It's not the bike... really

Despite all of the bullsh*t that has tarnished the sport of cycling lately, I am still pretty keen on getting out there and turning the pedals over. Adding to my desire to be on two wheels is my new bike - a Marinoni Leggero, ordered to my size.



I am very happy with the bike for a number of reasons. First, Marinoni is Canadian, and very much a family-run business - rumour has it Mrs. Marinoni paints the bikes herself, and will refuse out of hand any colour selection that does not match her personal tastes. Second, the bike is hand-crafted steel. Steel is an amazingly comfortable ride, and it makes my previous bike (an Aluminum Kona Deluxe) feel about as comfortable as drawing bottoms in prison. Finally, my bike is super sharp, because I got to pick the colours. Now if only I had a jersey to match!

And now, because I am keen on getting out, I am getting out on the bike more. this has led to some results. For instance, I rode 70km today at an average of just over 31km/h this afternoon, when I had previously been averaging about 28km/h. Maybe it's me getting fitter, or maybe it's me settling into the new position. But it's not the bike... really.

Climbing... Finally

We finally got over to Squamish for our first climbing of the year. While we didn't climb The Chief, we did stand in the shadow of it for a while.



No, we decided on Smoke Bluffs instead. Sunday evening was nice and quiet, and we didn't venture over 5.9 on lead or 5.10a on TR. Monday was warm - the stiff slab on Burgers and Fries was a bit greasy, but I managed every move on a 5.10c (doing some of them twice!). That said, I may now need a new pair of shoes, because the soles of my shoes have pretty much had it.

Placing gear felt as easy as speaking Mandarin, which I haven't done since my final year of University. Still, the emphasis was on being safe, and not getting spooked on gear lead. By these measures the weekend was a success, and I come away keen on climbing again. Maybe Penticton or the Apron next?

Not The One

Remember the furor that resulted from our beloved CBC bumping The National for an ABC show called The One? Remember the flicker of publicity about a Canadian host?

The show is so gone. Try to find any mention of it on the CBC site. I found one link to the page at ABC, which notes:

There are no plans for additional episodes. Thanks to all who participated in and supported The One!

When I search the CBC site for The One, the fourth result is 'Peter Mansbridge One on One'. To all reality programmers at the CBC: if you try to go one-on-one with Peter Mansbridge, you will lose.

Just when you are inspired by an athlete's performance....

The spectre of doping rears its ugly head again.



Noone can produce synthetic testosterone, and no amount of alcohol or sex produces an 11:1 ratio of testosterone to epitestosterone.

Here's hoping the samples at least match. Even if they don't, Dick Pound is right - cycling's anti-doping program is very, very broken.