Sometimes You Just Need to Hammer

Sometimes you just want to hammer. I mean cyclo-touring is great, but once in a while it feels good to get on a race bike and just go flat out.

I've started training with one of my wife's friends who's preparing for a triathlon, so I got out my racing bike for first time this season. It's a 1989 Bottecchia Record with all Chorus 10-speed stuff (except for theTA Carmina crank). You may remember that Greg Lemond won the '89 Tour de France on a Bottecchia. I love the stiff SPX frame, chrome lugs, and all the overdone decals. My wife says it looks like a pasta box.

Despite the stage race geometry it's a very comfortable bike and it fits me like the proverbial glove. Like most Italian bikes, build quality is only marginal, but boy is the handling dead-spot-on perfection. So despite the fact that I don't often ride it, I doubt I'll ever sell it. There are some more photos here.

Alec got his race bike out too. It's a Gitane with a Simplex 3-speed drivetrain. Photos here.

Today was the first day of the Spring Tour de Murray Hill (that's our neighborhood), so we both rode our race bikes, but I had to stay in 36x25 for the whole stage. I though I had the little guy, but he came around and nipped me at the line; there are no lead-out men in a two-man stage race. So you see who has the yellow jersey.