Water Bottles: Oh, Who Have I Pissed Off Now Edition

For my Flemish American friend - yes, I know it's not "Belgium Knee Warmers." That's just the name of a blog that's well written, other than the bizarre malaprop in the title. Belgian Knee Warmers refers to embrocation that you slather on your knees prior to a ride in cold weather to give you the illusion that your knees are warm and you aren't damaging them. It's nice for racing cyclocross (feldrijden?), one of the Flandrian national sports, in cooler weather; or for warming up the knees on a long road ride. While I'm at it, I'm aware that Belgium is kind of a made-up country, the way Czechoslovakia was, and I'm aware that it's unspooling as I type this. I'm also aware of the distinctions between the Walloons, the Flemish, the Nederlanders, the Nederdeutsch, the OstFrisians, and a whole host of people descended from the city state and duchy members of the Hanseatic League. I really actually respect Northern European achievements, to the point where you'd probably consider me a wicked imperialistic chauvanist, if you knew me well. I got it, alright? This site is mostly about having a sense of humor - partly about my own doomed exploits on the bike, partly about everything else. If my occasional forays into half-seriousness have misled anybody into thinking this blog is a good source of factual, truthful, useful stuff, I apologize.* It isn't. Um, and I'm being half serious about this site being completely dishonest. It begs the question, if a liar tells you he cannot be trusted, can you believe him? Shakespeare spent the better part of two or three plays tunnelling down that little rabbit hole...

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I got my espresso machine back from Espresso d'Milan this afternoon. What does it feel like, you ask? I'll tell you. It feels like opening an envelope from the IRS to find a letter that you have to sign and send back to claim several thousand bucks they owe you, and when you reach into your pocket for a pen a $50 falls out, along with this phone number on a napkin that you've been looking for for a week. I am wicked happy. Not to mention jacked up in a way that only three double shots of really exquisite espresso can do. The guy who runs Espresso d'Milan was apparently one of Saeco's chief techs in the US before he opened his shop in Pittsburgh, so he knows my machine (an older Starbucks Barista / Saeco 166) really well. He probably could have stung me on parts, but didn't. He's apparently on good terms with Mayhew as well, so that's worth something. And the service was *superb.* For beans right now, I'm getting them pre-ground from Cafe Pronto in Annapolis, at least until I get a good quality grinder. What is Cafe Pronto like? Coffee like Murky, but an attitude that good coffee ought to be accessible. They host cupping sessions, sell beans and good quality consumer coffee making equipment, but without the snobbery. Consistently the best shot of espresso I've had in this area, at least since Murky on Capitol Hill closed - I'd say it's on a par with that. My kind of place.

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Jim Ventosa, who is one of the nicest, most upbeat guys you'll ever encounter in a cross race, mentioned that Proteus Bikes, where he works, is sponsoring a mid-winter cyclocross race. The February 1 event is billed as the Cross My Heart and Superbowl of Single Speed CX, though why it's titled after an old bra advertisement slogan and a football game is beyond me. They'll have a dedicated single speed race, and in an unusual twist, the upper cats will race early, and the lower cats will get to sleep in. Given the timing of it, I'd expect it to be a great event, maybe a pre-party for the Superbowl of Football, which will kick off around 6:15 PM. They are also threatening to get a snowmaker to ensure some interesting-ness.

Hmmmm... racing cross for the sheer fun of it in the off-season? It's so crazy that it just might work.

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Capital Cross in Reston is this Sunday. It's the MAC final, and one of the very last 'cross races of the year. The fields are big but there are still plenty of openings. It is one of the best courses in the mid-Atlantic, and I hope you get a chance to check it out. That is, if your legs aren't blown from racing in Charlottesville the day before. I hear that is a good course as well, but I can only manage one race this weekend.