Wednesday, May 30, 2012

Corner















A nice shot of my good friend Paulo, who manages to be quite fast- despite being vegan. Luckily for him, his compact crank is hidden from view and he looks quite the professional. I'm a few wheels back, behind the guy in leg warmers- an essential accessory in 30 degree swealtering humidity. Race report up on:

http://www.colossi.cc/reports-2012

Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Wheel





















We're 99 years on from Marcel Duchamp peddling bike wheels as Art, but that doesn't seem to stop 'em. I've had one or two wheels that looked like this after a crash, but sadly I never managed to sell them at any Art fairs.

Worst ways to spend a Sunday afternoon.

Monday, May 21, 2012

Thai Time















One blog post this past month can only be explained by one thing- Thai time. Actually, it's a bit more complex than that, in that I've been pretty busy with various things like moving flats, going on holiday (and racing) in Thailand, no internet, no motivation, shelves to put up etc. But it all comes back to one thing- it's ready when it's ready, i.e. it's late- Thai style.















Some things are worth their wait, like this fantastic latte art at the rather excellent Hotel De La Paix in Cha Am, a couple of hours south of Bangkok. I can't aspire to such profound beauty with this post, but I can assure you that after staying in Thai bike race hotels for 5 nights, I felt like a methadone addled smack head when this sweet brown stuff hit my veins!
































Of course, a fantastic pool, some quirky angled (sometimes gabion) walls and a luxurious landscape made this a place to relax, recharge, and forget about life for a while. But, in trying not to think too much, I couldn't help but appreciate how much thought had gone into this place by Thai Architect Duangrit Bunnag. Unsung hero might be pushing it a bit far, but it is interesting how guys like this get completely ignored by the Western press, but they're actually building a lot of stuff that is often aspired to, but rarely executed. Somehow, this was humble luxury, if that makes sense? Affordable, friendly, quite raw, but equally comfortable when it matters, and with service just the right side of 'attentive'





























So, enough of my holiday pics masqueraded as building review, and a note to say I will be a bit more back on the tinternet rader. Just as soon as I've tried out my new cordless screwdriver!