...finally
Don't let either of these things happen to you. Listen to the new podcast dated 6/28/2007
Friday, June 29, 2007
NEW PODCAST!
...finally
Don't let either of these things happen to you. Listen to the new podcast dated 6/28/2007
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
Home Again
After a month plus overseas it is good to be back home. Back home too just in time for the last Ault Park race tonight. Teammate Pete broke his collarbone last week and will have the titanium plate reconstruction surgery tomorrow morning. Even though he is not racing tonight he still has enough series points to win the overall. Looks like we'll take at least 1 through 3 and maybe move someone up into 5th spot tonight. We'll keep you posted and, yes... we ARE planning on a new podcast tomorrow night!
A few last photos from France. After I was done with VSV I hung out with my friend Todd. He lives in China where he works for Trek and the Discovery Channel/Marco Polo Cycling Team.
Here we are riding around Lake Annency in the Alps.
And a last souvenir from the trip - a Adidas euro bathing suit and some killer tan lines.
A few last photos from France. After I was done with VSV I hung out with my friend Todd. He lives in China where he works for Trek and the Discovery Channel/Marco Polo Cycling Team.
Here we are riding around Lake Annency in the Alps.
And a last souvenir from the trip - a Adidas euro bathing suit and some killer tan lines.
Saturday, June 23, 2007
support crew
One of the Johns is spending the month of June working as a cycling guide for VéloSport Vacations in France at its Provence Cycling Camp. You can find regular updates here about his experiences.
Lots of things go into a successful attempt at Mt. Ventoux.
First, you need a good support crew,
then you need good nutrition,
and lastly the crew has to know the way to go.
Lots of things go into a successful attempt at Mt. Ventoux.
First, you need a good support crew,
then you need good nutrition,
and lastly the crew has to know the way to go.
Thursday, June 21, 2007
Annency - near Swiss miss
One of the Johns is spending the month of June working as a cycling guide for VéloSport Vacations in France at its Provence Cycling Camp. You can find regular updates here about his experiences.
Sorry, sorry for the lack of update -- And Podcast! We are working on it and hope to do the podcast tonight my time.
Anyway, my work with VSV was done on Tuesday, so I packed up the family and headed north to the Alps for some r & r. That was the plan anyway. The reality was a hell travel day from Avignon to Annency. Trains cancelled, delayed, etc... We finally made it late Tuesday evening just before the reception closed at 22:00. We are in Duingt. Try to pronounce that one. Phoenetically --- doo - eh - ng. The locals thinks it's a weird name too.
My buddy Todd and I hope to ride the Col du Semnoz today. Pics and report later.
john
Sorry, sorry for the lack of update -- And Podcast! We are working on it and hope to do the podcast tonight my time.
Anyway, my work with VSV was done on Tuesday, so I packed up the family and headed north to the Alps for some r & r. That was the plan anyway. The reality was a hell travel day from Avignon to Annency. Trains cancelled, delayed, etc... We finally made it late Tuesday evening just before the reception closed at 22:00. We are in Duingt. Try to pronounce that one. Phoenetically --- doo - eh - ng. The locals thinks it's a weird name too.
My buddy Todd and I hope to ride the Col du Semnoz today. Pics and report later.
john
Friday, June 15, 2007
Mt. Ventoux again...
One of the Johns is spending the month of June working as a cycling guide for VéloSport Vacations in France at its Provence Cycling Camp. You can find regular updates here about his experiences.
Only this week we got to climb the Ventoux then see the Dauphiné come by to finish on top of the mountail. Christophe Moreau was talking smack in the papers on Wednesday and it looks like he made good on his promise.
Being on top of Mt. Ventoux is like looking out of the window of an airplane. Yesterday it was like looking out of the window of a moving airplane. Super windy, 50°, and cloudy. It was probably 80° at the bottom. We climbed up once again from the Bedouin side as the race would later that day. Fans were already camped out and some cheered us on in our pretend attempt at glory. All the clients who attempted made it, save one who got into the car in the forest. Once at our viewing spot 600 meters to go, we changed into warm dry clothes and picnic'd. Jacking and Goot came up earlier with van, car, tables, chairs, food, drink, and our daybags. The race was a bit behind schedule so we did not get back on our bikes for the descent until about 6:00 p.m. Long day, but I am glad we did it yesterday because it is pouring rain today.
The podcast is delayed because I don't have a quiet spot with internet connection to do it. We'll get to it soon.
Only this week we got to climb the Ventoux then see the Dauphiné come by to finish on top of the mountail. Christophe Moreau was talking smack in the papers on Wednesday and it looks like he made good on his promise.
Being on top of Mt. Ventoux is like looking out of the window of an airplane. Yesterday it was like looking out of the window of a moving airplane. Super windy, 50°, and cloudy. It was probably 80° at the bottom. We climbed up once again from the Bedouin side as the race would later that day. Fans were already camped out and some cheered us on in our pretend attempt at glory. All the clients who attempted made it, save one who got into the car in the forest. Once at our viewing spot 600 meters to go, we changed into warm dry clothes and picnic'd. Jacking and Goot came up earlier with van, car, tables, chairs, food, drink, and our daybags. The race was a bit behind schedule so we did not get back on our bikes for the descent until about 6:00 p.m. Long day, but I am glad we did it yesterday because it is pouring rain today.
The podcast is delayed because I don't have a quiet spot with internet connection to do it. We'll get to it soon.
Thursday, June 14, 2007
Ault Park Week #3
Ault Park Week #3= sprints, sprints and more sprints. Fun had by all, on the Huntington Team! Excellent showing by Eric (pictured), Pete and Jeff in taking the top 3 spots for the night- as well as the top 3 overall. Ault Park is a bit of an odd bird in terms of racing, but it is fun non the less.
Saturday, June 9, 2007
new podcast - new clients
One of the Johns is spending the month of June working as a cycling guide for VéloSport Vacations in France at its Provence Cycling Camp. You can find regular updates here about his experiences.
A new group of clients arrive here today at Ride Provence. Not much spare time for me. Lot's to do... We did get the new podcast done though - check it out.
A new group of clients arrive here today at Ride Provence. Not much spare time for me. Lot's to do... We did get the new podcast done though - check it out.
Friday, June 8, 2007
le Mont Ventoux (1609m)
One of the Johns is spending the month of June working as a cycling guide for VéloSport Vacations in France at its Provence Cycling Camp. You can find regular updates here about his experiences.
Why do I look scared? Why am I on the back of a tandem? What happened after this photo was taken? All good questions that I will answer in a second.
First, let me give you some Ventoux statistics. The route we took up today, versant sud (south approach), climbs from Bedoin (330 meters elev.) to the top (1909 meters) in 21.1 kilometers. It is considered the second hardest face - hardest is the Malaucene side, easiest is the Sault route. The first 5k aren't bad really. Average grade no harder than 6%, but then you come into the "forest" where it averages 10±% for the next 8 k's. There are few hard turns or switch backs plus you can't see the top. Once you exit the forest and start to clear the treeline is not so bad until you reach about the last 3 k's where it kicks back up and can be super windy. Today was not so windy.
The signs along the way tell you your current elevation, distance to the top, and the average grade for next kilometer.
Here's the view just past this sign.
And here is the Tom Simpson memorial. He was an English pro who died while climbing the Ventoux during the Tour. People leave their offerings at the foot of the stone.
Anyway, the climb up was quite nice all the tandems made it, one of them really climbed well and did it in a respectable 2 hours 15 minutes. The real hero of the day though is this guy.
This is Mike. He climbed the three faces of the Ventoux today in about 12 hours.
To prove the feat and to claim membership in the Club Des Cingles Du Mont Ventoux you must take this card and get it stamped once at the summit and once at each base town, fill in your times, and send it off. Mike rides a lot. He will eat a big dinner tonight.
Ok, so why was I on that tandem at the top? Because one of the stokers was not looking forward to going down for 22k at 50+ mph. I thought, "no problem, I'll just put my bike on the car, mount my pedals on the tandem then coast back to town." It took me a millisecond of downhill to realize my mistake. Now the pilot, Dean, has been tandeming for 15 years. I have seen him for almost an entire week. He is a compitent cyclist. It wasn't him, it was me. I haven't ridden on a tandem for a long, long time. I have never ridden on the back of a tandem. You have NO control from the rear of a tandem. NO brakes, NO steering, NO NOTHING. The first 2k were terrifying. I opened my eyes once to see the edge of the road flashing by my right shoe at 45 mph. We made it down. Dean said he was "taking it easy." Thanks Dean.
Why do I look scared? Why am I on the back of a tandem? What happened after this photo was taken? All good questions that I will answer in a second.
First, let me give you some Ventoux statistics. The route we took up today, versant sud (south approach), climbs from Bedoin (330 meters elev.) to the top (1909 meters) in 21.1 kilometers. It is considered the second hardest face - hardest is the Malaucene side, easiest is the Sault route. The first 5k aren't bad really. Average grade no harder than 6%, but then you come into the "forest" where it averages 10±% for the next 8 k's. There are few hard turns or switch backs plus you can't see the top. Once you exit the forest and start to clear the treeline is not so bad until you reach about the last 3 k's where it kicks back up and can be super windy. Today was not so windy.
The signs along the way tell you your current elevation, distance to the top, and the average grade for next kilometer.
Here's the view just past this sign.
And here is the Tom Simpson memorial. He was an English pro who died while climbing the Ventoux during the Tour. People leave their offerings at the foot of the stone.
Anyway, the climb up was quite nice all the tandems made it, one of them really climbed well and did it in a respectable 2 hours 15 minutes. The real hero of the day though is this guy.
This is Mike. He climbed the three faces of the Ventoux today in about 12 hours.
To prove the feat and to claim membership in the Club Des Cingles Du Mont Ventoux you must take this card and get it stamped once at the summit and once at each base town, fill in your times, and send it off. Mike rides a lot. He will eat a big dinner tonight.
Ok, so why was I on that tandem at the top? Because one of the stokers was not looking forward to going down for 22k at 50+ mph. I thought, "no problem, I'll just put my bike on the car, mount my pedals on the tandem then coast back to town." It took me a millisecond of downhill to realize my mistake. Now the pilot, Dean, has been tandeming for 15 years. I have seen him for almost an entire week. He is a compitent cyclist. It wasn't him, it was me. I haven't ridden on a tandem for a long, long time. I have never ridden on the back of a tandem. You have NO control from the rear of a tandem. NO brakes, NO steering, NO NOTHING. The first 2k were terrifying. I opened my eyes once to see the edge of the road flashing by my right shoe at 45 mph. We made it down. Dean said he was "taking it easy." Thanks Dean.
Thursday, June 7, 2007
what I did on my day off
One of the Johns is spending the month of June working as a cycling guide for VéloSport Vacations in France at its Provence Cycling Camp. You can find regular updates here about his experiences.
Photo of our Wednesday night group dinner.
Each Thursday is a non-riding, or non guided riding, day for the clients. We tackle the Ventoux tomorrow so some people rest, shop, etc. while some go for a little ride on their own. I spent the day preparing the rental fleet for next week's clients. We own about 25 bikes for rent. Clients send me measurements from their current rides (saddle height, stem length, seat set back, etc.) and I get the bike ready for them. They will bring their own pedals and, in some cases, saddles. There are nine rentals for next week.
The fleet consists mostly of Fuji Provences with Campagnolo and FSA components.
But we do have 6 new Felt carbon bikes - also with Campagnolo parts and Stronglight cranks. Yes, Stronglight still makes cranks.
I did have time for a coffee with my buddy Ludo. He is the grounds keeper at the A & V. He is quite a guy. He acts kind of like Bill Murray's character in Caddie Shack.
After wrenching for most of the day I took a late afternoon ride with Jef (yes one f) and discovered some new roads. It was very nice and sunny and felt great to get out.
The benefit of being the team mechanic here is that, if I have time and feel like it, I can keep my bike clean and running smoothly. As you can see it is looking good. Yes those are carbon tubular wheels. Am I a poser for using my race wheels while training? The other John thinks so, but they sure do feel good up the hills.
Ventoux report tomorrow!
Photo of our Wednesday night group dinner.
Each Thursday is a non-riding, or non guided riding, day for the clients. We tackle the Ventoux tomorrow so some people rest, shop, etc. while some go for a little ride on their own. I spent the day preparing the rental fleet for next week's clients. We own about 25 bikes for rent. Clients send me measurements from their current rides (saddle height, stem length, seat set back, etc.) and I get the bike ready for them. They will bring their own pedals and, in some cases, saddles. There are nine rentals for next week.
The fleet consists mostly of Fuji Provences with Campagnolo and FSA components.
But we do have 6 new Felt carbon bikes - also with Campagnolo parts and Stronglight cranks. Yes, Stronglight still makes cranks.
I did have time for a coffee with my buddy Ludo. He is the grounds keeper at the A & V. He is quite a guy. He acts kind of like Bill Murray's character in Caddie Shack.
After wrenching for most of the day I took a late afternoon ride with Jef (yes one f) and discovered some new roads. It was very nice and sunny and felt great to get out.
The benefit of being the team mechanic here is that, if I have time and feel like it, I can keep my bike clean and running smoothly. As you can see it is looking good. Yes those are carbon tubular wheels. Am I a poser for using my race wheels while training? The other John thinks so, but they sure do feel good up the hills.
Ventoux report tomorrow!
Wednesday, June 6, 2007
In support of
One of the Johns is spending the month of June working as a cycling guide for VéloSport Vacations in France at its Provence Cycling Camp. You can find regular updates here about his experiences.
Our little compound is humming along nicely. All the clients stay at the Arts et Vie residence in Malaucene while the staff stays at Chris' house here. As I said, Jef (yes one f) was a fireman in Paris for 3 years. Living and rooming with him I can tell. I am a fairly organized person who likes a routine, but Jef is way beyond me. Up early, our clothes are clean and folded, beds made, floors swept, car clean, dishes done, meal made. All we need is a pole and a Dalmation.
Anyway, we all rotate guide positions from front (fast) group, to second group, to driving the support car. I drew support duty today. Good thing though, because it was cool and rainy this morning. The clients didn't seem to mind. We did a killer loop along an old railroad bed then up the Col du Propiac. Not really a Col, but it does climb 500 or so meters in about 3k. The return route took us along the Route du Veaux, which is a narrow, winding, up and down piece of road in the shadow of the Ventoux.
Driving support also means you get to provide the rest stop food. Cherries and strawberries are in season here.
This is some kind of apple sauce in a squeeze bottle. Mmmm good.
In case you were wondering the car is a pretty sweet little Peugeot. By the way, you can see the top of Mt. Ventoux in this picture just above the car.
More tandem pictures! Are you getting bored with tandems yet?
I did get a 2 hour ride in later in the afternoon. It was nice to ride solo and at my preferred pace. I did get caught in an extreme downpour. Good thing I was only 10k from home.
Our little compound is humming along nicely. All the clients stay at the Arts et Vie residence in Malaucene while the staff stays at Chris' house here. As I said, Jef (yes one f) was a fireman in Paris for 3 years. Living and rooming with him I can tell. I am a fairly organized person who likes a routine, but Jef is way beyond me. Up early, our clothes are clean and folded, beds made, floors swept, car clean, dishes done, meal made. All we need is a pole and a Dalmation.
Anyway, we all rotate guide positions from front (fast) group, to second group, to driving the support car. I drew support duty today. Good thing though, because it was cool and rainy this morning. The clients didn't seem to mind. We did a killer loop along an old railroad bed then up the Col du Propiac. Not really a Col, but it does climb 500 or so meters in about 3k. The return route took us along the Route du Veaux, which is a narrow, winding, up and down piece of road in the shadow of the Ventoux.
Driving support also means you get to provide the rest stop food. Cherries and strawberries are in season here.
This is some kind of apple sauce in a squeeze bottle. Mmmm good.
In case you were wondering the car is a pretty sweet little Peugeot. By the way, you can see the top of Mt. Ventoux in this picture just above the car.
More tandem pictures! Are you getting bored with tandems yet?
I did get a 2 hour ride in later in the afternoon. It was nice to ride solo and at my preferred pace. I did get caught in an extreme downpour. Good thing I was only 10k from home.
Tuesday, June 5, 2007
tandems
One of the Johns is spending the month of June working as a cycling guide for VéloSport Vacations in France at its Provence Cycling Camp. You can find regular updates here about his experiences.
Today we did a 115k ride that circled the Ventoux in a counter clockwise direction. It went through the Gorges de la Nesque. It is by far one of the best pieces of road I've ever ridden on. 22k of gentle climb with stunning views of the gorge.
The tandems did alright really. We had only 1 flat and one loosed cassete lock ring. No problem with the follow car's fully equiped tool kit.
Here's photographic evidence of the existence of the tandems. I took some close-ups of the Bike Friday. Apparently you can add or subtract sections to make it a single, double, triple, or quad. As a tandem it packs into 2 normal sized suitcases.
Today we did a 115k ride that circled the Ventoux in a counter clockwise direction. It went through the Gorges de la Nesque. It is by far one of the best pieces of road I've ever ridden on. 22k of gentle climb with stunning views of the gorge.
The tandems did alright really. We had only 1 flat and one loosed cassete lock ring. No problem with the follow car's fully equiped tool kit.
Here's photographic evidence of the existence of the tandems. I took some close-ups of the Bike Friday. Apparently you can add or subtract sections to make it a single, double, triple, or quad. As a tandem it packs into 2 normal sized suitcases.
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