Merry christmas and happy new bike year

Two days before christmas, a thin layer of snow-like substance on the ground here in Stockholm. I already long for warmer and more cycling friendly times. My wish for next year is to ride many more miles than this year and watch a lot of good cycling - everything from the spring classics via the Giro to TDf and of course the Olympics in London. It's really great to see how popular cycling is becoming in Sweden and with Eurosport one can enjoy everything from the living room with great commentators.
I think the person who painted this road in Castillion-la-bataille says it all for 2012:

(That) Orange bike

You all know what happens if you mix red and yellow - you get orange. Ever since I was a kid I've always had a soft spot for this colour on a bike - like so many other Swedish kids growing up with Crescent. Browsing a magazine I came across an ad for this bike.

It is a Raleigh Furley. A robust steel framed single speed with disc brakes. This could be a perfect commuter and bike for training rides in winter time. Just need to check how to buy one from Sweden.

Great cycling moment

As November comes to an end and Christmas is knocking on the door there isn't much cycling going on in my life (except for some sporadic sweating on the "Schwinn spinner"). So why not make a nice cup of coffee and relive some of the fantastic moments of the summer. This fantastic clip is from the finish on Galibier on this summers' TDF (étape 18) or as they say in the clip "une sacre étape". I saw it on french television and there is just so much good here. Andy Schlecks' breakout, Contador who hits the wall, Rolland, Evans and last but not least Thomas Voeckler who struggles like a mad man to stay in yellow. If you know French just listen to the commentators... epic. Voeckler manages to defend his jersey and his yellow bike. Sit back and enjoy and please let it be summer again soon. Chapeau Thomas!

Great Yellow charity

I have to mention what Team Rynkeby are doing. Every summer they get up on their yellow Principia bikes and ride from Denmark to Paris to raise money for Barncancerfonden (fund for children with cancer).
Now there is also a Swedish initiative so in the future they might raise even more than the 4,72 DKK they managed to collect in 2010.

Michael Barry and yellow bike

I was browsing through Team Sky rider and author Michael Barrys' site and came across this photo of - and I'm guessing now since I didn't find information on the picture - Michael as a kid and probably Michael Sr (his father) who was also a bike racer according to Wikipedia.
Anyway I think Michael is a cool guy and here are some really nice yellow bikes:

Chapeau Cav

With an irritating cold that just won't leave I have to settle with watching cycling instead of riding myself. How fortunate that this happens when the world championships took place. The women's road race was a disappointment in many ways, very few attacks and just a sprint in the end where Emma Johansson was without chance.
The mens' race was more interesting and you have to be impressed by the way the brits took care of the race. On the last lap it looked like a team time trial with Wiggins working like a mad man in the front. And then there is Mark Cavendish... Sometimes he acts and says stupid things but this time he just looked clownish (time trial suit, horrible helmet and socks up to his knees). But what a sprint he did and in the interview afterwards he was very humble and he really thanked the team mates. He is truly the fastest person on a bike and I wonder who is going to challenge him in the Olympics next year. Maybe Goss or Greipel? Both of them showed what great sprinters they are. And then there is my personal favourite Fabian 'Spartacus' Cancellara, he lost the bronze to Greipel by a milimeter showing you can never count him out.

So what about the Swedes? Yeah what about them? There's been so much talk about how the course is not right for them - but what does a perfect course look like then? The guys performed as expected, the girls had a bigger team and of course you expect more from a class rider like Emma, but being 14th in both TT and road race is no catastrophe. She'll be back for sure! Hopefully Emilia Fahlin continues to develop as well inspired by Emma.

Time fore yellow and blue?

This week it's finally time for the World Championships in Denmark. I think it's great that Copenhagen is the host given how bike-friendly this city is. For That yellow bike it's actually the home country being a Principia bike. Read more about these great bikes here.

Today is the start day for the "real" races with the ladies time trial. Emilia Fahlin has shown good form and might be a person for the top ten and once you're there you might as well fight for podium places. Emma is a class rider but for her the road race is her big chance.
Should anyone of them succeed today they can hopefully expect a nicer and bigger podium than this one at the Swedish championships (no it's not your local club championship it is the Swedish champ in yellow and blue):

That white bike

I just couldn't let this one pass. I know it's not yellow but this bike (belongs to my colleague David) absolutely earns it 's place in this blog. Man, it must be a hell of job keeping it clean-looking.

Summer or fall

Took a ride last night (mtb). Really beautiful and warm evening but it's getting dark, and the forest has that smell. I'm not sure I like the smell but from all the running and cycling I've done it really has become familiar. Even though rhe leaves are green and attached to their trees you just now it's not summer anymore once you encounter this smell. It tells you that you better use your time well because soon it's gonna be all muddy and slippery. It makes me start looking at more robust cycling-wear, and cyclo-cross bikes. I still haven't owned one but it just seems like that perfect transition bike going in to the fall. Perfect to ride on the smaller dirt-roads around Stockholm and combine it with normal road cycling.

As always Rapha capture the feeling with their inspiring photos like this one:

 Just need to find a bike that's yellow...

Balance damn it

Here's a little thought about balance. Not balance as in the ability to stay on two wheels on a mountainbike in tricky terrain but balance in news reporting.
Here is the front page of today's Dagens Nyheter (biggest morning paper in Sweden):

So tonight Sweden will be playing Hungary in the qualifications for next years European championships (soccer if anyone didn't get that). I go to the sports section and there we have three more pages about tonights QUALIFICATION game. We are not exactly in the final of the actual championships yet. Don't get me wrong I love soccer (love watching it love playing it) but this was about balance right?
I flip to the last page of the sport section and find this (which they haven't written themselves but TT):

Yes Swedish Astana-team rider Fredrik Kessiakoff is right now in podium position in the third biggest "tour" in the world the "Vuelta". He's actually in a position where he can win this race right now. Yes it's a long way left but so far he has done a fantastic Vuelta, and he gets this!!!!! I think it's really sad that the sports journalists and editors at the biggest newspaper are so "unbalanced". Yes soccer is huge and cycling is just big but come on this is just bad journalism.
Fredrik, keep up the good work! Here's a picture of this former mountainbiker current road-hero in my eyes:

Odd bike out

Met this little yellow friend at a parking spot where 99% of the bikes belong to commuters taking the train to central Stockholm. And there I found this little BMX in shiny yellow. The next day it was there too and the day after that... Must belong to some cool, hip (yet short) art director or something.

Back from France

What can I say, cyclisme is pretty darn big in France. Four weeks of TDF on the TV, nice magazines and cyclists everywhere. The weather went from chilly, (typical Swedish summer) where I met people with arm warmers and jackets, to my latest invention "Bikram cycling" in 32 degrees C. There are so many small roads in Dordogne you can find a new route every day if you like and they are mostly small with very few cars. I would absolutely recommend anyone to book a training trip to this region. If you really want to ride higher climbs the Pyrenees are also quite close. Just to top everything of we took the car 45 min to Castillon la Bataille where we saw Contador, Voeckler, Rolland and some more battling it out in a post tour criterium. I went there with my father in law and his friend Les, an Englishman who sometimes takes his bike between his houses in England and Dordogne and is now planning to participate in a race from Athens to london!!! Now that is what I call a cyclist!
Unfortunately the criterium was shortened by a thunder storm that dampened the atmosphere a bit. On this quite bad picture Voeckler (if you can spot his green jersey..) has just made his attack on Contador with 1 km to go. Perhaps it was planned that he should win but it was cool seeing them up close anyway.

Greetings from Dordogne

Resting in my garage I got the following report from my owner: Just finished a great ride around Bergerac. When god created this region he really thought about two types (or in my case two types in one person) wine-lovers and cyclists. Whether you are a grimpeur or a rouleur you will absolutely find great rides here. OK it's not the alpes but the rolling hills provide some great challenges for everyone. If you bring a map or a GPS you can find so many varations because of the vast web of small roads windling through the vineyards. From this first ride I can't report any sightings of yellow bikes but I will share one of the white Cannondale that I borrowed from my father in law (a great man who has biked his way across most parts of France and also finished Vätternrundan on a citybike!).

Soon it's time to switch the French TV on and see who will be strongest up the Galibier. My guess is we will have a new guy in maillot jaune tonight...

Tour de France stage 11

Thor held on to the yellow jersey for quite some time and I am mighty impressed by his performance. The world champion really fought for yellow in the heavy weight class. The Norwegian cyclists are in good shape with Boasson Hagen taking one stage as well - go Norway! Now the jersey is worn by one of my favourites, Thomas Voeckler. There is something about how he looks on the bike, he just doesn't look like your typical cycling pro. It might be the look on his face or the way he looks when he rides standing, but I like it. And just look at his beautiful Colnago - the most yellow bike so far this tour.

Day of rest

As for the TDF riders today is a day of resting. Tomorrow the yellow jersey will be worn by Thomas Voeckler, it'll be interseting to see how the bike will look. Friday morning was a beautiful morning and the owner picked out the mountainbike. Commuting as always I thought but then I saw this picture.

 They had obviously climbed Väsjöbacken as the fog was rising from the forests. My jealous feelings lasted until yesterday morning when I was picked for an early ride. Now it's time to find some fellow yellows!

Tour de France stage 3

Come on now Thor you could have had a bike with a little more yellow than that... We will probably see this one again today!?

Tour de France stage 2

A slight disappointment to see that Gilbert didn't go for a bike with more yellow. Up to the almighty Thor to do something about it today...

Another day another beauty

I sent my owner to get some Campagnolo parts for me at Europeiska Cykelimporten and just look what he found. Now that's what I call a beauty!! Even got yellow bar tape...

Yellow up the Kapelmuur

This is a clip that a yellow bike like myself watch with mixed feelings. Tom Boonen is riding a Yellow Merckx and gets totally squashed by Fabian Cancellara. Following this there was a strange rumour about Cancellara having an electric engine inside his bike. As weird as that rumour was I think Tom wanted an extra engine this day on Kapelmuur. Anyway, a great powerful clip featuring a yellow bike.

Here's a picture of Tom's yellow "beauty":

Catch of the day

Saw this Beauty at Norvelo in Stockholm and had to take a picture (from the inside and sunny outside so it's more of a silhouette). Anyway it's a Pureblood by Fixie inc. A great looking Cyclocross that I could easily share my garage with.

Yellow in Gothenburg

My favourite blogger the "Bike Snob" himself managed to capture a nice yellow bike in "Götet", see it and read the whole story right here. For me it's a typical Tuesday in the garage, just gonna surf and see if I find something interesting. Was awaken before 6 a.m when the Owner slammed the garage open to get the "Commuter/mountainbike", if he (Owner) was awake or not I don't know since the helmet is still hanging here. Hope he drives safely in that Old school style.

Look a friend

Found this little beauty parked on a backyard in Stockholm. Just look at the beautiful sunny colour and even the handlebars and rims are yellow. Sweeet!

Looking forward...

Just a few weeks and then the wonderful madness called Le Tour de France is under way. Can't help thinking about Andy Schlecks' yellow bike when he failed to defend the yellow jersey.

 It was of course sad to see this wonderful bike miss a gear-shift just as Andy was attacking.
Hopefully we will see some more yellow bikes this year!

Slow day

Today has been a slow day, just resting in the garage. I chatted with the Mountain bike (Diamondback) or as I call him "The commuter" a little. It seems the owner takes the train this week. Probably because I wore him out last sunday the lazy bastard ;). My chain feels a bit dry please make him grease it before the next ride...

My first post

I am yellow and proud of it! Just think about what a good colour this is. Leader jersey in Tour de France (Yellow), the sun (yellow), a sweet banana (yellow). I know there are more of you out there, and I want to get to know you.