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By: Uncle Chad
Look at all the shiny new bikes. Seems like a $6000 rig is today’s flavor of the month. I recently walked into a coffee shop at the end of a ride, and began a conversation with a 50-something. Who knows these days. She commented that cycling has become the “new golf”, [...]

I just finished racing Redlands stage race yesterday with the pro women! It was so intense racing with all the big teams there. I didnt do so well in the Prolougue due to a major sideache and I blew after 3k, 72nd place. The next day was the road race, I just missed the main [...]

3/28/08 - Time Trial, 3.8 miles of 5% climbing
It was a tad bit windy but it was a nice day. I did my same old pre-race rituals and got psyched out for my first real pro stage race. I paced myself on the first mile or so knowing that I will be getting a headwind [...]

Hillsboro-Roubaix; Got Bombed Yesterday
 
Bicycling magazine editor Bill Strickland spilled out the deepest, most painful secrets of his troubled life in a small but incredible book that contrast these horrific twists and turns, and his process of working through them, against his challenge of winning ten points in the local Crit series in one year.  
 
To [...]

Following is the end of “rolling thunder” — a cycling novel
Subject to copyright.   
 
ROLLING THUNDER (cont’d)
 
 
 
Chapter 25
Raleigh Spriggs was the seventy six year old Chairman of the Board of Continental Tire, which was a fifty four year old company with annual revenues of over twenty billion Euros.  When Shamus scanned further articles Google suggested best [...]

At a local crit in Los Angeles called the Dash 4 Cash there was a pile up in front of me. With no where to go, and the brakes locked up I hit the asphalt. It appears the dude behind me also had no where to go except over my back which left this very [...]

Following is Part 9 of “rolling thunder”
Amazingly still subject to copyright.  Some things never change.  Please enjoy responsibly.   
 
ROLLING THUNDER (cont’d)
 
Chapter 17
Petre Patrovski rumbled about the luxurious hotel suite he often called home atop the Kempinski Vier Jahren, or Four Seasons, on Westendstrasse in downtown Munich, surrounded by boxes and envelopes he used to package [...]

TOUR OF CAMARILLO.

Well, another Tour of California has come and gone, too bad about the weather, it looked way ugly even on TV. I kept waiting for the big “hydro-pro” in the field sprints. Every time those guys cranked their bikes through a hard turn and across those painted crosswalks in a downpour, I [...]

Following is Part 8 of “rolling thunder.”
Blah, blah, blah, this story is copyrighted.  Comprend?  By the way, thank you for leaving your thoughtful comments along the way…we live on that stuff! 
 
ROLLING THUNDER (cont’d)
 

Chapter 15
“Go ahead and tell me then.” 
He’d been lying in bed when she’d called, so there was no need to sit down.  [...]

Nadia- the 60 Year-Old Daughter I Never Knew I Had.

Before Nadia could ride off into the sunset, she first had to walk into the shop.
It was a morning like any other. AC/DC was on the radio.  We were up to our usual hijinks.  Our project was ironing out the logistics for the Red Bull Challenge, [...]

Euro Status
Since the Tour of California I’ve been seeing a lot more white in 2008’s pro peleton. Unless you’re a rebel like Rock Racing and going with the bright green and black. But most of the pros are sporting a euro, mostly white kit. Along with the pros is my very own club, Velo Club [...]

Hope you had a great weekend. 
Following is Part 7 of “rolling thunder.”
In case it hasn’t crossed your mind, this story was written by someone for their therapy and for your enjoyment, but not likely for their enrichment and certainly not for yours.  If you’re scheming about how to make a buck off this story, be [...]

Cyclops rules nice job hills flats distance you handled it good ride.
Not exactly scribed from the pen of Hemingway, but no sweeter words have come to me — at least as far as cycling life is concerned.
It’s been a particularly long, cold, wet winter around here.  Not just my opinion, but also that of [...]

Following is Part 6 of “rolling thunder.” Thanks for being patient.
As we may have mentioned ad nauseum, this story is subject to copyright by the author. Not that we think you want your name on it, but someone may stoop that low. You never know. Anyway, please don’t use it other than as a pleasant [...]

Cyclops rules nice job hills flats distance you handled it good
ride.
Not exactly scribed from the pen of Hemingway, but no sweeter words have come to me — at least as far as cycling life is concerned.
It’s been a particularly long, cold, wet winter around here. Not just my opinion, but also that of [...]

Following is Part 4 of an excerpt from a manuscript titled “rolling thunder.”
Parts 1-3 of the story are also posted at bicycle.net in the “Hub” under the page for System6.  Altogether, parts 1-4 comprise about one third of the total story, so there is still a long way to the end of the road.
Coincidentally, there [...]

Lauren Jacobsen Blog
The HUB/Bicycle.net
2/11/08
SPEED TEST
So, we have all read the articles and advertisements about having the right equipment on our bikes. The question to me was always whether or not it really made that much difference. I mean let’s face it, for the super pro racers, sure, it counts. They’re pedaling in wind tunnels for [...]

Following is Part 3 of an excerpt from a manuscript titled “rolling thunder.”

Earlier parts to the story are also posted at bicycle.net in the “Hub” under the page for System6.

We’re posting this saga to get feedback from readers/cycling enthusiasts about whether they like it or not. To the extent we keep getting hits [...]

Following is Part 2 of an excerpt from a manuscript tentatively titled “rolling thunder.” If you haven’t read Part 1 yet, you might want to. The story flows better in that order. Otherwise, feel free to consider Part 2 the start of the story, as far as you’re concerned, and Part 1 a [...]

Spanning the Universe with Steve and Roger.

For the longest time, I’ve thought the spectrum of bike riding folks who shop at our store had no end or beginning.  Lately though, I’m convinced that beat Stephen Hawking in finding I both ends of the universe. Granted, it’s just both ends of a puny little universe confined [...]

Following is an excerpt from a manuscript tentatively titled “rolling thunder.” The aspect about rolling becomes obvious within the first moments of the story in the unlikely event you haven’t already guessed it. Thunder makes sense because while it is unseen, you know it’s there and represents something powerful and potentially very dangerous. [...]

The Cranky Mechanic
Do you know what you want?
By Uncle Chad
How can such a simple sport sometimes be so confusing? All we have to do is put one leg in front of the other, and we go forward! The wheels puts out centrifugal force that keeps up upright, and we only need coffee [...]

New figures showed bikes outsold cars in 2007 for the eighth consecutive year. In Australia.
The nation that’s larger than our own sold a record 1.5 million bicycles in 2007, compared to 1.0 million cars.
With bikes being about 58% of the total, and cars about 42%, the Aussie government accordingly spent a whopping 1% of [...]

From a recent St. Louis Post Dispatch (my local fish wrapper) the Health Facts of the Week caption on page H2 contained startling information. Checking further with the newspaper, the avatar that answered the phone automatically apologized for the oversight and in a disembodied recorded voice, explained they just get their info off the [...]

Cycle Life, A nicer community to (really) live in…
Support your local Cycling Writer
Have you heard of Second Life (www.secondlife.com)?
According to Wikipedia (my favorite place to find out about stuff, by the way, like having Cliff Claven in your PC), it’s an Internet-based virtual world in which Residents interact with each other through Avatars in a [...]

January 23, 2008
The Tan Lines
Ahh yes, The infamous farmer tan lines. Any real cyclist should have a good set, and every pro should have exceptionally significant lines. I’d say my pair are pretty decent. I’ve been working on them since I was about 10 or so when I started to ride for reals in the [...]

Welcome To Bicycle.Net; Self-Proclaimed Center Of The Cycling Universe By: System6
There are countless places to read about our much beloved and besmirched sport on-line or in newspapers and magazines. Many of us hardcore fans hook into all of them, then go looking for more.
What there’s little shortage of is news about [...]

New Year’s Resolution to go Nowhere.
Hello there. My name’s Bobby. I work at a bike shop. Actually, I’ve worked in a few bike shops over the years. I didn’t really set out to. It was just something that sorta happened on its own during college. I was enough of a fixture at my neighborhood [...]

“Snub This!”
By Uncle Chad
You’re basically saying “SNUB THIS” with every boutique item you buy. I just saw a rider who bought a saddle for a sale price of $600 US! Yikes on toast! Problem is, next month there will be one for $650 and a whopping five measly grams lighter! Does [...]

Bicycle.Net is adding a handful of great new features. Check back over the next couple weeks as we launch our expanded magazine format.

Pedaling Technique Basics by Michael Smartt @ Smartt Training
(I recently wrote this piece for the Whole Athlete newsletter with the help of Dario Fredrick)
What is “Good” Pedaling Technique?
If you have completed a long season of road, mountain bike or triathlon racing, the fall and winter months are the time to back off from the [...]