just cruising...

its an easy week, so i'm trying to use some of the other bikes i keep in my stable, that don't see the light of day as much as i'd like them to. and so i found myself on my vintage carbon road bike (that now only wears one gear...), riding off-road, on some frickin' sandy double tracks.

a 23 mm tire doesn't do sand so well. it was hilariously stupid. 2 days later, there is still sand in my road shoes.

oh, and speaking of great stopping brakes- these are my favourites, by far... the m952 XTR v-brake levers. they have it all: power, modulation (v-brake style), lightness, reach adjustment and looks. will not trade them for the world. yours for one million dollars. huh!

and this is a new segment i like to call : "what was i doing three years ago, around this time...?"
well- exactly 3 years ago, i was on a flight back from the US of A, after spending 5 months on the roads in my RV. this is the last picture i took on US soil, on VENTURA boulevard, an hour before i drove to the airport. a super rare porsche 550 speedster.

that sums LA pretty well, doesn't it?

single life...

training for the world championship is going well, and this week is an easy one. in the remaining 3 weeks i'll be doing some watt training, mainly 1 and 5 minutes intervals, with race simulations on the weekend.

meanwhile, i'm waking up every morning at 5 am, for three totally different reasons:

1. its hot as hell, so riding in the early morning hours is the only option.

2. the riders i train like to ride early, 'cause they have to go to work afterwards...

3. for some reason, Ori likes to wake up at 4:50 in the morning. mmm.

got these old Avid SL V-brakes for my "keep-it-simple" redline singlespeed. the old brakes were a cheapo TEKTRO, that hardly slowed my bike. these brakes are awesome. i love the simplicity
of V-brakes. they stop like crazy. good.

also, i've started testing this new WTB tire for the magazine. its called BRONSON, and its aimed at the trailbike crowd.

the tread is pretty aggressive, with soft compound and fast middle section. first thoughts? i like it. more details soon... stay tuned.

back for good...

welcome back, dear readers, to the re-opening of Hanoch redlich's blog- this time, the real deal. no, really, i'm serious. it's been such a long time that there is just too much to say and share. i'll give it to you slowly, then.

this beautiful baby has changed my life. everything i do surrounds her. work, sleep, mornings, noons and nights. and i love her like i've never loved before.

and throughout it all i am happy to say that i've actually managed to train, at least in the past month or so. and its about time, too, because today is exactly 5 weeks to Single Speed WorldChampionship in Ireland.

i've been riding singlespeed bikes for the past 6 years or so, and raced all kinds of races with only one cog and one chainring, be it epic or super short. but there is no doubt that this is the pinnacle of my singlespeed career.

Moran and Ori are coming with me, ofcourse, and so are my parents.

anyway- welcome back, dear readers...

stay tuned.

H