Heart, Legs and Lungs.

Pedalare!Pedalare!: And down she came

Mon, 20 May 2013 20:34:01 +1200

Nice words Adam.

pedalarepedalare:

There has been much chatter around the traps discussing the constant deluge that has plagued the 2013 edition of the Giro d’Italia. Many riders have long bowed out of the race with Sir Wiggins’ departure being the most notable; Cavendish even let his frustration be known following the finish of stage 14 atop the Jafferau reporting, “I can’t remember feeling like that on a bike, I really, don’t. I was completely empty”.

Several questions have been asked all to frequently by now: ‘Should stage ‘X’ have been cancelled?’, ‘should racing be delayed?’, ‘should the date of the race proper be changed?’. Too easily we forget that the Giro is a race founded upon struggles far greater than these that we have witnessed over the last two weeks. The Giro has never been a race defined by a leisurely gallop in fields of sunshine, it is a race made glorious by the triumph of human endurance over all odds.

The heroics of Charly Gaul upon the great Monte Bondone in the 1956 Giro are but one such example. 89 riders started out to race upon the slopes of the 5413 foot beast that is Bondone; through first rain, turning to snow and finally blizzard, Charly emerged in no more than shorts and a shirt over 12 minutes ahead of only 42 other finishers. Frost bitten and tortured Charly had to be carried away from the race before going on to win the Giro just two days later.

Even by modern standards we must remember that these last weeks have not yet reached the truly abysmal, both Nibali and Evans could attest to that. At the 2010 edition as the peloton raced along the Strade Bianche the heavens opened and the white roads hissed back with a mud so horrid even the true hard men were brought to tears.

While this years Giro has by no means been an easy ride, let us not forget that it could have been, and may yet become, so very much tougher.

The people’s champ. fabbricadellabici: Jens Voigt doing...

Sun, 19 May 2013 20:40:17 +1200

The people’s champ.

fabbricadellabici:

Jens Voigt doing hi fives up the TT climb yesterday at @amgentourofcali
emily_maye, instagram.com

Dirty miles on the Time Machine this morning. Apocalyptic rain...

Sun, 19 May 2013 13:36:55 +1200

Dirty miles on the Time Machine this morning. Apocalyptic rain followed by brilliant sunshine.

Amazing evening for riding hills in Wellington last night. My...

Thu, 16 May 2013 23:06:09 +1200

Amazing evening for riding hills in Wellington last night.

My Profile Aeria TT base bar had a thick layer of droplets sitting on it whenever I climbed out of the fog.

pedalarepedalare: The slump of the shoulders, the hanging of...

Mon, 13 May 2013 09:27:24 +1200

pedalarepedalare:

The slump of the shoulders, the hanging of the head, the dripping of drenched skin, eyes closed to swallow that last mouthful of acid agony that is the TT

All images belong to Gruber Images via their flickr here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/smashred/

fabbricadellabici: Makara Beach on Flickr.Winter. On the road...

Sat, 11 May 2013 20:31:44 +1200

fabbricadellabici:

Makara Beach on Flickr.
Winter.

On the road today.

Astana mechanic building Nibali’s Specialized Tarmac...

Wed, 08 May 2013 22:11:43 +1200

Astana mechanic building Nibali’s Specialized Tarmac SL4.

Awesome showcase of a stunning machine coming together.

Scary stuff #theaustralian #doping

Sun, 05 May 2013 19:28:09 +1200

Scary stuff #theaustralian #doping

Beijing gold medallist Jan Frodeno on the way to victory at the...

Sat, 04 May 2013 18:46:26 +1200

Beijing gold medallist Jan Frodeno on the way to victory at the 2013 St Anthony’s Triathlon.

and off road running! fabbricadellabici: Wellington, New...

Sat, 04 May 2013 16:55:58 +1200

and off road running!

fabbricadellabici:

Wellington, New Zealand… a great place for cycling.

skyline run-8 by Adrian Rumney on Flickr.

Sold my soul and ordered this. Too many near misses riding the...

Thu, 02 May 2013 22:37:36 +1200

Sold my soul and ordered this. Too many near misses riding the TT rig at night #rapha #chartreuse #bettersafethandead

"But it ain’t about how hard you hit, it’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward...."

Wed, 01 May 2013 17:40:26 +1200

““But it ain’t about how hard you hit, it’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward. How much can you take and keep moving forward. That’s how winning is done.””

- Rocky Balboa

Photo

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 09:18:12 +1200

Laura Bennett on a super clean BMC TM01 at St Anthony’s...

Mon, 29 Apr 2013 17:16:23 +1200

Laura Bennett on a super clean BMC TM01 at St Anthony’s Triathlon.

The Real Payoffbicycling.com Ride your bike well enough and you...

Thu, 25 Apr 2013 19:47:24 +1200

The Real Payoff
bicycling.com

Ride your bike well enough and you earn a salary, prize money, and prestige—but those are nothing compared with the adventure of being a cyclist
By Ted King
Most of us are at least mildly familiar with a staple of middle-school…

Great piece from Ted King. One of the most eloquent in the pro peloton.

Late night bike packing.

Wed, 24 Apr 2013 21:44:25 +1200

Late night bike packing.

We run the night.

Tue, 23 Apr 2013 18:27:34 +1200

We run the night.

Arundel Mandibles ordered for the BMC.

Mon, 22 Apr 2013 16:50:23 +1200

Arundel Mandibles ordered for the BMC.

Brothers in arms, Hejesdal and Martin. Photo via VeloNews.

Mon, 22 Apr 2013 14:34:51 +1200

Brothers in arms, Hejesdal and Martin.

Photo via VeloNews.

This is how you win with panache. Dan Martin of Garmin Barracuda...

Mon, 22 Apr 2013 07:44:46 +1200

This is how you win with panache.

Dan Martin of Garmin Barracuda wins L-B-L.