Concor Light

Selle San Marco Concor Light

After several hundred hours of product testing since mid December I now feel that I am in a position to accurately voice my opinion on this classic saddle. Initially, planting myself on the Concor was a bit of an adjustment as it is substantially shorter and slightly narrower through the rear than saddles I have used previously. However, once I spent some quality hours on it I began to appreciate the support and overall comfort. The Concor is finally starting to get broken in and becoming better by the day. One of the key factors that drew me to the Concor is the rich history the saddle has as the preferred throne from some of the world's best including the likes of Armstrong, Van Petegem and McEwen. Visually it is a thing of practical beauty bringing an air of sophistication to any quality bicycle. Another important factor is the price. At around $70.00 it is a steal of a deal and a saddle I won't give up easily. I plan to get one in white for my race rig.

Tune of the Week: Immaculate Machine

This week's selection comes from the Victoria BC based indie band Immaculate Machine. Since I just returned from Vic I felt it was an appropriate time to share this track. Immaculate Machine has a fairly unique sound although they are similar in overall presentation to the flood of Canadian indie talent that has recently emerged. One unique attribute to their sound is the frequent use of two and three part vocal melodies with all of the band members sharing vocal duties.
I like this video for its basic and quirky qualities. Notice the Lampre cap early on. Enjoy



Immaculate Machine
Broken Ship
Mint Records

Life is Beautiful

It is wet in this part of the world.

The last few days have seen some of the best riding of the year so far. After JR on Wednesday I was in the mood for some longer, hilly riding and with the weather looking bright it was in order. Thursday I ended up riding solo and hit up a hilly loop in east Sooke with a blast up Mt Mathison as well as a trip over the Humpback and up into the Highlands and Munns Rd. Yesterday I started off with a roll up Willis Point then took the singletrack like Durans road into the Highlands and over to the Mallahat. After climbing the Mallahat, climbing above the snowline off Shawnigan Lake a lap of the lake and a ripping 80 km/hr decent back to sea level I was ready for an easy day. Thus I ended up only doing 3.5hrs today in the wind and rain around the flatlands of the peninsula. With one day remaining before I have to head back to Ctown I have already made good use of my time here and logged 33 hrs on the bike. Another big week and likely the last in that range as it is soon time to focus on bringing on the race legs.

Late for Giga Camp

Mr Reid is a fan

I woke up to a reed in the face and Johnny Cake in the oven late last night as the boys came back from a little trip to the campus hub. J Sparls (Chef Toasty Toes for regular readers) had retired early as Giga Camp had planned a long outing the following day and much rest is required to power the 40lbs KHS along the coastal lanes. Britton is a crafty character and saw fit to rig up a restraining device to fluster Jamie in the morning. The iron poker and zip ties did their job well...

West Coast Culinary Delights: Johnny Cake

The Culinary Master In Action

Originally known as journey cake, Johnny Cake has now become a staple of late evenings here at the house on the mount. This cornmeal based cake takes it origins from travelers in the new world who would prepare this delightful treat in the leftover fats and oils of previous meals. Essentially this is a sweetened corn bread and when served with butter and honey makes for a cheap and wholesome dessert or snack. Phil has been introducing numerous new foods to the house here and Johnny Cake is one of his finest contributions.

JR Zonder Surferballs

Today's training ride ended up being the best Jordan River ride in the history of my Victoria experiences. Skinner, Reid, Abbot and I enjoyed sunny skies and favorable winds along Vancouver Island's south coast to the surfer's paradise that is Jordan River. Even the section to Sooke was enjoyable with today's light traffic. It was nice to ride in a group again after hundreds of solo hours this year.
Despite the initial disappointment of not having surferballs waiting at the surf shack in JR, the date squares did suffice and the coffee was exceptional (best cup of Folgers in the country). Apparently management and operation of the famed JR surf shack has been passed along to the younger generation along with a lack of confidence in living up to the excellence of lard cookies past. With frequent encouragement from loyal patrons I am sure this will soon change and the destination of choice for long base miles will again offer the daddy of all cookies.
After a quick ham and swiss Reid was good to go again and the waterfront was added to the days loop making it a 6 hr training session.
The weather for the remainder of the week is variable with the best days coming early, meaning I should be heading up the Mallahat to explore a new climb soon. Today I actually started to feel alive again, which was a relief after the first few days of this trip.

The Great Escape

On Saturday I jetted off free of charge, thanks to aeroplan, to Victoria for a week long training stint. So far the training has been good with three solid rides completed . The weather today was rough with sleet at higher altitudes and cold rain, along with breaking a cable and a dead HR monitor it was a bit of a rough day. The weather looks to be ready to improve for tomorrow and I think we should be heading out to JR for surferballs and good rolling roads. I have been feeling somewhat flat since arriving here, I think it has alot to do with coming into this week punched from school and work. It is good to be back here though, riding the coastal roads and enjoying the warmer temperatures. The goal for the week is to hit around 30 hrs which should be in order.
Its great to be out of Calgary for a bit, especially as Calgary is suffering though an awkward slush bowl phase at the moment. The house here is full with 6 riders calling the Villa on Mt Tolmie home, but it makes for an great atmosphere for relaxing and training.
Following this camp I will only have about 5 weeks in Calgary before heading off to Penticton to work the ABA camp as a coach for the A group. The ABA gave me a good offer to do the camp and Andy has instructed me to "hammer the group into the ground", so as you can see it was an easy decision. Following Penticton I will have a couple of more days and then be off the Belgium for my 2007 Euro campaign. In between all of these cycling commitments I should be able to finishing my second last university semester as well.

Tune of the Week: Daft Punk

This week musical journey comes from the highly acclaimed French duo known as Daft Punk. Often claimed to be the most successful electronic music artists of all time this video represents some of their best work. The sound is an instant classic and the video itself showcases incredible choreographic creativity.


Daft Punk
Around The World

Power to the People

After a very spirited Christmas training camp in Victoria I managed to kill my Powertap hub through water abuse. Despite the area under the non-drive side cover being completely dry at all times, water managed to get in from the drive side and end the transmission of data. I was not to pleased with this turn of events that has left me in the stone age with only a stop watch and a heart rate monitor to guide my efforts for the last month. The positive part of this whole experience is the discovery of a company that takes care of its customers even after the warranty has expired. Saris Cycling Group, the company behind Cyclops and the Powertap brand allow Powertap users to ship back their dysfunctional unit for partial or full repair at a very reasonable price. In my case I needed the entire inner workings replaced which I was told would total $150 US. On top of this I had to pay shipping one way, depending on the shipping plan you choose it is reciprocated on the return trip. I received the hub today to find that not only had the vital electronic bits been replaced, but also the freehub body, all the bearings and even the axle. Essentially everything but the hub shell, spokes and rim! My only quibble is that they put on a black cover instead of my old yellow "Powertap Pro" cover.
All things considered though, very good value indeed. Just don't ride it in the rain.

Coachella

Do you want to see Paul Van Dyk, DJ Tiesto, DJ Shadow, The Arcade Fire, Hot Chip, Tokyo Police Club, Rage Against the Machine, Gotan Project, the Roots, Modest Mouse and Benny Benassi plus a host of other top artists all in one place?
Perhaps you have already heard, but a friend of mine recently alerted me to what could be the music event of the century taking place in Indio, California. This is a giant music festival essentially presenting the best the modern music world has to offer in all popular genres. I won't be around to go, nor do I have the money, but if you have time, money and a passion for music this is the one festival to attend. Unfortunately three day passes just sold out, but there could still be hope. Check out www.coachella.com for full details.

Norwegian Culinary Delights: Reke Smorbrod

I realize there have been a multitude of culinary posts lately, but I have been doing lots of good eating...
This week it's essentially an open face shrimp sandwich. Fresh shrimp are obviously the best, but frozen will do. Mix the ready shrimp with a bit of mayonnaise, and fresh dill to make a topping fit for a world class wholegrain bread. Normally we eat this in Norway in the summer in a slightly different variation. Especially in Bergen, where my sister lives, you can go down to the docks and get shrimp that is ready to eat and has literally been out of the water for minutes. In the evening with a nice cold beverage in hand you simply top fresh French bread with the shrimp and add a thin stream of mayonnaise to taste. Verden's beste brodskive?

Tune of the Week!

In a new segment on pdotproductions each week I will present a feature music video which will provide insight into what is playing as the soundtrack to my life. The music as well as video quality will always be considered so you will only get the best of the best delivered to you each Monday. I am so excited about this new feature that I decided to launch one day early.
To get things rolling this week's selection comes from Mr.Scruff who is on the ever amazing Ninja Tunes label. Enjoy!


Mr. Scruff
Get a Move On
Ninja Tunes

New Look, Same Soul.

This season is looking to be an exciting one and I will post more about that shortly. My team is essentially unchanged from last year in terms of riders and staff, but a brand new look and bike sponsor is sure to keep things fresh.
I just got my first glimpse of the new team bike for this year and thought I would share it. This will mark my first time not riding a Giant in three years. I loved the three Giants I did have the pleasure of riding, but change is good and to ride a pure Belgian frame is going to be special. The bike pictured is that of my teammate Koen. It looks as though he has opted for the full carbon option. I am sure you will agree this is one clean looking machine. Notice the Ultegra group set. Kids remember you don't need top shelf to ride with the big guns. I hope to spend 07 proving it to you.

New Kid on Campus

Greg Van Avermaet

You want my pick for potentially the next big name in professional cycling? Look up and you will find him. Van Avermaet is a perfect example of the success of the Belgian cycling system. Last year he rode for the BodySol-Win For Life-Jong Vlaanderen team with which we competed virtually every race. As a feeder to the then Davitamon Pro Tour squad it has served is purpose well with Van Avermaet now riding full time for Predictor-Lotto and in one of his first racing outings of 2007 taking stage 5 at the Tour of Qatar out sprinting a strong select breakaway group.
Only weeks until the tiny fish goes to play in the huge pond again. I recently found out that no other Canadians will be based in Benelux this season with Pozniak returning to the small pond again and the one person I thought I could get over to race with me taking an offer on the east coast of our neighbor to the south. Its going to be a good year.

Norwegian Culinary Delights: IFA Salt Pastiller

Being an avid sportsmen and especially at this time of year training in dry, cold conditions, the conditions of ones throat is of utmost importance. My method of preserving an optimal tracheal and esophageal environment comes in the form of the IFA Salt Pastille. On the back of the package the famous opera singer Ivar F. Andresen gives his endorsement of this product as follows,"Among their most outstanding characteristics is first and foremost that it prevents dryness in throat and swallow. I can fully recommend this pastille to singers, lecturers, smokers and sportsmen" Dresden November 5, 1930.
With this rich endorsement and long history the IFA pastille is a quality product that deserves attention. Another item that deserves attention is the ingredient list for this salt licorice delight. Among the agents responsible for maintaining such an optimal throat condition are; licorice extract, ammonium chloride, salt, citric acid, bees wax, carnauba wax and sunflower oil. Although currently not available in Canada I have a limited supply and can receive a new shipment as early as April if anyone is interested.