gaul and bahamontes

the ride issue 2

Issue 2 of The Ride is ready to drop. You can pre-order online now. Looking forward to seeing it.

moser

het volk

The Classics season is upon us. Can't wait...and Het Volk will always be Het Volk!

pardon?

sprinting against shadows

There's nothing better than watching someone make something so very difficult look so damn easy. Stage Four was millimetres but Stage Five was a country mile. The beginning of a huge year for Cav.

"Actually, I could see a shadow to my right. I thought it was Tom coming around. And I was just watching the video of the finish, and I was actually sprinting against my own shadow!" – Mark Cavendish

gimondi and merckx

mash

I neglected to mention that it's not just Rapha that are riding (or in their case have ridden) the Tour of California route. The Mash crew are heading out a couple of hours before the pros each day and you can follow their journey both at arkitip and incase. Did I mention that they're doing it on track bikes?!

jacques knows

The first lot of terra unfirma t-shirt designs are coming but colour co-ordination and attention to detail are essential. Which is my way of saying they aren't done yet.

Tour of Cali is ramping up. Check the Cervelo train yesterday? Efficiency personified. And I'm going to keep plugging these guys because like Hushvod, Lancaster and Roulston they also deliver. Embrocation. BKW. More tour goodness from both.

listen to grandaddy

Today's stage of the Tour of California ends in Modesto. Made me think of the city's finest.

logos

Mike worked a few treatments for the terra unfirma logo. Finished design will take its rightful place in a mo. Always a fan of his hand crafted type, I'm very happy with the results and excited about seeing it worked into our first line of t-shirts.

chapeaux!

Some amazing performances already in the rain drenched Tour of California, most notably from Mancebo and Levi, whose monumental efforts in the harshest of conditions made for some inspired viewing. 

Fortunately the online coverage of the tour has so far matched the quality of the racing. The big guns are naturally providing extensive coverage, but I've been enjoying the alternative takes on the race from the smaller operators, most notably BKW, Embrocation and Velodramatic, all who have posted great photos and videos. 

down under

My great friend Mike now lives in Australia and he made it to the recent Tour Down Under and took some sweet photos, which you can check out on his blog. Mike's also working on terra unfirma with me and I should be able to post up some of his logos and stuff soon. I like how friendship and creative talent have no problem traveling several thousand miles. Thanks dude.

la squadra di bianchi 1954

more cali

In an earlier post I mentioned the Rapha Continental Tour of California ride. I also mentioned that they will be posting their exploits online as the race unfolds, stage-by-stage. However, visual documentation is already available both at Carey s-h's flickr site and at velodramatic. Both equally great and the perfect appetizers for the race. Enjoy.

saronni and battaglin

cali

Stage 5 - Homage to Bill Viola from Carey S-H on Vimeo.

The Tour of California starts on Saturday. And I'm excited. I've had a long running love affair with this particular state; it's probably the singularly most beautiful and diverse landscape I've witnessed. Or at least that's how it resides in my mind. Its myth is as big as its mite is as big as its mountains which makes it, for me at least, the perfect place for a bike race.

The Rapha Continental crew, who are fond of the epic, did the entire route a week or so ago and will be releasing their photos and thoughts online as the race proper unfolds. 752 miles in seven days. This clip is just a moment in time.

cinelli

goatee of filth

My posts have been a tad weather obsessed but what with the snow and now the rain I guess it's understandable? I'm hoping to have some early designs for the t-shirts we've been working on to post soon. I'm thinking a terra unfirma Sean Kelly 'Goatee of Filth' shirt may need to be added to the line!

all that twitters is not gold unless...

There's been a lot of talk about the banality of most twitter posts but pro cycling's warm embrace of everything twitter needs to be encouraged further if only for the chance that Cadel may feel the need to join Lance, George, Dave Z etc. Here's hoping...

still snowing here...

there's snow and then there's snow

"On one of the hairpins in the snow I looked down at my legs. I knew they were going around and stung a bit, which I knew was good. They weren't totally numb; I made sure I kept spinning. But they were bright red and they had chunks of ice everywhere. Just that one glance terrified me. I'd never seen my body look like that and I refused to look down after that." - Andy Hampsten on the Passo Gavia, Stage 17, 1988 Giro d'Italia

compare and contrast

Michael Barry's smiling but is this any way to dress 2008's most successful team for the new season ahead? 

entry 001

the blog...bikes, cycling culture and road racing and eventually some t-shirts and other bits and bobs inspired by bikes, cycling culture and road racing. 

So the blog is now on the roll out...the t-shirts are somewhere up the road.