Contagious Carbon & Conspiracy Theories

Forget the swine flu pandemics, I appear to be gripped by a frenzy of carbon conversion. This time it’s the turn of Izzie, my beloved Ilpompino. Having seen the new Genesis Day-One- basically a Reynolds 520 framed cyclo crosser with track ends, carrier, fender mounts and flip/flop hub I am thinking very, very seriously about a revamping the Ilmpompino too thanks to an ITM carbon cross fork and a simple conversion to cross rubber. Afterall, with some obvious nods in the direction of the road path genre, the Ilpompino is in effect a crosser with track ends so it makes sense to exploit these characteristics to their full potential. Gearing of around sixty to sixty-three inches is practical sans asphalt with something in the seventies for grinding away on metalled road. A very refined Ritchey post provides some additional luxury and will compliment the ITM fork superbly.

The sturdy Surly rack is staying put as while I don’t rush to fit racks per se, it means a pannier or two can be towed should fancy take me. One of the main advantages over the venerable Genesis in my eyes are wide armed cantilevers giving better modulation, feel and mud clearance. Mini Vs seem to crop in and out of vogue but my main (relatively mild) aversion to them stems from their need to run so close to the rim, clogging at the first hint of mud and grit.

Wheels are less of a concern but tyres are a little tricky. There’s some loose talk of snow in the weeks following Christmas but this to me is little more than bored weather forecasters wanting to capture the public’s imagination and evoke a more magical aura to the festive season.

Therefore, the Schwalbe studded snow tyres are overkill and will remain firmly tucked away in their corner of the workshop for now. However, these Panasonic Mach semi slicks in 35mm form should be fine for firmer trail and mixed work- they’re not the best in wet, muddy conditions though so we’ll have to see what the weather front brings. On the subject of weather, Justin (Burls) has made the brave step to recovery and cleaned his winter bike- he’s even supplied proof and can faithfully say there’s been no foul play, no photo-shopping here! This loyal, high mileage (and some might say, mistreated) racy winter companion extrudes a really authentic lived-in beauty that makes it all the more desirable. True, the salt monster has left his calling card on the crank arms but despite countless miles in all weathers, it looks remarkably well preserved and certainly owes him nothing. Old faithful is fairly unique being one of Justin’s earlier frames painstakingly finished in automotive two-pac rather than stoved enamel. Those in search of glamour will undoubtedly left mesmerized by his latest sub 15lb Ti road build but I must confess irrational, nay guilty attraction to his Rosso red workhorse. Yes, deep down I acknowledge this is wrong, on a par with fancying your best mate’s wife/husband and such public declaration is likely to find me prohibited from passing within four hundred metres of his workshop. However, assuming Justin and I remain on speaking terms following these revelations, I hope to be back in the New Year with polishing cloth, Waxoyl and MR Sheen-er, I mean a full report on his latest featherweight Ti missile.
Maybe a consequence of my vocation but I’ve become slightly jaded by professional cycling’s fall from grace- that is to say, I expect and am almost nonplussed by scandal and revelation. Sometimes, usually as the elderly Ka and I are meandering along another stretch of motorway at steady speeds, these things resonate within me. Is there something inherent to competitive cycling which predisposes it to doping and similar cheating or is it the consequence of enormous commercial interest that applies to many others? I have arrived at the conclusion the media spotlight concentrates on cycling as a soft option, wanting to pretend dark undercurrents don’t flow through soccer, athletics, show jumping and of course, golf!

A very prudent observation is that cycling, though specifically cycle racing needs to focus on getting it’s own house sorted rather than pointing to other sports and disciplines as a convenient distraction. Otherwise it is behaving in the way of a defensive child retorting they’ve done better than little Johnny or Joanna… I must confess to being fond of historical scandals- Coppi and the White Lady, Anquetil and his interesting solutions to his wives' infertility being two of particular note. However, the dirtier side of corruption, sleaze and quasi ritualised drug taking in some teams disappoints yet doesn’t surprise me. I hate to say it but cheating in competitive sport is here to stay, detection just becomes increasingly difficult.

Researching the death of Johnny Thunders, former New York Dolls guitarist and Heartbreakers' front man in a seedy New Orleans motel some twenty years back draws interesting parallels with Marco Pantani's mysterious demise. Both share the open and shut junkie overdose/suicide label but they smack of botched investigation/laziness on part of the authorities. Thunders had been openly critical of the music industry for some time and was battling heroin addiction with large quantities of methadone acquired in London.

Contrary to the rock and roll cliche' he wasn't found dead on the toilet, guitar around his neck but very badly beaten. Pantani's career had been overshadowed by depression and rumor of cocaine addiction on an industrial scale. Allegedly, he died in his hotel room on February 15th 2004 having "trashed it" beforehand yet his body was found with perfectly manicured fingernails...

Snow drives back the foot that's slow, the dogs of doom are howling low. Despite my cynicism, we've had eight inches of snowfall overnight and six hours without power and I'm annoyed at not seizing the moment and getting the Ilpompino ready, or at least shodding the Univega with snow tyres...