- thank you again for letting me come speak to you and share my humble bike nerd experiences with you. And Becky- I am forever indebted to you for the continued experience of being a part of this great class you are so lucky to get to teach (and they are lucky to get to be in).

Tim

I work with buttheads...

2010-02-16T08:38:00.001-08:00

I work with a few buttheads, namely our art department. They took a break from designing stickers to make a movie spoof of me. I am admittedly a geek- there's no hiding it- so the guys often call me a "Barney", kinda like being called a "Fred" in the cycling world.

Ever since the end of my thumb was severed off in my crash two years ago and successfully reattached, I've gotten really fond of giving the "thumbs up" for nearly anything. It's kind of become a "signature move" of mine.

Anyway, I tried to get a little lunch time ride video for our website last Friday, but there wasn't a ton of useable footage to make anything with... except for this;

If nothing else, I do have a sense of humor about myself... even if it still means I work with buttheads.

Tim

I'm not dead yet... promise

2010-02-14T18:07:00.001-08:00

All I can say is that things are busy, I'm struggling to stay caught up and on my bike daily and obviously the blog has suffered again. Lots of travel coming up soon as well... so I'm gonna keep trying to post regularly, but it's proving to be one helluva challenge.

Tim

Off the wagon... again...

2010-02-11T20:47:00.001-08:00

I really want to write some blog posts, but my brain is fried from just too much of too much and too many. As so many of my ex'es have said in the past- "it's not you, it's me"... though I have a feeling they actually meant it was ME and not them.

I'll be back around soon... unless my head finally does actually explode.

Tim