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Friday, June 27, 2008

Cascade Bicycle Studio

As most readers know, we here at BKW are intrigued by shops that focus on the passionate cyclist. We have noticed a trend that's forming in the bicycle industry. There is a push for bike shops which are smaller in size and narrower in focus. A shop specific to tandem riders, one aimed at the hucking crowd and of course, shops aimed at road cyclists. This specific approach offers cyclists a concentrated dose of their passion, free from both the physical and mental distractions of a traditional bike shop.

Our latest shop visit lands BKW in the Pacific Northwest with a visit to Cascade Bicycle Studio (CBS), a one man, one-on-one bicycle studio that operates by "appointment only". Given the nature of the studio and the individualistic approach, we'd fall short if we didn't mention its proprietor and founder, long-time bike industry guy, cyclocross fanatic, and Hup United founder, Zac Daab.

Zac's background is very similar to most bike industry folks: he began working at a bike shop at a very early age, sweeping the floors, building bikes for inventory, and picking up lunch for the mechanics and sales team. It was during these years that Zac became hooked on cycling and it became his full-time obsession and, in one form or another, his vocation for the next 12 years. Prior to his launch of CBS, Zac worked at Seven Cycles as Senior Fit Expert, recommending more than 7,000 frame specifications for a variety of clients, including olympians, professional athletes, weekend warriors, and cycling enthusiasts. Zac's broad industry experience equips him to offer an expert opinion as it relates to bicycle fitting, custom bicycle design and geometry, and material selection based on the rider's intended use of the bike and previous riding experience. Zac's education at Seven and his years of retail experience provided him with a perfect segue to the "studio" approach to bicycle retail.

CBS is located in Seattle's Fremont neighborhood. The studio space is set just off the main street, resting literally below the hustle of North 36th Street. Stepping through the doorway and into the Studio was a sensory experience. The warm glow of the wood floors paired with the beautiful, neatly aligned machines created a sensation that was part awakening and part flash bulb memory. Much in the same way that small shop in Redding, California did when I visited it after more than 22 years: the smell and feel of the space marked a first. For CBS, it was the first time I entered a "studio" bike shop, and for the latter shop, the first time I walked into an honest-to-goodness California bike shop. The first impressions of CBS remains etched into my mind's eye.

My initial thoughts were "where is all the stuff?" The streamlined nature of the shop and simple lack of the superfluous was, at first, disorienting. I mean, where are the boxes? the bright colors? the racks of clothes? the kids bikes? the tire inventories? the big service area? Where is all the stuff? Ahhh..., but this is the essence of CBS...streamlined and clutter-free. With these components missing, CBS is free to focus on the aspects that a passionate cyclist is seeking. Great advice, empowerment and top-level service.
The atmosphere at the studio is relaxed, professional, and rich in bicycle culture. Clients of all abilities and goals are welcome at the studio and a strong emphasis is placed on uncovering client needs and goals, rather than quizzing client’s knowledge, skill set, and accolades. At CBS, one does not need to “earn” the right to be a part of the studio culture. - CBS website
To some, CBS's product and service offerings may seem too narrow, too single-minded, but for others who seek their dream bike or relief from pain on the bicycle, CBS provides the right blend of offerings and non-exclusivity. A comparison could be drawn between cycling and motorsports. If you own an older model BMW, a car dedicated for use at the track, and you are seeking advice and mechanical expertise to make your car faster on track days, the dealer is probably the last place you would seek info. The focus of the dealer is different than a small shop who specializes in track cars (maybe even your generation BMW). Add a mechanic whose former experience was building BMW's race engines and now you have a shop whose focus aligns with your very specific needs and has the background to offer a level of support that few others do.

When you break down the Studio approach into its simplest form, it becomes apparent why it appeals to cyclists seeking top-level service and advice on the purchase of their next machine. Today's bikes are more technical and more expensive than ever before. CBS distills all components of a traditional shop leaving the services and products that are of interest and benefit to the serious cyclist. CBS aims not to sell a cyclist their first bike, but rather to sell them their second or third bike or fourth.

CBS's offerings are not limited to solely bikes. While visiting, Zac was wrapping up the installation of two SRMs for different customers. Having spent a season riding the SRM, I see the benefit of purchasing such a complex instrument from a retailer who has the time to explain the functions of the training tool and to address the enivitable flood of questions I will have in the future.

The cycling population at large is slowly adjusting to the new kid on the block, and for those who have a "studio" in their community, the acceptance of this approach to bicycle retail has already begun. In the same way the "corporate store" has rewritten the retail landscape, the studio approach is next. Bicycle retail is undergoing another transition in an effort to keep up with its customers and their needs.

If you find yourself in the Pacific Northwest, schedule a visit with Zac and drop by CBS. You won't be disappointed.

CBS is hosting an open house this weekend (June 27th - June 28th) to welcome representatives from Seven Cycles. Three days of Seven demo rides will be held. Please email or call CBS if you would like to attend the open house or to schedule a Seven Cycles test ride.

Cascade Bicycle Studio
473 North 36th Street #C
Seattle, WA 98103

Thursday, June 26, 2008

Seeing the Changing World

I wrote this in 2001 in the wake of the 9/11 attacks. The piece never found a home but the attacks and the piece came to mind recently as I watched a preview of M. Night Shyamalan's The Happening. As this is the season for vacations, I thought it might be an appropriate time to see the light.

It's no secret that I believe time off from work spent away from home isn't a vacation unless you have a bike with you. I'm realizing that I just don't believe it's a good idea to travel without a bike. By day I write for a trade publication that covers the electronic security industry. I spend my time interviewing the people you pay to make your home and your business safe. As I write this it is the 24th of September, 2001 and most of America is trying to come to grips with the aftermath of what are now being termed the Sept. 11th attacks. Less than two weeks prior to the attacks I was in New York city for a trade show at the Jacob Javits center. Using one of those great little passes you get from the USCF for travel on United, I loaded up my bike carrier and headed for the city that never sleeps (and trust me, it doesn't).

I had but two specific goals for my bike while in NYC. I wanted to go for a ride with writer J.P. Partland, and I wanted to ride in Central Park, the latter being a quintessentially New York-roadie activity in my imagination.

My Times Square hotel gave me close proximity to the park and I rose early to go spin around the loop. Years of VeloNews reading gave me an appreciation of the course's few features, so when I rounded the loop's north end and hit the road's one real hill—a hill insignificant to racers at 20 mph, but known for breaking big men when hit at 30 miles per hour—I felt like I was walking from the desert into Mecca.

For those of you who remember the name Jackson Lynch, former PR honch for Polo Sports and Trek, and before that an editor for Mountain Biker and Bicycle Guide, he was the one guy on a road bike I saw that morning. You might think that mention to be an aside, but it is part of my point: The bicycle has the ability to make the big world seem small.

After my ride the next day with J.P., I got brave. I decided to take my bike downtown and play in traffic. I figured if I was going to go on record and claim that the best way to see the world was from the seat of a bicycle, I better back it up by riding in a less idyllic setting. I headed straight down Broadway for the financial center. Once, a few years back, a girlfriend completely enamored of America's financial center had driven me through the district late at night. Even at two in the morning it seemed to pulse with an unseen ingenuity.

I rode several loops around the World Trade Center. At the time, the event seemed significant only on a personal level: I was in the presence of one of the world's most significant structures. I knew most of my friends would think me crazy. Maybe not now. On the same ride I made sure to pass the Empire State and Chrysler Buildings. I marveled at each of those landmarks, ever in awe of the New York commerce machine.

Sitting here, those buildings, and the people who worked in them, are present tense for me. The smells of the diesel, the deli I passed, the way my eyes teared at the exhaust, the angle I craned my neck to peer through the shadows cast on everyone below, and the reverberations of the trucks, buses, cars and honking taxis off the surrounding concrete captivated me with its raw energy. I'd leap off the line, dodge the traffic, only to pause for the light and a look at the changing skyline.

Tuesday, June 24, 2008

The Big Easy

I was visiting the folks at Specialized for a writing project unrelated to BKW last fall when I got the invitation to join Mike Sinyard and some Specialized staffers for Mike’s weekly abuse session called the Big Easy. To the degree that one can reasonably expect truth in advertising I think the Big Easy strikes the right balance. It was certainly “big” but it was anything but “easy.” Starting in Morgan Hill at Sinyard’s home, the ride takes in a clockwise loop that heads over the mountains for the coast through Aptos and Soquel, and then back over the mountains before dropping back into Morgan Hill.

No one had a GPS unit on their bike, so my route notes are limited to estimations by those present. I’m told the loop was 80-85 miles and had 10,000-11,000 feet of climbing. We were gone roughly five hours.

I’ve been hearing about this ride for some years and have been very curious about it. I knew if I ever had the chance I would move heaven and earth to attend. Sinyard rides a Roubaix exclusively; I suspected that the roads used in this ride might have something to do with it.

Our route took us over three significant climbs and by significant I mean they were all long enough to make a Cat. V cry. The first climb turned to dirt less than half way up and demanded steady power, careful steering and a light touch through the loosest of the gravel. The descent down the other side was steep, narrow, occasionally rutted and as twisty as the plot of a Hollywood thriller. It was, in short, hairy enough to take the edge off the fun.

We rolled into the hamlet of Corralitos and stopped at the tiny market to refill on water. Sinyard has an utterly charming habit of referring to everything that’s not water as juice. It reminds me of something my dad would say, but his habit of looking after all those present had a warmth and caring that was more maternal than paternal. Andrew Hammond, one of the instructors for SBCU (and a very strong rider) said with forboding tone of finality, “Well, that’s it; no matter which way we go, we have to climb to get home.” His voice rang with horror picture doom. I was delighted.

Our route took us through Aptos, Capitola and to a small market on the old San Jose-Santa Cruz Highway that Sinyard said he’d been visiting on his rides for 30 years. He told me of how the market recently sold and the new owners had taken down the old sign; he was genuinely sad about the loss of the little piece of local history. Leaving the market we ground our way up a long, shallow grade toward our rendezvous with Los Gatos. After topping out on the climb we had a short descent to a detour that forced onto a gravel path descent.

On the edge of town the group faced a decision. Or rather, it would have been a decision any other day, but this time, with a guest present, there was no choice. We would do Hicks, a road that skirts Almaden Quicksilver Park and an ascent of such ferocity that Andrew told me he had no idea how long or steep it was, only that after the first 100 meters he goes to his personal happy place and waits for the torture to end. Turns out, I went to my happy place as well, which was a bit back down the road from his.

As we spun back to our start point, Sinyard’s home, I played back the day’s events as much as I could in my head. I wanted to make permanent as many of the day’s features as I could. The upshot of my mental replay was that I was filled with a sense of mortal envy. I couldn’t believe how lucky these folks were to have such extraordinary riding so close to home.

Leadership works best when it is credible and has the ability to inspire. Sinyard wasn’t the fastest on each of the climbs, but he was rather conspicuously not last, either. It was evident from attitudes of the employees present that each had brought his A-game that day. Perhaps what was most impressive is what didn’t happen: Sinyard didn’t race the course. He rode at his own pace, enjoying himself and didn’t try to prove that he was still alpha dog at the top of each climb or in getting to the bottom of each descent.

Sinyard has a peculiar habit whenever he flies back from Asia; he meets a van driver at the airport who has his bike and a change of clothes for him. He then, despite the jet lag, rides the nearly 100 miles home.

It would be foolhardy and inaccurate to suggest that for a bike company to find success its CEO should be a serious cyclist. But it was evident in talking with Sinyard that being a rider and having products that made each ride more enjoyable was clearly no less a priority in 2008 than they were in 1974. He rides a Roubaix; that’s his road bike of choice, rather than the company’s flagship Tarmac SL2, which bolsters the argument that the bike isn’t just a hybrid with drop bar.

Back at his home at the end of the ride he made us smoothies, salad and spaghetti. It would be easy to take the cynical view and chalk his hospitality to a CEO turning on the charm for the media, but I can’t accept that idea. His charm was too natural, his hospitality too genuine, his love of hard roads too real to improvise.

Tuesday, June 17, 2008

Mid-Week Classic

The Mid-Week Classic (MWC) gets its name because it's held every Wednesday. Both the route and intensity are much akin to a one-day Classic. It starts early in the Spring, which often means temps are cold and conditions vary from sunny and warm to instantaneous downpours and the race has little time for pleasantries. The MWC is a bare-knuckle, fisticuffs event complete a "no-rules" policy, which basically states that it's "game-on" at exactly 5:30 p.m. The course is 40 miles out and back and the terrain varies from rolling hills and false flats to a nasty criterium section complete with multiple chicanes and a rutted series of back roads punctuated with potholes, off-camber turns and some spontaneous gravel in sections.

The MWC makes no apologies and takes no prisoners, which is why it's a favorite for the local Category ones and twos. I incorporated the MWC into my weekly schedule two seasons ago and feel that it has drastically improved my fitness. I guess if I'm not going to pay a coach to train me, the next best thing is to make sure I show up on the important training rides.

The MWC is an epic event, but one ride in particular was so over the top, that I'll never forget it.

Last July we experienced a two-week period where the temps were relentless and hovered in the 32°-34°C range. The wicked humidity so common with July helped to create a recipe for a complete and utter cracker! At 5:15 p.m. the ride began taking shape; the usuals showed along with some new faces. At 5:30 p.m. the group was complete (25 of us in all) and we rolled in the familiar fashion up and out of town. Just as we passed the last of the tall buildings, the unofficial gun sounded and it was "game-on". The attacks began and they were relentless, one followed another and pretty soon, the group was strung out into a single file line, forced into a thin ribbon by the intense pace and strong head wind. Despite the 37°C degree temps the ride was like so many before it: fast, serious, and requiring the A-game.

As we rounded the halfway point and turned to the benefit of the wind, the skies began to cloud over and turn an eerie, greenish black, appearing bruised and angry. As the wind began to increase, so did the dust and debris, unleashed by 14 days of scorching temps and a relentless sun. As the darkest portion of the sky took hold of the MWC's route, the wind began gusting and the sky began to unleash its fury on the group. First the rain drops were few but large, when they hit your face or legs they stung and they were cold. Very cold. Then came the full brunt of the storm, the sky opened and released all the emotions it had been holding back for two weeks, the rain was so heavy that glasses were a hindrance. The rider in front of you was only a faint silhouette and the cars passing just feet from our shoulders were reduced to a series of red streaks.

The rain quickly overpowered the storm sewers, collecting on the tarmac and puddling in the low spots. The rain absorbed the heat from the pavement and, in turn, felt like tepid bath water as it soaked your clothes and filled your shoes. It remains one of the most visceral sensations I have ever felt while riding bike. The cold front that carried the rain quickly rolled in behind bringing with it an incredible drop in temperature and creating zones of temps varying enough to be felt by your skin. Despite the rain, wind, cold, and zero visibility we continued in a style typical of Wagner, maintaining the aggression and speed of a normal MWC but it was elevated to epic by the rains and the chaos they brought. As quickly was the rain came it receded, pulling with it the heat and humidity, laying waste to weeks of dust and debris and leaving all of us, wet and cold and and even more motivated to keep the pace high and the action strong. As we positioned ourselves for the final sprint of the ride, the sun began to reappear and temps had plummeted to a chilly 21°C, we all knew that we were part of a ride that was truly epic, a day where a line was drawn among the local cyclists. A line that delineated those who were there, and those who were not.

Sunday, June 15, 2008

The PRO Life

Suffering is the glamorous part of being a PRO. The visage of a PRO is never more dramatic or memorable than when juxtaposed against his immaculate PRO kit and state-of-the-art carbon machine with complementarily colored saddle, pristine white tape and gleaming chain. With his face twisted in a sweat dripping, snot slathered, lactic grimace, he is the epitome of effort.

We acknowledge the training the PROs do to reach their fitness, but rarely do we speak of the sacrifices they make beyond the restrictive diet. Sure, we know they can’t eat donuts and drink beer with every meal, but pedaling a bicycle at 40 mph to win in front of thousands and in front of television cameras that will broadcast your exploits into tens of millions of homes around the world requires sacrifices most of us are unwilling to make.

After all, the training is only part of the equation. Rest is equally important; under a 30-hour-per-week workload, PROs nap daily and sleep hours of which we can only dream. The routines of a PRO are simple, monastic: Eat, train, sleep. Repeat.

Strolling through shops in the afternoon: not PRO. Hiking in the woods with the girlfriend: not PRO. Driking margaritas on the beach at sunset: not PRO. Dancing at discos at midnight: not PRO. Taking recreational drugs: not PRO.

These are the basic, the elemental refusals a PRO must make his peace with if he wishes to reach the top. It is not so different from getting married: marriage means not playing the field, not if you wish to do marriage well.

What the riders want is not at issue. The crisis the sport faces is one of perception. The specter of performance enhancing drugs makes the athlete look like a cheat and cheating is unacceptable to the vast majority of fans and sponsors. Cheating is uncovered often enough that it is unpalatable to most sponsors.

If, indeed, all that was at stake was bicycle riding, no one would care. Pedro Delgado, Frank Vandenbroucke and Bjarne Riis would all have stayed at home were that the case. But this isn’t just bicycle riding; that’s what we, the television audience do. While we may race, for whatever reason we chose not to pursue the PRO life and its many sacrifices.

No, Delgado, Vandenbroucke, Riis, etc. were in pursuit of the age-old draw: fame and fortune. It may be that cheating doesn’t upset everyone, but most folks like to know that an athlete’s glory was achieved without outside assistance.

It is true that big money sponsorship has brought increased scrutiny to cycling. But no one has complained about the increased television exposure and salaries that came with those sponsorships. Were cycling still the sport of peasants sponsored 100 francs at a time, few would care. However, multinational corporations have an image (whether accurate or honed by the PR machine) they wish to protect. A company like Nike has enough problems with accusations of slave-wage labor not to want to battle the added image problem brought on by the scandal of a doped-up athlete.

Back when dope was an individual affair, which is to say, before science and organization entered the picture, stimulants and analgesics were the name of the game. “Pot Belge” has usually been described as a mixture of amphetamines, cocaine, heroine and caffeine. Recreational drugs, all. There’s been some speculation about just how much Pot Belge can help one’s performance, but whether it really helps or not, isn’t the point. The riders believed it helped and that’s enough to cast it in the dark light of performance enhancing.

With the advent of the biological passport and longitudinal testing as tools to verify that riders who race (that is, all riders, not just the ones who win) are clean, there are no vacations from the PRO life. That’s the deal.

There’s an implicit understanding when you get married: no hookers, no ex-girlfriends (or boyfriends). The same thing goes for cycling: no drugs. It’s a simple formula, really. The audience and the sponsors don’t want to ask questions about the nature of the win. If you have to ask which drugs, you don’t quite get the picture.

Longitudinal testing is intended to show that riders know the difference, that they understand the definition of cheating from the fans’ view. With fans and sponsors leaving the sport, there are no small infractions. There are no acceptable drugs. If drug testing profiles the substance, chances are it shouldn’t be in you, not if you want to be a PRO.

How Tom Boonen might be penalized for his transgression is pretty unimportant. He’s not going to the Tour de France. The green jersey will not be at the Tour de France. That’s a big deal. Would a two-year suspension teach him something more than missing the Tour de France? It seems unlikely.

Boonen needs to get a clue. Every time one rider tests positive, the whole of the peloton is cast in suspicion. It may not be fair, and the dedicated fan might be able to see through it, but big-dollar sponsorships and television coverage demand that price be paid.

Morality is not the subject here. We sit not in judgement. If you need to party like Lindsay Lohan, that’s for you to decide, but because a PRO’s body can be tested 24/7/365, a PRO is on duty for the duration. Those are the stakes of the game. Play it well and adulation and riches will be yours. Play it poorly and embarrassment will be thy middle name.

Image courtesy John Pierce, Photosport International

Thursday, June 12, 2008

Tornado Tom ... Indeed

If outrage or incomprehension was your reaction to news of Tom Boonen's positive test for cocaine, then you get the situation better than he does. To be fair, a cyclist of Boonen's stature in Belgium is a rock star, which is a sort of demi-god, and like other figures of mythical status can generally get away with acts that would be criminal by mortal standards. Think Apollo.

A Belgian King of the Classics. Yes, he's supposed to drive a Porsche. And yes, he's supposed to get stopped for speeding; he's a bike racer! But cocaine? That rock star comment was supposed to be metaphoric. Oops.

The situation seems no different than when Jan Ullrich was caught for taking ecstasy. It seems likely it was a "just this once" sort of mistake. Only Boonen had Ullrich's example to show what can go wrong. Imagine yourself in a club and you're the most popular guy there. I know, but try to imagine it. You're going to be offered everything in that club. Everything. There are at least a few of those things to which, as one of the world's great bike racers, you need to have the cojones to say , "No."

The problem here is that cycling is in such a tenuous state of credibility that the only way this situation could be worse was if Boonen had been riding for a team such as High Road, CSC or Slipstream that has taken great public steps to demonstrate it's riders are clean.

Drunk driving would be understandable; irresponsible, but understandable. Alcohol is an acceptable (at minimum) part of a meal. A fourth (or fifth) glass of wine or beer before getting in the car is a mistake that some folks make. But cocaine comes with the taint of party boy, which implies a different sort of recklessness. And because cocaine is a stimulant par excellence, if you didn't think, "Boy, I could make my bike go a million kilometers per hour on this stuff," we'd have to question your sanity, not your judgement. And there's the rub. For the bike racer, anything that can be construed as a drug ought to be seen as off-limits.

Perhaps Tom didn't get the memo. The memo came from the viewing audience. It was brief. It said, "Don't embarrass our sport anymore."

Under other circumstances, his apology would have been acceptable, applaudable even. He said, "Lately, my name has appeared several times in the news in a negative manner. I realise that with this I have hurt my family, my friends, my team and my fans. I wish to apologise for that. But I am not perfect. I will accept the consequences. You will understand that in spite of everything that has been written, rightfully or wrongly, I am not here to defend my conduct."

That wasn't good enough. Frankly, it smacks of Johann Museeuw's apology for not being "100 percent honest" during his days as a racer. Now, more than ever, we need someone caught red-handed to step up and say, "Yes, I did (insert name of drug here), and I apologize. I don't know what I was thinking."

Don't let the fact that his team is standing behind him obscure the gravity of the situation. Lefevre can be credibly accused of being one of the better architects of systemic doping in the peloton. To expect exemplary leadership from him is like asking a fifth grader to teach calculus; it's not fair because he just doesn't get it.

Which, is exactly Tornado Tom's problem. He can't possibly be seeing the issue through our eyes, otherwise such a gaff would never have occurred. And now that we have a clear illustration that his view of the "doping problem" isn't our view of the "doping problem" it calls into question his judgement as a whole. It hurts, because he's one of the last guys in the peloton we wanted this from.

Now we are faced with the ugly question of wondering what else Boonen may find acceptable on a "just this once" basis.

Photo courtesy John Pierce, Photosport International

Wednesday, June 11, 2008

1987 Tour de France - La Plagne

John Pierce: Revisiting Roche's Triple Crown

I was there.

Following many years in the 1970s as the event photographer for the Raleigh Dunlop Tour of Ireland, I became friendly with many of the Irish race organisers and riders. In the 1979 season, one of the organisers from the Tour of Ireland— Noel Hammond invited me to his Dublin home. It was here that the winner of that year’s Ras Taileann, Dubliner Stephen Roche showed me a small letter from AC-BB France, signed by Mickey Wiegants. The letter invited him to join the club in the western suburb of Paris; unusually it came direct from the club’s owner/president in the South of France.

He had been invited to join the French club, designated to accept English, speaking riders. The list is enviable and included some riders from my own club, and thus considered a confidant on the possibilities. I asked the 20-year-old Roche some straight questions, regarding home, job, languages and of course girlfriends.

At that time the answers were favourable for living abroad for a while. He was at the end of an apprenticeship as a diesel vehicle fitter. We decided that first he should finish the apprenticeship so he had something to fall back on. Over the coming winter he should take French lessons, then he should pack his handlebars and saddle for a spell in France.

He went to Paris to meet with Claude Escalon, the manager of the AC-BB. Escalon was a hard taskmaster; in training riders were given points, not just for being on the front, but also for related efforts. Roche had an unusual talent as a rider—he simply ‘floated,’ such was his smooth pedalling action. He hardly ever fought the bike. In his first season at AC-BB in 1980 he found success as winner of the amateur Paris-Roubaix. He turned pro for Peugeot—a sponsor of the AC-BB—and won 10 races in the 1981 season, including Paris Nice.

In 1987 Roche achieved an amazing triple, becoming only the second rider in history to win the Giro d’Italia, Tour de France and the World Championship Road Race in the same season.

The Tour de France was a special landmark moment for myself. Firstly, it started in the centre of Berlin, two years before the wall came down. It was also my 21st Tour, a moment not overlooked by the Tour’s then owner, Jacques Goddet, who made a personal presentation to me. In his speech he talked about how he had been educated in Britain where Cricket and Football were more important than cycling. In his presentation he noted that I was the first to take images of their beautiful sport outside of France. He also noted that the race leader was also an English speaker, and indeed shared the same path.

There were some great moments, but two incidents were the foundations of a fantastic Tour de France victory by Roche. Some would say tactically brilliant, others would say he made his own luck; I wonder if there is a difference.

On the stage to La Plagne, won by Laurent Fignon, Pedro Delgado was in yellow, and second on GC was Roche, but Roche couldn’t climb as fast a Delgado. Instead of fighting to stay in contact, Roche ‘regrouped’ and set his own pace. On the 15km-long climb, Roche lost 1 minute in the first 5km; if this continued the race for him would be over. Then a strange thing happened, and was realised by Roche, and this is the clever bit. Delgado was of course receiving time checks, via motorcycle as there were no radios in 1987, and had been told that Roche was at 1:40, so the race was his, as Fignon was not a danger. In Roche’s head he had to make a big effort to contain Delgado, so at 5kms he let go with his biggest effort of the Tour.

At this point Delgado would have been at 4kms to go, much too late to receive any more time checks on the whereabouts of Roche. I was at the 1km banner making pictures—it was my chosen place. I made a time check for Stephen; he was 40 seconds down on Delgado. The final 600m of La Plagne is a false flat; Roche caught former teammate Denis Rous and as he passed him Roche threw the chain onto the big ring, and his bike stopped. Rous went back past him, wondering what on earth he was doing. Then Roche got his momentum back and sprinted past Rous for the second time, this time to within sight of the cars
behind Delgado. Minus 5 seconds. Incredible.

The other stage that comes to mind where Roche deployed superb tactics, or simply got lucky was into Morzine-Avoriaz, a stage won by Edouardo Chozas. Delgado—the better climber—had to drop Roche on the climb of the Joux Plane before the descent into Morzine; he didn’t, either because he was tactically unsavvy or because he simply couldn’t. Additionally, Roche knew that Delgado had crashed out of the Tour on the descent of the Joux-Plane in a previous year, breaking his collarbone. So, when it came to the descent, a long and sinuous 16kms, Roche attacked and Delgado faltered. Roche descended so fast that he caught the red Race Director’s advance vehicle that precedes the battle for the Yellow Jersey. That had never happened in the Tour de France before and was quite outrageous—Roche took the Yellow.

Roche was a huge natural talent, but to win the Giro d’Italia he was assisted by Careera teammate Eddy Schepers and also to a great extent by his former AC-BB and Peugeot teammate and friend Robert Millar, who in Italy won the mountains classification. Schepers was again there for him in France, as was Sean Kelly. Kelly would later sacrifice his own chances in the World Championships at Villach, when in the last kilometers Roche streaked away to victory, robbing either Kelly or Moreno Argentin of victory. It would be prudent to note that these performances were achieved when the performance booster EPO did not exist.

John Pierce
Covered 41 editions Tour de France

Tuesday, June 10, 2008

Tom Danielson: Ready for the Tour

If there’s a PRO with worse luck than Tom Danielson, it could only have been Jonathan Vaughters. Seemingly the only team director able to capitalize on the rider’s phenomenal talent to date has been Tom Schuler for whom the trio of Danielson, Chris Horner and Nathan O’Neil won nearly every race that mattered in 2003. Danielson won Mt. Washington along the way, showing his incredible gift for climbing.

Then he signed for Fassa Bortolo; the move seemed smart because US Postal seemed to have so much talent (and a clear leader) that Danielson wouldn’t have been able to contest the GC at any stage races where his obvious talent lies. So Giancarlo Feretti sent him to one-day races, which is a little like driving nails with a screwdriver.

Danielson has, unfortunately, proven rather fragile. Between injury and illness he probably hasn’t had more than a few weeks at better than 90% since 2003.

But he’s healthy now. Thanks in no small part to the understanding guidance of Jonathan Vaughters, Danielson has been glued back together in a way that would turn Humpty Dumpty green with envy.

Below is a redacted video of Danielson climbing the Mount Montseny southwest of Girona. And yes, the whole thing is in the big ring.

Monday, June 9, 2008

Rooted in the complication of Western society, our daily lives lack the now of our ancestors. Days pass into weeks of restrained existence; days spent where our most definitive stroke may be command-S. Tens of thousands of years of descent with modification in our sapient brains tell us this isn’t what life is meant to be. So we go on vacation. And what do we do? We look for the defining moment. Something to restore life to our life.

In interviews with race car drivers, big wave surfers and overweight corporate raiders climbing Mount Everest, one hears a common refrain: that in their moment of greatest difficulty the rest of their lives ceased to matter. And it’s not that they didn’t care about the job, the family, the dog, the bills, it’s that if only for a moment, they could see life stripped of its complications, they could see themselves in an unencumbered way so that they were no more and no less than a person doing.

In the grand scheme, I believe that each time a person takes a timeout to reset their minds and bodies back to now something good is achieved. The more we pile layer and layer of mortgage, car payment, market fluctuations, long commutes, disconnected job roles as well as the awkward negotiation of family roles at home, the more we struggle to keep straight our life’s priorities. And as our priorities and roles abuse our sense of self each day, we struggle to find happiness or even peace. But such vacations can clear the smoke of a day’s stress by rooting us to a moment.

That said, I mistrust the urge to drive ever harder in our off-time, as if the trite, “work hard, play hard” makes anyone a better, more balanced person. What I find more problematic is the need for the Ordinary Joe to climb Mount Everest or undertake any activity that possesses what could be called “a statistically significant rate of death.” There’s something supremely selfish about fathers walking a knife’s edge between success and death.

As cyclists, you are already aware that mortal peril is not a prerequisite to stripping away the demands of the day. Obviously, you don’t need the sales pitch for why cycling is an ideal path to self-discovery. Rather, what encourages and mystifies me are the multitude ways that cycling can strip the day away.

I’ve gone so hard on climbs I couldn’t have told you my name at the top. Most of the greatest descents I’ve undertaken I recall as silent films—sound ceased to exist during those moments. Whole races have gone by where what remains etched is the sound of 100 chains playing over gears. The sound of rubber sliding, spokes breaking and metal gnashing can refocus your eyesight before you are even aware, causing you to look not for the line to follow, but for the hole, the escape route to safety. Any time I see a gap open there is nothing else on my mind other than putting a finger in that dike.

We can find those moments even when there isn’t effort involved. Who can take a leisurely spin at dusk and not be glued to the sunset? That we can strip the complications away so easily (not to mention inexpensively) can keep even the most type-A sort on a more even keel for all four seasons. We needn’t risk life to figure out that our families matter.

For those who manage a morning ride before work, there’s a benefit beyond the camaraderie and effort we show up for. As we spin the small chainring home we compile the day’s priorities: shower, family, work, oh—a few bills. Following a first hour spent rooted in now, the others seem much easier to understand.

Friday, June 6, 2008

The Brethren

We roadies are bonded. To be roadies, to emulate the PROs, to have a day where PRO Is Program Go! has come following education, supplication, surrender, even the odd humiliation. When on a ride, it’s easy to tell friend from Fred. There’s a difference, and it matters.

But unlike other bands of brothers, it’s difficult to pinpoint the rite of passage. Was it the first time we pulled on lycra? As if. Was it our first century? Probably not. Was it our first bonk? Not even close. What about the first time we slathered our legs with a smelly Belgian Knee Warmer? Maybe. What about when we started to look forward to the smell? Getting close.

Unlike Roman Catholicism’s confirmation, Judaism’s Bar Mitzvah or losing one’s virginity, there is no obvious rite of passage, no clear graduation into the ranks of riders accepted in the peloton. Yet we all had that epiphany. At some point we had been out enough that we were accepted. One day we were no longer alien and we no longer set off the xenophobe’s alarms. We had friends. The nervousness of having riders to left and right had passed and we could relax enough to have a conversation. Life inside the bubble ceased to be stressful and became a special treat, kinda like a secret stash of chocolate.

The trust we must earn from fellow members of the peloton is a special distinction. Fraternities wish they knew this brotherhood. At 35 mph every turn the group makes has the potential to go wrong the way freeway crashes do. The endgame can be fatal. I’ve spent years being an apologist for the standoffish ways of the pack, but the fact is, none of us wants to be on the wheel of a guy astride a Schwinn Varsity with tube socks pulled up to his knees. That’s not snobbery, that’s self-preservation.

Each act of the dedicated roadie is part of the system of PRO. We’ve done so many of these for so long, we’ve ceased to think about the rationale for each act. From the fact that sweat evaporates more quickly off shaved legs—keeping the cyclist cooler—to the knowledge that to be considerate of the rider behind, you pedal as you sit down, each act is part of the elaborate logic of the PROs. The guy who shows up in sneakers is telling you his education is incomplete. And the rider with a current helmet (cares about his brain), the armwarmers (the day may change), the shoe covers (an unhappy foot is a weak foot), the bare and glistening legs (no muscle fires like a warm muscle) is a wheel you can trust. He’s studied the magazines, has a series recording set for the Cyclysm, can tell you who won the Tour in ’88 and knows the Lance Feeling. He talks not of how fast he went, but of how he suffered.

We’re not cool. None of us are hip. We are, however, a brethren with a respect for each other paid each time we follow a wheel, each time we tell the story of another rider’s attack that sent us into debt. Suffering, in the end, is the thing that unites us, the grand equals sign that differentiates the accepted from the stranger. Suffering and surviving is our rite of passage.

One day over coffee a friend commented, “Bike friends aren’t real friends.” I disagreed, but kept my tongue at bay. The fact is I couldn’t disagree more strenuously; he couldn’t have been more wrong.

Our bike friends know the sacrifices we’ve made just to keep up. They know the money we spend on equipment. They know the calories we must refuse, the skipped desserts, the recorked wines, the early mornings, the aching legs, the skinny jokes, the close calls with cars, and the unparalleled exhilaration of following a group of trusted friends down a twisty descent. Bike friends? They are the truest friends we have.

Wednesday, June 4, 2008

Oh the Drama!

In the ongoing and rather melodramatic death match between the Amaury Sport Organization (ASO) and the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI), the two organizations took steps this week further ratcheting up the conflict. Recently, the ASO made an overture to the UCI to return the Tour de France to the UCI’s sanctioning if, in return, the UCI would drop its threat to engage disciplinary proceedings against all riders and teams that participated in Paris-Nice. Smart move. While that seems a reasonable quid pro quo, the UCI declined the offer. The ASO, needing a sanctioning body for the Tour de France (one must have rules … especially in France) turned to the French Cycling Federation (FFC).

If this is beginning to seem more Tom and Jerry than Israel and Palestine to you, that’s okay, the situation is as ridiculous as it seems. Easily the greatest failing in judgment belongs to the UCI. What Pat McQuaid and the rest of the UCI staff have lost sight of is that there would be no need for the UCI without the races that make up its calendar. Had bike races such as the Tour de France (and for that matter, the ASO’s other events including Paris-Roubaix and Liege-Bastogne-Liege) not been founded, there would be no need for the UCI. The UCI gets to exist because there are bike races. This is not a chicken or egg issue.

In legal proceedings, this relationship is referred to as sine qua non: “Without which it could not be.” It is fair to wonder what bicycle racing would be had Liege-Bastogne-Liege not been first run in 1892. Another 8 years would pass before the UCI was founded in Paris.

Okay, so the ASO turned to the FFC to sanction the 2008 Tour de France. It seems unthinkable that the Tour won’t be run under the guidance of the UCI, but there it is. Weirder yet is that the UCI has called the ASO’s actions “deeply regrettable.”

In the annals of passive-aggressive memos, this deserves to go down as a doozy. One does not regret the actions of another. One regrets one’s own actions. For anyone to consider an action on the part of another as regrettable what they are suggesting is that the other party will come to regret their actions. That is a classic passive-aggressive challenge. We expect this sort of language to be used in mafia movies: You can just hear Marlon Brando saying, "I find your actions deeply regrettable."

The UCI’s response to this “deeply regrettable” act was to assert that teams and racers that participate in the Tour will face as yet-to-be-determined disciplinary measures.

The UCI’s threat is utterly absurd. It issued the same threat before an important, though not monumental race when it threatened the teams and riders that raced Paris-Nice. In theory, it was possible to skip Paris-Nice without any great consequence to a rider’s season. The Tour is another matter. Riders and teams plan their whole season around the Tour. Under ordinary circumstance the only things that will keep a rider from the Tour are injury and non-selection. And now the UCI thinks that the threat that was utterly ineffective for Paris-Nice will somehow generate the fear of God when used against the Tour.

Bill Cosby had a routine about the high jump and his inability to clear 6’ 0”—his height. One day he decided, “If I can’t jump my height, why can’t I jump one inch more than my height?” This is precisely the absurd line of reasoning the UCI is using, which is why it’s okay to laugh in response to the UCI’s threat—it’s as hollow as a gymnasium, not to mention hilarious.

Simply put, if you were a PRO, what do you think would be more harmful to your career, the UCI or not showing up to the Tour?

Image courtesy John Pierce, Photosport International

Tuesday, June 3, 2008

The Feed Angel

If the course is the star and the racers the drama, then the chain lube that keeps the whole shebang moving is provided by the volunteer. In the annals of thankless jobs, the race volunteer ranks just behind Congressional Paige and just ahead of Poet Laureate. The tasks are rarely fun (unless you get your jollies from telling the locals that they can’t drive home right now) and the contribution is quickly forgotten (unless something goes wrong).

It’s little wonder they are so hard to recruit.

Tougher still to find are those who volunteer on behalf of the teams. They are to soigneurs what amateurs are to PROs. It’s all the passion, a fraction of the know-how and none of the compensation. How anyone can be recruited week after week to help a team’s racers survive under the acetylene torch rays of the sun, pinning numbers, handing up feeds, tending to the wounded and very often driving vanquisher or vanquished home to bed.

They don’t make a sunscreen strong enough to make those days comfortable.

In the Old Country, when numbers were made of silk and saved after each race, the mamas would come out to sew them onto the jerseys for the riders before the start. Such local town support is more than we can hope to experience in community races, but it’s an accurate reflection of how bike racing is received by most towns, even those in New Belgium.

While course marshals and registration volunteers are as necessary as the course, it’s the feed angel who gets tapped week after week and without whom the complexion of a long road race or hot crit can change utterly. Unlike the registration table where an extra five minutes won’t kill anyone, feeds have no margin of error; miss one and the race is effectively over unless it’s a crit. Combine that stress—imagine being on the receiving end of all the yelling that happens when a bottle is dropped—with the week after week need of a team in the middle of its season and it's a miracle that any team can keep its racers from bonking.

From time to time you’ll find the nonpartisan feed angel who will hold bottles for anyone wearing a number. It’s a special person who understands the race should be decided on legs, not on the level of support the riders can recruit.

Over the years I’ve seen feed angels who handle their duties with the brutal efficiency of a gas station attendant. Others seem overwhelmed by the rush of bikes and grabbing hands. But the best are those who can turn four or five hours into a barbecue at the beach. They can make you crack a grin when joy or humor seem as remote as $1 gas.

Racers have but one task when in the heat of competition. However, it’s the small kindnesses that can show our real gratitude. It’s a topsy turvy world where the racers cheer for the volunteers, but showing gratitude when it should be hardest to conjure could be the best thanks of all.

Of course, there’s nothing like a gift card to a day spa. We may not get treated like PROs, but that’s no reason to neglect them.

Monday, June 2, 2008

Neuvation C50 Carbon Tubular Wheels

Neuvation’s reputation for wheels is at the inexpensive end of the market. Known for wheels that can rival the performance of costly imports, Neuvation seems more memorable for the cost of its wheels rather than the quality.

Anecdotally, there are reports of spoke breakage among riders, but to be fair, there are similar reports for Mavic and American Classic. At a certain point, all wheels fail.

Let’s be honest, that you can get a set of wheels with skewers for $350 may be the most remarkable thing you remember about Neuvation wheels. Were you to ride some, that would change.

In addition to receiving a set of the R28 Aero4s to review, we also received a set of C50 tubulars to review. These are the wheels on which Neuvation’s reputation should be based. Our test wheels weighed in a measly 5g over the advertised weight of 1480g. They were easy to prep for gluing and with a low spoke count (20 front and 24 rear) it was easy to hook my toes over the rim for that last bit of stretching the tire on.

The 50mm carbon rims come from the same mold as another high profile rim maker. The hubs use precision cartridge bearings and stainless steel Sapim double-butted spokes are used to lace the wheels up. Brass nipples are used on the drive side rear while everywhere else alloy nipples are used. And while everyone knows carbon is fragile, Neuvation takes the unusually proactive stance of offering replacement rims for only $250. Not a bad deal, especially considering that these wheels list for an unbelievable $1000. Better yet, it seems like they are always on special on the Neuvation web site for only $668 per set, not per wheel.

The rotational mass of these wheels when paired with a lightweight tubular is very low, making them very easy to accelerate. And while the wheels were very stiff, my favorite ride quality they exhibited was the ability to lend a feeling of greater responsiveness when accelerating out-of-the-saddle.

Honestly, the wheel offers one of the best combinations of all-around performance that I’ve ever run across. They lend an aerodynamic advantage on the flats once your speed is above about 26 mph—as you near 30 mph, it is even more pronounced. Due to their light weight and low rotational mass they still climb well and are a real asset on climbs with a changing gradient. Finally, in hard cornering they help transmit enough road feedback to give you a good sense of the road conditions and your traction even when you choose to run lower tire pressures.

My only issues with these wheels are issues I’ve had with all similar wheels: The carbon brake track is somewhat uneven in braking response, so braking can give a funny pulsating sensation which can be of some concern under fairly hard braking. The other issue is in strong crosswinds. Deep section wheels in a crosswind can be as hard to handle as a bear on jet fuel. As both of those issues are category concerns and not brand concerns, I won’t penalize them for that.

I’ve often heard cutting remarks about guys who ride $2000 wheelsets on training rides. It may seem silly to drive a Ferrari to the market, but when you’ve got great equipment, shouldn’t it get ridden? Conversely, I certainly wouldn’t take a $6000 bike to a criterium. The C50s completely sidestep the issue of what the proper use of spendy wheelsets is. At less than $700, you can ride these any time you want and your only concern is flatting a tubular tire. And for those who won’t even consider tubular wheels (you just don’t know what you’re missing), a clincher is offered for another $340.

When it comes to wheels in the $500-$1000 range—a category I used to consider dangerous territory because I always considered wheels consumables—the C50s are simply unbeatable. If another set of wheels exists that offer the same aerodynamic benefit on the flat, the low weight for the hills and don’t cost a mint, I’d love to know what they are. I haven’t found one and I’ve been looking. Put another way, the performance is PRO, even if the pricetag isn't.

Neuvation Cycling


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Tag Archives: the secret

What’s the best piece of advice you have ever received?

“If I came to think about it again today and calculated it mathematically, I would say no way. No way I could ever send all my kids to school,” said the cab driver.

It was another rainy afternoon I spent at the backseat of a Jakarta cab. The clock was ticking away, the rain kept on pouring, the car horns around me were blaring madly, and still, 20 minutes later, the traffic didn’t move. Fortunately, having spent 12 years commuting, I have familiarized myself with Jakarta’s hellish traffic jam—to the point that it doesn’t really bug me anymore (the fact that I don’t drive my own car helps).

So there were times when I would just watch the traffic in silence; sit cross-legged, close my eyes, and meditate; sing along to the songs being played on the radio; or take a short nap. There were also times when I would play stupid games on my iPhone, text-flirt with a guy I like via WhatsApp, or have a chat with the cab driver.

I didn’t remember how our conversation began that afternoon. I guessed I was casually asking if the driver had kids—and how they were doing with their education. “I have three kids, and alhamdulillah, they are all in school,” he said. A tinge of pride was clearly audible in his voice when he added that the oldest one was about to graduate from university.

“Until today, I still can’t believe it. It’s such a blessing from God that my kids can pursue their education,” he continued, turning down the volume of the radio. “There were times when I counted the money I got from driving this cab, and logically, it was not enough to send my kids to school—not to mention sending my daughter to university. But I always believed that God would help me and show me the way. So I prayed to God. I prayed for my family, for my kids, for myself, for us to be safe and healthy, for my kids to be able to go to school. And then I went back to work and just work as hard as I could, knowing that God had listened to my prayers.”

And then he laughed. “The funny thing was that actually I didn’t get more money. But my daughter got a very good grade and could go to university on a full scholarship. At other times, some relatives suddenly gave us some money. When I wasn’t driving (the cab), someone gave me a job to drive an ojek (motorcycle taxi), thus I could get another source of income. A neighbor asked my wife to help out with cooking or washing.”

“Somehow, we always found ourselves having enough money. Such a blessing from God. I am so grateful. I am not rich, but everything I have, everything that God has given me, is enough.”

The cab driver had just given me the best advice ever about living life.

I had heard about The Secret when the book came out. I didn’t buy or read the book, though. To be honest, I had just watched The Secret movie on YouTube two months ago. When I watched the movie, it confirmed my belief that The Secret is a concept that have grown within me since I was a little kid. The concept is linked to the way we practice our spiritual beliefs.

I remembered how my mom always said, “Go get wudhu (ablution). Shalat. Pray to God. Ask God to help you. Tell God what you want.” Now I realized that this is the process when we’re sending our wishes to the Universe. And when we pray, we need to believe that God is the Almighty. We need to have faith (imaan). The Secret tells us to believe that the Universe is abundant and it will grant our wishes if we only believe.

The Secret also tells us to be specific with our wishes, and to wish only goodness. How many of us, during our elementary school days, have heard jokes or stories about why we need to be specific about what we ask in our prayers? For example, about someone who wants to ‘light up the world’ and end up being a huge candle instead of an inspiring country leader? “Do not pray for bad things to be casted upon others,” my grandmother used to say. “It will be reflected back upon you.” (Jangan doain orang yang jelek-jelek. Nanti malah kamu yang kena.).

The bible said it perfectly as well: “But I say to you who hear, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. To one who strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also, and from one who takes away your cloak do not withhold your tunic either. Give to everyone who begs from you, and from one who takes away your goods do not demand them back. And as you wish that others would do to you, do so to them.”

The Secret also tells us about being thankful for what we have now. About the importance of gratitude. Interestingly, there are five aspects of a prayer in Sufism, and guess what? The first aspect of prayer according to Sufism is, indeed: gratitude.

We’ve been too familiar with the phrase Ora et Labora as a student. Prayer and work. Similarly, The Secret tells us that we need to do something instead of just sit around waiting for magic to happen. We need to make an effort to get us closer to our heart’s desires.

And then we need to let them go.

Do not doubt the Universe and keep asking on why we haven’t seen anything happening yet. We need to believe that the Universe will bring us what we want (or even better) when the time is right. This is the concept of pasrah. Surrendering completely to the hands of God when you’ve done all your best. (Interestingly, I found an article about a missionary who changed his name into Pasrah Karso or Surrendered Will, so I guess this concept is acceptable in different religions).

And so my crash course about The Secret was delivered one rainy afternoon, by an amazing cab driver.

Came to think about it, I was curious. What’s the best piece of advice others have ever received so far? Who gave them this advice, if they still remember? And so I have collected some great advices received by my friends in different parts of the world:

AULIA HALIMATUSSADIAH, INDONESIA. Business woman, start-up founder, author of more than 20 books.

That nobody can hurt me without my consent. My former boss told me this after I broke up with a long time boyfriend. I put the quote as my laptop’s wallpaper for quite some time. Can finally understood the whole meaning two years ago. Now, I can master my own emotion. It’s a life-changing quote.

The best advice I ever got is to surround yourself with people that support you. It’s only in my 20’s that I realized the value of having a core group of friends who are your cheerleaders. Yes, we are there for each other in the sad times, but for me when the people in your life support and encourage you, there is not a whole lot that you can’s achieve.

BINA SHAH, PAKISTAN. Internationally acclaimed writer.

I have received so much wonderful advice in my life from so many people it’s impossible to really pinpoint one piece. However I will tell you about a book that changed my life, and the advice contained in it: Napoleon Hill’s The Power of Positive Thinking. Any advice from any person I knew that said the same thing he said in that book was just reinforcement for what I learned from that book: that your positive mental attitude (PMA) was the most important factor in determining whether you could be successful in life, and whether you could help other people, and also whether you would be a pleasure to be around or a disaster for everyone else in your life!

“Dream Big”. These words may not be a sentence representing that of a strand of pearls {in that the words are just two, and not many} but they have added to a solid foundation of following a dream that began from very small beginnings. My big sister, now living in New York, has been telling me, to, in one way or another “Dream Big” from a young age. It was only in 2012, on a visit to NYC that she said the actual phrase to me “Dream Big”. It struck a chord, and has evolved into “Dream Big and then Dream Bigger”. I always go back to the phrase, it walks hand in hand with being persistent and active in building my dream, and so the words are no longer just a phrase, but they entail a beautiful element of simplicity that in turn encourages and uplifts me as I grow my dream.

GEETANJALI KAUL, INDIA. A talented blogger, a wife, a mom of two kids.

You know, as far as advises go, I follow many. And collectively they changed my life and made it better. To begin with, my dad always said ‘Aim High’ and I followed that in every field of life. Then as I got married he said, ‘Never differentiate between relatives of your husband and your own.’ Truly this helped a lot. It would never be your mother or my mother, it would just be mother. Let them guess and ask whose mother! Then a friend of mine told me as I got married, ‘If you are upset with him do tell him.’ Men do not get to know that you are upset and they would be enjoying and you would be sulking. So say it out loud. Lately, my mentor taught me to smile through all that happens and there is nothing you cannot find if you really want to, which denotes basically: where there is a will there is a way!

NILA TANZIL, INDONESIA. Founder of Rainbow Reading Garden, Social Worker.

“Life is about balance. When we receive, we also need to give. Don’t always look up. Look down, because there are still a lot of people out there who are not as lucky as we are, and they need our help.” That’s the advice from my mother, Yuriah Tanzil. I always remember it. Thus, when I got my own salary, I helped a child in need. That’s my way to give back. It makes my life balance. Another one is from my friend, Henri Ismail. He said, “We only live once. If you want to do something in life, then go and do it. Otherwise, you’re a loser.” This advice makes me pursue the things I have always dreamed of. I don’t want to be called a loser by myself.

What about you? What’s the best piece of advice you have received so far? Who gave you this advice, and how did the advice change your life?

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The AS Families and Households paper was today, so good luck to all who are recovering from the ordeal.  I’m moving on to cover some of the material needed for the AS Education topic. First off today, education and the sociological perspectives.

You need to know the usual perspectives here: Functionalism, Marxism, Interactionism and Feminism. But in addition, you need to know something of political views, as they are so important in policy, and postmodernism because it is, or was - a more recent addition to theory.

Make sure you know about Parsons and Davis and Moore.  The key concepts are the functionalist view of role allocation, secondary socialisation, and meritocracy.

Key names here are Bowles and Gintis, Althusser and Paul Willis - although the latter is more of a ‘cultural’ Marxist.  Key ideas are the hidden curriculum, social control, reproduction of labour power.  You can also draw on the Marxist concept of alienation to explain pupil disaffection.

Lots of inspirational and seminal studies from this perspective. Howard Becker, Rosenthal and Jacobsen, labelling theory, banding and streaming.

Remember that feminists are not all the same; there are radical, liberal, Marxist, Black, and Post-, feminists.  The key idea - patriarchy of course.  But make sure you can define it succinctly.

This can be tricky to apply to education.  The simplest way though, I think, is to focus on social change and argue that postmodernists would suggest education is changing to cope with the change from fordism to postfordism, and societies are becoming increasingly fragmented.  Therefore, what we are seeing is a greater choice and diversity of types of school and education.

The Political perspectives

important to know these - they can be used in perspective questions where relevant, but most often come up in questions focusing on policy.  You should notice that some political theories have similarities to sociological perspectives - but remember the difference between sociological and political perspectives in this context.  Sociological theories are explanations - the political theories discussed here are normative - that is, they are deliberately aiming to give a point of view, to say how they believe education should be organised.  This is something the sociological approaches try to avoid, whatever you may think about how successful they are in doing that.

New Right

Popular in the 1980s e.g. Margaret Thatcher.  In education the New Right view was that education should be open to competition and thus there should be league tables. The New Right also believed in maintaining traditional standards of learning and teaching - the so-called ‘3R’s’.

Social Democratic Views

Covers a broad range of views and elements can be found in Labour, LibDem and even Conservative policies. Social Democracy though is a middle way between the free market right and the socialist left. It advocates a mixed economy and believes the state should help the poor and disadvantaged and act like a referee - ensuring people and society stick to the rules and behave properly. In education policy this has meant - providing state schools and free education for all, giving extra resources and help to those who need it.  Providing grants and help for able pupils who cannot afford fee paying educational institutions, whether they be schools or establishments of higher education.

Until tomorrow, adieu.

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The particular mix of profanity, comedic metaphors and local slang words and phrases which make up the lingua franca in Dublin, Eire.
'What's de story, Anto? Where would yeh be goin' an no bell on yeh bike?'
'Off to the chipper I am for the whole caboosh, Robbo.'
'Will ye no be coming for a pint?'
'Havn't got a baldy. Me mot's tol' me I'm off the drink.'
'Ah, ya big long drink of water! Come on, jus' fer one.'
'She's an eye like a stinkin' eel. Robbo.'
Two passers-by overhear this conversation and one says to the other, 'What are they talking about?'
'They are talking Dublinese.' says the other.
от Brij 19 юни 2011
1 more definition
The language that many people in dublin speak. It involves putting -o as a suffix to names or sometimes words, and shortening certain words, and also pronouncing 'th' as 't' or 'd'. Usually spoken while wearing adidas clothing, or in a caravan.
Robbo:'Hey dere deco, gi's one of dem crackores'
(Translation: Hello there, Declan. Can I have one of those crackers?)
Deco:'Sure ting, Robbo. Try one of dem tings out, deyr'e wicko!
(Tranlation: Sure thing, Robert. Try one of those things out, they're wicked!

-Average use of Dublinese
от FPSJesus1996 30 декември 2011

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Jesus is Our Sabbath

"Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross; And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it. Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days."~Colossians 2:14-16

There is no Sabbath Day today for the Christians. Col. 2:14-16 tells us that the ceremonials laws were nailed to the cross, including the Sabbath Day. Jesus became the fulfillment of what the Sabbath represented in the Old Testament. The Sabbath Day was a ceremonial Law, only for the Jews in the Old Testament. It pictured resting in Jesus Christ for salvation. This is plainly taught in Heb. 4:1-5...
"Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left us of entering into his rest, any of you should seem to come short of it. For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it. For we which have believed do enter into rest, as he said, As I have sworn in my wrath, if they shall enter into my rest: although the works were finished from the foundation of the world. For he spake in a certain place of the seventh day on this wise, And God did rest the seventh day from all his works. And in this place again, If they shall enter into my rest."
Here is what C.I. Scofield says concerning sabbath:
"The Sabbath commemorates God's creation rest, the first day Christ's resurrection. On the seventh day God rested, on the first day Christ was ceaselessly active. The sabbath commemorates a finished creation, the first day commemorates a finished redemption. The sabbath was a day of legal obligation, the first day one of voluntary worship and service"~The Scofield Referrence Bible.
The 6-days of men working pictured man's self-righteousness, which could never save (Isa. 64:6Rom. 3:20). When we cease from our own self-righteous labors and rest upon the Lord for salvation, we are eternally saved. In the Old Testament people were to labor and rest. In the New Testament, God 's people are to rest first in Christ and then labor for God's glory (Matt. 11:28-30). In the Old Testament God required righteousness in believer's life to worship and serve Him; in the New Testament, Jesus give His righteousness to the believer so that he can worship and serve the holy God (Rom. 10:42 Cor. 5:21). God requires perfect holiness and righteousness in the part of the believer—without these man's worship and service is futile. The truth is, man can only be perfect in God's sight when man is standing in Christ by faith (Rom. 5:1-2Col. 1:21-22).

Today, Christians honor the Lord on Sunday (1 Cor. 16:2), the first day of the week; but there is no Sabbath Day anymore. Jesus is our Sabbath and in Him alone do we rest for our salvation. All of the Old Testament ceremonial laws were nailed to the cross with Christ. Jesus became the fulfillment of the Law for the righteousness of everyone who believe (Matt. 5:17Rom. 10:4). Thank God the Father for giving us His only begotten Jesus Christ to be our Precious Sabbath!

GV Leone said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
GV Leone said...

That is a good word. So many stumble over the law for their righteousness. True righteousness can only come by Faith in the finished work of Christ. Thanks for sharing this article and speaking the truth about our Sabbath rest in Christ.


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Take the 2-minute tour ×
Bicycles Stack Exchange is a question and answer site for people who build and repair bicycles, people who train cycling, or commute on bicycles. It's 100% free, no registration required.

I have an aluminum seat post in a steel frame. The post was really hard to extract and I don't want this thing corroding on me.

You've discussed how to take care of the rust on a steel frame and on the use of grease to prevent corrosion.

Additionally, my seat post seems to be corroded (lightly).

enter image description here

Any tips on getting that off? Sandpaper/wire brush it off?

share|improve this question
I'd start with some scouring powder and water. That should remove most of it. There's no need to get it perfectly clean, since you'll just grease it and stick it back in the seat tube where no one can see it. –  Daniel R Hicks Apr 23 '13 at 22:48
Don't forget to grease it before putting it back, that should protect it a bit and prevent it from seizing. –  Benzo Apr 25 '13 at 12:47

2 Answers 2

up vote 3 down vote accepted

Sandpaper is overkill unless it's a very fine grit. A wire brush would work but it's cumbersome to use on a round shape like that. Steel wool is perfect.

share|improve this answer

Sandpaper and/or a wire brush would probably be ok.

What would work better would be a bench grinder with a buffing wheel and some buffing compound. That'd get it shiny and new looking.

If you don't have access to that, you could probably do a decent job with a Dremel but it would take forever.

share|improve this answer
Shiny and new looking -- where no one can see it. ;-) –  Carey Gregory Apr 23 '13 at 23:16

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Big Bad Blog AT&T Blog Network

Mike Mottau: Trade to Bruins a ‘dream come true’

02.28.12 at 2:15 pm ET

Mike Mottau calls Monday’s trade to the Bruins “a dream come true.”

The Avon, Mass. native was part of the four-player trade that also landed former Islanders teammate Brian Rolston in Boston, and it returned Mottau to the where he grew up and played his college hockey at Boston College.

“Growing up a Bruins fans, and following the team throughout my whole professional career, finally getting a chance to put on the sweater was really special this morning, even just to go out for morning skate,” Mottau said after Tuesday’s morning skate.

Mottau followed last year’s playoffs and watched the Bruins as they won their first title in 39 years. He’s friends with Shawn Thornton, Andrew Ference, Dennis Seidenberg and Joe Corvo, so the trade returns him to his home without the tough adjustment to a new team.

“Even playing with the Islanders last year, I was home for the Cup run. Watching the guys go through it, it was pretty amazing for the city and these guys,” he said. “I know quite a few guys and it’s great to be a part of it now.”

Mottau didn’t expect to be traded, as he had just made his return Sunday from a concussion. He will be in the lineup Tuesday night against the Senators.

Read More: Mike Mottau,
Bruins Headlines
NHL Headlines


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Sign up now for summer camps at The Lumberyard!

Maroon Rally late 70s – early 80s

Posted by on November 23rd, 2012 at 4:57 am

Year: late 70s – early 80s
Brand: Rally
Stolen in Portland, OR 97202
Stolen From: 5309 SE 17th Avenue, Portland, OR 97202. From storage room at Villa 17, a small 6 plex apartment building
Neighborhood: N Westmoreland
Owner: Kevin Boles-Friscia
OwnerEmail: kbolesfr(AT)gmail.com
Description: It’s an older Mens Rally road bike, in incredible shape for its age. Just had brand new tires and tubes put on at Sellwood Cycle last week.
Police record with: Portland Police
Police reference#: 12-101587
This registrant has documented proof of ownership of this bike

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horse race

Filed under: politics,signs,trees,Urban Planning — WmX @ 10:54
election signs

Charlottesville Democratic Primary candidates are wearing out the shoe leather. Walking the relatively shadeless streets of our city,
meeting voters in preparation for June 9 Democratic Primary.
When the new Council is seated in November, I hope that they look back and ask themselves why the 1975 Street Tree plan was never implemented.
Revise and adopt that plan in the first one-hundred days!

what is in a name?

Filed under: environment,signs,Virginia — WmX @ 11:12

global warming

In 1980, Dominion Resources, Inc., was incorporated as the holding company for VEPCO. For us ratepayers on the ground Virginia Electric and Power Company became Dominion.

transporting fracked gas

Dominion came through the Woolen Mills recently, whacking trees. Line maintenance. They provide the power that I post by here. But what is the price of the power?

North Anna, James

Is it possible for a monopoly to be true to its place of origin? To care about cultural and natural resources? To care about the environment? Here recently, the corporation has been in the news, often. From the outside they’ve been acting more like the Dominator than the Virginian. Atlantic Coast Pipeline. Transmission lines over the James River. New nuclear facility on a faultline.

political clout

Yesterday, people from across Virginia came to speak to the dominator. To date, there is little indication that Dominion has ears.

Equus ferus caballus

Filed under: dolls,fauna,signs,strange land — WmX @ 09:39
horse advertising

Business Style Slot machine for 20 Yen Pachinko for 0.5 Yen
Pachinko for 1 yen
In answers to request from many customers
Recurrence of Origin
Slot machine for 2 Yen
Pachinko for 0.5 Yen

funerary practice

Filed under: culture,dead,parts,signs — WmX @ 12:35

Much custom involved with how to treat the dead. I can’t read hiragana. Found out months later the sign reads:
“If you trash garbage here, you are sentenced to five years’ penal servitude or
pay a fine of ten million yen under the law.
Moushi Hanashiro Family”

Arlington Cemetery

There are no signs in Arlington dictating behavior. We were dressed down by grave police for our behavior. The self appointed monitor accused us of being disrespectful. On the contrary, this is how we honor our dead.

on the road to Lucinda

Filed under: road,signs,strange land,weather — WmX @ 08:15
Mailpouch Tobacco

Snow! 233 miles north of Charlottesville, April 22, route 66, on the road to Lucinda. Clarion County is one county away from the Chesapeake Bay watershed. Snow melt here flows through New Orleans.

Filed under: signs,slabtown,strange land,weather — WmX @ 12:08

grayed out

First rollicking thunderstorm of 2015. Trees stayed connected to the ground but the world more than 15 yards away disappeared behind the rain.
Electricity went away for twelve hours. Can of tuna for dinner.

electric danger sign

Walked the power line for a distance, couldn’t find where it was downed.

Mall Hugger

Filed under: Charlottesville,culture,signs — WmX @ 11:56

mall hugger

Call me old fashioned. A free opportunity in which I wasn’t willing to engage. I scurried off.

Trust. I’ll trust you. Will you trust me? Doesn’t matter who you are, what you look like, why you’re here. Bring your heart-SHARE A HUG!
“In a time with so much division and fear, maybe the most revolutionary and helpful thing we can do is give each other a hug.”–The sign says

Vegas 2011

This sign in Vegas, 2011, eyes wide open.

truth in advertising

Filed under: signs — WmX @ 11:45

true that

ground fog

Filed under: signs,weather — WmX @ 18:42
groundfog railroad tracks

snow + warm front = groundfog

sign spinner

Filed under: dolls,signs — WmX @ 15:58

Mannequin- n. 1.
a styled and three-dimensional representation of the human form used in window displays, as of clothing; dummy.
Two years ago there was a real human spinning the sign, now they have a dummy.

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Preview: Between Two Worlds: Life on the Border

May 2, 2012

No writer understands the border culture between Mexico and the United States more intimately than Luis Alberto Urrea, this week’s guest on Moyers & Company. His own life is the stuff of great novels. Son of a Mexican father and Anglo mother, Urrea grew up first in Tijuana and then just across the border in San Diego. Over the years he has produced a series of acclaimed novels, including The Hummingbird’s Story, The Devil’s Highway, and his latest, Queen of America – each a rich and revealing account of the people of the borderlands that join and separate our two nations.

Three of Urrea’s books were among scores of others removed from classrooms earlier this year when the Tucson school district eliminated Mexican-American studies on the accusation it was “divisive.” But there’s no ban on ideas in Bill’s studio, and Urrea talks with Bill Moyers about that episode as he unfolds the modern reality of life on the border. Check local listings for times and channels.

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OptionBit Demo

OptionBit is a platform of binary options trading that allows you to exchange assets in a variety of financial markets, including currencies, commodities, stocks and indices. This company was founded in 2010 and is currently in Cyprus. According to their website, Optionbit was designed to be fairly easy to use for novice traders who are looking to earn a second income, but also powerful enough to satisfy the needs of experienced traders. In this review Optionbit, I’ll explain all the features of this platform and the advantages and disadvantages.

Platform Overview
The platform OptionBit was created and designed using the technology of a company known as Tradologic. Tradologic creates the technology behind most platforms the best binary options, and is the preferred choice of most traders. OptionBit only requires a minimum deposit of $ 200 to open an account, and a minimum value of trade only $ 10. And to the delight of many traders Optionbit.com also offers customers a free demo account to test their platform with virtual money.

Offered types of trade
Digital – Predict whether the price of an asset will rise or fall.
Touch – Determine if the asset will touch above or below a point of departure by the expiration date.
One-Touch – Determine if the asset will touch or not touch a predetermined price before the Expiry Time.
Range – Deciding whether an asset will remain within a range of predetermined price or not.
60 seconds – trade in a fast paced environment with expiration time of 60 seconds, 2 minutes, or 5 minutes.

Risk management tools
OptionBit provides several tools for managing various risks that help you maximize your profits while minimizing your losses.
Now close – Close is now a feature that lets you close a trade before the Expiry Time. This tool can serve two different purposes. (1) If you have a strong position in a business, but do not know if it will remain until the expiration date is reached, you can sell your option and lock in your profit. (2) If your business has a losing position, you can sell your option before the expiry date and return a percentage of your initial investment. It is an essential feature that can help you manage your risk considerably.
Extend – This tool gives you the ability to extend the expiry time of an option during the exchange to another available time expires. This function is mainly used when you see that your prediction takes longer to achieve. So if your business is holding a losing position, you can extend the expiration date in the hope of markets and taking a positive turn in the direction that you had predicted. This essentially enables a potentially losing trade into a winning trade.

Assets traded
OptionBit offers 13 different currencies to be marketed, as well as 4 different products, 13 different tracks and more than 39 indices. Indeed, some binary options brokers offer more than this, but the assets available with OptionBit are sufficient. They offer a great balance because they offer major advantages, rather than everything that exists. In addition, if you feel a specific asset is missing, you are encouraged to tell the team about it and OptionBit can consider adding it.

Customer Service
OptionBit is proud to work in many different languages and their customer service can be achieved by almost anyone in the world. Support is available by phone, email and live chat. There are phone numbers in seven different countries to minimize telephone costs for their customers. Their response times are second to none, which shows the commitment they have excellent customer service.

There is much to say about the platform OptionBit, and here’s a brief rundown of some of the things we love the most:
They have features to extend your trade or close early to maximize your profits and minimize your losses.
OptionBit has a mobile app so you can trade binary options from your smart phone.
U.S. customers are accepted.
There is a free demo account available on request.
Trading signals are provided without charge to customers using their Algobit algorithm.

OptionBit not all assets other binary options brokers. However, if you have a specific asset you want to be able to negotiate, you can make a request.
They do not offer payback percentages on losing trades. However, other brokers that offer percentages of return tend to lower earnings. So, not a huge deal.

The Verdict
Overall, I would feel confident in recommending Optionbit to anyone who is just starting with binary options or advanced traders who are simply looking for a better platform to trade with. Optionbit has all the features you would expect from a binary option broker, and even some additional features that many other platforms do not have. All reviews and comments from people who have tried this platform have been quite positive, and we predict that Optionbit will soon be a major player in the industry of binary options as it becomes increasingly popular.

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MALONEY, Franklin John, (1899 - 1958)

Collection of the U.S. House of Representatives

MALONEY, Franklin John, a Representative from Pennsylvania; born in Philadelphia, Pa., March 29, 1899; attended the public schools and graduated from Temple University Law School in 1922; was admitted to the bar in 1923 and practiced in Philadelphia, Pa.; unsuccessful Republican candidate for election to the Seventy-ninth Congress in 1944; elected as a Republican to the Eightieth Congress (January 3, 1947-January 3, 1949); unsuccessful for reelection in 1948 to the Eighty-first Congress; resumed the practice of law; died in Philadelphia, Pa., September 15, 1958; interment in West Laurel Hill Cemetery.


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San Jose advances waste-to-biogas facility plans

By Anna Austin
Posted June 25, 2009, at 4:06 p.m. CST

The city of San Jose, Calif., recently announced it had authorized the city manager to negotiate and execute a memorandum of understanding to develop guidelines and potential lease terms for the development of an organic-waste-to-energy biogas facility.

The facility, which would be built on 40 acres near the San Jose/Santa Clara Water Pollution Control Plant, would process up to 150,000 tons of food and yard waste per year that would otherwise be sent to landfills.

The facility will be constructed and operated by Zanker Road Biogas. Upon successful negotiations with the city, a lease will be issued to Zero Waste Energy Development Co. Inc., a partnership between GreenWaste Recovery and sister company Zanker Road Resource Management.

GreenWaste owns and operates a material recovery facility that would provide feedstock to the new plant. ZRRM also owns and operates a material processing facility, a resource recovery facility and landfill, as well as the second largest composting plant in California.

Renewable power plant builder and operator Harvest Power Inc. will provide project development capabilities.

A San Jose public relations representative said that although all of the existing anaerobic digestion processes in the U.S agricultural and wastewater industries process wet waste, the proposed project would use dry fermentation technology because it can handle hard-to-divert materials such as food waste, which can contain as much as 50 percent total solids; typical dairy and wastewater digestion feedstocks are wetter, ranging from 8 percent to 15 percent solids.

BEKON Energy Technologies will supply the dry fermentation anaerobic digestion technology, which the company has previously installed in 12 facilities in German and Italy.

According to GreenWaste Recovery President Richard Christina, the project will be developed in three phases, each designed to increase capacity by 50,000 tons per year. The biogas produced will generate electricity for use at the water pollution control plant, or be sold back into the regional electrical utility power grid.

An estimated 50 to 60 jobs will be created when biogas facility is fully operational; completion is anticipated in 2011.

This project will bring San Jose closer to its goal of being 100 percent energy independent. In October 2007, the San Jose City Council adopted "Green Vision," a 15-year clean technology plan which includes generating 100 percent of the city's electrical needs from renewable sources and the diverting 100 percent of its landfill wastes to clean energy conversion. To learn more, visit

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Being Honest With Yourself

I’ve come to accept that I lie to myself, even though I could never successfully lie to anyone else.  I’ve also come to accept this is a pretty normal human condition.  It seems we lie to ourselves more often than anyone else.  I lie about how much food I eat and how healthy it is.  I lie about how much time I waste. I lie about my motivations for the things I recommend.

This week I want to spend  little time identifying some of the lies I’ve recognized in myself, in the hopes it helps you identify the lies you tell yourself.

Why?  Because even though I try so hard to believe these lies, other people see right through them.  And when I am obviously being dishonest, my integrity will be questioned.  It’s called hypocrisy, and it damages relationships and reputations.  If the women I work with think they can’t believe me, I lose the opportunity to share the truth about healthy pregnancy with them.

The most obvious place I am dishonest is in my diet and exercise.  I do try both – I try to exercise 5 or more days a week and I do try to maintain a healthy diet.  But the truth is despite trying to balance diet and exercise for my entire adult life, I was only at a healthy BMI for about 6 months.  The entire rest of my adult life I have been overweight, and for a sizable chunk I measured as obese. And even in the midst of those times I saw myself as a person who eats healthy and exercises.

I’m sure the women I work with wonder if I’m joking when I recommend good nutrition and exercise. If it was really so great, why don’t I do it. Because the truth is, if I was eating healthy and exercising my weight would be normal. My weight continues to measure as overweight because despite my dedication to healthy meals, I bake frequently enough that having one or two things from each baking episode keeps me overweight. My wight continues to measure as overweight because if I find myself with candy, I don’t stop eating it.  My weight continues to measure as overweight because my “scoop” of ice cream is really more like two servings even though I estimate it as one.

These are deep habits, often difficult to even see myself doing. I am working on them, but I still make enough food choices based on desires other than health to keep me overweight. I tried an experiment once.  When I talked about nutrition with women in childbirth classes I shared my struggles and asked the women to share theirs too. They shared, and it was much easier to help them meet nutritional goals when I understood what barriers were in their way. This works OK in a childbirth class, but I struggle to wonder if it is appropriate during a first prenatal.  I have tried half, asking women to share their biggest food struggles. I’ve tried approaching it as areas many women struggle with, including me.  It still isn’t the same as having the time to talk through it with a group of women.

My words will never speak louder than my body.  If I look as if diet and exercise don’t matter to me, the families I work with will get the message loud and clear. They might even get angry if I suggest they make changes I obviously am not willing to make myself.

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Jennifer Vanderlaan CNM MPH is the author of the website. She has been working with expectant families since 2000, training doulas, childbirth educators, and midwives. She has worked with midwives in Central America and Sub-Saharan Africa. Her interest in public health grew in 2010, and she is now a PhD student learning to become a producer of knowledge.

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Side effects after stopping propranolol - Vascular Birthmarks Foundation Forum
  Vascular Birthmarks Foundation Hemangiomas  |  Port Wine Stains  |  Vascular Malformations
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1994 - 2014
Celebrating 20 years with
75,000 networked into treatment

Dr. Linda Rozell-Shannon, PhD President and Founder

Donate to VBF    Shop VBF Products

Go Back   Vascular Birthmarks Foundation Forum > Hemangioma Help > Help and Resources for Hemangiomas

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Old 02-10-2013, 07:02 PM
laura_rigden laura_rigden is offline
Junior Member
Join Date: Feb 2013
Posts: 1
Question Side effects after stopping propranolol

my ds has been on propranolol since he was 3 months he has an hemangioma down his throat, starting on the soft palate, he is now 7 months and his specialist at GOSH has decided to take him off the drug due to my local hospital getting the dosage completely wrong and over dosing him! I went back to GOSH on monday and his hemangioma has not increased in size since being off the propranolol for over a week so its been decided to keep him off the propranolol and see how he goes, I know most people on this drug are weaned off where he has not been, since he has been off the drug, he will not settle at night. He is non stop screaming, the only way he will sleep is if I am with him, this this not like him at all. The whole time he was on the drug he slept every night without fail without needing me. Has anyone elses child that has been on propranolol had any side effects? Also did their hemangioma start growing again as I am worried about this happening due to where it is.

thank you

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Old 02-11-2013, 02:09 AM
smurph smurph is offline
Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2007
Posts: 443

Hi Laura,
Hopefully you get some replies on here about others who have been on propanolol and the process of coming off of that drug. When does your son see the specialist again? It may be a good idea to check in with the doctor about your concerns about your son's nighttime difficulties, just to make sure it's not somehow connected to coming off the medicine. Hopefully the hemangioma will continue to stay the same size. Keep us posted!
VBF Hemangioma Forum Moderator
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Old 07-14-2014, 01:27 PM
Sonia Stoyanova Sonia Stoyanova is offline
Junior Member
Join Date: Apr 2013
Posts: 8

My daughter also stopped to take the drug before one month ago, in my mind she feels exactly the same when she have been taking the drug, she could not sleep because of her tooth's is growing.
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What Every Bitter Lawyer Wants For Christmas, Part 2

Doug Stephan Lawyer, News & Views 1 Comment

Bitter Lawyer is back again with all the holiday gifts you should be getting your lawyerly loved ones this season. Last time we introduced you to the Whisky advent calendar but today we are harkening back to last week’s post: Ten Signs You Are Dressed Unprofessionally.

The holiday season generally lends to a certain group of attorneys who believe it is fun and cool to wear holiday ties (read: 40 to 50-year-old male attorneys going through a mid-life crisis who, oddly enough, also often sport a pony tail). Extra credit goes to those attorneys who wear a tie that lights up on Rudolph’s nose. And, by extra credit, I mean stop. Please, stop. I love a nice tie, but I hate how impractical they are.

That changes today. Ladies and gentleman, without further adieu, I introduce you to The Flask Tie.

Yes. Yes. And Yes. Who isn’t a little bit more productive when you can get a half a pint of your favorite spirit to help you throughout the day.  Normally, a tie on cubical monkeys is like a noose—but not anymore. Now the necktie has an actual purpose. And half a pint! Just the right amount to take the edge off before that big meeting. Get yelled at by a partner?  No worries. Take a couple of shots from your Windsor Knot. Forget about sitting around the water cooler having to blab about the big game last night. Now it will be like watching the game at the bar.

Enjoy your Friday, legalites, and hopefully you get to tie one on. See what I did there—ahh thank you.

Post image from FlaskTie

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  • Louis

    Sounds good to me. How about one with two outputs. One for me and one for a friend?