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Montreal roads

admin — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 05:03:11 +0000

A wise man once said: “If you’re planning a vacation in Quebec, leave your bicycle at home.”

The announcement by Serge Arsenault about the Pro Tour coming to Quebec got me thinking about the state of Montreal roads.

No longer can we refer to the giant gaping trenches lining Quebec roads as potholes. These nids-de-poule as locals refer to them, are larger than any Thanksgiving bird I’ve ever seen. The roads are patched, filled and re-patched and much like a pointillism painting, only create the illusion of a road. Freshly resurfaced roads develop cracks before the first frost, new concrete sidewalks are falling apart just months after being built.

Those that blame the harsh Quebec climate must not get out much. This may come as a news flash to some of you, but the snow and freezing temperatures don’t magically disappear when you cross into Ontario, Vermont or New York. And yet, roads on the other side of any Quebec border are infinately superior…

What does this say about the infrastructure of this province? Are skilled laborers simply un-skilled? Did someone lose the cement recipe? Who is responsible for managing government funds? Where does all of our money go? Are the Quebecois so complacent they just don’t care anymore?

Exaggeration?! You tell me!

Rue Molson (shops Angus) – brand new sidewalk after 1 month (July 2009)

Rock! Paper! Scissors! Wood covers cement.

Secret cement recipe #1

neu Pointillism

Ongoing rant – check back for frequent updates!

Tour de France 2009 – Rider Galleries

Paul Ozzello — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 04:14:59 +0000

Up-close and personal with some of this year’s superstars.

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¿ Donde está la playa ?

Paul Ozzello — Sun, 26 Jul 2009 15:16:36 +0000

How do you get to the beach from Chamonix? Just ask a Fin :)

Armstrong’s Tour Over ?

Paul Ozzello — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 21:34:21 +0000

Unless Contador fails a doping test or bonks on the Mont Ventoux, Armstrong conceded his chances of winning the Tour on stage 15 up to Verbier.

Click image for stage highlights !!

Swiss Barbecue

Paul Ozzello — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 19:05:36 +0000

Simon shows us how it’s done in Grandvaux :)

Col de la Colombière

Paul Ozzello — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 18:55:48 +0000

One of the nicer road rides accessible from the Chamonix area is climbing Col de la Colombière via Mégève and Col des Aravis. Leave Chamonix through les Houches to avoid the major roadway, then fork right towards Servoz staying left and heading down to Passy. From Passy, climb up to Megeve and turn right at Flumet, up through le Col des Aravis. Go through la Clusaz, Grand Bornand and up the Col de la Colombière. Halfway down to Scionzier, avoid the direct route and make your way up the Col de Romme; and don’t miss the wonderful view on the left as you head into the village! Make sure to start before noon or you’ll be climbing back up to Chamonix in the dark…

Total distance: 172km

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Les Posettes

Paul Ozzello — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 22:35:13 +0000

Dedicated XC trails in Chamonix are few, and most paths are reserved for hiking and too technical for cross-country riding. Except for the valley floor where some excellent riding can be found on the Petit Balcon, paradise is found at Le Tour. Like most places in the valley, you can chairlift it up but for the harcore cross country rider, what comes down must go up… and a 40km loop through Switzerland and back to France is one of the most challenging rides in the valley.

Start from the village of Argentiere and make your way to Le Tour via Le Planet; the gentle climb up is the perfect warm up for the grueling ascent that awaits you. From Le Tour, start climbing under the gondola and take the hiker’s trail up, and keep going to the top of Col de Balme. Be proud, you’ve just climbed 12 kilometers and gained over 1000 m of elevation!

Now the fun begins :) Head down to the village of Trient via Catogne and if this is your first time down, be prepared to stop often to enjoy the scenery – it’s breathtaking! Once you get back into the trees, make sure not to miss the 20 switchbacks down to Pleuty! Insane! The switchbacks begin some 50 meters to the right - not to be attempted with V-Brakes!! When you get to Trient, take the main road back towards Finhaut but turn left and go up through Les Jeurs, where the final 10 km climb back to Les Posettes begins. The climb back up is easier than the previous ascent up to Col de Balme, and once you reach le Col des Posettes, head towards l’Aiguille des Posettes but make a left back down towards Le Tour instead…

Email me if you survive :)

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Don’t Forget to Smell the Roses :)

Paul Ozzello — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 21:44:25 +0000

Blazing down knarly singletrack, some of the most beautiful flowers usually go un-noticed. Here are some of the more common flowers from the Chamonix valley.

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Bianchi SUPER LEGGERA!

Paul Ozzello — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 19:32:45 +0000

Finally got one! I’ve been searching for a Bianchi Superleggera on EBay for years, but most of them are in terrible shape: dinged, rusted, pitted so I kind of gave up hope… until I rebuilt my 1984 Bianchi Veloce and was bit by the Superleggera bug yet again (my dream bike as a kid – my dream bike 30 years later :) ) A quick search on Google listed one for sale in California; tiny picture, barely visible, I almost didn’t contact the seller. Am I glad I did! Karl from Costa Mesa, couldn’t have come across a nicer guy. He bought the bike new as a kid and had kept all the original parts – including the original Almarc leather handle bars; sounded too good to be true! He sent me some hi-res photos, the bike was gorgeous! Karl had kept it in his living room all these years and it showed; hardly a flaw in the original paint, glistening chrome, only the original Mavic OR10s were missing – but I found those too! Could it get any better? Karl, a picture of you with your bike ?

THANKS Karl (aka “The Real Santa”) !!

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Bianchi Veloce

Paul Ozzello — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 20:46:28 +0000

I’ve been ‘into’ cycling since forever and obsessed with bike parts ever since my friend Greg extolled the virtues of Super Record and his father’s gold chrome Medici Pro Strada. Cute bike ;) : Super Record, Cinelli, 19 pounds, but it wasn’t truly Italian. Around the same time, I also discovered Celeste! At the time, Pinarello Gios and Mercks were all better bikes, but nothing looked as sexy and nothing was as cool as a Celeste Bianchi! I pleaded Santa for a Superleggera for the following two years, and when summer of 1985 came around, my father, fed up with all the Superleggera and Campagnolo nightly dinner conversations, bought me the next (next) best thing: a Bianchi Veloce with Campagnolo Triomphe! Superleggera it was not, and not a Super Record part in sight, but it was decked out in never before seen campy, and it was… Celeste! I thought I was Greg Lemond on that machine, even with all it’s shortcomings (no chrome, fender eyelets on rear Gipiemme dropouts, a non-corsa geometry – I was only 14 but hey, I knew my bikes!). Over the years, I upgraded everything I could to C-Record (Super Record had become sooooo yesterday – and chicks only dug guys with C-Record - LOL) and simichromed the dropouts to make them shine just like chrome. I’m still ‘upgrading’ it to this day, and finally replaced that hideous crank! I raced it for several years, did my first century on it, but my dreams of a Superleggera never faded, not even 30 years later :).