Scene in Museum of Liverpool: Boneshaker to Boardman's Merckx Superman

Some bike stuff from the Museum of Liverpool and not a Beatle in sight.

It's a beautiful building on the docks in Liverpool and a great museum inside celebrating the rich history and diversity of the city.

Penny Farthing 1890.

'Rushton' Velocipede, Liverpool 1870

Grame Obree on Humans Invent Part 2.

Nothing for me to say really.
As you know I am kinda obsessed about this right now.


Graeme Obree: Hand-building the fastest bicycle in the world from Humans Invent on Vimeo.


After watching the video head over to Humans Invent to see the full article.

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Chris Hoy's Mum.

I am not going to promote a certain parent company's Olympic tie in campaign becuase even though it celebrates Mums, a certain parent company also pushes baby formula as opposed to breast milk and has some strange views on motherhood and parenting ( I know this is not the place)......

I am all for celebrating Mum's though so here we are:

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Graeme Obree's new HPV design becoming clearer

Well I read into his interview correctly, he is going to be lying on his stomach headfirst.  How's that for Superman position.  Last time there was too much talk of washing machines, this time it will be saucepans and kitchens.  He is a stunning genius and win or lose we all know he is so commited and so wonderful he will always be a winner.

Humpy Horsie Bicycles

From the same eccentric artist who brought you the 10mph Ferrari look-a-bike.

There is no explanation on his site - maybe is none is possible or even needed...

Investigate here:  Humpy Horsies

Sketchbooks 2012

Above - Rear view of the Museum Science and Industry - 20 minutes.
Below - Selection from the Cycling Sketchbook 2012

Giro wise I am beginning to wonder that Rodriguez, who I would love to see win the Giro, might be destined not too.  Great to see him fighting to lead but all it takes is one big escape, one big collapse and of course a TT - guess that what makes bike racing great eh!

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Pozzivivo celebrations

He has been having some great rides and seriously making a mark for himself this year.
I did notice his victory celebration a few weeks ago and asked if anyone knew what it signified.  No answers though.

I found this though, on the Inner Ring a commenter suggested that Pozzivivo was sharing the celebratory antics of Italian footballer Sebastian Giovinco.  The Juventus midfielder considers himself short at 5'4, I mean seriously!... So this hand action has something to do with being small of stature, he says it makes him seem taller (www.sebastian-giovinco.com).

Seems a little doubtful.  Pozzivivo has a definite extra ring finger extension, an extra flourish on his behalf or laziness from Giovinco.  He's also not particularly short in cycling surely?  Maybe I am should just get on with something else.  


Fun Giro right now isn't it. Still seems fairly open.  Great to see Hesjedal up there.
Not too sure about the Tour of California though.  I guess it's similar to Paris Nice, one decisive climbing stage and one TT, the rest for the sprinters.  Sagan was great, would love to see him and Cavendish head to head in the Tour and had we forgotten his chances at the Olympics?


Oh and AG2R, they of the brown shorts and kit.  Firstly I have to admit to have been won over by the kit, it certainly stands out and actually looks kind of classy next to the garish advertising or boring black bands of others.  If I would be seen dead in team kit it would be this one.  Also Nicolas Roche has won me over too, from his famous Dad to his honest book 'Inside the Peleton'.  Great to see him and the team fighting for the win and attention.  Nicolas was up there in the lead group on the important days but alas his TT let him down again.  I think he admits his head just can't get into them.




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'Pendleton' - Ride Beautifully.

Victoria Pendleton has been working with the British chain of auto stores 'Halfords' to create a range  of bicycles for women.

These bikes though are primarily aimed at women who haven't been on a bike in years or who are just starting to consider longer rides. The price range from £299.99 to £349.99 is fairly modest, as is the spec, with the absence of features deemed unnecessary at entry level, such as disc brakes or too many gears that will most likely remain unused and rusting.
"Extra components were ditched as they aren't what starter riders are after. And it helps to keep the weight down as there is nothing worse than trying to get a heavy uncomfortable bike up a hill,"  from Bike Radar story

 Certainly the name 'Pendleton' seems to carry a certain Empirical cachet similar to 'Pashley'.  Having just seen a launch display in a Halfords store they do catch the eye especially the Somerby and if thay can get more women riding then mission accomplished.  Hopefully those women will then move onto a 'Pashley'.

"I'm so excited about the new range. I really want to encourage women to just get out and about and enjoy riding them!" - Victoria Pendleton

See the range here on the Halfords site.
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New Ferrari FXX bicycle tops out at 10mph - sort of.

But I reckon Obree could get it going faster.

Hannes Langeder is an Austrian artist having a bit of fun at the expense of millionaires and motorheads.

This is his Ferrari FFX look a like called the Fahrradi Farfall FFX.

The high-performance supercar clone is custom-made and comes with the smooth, red finish that matches the Ferrari FXX. The Fahrradi Farfall FFX also happens to be the world's most expensive bicycle with a price tag of a stunning £1 million.
The vehicle features over 200 ultra-bright LED lights which allow it to be driven at night as well which makes it road legal in Austria. Thanks to a steel chassis and a plastic tubed body, the lightweight vehicle still weighs around 100kg. At the moment, the Fahrradi Farfall FFX is on display as part of an automotive exhibition at Linz, Austria-based LENTOS Museum of Art. - www.auttomotto.com

Watch the promotional video here.

Alfonisa Strada a woman in a man's Giro or 'The Devil in a Dress'

Alfonsina Strada is the only woman to have competed in one of cycling's three Grand Tours.  In 1924 she was 'mistaken' for a man by applying for entry to the race as Alfonsin Strada, the final 'a' or 'o' would have defined her sex.

She came 74th on the first day, an hour behind the leader but nothing by the standard of the day, when riders could be separated by hours. She finished 50th of 65 between Genoa and Florence and survived as far as Naples. Then the weather turned. A gale blew, rain poured, mud and rocks swept across the road. Strada was among many who crashed. Her handlebars snapped and she stood by the roadside until a peasant snapped a broomstick to jam in the hole. She rode on with one side of her bars of steel and the other of broomstick but finished outside the time limit.<sup>[1][5]...

....</sup> The race referees excluded her because she was out of time. The organiser, Colombo, couldn't stop them from applying his own rules...  He let her ride on as an individual, paying her bills but excluding her from prizes.

The next day was to Fiume, where a crowd lifted her from her bicycle and carried her in triumph when she finished in tears from pain and exhaustion 25 minutes after the time limit. It motivated her to continue to Milan.^[2] Only 38 completed the race and Strada, although no longer formally in the running, finished more than 20 hours ahead of Telesforo Benaglia, the lanterne rouge.^[4] She finished 28 hours behind the winner, 30-year-old Giuseppe Enrici of Piedmont. But almost an hour separated Enrici from his runner-up, Federico Gay, so it was hardly a close-run race. And two riders finished behind her.

Taken from wikipedia

Work in Progress - Tri #2

She's really coming on now but I think I may have to miss the show I was gunning for.  It isn't going to be finished before the submission deadline.  Might be better to save it for a later exhibit.

Tonight was the first time I took advantage of Molly's early bed time and the light evening and I actually did an hour's work on it at around 7pm.

Still having some issues with the size of the hand and I think her waist has become a little chunky.
I should work on the background and her body next. I am trying to build up the layers of paint and finish evenly across the canvas.  I will be leaving off or maybe abstracting the logos on her vest, sometimes it can become too distracting and of course free advertising...

Maglia Nera - The Giro's Lantern Rouge of yore.

Between 1946 and 1951 the Giro d'Italia awarded the Maglia Nera, or 'Black Jersey', to the last rider in the race.

It was hotly contested and riders employed the usual racing tactics of puncturing their own tires, sitting in bars and cowering in the bushes.  Typical Cat 4 stuff.

Luigi Malabrocca was particularly keen on being seen in a black and was obviously way ahead of cycling fashion times as can be seen in today's peloton. He won the jersey in 1946 and 1947 and remains the only multiple winner.  He would have won a third time but the tie keepers were fed up waiting, left and credited hi with a pack finish, instead of the actually 2h+.  Luigi was an above average rider and did win 15 professional races in his career, but like others he realized that due to substantial prize money for the black jersey rider there was more money and fame in losing the Giro

taken from 'Pedalare! Pedalare!' by John Foot

Kids Book Illustrations - some eye candy

'Billy Twitters and his Blue Whale Problem'

Here Billy shows us how interval training is really done as he drags his whale up hills on the way to his school.

The joys of riding in mud - forgot what book it is from though.

British Bike Sales inspired by Cycle Sport success, fuel prices or health concerns?

 

In 2012 6% of Brits cycled every day.  Over a third of the nation cycles.

Click on the picture above for a short article on Yahoo.co.uk

Nice to know that the Empire can be rebuilt, this time on bicycles.

The UK is considering expanding the use of CCTV cameras to catch drivers who park in cycle lanes or block box junctions etc.  London has been using them with a fines from 30 up to 130 GBP and has seen a 51% reduction in such driver infractions. More here at The Times.co.uk


There is a lot that can be done to make roadways safer for all users with proper enforcement of road laws.  We must realise that includes the right to penalize cyclists and pedestrians who also break those laws.  Economics, well maybe 'Freakonomics' has shown that reward often creates better results than punishment, hence some car insurers giving lower premiums to incident free drivers (not neccesarily the better drivers though eh).  So will punishments create safer road users or safer roads?

What we really need are respectful, responsible road users.
As a cyclist I need to lead by example.  Stop at the red lights, stop at stop signs (well as much as a car does), signal, give way, you know the drill.  It will not change the attitudes of 'those drivers' but hopefully will keep those 'on the fence' 'on the fence'.


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Pez Caps

I owe huge apologies to Richard over at PezCycling News.  He took me up on my offer to exchange fine art prints for cycling caps and I promised a little photo plug on my blog.

Well here it is.   A little late.

The photos of Molly in the cap my not exactly be in focus but boy doesn't she look great.
She has actually quite taken to taking whatever cap I am wearing and parading around and looking better in it than I do.

Here is my attempt at modelling.  You see that ridge on the front corner of the cap, that is what happens if you don't pull the bottom edge of the cap down flat, oops.  I am building a growing collection of cycling caps and have found that in recent months I have been grabbing either an all black 'Condor' cap if I want to be the hipster or this one by Pez to add a bit of colour but still be hip-esque!  It fits well and the stitching and colours are holding up after much use, sun and some washing.   Richard also threw in a pair of Pez socks, I am not going to be modelling those with my hairy legs, but like socks by Capoforma and such they are comfy in all temperatures and bearing up to use and washing.

I don't need to say much about PezCycling News, I expect you all visit.  PezCycling News and Cyclingnews are my daily go to for the sport.  Maybe one is more corporate and the other more like your mate in the local bar with a Negroni.

Get your socks, cap, bibs, shorts, jerseys and more here:  PezCycling News store.


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2ª tappa a Cavendish - Cavendish was completely boxed in...

2ª tappa a Cavendish

The link above from RAI shows Cavendish winning today's stage at the Giro.

You'll notice in the overhead shot that Cavendish gets completely boxed in and freewheels momentarily as he looks around to find a way out.  Chooses Matt Goss' wheel.  Makes it look so calm and so easy.

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Work in Progress - Tri #3

I managed to find a little chunk of time to work on this.  Achieved my aim of getting paint onto the canvas and building up some surface.  So that's good.  But I did go too far with the light tones. 

Hopefully I can have another quick session and darken it up and nothing more. 

Then the next session after that will start to bring in some more shape, so far everything has been painted with a 1.5 inch flat brush and I need to get a little smaller. 

Getting a bit worried about my deadline though.

Where does your Merino come from? - 'Icebreaker' can show you and where it's going.

So by now we all know it comes from some New Zealand sheep.  Here is a great article on Core 77 that explains it all.

Launched in 1994, Icebreaker was the first company in the world to develop a merino wool layering system for the outdoors. It was also the first outdoor apparel company in the world to source merino directly from growers, a system it began in 1997. Icebreaker merino clothing for the outdoors, technical sports and lifestyle includes underwear, mid layer garments, outerwear, socks and accessories for men, women and children. Icebreaker is based in Wellington, New Zealand, and is sold in more than 3000 stores in 43 countries.

You have to be tough to survive in New Zealand's Southern Alps. With scorching summers and freezing winters, the glacier-carved mountain range is a harsh, inaccessible environment—and possibly the last place you'd expect to find a sheep.
But the sheep that survive on the Southern Alps aren't run-of-the mill lowland sheep. They're merino sheep: hardy alpine animals with a coat that insulated in summer, breathes in summer, and is exceptionally soft and lightweight. - From Core 77

Here are two images that I find stunning:

Amazing sheep, Hey, I am Welsh after all, and look at the size of that yarn!

Head over to Core 77 to see where it comes from and how it gets turned into futuristic garments and what may be next:

Case Study:  Icebreaker Merino - Reinventing Wool as a Performance Fiber, by Rob Achten.

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Fixed Gear American Red Ale

I consider myself someone wise to the ways of marketing and cynical as hell which is why I probably found it fairly easy to give up a career in Exhibition Design and Marketing.

Still I was suckered in here by a cycling name and a pretty graphic.

Good thing too!  This is a great beer.

I don't know if it's something to do with my chemistry or the beer's but this has been putting me to sleep.

Go get some. Brewed by Lakefront Brewery of Milwaukee.


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Raleigh posters

The BBC is continuing it's love of the Olympics (or maybe it's marketing of...) and it's support for cycling. Click on the picture above to be taken to a BBC slideshow of Raleigh posters.


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