On the Street....The Strand, New York

On the Street....Fifth Ave., New York

On the Street....Zipped & Cuffed, New York

On the Street....Proportion Play, New York

Our eyes play tricks on us.

This young lady looks almost provocative with her tailored jacket and long, summer legs. However, under that jacket, she was wearing the same jean shorts that all the other young ladies are wearing this time of year. From the front she would seem unremarkable, but from the back it's a whole different story.

On the Street....Denim Italiano, Milan

On the Street....Eighth St., New York

On the Street....Beppe, Milan

I think if I ever did a men's style guide, I would have to call it "What Would Beppe Do?"

On the Street....Lafayette St., New York

Get Ready Italy, Starbucks Can't Be Far Behind

(Garance and her "to go espresso" in Florence)

I was more than a little surprised during my last trip to Italy to see espresso "to go".

The French fell to Starbucks a few years ago and they have never looked back. I have always heard the excuse that Italian coffee culture is so strong that they would never offer coffee "to go" but these new shops are the beginning of the end for that dream.

The flip side of the debate is that coffee is different from espresso, just like linguine is different from spaghetti. I would think the two could coexist.

UPDATE- already in the comments, people are commenting that one should sit and casually enjoy a coffee. However, in Italy, no one sits to have an espresso, they stand at the bar. I think people are confusing the French coffee experience with the reality of Italian coffee culture.

This is a great little cafe down the street from the hotel we stay at in Milan.

They are trying to offer a slice of American coffee culture to Italians but without serving actual American coffee. It's a fun idea but the tiny espresso cups only last about one city block before it's empty.

So, how do we feel about Starbucks in Italy?

The Augustus Hotel, Forte dei Marmi, Italy

If you are ever in Italy during the Summer you've got to try the Augustus Hotel in Forte di Marmi. As beautiful as this place looks, it smells even better.

On the Street....Boho Couple, Florence

I love couples that dresses in the same spirit. It seems to show a bond or a personal secret they have together.

On the Street....Italian Bling, Florence

Summer in the City, NYC

Concept 2 Support the Games

Concept 2 are supporting the 2010 CrossFit Velocity Divided We Fall Team Games.

Concept2 have been selling rowing machines in the UK since 1983. In that time the Concept2 Indoor Rower and the sport of indoor rowing that it created, has penetrated every aspect of the health, fitness and sports markets in the UK from fitness clubs to schools, and the armed forces to the home and elite sport of all varieties. Our goal is to promote and encourage the growth of indoor rowing throughout society and within all communities, as a healthy lifelong leisure pursuit. We strive to design, manufacture, sell, and service unique products of the highest quality and value for the benefit of all indoor rowing users, customers and the wider Concept2 community.

Concept 2 will be providing rowers for the the games, so get your rowing game together!! They will also be providing some other toys..............
Watch out for details of more exciting sponsors soon!!

Tabata Something Else

As promised to the classes tonight a little sneek peek at our new home!!

{A} Warm Up / Mobilise
{B} "Tabata Something Else"
8 rounds each of 20 seconds work 10 seconds rest of:

• pull-ups
  
• push-ups
  
• sit-ups
  
• squats

Score is lowest number of reps for each exercise
{C} Stretch/Roll



Post lowest score for each movement to comments

Twin City - All City

In the Cities? The Twin Cities? The Midwest? Then there is everything right with you hitting up this little gathering today through Sunday. The All City Championship put on by Bike Jerks.

We've posted on this before but it never hurts to repeat. Jeff [from Bike Jerks] has gathered some pretty great looking prizes from all the sponsors. You'll have your chance at getting your hands on some Deep V, Chukker and B43 wheelsets.

For a schedule on how this little bike party is going to go down, check out this link.

And for all of you who like videos... here are all the All City Championship videos I could find [without putting forth much effort]:

Bike Jerks Weekend from BikeJerks on Vimeo.

All City Trick Comp 2009 from BikeJerks on Vimeo.

First Steps Towards Fall!!

Finally, a belted cardigan that is cozy but still slim and chic.

RazorStorm Support the CrossFit Velocity Games

CrossFit Velocity Divided We Fall Games 2010


Since the birth of Razorstorm, its established itself firmly in the UK MMA clothing fashion scene. It has been the fastest growing Mixed Martial Arts clothing brand in the UK, supporting and sponsoring some of the biggest names in UK MMA. Razorstorm fans understand the essence of Razorstorm and all it stands for. Wearing Razorstorm clothing unites you in a strong community of fans, martial arists, mma fighters, extreme sportsman and athletes. The ultimate fashion brand with a twist.Razorstorm is more than a fashion brand label, its a state of mind. A state of mind that puts you above your opponent in battle and combat. An undeniable focus to achieve the very best of ones life and always pushing the limits of yourself.Our moto "An Unfair Advantage" has manifested from normal people achieving great things and pushing a life style above the norm. Razorstorm is here to back and support your ambition and to fuel your desireRazorstorm designs are hand drawn in house by our artists and elite design team. Every design from Razorstorm is 100% unique to us so you know your getting a special unique piece of artwork.

We are pleased to announce that RazorStorm will be supporting the Games.Any affiliate team wanting to look the part can get discount on a affiliate "team kit" from RazorStorm. We highly recommend the CrossBreed Shorts. http://www.razorstorm.co.uk/
Also RazorStorm will be producing a limited edition Divided We Fall Games T-Shirt as well as providing prizes and other goodies!!
Watch out for details of other exciting sponsors soon.............

{A} Warm Up / Mobilise
{B} Push Press
5-5-5-5-5
{C} 6x100m Sprints 60sec Rec between efforts
{D} Stretch / Roll

Post loads for push press to comments

The Knit Proportion, Florence

I've talked alot about the proper amount of shirtcuff to show with a suit.

Well, I think there's a similar proportion to consider with the relation of a shirtcuff to a knit.

I'm using the above image as a good standard.

ps. note how much better this gentleman looks with a fitted knit. Oversized knits aren't hiding anything.

Goldilocks and The 3 Bears

{A} Establish Max Weight of 1 Set of Heavy Bear

{B} 1 Round of Bear For Time @50% max

{C} Amrap 10 Mins:

3 Sets of the Bear (40kg/30kg)

Run 200m
{D} Stretch / Roll

Post load, time and rounds for the 3 bears to comments.

On the Street....Full with Flair, Paris

Summer in New York is full of young women in long print dresses. Too often though the dresses are bland, overly basic and usually carrying a cheap looking print. Sometimes they seem like the modern version of the thoughtless housedress.

I think it is so fresh to see a long dress done with a little flair. The fullness of this young lady's dress doesn't dwarf her size but does create a beautifully dramatic silhouette when she walks.

Glam.

With a name like Major Tom, it's hard not to have a little glamour from it's roots.

On Friday, Matt and I went and had some new photos shot for Interbike coming up in September. Sorry folks, right now, all you get is a shot from my camera phone but I promise you some sweet photos are on their way for your consumption!

Polo with a Suit, Florence

Polo with a suit?

That's tricky.

Too often it comes off as Master Champ. I think the real key is to wear polo as sleek as the suit.

The next critical question would then be, collar in or out?

WOD

Great fun on Saturday, those who came along got stuck into Helen and there were a number of PB's!! The evening was fun with a few beers and a curry always a winning combo!! Couple of things:

• If you want to order the CFV RazorStorm WOD Shorts get your size and name on the board, we will place an order in a week.
• We need to start taking names and payment for the Intro to SPEAR course at the box on Sept 11th. (Watch the videos below for just 2 of the concepts you will learn)
• We would like every member to raise at least £10 for the Bugaboo Cure SMA WOD on the 28th of August. If you do not manage to get £10 through sponsorship we will just ask for a £10 donation from you on the day - please support this worthy cause.

{A} Warm Up / Mobilise
{B} For Time:
10-1
SDHP 40kg/20kg
After each round of SDHP do 1 round of Cindy eg 10 SDHP 1 round of Cindy etc
{C} Stretch / Roll

Post time to comments

Smoketown Fly In 2010

The Smoketown 2010 Fly In was today. I'd promised to have my Velocity on display, but the weather was bad all week, so I hadn't had time to bring it over from Chester County. The forecast was good for today, so I decided to just fly it over really early before the fly in began.

They wanted to have it parked by 7:00, so I left my airport at 6:30 and got there as things were being set up. I parked, then helped get some other display aircraft into place.

______________________________________________________________





There she is, all settled in with a Champ, RV, Waco and a Sonex. Time to start walking around to check out the other planes.

_______________________________________________________________



By about 9:00 the planes were just pouring in. It was clear, cool and comfortable for the first time I can remember all summer. What luck to get this weather on the day of the fly in.

At any given moment, there were 4 or 5 planes in the pattern and in no time at all the parking area was full. I wouldn't be surprised if there were over 200 planes. It was fun walking up and down the rows, checking out the planes, seeing old friends and finding out where everyone flew in from.

I ran into several people I'd met at Oshkosh, other attorneys, my CFI who soloed me and more.

______________________________________________________________




My wife, Nancy, brought Katie and Sean out to see the planes, have a burger and, of course, to give Dad a ride home. It was funny to see my very modern Velocity juxtaposed against the WWII tableau set up behind it.

_____________________________________________________________





Here's a new one. Someone actually sketched my plane, grey primer nose and all.

____________________________________________________________





My friend Kerry Fritz flew his beautiful Long EZ, Race 99, into Smoketown. He is a repeat Airventure cup racer as you can see, but is running out of space on his plane for the stickers.

Here he is headed out after breakfast. We are making plans to fly together soon.

_____________________________________________________________




We were even graced by the Grand Champion from Oshkosh. How do you top that?

It was a great day, with perfect weather, lots of planes and pilots getting together to enjoy what we all love to do. Smoketown was the perfect venue. As I've said before, this place is the kind of airport, and more importantly, the kind of community, that is hard to find.

I flew in today with an airplane load full of copier paper boxes from work to pack up my hangar to move to Chester County. It's closer, longer and more convenient, but I felt sad about the idea of giving up my hangar at Smoketown. My friends there keep reminding me that it's only 5 minutes away from the new airport and I'm sure we'll still be flying together. The folks there have been very good to me through the construction of two airplanes over the last 14 years and I'll miss being one of the Smoketown airport bums.

I'm going to do a few more repairs/improvements, then move the plane to the new hangar by the end of the month. I'm going to try to get a few more good trips in before paint in October.

____________________________________________________________

Open Gym

Tomorrow is open day 11am-3pm please support it and bring some friends and family!!
Congratulations to Mr and Mrs Slug who were married yesterday out in Vancouver CA.

Here is THE MAN explaining the basic principle of the 3 pulls in Olympic Weightlifting - get familiar with it as the Snatch workshop is coming up soon!!

Rest Day / Skills Day / Make Up Day

're-discovered' -drome

As many of you have seen, on the other end of our great state the Dorais Velodrome was 're-discovered' in the Detroit area. Hard not to get excited about that and great to see the Mower Gang is doing. There is also a great article here.

First a video of what was:

What it's become:

It's a good reminder that if we don't get out and ride, support local events and riding destinations they can easily be forgotten and fall to the wayside. So, ride this weekend!

WOD

{A} Warm Up / Mobilise
{B} 3 Rounds For Time:
10 Thrusters 60kg/30kg
10 Burpees
{C} Stretch / Roll

Post time to comments

Saturday marks 1yr at the box (we have been a CrossFit affiliate for nearly 2 years now) and we want to open up the box for the day for people to come see what this CrossFit stuff is all about! I am sure many of you are banned from talking about CrossFit at home with friends or family so Saturday is your chance to show them what you do and what all the fuss is about.
We really need to help of all our members if this Open Day is going to be a success and we ask that you try to bring as many friends and or family as possible. If they have been considering starting CrossFit, Saturday will be the perfect opportunity to experience it. We rely on word of mouth and have never advertised what we do! Our sole focus is quality coaching that gets results. We are proud of the members and community we are building at the box (where else do you get burpees if you do not introduce yourself to someone you don't know?)and want to expose more people to the magic of constantly varied functional movement performed at high intensity. The day will be really relaxed and informal and you can come and go as you please. So please CFV members help us out!!
The evening will be set aside for a BBQ at my place and all are welcome and we have some live music in the shape of Where's Wally lead singer/guitarist Jack Fender who will play some acoustic stuff! CC may even get on the bongos!!

Here is a rough plan of the day:
11:00am - Meet at the box
12:00pm - Talk - What is Fitness? What is CrossFit?
12:30pm - WOD - CFV members / anyone who would like to try a workout (you need kit)
1:30pm - Meet trainers / members, have a play on the equipment
3:00pm - Go home and get ready!!!!
5:30pm till late BBQ/Music @ Casa de Evans (THIS WILL BE A CHEAT DAY BRING BEER/MEAT)

Look forward to seeing you all there and meeting some of your friends and family!

Open Day

Saturday marks 1yr at the box (we have been a CrossFit affiliate for nearly 2 years now) and we want to open up the box for the day for people to come see what this CrossFit stuff is all about! I am sure many of you are banned from talking about CrossFit at home with friends or family so Saturday is your chance to show them what you do and what all the fuss is about.
We really need to help of all our members if this Open Day is going to be a success and we ask that you try to bring as many friends and or family as possible. If they have been considering starting CrossFit, Saturday will be the perfect opportunity to experience it. We rely on word of mouth and have never advertised what we do! Our sole focus is quality coaching that gets results. We are proud of the members and community we are building at the box (where else do you get burpees if you do not introduce yourself to someone you don't know?)and want to expose more people to the magic of constantly varied functional movement performed at high intensity. The day will be really relaxed and informal and you can come and go as you please. So please CFV members help us out!!
The evening will be set aside for a BBQ at my place and all are welcome and we have some live music in the shape of Where's Wally lead singer/guitarist Jack Fender who will play some acoustic stuff! CC may even get on the bongos!!

Here is a rough plan of the day:
11:00am - Meet at the box
12:00pm - Talk - What is Fitness? What is CrossFit?
12:30pm - WOD - CFV members / anyone who would like to try a workout (you need kit)
1:30pm - Meet trainers / members, have a play on the equipment
3:00pm - Go home and get ready!!!!
5:30pm till late BBQ/Music @ Casa de Evans (THIS WILL BE A CHEAT DAY BRING BEER/MEAT)

Look forward to seeing you all there and meeting some of your friends and family! CFV

{A} Warm Up / Mobilise
{B} HSPU Tech Work
{C} For Time:
20-18-16-14-12-10-8-6-4-2 Press Ups
2-4-6-8-10-12-14-16-18-20 Box Jumps 20/24in
{D} 50 Overhead Sit Ups
{E} Stretch / Roll

Post time to comments

On the Street....Viale Piave, Milano

3 video day.

Today just felt like a 3 video day. Nothing new, just some favorites.

The first comes from our friend over at Bike Jerks, Jeff. Maybe it's just me but every time I hear 'Oh Yeah' fond memories of Ferris Bueller's Day Off come to mind and I can't stop listing or watching until it's over...

Bike Jerks Weekend from BikeJerks on Vimeo.

and we all know '... wasn't using a crosswalk... cancels out... keep walking.'

I think I could watch/listen to the first 15 seconds of this video on repeat for an uncomfortable amount of time...

Circulus from machine project on Vimeo.

Relief

Last week, during our vacation in Western Canada, I was able to put in a marathon training effort. I ran a cumulative total of 45 miles over seven days, a sum that ranks up with some of my longest training weeks at the peak of my marathon plans, and despite the fact that there is no race in my future. Remarkably, though, it felt wonderful, liberating, and mostly easy. After trudging through three months of sticky, searing hot weather in the Big Apple, the cool mountain air and sunny, crisp mornings were a welcome relief.

I was shocked to find that, outside of New York City and even at a much higher altitude, my pace per mile dropped a solid minute. Although I had to confirm it several times on mapmyrun.com to truly believe it, it gave me some hope that perhaps I haven’t permanently lost whatever speed I may once have had. Indeed, last night after work Zdenek and I ran almost five miles in 31 degree heat, and my pace was once again tortoise-like. I hadn’t fully recovered when we headed out for a ride this morning, and I spent the first two laps drafting off Zdenek 95% of the time. Yep, it helps to have a strong training partner who can carry the load.

I’ve always gravitated towards spring marathons because, frankly, I don’t see how anyone can train properly through the summer months. (I did run the NYC marathon in November 2008, but I cut my preparation from 17 weeks to five.) Looking ahead, I’m not sure whether I’ll be able to run a race this coming spring, though I’d sure love to try. As several people now know, Zdenek and I will be +1 come 2011, and this will impact my ability to train to a degree that I can’t quite yet comprehend. Fortunately, with eight marathons and several more halfs under my belt, I feel like I can finally enjoy running for running’s sake, rather than needing to prove anything to myself.

Perhaps this newfound contentment will relieve any pressure to meet a particular time goal when I do eventually pick my next race in 2011 (if anything, the number “9” in front of per-mile pace has started to feel strangely normal). Or perhaps I'll switch tactics altogether and combine my passions into one by training for my first triathlon. But as for the +1, he/she already has already completed one marathon -- a feat that took me almost 27 years to tackle. It turns out that, as in cycling, running is definitely easier when someone else carries you along.

My Favorite Off-Runway Look, Paris

WOD

{A} Warm Up / Mobilise
{B} Back Squat 1-10 2-20 3-30
{C} Band Sprints
{D} Stretch / Roll

Post loads for 6 sets to comments

On the Street....Happy Clothes, Florence

P to the 35

Now, there is plenty of finality in the word final, but this might be more of a sign off. Guitar Ted has been putting a set of our P35's through the ringer since the beginning of the year and has given us and the world his thoughts throughout the process [see the On Test, Out of the Box, & Midterm reports]. G-Ted stamp of approval? In this final review, we think so!

Velocity Wheelset: P-35 Rims: Final Review

August 9th, 2010 by Guitar Ted

The P-35 rim, introduced last year, was the second widely available rim in the 30 plus millimeter range. How would it hold up to regular mountain biking. How would it play with your tires? Is it a worthy choice for average trail riding 29″er freaks? These are the questions I had going into this review. Now, after several months of riding everything from packed snow machine trails to swampy, muddy track, to dry, rooty single track, here are my final observations on these rims/wheels. Also, as a bonus, I’ll cover the new Velocity rim tape that turns any set of P-35’s to tubeless compatible wheels. If you have missed the last Mid-Term Report, you can click this link to read that.

P-35 rim on the front here of this Big Mama full suspension bike.

Wide Track: The P-35’s claim to fame is its reasonable weight plus its width. The width spreads out a 29″er tire, and is also said to give the tire better support. One thing needs to be considered though when looking at a 35mm wide rim. Your tires may actually end up being worse performers on a P-35 than they are on narrower rims. Why? It is because the tread area on some tires actually flattens out when the beads are spaced further apart. This flattening of the tread area may “close up” the tread, making your tires skittish, or loose. Generally, I would suggest using wider tires, over 2.3″, on this class rim due to this phenomenon, but experimentation is always good.

The wider rims also may cause issues with tire clearance in some frames. If you set these up with 2.4″ers, it will certainly cause you to use up most, if not all, your chain stay clearance. Many older 29″er frames were not made with these rims and 2.4″ tires in mind. For instance, the Ardents on the P-35’s I had were nearly 62mm wide at the casing. That sort of casing width isn’t going to leave a lot of “breathing room” in a lot of frames out there!

The Wheel Set: Now for a word on the wheels specifically, which are built on Velocity branded hubs. These wheels were trouble free during the entire testing period. They stayed true, and to my surprise, the wheels did not develop fouled bearings despite my best efforts to get them contaminated. The bearings are very smooth to this day, and I wouldn’t hesitate to have Velocity build me a set again. The tensions were great, and I have no complaints on the build. The only thing I would suggest is for Velocity U.S.A. to consider developing a front hub that is convertible from 9mm QR to 15QR, to 20mm through axle. This would make buying a hub from Velocity much more appealing, and make the hub a versatile one that could go from bike to bike with a quick end cap change.

All you need to set up a pair of P-35’s to be tubeless compatible.

Velocity Velotape: The Velotape came out after we received the wheel set, so Velocity sent the Velotape out after our Mid-Term Update. I set up the rims after removing the tire and make shift rim strip I used previously. Let me tell you, the Velotape is a far more elegant solution! I cleaned the inner rim cavity thoroughly, and then I was all set.

It is important to slightly stretch the tape as you apply it to make sure you minimize any air pockets after application. (It is kind of like applying a decal, if that makes sense.) The inner cavity of the P-35 is “U” shaped, so following up with some pressure from your index finger where the tape meets the rim is advisable. (See image above)

After overlapping the tape at the rim seam, according to the instructions, you pierce a hole at the valve drilling to allow installation of the supplied valve stem. (Make sure you pierce the valve stem drilling and not a spoke hole!)

When inserting the stem, make sure it is seated all the way in, as shown here.

The valve stem nut comes with a supplied washer that goes against the rim as shown. Then you are ready to install a tire, add sealant, and air it up! I used the Ardent 2.4″er again, and the process was seamless. So far, the system has proven very trail worthy. (By the way, the valve stem does have a removable core.)

Conclusions: The Velocity P-35 rim succeeds in that it is a trail worthy rim at a reasonable weight and price. It comes in many colors, and is easily found from many on-line and local bike shops. The new Velotape adds extra value to these rims, but it is an extra purchase on top of the rims, so be aware of that. The rims seem to be of average stiffness and would be best suited to XC to light AM uses. Front single speed applications, and anywhere a rider sees that a wider footprint on a 29″er would be advantageous would be places to look at using a P-35 rim. The weight is very reasonable for the width, but even so, this isn’t an XC racers rim. This rim is for the everyday 29″er rider that wants to maximize the performance of the wider tires on the market for 29′ers.

The wheel build gets an A+. I had zero issues with it, and the tensions were good and remained so during the entire test. The hubs were also a highlight, and for the money, they were a great value. I didn’t necessarily care for the thread on free wheel compatibility or the fact that the 20mm through axle is not convertible to other standards now available. If you don’t want to fuss with building up a set of P-35’s, have your bike shop do it through Velocity U.S.A. and they will be a great wheel set, if this one we tested is anything to go by. They do have standard geared cassette hubs for geared use which can be set up with spacers for single speed use.

The Velotape is an easy to apply solution to get the P-35’s going as a tubeless wheel set. I had no issues with setting up the tires I was using as tubeless on this system and the valve stems and tape seem to be top notch quality stuff. I’ve seen much worse!

Finally, the Velocity P-35 is a welcomed addition to the choices for a 29″er rider in terms of rims and wheels. The colors available are unmatched by other companies, the quality is consistent, and the rims themselves are workhorse pieces that should serve most riders well, save chunk riders and anyone pushing the limits of 29″er wheels. These folks should look elsewhere for rims, but for a wide swath of the 29″er riding public that is wanting a wide footprint for their rubber, the P-35 rim from Velocity U.S.A. should be a serious consideration.

Note: Twenty Nine Inches received this wheel set at no charge for test and review. We are not being bribed or paid for the review here and we will strive to give our honest opinions throughout.

_

The P35 is available in these sizes and drillings:

26" [559], 650b, 700c/29er in 32 and 36 hole drillings in these colors:

Black, Silver, White, Electric Red, and Antifreeze Green

* Lumberjack Plaid and Teak P35's are available in 26" and 700c sizes with 32 and 36 hole drillings