Cadence Collection Cycling Cap

Let's face it, we all love presents; and I was chuffed to bits when one of my mates presented me with this Cadence Collection cycling cap as part of my birthday present.

In addition to the stylish look, the cap is great quality and has a sweat band on the inside... a nice touch and a very welcome addition. It's also great to see a 'Made in the USA' label instead of the usual 'Made in China' you find on most garmets.

Cadence Collection make some really great pieces. The range of clothing can be found at a limited number of local stockists and online at www.cadencecollection.com

~VL

Rapha Espresso Machine

Hey, you know what I love… a good coffee. You know what else I am quite fond of… Rapha. Do I need it all in one… not so sure about that?

I came across this earlier today, it seems Rapha has teamed up with Rocket Espresso Milano to produce a limited edition Rapha Giotta espresso machine.

Why Ride? - by Todd

The following is a great piece just received from a very good friend of mine, Todd ~ VL

I keep getting asked, "Why am I not riding in the Tour de France...?"

For those of you who don't know, I'm actually an average cyclist. I have never been in the points in my clubs road racing, let alone an open race or an international event...

Your chance to own Cadel Evans’ BMC SLR01 Team Machine

Finally you have the opportunity to get your hands on a Cadel Evans bike, it is the BMC SLR01 that he rode in Geelong as defending World Champion and in the 2010 Giro di Lombardia.

You might remember that Cadel recently auctioned this bike off for the Manasarovar Academy in Kathmandu, Nepal. The winning bidder of that auction decided that this should be the bike that just keeps giving so will be raffling 1,500 tickets for your chance to own it. Proceeds will go to the Cerebral Palsy Education Centre Equipment & Teaching Aids Fund.

The bike will be on display over the next few months at Café Racer, Rockit Barber Shop or Total Rush– for dates and details visit this blog or follow me on twitter @tupfield for updates.

There are 1,500 tickets only at $50.00 each. You can purchase your tickets at any of the venues above or thanks to Wade Wallace online at Cycling Tips.

Victorian Minor Gaming Permit Number … 10397/11

Closing date … Monday August 22, 2011

Drawn on … Thursday August 25th at 1.00pm 2011 at Total Rush, 345 Punt Road Richmond, Victoria.

Winner notified by registered mail and email. Results published in the Australian Newspaper on Wednesday August 31st 2011

Cadel’s BMC SLR01 Specifications

• 50cm BMC SLR01 Red
• 140mm Easton EA90 Stem
• 42cm EC90 Carbon Equipe Pro Bars
• Campagnolo Super Record 2010
• 11-27 Cassette
• 172.5mm Cranks
• Record front derailleur
• Easton EC90 Tubular Wheels w/ Continental Competition Pro Ltd Tires
• Speedplay Zero Ti Pedals (white)
• Selle Italia Elite TT team edition saddle (white)
• FSA Ceramic Headset
• Swissstop Yellow Carbon Brake Pads

Lily and Cadel

 Ruby, Cadel, Lily and Troy

~VL

Specialized S-Works McLaren Venge

Hey, remember when the Specialized S-Works McLaren Venge bounced on to the scene with a sonic boom back in March!

The Venge hit the ground running in a pretty big way when Matt Goss won Milan San Remo on the Venge's first professional outing; and Mark Cavendish has (at the time of writing) taken 4 stage wins aboard the Venge at this year's Tour de France in his pursuit of the overall green jersey.

It kind of seems to me that after all of the initial hoo-haa on its release, the hype surrounding the Specialized McLaren Venge is dying down a bit and the impact of this ridiculously awesome bike is fading away into the background... probably overshadowed somewhat by Specialized's release of the S-Works SL4.

Why don't you take a couple moments out of your busy day and cast your eyes (and heart) back over the McLaren Venge... you can't tell me you don't think this thing is awesome!

I'm hanging to see one of these bad boys in the flesh... hopefully somebody will be kind enough to let throw a leg over one!

~VL

Photos courtesy of Specialized Bicycle Components and bicycledesign.net

Specialized Tarmac SL4 Frameset

Not quite the S-Works... but I think I just fell in love!

Photo courtesy of bikeradar.com

~VL

I think my Knog Frog lights might be cursed?

It seems that somewhere along life's journey I have picked up a curse. This curse has taken the form of a debilitating affliction that attacks the life of any battery that I put in my Knog Frog lights.

No matter how hard I try I just can't seem to get reasonable life out of the CR2032 coin batteries required to power these mini strobes.

Rouleur Magazine

About a year ago McShiney and I were out for a coffee chewing the fat on all things cycling when the discussion turned to Rouleur Magazine. McShiney recounted some of the stories he had been reading and the overall quality of the magazine. On his recommendation and some subtle urging, I took a leap of faith and ordered a subscription without ever setting eyes on an issue.

Specialized Shiv at the 2011 Tour de France

I have never thrown a leg over a time trial bike, yet somehow I instinctively know that I would be absolutely rubbish (more so than I normally am) if I ever tried to give one a go.

McShiney's Corner: 47-60 Make sure you're sitting on the inside

I got home tonight to find that McShiney had sent me an email with one of his rants. I thought it was worth a post. Enjoy ~VL

I just want to start off by saying that that I'm accepting of all walks of life.

To elaborate, I'm not bothered by female track riders that happen to be built like ship mechanics - I actually dig that if you are (call me), nor do I care if you're from the south of Europe, seriously, I'm cool with that.