So what’s threatening to wreck professional biking this week? Doping? Protests? Bizarre guidelines about handlebar width and equipment ratios? No, it’s playing:
That may be an actual disgrace, seeing as how far the game has come:
UCI president David Lappartient advised Het Laatste Nieuws raised the specter of unlawful betting in biking in an earlier interview.
“Sports activities betting is like an iceberg,” he stated. “Ninety p.c of the bets are unlawful and occur beneath the waterline,” Lapparient advised HLN. “That’s how it’s in soccer, tennis and handball. I don’t need to get to a day when biking, as soon as we’ve climbed out of the valley of doping, and the struggle in opposition to mechanical fraud has been efficiently carried out, is undermined by corruption and playing scandals.”
Riiight.
They’ve climbed out of the valley of doping all proper–and at file speeds!
Nothing suspicious about that in any respect.
As for playing on biking, that’s a certain signal you will have an actual drawback, like when drunks begin breaking thermometers open for the alcohol. Outdoors of Belgium, I’d think about most individuals solely begin betting on biking after they get banned from the canine observe. Even so, I wouldn’t fear an excessive amount of about it ruining biking, as a result of everyone knows it’s the carbon fiber that did that.
Actually, it might be that playing is the one factor that may save biking. Keirin is a type of bicycle racing that exists fully so individuals can guess on it, and it’s the one self-discipline left during which the racers nonetheless use actual bicycles:
Coincidence? I believe not. Perhaps we have to put the yakuza in control of the UCI. By the best way, I requested a preferred search engine “Is keirin mounted?” and I received the next reply:
There you go, the repair is in.
Talking of old school gear, for the second week in a row I flouted custom by spending “Wooded Wednesday” on the pavement as a substitute of the filth:
Although I did make a quick foray into gravel territory:
I understand it’s a stretch to name that gravel, however my understanding of the phrase is that it now refers to something that’s not a paved highway or a mountain bike path. No matter it was I felt like I used to be floating over it on these 30mm tubulars. I used to be additionally carrying the very newest in biking footwear know-how:
You don’t even want to alter your footwear to go bowling afterwards:
However whereas I’ll take pleasure in L’Eroica-themed cosplay I’m additionally nonetheless open to making an attempt new issues–barely open, like that steamed mussel you’re undecided you need to eat, however roll the cube on nonetheless. Actually, bear in mind I had that garvel-type body I used to be seeking to promote?
Effectively, since then I’ve obtained nary a nibble, and so I puzzled if perhaps I’d have higher luck if it had been a whole bike. Plus, I figured the method of placing it collectively could be a enjoyable wet day venture, while on the similar time broadening my horizons a bit–however not an excessive amount of, since it will nonetheless be a completely mechanical bike, together with the brakes. And to that finish, I requisitioned some stuff, together with this, a lot to the delight of the cat:
It’s a Microshift Sword Black mini-group consisting of the shrakes (I dislike the time period “brifter” so I’m hoping I could make shrake catch on):
[Well, technically one shrake and one brake lever, since it’s for a single ring setup.]
Which seem like Cthulhu:
The derailleur:
Which seems like a sculpture from “Beetlejuice” that may come alive at any second and begin inch-worming itself throughout the ground:
And the cassette, which is the very first thing I’d seize to defend myself within the occasion of a house invasion:
It would in all probability be awhile earlier than I get this factor collectively, however I’ll hold you posted.
