Month: February 2013
Mmmmmm stage 1
Moots 29er Rohloff
Moots 29er Rohloff – yumm yumm
I’ve liked riding dirt on road bikes for a while: blame Grant. I’ve done it with lots of people and enjoyed coming upon a group of riders on full suspension MTBs and kinda smugly shrugging that we rode on the same trails. While “gravel biking” garners chache by the mainstream industry, living in Southern California, a bona-fide mountain bike sure is fun over the rocky, technical trails.
I’ve long admired the Moots YBB for its craft and simplicity – the “soft tail” harkened back to my rigid MTB days in college. So, when I found one on the local Craigslist in the summer, I dove in. This one came with a Rohloff, Hope brakes, Moots post and stem, Chris King headset and front hub, and some nice tires for a complete bike. More bling than I was looking for, but I’ll take it.
The problem is that I’ve taken it…
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Rapha – clothes as good as the videos?
Will soon see as just bought these
Rapha North West Video – Gentleman(lady) ride
It seemed that for the third year in a row I wouldn’t finish the race. The previous two years’ editions had been brutal, not for the distance, elevation or even the gravel – but rather, the heat.
Words: Simon Robins
The starting point for this year’s NW Rapha Gentlemen’s Race was the small ski town of Government Camp, near the base of Mt. Hood in Oregon. The snow capped mountain has watched over every Rapha Gentlemen’s Race since 2008. It would also serve as a magnificent landmark to gauge where we were on our journey that included 122 miles and over 12,000 feet of climbing. 26 teams from all over the western States had signed up for the adventure and, as is to be expected with such events, every rider was in for a day to remember.
Our team’s 08.24 scheduled roll out was a blur of chamois cream, stuffing pockets, tire inflation and hi-fives. Scheduled because it turns out a member of our team needed a few adjustments to her bike and so, around 15 minutes and one team photo later, we were finally on the road and all systems were go. No problem.
With the free miles ticking over as we dropped down the mountain, I took a second to absorb this long-awaited moment. There’s nothing better than actually getting on the bike and riding after a few weeks of lead-up – no more prep, no more thinking, no more counting down the days. We were on, and everything was as it should be.
During the week there had been talk that this course was going to be “tough,” with “more gravel and elevation than other years,” which can lead your thoughts in one of two directions: You can begin to question why you’d want to suffer for nine-plus hours or alternately, you can crave the abyss of possibility knowing that it is days like these that are the core of why we ride.
This was the first time the six of us had ridden together, yet it felt like a natural fit. Named after the acclaimed online cycling journal Tenspeed Hero, our team included: the Texan of Wooly Mammoth fame Patrick Newell; photographer Dan Sharp; Joe “no brakes!” Staples; French import and Rapha-FOCUS cross pro Julie Krasniak; the nicest-guy on-two-wheels Clint Culpepper and yours truly. Not a bad half-dozen.
Aside from Julie, we all had a few of these rides in our collective saddle packs and knew that the key to a successful Gentlemen’s Race is simple – cohesion.
It takes six in to win.
This was a mantra we’d agreed to subscribe to before we set off and, given the unpredictable nature of a Gentlemen’s Race, would serve us well throughout the day. However we rode: two-up, fast rolling turns, attacking the climbs or off the gas, we were in this together – one unit, with six moving parts.
In addition to cohesion it also helps to be able to follow a cue sheet. This was proven not once, but twice by a very eager team: After they pace-lined past us down Hwy 30, we jokingly reminded them of this fact after they came by again, having missed the first turn.
Ascending the first climb of the day on Lolo Pass Rd, both of our teams exchanged laughs until they decided to attack the mountain. A few minutes later we noticed they’d once again taken a wrong road (the second turn), which meant their big-ringing effort was all for naught. We were together again. Cheers (mainly from our team) ensued and this time (unsurprisingly) they didn’t hang around to heed our navigational ‘advice.’
A few miles on we reached the crest of Lolo and began our descent along a narrow road bordered by lush green Doug Fir pines. Patrick rolled up to Clint and thanked him for preparing his new tires earlier in the week, then, not more than a minute later – ‘pssssssh’ – he punctured. During the repair the Wooly Mammoth team flew past, hurling the mandatory jokes as Rapha Racing and last year’s winners, River City, took up the chase. We pushed off and continued bombing down Lolo’s backside, eager to make up some time.
The short, punchy climb of Ten Eyck Rd stood between us and the first designated pit stop in Sandy. Conversation disappeared as we linked up with Team Beer and tackled the high-grades at our own rhythm. ‘Pssssssh’ – Patrick chalked up number two. While he took care of business, a gang of Mods out on a joyride strangled their scooters up the steep incline and for a second it felt as though we’d been transported to the English countryside.
Moments later we rolled into the first designated checkpoint and stocked up on food and water. One team had even arranged a truck (yes, it was an actual truck) of supplies, and in the spirit of the race they were only too keen to share.
Recharged, we settled into mile after mile of super fun rollers, swapping turns at the front and enjoying the wind at our tails. We were flying, so much so that I felt like I’d ridden my chain dry. I saw the photographer’s car so I slid up and asked if they had any chain lube. “Nope, sorry,” came the reply. “No problem,” I said. As I pulled in front of the car and began the next climb, my rear derailleur exploded all over the road. After quick inspection from Jared, the mechanic in the car, the verdict was — “You’re done.”
It seemed that for the third year in a row I wouldn’t finish the race. The previous two years’ editions had been brutal, not for the distance, elevation or even the gravel – but rather, the heat. No one had trained for nine-plus hours in 110F and all but a handful of riders were forced to cut out the final climb.
This year was different: cloud cover and 70F meant that conditions were ideal. While I rapidly processed my options (single speed the final 65 miles?) Dan and Joe wheeled over the hill. “Is this what you need?” Amazingly, they’d found the culprit: a ¼” screw that had ejected itself 100 yards earlier. We were back in the game.
Seeing as I was riding on borrowed time, I figured I owed the team for keeping our quest alive and decided to get on the front and pull us to the foot of the final climb. This 14-mile gravel section was designed to test each team’s doggedness, and in true Gentlemen’s Race fashion, would begin at the 104-mile mark. We hit Still Creek Rd, buoyed by a bonus section of paved road and a sunlit forest draped in Spanish moss.
But the wonderment was short lived as the road deteriorated to a narrow, potholed 4WD track. It was time to let the dog off the leash. As we strived to float over loose rocks the path’s invisible hand pushed us back down to a grinding, seated climb. Then about halfway up, deep in the middle of nowhere, we heard yelling and clapping. And as we rounded a corner we discovered a gang of friends from Portland. Beer hand-ups, shouts of encouragement and maybe a push or two were just what we needed to motivate us towards home.
Crossing the line in formation I wondered what it must feel like to actually win this race. Sure, there’s pride on the line, the good fortune of being invited, a year of having it over the other teams and the sense of accomplishment knowing you took on the parcoursand won. For now though, we were more than happy that we’d finished. In fact all 26 teams did – a fitting testament to the stunning course design. And once again, River City Bicycles took home the biscuits.
If you’re fortunate enough to be a part of a Gentlemen’s Race, heed the advice best summed up in two words Joe had written on his hand – ‘chill out’.
After all, it’s only a race.
Monday Bike Style: Independent Fabrication Crown Jewel
Maybe it is the dashing NY velo man but this bike is really the style leader of the two. Love my bling ti bikes as you know.
Lynskey bike is high on the possibility list so enjoyed this build article
I don’t just build bikes I create masterpieces.
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Friday Bike Poster: don’t tread on me
Monday bike style: Klein colour
Stupid bike
Fantastic article found on paved mag – check it out when you can
Photo and words by Sal Ruibal
Are we all over the Valentine’s Day lovey glow? Eaten enough of those pink candy hearts and slurped enough overpriced wine to move those bike shorts from L to XL? Is more of you hanging over the waistband than bulging under it?
Time to start hating your bike.
Spring is coming soon and all those times you said you were going to put your bike on the indoor trainer and spin a few hours never happened. You went to the bike shop and bought a dozen flavors of energy gel but ended up eating them all while watching “Zero Dark Thirty” at the Endoplex Cinema.
It isn’t your fault. It is your bike’s fault. If that pile of expensive carbon tubing and hyper-inflated rubber had any pride, it would have been outside riding in the cold rain. The cyclocross bike was so lazy it didn’t have the decency to wash itself before plunking its muddy, sorry ass in the corner, next to the Mojo HD still wallowing its own filth.
I just hate those bikes. No get up and go. No motivation to better themselves. Stupid bikes.
There are bikes working hard out there. I’ve seen them on Cycling TV and that weird Belgian online site that has more digital cooties than a pervert’s iPhone. I get so angry seeing how hard those bikes go when mine just gather cobwebs and discarded roaches.
How about those lazy-ass bikes in Louisville? Sven Nys had 40 bikes there and 35 of them were caked with real cake. Chocolate mint swirled over yellow cakes. Just typing that is making me hungry.
Back here in Ol’ Virginny, all the deer that could be shot by police or stuck with arrows by Cupid have moved away from the local bike trails. My bike has no excuse to stay home, but every time I walk into the bike room, the bikes are still sitting there, like sheepish sheep.
Now I’ve really made up my mind to do something about it. I’ve been putting it off, but now it is going to happen. I’m putting my foot down. Down off the sofa and onto the floor. I’m standing up for what I believe.
OK, I’m standing up. Walking over to the bike rack. Where’s my multi-tool? Can’t ride without a multi-tool. Where are my sunglasses? OK, on my nose.
Dang. The rear tire is flat on one of my 12 bikes. It’s a presta. Guess I should run a little bit instead. Where are my trail-running shoes? OK, here, still in the Sports Authority box. They’ve been there six weeks and haven’t moved an inch.
technology vs drugs forcycling
great article at humans invent site – from the voice of a man that has embraced both worlds …
We all know the story: an ageing cop in an inner city Police department who is long past his best; his wife has left him, he drinks too much, he has a problem with authority, he can’t quite accept that the Police force is changing and that his old methods don’t cut it anymore. The big case comes and he does it his way; he intimidates a few witnesses, uses his informants, and breaks whatever law necessary to get the job done. Sure enough, he gets the job done and in doing so proves that his old fashioned ways are best.
He’s the anti-hero and we all love him, because we as a collective audience seem to admire a bad-boy hero. It’s a story and one that works almost every time on TV shows, in books and in movies. But, it is only a story. In reality it is much more likely that blindly sticking to old methods in anything will do little more than stifle progress.
Professional cycling is one such sport that has long since been full of self-appointed anti-heroes, breaking rules to get things done by the only way they know how. But, in light of an exhaustive list of doping revelations, the sport is starting to recognise finally that it has to make progress in the right ways.
Despite occasional disapproval from cycling’s ‘purist’ audience (that includes many of the people in charge of the sport) who believe that cycling should be a purely human and not technological battle, a new generation of riders and teams are getting the job done and finding the advantages they need, not through doping but through scientific and technological advances in every aspect of the sport.
One such rider who has become a strong exponent for anti-doping and of the development of the technological side of the sport is David Millar.
Cycling is a bonkers sport, it got a bit too mad the last twenty years, but we’re back to it being the right sort of mad
Millar has seen cycling come almost full circle, from the willful ignorance of the final ‘Pre-Festina’ season of 1997 (Millar’s first), when the scale of the doping problem was yet unknown, to the slightly surreal conclusion to the era that was Lance Armstrong’s confession on Oprah Winfrey.
In that time cycling played a game of hide and seek with the realities and responsibilities of becoming a major global sport. Despite the fact the world was changing cycling stubbornly refused to.
As part of a generation that at the time couldn’t have believed that things would ever change, Millar himself was involved in his own scandal. In 2007 having served a two-year suspension, he came back with a new mission: to put himself and the sport back together again. The big question then was; how were the riders involved going to find a new way forward and adapt, without themselves going backward and without alienating its audience.
Millar believes that cycling was once a technological leader, but lost its way.
I spoke to Millar about the changes that are occurring in the sport and how cycling is evolving through them, as well as why technology has not only just become the key to success, but has, in fact, always been the key to success.
Do you think that the influx of technology and innovation in the sport, that we’ve seen over the past four or five years, marks a different attitude towards performance; that doping is no longer the answer and there are other (legal) ways to gain an advantage?
It’s all unified. The Anglos have brought in the biggest leap forward, we have a different culture when it comes to cycling, we see it as a technological sport; Europeans have seen it as a purely physical sport. Where there are machines, and bicycles are machines, there are opportunities to increase performance through research and development. The sport as whole has realised this now, what was just an Anglo attitude has become a necessary attitude for everybody if they want to stand a chance of winning.
Do you feel that cycling neglected, or at least put the importance of technology and innovation, on the back shelf over the past twenty years because the sport had become so focused on doping, that all training and improvements were related to those practices?
Cycling is an old technological sport: unfortunately doping became the technology for a while there. I’ve had lunches with André Darrigade when I lived in Biarritz and he’d tell me about things they were doing with their bikes and tyres in the 50s that blew us out the water in the 90s.
The sport just lost its way, it was cutting edge back in the day, it became complacent and confused, now once again it’s becoming cutting edge (the right cutting edge!), although anyone would think the UCI is totally against this considering the many ridiculous limitations they put on manufacturers and riders.
From your point of view how has the importance and influence of technology in racing and training changed throughout your career?
The importance has always been the same for me (personally). It was having this view that helped me gain so many early successes in time trials against guys who had the physical advantage from doping. The majority of other pros (and even my team management) didn’t care about their position/wheels/gearing/skinsuits/helmets/shoe-covers: I did. At times I would buy my own equipment and risk the wrath of the team management and sponsors.
Millar says that cycling has returned to being the “right sort of mad.”
A lot of fans of the sport, and even the governing body can seem to be anti-technology, because the human aspect is what makes the sport interesting.
You are a rider who seems to have managed both very well. When you race do you still feel that the influence of technology ends somewhere and instinct takes over?
I’m a racer, always have been and always will be. I don’t have a very good, to use the Steve Peters ergo Sky terminology, ‘Chimp Management System’. This means that most of the things I do in a race are instinctive, very little is planned… I’ll be first to admit this isn’t ideal, and there’s a part of me that is quite happy not changing it. I’m the same I was when I first raced as a teenager…only a little more windswept and interesting.
Doping vs. Technology: How do you compete?
When team Garmin Sharp first entered cycling with the clear mission of being a clean team, they knew they couldn’t compete with anyone doping either on General Classification or in stages with significant climbing, as EPO gives up to a 20% advantage on mountain stages.
Instead, they they targeted Time Trials, and specifically Team Time Trials, where the benefits of doping were best combatted, and the benefits of technology, aerodynamics, team coordination and careful planning were greatest.
Jonathan Vaughters, Manager of team Garmin Sharp says, “Any high speed event allows aerodynamics to benefit the rider more than doping. In low speed disciplines, like climbing, that’s more difficult. But in the team time trial, overcoming doping, by use of faster materials and better positioning, is possible. You just have to put in the time in the wind tunnel.”
Significantly, the team’s first major victory came in the Team Time Trial at the 2008 Giro d’Italia.
Do you think that cycling will always retain its essence no matter the technology that is introduced, or do you think that it could be significantly changed over the next generation of innovations?
If we have twenty Team Sky’s then yes, it will have lost its essence. But there is only one Team Sky and we need them in the sport to push everybody forward. Similarly there is only one Team Garmin-Sharp, and if there were twenty of us then the peloton would be trying to find a way to race on the moon, just for a bit of fun. Cycling is a bonkers sport, it got a bit too mad the last twenty years, but we’re back to it being the right sort of mad.
Team Garmin Sharp are widely viewed as innovators, bringing new technologies and ideas in to the sport. How hard has it been to make progress happen in a very traditional world?
It’s not been easy that’s for sure! We were renegades when we arrived in 2008, we also didn’t mind being different and being laughed at. We said we were going to be 100% clean, we were vocal against doping; no team had ever done this. It was our mission statement to change cycling and give people hope again. We knew other riders were still doping, and we knew if we wanted to beat them we couldn’t rely on our bodies alone. We experimented with training and equipment and pre and post-race protocols.
We wore ice-vests before the Giro d’Italia TTT that we won (in 2008). We may have been laughed at when we rolled up to the start line in our vests, but nobody laughed when we won. We earned respect, and we have led the way, to this day we have no fear to try new things, it’s part of the culture of our team. We are respected for it now, and more importantly, we’re copied.
With teams like Garmin Sharp, and Team Sky proving that by actually taking your head out of the sand and trying something else you can make a difference, do you think that the attitude will change and all teams will start looking to innovate, or do you think that it will be a case of a small number of teams innovating and others following?
A small number of teams are innovating, many are following, and a few are unchanging. The bottom line is that if you don’t have the right people and sponsors onboard then your development is limited. We’ve always been very careful to have sponsors who understand our philosophy, it doesn’t matter how much will there is, if the sponsor does not help in finding the way then nothing happens.
We’re very lucky with Garmin, Sharp, Castelli and Cervelo; they’re all sponsors who give us the will and the way to move forward. This isn’t by chance either; Jonathan Vaughters has never deviated from his original vision. And we have probably the smartest guy in cycling in charge of our science, Robby Ketchell. It’s a bit of dream team when it comes to pushing the envelope.
What do you think about the direction the sport is going in now, compared to say ten years ago?
I think it’s fucking awesome.
Team Garmin Sharp has led the way in innovation.
Clearly Millar is relieved that a change has come, and is excited for the future of the sport. It is exactly this kind of change in attitude amongst riders, sponsors, and fans alike, that suggests the sport is finally ready to accept that it is time to change its ways and, more importantly perhaps, that the methods required to do so are already here.
Friday Bike Poster: Death by Fixie
Happy Valentines
My wife may be leaving me but that doesn’t mean I don’t feel romance.
from ecovelo
Strathpuffer 24 hr race report (from the winners mouth)
(I do believe i am the sick boy – sorry)
As with childbirth, memories of Puffer Pain soon disperse, leaving just the blush of Heroic Daring-Do and insane plotting for Doing Better Next Time. This time is different though: I’m Over It. The Puffer Itch is Scratched, and here’s why…
Running into the Puffer for the fifth time of asking, the uppermost thought was avoiding the dreaded DNF. Last year’s debacle (injured Steve at the half-way mark; my inability to rise to the challenge of a switch from Pairs to Solo; the Sirens’ voice of a couple of bottles of red wine…) had left the itch of unfinished business. This year, with Robbie’s seemingly endless road miles weighing on the mind, and memories of equipment carnage from previous years all too vivid, the key goals were (a) survive unhurt, (b) finish, and (c) keep my end up for the full 24 hours. Beyond that, somewhere in the Top 10 seemed a plausible aim, but such vagaries bedevil a Puffer that more detailed thinking in that regard is simply vainglorious.
Still, having the Puffer dangling in the post-xmas haze does focus the mind a little in the fag end of the year. Endless mud-plugging enlivened by some new bike bling (a sweet On One Carbon Race 29er) kept the interest up. As January wore on, weather forecasts for Oop North were scrutinised, and the decision not to get Ice Spikers for the 29er was beginning to look more and more suspect. By the Tuesday before race weekend, some panic buying on-line, and payment of a next-day-courier supplements saw the big spiky hoops delivered. And what a good idea that turned out to be.
Driving up on the Friday through a full-on blizzard, things looked grim. But surprisingly, further north was colder but less snowy. Robbie’s Camper was to be home for the next 48 hours to two pairs of riders (me & Robbie; Thomas & Richard), Young James the mechanical help, Jason the ever-perky handy-sort-of-chap-to-have-around, and about seven trillion cold germs that were wafting off Richard in the style of “Pig Pen”. Highly-tuned athletes in a small fuggy cocoon with depleted immune systems, and the Puffer equivalent of Typhoid Mary – what could possibly go wrong?
Year-on-year, more and more people seem to be laying their towels down on the route, so even though we were early on site we had to drive a good way up the route to find a camp spot. This meant that each rider lap ended with about 4 minutes or so of hard climbing after the official lap end (at the dibbing station) to the change-over at the camper. Still, we were happy with that, and we got the muckle great army tent up (eventually) after being laughed at by the Adventure Show camera man, and set up gennys, bike repair station, latrines, rock patio etc etc.
Rumour was that the route was very icy higher up: and how true that was! The main fire-road climb was sheet-ice that never cleared despite some serious raining overnight. The upper section was snowed-up rock and slab that did gradually clear; and the descents and lower slopes were the usual Puffer mix of puddles, oozy mud, drainage ditches to be bunny-hopped, and swoopy single track. Ice tyres were really only needed for the climb, but were a reasonable compromise for the rest of the route and so stayed on throughout.
Saturday dawned OK-ish: cloudy, little wind, about two degrees. Over the first race day, the wind got up, and the rain came on for 6 or 7 hours overnight while the temperature hovered at just above freezing. As the course got wetter, water being thrown up from the wheels was as wetting as the rain, but hey – it’s The Puffer.
Robbie rode first and came through in the top twenty riders or so, putting Farty Aardvark & The Scotherbs in 6th place in the Pairs race. The next 10 laps we both rode alternately at between 38 and 40 minutes. That felt fast and consistent, and a conscious decision was made to dial it back a little. At this point only about 20 minutes separated 3rd to 6th, with i-Cycles comfortably ahead by a lap. It was still fun at this point, but mechanical issues were mounting up, as were anxieties about tyre choice. Robbie was on one or other of his On One 29er hard-tails throughout. I did several laps on my (ancient) 26 full suss (as it had ice tyres), then a good few on my 29er hard tail (now ditto), before resorting to a Clydesdale full-travel 26 full suss because of chain suck on the 29er. Three laps on the 29er muscling round on the big ring was quite enough thank you!
By about midnight, the rain was full on, we’d ground our way to second, and I felt sick as a dog from the effort and a dodgy feed strategy. Jason and James were performing minor miracles to keep bikes together, throw food at us and generally act insanely cheerful. Thomas and Richard were falling apart as a team, with some erratic change-overs, uneven lap distribution and Sick Boy taking to his bed. Tsk tsk. Meanwhile, Robbie was metronomic in pulling off consistent laps of 42-46 minutes, while I was drifting to 50 with one duff one of 54 that finished at 6am, but dragging it back under control to the mid-40s as daylight seeped back and the rain let up. Apart from constant bike worry, the relentless nausea from before midnight was making for Category Two enjoyment (things that are only enjoyable in retrospect) verging on Category Three pleasure (not enjoyment of any kind – but kinda fun to brag about later…). However, I’d also realised that riding laps in the rain and the dark with some pounding music in the ears was actually better than sitting in the camper trying not to throw up. Rule Five (MTFU) was applied…
Meanwhile, text messages from Captain Aardvark and many others were telling us the daunting truth that we were now in first place. Oh crap – that was never part of the plan: now we had Something To Lose. Potential shame drove me on, with the appalling thought that it was likely to come down to one last nail-biting lap with me being chased to the line by i-Cycles. I could see that that wasn’t going to end well. To my intense relief, I wriggled off that hook when Robbie completed our 33rd lap just before ten a.m. and i-Cycles came in after ten meaning Victory Was Ours by just eleven minutes! Unbelievably, we’d nicked it!! As I read later on a blog from one of the other teams battling for the podium “Team aardvark were just too strong…”.
So that’s that then. A Puffer victory at 50 has put the seal on it, and I’m done with the Puffer, for now, at least. And yes, I did get sick (thanks Sick Boy!).
After all, how can you top that? While Robbie was emailing me within 24 hours with long lists of Things To Do Better, I am steadfast in my determination to take on a new role as Logistics Aid for his Solo attempt in 2014. Those vows made in the wee small hours have – so far! – been honoured. Now that’s another first!
Of course, there are many other challenges that beckon – and I’ve just thrown my hat in for The Cairngorms Loop in May: a non-stop 186-mile 30-hr push to ride (off-road) twice around the Cairngorms. Hope it doesn’t snow like last year…
With thanks to Robbie, James, Jason, Thomas, Sick-Boy Richard, Catherine, Captain Aardvark, Ron & Sheila, John The Bike, Thom, the Newport Mudsuckers and to all who sent encouragement and kept the pressure on – THANK YOU!
When in Paris
Bikes everywhere and lovely cyclists even at -1C
snow trouble – if you have the right gear
You want a real winter tyre? Check out this studded wonder from Schwalbe – perfect if we ever get snow again.
With 304 tungsten steel studs putting an ice bite in each of the chunky alternating tread blocks on the centre and shoulder tread this is definitely a serious Arctic tyre.
Nothing else comes close for icy trail grip and the tall, firm shoulder knobs mean traction right over into the turns or the deepest slush and snow too and wide-spaced tapered tread means it clears sludge really well too.
As you’d expect though it clatters and roars on firmer surfaces and it’ll chew woodwork and roots to ribbons. All those metal studs make it heavy and it’ll slide wildly (and even spark sometimes) if you’re anything less than super careful with it on tarmac or rock sections too.
It’s expensive for what is a very rare use tyre anywhere in the UK south of the Cairngorms too. But it will probably last you a lifetime and of course if ice and snow are part of your usual winter riding diet it could be an essential bit of kit.
Best cycling watch
A Watch Shop has named its top 5 cycling watches for 2012 after extensive on the road testing during the Spring of 2012. But newer polar and garmin fenix not included.
“I’ve raced in international tours and multiple US National Championships with one podium during my career having ridden with riders like Greg Lemond and Louis Garneau, so for our company the evaluation of cycling watches is a very serious matter” says Rusty Squire, President of the Heart Rate Watch Company. He adds, “Many of these cycling watches rival the very best bike computers on the market.”
Here is the list of the top 5 cycling watches for 2012:
#1 Garmin Forerunner 910XT – This cycling watch does it all with the ability to receive ANT+ power, heart rate, speed, distance, pedal cadence, accurate altitude with a barometric altimeter and a large display screen. About 95% of all the bike computers on the market today can not match its prowess as a cycling device. It even provides highly detailed maps through Garmin Connect software that provide unmatched metric detail. This watch is completely waterproof.
#2 – Polar RCX5 G5 Tour de France – This watch is the official training computer for the 2012 Tour de France. It provides speed, distance, 5 heart rate zones and even features a dual frequency chest strap that can get heart rate while swimming. The new G5 GPS sensor is smaller than a cell phone battery and gets over 20 hours of GPS data plus the WIND speed sensor offers dead on speed and distance information.
#3 – Garmin Forerunner 610 – This little touch screen marvel gets every last piece of cycling data except for watts output but its compact size allows it to easily be used as an everyday watch. Use the optional cadence sensor to get cadence plus you’ll see speed, distance, elevations, heart rate and it even features a cumulative training load that looks at training history. It has running and cycling modes allowing for easy transitions between sports but it is only IPX7 water resistant, so don’t swim with it.
#4 – Forerunner 310XT – Even though it is nearly 3 years old it is hard to take the Garmin 310XT off this list because it set all the current standards for what a cycling watch should be. It gets watts data, speed, distance, cadence, elevations and more, although it lacks the swim features and barometric altimeter of the Forerunner 910XT. Still at about $150 less than the Garmin 910XT it is a great value in a cycling watch.
#5 – Polar RS800CX G5 – This is the same watch used by the brothers Frank and Andy Schleck that finished 2nd and 3rd in the 2011 Tour de France. The Polar RS800CX is hands down the most
sophisticated heart rate monitor on the market with recovery heart rate data and an enormous
ability to analyze heart rate. When you add the G5 to it it makes a pretty slick bike computer
plus it can connect to Polar cadence sensors as well.
Other honorable mentions to this list include the garmin Fenix (thats mine says richdirector)Suunto Ambit, Polar CS300, Timex Global Trainer and Suunto t6d cycling bundle. “These were all some very excellent watches for cycling
and it was hard to choose, but one thing is certain, the versatility of a cycling watch is that you can use it for other sports” states Squire.
Cyclocross mud worlds bourbon brilliant
From the masters at PAVEDMAG
This is not a baby’s diaper. This is a cyclocross course.
Due to flood concerns, the weekend of racing was compressed into Saturday. By Sunday, a significant part of the course was a frozen pond. The fly-over and beer tent remain in the distance but the rest of the course was taken down immediately following the races on Saturday.
I still cannot believe that the World Championships were on American soil. If you weren’t there, you blew it.
Rivers of Bourbon City, AKA Lousiville, KY.
I miss the days when all the World Cup cyclocross events were raced in national colors. Belligerent and nationalistic fans could drink all day and still know who to cheer for simply based on colors. Also, graphically the kits are so much better than the trade team uniforms. Fortunately the World Championships are still an excuse for national colors and belligerent nationalism.
Just like these kids, I really wanted to plop down and watch the race while letting my hangover subside but i had some sort of job to do. My mom thinks I’m a professional photographer so I broke down and wore one of those silly PHOTO vests and took pictures for this Paved magazine web gallery. This photo also features Jamie Driscoll.
Never forget to tip your pit crew. Nobody ever hears their names but their elaborate preparations and race-time handiwork is behind every victory.
The first run-up of the first lap of a cyclocross race is always an exciting place to be, especially when a unicorn dancing on a lighting bolt drops out of the sky.
The crowd was into it.
Just to be clear, this is a Basque cyclocross fan, not a Spanish cyclocross fan. And he was in Louisville to support the Basque rider Javier Ruiz De Larrinaga Ibanez.
Marriane Vos (center), of the Netherlands, let a couple riders hang out with her on the first lap before she decided to go way faster than everybody else en route to victory.
Helen Wyman of the UK. Women’s Elite race.
The mud made for frantic work in the pits. Some riders were changing bikes every half lap. Many of the European pros brought their personal pit crews instead of relying on national team support.
Unlike me, I’m pretty sure Elite Men’s winner Sven Nys, of Belgium, did not drink a few too many bourbons the night before the race. Probably because of discipline like that, he prevailed over the whole world. Even the obscenity screaming jackass with one of those soccer horns loved this guy by the end of the race.
gotta love an xtracycle
The FreeRadical Classic extends your bike and equips you to carry groceries, cargo of all shapes and sizes, lite loads or heavy ones, and adult passengers
Friday Bike Poster: Family Cycling
Kite*Surf*Bike*Rambling 