Pave before Pave became trendy.....Glory Days

T.W.'s Lake Ride. Brought to you by tapwater....( that sh&t's good )

Saturday turned out to be the perfect bookend to a pretty solid week on the bike.  2 Don Valley training rides and a pre-tour of the new Dagmar trail with Jeff & Co. 

So the plan was hatched.  A Lake Simcoe ride via Zephyr and Jacksons Point.  Throw in 2 flats ( yours truly ) 1 throw away Vittoria Open Corso tire, 1 km of gravel, a boatload of headwind and that's what the 120+ km route had in store for us.

We started out Saturday at 6 a.m. in the hopes of beating the heat and salvaging some of the long weekend for non riding commitments.  It seems everyone was pulled in one way or another.

The day was perfect, the route was somewhat new and we hit a few roads that I had not done before.  2 flats, fresh butter tarts and coffee equals good times. 

As you can see from the picture the wind strung us out pretty good coming back from Lake Simcoe but that is nothing new it seems for the summer of the changing headwind.  For whatever reason it is a curse and leg destroyer.  What doesn't kill you makes you stronger or something like that...

All in all a solid lake ride with talk of getting another one in this fall.  This weekend is the Ride For Karen and the long range forecast looks perfect.

Maple Syrup and Butter Smoooth Roads.....

Road Riding in Oro County ON.

Another twisty road in SC - Endless Options From Hincape's Hotel Domestique

It's worth noting this was the Road / Pit Bull encounter that prompted the pepper spray :)

Riding in the clouds of the Blue Ridge Parkway - Brevard NC

No Title Needed

Assault on the Carolina's ( Place Holder Check Back Later )

What's the definition of insanty ?

Isn't it something like doing the same thing expecting a different outcome ?  So why am I riding Mavic wheels you may ask after my 2 year ordeal with the Crossmax 29er wheels ?  Well I got a killer deal on a set of Kysrium SLR's and could not pass them up at that below cost price for new wheels.  Plus a few years have past right ? Well at least that's what I keep telling myself.

So let me skip to the coles notes on these.  Superlight and very very strong.  A bit of wheel flex with the rear non drive side carbon spokes.  Braking is great ( Exalith rim treatment ) but expect MEGA noise unless you run a extreme toe in.  ( 1mm on front 3mm on tailing ).  Stealth look and the tires are pretty good too.  Wore through a new set of Mavic Exalith pads on the downhills of NC. 

I have about 1000 km on them so far so we will see how well they hold up after a summer of Grand Fondos and club rides.

Curves for days in Travellers Rest SC and on top of the Ridge in Brevard NC.

How can you get tired of looking at this ? By introducing over 7000 meters of climbing.  Legs are toast but in a good way.  Can't wait for the woods to thaw but in the meantime it back on the road bikes.

First time in about 5 years we have done a " Road Only " SC / NC trip.

The weather was perfect in South and North Carolina, the roads were brilliant and yes we found out first had that the butter smooth roads in NC is down to the gas tax that SC does not have so thank god for 25C's on some of those 10 km long descents.

Less than a month to go for North / South Carolina

Well it's decided.  This will be the bookmark on the 2015 Carolina camp.  Caesars Head is a  challenging 6 mile climb to the top ( that's the big dip in the profile ) and Walnut Hollow which is a steep mile climb.  This ride caps out at a 1000 riders ( sold out ) and is in it's 16th year.  We will be lining up with some friends we met in Sedona that live in Brevard so should be a great ride.

2015 AOTC Century

Rinascita Di Una Leggenda...

What a difference a few part swaps make on a classic bike like the Colnago Master X Light.  This frame has been with me for a while and I finally retired the Ambrosia rims and the Durrachi crank set ( sacrilege I know )  Enter Mavic Kysrium SLR, Campagnolo Record 11 speed cranks, Pinarello Most Bar / Stem combo, Pro Evo Stealth Seatpost,  Flite Ti Saddle, Look S-Track MTB pedals and the 61 cm bike weighs in at 17.6 lbs as pictured.  Not bad for a steel frame and 1/2 carbon Colnago fork.

 I wish I had a chance to throw all of this on pre Ride For Karen but never had the time.  The last few long road rides have been great with more to come.  I am glad I kept it and I have a few more part swaps to make but I am 2/3rds done.

Jury is still out on the Mavic Tires and their longevity.  Stay tuned.