Rwandan Coffee Growers

And you thought the intervals you did today were hard!

Adrien Niyonshuti Followup

The Irish rains have now long washed the blood and sweat from the roads and the riders have turned their attention to new goals. Adrien Niyonshuti has finished his first big tour as a pro and he has unlocked the door into big time pro cycling for all current and future African cyclists. While Niyonshuti abandoned the last stage, ( as did Armstrong and half of the other riders.... have you seen St. Patricks Hill ?!! and been in an Irish downpour?!!) he should be very proud of his race. He has broken through the glass ceiling. And he took his bike with him. Read his remarkable story, learn about his team mates and the extraordinary things the people at       Project Rwanda are doing to help guys like Adrien and coffee farmers throughout the mountains of Rwanda.

Project Rwanda

This amazingly ingenious and beautiful vehicle is a rwandan bike for transporting coffee cherries. Farmers use hand carved machines to transport huge, heavy loads on steep and dusty mountain roads so in turn can sell their crop to coffee producers. Thanks to Project Rwanda, farmers can now ride well designed and well made bicycles through the program. Its safer, increases productivity and helps Rwandans in general. Here at VC Croix de Fer, we are huge fans of this program and of Team Rwanda. It is our desire in the future to implement this organization into all of our projects. One day, in addition to helping farmers and their families, we just might see a Rwandan cyclist on the Tour de France podium.

Jerseys

This beautiful jersey is available on a very limited basis from Bianchi. No word yet if it will help you ride like Fausto Coppi.

Bianchi

Classic Bianchi equipped with Campagnolo components. This image and many more available on great site; classic rendezvous.

Vintage Cycling Art

It reminds me of a time when after just finishing a grueling TTT, my mates and I were casually riding back exhausted from the finish line to the pit area only to be startled into an un welcomed race with an errant canine escapee. He didn't get us...... thankfully it wasn't a Greyhound! 

Adrien Niyonshuti

I have been watching the Tour of Ireland and it is so great to see Adrien Niyonshuti of team MTN. Niyonshuti is a product of Jock Boyer's Rwandan cycling program. I think its fantastic to have Africans coming into cycling and with the supreme gifts of Kenyan runners and other athalete's abilities from this amazing continent, should they translate their talent into cycling they will be unbeatable one day in the future. Of course its a culture that will have to on some level adopt some of the resources that we as Westerners take for granted. And it will take help from nations with a lot more money and heart to do so. Perhaps this is part of Boyer's redemption.... to help the Rwandans, but on the surface, his concern, help and commitment seems genuine. Armstrong's gesture of inviting Niyonshuti out for a beer at the Tour of Ireland and helping him in the Peloton was touching..... especially from Armstrong. I hope he means it.

Usain Bolt runs the 200m in 19.19

Let's see this man on a bike!!

Paris - Roubaix 2004

Magnus Backstedt crossing the finish line in the velodrome. 

Photo courtesy of: CyclingNews.com

Magnus Backstedt Coffee

Coffee and cycling... cycling and coffee. I can't imagine another sport and drink combination that conjures up more passion than these two. When I think of the dark, cold, wet, muddy and miserable conditions riders face in the Belgium road races, I can only imagine how appealing the corner coffee shop must be to riders and fans alike. I still remember the feeling of waking up to darkness, impending suffering and cold that awaited my three and a half hour solitary training ride up into the mountains. I cannot imagine how it could have happened without my warm and strong cup of coffee. I like to think it gave me that extra 1% kick on the last interval. One of cycling's most recent hard men retirees is Magnus Backstedt. His massive frame and Viking attitude propelled him to victory in many of the hard classics, most notably Paris - Roubaix.

Magnus Maximus  as he is known brews up his own blend and it is now available in the States.

Through sales of his coffee, he is supporting young cyclists in Sweden.

The Kettle is on the Stove...

Well..... I've put the kettle on the stove. Using the finest bottled, spring water and supremely selected tea leaves, the cup of tea I am about to enjoy will be a very fine one indeed. Using the finest English china of course.

(BTW... this is all code! stay tuned).

Molto Bene!

Retro wool Italian National jerseys. Beautiful in its simplicity. Stylistically much cooler than Lycra and surprisingly comfortable even if your trying to better your time up the Ventoux on a summer day.

Alberto Contador, part 2

So.... if Bradley Wiggins will ride in support of Contador ( which I think could be a next good step for Wiggins, politically and mentally ) I think Contador at Garmin would make the team the new Discovery or Astana in terms of strength and depth.

Alberto Contador

I was thinking the other day about Alberto Contador and how he ignites a fire in me when I watch him race. I won't get into what makes him so fast, whether its on a TT course or an Alpine pass. 

What I do believe though is that on an equal playing field nobody can touch him at the moment.

It'll be interesting to see what team he'll be on next year. I love the idea of him creating a team with F1's Fernando Alonso but team creation takes time. Forget Astana and forget The Shack!

Caisse d'Epargne to me just don't have the support to get him to the podium. What team that really excites me is Garmin. They have smart leadership, a great TT setup and strong mountain guys. The one problem might be the emergence of Bradley Wiggins as a GC contender but realistically I can't see him being a threat to Contador on GC and I think he'd be a good bet to head to Team Sky as their GC man in a year.

Brooks Saddles

Beautiful Brooks B15 Swallow Titanium is the original racing saddle. It comes in at 360G. and costs about 412.00US. Honey color is my favorite but it also comes in black and brown. This would look amazing even on a state of the art carbon machine.