Wanna Wager?

So what’s threatening to damage professional biking this week? Doping? Protests? Bizarre guidelines about handlebar width and kit ratios? No, it’s playing:

That may be an actual disgrace, seeing as how far the game has come:

UCI president David Lappartient instructed Het Laatste Nieuws raised the specter of unlawful betting in biking in an earlier interview.

“Sports activities betting is like an iceberg,” he mentioned. “Ninety p.c of the bets are unlawful and occur beneath the waterline,” Lapparient instructed HLN. “That’s how it’s in soccer, tennis and handball. I don’t wish to get to a day when biking, as soon as now we have climbed out of the valley of doping, and the struggle towards mechanical fraud has been efficiently carried out, is undermined by corruption and playing scandals.”

Riiight.

They’ve climbed out of the valley of doping all proper–and at report speeds!

Nothing suspicious about that in any respect.

As for playing on biking, that’s a positive signal you may have an actual drawback, like when drunks begin breaking thermometers open for the alcohol. Outdoors of Belgium, I’d think about most individuals solely begin betting on biking after they get banned from the canine monitor. Even so, I wouldn’t fear an excessive amount of about it ruining biking, as a result of everyone knows it’s the carbon fiber that did that.

In truth, it could possibly be that playing is the one factor that will save biking. Keirin is a type of bicycle racing that exists solely so individuals can wager on it, and it’s the one self-discipline left during which the racers nonetheless use actual bicycles:

Coincidence? I believe not. Possibly we have to put the yakuza in control of the UCI. By the best way, I requested a well-liked search engine “Is keirin mounted?” and I bought the next reply:

There you go, the repair is in.

Talking of old school tools, for the second week in a row I flouted custom by spending “Wooded Wednesday” on the pavement as an alternative of the grime:

Although I did make a quick foray into gravel territory:

I notice it’s a stretch to name that gravel, however my understanding of the phrase is that it now refers to something that’s not a paved street or a mountain bike path. No matter it was I felt like I used to be floating over it on these 30mm tubulars. I used to be additionally sporting the very newest in biking footwear know-how:

You don’t even want to alter your sneakers to go bowling afterwards:

However whereas I’ll take pleasure in L’Eroica-themed cosplay I’m additionally nonetheless open to attempting new issues–barely open, like that steamed mussel you’re unsure you must eat, however roll the cube on nonetheless. In truth, keep in mind I had that garvel-type body I used to be trying to promote?

Effectively, since then I’ve acquired nary a nibble, and so I questioned if possibly I’d have higher luck if it had been an entire bike. Plus, I figured the method of placing it collectively could be a enjoyable wet day mission, while on the similar time broadening my horizons a bit–however not an excessive amount of, since this can nonetheless be a totally mechanical bike, together with the brakes. And to that finish, I requisitioned some stuff, together with this, a lot to the delight of the cat:

It’s a Microshift Sword Black mini-group consisting of the shrakes (I dislike the time period “brifter” so I’m hoping I could make shrake catch on):

[Well, technically one shrake and one brake lever, since it’s for a single ring setup.]

Which appear to be Cthulhu:

The derailleur:

Which seems like a sculpture from “Beetlejuice” which may come alive at any second and begin inch-worming itself throughout the ground:

And the cassette, which is the very first thing I’d seize to defend myself within the occasion of a house invasion:

It should most likely be awhile earlier than I get this factor collectively, however I’ll preserve you posted.