Reunited

I'm back in Chicago for a couple of weeks, and back riding my street bike. It's nothing special. Just a cheap Taiwanese track frame with some Deep Vs and a bunch of different and not necessarily matching parts thrown at it. But, I love it nonetheless, and I love what it means to me. I don't care if it sounds dopey, but this bike means freedom to me, and I really only learned to appreciate that when I moved away. You see, this bike has been, for months, lying in pieces under a tarp in a downtown Chicago storage space. I could only take one bike to Caracas, and I chose to take my geared road bike. I wasn't sure a brakeless track bike would be a good choice for the streets of Caracas. Caracas is hilly, but that's not the problem. The problem is the drivers. They. Are. Mental.

I know, I know, everyone says that about the drivers in every foreign city, but I'm being totally serious and objective: every driver in Caracas is a homicidal/suicidal maniac. Four way intersections are like games of four car chicken: whoever has the stones to speed through is the winner, and the other three cars are usually reduced to flaming wrecks. Not only that, but no one, I mean no one commutes by bike, so drivers aren't really used to seeing people on bikes. Finally, the cheapness of petrol means the roads are flooded with all manner of motor vehicle, from tanks and buses to swarms of cheap Chinese motorbikes (marketed with incredible names like New Jaguar and Howard John.)

Anyway, needless to say riding this thing around the street of Caracas doesn't strike me as a pastime conducive to a long and healthy life. But being reunited with it in Chicago is great. Bombing around downtown, along the LFP and around the cabs and buses of Michigan Ave... I love it. I may bring it back to Caracas with me, even with the crazy drivers. It's just too much fun.

(Hey Aaron, I took the top tube protector off. You win... you swine!)

NACCCS 2008 - CHICAGO

The North American Cycle Courier Championships this year are in Chicago, and it is going to be insane. Go here for all the details about registration and accommodation.

You know what else is in Chicago right now? Me. I'm back here for a couple of weeks, leaving sunny Caracas behind to hang out here for a bit. So, updates will be rare, as they'll have to get done between hangovers. I'll be back soon with more rubbish, don't worry.

3rd Annual East Side Polo Invitational

The East Side Polo Invitational is this weekend (April 26th-27th) in Washington DC. This entry is basically too late for anyone who doesn't already know about it, and redundant for anyone who does. Hipster Nascar: Bringing You Useless Bike News Since '07.

On the off chance that you like bike polo, live on the east coast, and haven't heard about ESPI3, then go here for details.

Grand Theft Velo II

I know this isn't exactly news, but Grand Theft Velo II is on May 3rd. I only like to put up race flyers when I know the people putting it on, or the flyer is amazing. This flyer is amazing. I'm sure the people putting on the race are great too, but whatever, I think the flyer speaks for itself. If you are in New Haven, go to this! Details here.

Paris-Roubaix Photos

Yes, I know the race was last weekend, but Versus only showed the damn thing yesterday. Unlike some blogs *cough tracko cough* I decided to hold off on putting anything up about it till now, because I didn't want to give away the ending. The following brilliant photos came from the gracious Kay. Thanks, buddy!

Early morning pavé - Photo by Kay.

Lions of Flanders on their way to the race - Photo by Kay.

Stijn Devolder of Quickstep, wearing the jersey of the Belgian National Champion - Photo by Kay.

In what other sport can you get this close to your heroes? - Photo by Kay.

An incredible photo of your eventual 1,2,3. Tornado Tom in front, Cancellara behind him, and in third the rising star of Alessandro Ballan - Photo by Kay.

Having cheered the riders along the pavé, the fans watch the finish on TV. Here some Belgian fans go wild watching Boonen win in the Roubaix velodrome - Photo by Kay.

Another Cyclist Killed in Chicago

At 1.15am on Sunday morning, a young cyclist was killed in Chicago when he was struck by a car. Tyler Fabeck was only 22. I didn't know him, but some of the chifg kids did. My thoughts go out to his family and friends.

CMWC Reduced Registration Deadline Today!

The deadline for the reduced registration for the 2008 Cycle Messenger World Championships in Toronto has been extended till today, Sunday the 20th of April. Go here to register and to get all the details.

The Badges Are Gone

Wow, I guess people like free badges! Thanks to everyone who sent me an email. I'll be sending them out next Friday when I get back to Chi. As for the rest of you, quit emailing!

Limited Edition Hipster Nascar Badges

Limited! By my lack of funds!!



If you'd like a couple of 1" badges then email me your address and I'll pop a couple in an envelope and send them to you. Free. Yes, I know. You're welcome. (And I know the photos of the badges aren't the mae west, but they're the only photos I have for now.)

Thanks to two of Team Pegasus' best, Katy and Dana, for the designs. You may both be from Milwaukee, but you're okay in my book.

Fixed Fight!

Anyone in St. Petersburg, Florida this Saturday needs to check out Fixed Fight. An alleycat, footdown brawl, trick comp, sprints and after-party?? Jesus, I'd be knackered after all that! It sounds great, the flyer is awesome, oh, and the first 250 people to register get a free limited edition pin. Check out the pin, the sponsors and all the details over here.

The Last Night of Track Season

For the last night of the track racing season I went up to Kenosha with the team. I was looking forward to racing there because it’s just a more exciting velodrome than Northbrook. It’s shorter, steeper, and usually has a better atmosphere. I hadn’t raced there since Velocity, so I was pretty excited…

Except that I wasn’t feeling fast. Racers will know what I mean, but I’m not sure I can really explain it. Sometimes you show up at a race and you just don’t feel like you have it. It’s not about confidence, necessarily, it’s a weird, almost physical feeling, like your legs feel imperceptibly heavier than usual. I just felt off, but maybe I’m just saying that now, looking back? Nevertheless, I registered and somehow managed to score 666 as my race number. Yeah, it looked pretty cool but I’m fairly certain it was cursed.

Damn you!!

The MKE crew of Team Pegasus was there, of course. I hadn’t raced the Tuesday night races at Kenosha before, so I talked to Cale and Andy about what to expect. The main difference from Northbrook was that there was no Cat5 group, you started at Cat4. But not to worry, they said, I would do fine. I think Andy even said I would definitely win money. Clearly, my over-inflated reputation had preceded me. Doing pretty well at Northbrook, and then coming 4th at Velocity and winning a bunch of races out at Hellyer had convinced everyone, especially me, that I was fast. This night would be an object lesson in not believing hype.

Locals were setting up their little folding chairs on the green hills and slopes that overlook the track as we lined up for our first race. It was to be a win-n-out, my least favourite type of race. A set number of laps, with the winner of each lap dropping out: whoever wins the sprint for first lap is 1st overall, whoever wins the sprint for the second lap is 2nd overall. I’m not much of a sprinter, but I’d seen someone come 2nd to Jeff Perkins a few weeks before, at Northbrook, so I had a plan in mind: get to the front, grab a wheel of whoever breaks, keep it going after they drop out and hopefully take second or third. We started, and I did exactly that. Except I wasn’t the only person with that plan. A few of us broke at sprint speed from the jump. Guy won 1st and dropped out. I was on the wheel of the guy who was now at the front. “If I can hang on,” I thought to myself “he’ll take 2nd and I’ll try to keep it going to take 3rd.” I kept spinning, fast through the second lap. Guy took 2nd and dropped out, leaving me at the front for a full lap. Coming up to the line for 3rd and I was absolutely sure I had it, when suddenly someone passed me to take it. I think it might have been Lyle, who came down from Madison for the night just to crush me.

By then I was exhausted. Not getting third sucked. The winners had all dropped out, but I was still in there and basically I’d been sprinting for three laps straight! Still, I tried to keep it going for 4th, because now I just wanted the race to be over. At the front again, I was getting ragged and sloppy. I came out of the last turn of lap four and I saw the line. I was almost there. It was almost over. My lungs burned. My legs screamed. And, right on the line, someone got ahead. Just a few inches, but enough. They took 4th and dropped out. In a moment of petulant anger I screamed and hit the flat of my bars with my fist. All that work, sprinting from the start, trying to stay away so I could drop out early, all for nothing. I was absolutely dying. I couldn’t breathe. I can’t even remember if I finished the race or if I just dropped out immediately.

Photo of me after the win-n-out, by Jamie.

I was done. I had put it all out there, in the first race, and couldn’t do it. I was too slow, and now I could hardly breathe and my legs were shaking. Dejected, I sat there, trying to get my breath back. Other races happened around me. Eventually, it was my turn to race again, but I couldn’t do much. A pro-level Madison, the night’s main event, was fun to watch, but all I could think about was how certain I had been, how certain my team-mates had been, that I would win something. It was the last night of the season. It wasn’t how I hoped it would end.

And yet, I had a good night. Hanging out with the team and seeing the MKE crew is always fun, and I learned a lot. I learned that the racers at Kenosha are fast. I learned to not let expectations fool you. I learned that being at the front is not always the right move. I learned that 666 may look badass but is almost certainly cursed. And I learned to never, ever race win-n-out. Ever.

Poseur Cycling Cap

I love it, but I think it's a bit too self-depreciating, even for me. I still kind of want one, especially because poseur is spelled correctly. But, have I ever seen a cycling cap that I didn't want? I'm starting to think I should change the name of this blog to Cap Snob CHI... Haha? Anyway, check out more interesting cycling clothing, including a matching poseur jersey, from ElevenGear here. Oh, and thanks to Josh for the heads-up!

Wilier Tragedy!

I'm not a snob. At least, I'm not a snob about bikes. People can ride whatever they want to, and good luck to them. Track bikes on the street? Fine. Time trial bars on a cruiser? Grand. Risers with a drop stem? I actually think that looks good. But I draw the line at stupidity and ignorance. If you want a riser bar and deep v hipster bike, then just buy a cheap track frame and do it up, but don't fucking destroy a beautiful and rare vintage track frame! Jesus!! This was just brought to my attention, and I'm raging.

Before:
After:

ARGH!! I think I'm taking it so badly because I absolutely love Wiliers, and I know that late 70s Wilier track frames aren't very common. But also, just from an objective standpoint, it's offensive! Look at how beautiful that bike used to be, and look at how boring it is now. It looks like every other bike on the street: colourmatched deep vs, risers, ourys. It boggles the mind. How could anyone do this? How could someone look at that gorgeous vintage Wilier and think to themselves "Yeah, it's alright, but I think it would look better black." What has gone wrong with the world? Thanks to Brandon and FixedGearGallery for ruining my morning.

To the bloke who did this: you are a wanker.

Another Great Weekend for Team Pegasus

Team Pegasus came 1st and 2nd in the Great Dane Velo Club's first Spring Crit this weekend. A Pegasus 1 and 2 looks pretty nice, despite how badly the organizers butchered Chris' surname. Read his race report on his blog here, or on the team homepage here.

Track Attack

Brought to you by the Cycle Jerks. If you live in Denver, you should be going to this. No excuses. What the hell is trackstand twister?? More details and other good stuff over here.

Sludgement Day!

So there were a ton of muddy races this weekend. I'm still waiting for pics from the H8TR100, but in the meantime here's a couple of pics from the first race of the Mud, Sweat and Tears Tracklocross series in NY, Sludgement Day.

The pack, complete with Chicago's very own AndrewFY, winner of the least appropriate bike prize. Good work, son! Photo by Blake.

Up and over! Photo by Luke Stiles.

Head over here for more details on Tracklocross.

Hell of the North

There are two big races this weekend: Paris-Roubaix and the H8TR100. The first one, whatever, it's not that hard. I've done it. Twice. But the second one, the H8TR100? Now that sounds rough! 100km across some rugged, inhospitable and frankly uninhabitable Wisconsin terrain, through barren forests and under frozen waterfalls (literally, there's a big curtain of ice half blocking the entrance to a tunnel they have to go through.) I'm not sure who's going to win either race, all I know is they better look like this when they cross the line:

New Trackstar Hats

Trackstar has a bunch of rickdiculous new hats out. Check 'em out here. Andrew, you're in NY right now, swing by and check these out for me. I want a written report on my desk in the morning. Wait... I just realized that a lot of my recent posts have been about hats... I must be obsessed. I do love a good cycling cap, but seriously, I think I may need to tone it down a bit.

Limited Edition Bike Tool Prints

Team Pegasus member and all around legend Pete Rangel is working on a series of brilliant limited edition bike tool block prints, like this one of a 15mm wrench.

I've already got one of these wrench prints set aside for me, but they won't last long, so if you want one you better get on it. Check out some of Pete's work here, and keep an eye out for different bike tool prints in the future. Pete, do a chain whip!!

So, don't delay, get in touch with Pete and get one of these limited edition prints. They'll look great in your bike room.

Marxism and Cycling

Tonight, I got into an online argument about Marxism. Why? Because I'm an anthropology graduate student. It's what we do.

Anyway, I'm now thinking of picking up this hat, except that I haven't doped enough to be anything like a Soviet cyclist. Better get the oul' Albuterol out!

Pegasus Rocks The Supercrit!

Burnham Racing hosted their annual Spring Supercrit on Sunday, at Blackhawk Farms Motor Raceway, and Team Pegasus showed up to kick some ass. Shawn, Jason, Aaron, Ben and Henry raced the Cat 4/5s, with Henry killing it in the sprint and coming from a bad position in the pack to score 3rd! The other Pegasus riders finished well, with Jason coming in 24th and Aaron coming in 28th, and with Shawn and Ben finishing together in the 30s. Apparently it was a bit of a crazy race with lots of carnage, but that's what happens when you're racing in the Crash 4/5s!

Before the race: Aaron, Henry, and Ben warming up before the Supercrit. Photo by Pete.

The pack ride under the bridge at the Blackhawk Farms Raceway. Photo by Pete.

Hipster Power! Ben, Aaron and Henry celebrate a good day's racing. Photo by Pete.

Oh, and elsewhere, ChrisP came 2nd (missed 1st by one second!) in the John Fraser Memorial TT! Good job, team! Check the Pegasus page for race reports.

New Rapha Roller Race Cap

Rapha has a new limited edition cycling cap out, "celebrating the first stage of the International Roller Race series. Taking place on 19 April 2008 in central London, the roller race is the first of a number of roller races scheduled worldwide. 10 teams, consisting of media folk, couriers, bankers and cycling clubs, will be contending for the win in a 500 metre sprint on rollers."

I won't be buying one, because it looks almost exactly like the limited edition cap they did for the Tour de France Prologue last year, and because it's a tad expensive (though a few bob from every purchase does go to charity, so don't let the price stop you from getting one).

But Simon, I hear you ask, what is a "roller race" and what does it look like? Well, it looks like this, MFer:



and this:

Val screaming at Josh during his race against Sean at IRO Sprints. Photo by Luke. Video of IROSprints from bikeliker.

Now that is a roller race.

Dispatch 101

There's been a lot written about bike messengers, but if you want a slightly different perspective then you have to check out Dispatch 101. Written by a true vet of the Chicago streets, who was himself a messenger for years, Dispatch 101 gives you a little peek into the world of the dispatcher as he send his soldiers out across the city.

Oh, and he doesn't let the snow stop him... j.dot's got styles for miles... Dispatch 101 is a must read.

David O'Loughlin up to 9th.

David O'Loughlin, Irish national road champion, who came 6th in the Individual Pursuit at the recent Track Cycling World Championship, is 9th in the world according to the UCI. But will that be enough to get him to the Olympics? Stay tuned...

Colonialism by Bike!

"I need to get my oppression on. Where are those natives?"

I love this poster! Thanks to Neal-ZH over on chifg.com (the Chicago fixed-gear message board) for finding a whole bunch of vintage bike poster images online. This isn't necessarily the best looking, but I think it's hilarious. "As used by our colonial overseers." What a selling point! Actually, I have no idea what the text at the bottom says, but if any of our Dutch readers (I see you, Nijmegen!) could drop me a line with a translation, that would be great.

[edit] Apparently, the poster says "In use by the Dutch and Dutch Indian army." Thanks, Tom!

Gnome Fest V

If you like to get drunk and wreck yourself on mountain bikes, then get ready for Gnome Fest V. It's not till September, but that gives you plenty of time to organize the liver transplant you'll need when it's over. No details yet, but they'll eventually be here.