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...is midway through his cross country ride. I saw the monster mileage he was posting and was like "what's this guy doing?!?!?!"

...what is the "state of road racing" in the USA? Completely dead? On life support? Better than ever? All I can say is TGFU (Unbound) or we'd be cooked. Without gravel racing, there'd be NO racing in the US anymore. And the gravel racing we have, is as much gravel "riding" as racing. It says something about the cycling in the US that the only way to survive is to include anybody who shows up in the race. It doesn't seem to be what happens in pro football, baseball, basketball, hockey, soccer, golf(?) etc, but maybe some of the smaller sports like curling or tennis are more open to "all are welcome". How about MTB racing? How is that doing? Or Cross? Seems the foreign races are the ones I see, and we're lucky to get a brief long weekend or so of top level stuff.

...I do think the changes I made to drinking "sports" drinks and steady salt intake helped on my latest big ride. As I have mentioned, I am a "water only" drinker on my bike rides. I switched from Gatorade quite a few years ago now as I hated the mess of sticky bottles after a ride and the sticky drips onto the frame. Add in the sugar bomb for rides in the 2-3 hr range made no sense (to me). BUT! I noticed that it wasn't the best decision for longer, hot & humid rides. So, this past month or so, I started exploring adding in some "better" drink mixes with higher salt content to help with my prolific sweating and the consequences I was feeling both on the bike and post-ride. After some play, for the ride, I went with normal Skratch hydration (they have a high sodium blend too but couldn't find that in the store) but also some Clif Bloks (gels) with 2x and 3x sodium. So, I had 4 bottles of Skratch, plus two bottles of ride-supplied Gatorade, and one final water only, plus one 2x and one 3x Blok packs, and all sorts of bananas, pickles, pickle juice, a donut, snacks, and a baby Coke. The weather was mild (warming to 90s after noon), the ride was reversed from usual so "hard" stuff earlier and from the easier side of the big climbs, and my buddy was not as fit this year, so our pace was easy peasy much of the time (ie no prolonged efforts for me to chase him down). At the end of the ride, I felt pretty good. No major "cramping" during the ride like I had at my last longer organized ride. No congestion from dehydration after the ride. And no aches or pains overnight, felt fine the next day, and still feel fine. I don't think I drank any MORE than I normally do for the ride - usually 1 to 1.5 bottles/hr - but the Skratch is definitely "better" than Gatorade. Doing double Bloks w/ extra salt and sticking to quite a few salty snacks seemed to help too. I am NOT sure if it was all tied the changed up eating and drinking or also greatly tied to the pacing, course, and temps for the ride. I'll keep playing with it on the non-organized longer rides, but we'll also see if the heat and humidity are almost done or not.

A 1200K / 746 mile randonneuring ride , probably the pinnacle brevet for randonneurs. You have 90 hours to complete the ride. I know, and have ridden with, 3 cyclists who are riding it this year. Correction: make it 4 cyclists

...I've caught and passed some slow dude ahead of me. Then, in both cases, you see them redouble (triple!) their efforts to catch back on and pass me in turn. And both times, they slowed down after the pass. And both times, I just sat a short distance back making them sweat their move. And, the first time, the guy almost fell off the bike after exhausting himself when he turned around. I would have done a hard pass had I known he was turning around when he did, but it was enough to see him just cooked The second guy I was just as rude to, but also broke his soul towards the end of my ride with a return pass, a steady ratcheting up of pace, and his eventual crack. Egos. Aren't they fun? I can't stomach the fools who pass and then slow down. Know your "limits" and make every one happy.

Might be a fun watch.

...must NOT BE MENTIONED HERE!

...or is he still watching?

I was wrapping up my afternoon ride, and so was one of the local group rides (plus some randoms too). We all got grouped up at a series of road crossings (fun to see folks "jockey" for position as we stop), and I was tucked in towards the back of the pack. As we all get rolling, folks take different times to get back up to speed, and others never really bother picking up the pace. The dude at the front was anxious to get going (a Gran Fondo NY-type) and even timed the light a bit. Anyway after the regrouping at the second signal, the second guy in line seemed happy to putter along as did the guy on his wheel. Being trapped a bit back behind them, I needed to wait for the path to clear before muttering a "let's bring this guy back" and riding off the front. It took a little while and oddly no one followed. Fun, though.

For a while - several years leading up to COVID - I was seeing more and more fat bikes out and about. All over and being ridden. Now, 90+% of the fat bikes I do see are ebikes as well. Almost gone are "regular" fat bikes. I know @dinneR and @bikeman564™ have them and ride them, but I wonder if they have also seen a drop off/replacement of them.

https://wdet.org/2018/07/03/curiosid-why-does-michigan-avenue-have-brick-pavers/ I've ridden on Michigan Ave w/ BCC et al.

I spotted this photo from a ride. Must have been a "RATFARTS!" sort of moment. Load the bike, drive to ride, go to unload the bikes, and realize you left the trainer wheel on!!!! Do you ride anyway or call it a day?

... about the descents well over 100kph (62+mph) really drives me nuts. I'm not saying they can't or don't punch past 60mph (considering I can punch through 50mph), but you really can see how rare that ought to be even with the aid of a tailwind and a double digit assist from a steep downhill and monster gearing. Long story short - pedaling at a VERY quick 120 rpm, using a relatively rare 55 tooth big ring AND a relatively rare 10 tooth cassette, you can expect to spin out at 52 mph. To find an additional 10 mph - ie break 100kph - you have to have a helluva long straight stretch and it needs to be steep.

When you learn to ride a bike, the balance issues are the biggest hurdle, while the propulsion itself is relatively easy - push the higher foot down to the bottom, then do the same for the other foot, and repeat several bajillion times. Sometimes I flip through the "reels" (little short video clips) on FB and (informed by what I watched previously, no doubt) I'm starting to see clips about improving the efficiency of the pedal stroke. These look like very slight adjustments but I assume they are effective, especially if implemented continuously over the course of a long ride. Back in the LF days I recall learning about pulling through the bottom of the pedal stroke, as if I'm trying to scrape gum off my shoe. That seems to generally gain me up up 1/2 mph. But I have to consciously do that, and most of the time I don't. So largely when I ride it's really the same instruction I received in 1977 on that little orange banana-seater: push down with your left leg, then the right. How "refined" is your pedal stroke? Did you ever receive any actual training on this? Tips you picked up along the way? I guess I'm asking not only about efficiency, but about health - I've noticed that my right knee stays sore a little longer than it used to (it kind of feels like my saddle might actually be a little low and although it's in the same position it's been in for some 7 years I'm going to try raising it a little). Probably just getting old.

...on my road & MTB and my wife's bike. My road was OK and I definitely need to review my records because the last time looks like it was in April of 2019(!) so close to 20,000 miles will seem too much. Maybe I missed noting it down??? The MTB and wife's have new chains coming.

Leaving the campground, you are smacked in the face with a near two mile climb out of the campground and then up to Hogback. But the return(!) is GLORIOUS! From Hogback to the campground turn is a nice steady 5-7%, but when you make the turn, you get to enjoy the double digit gradient!!!! WOOT WOOT! Damn speed bump at the end!

...as Vingegaard can't have that crazy of a melon! The rest looks real.

I've been wanting to upgrade the CX bike pedals. So I came across these iSSi Flash II pedals. These particular ones are no longer offered, but I found these new on Ebay. There were only two in the U.S. so I figured I'd scoop them up

Two people I know, and a few others did this, out n back

After GOBA, even the bikes. Dinner for 1,100, served by the Amish They grow poison Ivory big in Willoughby, Ohio.

...going into the heart of the cycling season: BBC’s “Sport’s Strangest Crimes” Digs into the Death of Marco Pantani The BBC’s Sport’s Strangest Crimes has released a 10-episode podcast series digging into the mysterious death of legendary climber Marco Pantani, aka il Pirato… The Pirate. With fresh evidence brought forth by his family, a wide variety of the world’s top racers, journalists, and experts weigh in to see if he, and his story, can finally be laid to rest. Hosted by comedian and cycling fan Hugh Dennis, this new BBC Radio 5 Live podcast will attempt to uncover what really happened to the man known as ‘The Pirate’. Widely regarded as the best climbing specialist in the history of cycling, Pantani was unbeatable. A rock star of cycling, the Italian national hero was rarely out of the press for his achievements, alongside allegations of doping, race-fixing, and corruption. But when Italy’s greatest cyclist was mysteriously found dead, sensational allegations of mafia involvement saw the world of cycling collide headfirst with the murky underworld of organized crime. With cycling-obsessed host Hugh Dennis, Pantani: Death of a Pirate will take listeners from the mountains of rural Italy, to the shady commercial underbelly of a sport on the rise, as we hear from mafia experts, journalists, historians, the police, and big names in the world of cycling, including Matt Rendell and Phil Liggett. Together, with an iconic era of cycling providing the backdrop, they will all consider one of the most dramatic and tantalizing questions in sports history… would the mafia really kill a cyclist? Hugh Dennis says: “‘Would the mafia really kill a cyclist?’ has to be one of the strangest questions ever asked in cycling… and yet, ten episodes later, here we are. Saddle in – sorry – for one of the craziest stories you’ll ever hear, about the mysterious death of one of the most incredible climbers the sport has ever seen.”

...but, apparently, I have fancy schmancy bottle cage bolts on my bike. Must shave a lot of weight or why bother?

...how crafty I am My truck came with the towing doodads I needed, but it didn't come with a good option for my bike when towing. Normally, I chuck a bike in the back seat so it is safe, and I could use my hitch rack if needed, but both are unavailable when headed off to camp with the trailer. So... I bought a $3 2x4, cut it up a bit, screwed & bolted some things together, and VOILA!

...on his last adventure down in Utah!

...with a total lack of concentration on the simplest of turn-arounds at the top of a climb. Scratches and a broken bottle cage were the result