Today's commute to work included two sure signs of spring.
One is something most people associate with this season: the blooming of small flowers. The violet wave I saw in the breeze were, as it turned out, a carpet of Iris reticulata:
There must have been something in the light and air: from a block or so away, I couldn't see the soil and I just barely noticed the green leaves rippling among the sea of indigo petals.
When I got to campus, I noticed another "sea," or at least a wave:
Yes, the bike rack was full when I arrived. Actually,there was one space left--behind the motorcycle.
The weather reports say there's a chance of rain tonight. One could hardly have guessed that on such a clear, dry--if somewhat brisk--early-spring day.
"To save weight, they used drilled-out tires and water bottles."
Yes, that is a joke. But it was about a real bicycle.
Actually, the bike itself was a rather noble attempt to offer something unique. Lambert bicycles were first built in England during the 1970's. Apparently, someone bought the old Viking Cycle factory in South London and decided to make some high-quality bikes.
The frames were actually rather nice: lugged and built from Cro-Moly aircraft tubing . Later, after Yamaha (as in the motorcycle maker) bought the company, the frames were filet-brazed. That is the same construction method used by the best tandem-builders and a few builders of single bikes. Still later production came from Japan, and then Taiwan (when the latter country was still making the worst bikes that weren't from India).
The frames had a rather lively feel to them. Unfortunately, they were paired with aluminum forks. Today that's not so unusual; however, at that time, I don't think anyone knew how to build aluminum forks. The result is that several cracked and Lambert had to make a massive world-wide recall.
Some of the parts weren't a whole lot better than the fork. The original models had a rear derailleur that looked like a copy of the Huret Svelto and didn't shift as well. (That's a bit like saying that some sandwich is a copy of a Big Mac but isn't as healthy.) The front derailleur was like a Campagnolo Valentino--which had been an outdated design for at least a decade--and didn't shift as well. Then there was the crankset, which looked like a TA Cyclotouriste but had more bolts, which meant that chainrings were not interchangable between the two brands. Those cranks were attached to an axle that didn't have a taper: Only a circlip separated the inside of the crank arm from the bottom bracket shell.
Probably the most interesting thing Lambert did, though, was to make a limited run of 100 bikes with an unusual finish. It was gold. Yes, that kind of gold, as in 24 karat plated. Back in 1972-73, the complete bike, with alloy parts and sew-up tires and rims, sold for $259.95.
I can remember seeing this ad in Bicycling! and other bicycle magazines during my formative years.
Now we're having the sort of weather we normally get in the latter parts of November or Feburary. So many people in this part of the world are wondering whether or not we had winter.
Officially, Spring began about a week and a half ago. Of course, we all know that the beginning or end of a season hasn't much to do with an equinox. Or so it seems.
Some Irish people argue that Spring begins on St. Patrick's Day. Some old Sicilians say it starts with the feast of San Giuseppe (St. Joseph) on the 19th. (I don't think it does; however, it's a great excuse for eating a sfingi.) However, other Italians argue that the season commences with the Milano-San Remo race. In fact, the race is commonly nicknamed "La Primavera." Other Europeans think la primavera or le printemps begins on the day of the nearest one-day "classic".
One-day classics usually highlight a particular aspect of road racing such as sprinting (e.g., Milano-San Remo), climbing (La Fleche Wallonne) or the sheer ability to endure pain and torture (See the Paris-Roubaix, a.k.a., "L'enfer du nord."). As one might expect, the first ones are held in Italy and, from there, they move northward to France, Belgium and the Netherlands.
In times past, it was important for even the top racers to place well, if not win. Cycling, which until the 1980's was sponsored mainly by bicycle-related companies and other mom-and-pop businesses, didn't pay as well as other sports like soccer/football. Even Eddy Mercx built up his bank account--along with his muscles and his reputation--by winning more classics than any other racer in history. That is one reason why, Lance's seven Tour de France wins notwithstanding, Europeans still hold Mercx in higher esteem--more than three decades after his retirement-- than just about any other racer.
Ironically, Australians won this year's and last year's Milan-San Remo. In the native country of Simon Gerrans and Matt Goss, autumn was beginning when they won the race, as it was in 2009 when their countryman Mark Cavendish won.
