Life's A Beach

There won't be any posts from me for the next two weeks because Betty and I are jetting off into some much needed sunshine tomorrow.

I'll be back in early March just in time for the onset of the spring classics.

Until then,  laa korn ( ลาก่อน ).

NÖ GALLERY

 

The NÖ GALLERY aims to create and display works which embrace the broad, visually appealing cyclorama that the bicycle affords. From exquisite typographical studies of head badges, to bold, graphic delineations of the humble cycling cap. We'll travel back to the pioneers of road racing, via collage, canvas and colour, and onward, through photography and film to provide an ongoing project space.

Oman

 

Photo: David Furst/AFP/Getty Images

The Greatest Show On Earth (1974 Giro d'Italia)

Brew yourself an espresso, sit back and watch this classic in it's entirety (in 8 parts) documenting the 1974 Giro d'Italia and featuring such icons from yesteryear as Felice Gimondi, José Manuel Fuente and Eddy Merckx. Bravo!

Luigia Zilli Art

 

Paceline

  

Tour de France

 

Pack

Beautiful artwork all by Luigia Zilli.  Spotted over at La Gazzetta Della Bici.

Best Seats In The House

 

Photo: Timm Koelln

Quote For The Day

 

“If you brake, you don’t win.” - Mario Cipollini

Stefan Bumbeck Art

Many of you who regularly read my blog will note that I'm a big fan of bicycle inspired art and always try to profile it here whenever I find something I haven't seen before..

A few days back I found some fantastic art work by Stefan Bumbeck which is featured below.

Interested in knowing more about Stefan Bumbeck? Head over to Elcyclista and read a great interview he did with Stefan recently.

 

  

 

Happy Birthday Bob

Jacques Anquetil "The Double"

In 1965 Jacques Anquetil won the eight day Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré then two hours later took a flight to Bordeaux and won the then world's longest single day classic, Bordeaux-Paris the following day.  The footage below captures the highlights of this epic feat of endurance.



Seen here.

Zen Proverb

‘A Zen teacher saw five of his students returning from the market, riding their bicycles. When they arrived at the monastery and had dismounted, the teacher asked the students, “Why are you riding your bicycles?”

The first student replied, “The bicycle is carrying this sack of potatoes. I am glad that I do not have to carry them on my back!” The teacher praised the first student. “You are a smart boy! When you grow old, you will not walk hunched over like I do.”

The second student replied, “I love to watch the trees and fields pass by as I roll down the path!” The teacher commended the second student, “Your eyes are open, and you see the world.”

The third student replied, “When I ride my bicycle, I am content to chant nam myoho renge kyo.” The teacher gave his praise to the third student, “Your mind will roll with the ease of a newly trued wheel.”

The fourth student replied, “Riding my bicycle, I live in harmony with all sentient beings.” The teacher was pleased and said to the fourth student, “You are riding on the golden path of non-harming.”

The fifth student replied, “I ride my bicycle to ride my bicycle.” The teacher sat at the feet of the fifth student and said, “I am your student.”’

Core Training

I don't know about you but core training is something I've been thinking about starting for ages now but just haven't got around to doing it yet.  Whether your a cyclist, runner or indeed enjoy any sport that requires flexibility and aerobic routine, core training will improve strength, flexibility, breathing and will reduce the frequency of lower back pain.

The short clip below shows some of BMC's pro cyclists being put through the paces of core conditioning by strength and conditioning expert Todd Herriot.

I often suffer with lower back pain during long rides so was particularly interested when I saw this clip, especially when I saw how simple the routine was.  I just need to get my arse into gear now and spend more time doing it myself.

Barefoot Running

Below is a very informative video presented by Harvard professor Daniel Lieberman about barefoot running. Professor Lieberman's research suggests running barefoot generates less impact shock than running with shoes due to barefoot runners tending to land on their forefoot rather than heel striking which he suggests is a major cause for running related injuries.

I haven't tried barefoot running myself but will certainly make an effort to work on my foot strike technique from now with the emphasis on landing on the forefoot.

I'm not a doctor or coach but if you want to give barefoot running a go I would strongly suggest applying common sense by starting off with short low intensity runs of no more than 15 to 20 minutes at a time. I've heard stories of elite athletes adopting the barefoot approach too quickly without any previous experience and getting themselves injured, so be carefull!

For all you cyclists out there check out the video anyway, it's still pretty interesting stuff.

More information from Professor Daniel Lieberman on barefoot running can be found here.

Chasing Legends

Produced by Gripped Films and featuring Mark Cavendish, George Hincapie, Phil Liggett, Eddy Merckx, Paul Sherwin and Jens Voigt, Chasing legends is a new documentary film which follows the Amgen Tour of California.  The movie rather fittingly makes its world premiere on 15 May, the day before the start of the 2010 Amgen Tour of California.

Below are two trailers the wet the appetite.  You can also visit the film's website here.

Tour de France 1989 - Richard Mitchelson

 

  

  

More excellent art work from Richard Mitchelson.  Check out other illustrations from him at his blog.

The Periodic Table Of Pro Cycling

 

Click image to see it larger.  Seen here.

Ok so it's a bit complicated but having said that it's a pretty good reference point too.