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It must have taken me all summer...
To fix up that old bike...
But at least now when I go to the Local Bike Shop for parts...
I don't have to drive my thinner, fitter self in that shit-ass old car.
[Shot of shiny Colnago in the background as the screen fades 2 black].
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------Seriously, I buy car stuff occasionally at Autozone. Running an ad that is at best anti-bicycling every 14 minutes during the Tour de France coverage strikes me as bad business. Most people I know who ride, also drive cars. Seems to me insulting their hobby or preferred mode of transportation is kind of a silly business strategy, especially in light of the wave of new bike commuters we're seeing as a result of rising gas prices.
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In an unrelated note, I turned 41 today. That means for a brief, shining two month period, my racing age and actual age are the same. Up to this point, during calendar year 2008, my racing age was 41, actual age was 40. It's a drag always being a full year older than you really are.
Of course this springtime of youthful bliss will come to a crashing end with cyclocross season. In 'cross, your racing age is the racing age you will be when the UCI holds the 'Cross Worlds. Unfortunately for me, Worlds occurs in early January every year. So just having turned 41, and not even having gotten used to formally being on the life's sharp, Savoldelli-esque descent - for Christ's sake I'm just pulling up my Over-the-Hill brand armwarmers and zipping up my Team Mr. Rogers cardigan - I'll be screaming down the hill as a 42 year-old.
As if every race doesn't make every 40+ racer feel quite old enough, thanks.
[Update: just in case you're curious, I celebrated by doing a quick-ish (+/- 55 min) lap at Rosaryville, eating a big breakfast, and watching a spectacular last two hours of today's TdF stage. Buying some home improvement stuff in a bit, hoping to eat some steaks and hit the sack early. A *great* birthday.]
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Without getting into stage-spoiling details - how 'bout that Team Garmin/Chipotle/Slipstream/Vaughtersideburns? They're having a hell of a good TdF for a team that is seemingly dope free and largely comprised of good national-level pros (who can just about pass for BigBoy Tour domestiques). Maybe the NRC series is better than we've given it credit for.
12 comments:
That ad is crazy, isn't it? Did you catch the car insurance once during Tour of CA that full on made fun of riding a bike? Weird. Money is money though, I suppose Vs doesn't care what the message is.
I don't know if you've been reading Lim's blog over at Saris, but it's been very interesting. Tons of little gems about the details they're focusing on, and of course lots of power stuff too. Most interesting is that ~5.2 w/kg puts you in the big league (Millar, CVV) where as that number used to be 6.2. And guess who did 6.4 for 12 mins on Aspin? I don't know about a clean Tour (*glares at Valv.Piti*) but it sure is a cleaner Tour.
Happy f-ing birthday. Thanks for making me seriously old. Though I did ride a metric century yesterday with the local club, and held my own quite nicely. Hammering 31 miles into a fierce Lake Superior headwind was a bear, but the return run back along side old Gitchie-Gummi made me feel like ol' Fabian himself (only if I was 15 mph fast, 40 lbs, lighter, and a ton better looking).
BTW, I 41 is the new 25.
Sucked in.
You're older than me. For 27 days.
Your race divisions are a bit weird. Our race licences expire 31 December each year. Your age division for the whole year is whatever age you will be as you tear the old calendar off the wall on new years eve.
February 2007 at the state track champs I was 39 racing in the 40-44 bracket. It didn't help though with a pair of lazy 7ths.
Nobody cares about my war stories though. I'm reminscing like someone twice our age. This is your time, happy birthday.
Although, did you ever notice that happy birthday has the same number of syllables as crusty old age. Sing along with me now.
Crusty old age to you
Crusty old age to you
Crusty old age dear Ji-im
Crusty old age to you
Gotta love the name of Zabel's Colnago.
Colnago Extreme Power Super Viagra.
I added the Viagra part since only old guys can afford that kinda bling.
Happy B-Day Jim, are you in line for one of them Colnagos yet?
Happy Birthday, Rouleur!
Salute,
J.
Chris - I'll settle for "cleaner" as long as it's a trend, not a flier in the data.
Boz, you'll have to type louder. I can't hear you.
Mike - thanks, I think.
John P - no, I'm not in line for a Colnago but if I was it'd be a Master X-Light.
Joaquin - thanks. They say you're only as old as you feel, and based on feeling myself extensively this morning, I appear to be... tapioca.
Sweet! I turned 41 on July 16th. My racing days were back in the mid to late 80's (I had some great 80's hair as well). I think about racing now, but I'm on the road so much I don't know if I can log the miles to justify it.
The VS commercials are geared towards newbies and are pretty lame even at that. I think the Autozone commercial is the lamest one of all. That sled is a "step up" from his piece of crap bike? Nothing warms the heart like a kid salvaging an abandoned car? What's in the trunk?
Autozone sucks.
Richmond - sounds like you're a racer to the core, what with the excuses about your fitness level...
Mark - you would say that.
Lol! You got it, actually, my "core" would need to be addressed a tad...
Happy Belated! missed this post but you know better late than never.
I am annoyed by the Tour, the commercials and all the doping. I refuse to pay extra for the one freaking channel that we want to watch in July so we watch it and reception is spotty,it comes in and out but it comes in better at night than in the morning. Comcast is suckie, I would pay for ala carte channels but they don't seem to get that concept.
Happy Bday! Mine is the 30th.
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