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!