STUFFE

SKATEBOARDING

Cannonball from California is a place. on Vimeo.

From the "Good" blog;

"The short film "Cannonball" artfully follows a group of skaters in search of newly empty pools behind foreclosed homes in and around the arid sprawl of Fresno other inland California suburbs that have been blighted by the housing collapse and ensuing recession. It has some NSFW language, but it's undeniably powerful—and a poignant meditation on greed, materialism, and an enduring kind of joy."

A lot of the images remind me of Glenn E. Friedman's work from the '70s and '80s - (collected in the book "F*** You Heroes").

FANCY DAN
Gem at Bianchista has pics of a new Rapha cap, the "Maharam". Whilst it does look very nice, I question the point of a cycling cap that's lined with silk and costs £115. I'm not against expensive gear per se, but bike clothes that are evidently not made to sweat and suffer in seem to stray a bit far from the original purpose for my taste.

The direction Rapha sometimes take can be summed up in two experiences for me. The first being a chap I met on a train once, who reckoned to have paid for a lot of his gear by buying limited Rapha clothing, and then selling it on a year or so later (usually at a profit, he claimed) and another chap who was (unironically) wearing a Rapha cycling cap at Alton Towers. (He'd not ridden there, and was evidently making a statement of some sort). With that said, my winter cap from the big R is superb, and very few other people do properly warm winter caps with a peak and ear covering.

The Maharam cap screams "COLLECTORS ITEM" a little too loudly for my ears. If you have more money than sense are convinced of the performance qualities of silk as a fabric, you can buy the cap here.

THE DOPER NEXT DOOR
Bicycling looks at doping in amateur racing.

"And statistics, as usual, don't tell the whole story. According to former journeyman pro and admitted doper Joe Papp, who recently pleaded guilty to dealing human growth hormone and EPO acquired from China to an estimated 187 customers, older athletes comprise the bulk of amateur drug use. "Based on my experiences, in the U.S. the majority of athletes seeking doping products on the black market are amateurs, and believe it or not, they're masters athletes," says Papp."

BSNYC BOOK REVIEW
An excellent review of the Bike Snob's book from Cycling Inquisition;

"Still, as the 49th most influential cycling blogger on the internet, I thought I would be neglecting my duties as a tastemaker if I didn't share my views regarding his book with you."

The article features some good stuff on the Giro D'Italia at the end too.

GIRO D'ITALIA
There's a great round up of pictures from yesterday's foggy stage of the Giro at Pezcycling.

Carlos Sastre rules himself out of contention for the overall (cyclingnews).

BANANA BIKE

A Yuba Mundo, and nearly a half ton of bananas. From Utility Cycling.