Published September 6th, 2009 in Rides, Road Bike Gear
When Graeme Raeburn takes a break from designing the Rapha kit we all love, he's a damn good rider. He can win on a Brompton, hang with the Continental boys touring the colonies and crank out an impressive 416 miles in a twenty-four hour time trial. On the 14th of September he'll join Ira [...]
Continue reading about A New Steel Enigma for the Cent Cols Challenge
Published August 28th, 2009 in Road Cycling Kit
Cooler temperatures wait just up the road, but as we enjoy the temperate end of another brilliant summer, thoughts turn to layers and a little more variety from the cycling wardrobe. I miss wearing my Rapha Jackets, particularly the brilliant red Lightweight Softshell I fell in love with last year. The Stowaways, misty blue, orange [...]
Continue reading about Changing Seasons Brings Rapha Windfall – Get Ready
Published April 13th, 2009 in Road Cycling Kit
Rain or shine the original has been backing me up for 18 months. I'm so used to wearing it that there's usually a moment on a weekend ride where I imagine something is missing. The minimal, low-profile design doesn't allow for any extra ballast. You pack the essentials and that's it. For my commute that [...]
Continue reading about Back to Back – How the New Fixed Backpack Measures Up
Published February 2nd, 2009 in Road Bike Gear, Road Cycling Kit
The mile markers tick over on yet another calendar year. Time to reflect on the kit and gear that got me through 2008 in comfort, safety and style. Here's the best of it.
November's 30 Days of Rapha series left no doubt as to my loyalties. The Perren Street Trust extended their lead with a [...]
Published January 26th, 2009 in Cycling Photography, Rides
The Rapha Continental Team's amazing reconnaissance of this year's Tour of California wrapped up today. I've just posted a gallery of 77 images from Stage 2 - Sausalito to Santa Cruz. It is the first entry on the new Velodramatic gallery page. More galleries will be posted to this page in the next couple of [...]
Stage Two of the 2009 Tour of California is unquestionably the jewel of this year's race. From the Sausalito waterfront the peloton will cross the iconic Golden Gate Bridge, pass stately San Francisco homes, skirt the beaches, cliffs and dunes of the breathtaking Pacific Coast Highway and climb into a canopy of Coastal Redwoods on [...]
Continue reading about An Intrepid Continental Team Rides the Tour of California
For the second straight year I pointed my bike skyward and began the year with the 4200' climb to the Lick Observatory on Mt. Hamilton. The valley was completely socked in with dense fog when I started at first light. I was interested to see whether the smooth new asphalt of Highway 130 see Going [...]
Continue reading about Rising Above it All to Start Another Year
Coyote Creek Trail Ride: 30 miles
Weather: Sunny Temp: 70 deg.
Rapha Kit: Rapha T-shirt, Touring Shorts, Rapha Manifest Cap
Accessories: Merino Socks
What a month. Sometimes it's good NOT to know you're biting off a bit too much. Riding for thirty straight days turned out to be the easiest part of the series. The photography and daily [...]
Mines Road - Livermore > San Jose: 65 miles, 6000 ft
Weather: Sunny Temp: 65 deg.
Rapha Kit: ¾ Bib Shorts, Fixed Base Layer, Club Jersey, Light Weight Jersey
Rapha Kit: Stowaway Jacket, Rapha Light Weight Softshell Jacket
Accessories: Merino Socks
Feeling tired from Thursday's effort on Sierra Road, I still hadn't decided today's ride even as I [...]
Continue reading about 30 Days of Rapha – Going Down the Mines
Bridge Crossing and Headlands: 10 miles
Weather: Partly Cloudy Temp: 60 deg.
Rapha Kit: Rapha Fixed Base Layer, Fixed Shorts, Rapha Tweed Softshell Jacket
Accessories: Merino Socks, Rapha Winter Hat, Softshell Gloves
I'm not usually at a loss for words, but this one has me fumbling. Wednesday, middle of the afternoon a Fedex package arrives from Portland. Slate [...]
Continue reading about 30 Days of Rapha – Tweed and the Golden Gate
Sierra Road Loop: 20 miles, 2300 feet
Weather: Partly Cloudy Temp: 50 deg.
Rapha Kit: Rapha Fixed Base Layer, Bib Shorts, Rapha Light Weight Softshell Jacket
Accessories: Merino Socks, Softshell Gloves
Sierra Road rises sharply into San Jose's Eastern Foothills. It's been a decisive climb in the previous two editions of the Tour of California. It averages [...]
Continue reading about 30 Days of Rapha – Thanksgiving on Sierra Road
Commute: 25 miles roundtrip
Weather: Rain Temp: 55 deg.
Rapha Kit: ¾ Rapha Bib Shorts, Merino Base Layer, Cross Jersey, Rapha Stowaway Jacket
Accessories: Merino Socks, Rapha Fixed Backpack, Winter Hat
If you tried to connect to Velodramatic today and came up empty I can explain. My ISP decided to shut down their Los Angeles data center [...]
Continue reading about 30 Days of Rapha – When it Rains it Pours
