WHAT'S NEW

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Comments - 200 Sleestaks

February 19, 2010

@Jason -- I freaked out on my wife the other day when I saw a 13.1 sticker on a car: "What's he so frikking proud of, that he did *half* of something?" But the advertisement of individual "accomplishments" is the direct result of living in a world where everyone is a special, perfect, unique little snowflake.
- AH, Indy

February 18, 2010

I'm pretty sure the code would be 26.4
- Jim, Troy,NY

February 17, 2010

26.2 is code for owning a Cinelli made back when they were still good bikes
- David, Winnipeg

February 16, 2010

Speaking of ill-concieved sports analysis, if you are paraphrasing cyclingnews.com, at least get that right. Dave-Z says the TdCA is the "first major goal" of the season, not the central focus of his season. Is this a willful smear of Dave Z?
- Marty, Madera, CA

February 16, 2010

It cracks me up that you guys are sending flak in the direction of "the Creator". His anti-runner antics are legendary, tongue in cheek, and good humor :) One of my all-time-favorite quotes comes straight from the horses mouth "Some people actually consider running a sport;not just a last desperate act before the liquor store closes."
- AM, Dubai, UAE

February 16, 2010

Can we at least let riders get to the starting line in May before pronouncing the 2010 Tour of California an abject failure?
- Dan, Pittsburgh

February 16, 2010

I am a little miffed that the Tour Of California was moved to May - March or May would have been better - but that said I understand why. The tour last year spent a lot of time in the rain and cold although the last day's race into Escondido was perfect. I attended that one and was very impressed with the whole affair. In my opinion it is a race growing in importance and most of the major teams participate - albeit their B teams maybe. Yes, it has a lot of European race competition but not everybody rides the Giro d Italia - including Lance and crew this year. Not noticed on the East Coast? Well you missed a great race - probably just didn't care to check in on it. I have watched all the US races over the years and it doesn't really matter where in the country it takes place they are of major interest to all US cyclists. Team Sky is missing out on the new stage of cycling IMHO. I'm starting to think they are nothing but a bunch of Brit elitists also, but if so I think they'll get handed their ass eventually. Time will tell. They do have some good talent.
- Steve, Tucson

February 16, 2010

Wow! Those Winning covers just brought back a bunch of memories. Remember when brake cables used to stick out from the levers? Good times.
- Nicolas, Ottawa

February 16, 2010

Chris, Mud and sweat in your face doesn't make them as much money as a shiny new pair of sunglasses or brown shoes.
- Jared, Los Angeles

February 16, 2010

I couldn't agree with you more with regards to the Tour of California. It was barely noticed on the East Coast of the US - outside the US no one cared about it at all. The move to May will be its death knell. And who cares? The Giro's on! /// You guys focus way too much on "looking good" on a bike. Watches, sunglasses, brown shoes? Who cares? Looking good on a bike comes down to how drenched in sweat or covered in dirt you are. Who has more 'style': Fausto Coppi with his sunglasses or George Hincapie with his mud mask in 2001's Paris Roubaix? Be honest.
- Chris, Brooklyn

February 16, 2010

Really stupid, Im sure all the triathletes that buy bikes from you are not impressed
- Dan, Kansas

February 16, 2010

As a rider who is runnig his first (and only) marathon in a few weeks, i agree with your statements regarding runners. They act like they own the road/trail more than any cyclist. We must, however, get along with each other. Ultimately we share the same ideas, but just have different ways of expressing them.
- Phil, Little Rock

February 16, 2010

Are you really complaining about runners? Drivers complain about cyclists so cyclists complain about the next smallest thing on the road? C'mon, you're better than that. I hardly see them as a problem, or a nuisance...even if they're blasting music.
- Jared, Los Angeles,CA

February 16, 2010

I saw a 13.1 sticker on a Prius the other day. I thought that was freaking great. Not the Prius, but the dude who thought that 13.1 was worth bragging about. I couldn't get close enough to hear, but I am sure he was draining that enormous battery listening to NPR. My favorite thing about runners/walkers/bladers, or anyone else who is rocking the ipod on a path, is how freaked out they get when you pass them. I am not sure if they think the speed they are traveling prevents anyone from coming by or if they, in their musical oblivion, forgot that there are other people in the world. In any event, many react like they have been hit by a taser when you politely roll on by.
- Jason, Metro-Dtown

February 16, 2010

Agree 100% about May. Said it at the time the move was announced. The expression, Too big for his/her britches, came to mind immediately. @C, great parting shot; couldn't agree more. Over the R in a big, big way, and wish I didn't have helmet-enforment in my house (and my neighborhood), as I far prefer leaving my melon in the wind.
- mjw, PRoB

February 15, 2010

I'd like to offer PROtitude for addition to the PRO lexicon. Nice entry this week. Regarding the runners, I too get annoyed at their antics. I also find it funny that no one honks, yells or throws things at them for doing what we do on our bikes (except for the riding against traffic part).
- sixtysix, sd

February 15, 2010

You've convinced me; I'm ordering the 2003 P-R. Any ideas as to what Vainsteins is up to these days? Pavé www.pavepavepave.blogspot.com
- WSY, Philadelphia, PA

February 15, 2010

Yeah, with Princess Bride references, random asides about how Californians discuss freeways and a claim that Vanessa Bryant's ring is one of LA's landmarks, that Boulder Report entry was the very archetype of serious sports analysis. That snark on Sky being upper-class twits wasn't possibly meant as a joke, right? I mean, right? (In all honesty I don't blame Sky for bagging out either. It was just an opportunity for a quick and harmless dig at them. Sorry that didn't come through. I also agree that the move to May is questionable - UNLESS the organizers have been given the private nod that it'll be a ProTour event in 2011. Have they? Eh, I dunno. But I wouldn't rule it out.)
- Joe Lindsey - Boulder Report, Boulder, CO (duh)

February 15, 2010

Post up some pics of you riding sans helmet. I hardly ever wear one, but I doubt you practice your preaching. I too thought this post was even more Rapha than usual.
- C., Boulder, CO

February 15, 2010

You seem to not mention in your bit about Sky that they were not going to be selected for California. Even if they put out that bogus press statement saying how they were choosing not to go to Cali, that was all fake and they were just saving face so that people would not see that they were rejected. Cali has a lot better teams going there than SKY but they are just using it as training for the big show with most of them not wanting to ride a GT at a touriste pace and rather gear up using Cali, with its faux-mountain top finish, and then most likely the Dauphine.
- CK, Da nasty 'Nati

February 15, 2010

Far more disturbing than runners drowning out the world with their ear-bud thingies are those cyclists who do the exact same thing. Fausto vs. the Sleestaks : No contest. Nobody ever looked cooler on a bike than Coppi (except maybe Koblet). So, in the age of the Sleestaks, can there ever be any more "iconic" photographs of our cycling heroes?
- PawleeWalnutz, NYC

February 15, 2010

"a display of (willful?) ignorance far below its usual smarts & savoir faire"? Indeed. This an apt description for this week's "What's New" posting, with the comments about dreadful runners. Liam calls this one perfectly. All you're missing are some truck nuts hanging off the back of your ride.
- mike, pgh

February 15, 2010

I am with Liam - I find runners/joggers annoying too (especially in NYC- they can not follow the traffic guidelines) but we have to learn to get along one way or another....I also sense that runners have more political clout in this country (cops don't ticket runners but they do tickets riders...) and would be able to make the lives of cyclists even harder.
- fat chance, NYC

February 15, 2010

The comments re: Joggers are a little scary. Was that satire? Do you recognize how weirdly similar those complaints are to those that ignorant drivers make about "us"?
- Liam, NYC