Chris Horner Visits Virginia Beach

CHRIS HORNER

Upon the conclusion of Team Astana's Tenerife training camp, PRO cyclist Chris Horner stopped in the new Bike Beat in Virginia Beach for a talk.

Chris is a down to Earth dude. While not as popular as some racers, has won nearly every race in the United States during his career. Chris is currently riding for the Astana Pro Cycling team as a very strong domestique. He said he enjoys the role and is paid generously to help riders like Contador, Leipheimer and now LA. These are some of the best if not the best riders in the world.

Chris talked about his career from racing in the Juniors to his present gig. He said the arrival of LA in camp was amazing. He said the team was organized last year but LA brings another level of professionalism and motivation.

When asked about the relationship between Contador and the rest of the team, he said it will be interesting. Horner mentioned that Contador lost much respect from the team after the comments he made about Leipheimer after the Vuelta. Levi placed 2nd as a domestique riding in support of Contador (rare).

Horner said it was very obvious who would lead the team in 2009 and there was no doubt in his mind that LA would win the Giro and the Tour if he races.

New Permanent on the Virginia eastern shore

I received a message from Dean earlier telling me about a new permanent on Virginia's eastern shore. This is fantastic news for Randonneurs in the Tidewater area!

The ride description on the RUSA website states, "Quiet, flat, rural, quaint towns of the Eastern Shore of Virginia." RUSA also lists the total elevation at 500 ft. Having ridden the roads of the eastern shore I will vouch for the term flat. The wind of the Tidewater area often makes up for the lack of hills. Eastern Shore Permanent owner Keith Sutton writes, "It is ALWAYS windy on the Eastern Shore."

I can't wait to take on this route in the coming months. You can read Keith's description here.

2008 Tappahannock 200k

Three Randonneurs gathered at Ashland Coffee and Tea to register for the 2008 edition of the Tappahannock 200K. After registration and a quick latte, Paul D., Dean F. and I were on the road to Tappahannock, VA.

It started out chilly but weatherman promised temperatures near the 70s with variable winds (read: headwinds all day…kinda). It turned out to be a truly beautiful day for riding a bicycle.

For the first 15 miles or so, we took turns at the front, until the first confusion of the day. Up a hill and Paul took off on a right turn. Dean and I slowed a little to check out the cue sheet. The road sign turned out to be on the wrong side of the road. Paul was correct and he was a few miles in front of us by now. We would only see him for a few seconds near the first control.

We rode without incident until shortly after the first control. The cue sheet and the road signs did not match up. We zigged instead of zagging and continued on route 616 for 5 about 5 miles and decided that we were wrong. Turning around with NO motivation, we made our way back to the intersection of confusion and continued on course for several miles.

Another short setback due to confusing directions left us an hour behind schedule. Not a crisis but we wouldn’t make it back before dark. We made it to the Tappahannock control at Java Joes and wasted no time. We got our cards signed and headed to a convenience store down the road to top off supplies.

The next control is about 25 miles from Tappahannock in a village called Sparta. The road to Sparta would take us through swarms of ladybugs, gnats and spiders. Someone forgot to tell these small critters it’s November. Riding with an open pie hole would guarantee a meal pleasing to Bear Grylls.

At one point I looked down at my shorts counting 7 ladybugs tagging along for the ride. Strings of silk were randomly floating in mid-air, the small spiders looking for a quick meal.

After the Sparta control, we would ride through my favorite part of this ride, a tour through farm roads past Collins Pond. We pushed through this area at a brisk pace but I had to stop at the pond for some photos. This section of the route takes away all of the frustration of the bonus miles earlier in the day.

The cue sheet stated 127 miles. After140 miles, we were greeted by ROMA RBA Matt Settle and Dean’s wife. All three riders were in and brevets earned.

The Showdown @ Black Creek 200k

The days trip to Black Creek, NC began in north Raleigh where many of the usual suspect gathered. When I arrived on the scene, Mike D. and Dean were already unloaded and were doing a final check of gear. A short while later, Jerry arrived with the coffee and Branson brought the chocolate au pain (I think). This was a perfect start to a great day in the saddle.

The only concern was the weatherman's accuracy. The rain pelted the area most of the night. The day would prove to be cold and breezy; a few scattered sprinkles. Nothing for Randonneurs to fret.

The other riders arrived, Byron had a pastry and we were off. The ride started and ended with 10 miles of rollers. I felt last weeks run on every single incline. I dropped off the back early and rode most of the day with Dean. We wouldn't see the other riders until we were outside of Black Creek.

Stories of the desolation in Black Creek were way off. On Saturday, there was a festival on Main. People were everywhere with their hot rods and tractors. Some wore costumes (very tall cowboy). A country & western band performed in the town's gazebo. Dean and I didn't waste any time. We got our cards signed and were off.

We found le peleton finishing a biscuit or two at Bojangles and rode to the next control together -- mostly. A quick regroup and a snack and we were off. This theme continued for the next 40 miles. Riding - regroup. The group was splintered by strong pulling in the wind! I fell off on a long uphill and rode solo for a while. I looked at my clock when I hit the century mark and was motivated. I was making great time and riding strong. Until I wasn't.

New theme: "I feel strong...until I'm not." This makes me chuckle because when the energy runs out, it takes a while to figure out exactly what happened and a while longer to do something about it. It is a feeling of helplessness.

The next regroup was at the Sheetz 10 miles from the finish. The lead group was sitting in the outside cafe seating sipping lattes. Perfect, I gulped down a cup of coffee while we awaited the other riders.

Like I mentioned in the begining, the last 10 miles of this ride roll right up to the finish. I found myself riding alone for the last few miles of the day. I would also finished with the...ahemmm, distinguished honor of Lantern Rouge.








Stats:
125 miles
Moving time: 8:26
Stopped time: 1:18
Total: 9:45

Road 2 Recovery Ride -- Day 2 and Day 3

I met Kevin on the road outside my house on Saturday morning for the 15-mile ride to Little Creek. We left early enough with the promise of free breakfast before the day’s event. A blustery headwind greeted us as we headed north along the Atlantic Ocean. Even with the wind, it was close to my quickest time for the route.

Jeff from the USO did not let us down. When we walked into the gym, there was a nice spread of chow waiting. With an hour to kill, we mingled and waited for all of the riders to file in. Riders of all ability levels began arriving for registration. Half dozen Marines from Yorktown were given full kits and borrowed bicycles from R2R. None of the Marines had ridden any real distance in their lives [they did 60]. On Monday, learned that my buddy Jimmy actually built them at Contes. Thanks Jimmy!

After some introductions and the standard safety brief [something regarding speed and spacing] we headed towards the VB Oceanfront and down to the Contes at Redmill. This leg of the ride was enjoyable as the winds were in our favor. It actually felt like sailing, I’m not sure I did too much peddling. I knew that we would eventually have to earn our lunch.

We took a break at Contes and were off for a tour of the Pungo farmland in Virginia Beach. Winding around the creeks and farms we eventually reached Creeds and began heading north to the Pungo Ferry Bridge. This is where the ride started getting difficult for many riders.

A pattern of riding and slowing to pick up stragglers began shortly after the bridge. We would ride then the motor escorts would slow us to a crawl for a ½ mile or so keeping the group together. This routine would continue for the next 30 miles.

We finally reached NAS Oceana and the chili cook off. NO, we didn’t have any chili but they only give out Dixie cups any way. We were offered our choice of chow from one of the vendors. I devoured a chicken wrap and some nachos. WOW, there is no shortage of chow on this tour.

The number of riders began thinning at Oceana. The Marines and several other riders were dun. I bailed out as the ride passed near my house. Overall, the ride took us 80 miles.

SUNDAY

Sunday began very similar. I rode by Kevin’s house and we once again rode hard to breakfast. We mingled and awaited our safety brief. The day’s route would take us 40 miles through downtown Norfolk, on to the Naval Station for lunch and return to Little Creek.

I decided to ride the COHO today and that brought some good conversation. I talked to USA Today reprter Sal Rubial about cycling in Virginia and France. He has ridden several tour routes and has covered the tour several times. We discussed Paris-Breast-Paris and both of us have the desire to ride it in the future. I’m sure I’ll see Sal on one or two brevets in the next few years. There’s less than 3 years until the next PBP.

Sunday also brought out another newbie cyclist, John. He dawned a kit, was fitted for a bicycle and we were off. John finished the ride. He mentioned at lunch that he had never hit the wall as bad as he did on Sunday AM. He also mentioned that he was helped with some pushing from other riders over more than 1 bridge. Good job John!

Actor Mike Vogel lead the way for the first leg of the ride and screamed his best rendition of Axel Rose for the first few miles. Look out Axel!

Once back on Little Creek, JW, decided to showcase a little speed. With around 1 mile to the finish, Sal and another rider had about a ½ mile lead on the pack. Our pace began picking up and JW clicked his shifter twice. Here we go. I shifted a couple times and was surprised I was able to hang. We rounded the final corner and JW put down the hammer. The acceleration was quick. I felt like I was watching from a stand still. FUN!

The R2R is a class act. It gets the wounded warriors out of the hospital and on the street. It gives them a purpose and a goal. The project also introduces cycling to active duty military that might not have the means to try the sport of cycling. I talked to a few of the Marines that were on the ride and they were planning to purchase bicycles in the very near future.

A huge thanks to John Wordin (JW) from R2R and Jeff Hill from the USO for putting together a class ‘experiment.’
----SEMPER FI.

Road 2 Recovery Ride -- Day 1

This weekend I am participating in a ride for wounded warriors. It is the Road 2 Recovery sponsored by the USO. The ride started at the gym on Little Creek Navy Base. After some introductions and a safety brief, we were off and headed towards Norfolk.

This ride is supported to the hilt for maximum fun. The best part is the police escort. 8 motorcycle officers rode block for us at every single intersection. They also enabled us to use the entire lane on the busy VB streets.

We road through eastern Norfolk then back towards the VB oceanfront. We turned around and cut through Ft Story. When we passed by the USMC Amphibious Recon School, all of the Marines were standing online outside the compound clapping and cheering. Very cool mandatory fun, thanks guys!

We left the base and headed back to Little Creek. About a half mile from the Lesner Bridge, one of my riding buddies asked me if I wanted to sprint to the bridge. I told him we probably shouldn't because the motor escorts probably wouldn't like us to pass them. Then I told him YES I do want to sprint. The pace was like being a caged up tiger, ready to pounce. A few moments later I looked at our cruising speed and said, I would like to hold this speed over the bridge. We agreed and blew over the speed bump!

We had to slow down for the rest of the pack. There were several novice riders and a few recovering warriors on todays ride. Everyone did a superb job from the riders to the support staff.

Pulling into the gym parking lot, I felt hungry. good thing too, there was a full taco bar awaiting. We finished the ride with some good grub and good conversation with our hosts!

Tomorrow and Sunday promise to great rides. Stay tuned for more stories and pictures.

IMPORTANT NOTICE:
The 2009 RUSA Calendar has been published. There are 4 different regions near the tidewater offering a full brevet series.

Wounded Warrior Unity Tour -- Day2

Day 2 started with a very early reveille which is not usually a huge deal; especially when you hit the rack at 8:30-9:00pm. Our departure from Ft AP Hill was scheduled for 0630 and breakfast began at 0500. This is where logistics began to get a little shaky.

At 0500 there wasn't any chow. I finished packing my gear and headed back to the chow hall at 0530 and they had some fruit, pastries, PB & J and Sunny D. Look carefully at what I typed, you will notice one key, NO COFFEE. Houston we have a problem. Well at least all of the food was edible; I once awoke in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago to a breakfast of sardines, watermelon covered with flies and rice.

After breakfast, we began loading our personal bags into the truck. One of my riding buddies, CS decided to top off the air in his tires. SHSHSHSHSHSH came from his tire when he removed the pump from the valve stem. The valve stem broke. CS, a Sailor, can curse with the best of them! No worries, he grabbed a spare tube, switched it out and BOOOOM. Oops the bead wasn't quite seated and popped the tube. This battle would continue for the next 20 minutes and 3 more tubes. CS managed to get the tire issue worked out a minute or two before we began the ride.

The day's first leg would take us 30 miles from AP Hill to a veterans memorial in downtown Fredricksburg. We took some photos, met the Mayor topped off the H20 and we were off for a 'fun' leg to Quantico Marine Corps Base. The hills on VA Route 1 are pleantiful. Leaving Quantico, we contiunued up Route 1 to Ft Belvoir and then into DC.Riding past the Pentagon and across the Potomac towards the Lincoln Memorial is amazing. Riding into DC was the highlight of the 210 mile ride. After an hour of stop and go in the district traffic, we finally reached Walter Reed Army Medical Center.

The ride raised more than $4000 for the Wounded Warriors.

I do have a couple of complaints and it isn't about food, lodging or coffee.
Safety. Too many riders participating that thought they were in the pro tour this lead to several crashes. There were also several support vehicles supporting riders. Some offical some just family members in a convoy. The vehicles were cumbersome and often got in the way of riders.

There were several riders that didn't have the fitness or stamina to ride an event of this distance. Several of them had never even finished a century, not to mention back to back centuries. Some of these riders motor paced at least 60 miles per day.

I also observed that some riders were super strong. They would come from nowhere and zip past me at 25 mph, even on the up hills. Somewhere between Quantico and Ft Belvoir, I noticed they would get in their POV at the bottom of the hill and get SAGed to the top. WHAT THE...? I say to all of you, don't tell yourself that you completed this ride. Don't go home and tell your friends and families you finished when you spent much of the day in a car!


Last, we spent too much time off the bikes. We stopped for 30 minutes after every 25-30 miles.

This ride is a good cause and with some logistical tweeking it could be even better. I had loads of fun and I enjoyed riding my COHO. I'm glad I rode for this cause but I think I will stick with brevets.

Note: All photos in this post courtesy WWUT.

Wounded Warrior Unity Tour -- Day 1

Saturday morning I set out with 78 other service members from the Army, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard. The Marine Corps was represented by myself one other; we were the minority. The Wounded Warrior Unity Tour would raise more than $4,000 for the Fisher House at Walter Reed Army Medical Center and would take us from Ft Eustis, VA to Walter Reed.

We started in a large group until we crossed over the George P. Coleman Memorial Bridge and the Chesapeake Bay. As riders crossed the grates, several people destroyed tires. It sounded like popcorn. During the safety brief, they said this would be a problem. It was better to walk across the grates.

The pace after the first rest stop got really fast in no time at all. It would be every man for himself. I'm not sure why they were in such a hurry, there wasn't a prize. The quick pace coupled with inexperienced (not to mention plain stupid) riders led to several accidents.

Some where after the 50 mile mark my thighs began cramping of course it took me 20 miles to realize exactly what was happening. So I suffered along for quite a while. Once figured out, I promptly had electrolytes and a cliff bar. It took minutes to begin to feel better. Soon, I found myself riding strong.

We stopped briefly in Tappahannock before we began the climb to FT AP Hill. Go figure, AP Hill actually sits on a rather large hill. From HWY 17, we climbed nearly 6 miles to the base. At the top, we stopped for a pick. The day's riding wasn't quite done. After stopping for 30 minutes to wait for stragglers to get up the hill and for some photos, we had to ride another 5 miles to billeting.

I wish I could say we stayed in the Hilton with all the amenities. What we got were cinder block open squad bay barracks. The bunks covered and aligned along the bulkhead and an aisle down the center. As soon as we unloaded the vehicles and got a little cozy, the skys opened up. It rained most of the night. The barracks were a blessing, they were dry, they had AC and they were free! PERFECT BILLETING.

More photos can be found here.


Day 1 -
Distance - 108 miles
Avg speed - 18.2
Ride time - ~6hrs

NEW RUSA Permanent in the Tidewater Area

Attention all randonneurs in South Eastern Virginia. Ron Malinauskas has gotten approval from RUSA for the 215K Nottoway Ramble permanent starting and ending in Windsor, VA.

Ron's description on the RUSA website states, "A relatively flat and pleasant ride through rural southeastern Virginia." That my friends is how you sum up 3000ft of climbing.

I eagerly await the ride report from Ron.

This is the only RUSA event currently in the Tidewater Area. I'm excited becasue I don't have to drive 3+ hours to ride. I plan to tackle this ramble in November and/or December.

Pics from Surry Century

Surry Century

Saturday we headed to Surry County to ride the Surry Century. The intention was to use this as a tune up ride for the 220 mile Wounded Warrior Unity Ride in 2 weeks. The Surry Century winds around Surry county, Prince George County and Isle of Wright County along the James River.

Riding along the James River provides great terrain for riding with some nice rollers. This is a welcome change from flat Virginia Beach area.

Randonneurs interested in riding in the area may not have to wait much longer. Rumor has it that a permanent in the Surry area is pending approval.

More photos can be seen here.

Ride to the Pond

Ron M. invited me for a TBA sponsored ride. The ride was scheduled for the bents but Ron was the only one scheduled to ride the 75 miles. I thought it would be a good way to see something new and get in some much needed miles.



We left the Sufflok, VA airport and headed towards NC. Shortly after we crossed the border, we stopped for some refreshments and some cool air. The temperatures were climbing quickly and the air was dense adding 10 degrees to the heat index.

Next stop was Merchants Mill Pond State Park. This is a beautiful park although it is covered in algae at the moment. We relaxed in the shade and looked for some critters but had to settle for reading about alligators and ticks.

In Sunbury, NC, we stopped for some lunch with the locals. We downed BBQ and hush puppies and enjoyed the cold air. The local hunters dressed in Mossy Oak gave us some strange looks when we walked in. It was the standard scene. The record scratching...silence. All eyes upon us.

As we found a seat, I heard one gentlemen say, "Them boys been doin' some ridin'."

After lunch, we continued on the route back towards Suffolk. Crossing the same road like a zipper became annoying so we change our route to a more direct course cutting 5 miles off the total distance. This turned out to be a very good idea as both Ron and I had bone dry water bottles with 8 about miles remaining.

In all we logged 70 miles on a beautiful day.

RUSA 10th Anniversary 200k

Saturday 30 riders departed Morrisville, NC on a 200k route to Siler City and back. This is a familiar route and most of the riders were familiar. It is always good to see everyone at these events. Of course, it is good to see new faces.

At the control, Chuck Lathe was sporting his RUSA 10th Anniversary Medal eagerly signing brevet cards. We talked about wheels and bicycle designs until it was time to get back on the road. Chuck rode his red Randonneuse from his house to the control.

I had the opportunity to ride with some riders experiencing the sport for the first time. Bill and another gentleman (forgot name) passed us. They mentioned they had done some bonus miles already. They must have passed Dean and I at least 6 times. It took a while to register how this was possible. Three words: More Bonus Miles. From the Andrews Store they joined us for the ride into the finish.

At the finish, an entire group of riders and supporters were waiting with some burgers, hot dogs and cold beverages. This was a fantastic way to end a wonderful day in the saddle.

What? No Lessons learned?
Of course, I thought you would never ask.

The biggest lesson that I confirmed was lack of fitness. I need to ride more rides of 3+ hours on a regular basis. (Not only when there is a brevet.)

On a very positive note I completed the ride without the aid of any NSAIDs. This is a first!

Olympic Cycling

On the eve of the Opening Ceremonies for the Olympics in Beijing I'm excited. There are hundreds of elite athletes that will compete for their countries and try to bring golden glory home. Heck, it is exciting enough just thinking about the possibilities for the medal count for swimming phenom Michael Phelps who could bring home 8 medals alone. We have a pretty strong swimming team.

On the track, we have a strong team all around in many distances. This year we even have some strong distance runners. The race I can't wait to watch is Jeremy Wariner in the 400M. Wariner has run the fastest 400m of the year. His agent and mentor is the 400m World Record holder Michael Johnson.

Of course I will be watching the cycling events as well. We have a great team road cycling team with big George Hincapie (Team Columbia), Levi Leipheimer (Astana), Jason McCartney (CSC), Dave Zabriskie (Garmin-Chipotle), and coming of a surprising TDF finish Christian VandeVelde (Garmin-Chipotle). With this team, we could bring home some hardware.

Zabriskie and Leipheimer will also compete in the TT.

Competing the track is the future of US cycling, Taylor Phinney. Phinney rides for the Chipotle development squad. He was the 2007 JR World Champion in the Pursuit and is the son of US cycling legends Davis Phinney and Connie Carpenter. He is the phenom!

So while you are recovering from a ride or a RUSA 10th Anniversary Ride, you will have something to watch.

Daily Commute -- photos

Shots of my daily commute.

First Landing State Park on Shore Drive

Up the Lesner Bridge

View of Chix Beach

Chesapeake Bay - Lynnhaven Roads

Lynnhaven Bay

More dopers

What the heck. Another doper incarcerated by French authorities. I had a feeling Ricco’s wins in this years tour were too good to be true. Especially winning with those margins. How can someone be that much better than the other professional athletes? There is only one answer, he cheated. It is of note that Ricco's idol is the late Marco Pantani. Pantani was also ousted for EPO in his career.

I will put a lot of money of this: more riders will be caught doping in this year’s tour.
Any takers?

It's not surprising that there have already been 3 riders caught ‘red handed.’ It is surprising that it is only 3. So why would someone that signed a contract stating they will not use these substances do it anyway?

The answers are too simple. With are millions of dollars at stake, greed plays a large part. These guys are human and in their mind, the riches of victory far out weigh the risk of getting caught. Especially since the chances of actually getting caught are pretty low. The International Herald Tribune reports, “A test to detect EPO in urine samples didn't work very well in experiments conducted last year, according to the study released online Thursday by the Journal of Applied Physiology [1].”

Instead of a 2 year ban from the sport, there should be a lifetime ban and or prison time for using substances that are illegal. At least something that will make the athlete and teams think twice before they make a poor decision.

Of course it might not matter anyway. At the rate they are going, there won’t be any corporations willing to sponsor athletes associated with poor ethics. Greed could mean the end of professional cycling all together.

Here is the good news. It will have no affect on the friendly cycling sport of Randonneuring. In our sport it is man vs self and man vs nature. It doesn’t matter if someone finishes a ride fast or slow as long as they have fun participating. To this I say, Bon Route and I will see you at the next brevet.





[1] http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/06/26/sports/NA-SPT-EPO-Study.php

In the news: Coho Bicycles

Bike builder Charles Lathe of Coho Bicycles made it into the news. You can watch the clip here (for a while). I have a Coho and I enjoy riding it most every day. It is a beautiful bike and it is like riding a Cadillac!

Bicycling Muscles

A new toy

Afew weeks back I was looking for a bike that I could use for the sole purpose of commuting. I wanted something similar to my Coho yet something that I could set up in a bullet proof manner and not worry about the wear and tear of the city streets.

I won this frame on EBay and it arrived yesterday. Now I have the fun of building it up. I am open to any suggestions. The frame is a 1984 Univega Specialissima. The tube lengths and geometry are very close to my Coho.

Fire

A fire in the Great Dismal Swamp has left Virginia Beach in a haze for the past week. The smell is like waking every morning to a camp fire. There is relief when the wind changes direction away from the south.

The firefighters are combating the fire using powerful soak-hoses and after more than a week it is 50% contained. Check out this article.

The fire makes outdoor activities in the area a poor idea I've been avoiding mornings with the south wind. When the wind switches to the north, it is game on.

Inspect Your Ride

Earlier in the week, I noticed this little puncture in the kevlar sidewall of my new tire. This is terrible as the tires only have a few hundred miles on them. Shortly after I noticed the damage, I read this post on the NCRANDON list from Tony G.:

It was a good thing that I did not try to ride, since yesterday my left pedal axle broke just like the right one did on the Feb 200k (10 miles from the house) and I noticed that my frame was broken about 1/3 of the way through on the downtube at the bottom water bottle hole. The look 256 pedal had 16,000 miles on it over the last 20 months and the Lemond steel frame had 18,000 miles on it over the last 25 months. Gotta get more and better miles in ;-)

Keep a close eye on your equipment when you clean it up so that failures you can see do not cause a crash or dnf, but some you just can't tell are going to happen.

This is a good reminder in the mid-point of the year to take a closer look at your equipment to ensure serviceability.

I believe you should only worry about the things you can actually control. For a cyclist, especially a randonneur, one of the most compulsory things in your control is equipment maintenance. It only takes a few minutes to inspect your equipment before a ride and may mean the difference between finishing in a taxi with a DNF or completing the ride.

On the MS150 ride, I witnessed the following mechanicals (on the first day):

• 1 broken seatpost
• 1 handle bar loose and freely rotating in the stem
  
• 1 broken pedal
• 1 computer not reprogrammed after battery replacement
• 2 lost water bottle cages
• 3 pinch flats

The majority of these problems could have been prevented with a quick once over.

RUSA Board Member Mike Dayton writes on his Research Trailer Park blog,

I’ve had very few flats on brevets (knock on wood). One reason is that I always inspect my tires before any brevet. It only takes a minute for a quick check. Do the tires look worn? Are there any big, suspicious cuts that might conceal a piece of glass or metal? If so, I fix, or switch the tire.

You can read more of Mike's post at RTP.

Welcome to the Tidewater Randonneur

Welcome to the Tidewater Randonneur.

It is time to split my old blog into two separate forums one specifically about strength training and kettlebells and the other about bicycles and randonneuring. The Tidewater Randonneur is the result.

The purpose of this blog is to discuss and promote bicycles and riding bicycles especially randonneuring.