So the bad news is that unless you won the giveaway Riv-away yesterday you didnt win:But the good news is that you can still buy yourself some credits. Thats called pulling yourself up by your bootstrapsor by the straps of your fine Sackville bag:[Photo: Rivendell]By the way, I dont know how many people who entered the Riv-away were sociopaths, but I do know that a full 50% of them had first names beginning with the letter J, which is remarkable, and all the proof I need that I completely own the coveted People-Who-Ride-Bikes-And-Have-First-Names-Starting-With-The-Letter-J demographic.Or, to put it another way, if you own a Rivendell and your first name is Jehoshaphat, I can virtually guarantee that you also read this blog.Speaking of Sacked-up Rivendae, I rode this bike to meet with a reader yesterday:While it was leaning jauntily (jauntily is the worlds most overused adverb when it comes to the act of leaning) on its kickstand outside the caf, a young fellow new to cycling approached and was rather effusive over it. What type of bike is that?, he wanted to know. Is it a road bike? Thats when I realized that bicycles have gotten to the point where someone younger than 40 has probably never seen a bicycle like this, at least in real life. Furthermore, humanity no longer even has the words to describe a normal, attractively-painted, sporty yet versatile bicycle made out of metal. This includes me, mind you, and I found myself blindly rummaging through the dark, empty space where other people have a brain for the appropriate term.Eventually I gave up, and replied with something like, Yeah, sure, its basically its a road bike, more or less, though thinking about it now, I realize it really doesnt have a category. Its just a bike. In fact, its probably the most Just A Bike of all my bikes, which is why I ride it as often as I do, and why its as grimy as it is. Its sporty and fast like a road bike, but its also comfortable. I dont need to put on any special shoes to ride it, and its never over- or under-geared. It has a headlight in case I get caught in the dark, it has fenders in case I get caught in the rain, and its just as suited to riding to the train station as it is to longer rides in the country. Really, the only thing it doesnt have (at least as configured) is racks to carry stuff, which I didnt expect to have to do on this particular occasion, but then the reader I met was kind enough to gift me a classic Silca floor pump:[Those things are real pussy magnets.]Fortunately I had minimal trouble riding home with it across my handlebars. (The pump, not the pussy.) Anyway, thank you, dear reader, and it was a pleasure meeting you.Moving on, dont miss your chance to immerse yourself in the Essence of Colnago:It has a true design language, that was designeddeliberately!The multi-piece construction also leads the C72 to have its own true design language, where the lugs become a feature of the bike rather than a detail thats hidden.The result is a frame that feels cohesive and refined where every interface is deliberately designed, not simply assembled, Colnago says.I dont know what any of that means, but I do know Im going for the one with the Shart wheels:Now youre speaking my design language!I bet with a bike like that I could even keep up with a Spanish Gran Fondo:Yes, as an American I can confirm were often amazed when we travel to other countries where people barely have to work and we experience what a life of leisure looks like:This was a local one, just outside of Girona called La Barroca, our US rider explained. I recommend it if youre ever in the area when its happening. Theres two routes, I did the shorter one which is 90km and 1,230m (of climbing). We finished in 2hr 40 min, 33 kph avg. I never drove pace, just tried to survive these cyclists are built different!This is me simply surviving in the front group of a GRAN FONDO in Spain.Why are these people so fit?Though in this particular case I suspect it was mostly the drugs:Hey, nobody said leisure was easy.