January 12, 2010
Andy Pulford - Luton, England
Thanks for the kind words. I've actually not had a chance to go pick up the new ProCycling yet and need to go grab a copy.
I remember back when I was a little kid watching tennis on television with my mom and dad; my dad would ramble on about how he really didn’t like Jimmy Connors all that much. The details are vague, but I seem to recall that what he didn’t like about Connors was the fact that he wasn’t old, tried and true. By the time John McEnroe had established himself on the scene, Connors was a bit more of an “old man” of tennis, so my dad warmed up to him and even cheered for him to win – it seems to me that by the time this happened, Jimmy Connors, he was all of 35 years old. Now it seems it is my turn to cheer for the old guys.
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January 7, 2010
Quite a few months ago I received an email message from the stepfather of my friend Devon. It seems that she had given him a copy of my book, which he enjoyed thoroughly. The fact that an artist would like the thing (as opposed to a cycling fan) was extremely flattering, and is something I have been thinking about fondly over the past couple of days as I nurse a few wounds caused by having an opinion.
The message itself was overflowing with life. It was clear to me that this guy, Willem van Es, was someone I wanted to know. We proceeded beyond email within a couple of days to phone conversations. His accent was clearly Dutch, which made me feel at home. His wit and sense of humor were absolutely world class, causing me to smile for hours after hanging up.
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January 4, 2010
Dave - Shropshire, England
Hi Dave,
Thanks for the kind words. I am happy you found the book entertaining.
The
Bradley Wiggins transfer to Sky is interesting to me because so many people (in this country at least) are having a hard time with it. As a former (underpaid) pro, I really don’t have too much trouble with his desire to make more money or ride for a major team that’s based in his home country. I am not suggesting in any way that he was underpaid by his former employer, but if a guy can find a better paycheck and/or situation, and the rules make it possible for him to leave, well, good for him, I guess. I broke my contract with Transvemij (later TVM) to go to another team in the silly season of 1987/88, but it wasn’t for more money.
It is certain that young Mr. Wiggins is making a deservedly large amount more than the young Mr. Parkin did, too. Continue Reading »
December 30, 2009
Brian Ignatin - Pineville, Pennsylvania
Hands and feet? Honestly, I cannot remember because they have long succumbed to frostbite and fallen off.
Brian, it took me a really long time but eventually I wised up and fled the cold weather. This is one question that I have absolutely no answer for. I have tried any number of different kinds of shoe covers (aka booties) and gloves of every shape, kind, color and construction, to absolutely no avail. Yes, there are a ton of outstanding glove and shoe cover option available now but, for the most part, keeping your feet and hands warm has a lot to do with your own hands and feet.
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December 21, 2009
Dan Johnson - Missouri
My name is Joe and I have a shoe problem. I think you might even refer to it as flat-out craziness. I have owned (bought and been given) more cycling shoes than I can remember. I have filed, cut, heated, bent, sawed, glued and otherwise mutilated them in, pretty much, every way imaginable -- shoe mania. Imelda Marcos had nothing on me.
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December 17, 2009
Recently, it has become my habit to scan various cycling media outlets several times each day in hopes of finding news. In this era of reading the news as it is happening, the race to get a story up on the web is just about as intense as the racing itself. It is fun for me to watch the chips fall, if you will, and to see what country or language will break the story first.
Tuesday, as I glanced at the headlines on various different sites I came up with a story about riders from the
Omega Pharma – Lotto team crashing during their training camp, which is happening Spain, as we speak.
Yesterday,
I read another story about a rider from Liquigas who crashed while training and suffered a double collarbone fracture.
Let me summarize here for a second – professional bike racers are crashing during training rides. Ladies and gentlemen, I need your help to figure out what exactly is going on here? Have the world’s best bike riders forgotten how to ride their bikes?
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