2011 Giro d' Italia

i have to admit that i really love the Giro. the promoters go to such great lengths each year to outdo the previous edition with more climbs that have never been used before; steeper climbs; steep climbs in snow storms; and really, really steep dirt climbs that would be better suited for the VTT's. then they throw in a day on the strade bianche and it rains torrentially for the whole 6-plus hours that it takes the winner to navigate the parcours.
like what happened last year on stage 7 when Cadel finally stomped the stuffing out of everybody on what was probably one of the most brutal days of racing i have seen. here's the first of 5 vid segments. i'm sure that you will figure out how to watch the next 4 if there's still some plasma pumping through your veins.




also look forward to increased and more regular blogularity around here as the season develops. now that all the excitement of the past couple of weeks has subsided a bit, term papers written, got ourselves moved into our new digs over in the 'sade, and the madding, huckin', he-man hordes of the Fruita Fat Sausage Tire Festival have vacated the trails, making it safe for the sisters of singletrack to venture out once again, there might actually be a few minutes to drop a post or two and some worthwhile things to rant about (as well as the usual trail/road/race reports from western Colorado and the southwest).
to wit; we still have a race report form Rabbit Valley to post, heralding Jen's ascent to the top step of the podium. stay tuned for more.

oh, and in case you didn't know already, here's where you can watch all of that fantastic Giro action from the comfort of your armchair:

steephill tv Giro coverage

cheers

2010 north american handbuilt bicycle show- part deux

Kent Eriksen Cycles- best titanium

first of all, i don't know if anyone else has noticed, but that's not Kent. i hope that he didn't get stolen like the ANT guy's bike from the hotel in Richmond. that whole situation snowballed into a near rawkus- complete with spurious tweets about an alleged ad on Craigslist selling a "... clown bike" or something of that nature. just read how bikesnob explains his way out of it before i get myself into even more trouble by starting the next internets rumor from the handbuilt show by blogging that Kent has been nabbed by the body snatchers and is up for sale on eBay right now.

i do know that Kent and his crew do make the finest titanium bikes out there. they put a lot of effort into making the bikes look clean and uncomplicated. there isn't any fancy paint to cover a blemish or hide a mistake. bare metal and welds that aren't filed or sanded at all... yet they are rideable pieces of high-performance art that look beautiful under the closest inspection.

Jen would undoubtedly say the same thing about her Eriksen 650b f/s custom.

i can't wait to finish my singlespeed Eriksen, either. mmmmm mm

here's the copy from the 2010 NAHBS award winners page:

"Kent Eriksen chooses each tube set according to the physique, riding style, and intended use of each customer, and he builds in titanium only. The winning bicycle was chosen as a show model because of its clean, simple, elegant and functional design–which represents Kent Eriksen’s values".

image credit: NAHBS

big congratulations to Kent, Katie, Bo, Chad (Kent's stand in bike model) Chris and Paul over there at Eriksen Cycles on their award. you guys deserve it.

FOLLOW-UP: March 15- here's some good images and press from bikerumour.com