Random thoughts among other things from a smelly good boy

30 April, 2008



The BMW 118d, which of course is NOT available in the U.S. of A's gets 50 mpg. It's diesel engine is rabidly economic and produces only 123 g/km of CO2. Why can't I buy this car here in the States? Why can I only get faux sports cars made by BMW that make me want to buy Oakleys and plug in my iPhone to the stereo while I drive? I don't want that shite, nor do I want a faux-eco-friendly Focus either. Their mileage and pedigree leaves a lot to be desired.

I want European cars, made in Europe with European sensibilities. Do we really have that much hubris here in America to actually believe that the cars we make are good and make sense to buy? For goodness sakes, do you really need a Venezuelan built F250 truck to drive back and forth to your cubicle? Do you really want to drive a mini van that gets only 17mpg- which is all your going to get- why? Because you're a kid sherpa- face it, and that means around town/city driving, you punter. Good Christ, why would anyone buy a car like this other than to place your tremendous rearside into an oversized cushioned barker lounger? Fatty.

28 April, 2008


Went to Wente road race this past Saturday and scored another win for the team. That hasn't happened, in- well, forever! It was a nice feeling as I was making the good rhythems and had good sensations. I was getting a little understeer in some corners and the wind was playing with my downforce, but it came out OK in the end.

It was a total team effort with Rob in the front group with an awesome lead, but C. Phipps, Kevin 'nukepower' Metcalfe and I zipping up the hill, sawing off the pack and barely bridging the gap it was a tough roll. I just managed to hold off Phipps at the line and nab the win. Funtimes.

24 April, 2008

Outstanding!

Note to Cannondale: You may want to use a little more epoxy!

Remember when Mark Walter's Look fork shattered underneath him while he was training on his TT bike? And he didn't sue because of the contract he had with Navigators at the time? Shite, man, this is America- sue everyone, especially when you get your face broken and it wasn't due to a bar fight!

23 April, 2008


This one is for you, Cliffy-

The Ascari A10

For those of you that neglect watching Top Gear on BBC America (see test drive clip) I give you the Ascari A10 superduperubercar.


Specs:
Top Speed: 220 mph / 354 km/h
0-60 mph: 2.8 seconds
Engine: 5 liter, V8 BMW M5 4941 cc 625HP

22 April, 2008


I got to do Sea Otter this year- the Master Blaster division. Now, you must understand that I absolutely HATE this race with more passion than Mel Gibson for JaySus. I've done the Pro, 1 races more times than I want to recall. I don't hate it because the campgrounds are 3x the price than an Indy Car race weekend, it's not the dirty, soft facial haired scallywags that ride constant wheelies all day (yay, look at me, look at me- Dude, I failed geometry!), it's not the fact that they charge $6.95 for a bratwurst and $5.00 for a bottle of water, it's not the fact that the top 'Pro' teams don't even go anymore, it's not the fact that you feel like you catch ADD like it was a disease the longer you're there, it's not the weather, which can turn from nice to tempest in a matter of hours, and it's certainly not the drive out, which can take for-EV-er, it's not the hotels in the area which charge Moto G.P. weekend rates. No, it isn't all these things that creep on my skin like bedbugs- it the entry fees which make me madder than a hatter. $60.00 a race- WHAT!?!?!

Now I've raced all over this wonderful country of ours, every armpit and broken town you can ponder and you can usually figure out where your $ is going when you sign up for a race, but at Sea Otter I wonder. I mean, you can sign up for Tour of Somerville, a criterium with a $10,000 prize list for $50.00, just like Athen's Twilight Criterium. Sea Otter is $60.00! I've been told, from an unnamed source in the Otter's bowels that registration numbers are off, way off from not 2 years ago, but I guess it would take an enlightened calculator to figure out why.

Note to Sea Otter: you want more people coming? Go Thomas Edison- more for less $.

What I do like are the families that roll up to the parking lot @ Laguna Seca in their motor homes, little guys and girls on wee bikes, Mom and Dad preparing bottles, manning the BBQ, shooting the shite with other parents and helping out the kids' racing. It's cool to see and gives hope to the future generation. I just wish more people would do it.

08 April, 2008

Santa Cruz Criterium

April 6th 2008

Steve and I met the rest of the gang over the hill in Santa Cruz with enough time to ride along the river’s bike path, up to the boardwalk and smell the cotton candy. It was a good incentive to win, smelling that sweetness! Maybe I’d allow a little indulgence post race.

Larry was psyched for this race, as always, and Craig, Kevin and Wyatt were all on very good form so we felt as if we had a bunch of cards to play. It was a breezy day, the sun was out and it was a beautiful day for a bike race.

Larry sat us down and talked over the plan again- Kevin, Craig and I would keep our eyes peeled for breakaways, with Wyatt and Steve in reserve for keeping the bunch up to speed for the inevitable sprint for Larry. Because the final sprint to the line is uphill and into the wind, it was a power sprint and not a pure speed run. It suited Larry, but with only 20 laps of the course, unlike the 45 the pro 1-2s were running, time would be short and we had to keep our heads up the whole time.

The race got started quickly and the speed was painfully high right from the gun. We dove into the first turn, the off camber hairpin, and our SL2s railed as if we had front wings, a high down force setup and super sticky tires- incredible bikes! Stomped on the pedals and down the hill we shot, up through the chicane drifting up to the last turn, again off camber, and sprinted out, up the hill @ over 1000 watts! I thought to myself that this was going to be a hard 20 laps, for sure. But the boys kept in it, never drifting too far back, and never getting too far from the front of the field.

The promoter was giving away a ton of cash and strawberries, happily donated by Cal Giant, so guys were leaping off the front to grab whatever they could. It seemed like the bell was ringing the whole race and the cheers from the crowd were keeping us light on the pedals the whole way around the course. The laps ticked by, I grabbed a preme and then a couple of laps later Kevin pounded the pedals, grabbing a 10 second lead in no time. He held off the pack for what seemed like forever, other teams sending guys to the front to chase and they would drift back after their turns completely spent, never to be seen again. As soon as Kevin got nabbed by the field, Craig bounded off the front with a couple of other guys and that was the final move. More teams that missed the break were now sending riders off to chase or make it across, but with Wyatt and Steve always on their shoulders they knew there was nothing they could’ve done. It looked tenuous for a bit but the break stuck- with the horsepower in the move there wasn’t anyone that could bring it back.

With 4 laps to go Larry turned to me while we were flying down the hill @ 55kph, ‘You take the field sprint and I’m going across!’ I looked at him, ‘Why not announce it to everyone?’ I chuckled to myself. But Kevin sensed what was about to happen, went to the front again, took a good hard dig, setting Larry up and off he shot across the gap. There was nothing anyone who’d heard Larry could’ve done as there is no denying Larry Nolan when he’s on a mission! He flew across the gap, making us all look very, very slow and got there in time to hear the crowd screaming and the bell ringing for the final lap.

Up the hill the break flew and Craig saw just enough daylight down the left hand gutter, slightly sheltered from the gusting wind. It was all the centimeters he needed- he shot through to take the win for Team Specialized Racing, hands aloft! Larry finished 4th and the rest of us rolled in, avoiding kissing the pavement. The plan came together- all we needed now was to meet back at the A-Team van and Larry to be puffing a fat cigar. “I love it when a plan comes together” he’d say, smiling.

Murdoch finally got the monkey off his back too!

05 April, 2008

The San Francisco Olympic torch run protest is pure stupidity.

Ah, leave it to the capital of the Left Coast to come out in droves and protest China by screaming at a torch. On April 9th a torch that represents an athletic movement, competition, a bringing together of the world's best athletes- not the host country, will be run through the streets of San Francisco. This flame, born from the sun on Mt. Olympus is not China. It isn't repressing Tibetans, or persecuting 'religious' movements, or trampling our freedoms, the freedoms that WE, and we alone, have written into our governmental documents. This torch is nothing more than a reminder that the Olympics are coming.
You really want to make China listen? You'd like to protest their actions and sock it to them where it hurts? Try this:
Don't buy any Chinese goods for the months leading up to the Olympics- its that simple. I dare you to try- I bet you can't. We've so many durable goods imported into this country that are made in China that it would be next to impossible to not buy their goods. But you can try if you're really serious about protesting. Don't cops always say 'follow the money' when looking for the persons involved in a crime? If you stop giving China your money the message will be felt and not just heard- but yelling at a torch?
That's just plain dumb, for a torch has no pockets, nor ears.