…this weekly cycling show dedicated to same day race coverage…
So this is how to promote coverage of a race that took place Feb 7-12? Same day? WTF?
While I am pleased to receive Versus as opposed to some of my friends it seems as though they could bust out some archival footage here and again as opposed to just Bull Riding and Fishing all the time. Just a brief foray in to the land of cycling blogs would find plenty of clamoring for the Spring Classics. How about some replays of the coverage from last year? Surely people would watch a Paris-Roubaix replay. Andy Schleck taking LBL…yep. So c’mon Versus…let’s step it up!
ON a random grab out of the CD wallet I was fortunate to retrieve the classic A Tribe Called Quest Album “The Low End Theory”. This video has two of the best tracks starting with “Jazz, We’ve Got” sliding into “Buggin’ out”
Look at the ease of approach, the cleverness, and the pure musicality. Unfortunately the majority of the current purveyors of the genre are nowhere close to this and it really is, with few exceptions a dying art.
This is one of the best worded product descriptions I have ever read. The most pointed observation is this sentence:
…even if you leave it hanging on that hook with your $300 Assos bibs that your significant other had specific instructions not to wash on the regular cycle lest they get thrown in the dryer and beaten to death by clothes of inferior pedigree…
What’s funny is the the amount of emphasis I have had to place on how I want my cycling clothes washed and more specifically dried. My clothes are mockingly referred to as “the precious”. My weekend routine always includes loads run on delicate and painstakingly hung out to dry so as not to beaten to death by clothes of inferior pedigree.
I have amassed 5000 miles since I started riding a year and a half ago and 4000 this year alone. I have always tried to ride smartly and follow the cardinal rules of being seen and acting predictably. I was dressed in a bright yellow jacket and traveling properly in the road.
Wednesdays are my travel day. Nearly every Wednesday for the last four years I have spent in Chicago. I let myself be talked out of this week because of the weather. The immortal words of Dante from “Clerks” rang through my head more than once – “I’m not even supposed to be here!”
I had skipped riding on Tuesday due to rain and not being able to get my rollers adjusted properly to use them in time. This left me weary and frustrated and I was determined to ride Wednesday. The temps were fine and I was suitably dressed but the wind was oppressive – 15-20 mph and swirling. I decided to use my reasonably short Edwardsville route which goes out IN 62 – Corydon Pike. As I made my way over to 62 I thought about turning back as I could feel the wind trying to push me over in a way I have never experienced. I kept going knowing that once I got to the Edwardsville climb the wind would be more or less negated. I started out the rather flat opening section in to a serious headwind trying like hell and getting about 13-14 mph. I saw a fast moving small pickup truck coming in hot on my right side. He was coming down a hill on a side street looking to turn left at a STOP SIGN. He failed to stop and turned right in front of me. I saw what was happening and started to bail out to the right, I didn’t make it and slammed into the front quarter panel of the truck. I was already leaning away from the truck and so I went straight down and away from the vehicle. I hit my forehead in my eyebrow and my right shin probably on the downtube. I was able to jump right up with adrenaline and the driver got right out to help me. It should be said that he began apologizing immediately, asking if I was OK and clearly angry with himself for his carelessness. He said right up front that he should have seen me and he couldn’t believe he didn’t. There was no anti-cyclist screed and any attempt to blame me for not being on a sidewalk or something. I told him I understood and accepted his offer to sit on the tailgate while we waited for the cops.
At this point the jitters started to set in. As most of us do I have no shortage of things to live for. Not only was my front wheel smashed but so to was any illusion I might have that I was not vulnerable. In fact as I sat there that is what I thought of the most – being out on a bike really leaves you exposed. I thought a lot about having to tell my wife, my mom, and my dad. I imagined impassioned plea’s to quit riding on the road, do something safer. Then reality kicked into my head – I can not stop riding on the road. I love it. I have never loved another activity as much. When I watched the Hincapie movie and they asked him how he wanted to be remembered I knew what he would say before he said it. It went: 1. – a great father, 2. – an excellent husband, and 3. – a pretty good cyclist. I am paraphrasing his words but that is the gist of it and how I feel about myself as well.
In the end he gave me a ride back to work. The bike has been fixed, the helmet will be replaced, the insurance company is giving me some extra money for no apparent reason (OK, I know why they are) which will go toward some fantastic wool clothing, and I am back to riding. The man who hit me even went so far as to call and check on me later that day…a nice touch I think.
I have always tried to keep a healthy fear in my mind of the dangers of road riding. This has of course added to that fear. It is not hard to see that a few seconds could have made a huge difference either way. I feel very lucky to have come out of this relatively unscathed. I doubt but hope someone will read this that thinks that cyclists are a menace and always at fault and maybe change their mind some…
Meanwhile, keep your eyes peeled while driving around in your car or on your bike.
I set out for lunch today not feeling so hot. I rode hard yesterday for lunch coming in at an 18.5 average then commuted home and back this morning. I had the right clothes on but I was cold. And route-weary…I tried to piece something together before I left to no avail. I thought I’d run the “Marty route” and be done with it. It’s 21 miles, rather flat with some good speed areas and rollers. 4 miles into my mopey riding I thought…buck up! I was just today counting up my miles for the year to figure I had pulled past 3500 with two months to go. There is only one way to build the miles…ride ‘em.
With that I decided to change course at St Joe Road and go left instead of right. I knew there was a hill there and I was right. It led to Dug Knob which carries a 9% average over 0.65 miles and includes an 18% switchback zone. I find it always hardest to climb a hill the first time because you just don’t know what’s coming. This one kept giving and giving. I chased it with a beautiful run across Skyline leading to a drop down Moser Knob and back to work.
A great posting popped in on the Rapha blog today titled “Killing Me Softly” about a Continental ride in Nashville.
I really like this paragraph:
Assuming your bike fits, position is less about the ergonomic fit, but the rider’s fit or engagement in the world around them. The way pedaling and effort lead consciously, or unconsciously, to meditation. Without the noise of lists, missed calls, an ever growing inbox and responsibility—under self imposed but manageable duress, up the side of a mountain, legs firing, breath labored but in control, eyes focused ahead and around all at once, sense and perception heightened—things begin to sharpen. Life in these moments are simple, pure and clear; where you fit for that moment or those few hours becomes lucid.
It says so many things I think while riding alone through back country roads.
I’ve been thinking about bike racing a lot these last few days. I am going to give it a go in the spring and have very nerdily acquired this classic tome:
“Bicycle Road Racing – Complete Program for Training and Competition” by Edward Borysewicz
Here is a picture taken last week post ride when the conditions were Belgian at best, wet and full of road-grime:
I packed up the minivan and headed down to the bike race this morning. I schlepped my small wheeled double stroller through the grass and mud. I gave the babies a run of the place for awhile. Saw some of the usualsuspects and enjoyed the great morning.
We arrived to see the Men’s Cat 2/3 about to go off. Here we are at the start line…look at those Junior Cross fans!
Here they are coming out of a tight muddy turn that took many casualties:
In a barrier stretch…
And some other mud soaked part of the course…
I’m looking forward to heading out of town or December 6th to see some more.
A century ride(100 miles) has been a goal of mine for the year. I built up with some solo rides here and there in the summer mostly topping out around 60 miles or so. While that is a pretty good ride it leaves a fair amount to go. With my sisters wedding out of the way I felt more comfortable with having my Mom watch the kids for an extended bit and began looking for an organized century to ride. There was some banter on the LBC list which turned out to be a joke indicating the Crestwood Killer was fine for first time century riders. Oddly I accepted this at face value, made the arrangements and announced to my friend that I was riding it. This was a Sunday night. By Tuesday the jokes were revealed and I began to second guess myself. I emailed the Ride Captain and asked him if I was crazy to attempt the ride and if I would be shunned as a noob who was way in over his head. He replied that it likely wasn’t the best idea but if I showed I would be welcomed not shunned. I spent the week thinking about it and resigned myself fully to do it by Friday. I examined some bailout routes and even talked about a possible car pick up if I needed to bail.
So what is it that’s so killer about this ride? Outside of the significant distance of 106 miles there are 6 good size climbs of around 500 feet in vertical climb. Three of the climbs come at 70 miles and beyond. On top of that the last 10-15 miles are a no-fun picnic of rollers and at least one additional slog that leaves you wondering why it doesn’t make the list. Here is the route and elevation profile:
I got everything ready the night before. I had my bike tuned up and made ready to ride. I mostly riding a Bianchi Brava I picked up off of the aforementioned LBC list for a nice price. I added some Celeste tires and other necessities and it is riding good. Here’s a pic:
The weather was looking to be clear and reasonable windless but cold. The departure temperature was to be 32 rising to 52. I set all of the appropriate gear out and set off to bed. Sleep did not come easily of well. I was wracked with nervousness. I got up early with my wife and made breakfast and coffee. I ate a good size egg breakfast and then packed 2 Clif bars, gatorade, and water. I did not want to end up having ride problems due to not eating or drinking enough.
There were plenty of people in the lot when I arrived and I would say there must have been close to 30 people who showed up to ride. The RC gave some introduction to the ride and directions on the cue sheet and we set off. He asked if this was the first time for anyone riding this route and I and several raised our hands. Then someone made a joke about it being their first century and then they laughed. I didn’t say anything and just started to ride.
If you spend very much time perusing teh internets looking at the many cycling blogs it is inevitable that you will begin to lust after many things. I am currently trying to think through how to acquire these generally high priced goodies. First up is the delightfully nerdy House Industries Script Black Jersey. The picture is sweet enough:
The Pave blog is one of my favorite reads these days. Told from the background of a former racer and DS it is generally insightful and easy to read. Plus he also writes and posts on Embrocation. There is a subtle screen of cobbles in the background that really gets it done in this kit.
These three t-shirts excel in taking the beautiful limits of screenprinting and getting everything out of it. These two from Gage & DeSoto:
Now to the realm of the attainable – As originally reported by Jimmy the gents at On Your Left Cycles have some new shirts to offer:
I have seen the shirt and will pick one up for sure when I retrieve my mended front wheel for the Bianchi.
Do you have any ideas for screen printed shirts? I happen to have the requisite equipment to print in my basement. I would love to get together with someone and make something cool. I am likely to print one of the Louisville Cycling logos I have developed soon:
Poking around on the Rapha site the other day I happened upon an interesting article called “It takes 42″. I don’t think TOO much about chainring counts but I was intrigued at this 3 tooth increase from standard making much of a difference. I must admit that I do kinda like crushing a big gear often to my own detriment. What really caught my eye was the statement talking about the smooth transition from big to small. I have certainly made that change and felt like it just clunked into the small ring and started spinning. The writer indicated they were hard to find although eBay indicated maybe not.
A few weeks later on thewashingmachinepost there appeared an article (scroll to the bottom of this archive page) questioning whether we’ve gone soft as the default setup is 53/39 and there is an increasing tendency for people to spec 50/34.
Both gentlemen make the switch to 42 teeth, both are British, and both decide they really like it. Where does this all lead for me? One lazy Saturday morning a few weeks ago an email popped in on the local cycling listserv with a bike for sale. 1986 Bianchi Brava – 58cm (my size) – all 105 – 60 bucks. It was mine within the hour. After I returned home and started looking it over what did I find? A 52/42 chainring setup…
I’m still feeling the setup out overall, but I definitely like it. The shifters and derailleurs are not exactly dialed in. In fact a few days ago on a lunch time ride up the Moser Knob time trial it put me to the test. The climb is roughly 1 mile and averages 8-9%. I started up in the 42t ring, there is a strong opening pitch that sent me straight to the easiest ratio available to me – 42/25. A few rotations in the shifter moved and clunked me right back into the 21t cog. The down tube shifters on the bike do not currently have enough tension to hold the gearing in place under load. So there I was with no where to go but up and a decidedly aggressive ratio. I made it up and over but it certainly was a trial by fire. It left me laughing to myself at my thoughts going into it about my “tough” gearing “choices”. Ha…
I recently stumbled upon this trailer for a documentary put together on the very popular George Hincapie:
I think it looks awesome…
Fortunately our very cool local video store (and how many towns can legitimately brag about a very cool video store these days…) Wild and Woolly Video is owned by a bike geek. He already carries things like A Sunday in Hell and Road to Roubaix. I called to check and he has this one too. I will be making the trip over to pick it up.
1. The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay
2. Magic Seeds
3. Knight of Maison Rouge
4. The Stranger
5. The Fountainhead
6. It's Not About the Bike
7. Every Second Counts
8. Lance Armstrong's War
9. A Confederacy of Dunces
10. The Monsters
11. All the Pretty Horses
12. Extreme Measures
13. The Crossing (IP)
