In the Spirt of Heroes and...

Steel Wül merely continues a tradition of "pure" cycling, humbly. Heroes of the past paved the way for the rest of us mortals. Col de la Croix de Fer sometime ago.

700c therapy

Going to California? I have a girl out here with love in her eyes and flowers in her hair and another one who has horses in her eyes and sand in her hair........

Steel Wül Bible

Originally published in Holland in 1978. This is a passionate tribute to the art of bicycle road racing!

Page 1:

Meyrueis, Lozere, June 26th 1977. Hot and overcast. I take my gear out of the car and put my bike together. Tourists and locals are watching from the sidewalk cafes. Non-racers. The emptiness of those lives shocks me.

Everywhere cars are parked or driving by with antlers of wheels and frames. A few riders are already pedaling around. Smiling, waving. There are a few I don't know. Good riders? Bad riders? You can tell good riders by their faces, bad riders by their faces too - but that only goes for riders you already know.

I pick up my number at a cafe, shake a hand on the way back.
"Good legs?"
"We'll see"
"Haha, right"

Between the bumper of his car and mine, a rider in a light blue Cycles Goff Jersey is sitting on the curb, deep in thought. Before him on the street lies a back wheel, beside him a wooden box full of sprockets. His gears: he still has to decide which one to use. There are four cols today, no one knows exactly how steep. I do: I've been over the course.
I don't recognise this guy. We mumble greetings, he muses on. Behind my car I put on my riding gear. Racing shirts, sweatshirt, suspenders, jersey. I toss my street clothes onto the back seat, look at the folds they make when they land. They'll stay that way until I put them on again, or until an official gathers them together after I've died in the race.

Leaning against the fender I eat a banana and a sandwich. Starting time is in forty-five minutes. I want to win this race.

Calfee Bicycles

A couple of friends and I toured Calfee yesterday and I left there thinking that this local company not only has one of the greatest handmade bicycle frames of all time but they played a huge role in European cycling history. The obvious advantage Calfee has over other carbon frame builders is that they are performance driven not trend driven. Mike Moore (Steel Wüleur) and Craig Calfee were able to take time out of their busy day and share some of the many racing stories (Lemond's first Calfee @ Paris Nice) and give us a complete factory tour. Mike's attention to detail relating to the frames was mind boggling. I have so much respect for this company due to the fact that they stay true to building the best frame regardless as to what flavor of the month, year, decade the cycling industry at large is chasing. We saw some "interesting" carbon frames that made there way to Calfee for repair and one of them advertised a "wavy gravy system" or something. It was so ironic to see all the mainstream carbon frames lined up for surgery by Calfee techs and meanwhile other Calfee builders were laying up custom Calfee frames (25 year warranty) by hand as if it was no big deal. If I had to come up with one phrase for Calfee to describe how they relate to the contemporary cycling industry it would be this "We do what you do, but you don't do what we do". In the spirit of heroes and scenery, Calfee gets the Steel Wül approval.

"I think this road goes through"

Apple -

"this label says that its good for 350 calories on smooth roads, how does that convert to Steel Wül roads?"

Steel Wül you find it (instant gratification)

Ok,.... If you are standing in front of this sign on the road get on your bike and pedal 17 times in a 34 X 23 or 14 times in a 39 X 23 on Fern Flat rd and then stop and look to your right and find the only Eucalyptus tree and uncover the leaf litter to find your SW treasure!

Apple, BC and I were asked a couple of times today if we were "lost" while enjoying some Aptos pave on our road steeds. We try not to use the "L" word on a SW ride. I respectfully explained to one guy that it was simply a natural progression. We use to ride Santa Rosalia on our Diamond Back Silver Streaks (CW bars) then we graduated to our Univega Alpino Uno, then upgraded to our Diamond Back Apex II, got a job and bought Bridgestone MB-1's, upgraded to the MB-Zip, then we followed Mt. Larry home one day and quickly realized that road bikes were clearly the rig of choice for Aptos dirt and we have been doing it ever since. Go Sea Dragons!

SW mussete bag

Here is our latest version we stitched up this evening equipped with a custom leather suspension kit, Velcro closure and SW patch. Our next bag will have a secure pocket for an IPhone. This one is off to Ian Moore for some R&D on some Texas Strata Biancha.

Golden Age of Cycling

Giro D'Italia 1973

Click on photo

and enjoy 5 min and 51 seconds of pure cycling bliss!
These were the days of black shorts and shoes and white socks.

Steel Wül Trivia for 500 Please

Congrats to M. Staiger! She posted the first correct answer. Only a true TDF buff would care enough to research that detail.

Question:
What former TDF rider had a father who was a POW with Fausto Coppi in North Africa during WW-II?

Answer:
Claudio Chiappucci

Bonus Trivia-
When the route of the 1992 TDF announced that the 13th stage would take the race into Italy to finish in Sestrieres, Claudio told his father he would win that stage. He would win it for him, and for the memory of Fausto Coppi, for it was on that very stage to Setrieres that the Campionissimo had sealed his Tour victory in 1952, riding solo over the last 21 kilometers of the final ascent to finish 7 minuets ahead of the second-placed rider. Exactly 40 years to the date, Chiappucci soloed into Sestrieres fulfilling his promise to his father and Coppi. The Italians went absolutely crazy!

1991 Coastal Sportive -Stars & Stripes Ride

Norm Gall (Coastal Sportiv) organized the event. He had ordered up a 70's era Super Huey helicopter for areal photography. That was my lugged Bottecchia with simplex retro friction shifters. Detlif was on his Kestral and Wilhelm was on his sturdy Serrota built lugged Specialized Allez. We pedaled to San Juan Bautista via Eureka Canyon, Hazel Dell and back.

San Andreas Sprint - Micheal Battin
Hazel Del KOM - Daryl Price
Eureka Canyon KOM - Hall Worthington

Steel Wül you find it #5

Riddle me this folks:

If you are on a RED bike add some _____ and don't forget the RICE. Keep your head on a swivel when the road does a wiggle. First person to email a pic, gets a SW cap!

Northern Exposure

Steel Wüler Kev McGill (jack of all trades) took this shot of Big Blue & Mt Hood while on a 2500 mile road trip. If you look close enough you can almost see the ghost of his lugged Poggliaghi in the background. Click on photo to enlarge.

Steel Wül You Find it #2 has been found!

Jedi Wilson spied this redwood well head today in the Aptos hills. I will have to check the archives to see what he gets for this one (maybe a Look KG).

I'll take Steel Wül Trivia for 400 please

I had to use my secret Steel Wül decoder ring to figure out who posted the first correct answer.

Congrats to Daryl Price (ride boss) from Colorado! We have a SW cap with your name on it.

Question:
What did Greg Lemond's mechanics use to shim his Scott clip-on bars in the final TT of the 1989 TDF?

Answer: aluminum coke can

Steel Wül You Find it #3 has been found!

Peter Flanders is 2 for 2!
The original hint was to think of the 89' earthquake.
Loma Prieta Ave turns left off Mt. Bache Rd.

Ok, lets tally up Mr. Flanders loot:
1-SW Musette bag
1- SW cycling cap
1-Taqueria Michoacan Burrito of his choice (I recommend the BBQ chicken Super)

Hi Jake,
Not Loma Prieta Dr.
Not Loma Prieta Way,
Loma Prieta Ave.
There it is.
I knew it was 'Bike to Something' Day,
but I couldn't remember the last part...
So I rode up here.
-Peter

"The Ride Boss" circa 1988

Daryl Price (lugged Panasonic) at the 1988 Tour of Baja. He was national road and cross champ the same year.

Johnny Walbridge (vintage hairnet) was looking lean. Big Brent Marks must have had another gig that week. Willerton and Hamon in the Giro Pro Lights. That pre-race feeling is all too familiar. I can practically smell the leg balm and chamois creme.

6th Annual Grenier Yosemite Ride

How you gonna kick it?

Steel Wül You Find it # 4 has been Found!

Message:

Hi Jake,
I found it! I'd been thinking of riding up there for a while.
Every time I'd gone down Old San Jose and by Stetson I thought hmm...
what's that like?
So I figured it out from the hat clue.
I came up Eureka, Highland, up and over Skyland, and down Stetson.
15377 is not obvious from the road.
(Special bonus reconstructed former sign image for added verification.)
Thanks,
-Peter Flanders

Peter,
First of all, you have the all time greatest last name for a road
cyclist and congrats for finding the Hotel California. I look forward
to meeting you and issuing you a Steel Wül Mussette Bag. You just
raised the bar for the Wilson family because they are very good at
finding these little gems. Steel Wül you find it # 5 will be posted
soon. Thanks for participating and happy hunting!!

Note: Steel Wül you find it #3 has yet to be found.

Jake & Jess

Big Mama's La Dolce Vita Bread

Big Mama baked it, the Steel Wülers downed it, now you can make it!!

1 cup whole-wheat pastry flour
3/4 cup light brown sugar
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
2 medium bananas, mashed
1/3 cup unsweetened peanut butter
1/4 cup plain yogurt
1 large egg
2 Tbs. canola oil
3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Coat standard loaf pan with butter or oil.
Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large
bowl.

2. Whisk together mashed bananas, peanut butter, yogurt, egg and oil.
Stir banana mixture into flour mixture until combined. Fold in
chocolate chips. Scrape
batter into prepared loaf pan.

3. Bake 40 to 50 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes
out with a few moist crumbs
clinging to it. Cool on rack 15 minutes before unmolding. Cool
completely, then slice and serve.

Yosemite Ride 2011

This years ride was silky smooth! More photos and video on the way.

We began our trek from Brommer st. and 30th at 0732 hours on Saturday, April 30th. A very strong north wind was pushing all morning. We (shorter riders) did not worry considering the wall of cyclists to hide behind on this 240 mile adventure. Only 3 of us were under 6' tall. Honoring tradition, Doug E. Fresh hit the Panaderia hard in little Saigon and radioed back for assistance from the SW van. Like a gazzel, Cory ascended Mt. Hamilton with ease. The Steel Wül van operated by Papa Bill was stocked with food o' plenty at the top. I went for the lightly toasted salami and cheese sando with kettle chips (sea salt of course) and a dream bar from New Leaf. BC who has attacked Mr. Hamilton early on two prior occasions with great success, expressed his utter hatred for him on this round. As it turns out, he was saving himself for Old Toll Rd and the Merced River Canyon (solid recovery). Mike Moore was almost taken out by a "racer" searching for water on his way back to Mt. Diablo on a double century ride (why?). The wild flowers were popping in the San Antonio Valley floor and there must have been a half a dozen Subaru Foresters parked along the road side with folks seeking a peek. Lucky for us the Junction Bar at Mines Rd was inundated with chamois not Carharts and Berretas this year. As usual, Del Puerto Canyon looked like a scene out of Mad Max with the graffiti, tumble weeds, deep canyons, nob cone pines and buzzards soaring above us. We approached Highway 5 without incident with Big Mike testing the deep dish for speed. Our next mission that afternoon (if we were to choose it) was to link highway 5 to highway 99. This is where Apple (Gilbert Duclose Lassele) comes in. We had 100+ miles and 8000' of elevation in the old get a way sticks and 25 to go into a 15 knot head/cross wind. Apple literally took a 22 mile pull for the group. I can still hear his rear wheel gripping with each peddle stroke. We ended day 1 in true Steel Wül fashion peddling through the dirt connecting roads through a Cal Trans detour. My eyes were bigger than my stomach at dinner as I had a hard time finishing the 4 lbs burrito and chicken salad. The Tylenol pm did absolutely nothing to counter act the 2 caffeine goos I hit in Los Palmas at hour 9 as a flopped around like a fish out of water in room 205 at 0300 am. I must have snuck in some REM because I woke up feeling stronger. My teammate Estabon Fraga always said that he could tell how well he would race in the first 7 pedal strokes of the day.

Day 2 started out smooth with the Gren full of piss and vinegar. I could here him chatting it up in the middle of the group at 25 mph. I knew he was going to have a good day. Eric was enjoying all the big ring miles as we finally after 5 years found the smartest route out of Turlock and on to Montpellier Oakdale Rd (J16 & J17). Sandwiches came earlier this year (Sneiling) knowing that we had some heavy roads ahead of us. The wind could not decide if it was on our 6 or our 9 o'clock on Hornitos rd. Cory sat on the front and took a couple of large pulls on this section even though the road was clearly not steep enough for her. We rolled into Hornitos with Fresh taking both the wooden and metal city limit sprints. This is where the ride "starts" according to the Gren. We have transitioned from the coastal range to the San Joaquin Valley to the foothills of the Sierra. Old Toll Rd is so incredibly beautiful and free of traffic that you hardly notice the grade. Cathey's Valley shoots out to the south west as you climb through some of the least cycled hills in California. John Caletti who has cycled through pretty much everything you can imagine was taken back by this section of the ride. He also spied the Dolce Vida Ranch for us. Fresh forgot about the 2k climb outside of Mt Bullion Camp on our way to Mariposa and launched a flyer on a slight downhill. Big Mike, Apple, and I bridged up to him wondering if he was feeling like superman or if he forgot about the rollers. Eric was caught in no-mans-land but as usual toughed it out all the way to Mariposa. Eric later told me that he not only forgot about the rollers but he told others it was relatively flat into Mariposa. The rollers came to an end as a 20 knot tailwind helped Big Mike launch into Mariposa picking up the coveted Mariposa city sign at 54 mph. Apple and I held off knowing that a very long climb was in front of us yet. That was my excuse anyway. The SW van was so pivotal at this point in the ride offering us more food, water, sunscreen, and moist towelettes than we could ever use. I was thinking of Super Dave Reid knowing that he would have changed out the old socks for some fresh ones in anticipation of the El Portal climb (veteran move). I could picture him on the bench eating salami and almonds and busting everyones chops. We were in good hands our security blanket this year was in the form of a 2003 Euro Van with a physician at the helm not a 2006 Lugged RockLobster with a hand on our back. The Gren and BC took off early to tackle the highway 49 boogie. We just caught them at the top as we worked our way into the rollers approaching the Merced River Canyon. I told John Caletti to follow Big Mike into the Canyon. Fresh led us out at the top and Mike disappeared in front of our eyes in his signature tuck. I was simply praying for adhesion as Caletti and Apple passed me (let the record show that they don't have children). We regrouped after some high fives and such to settle in on our 20 mile approach to El Portal. The Carroll clan offered us a nice break in the action with some words of encouragement from the Sienna. AC was kind enough to paint some SW jargon on Federal Property for us (that meant allot to me!). Our last push into the valley itself is always hard and we can never remember how much climbing there is. Apple did his best Schleck impression and melted off everyone up to the kiosk. I worked my magic again with some basic verbal judo skills I picked up while working with inmate Firefighters and I talked my way out of the 90 dollar fee for all the cyclist into Yosemite National Park. The Merced river was pushing at least 5000 CFS and Yosemite Falls was absolutely going off. Gren stopped to top off the bottles with a couple of cold ones to initiate the celebration. The best part of the ride for me was pulling up to the Yosemite Lodge and seeing Jess and Olive! I can't wait until next year. Happy birthday Gren and thanks for the invitation.

Jake