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: