"no mud, no lotus"

"I was very curious. What's around that corner? It was a very big world, and I was, 'I gotta hurry to see the whole thing'." -Mads Mikkelsen to Rolling Stone Dear Friends, I am headed to Sandbridge, VA for a little beach time with the family. I am NOT bringing a bike. There may or may not be any posts for a week or so. I plan on bringing my running shoes! If there is anything interesting about running, I will post. But...I doubt it. Enjoy your week. Yours truly, Bob P.S. Did

Campus Wheelworks Wednesday Night Race Series at Sprague Brook Park is in full swing, with only one week left. I signed up to race the seventh week in the series to get in one more awesome ride before vacation and a week off the bike. The series features a 4 mile loop, with races of 4 (expert), 3 (single speed and sport), 2 (beginner), and 1 lap (juniors under 12 years of age). I have ridden SBP several times before, and I figured the beginner race would be a nice hour of wor

“I don’t always wear gloves, but when I do I prefer Handup Gloves.” I wear gloves on the bike for three reasons: when it’s cold, when I need grip, and when I think I might crash. So if you see me on the road bike on a warm day with gloves, be careful. Handup Gloves started as a small company whose marketing was to make a better glove for the bike so you don’t mess up that hand up. Hand ups are a part of cyclocross that I just love, and I have seen lots of good stuff from mone

It’s about quality not quantity I am really loving the time I have spent on the bike lately, and I know exactly why. It’s the little things that matter. A clean bike. A lubed chain. A good riding group. A nice piece of gear or kit. A new place to explore. It is about quality, and the most important thing to have is quality time. Life is too short for a crappy bike ride. I really wasn’t much of a cyclist two or three years ago, but man did I want to be. I spent lots of time tr

Last week, I was so stoked after doing that crit that I decided that I wanted to race again this weekend. So, I decided that a mountain bike race would fit the bill just fine, even though I have never done one, and I am pretty much a complete hack on the mountain bike. The thing I like most about mountain biking is the beauty of being out in the woods. There is just no place I would rather be. I really enjoyed getting out a few times on the MTB last year, and I must say that

Faire l'elastique- (French) "doing the elastic." There was a large field, and I was predicted to finish second last. I wondered who that poor guy was that was ranked lower. Last night we witnessed the last criterium races of the BBC Larkin Series. This annual event is arguably the biggest one on the local calendar, and riders come down from Ontario and out of state to participate in a well run event that highlights the strong racing community in Buffalo and Western New York.

I have three simple questions when looking for a bike helmet: does it provide good protection, does it fit the size and shape of my head, and does it come in a good colorway? My recent purchase of the Suomy Gunwind ticks off all these boxes perfectly! Suomy is a company that many of us in the US are not familiar with unless you happen to watch a lot of cyclocross or buy lots of motorcycle gear. The owners worked for many years in the motorcycle industry and after importing ot

tube-less (adj.) without tube. Getting flats is part of riding a bike. There is really no way around it, just the ability to choose one compromise over another. Do you want to roll faster and get more flats, or do you want to get less flats and roll a little more slowly? Exploring tubeless wheels and tires might be a compromise that interests you. Running tires without tubes has been around in the mountain bike world for a while. Trail shredders seeking low tire pressures had

Friend or fang? The beauty of a bike Is that adventures lie Around the far corner And up the block ahead. And the wind in my face With the sun on my back, Was I oblivious To the friend, or the fang? I listened to the breeze Then heard a faint rapping. Pad, paw, claw on pavement, Predator upon me? No matter, he was kind Or not, dog lies behind. -Bob Maulucci

Monitoring heart rate is essential for tracking your fatigue, training intensity, and performance. Everyone who rides or runs needs a heart rate monitor. Heart rate is an essential metric, and so the big question becomes...which heart rate monitor do I get? I like tracking power and heart rate across my rides no matter how short they might be. Heart rate and power are the two metrics that I need to see on a ride no matter the distance. Cadence, balance, and everything else is