First, a bit of racing news. Ivan Basso has signed with Discovery Channel. This is not necessarily a surprise, as DS Johan Bruyneel has mentioned negotiations with the Italian in the past. Basso, remember, was excluded from the Tour de France because of (unsubstantiated) links to a Spanish doping ring. CSC, his former team, decided to drop Basso, even after he was cleared of any involvement. Basso will likely submit to a DNA test to return to the ProTour in an effort to completely clear his name.
A few comments about the signing. First, Discovery is poised to have an incredible year. It’s likely that George Hincapie will focus primarily on the spring classics (and given his run of bad luck this season, I believe his time at Paris-Roubaix has come), and reprise his role has super-domestique for the Tour (I could also see his challenging for the green jersey). The odd man out at the moment is Levi Leipheimer, who left Gerolsteiner for Disco this fall. He probably signed on thinking he would be the team’s Grand Tour man, but with Basso on board, his focus may be on the smaller national tours and possible the Vuelta. If Basso continues his quest for the Giro/TdF double, it is entirely possible that Disco could sweep the Grand Tours, no mean feat.
On the other hand, I could see a disastrous season, much like what T-Mobile experienced two years ago when they had the super team of Ullrich, Kloden, and Vino. Despite the firepower, T-Mobile could not produce the results. It is worth noting, however, that Bruyneel is a fine DS, and I can’t really imagine him mismanaging his arsenal, especially in the Grand Tours.
I gave the new (old) Cannondale a second shakedown this morning. The bottom bracket on the Surly is squeaking, and I didn’t have time to strip it down last night, so I decided to spare my ears and ride the gears. I replaced the bar-ends, and that made the straight bars a bit more tolerable, though I’m still going to swap them out for something else. I’m considering removing the front derailleur and putting the cyclocross cranks (currently sitting in the cabinet) on with just a single 39 tooth ring. I figure with the seven speed cassette, that should be more than enough gears. I spent most of the commute in the big ring (which I’m guessing is a 42 or 44), and only slip into the middle ring for the short climb at the end of Pine Creek Valley. I’m also considering dropping the indexed shifting on the rear derailleur. Bar-wise, I’m leaning toward mounting a moustache bar upside down, mounting road brake levers and an old school thumbshifter, or better yet, an old bar end (why, oh why did i ever get ride of the set I had?). I’m not sold on the saddle (an old Bontrager), though I think the nose could be tipped up a bit.
I have to admit, the bike is sorta fun to ride, especially on my commute. I can cut roughly five minutes on the ride in, and close to ten minutes off the ride thanks to the coasting drivetrain (just being able to let it rip on the descents without my legs spinning out of control is an advantage). It also considerably more comfortable, but that is expected with 1.5 inch tires. I know this sounds like blasphemy coming from my mouth, but gears ain’t all that bad.
Posted on 8 November 2006