French MTBer Jean-Christophe Peraud has claimed the road cycling title at his nation's champs, and reflects upon his advancing years:
I'll be 35 in 2012. Cycling is an endurance sport suitable for old athletes but I'll wait for one more year to determine myself about focusing on London or not.
Great, 35 is officially "old". Let's not tell Lance, eh?
Friday, June 26, 2009
Wednesday, May 06, 2009
Astana rumoured to fold b4 Le Tour.. and Armstrong confident abt starting his own team. Hmmm
I'm sure that the Astana team will find a stop-gap sponsor between now and July, should it need one, to ensure a start at Le Tour. It has to be a worthwhile investment, surely? With a team of stars, including Armstrong, how could you fail to get ROI out of it?
The rumours look like this:
On May third, the newspaper's website quoted Kazakhstan's cycling federation vice president Nikolai Proskurin as saying that even if the team takes part in the Giro as planned, it is likely to be the final Grand Tour in the history of the Astana project. The only way to save the current incarnation of the squad appears to be for one or more Kazakh backers to move in and commit to supporting it. Alternatively Johan Bruyneel, who owns the ProTour licence, will have to find funds to enable the team to continue.
Armstrong recently said this:
Lance Armstrong believes there is a "high" probability he will start a professional team of his own for the 2010 season. The American expects the announcement to come this July, after he races the Tour de France.
You can join any required dots.
The rumours look like this:
On May third, the newspaper's website quoted Kazakhstan's cycling federation vice president Nikolai Proskurin as saying that even if the team takes part in the Giro as planned, it is likely to be the final Grand Tour in the history of the Astana project. The only way to save the current incarnation of the squad appears to be for one or more Kazakh backers to move in and commit to supporting it. Alternatively Johan Bruyneel, who owns the ProTour licence, will have to find funds to enable the team to continue.
Armstrong recently said this:
Lance Armstrong believes there is a "high" probability he will start a professional team of his own for the 2010 season. The American expects the announcement to come this July, after he races the Tour de France.
You can join any required dots.
Friday, May 01, 2009
We all know Cadel doesn't attack... so it must have been a mistake
An unfortunate error, as in "hey, where did the other riders go, Philippe?", or was it Philippe's idea and Cadel just went along with it? As the media experts have reminded us often, he just doesn't attack ;-)
Silence-Lotto's Philippe Gilbert and Cadel Evans put in a strong attack and crested the summit 15 seconds ahead of their pursuers with only 11.3 kilometres remaining.
We can at least say they both have some form, although they weren't able to hold off the chasers in the end.
Silence-Lotto's Philippe Gilbert and Cadel Evans put in a strong attack and crested the summit 15 seconds ahead of their pursuers with only 11.3 kilometres remaining.
We can at least say they both have some form, although they weren't able to hold off the chasers in the end.
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Restraint of trade? UCI blocks pro cycling teams from minor races
Well this is interesting. Back in "my" day (being old and all) it was amateurs vs professionals and the restraint of trade was simple. If you earned money from cycling you got barred from the Olympics; and if you joined the local cycling club and it happened to be a pro club you may as well have joined a different universe. But that's all gone now and "amateurs" don't really exist, instead elite athletes are professionals whether they like it or not, and it's "all in". Unless you run a significant yet smaller road race or tour, in which case the cycling world's governing body, the UCI, can impose its will and stop top-level teams from competing. I guess there's good and bad in that rule, but I do like Chris Horner's comment:
On Monday, Horner said the enforcement of the UCI rule was "wrong." "It’s a pro race, you should be allowed to race your bike. If we are skipping ProTour races to do a non-ProTour event, then it makes sense. But you should never, never, never just not allow a rider to race his bike. ... every man should be afforded the right to work."
The opposing view may be that a ProTour team will simply scoop up all the winnings, leaving the other guys (also just trying to do their job) picking up the leftovers.
On Monday, Horner said the enforcement of the UCI rule was "wrong." "It’s a pro race, you should be allowed to race your bike. If we are skipping ProTour races to do a non-ProTour event, then it makes sense. But you should never, never, never just not allow a rider to race his bike. ... every man should be afforded the right to work."
The opposing view may be that a ProTour team will simply scoop up all the winnings, leaving the other guys (also just trying to do their job) picking up the leftovers.
Friday, April 24, 2009
Transponders on your bike, not your airliner or toll road... #cycling #tech #RFID
You could be forgiven for believing that a $10,000 racing bike is at the cutting edge of what could be achieved with today's technology and materials science, but in fact the UCI, as the governing body for world cycle racing, punishes innovation with tight control over aerodynamics, weight and frame geometry (in pursuit of sporting 'fairness' and consistency). Bikes could look a lot different, weigh less and slip through the air much more easily, if designers were let off the short leash that is the UCI's double-triangle standard (just click there and search on 'frame', then come back here). In short, they'd go faster for less effort.
And you could also be forgiven for thinking that bike racers are the first to embrace new ways and materials, when in fact they tend to stick with "what works" when it comes to finishing a long ride. As a group they let someone else test it out (usually George Hincapie) and demonstrate a clear, sustainable advantage before jumping on board. It took a relatively long time for the global peloton to embrace clipless pedals, for example, let alone carbon fibre frames (mine dates back to '90, and yes, that's when I finally embraced clipless pedals, too). It's not just about the cost, or the regulations, it's "tradition" as well. One has to look like a bike racer, and be 'in the know'. For example you still hear otherwise quite sensible people repeat the mantra that 'steel is real', despite arguably better materials being available for frame-building. And then they pull on their woollen jerseys and tighten their toe clips before riding into the sunset... ahem, maybe not.
So it comes as a bit of a shock to see RFID transponders, those handy little gadgets that adorn the race bikes of the professsionals, drifting into the admittedly elite end of the local Sydney racing scene. OK, it's the State Crit Championships, but it's still a bit of a jump up from the traditional number on a fabric or vinyl square, attached with safety pins: ALL RIDERS, PLEASE NOTE THAT TRANSPONDERS WILL BE USED AT THIS EVENT. IT IS YOUR RESPONSIBILITY TO ATTACH YOUR TRANSPONDER IN THE CORRECT POSITION IN ORDER TO BE PLACED IN THIS EVENT. Note that they saw fit to SHOUT about it, 'cause some of those bike riders will be in a state of shock.
We can expect to see similar transponders used more regularly at state open level, gradually drifting down to club level. They remove the need for sharp eyed observers (a hard-to-find resource) and eliminate (I hope) the 'but-I-thought I won it' close-finish dispute. In a big bunch gallop it may be the only way to truly pick out who won. They are also light, the widely-used Chip-X being around 15g.
In fact these transponders, also used in warehousing, logistics and on toll roads, by the way, open up a whole world of data collection and analysis. Not just for bike racers but for anyone - or anything - involved in circuit racing. You can collect timing data on every lap for every participant, for example, and post updates live, either on the web or to a mobile device (like a cell phone). So if you are coaching or managing a team you can see how your charges are going, and perhaps later analyse where they went wrong, without needing to even watch the whole race. (Check out MyLaps, to see what is already happening.) Of course GPS can do that, too, and you probably have that integrated with your power meters anyway, but as a cheaper option it's not bad. We've already seen how a mix of these types of devices (especially GPS) can be used to plot the course of a road cycling race, too, in real-time, on the Web. You can also easily imagine such a live datastream being used to animate a super-realistic avatar of, say, Cadel Evans, as he takes on Lance Armstrong's avatar in a virtual Le Tour, live on screen. It could be the future of live cycling 'vision' on a converged television-Internet platform, without needing the cameras and helicopters, if we wanted it to be... or the basis for a training program, or a game...
So there you go, cycling at the cutting edge. Mind you, it's all been done before. For example the aviation industry has been using transponders since WWII, although they were somewhat larger, heavier objects at that stage. It just takes a while for these things to shrink, get cheaper, and percolate both down - and sideways. That's innovation.
And you could also be forgiven for thinking that bike racers are the first to embrace new ways and materials, when in fact they tend to stick with "what works" when it comes to finishing a long ride. As a group they let someone else test it out (usually George Hincapie) and demonstrate a clear, sustainable advantage before jumping on board. It took a relatively long time for the global peloton to embrace clipless pedals, for example, let alone carbon fibre frames (mine dates back to '90, and yes, that's when I finally embraced clipless pedals, too). It's not just about the cost, or the regulations, it's "tradition" as well. One has to look like a bike racer, and be 'in the know'. For example you still hear otherwise quite sensible people repeat the mantra that 'steel is real', despite arguably better materials being available for frame-building. And then they pull on their woollen jerseys and tighten their toe clips before riding into the sunset... ahem, maybe not.
So it comes as a bit of a shock to see RFID transponders, those handy little gadgets that adorn the race bikes of the professsionals, drifting into the admittedly elite end of the local Sydney racing scene. OK, it's the State Crit Championships, but it's still a bit of a jump up from the traditional number on a fabric or vinyl square, attached with safety pins: ALL RIDERS, PLEASE NOTE THAT TRANSPONDERS WILL BE USED AT THIS EVENT. IT IS YOUR RESPONSIBILITY TO ATTACH YOUR TRANSPONDER IN THE CORRECT POSITION IN ORDER TO BE PLACED IN THIS EVENT. Note that they saw fit to SHOUT about it, 'cause some of those bike riders will be in a state of shock.
We can expect to see similar transponders used more regularly at state open level, gradually drifting down to club level. They remove the need for sharp eyed observers (a hard-to-find resource) and eliminate (I hope) the 'but-I-thought I won it' close-finish dispute. In a big bunch gallop it may be the only way to truly pick out who won. They are also light, the widely-used Chip-X being around 15g.
In fact these transponders, also used in warehousing, logistics and on toll roads, by the way, open up a whole world of data collection and analysis. Not just for bike racers but for anyone - or anything - involved in circuit racing. You can collect timing data on every lap for every participant, for example, and post updates live, either on the web or to a mobile device (like a cell phone). So if you are coaching or managing a team you can see how your charges are going, and perhaps later analyse where they went wrong, without needing to even watch the whole race. (Check out MyLaps, to see what is already happening.) Of course GPS can do that, too, and you probably have that integrated with your power meters anyway, but as a cheaper option it's not bad. We've already seen how a mix of these types of devices (especially GPS) can be used to plot the course of a road cycling race, too, in real-time, on the Web. You can also easily imagine such a live datastream being used to animate a super-realistic avatar of, say, Cadel Evans, as he takes on Lance Armstrong's avatar in a virtual Le Tour, live on screen. It could be the future of live cycling 'vision' on a converged television-Internet platform, without needing the cameras and helicopters, if we wanted it to be... or the basis for a training program, or a game...
So there you go, cycling at the cutting edge. Mind you, it's all been done before. For example the aviation industry has been using transponders since WWII, although they were somewhat larger, heavier objects at that stage. It just takes a while for these things to shrink, get cheaper, and percolate both down - and sideways. That's innovation.
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Now he attacks: Cadel Evans just can't win
In hindsight, it may have been the wrong time to attack... but then again, who was going to bridge the gap if he didn't? As Cadel says, "Funny, usually people tell me I don't attack...".
Post-race it's always easy to pull things apart and make declarations about what would have happened if.... but until we can set up some parallel universe and trial all of the options, we'll never really know. At 5th, Evans was ahead of some big names. (Worth noting too that Simon Gerrans had another good race, finishing 8th.)
And come July we'll get to see Cadel defend his now traditional 2nd place in Le Tour. He may even attack!
Post-race it's always easy to pull things apart and make declarations about what would have happened if.... but until we can set up some parallel universe and trial all of the options, we'll never really know. At 5th, Evans was ahead of some big names. (Worth noting too that Simon Gerrans had another good race, finishing 8th.)
And come July we'll get to see Cadel defend his now traditional 2nd place in Le Tour. He may even attack!
Thursday, April 16, 2009
I can't believe I'm testing another aggregator... Posterous, anyone?
Here we go again... another post-once, post-to-many service. At first
glance it's slick, but without the finer control of some:
http://posterous.com/
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Davis drops, Haussler tops - funny old UCI points score this year #cycling
We are well into the pro cycling year and still it seems that the early-season winners have the edge - although the edge is beginning to crumble.
Haussler took over the UCI world ranking lead from Allan Davis (Quick Step). After another strong performance in Paris-Roubaix, Haussler leads the rankings with 197 points, ahead of PaÃs Vasco winner Alberto Contador (Astana) with 188 points. Davis slipped to third with his 183 points.
Nice to see Davis hang in there so long, and good to see Haussler get his name in lights - if only for a little while. The 3 big tours will shake it all up, of course.
Haussler took over the UCI world ranking lead from Allan Davis (Quick Step). After another strong performance in Paris-Roubaix, Haussler leads the rankings with 197 points, ahead of PaÃs Vasco winner Alberto Contador (Astana) with 188 points. Davis slipped to third with his 183 points.
Nice to see Davis hang in there so long, and good to see Haussler get his name in lights - if only for a little while. The 3 big tours will shake it all up, of course.
Wednesday, April 08, 2009
Drug testers take blood, sweat and tears - Armstrong's behaviour 'unusual'?
Just what constitutes 'unusual' behaviour when 'surprised' by the blood, urine and hair-sample-taking team I don't know:
Lance Armstrong's behaviour during his 24th anti-doping control since returning to the sport may have landed the American in hot water with the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and French Anti-Doping Agency (AFLD). L'Equipe has reported that AFLD, which conducted the March 17 out-of-competition test, submitted a report to the International Cycling Union (UCI) and WADA on March 30. The report apparently details the abnormal behaviour observed before and during the surprise visit from the French agency.
Did he run away? Slam the door? Abuse them? Or is this L'Equipe beating things up? He is recovering from a broken collarbone, so maybe he was a bit tetchy... I would be. Later, Armstrong's rebuttal came and it was quite reasonable - someone turned up to take samples who simply didn't appear convincingly authorised to do so, so they checked on his credentials:
"I returned home that day after a long training ride to find a man chasing me as I rode up to the house. He stopped me and told me he was from the French laboratory and was here to test me. I had never heard of labs or governments doing drug testing and I had no idea who this guy was or whether he was telling the truth.
Despite all of that reasonableness, the "drug testing laboratory" in question was concerned about the 20 minute delay between turning up and actually getting the samples. Without wanting to get carried away about it, having a shower could have been a cover for time to take a masking drug, but then again it could just have been a shower. In any case 20 mins is not long enough to mask much, especially so when blood, urine and hair was taken. Surely he didn't get a hair transplant in 20mins?
Postscript: The UCI's Pat McQuaid wonders aloud what the AFLD is doing: "Normal proceedings between institutions such as national anti-doping agencies, the international federation and the World anti-doping agency (WADA) are normally done in a professional and confidential way until a decision or sanction has been taken," he continued. "In this case it was leaked to the press and I do find that disturbing."
Lance Armstrong's behaviour during his 24th anti-doping control since returning to the sport may have landed the American in hot water with the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and French Anti-Doping Agency (AFLD). L'Equipe has reported that AFLD, which conducted the March 17 out-of-competition test, submitted a report to the International Cycling Union (UCI) and WADA on March 30. The report apparently details the abnormal behaviour observed before and during the surprise visit from the French agency.
Did he run away? Slam the door? Abuse them? Or is this L'Equipe beating things up? He is recovering from a broken collarbone, so maybe he was a bit tetchy... I would be. Later, Armstrong's rebuttal came and it was quite reasonable - someone turned up to take samples who simply didn't appear convincingly authorised to do so, so they checked on his credentials:
"I returned home that day after a long training ride to find a man chasing me as I rode up to the house. He stopped me and told me he was from the French laboratory and was here to test me. I had never heard of labs or governments doing drug testing and I had no idea who this guy was or whether he was telling the truth.
Despite all of that reasonableness, the "drug testing laboratory" in question was concerned about the 20 minute delay between turning up and actually getting the samples. Without wanting to get carried away about it, having a shower could have been a cover for time to take a masking drug, but then again it could just have been a shower. In any case 20 mins is not long enough to mask much, especially so when blood, urine and hair was taken. Surely he didn't get a hair transplant in 20mins?
Postscript: The UCI's Pat McQuaid wonders aloud what the AFLD is doing: "Normal proceedings between institutions such as national anti-doping agencies, the international federation and the World anti-doping agency (WADA) are normally done in a professional and confidential way until a decision or sanction has been taken," he continued. "In this case it was leaked to the press and I do find that disturbing."
Monday, April 06, 2009
Last Gosford Hill for today: Kincumber Sth 234W 15.5pc
It probably has another name, but it's that sharp bump between Bensville and Kincumber South. Ouch.
Gosford hillclimbs: Scenic Drv Terrigal 147W 13.7 pc
Another one. Again I did this a few months ago, but in an idle moment thought I'd post it now.... part of my plan to run my ibike wattmeter over all the local hills around Gosford, NSW.
Gosford hillclimbs: Avoca to Kincumber 182W 12.3 pc
Did this a few months ago, but in an idle moment thought I'd post it now.... part of my plan to run my ibike wattmeter over all the local hills around Gosford, NSW.
The iBike calculates Watts from changes in speed, altitude (via a barometer) and acceleration. Whilst the numbers aren't large (I'm not Lance Armstrong) It gives me some way of baselining my training and working forward.
These aren't necessarily my best rides, highest speeds or biggest Wattage - just representative screenshots to give you an idea of hill slope and shape. If you don't have this sort of equipment you may find it interesting or useful.
The iBike calculates Watts from changes in speed, altitude (via a barometer) and acceleration. Whilst the numbers aren't large (I'm not Lance Armstrong) It gives me some way of baselining my training and working forward.
These aren't necessarily my best rides, highest speeds or biggest Wattage - just representative screenshots to give you an idea of hill slope and shape. If you don't have this sort of equipment you may find it interesting or useful.
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Raw vegan #cycling on 30 bananas a day... and training with Oscar Pereiro
A radical guy fueled with a radical raw vegan diet... and plenty of cycling: Adelaide's Harley Johnson. On a bamboo bike, too.
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
In-form Contador loses team in Paris-Nice boilover
So where did the Astana team go? There one moment, gone the next. Paris-Nice has been enlightening. Contador's skill, luck and good form won him the short TT section and the lead, much to the annoyance of the prologue specialists, but now his team has gone missing when the heat was on. Still, losing a minute is not the end of the world, it just puts him back where he probably should have been.
Once Rabobank hit the front Contador was in the fourth group on the road. He knew he had to do something. "I saw I had no teammates. The situation was very difficult, but I saw there was a short steep slope coming up and I accelerated." Contador looked good on the uphill, but closing the gap proved to be hard. He received some help from Christophe Moreau (Agritubel) to reach the group ahead. "This was the only possibility for me to save the race," Contador said.
I am guessing that Astana will get their act together in May and July. But there are some quietly good achievers steadily working to put roadblocks in the path of Armstrong, Contador and Co. Should be interesting.
Once Rabobank hit the front Contador was in the fourth group on the road. He knew he had to do something. "I saw I had no teammates. The situation was very difficult, but I saw there was a short steep slope coming up and I accelerated." Contador looked good on the uphill, but closing the gap proved to be hard. He received some help from Christophe Moreau (Agritubel) to reach the group ahead. "This was the only possibility for me to save the race," Contador said.
I am guessing that Astana will get their act together in May and July. But there are some quietly good achievers steadily working to put roadblocks in the path of Armstrong, Contador and Co. Should be interesting.
Monday, March 09, 2009
Graeme Brown wins again in Vuelta Murcia
Good to see Graeme Brown has sorted out his bike problems, or handling issues or whatever they were - you may recall him pulling his foot/getting baulked/breaking something in the finale of the Tour Down Under. He is obviously flying right now... and Rabo teammate Menchov won overall.
Thursday, March 05, 2009
Nice result for Graeme Brown at Vuelta Murcia
Seems like yesterday Brownie was the guy we all loved to hate, careening between riders in the sprint... now he's an old hand, almost a steadying influence... almost. Anyway, a nice stage win, beating an NZer in the process ;-)
Stage 1 - March 4: San Pedro del Pinatar - Lorca, 192.3km
Results 1 Graeme Brown (Aus) Rabobank 5.06.37 (37.63 km/h)
2 Greg Henderson (NZl) Team Columbia - High Road
3 Rubén Pérez (Spa) Euskaltel - Euskadi
4 Mathew Goss (Aus) Team Saxo Bank
5 Tom Leezer (Ned) Rabobank
6 Luca Paolini (Ita) Acqua e Sapone
7 Mathieu Drujon (Fra) Caisse d'Epargne
8 Luis Pasamontes (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne
9 David Herrero (Spa) Xacobeo Galicia
10 David Calatayud (Spa) Spanish National Team
Stage 1 - March 4: San Pedro del Pinatar - Lorca, 192.3km
Results 1 Graeme Brown (Aus) Rabobank 5.06.37 (37.63 km/h)
2 Greg Henderson (NZl) Team Columbia - High Road
3 Rubén Pérez (Spa) Euskaltel - Euskadi
4 Mathew Goss (Aus) Team Saxo Bank
5 Tom Leezer (Ned) Rabobank
6 Luca Paolini (Ita) Acqua e Sapone
7 Mathieu Drujon (Fra) Caisse d'Epargne
8 Luis Pasamontes (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne
9 David Herrero (Spa) Xacobeo Galicia
10 David Calatayud (Spa) Spanish National Team
Saturday, February 28, 2009
Join your own Open Source-style pro cycling team #cycling
Not such a new idea for pro cycling fans as is made out on the Crowdriders site, but a good idea nonetheless that (admittedly) takes the fan-as-owner idea a step further than before, where the crowd will (in theory) manage the pro cycling team as well as provide sponsorship (or capital, if you prefer). That should be interesting - 40,000 people voting on what to do with the cash raised! Basically if enough people get together and raise enough money they'll sign up riders and start a UCI-registered team. It's certainly not impossible, but others have tried to crowd-source and failed. Especially tricky will be getting the management side right - balancing the "democracy" that is promised for the crowd against the professional management and governance that is required. What if the majority want to do something crazy, or risky, or just sub-optimal? What if the guy starting this idea off is not the best guy to run the show yet remains at the epicentre just because he, umm, started it? Who will tell him that he's just one voice and what will he do - change the rules? I guess that will be explored in the fullness of time.
For a previous take on a subscription-based sponsorship of a cycling team, check out David McKenzie and iTeamNova
For a previous take on a subscription-based sponsorship of a cycling team, check out David McKenzie and iTeamNova
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Tackling your first bike race - the criterium
First up, this is cycling, not football - no tackling required, thank goodness. In fact I've "tackled" this subject a few times, including right here. Crits are short, sharp races run at higher speeds than road races, usually with more corners and fewer hills, around a short course. The skill and fitness levels are high but endurance is less than a longer road race.
The essentials go a bit like this:
1. For a criterium you need a road bike. One with curvy 'dropped' handlebars and a pair of brakes will do - yes, you need to use the back brake too!
2. You need a bike with 2 lightish but stiff wheels, as flexy wheels in tight corners are not good as they feel soft and squishy and put you off
3. The bike itself could be around 8 or 9 kg in weight but extra kilos on the bike are not that much of a problem as crits are usually pretty flat. Light wheels will assist your acceleration more than a light bike. In any case you shouldn't stress about the bike. Your fitness will matter more
4. Having said that, the bike should be well maintained and unlikely to break under load!
5. Remove extraneous objects before the race - like streamers, plastic gear guards, bells, toolkits, books, magazines - and keep 'em for later
6. Pump up the tyres. 100psi sounds good but whatever you see written on the tyre will be a better guide. A harder tyre is a faster tyre, within limits (don't over-inflate as that may be dangerous, especially if the tyre blows off the rim!)
7. Join a bike club and get a racing licence. In Australia it's around $200 a year but varies with each club and your age. You get 3rd party insurance with that and a cool licence to prove you are a racer. Consider private health insurance as falling off at speed may be costly
8. Crits go round and round so you'll pass the pits several times. If you puncture (or have a 'mechanical') you will be allowed 'a lap out' but unless you are fabulously prepared and have a buddy following you with spare wheels it's unlikely you'll be able to take advantage of that in your early races. You can often leave spares at the start line anyway, just let someone know to watch 'em, in case they 'walk'. You won't get a lap out if you have reached the final lap, btw, you'll have to just watch - obey the race judge (the 'commissaire') in any case
9. Assuming you have followed my earlier advice and have trained at least enough to have sufficient endurance for the event in question, arrive at the racing venue with plenty of time in hand (30mins minimum, preferably an hour)
10. If you haven't already done so, get your licence from the club secretary. If you haven't paid, pay now.
11. If you have your licence, look for the entry desk. It could be under a marquee. It could be in a club house. There may be a queue of fit looking lycra-wearers to guide you. Queue up and pay your entry fee (could be $10 or so, more for open races). You will be graded, probably in a low grade at first. They will give you a race number (cool!) and may hold your licence untill you return said number after the race. Race numbers are often colour coded to show grade
12. Put your number on (usually pinned low on your jersey and slightly to the side where the judges sit (it pays to check out local custom here).
13. Pay attention to what's happening as races are often organised in unusual orders. Like A grade (fast guys) first, then B grade, then C and D combined, or totally in reverse. Local customs apply - don't miss your start!
14. If it's OK to do so, roll around and warm up on the course. Don't start cold in any case!
15. Don't miss the start!
16. Don't get in the way of faster grades, especially when you've finished
17. Hand your number back afterwards
18. Learn from your experience!
The essentials go a bit like this:
1. For a criterium you need a road bike. One with curvy 'dropped' handlebars and a pair of brakes will do - yes, you need to use the back brake too!
2. You need a bike with 2 lightish but stiff wheels, as flexy wheels in tight corners are not good as they feel soft and squishy and put you off
3. The bike itself could be around 8 or 9 kg in weight but extra kilos on the bike are not that much of a problem as crits are usually pretty flat. Light wheels will assist your acceleration more than a light bike. In any case you shouldn't stress about the bike. Your fitness will matter more
4. Having said that, the bike should be well maintained and unlikely to break under load!
5. Remove extraneous objects before the race - like streamers, plastic gear guards, bells, toolkits, books, magazines - and keep 'em for later
6. Pump up the tyres. 100psi sounds good but whatever you see written on the tyre will be a better guide. A harder tyre is a faster tyre, within limits (don't over-inflate as that may be dangerous, especially if the tyre blows off the rim!)
7. Join a bike club and get a racing licence. In Australia it's around $200 a year but varies with each club and your age. You get 3rd party insurance with that and a cool licence to prove you are a racer. Consider private health insurance as falling off at speed may be costly
8. Crits go round and round so you'll pass the pits several times. If you puncture (or have a 'mechanical') you will be allowed 'a lap out' but unless you are fabulously prepared and have a buddy following you with spare wheels it's unlikely you'll be able to take advantage of that in your early races. You can often leave spares at the start line anyway, just let someone know to watch 'em, in case they 'walk'. You won't get a lap out if you have reached the final lap, btw, you'll have to just watch - obey the race judge (the 'commissaire') in any case
9. Assuming you have followed my earlier advice and have trained at least enough to have sufficient endurance for the event in question, arrive at the racing venue with plenty of time in hand (30mins minimum, preferably an hour)
10. If you haven't already done so, get your licence from the club secretary. If you haven't paid, pay now.
11. If you have your licence, look for the entry desk. It could be under a marquee. It could be in a club house. There may be a queue of fit looking lycra-wearers to guide you. Queue up and pay your entry fee (could be $10 or so, more for open races). You will be graded, probably in a low grade at first. They will give you a race number (cool!) and may hold your licence untill you return said number after the race. Race numbers are often colour coded to show grade
12. Put your number on (usually pinned low on your jersey and slightly to the side where the judges sit (it pays to check out local custom here).
13. Pay attention to what's happening as races are often organised in unusual orders. Like A grade (fast guys) first, then B grade, then C and D combined, or totally in reverse. Local customs apply - don't miss your start!
14. If it's OK to do so, roll around and warm up on the course. Don't start cold in any case!
15. Don't miss the start!
16. Don't get in the way of faster grades, especially when you've finished
17. Hand your number back afterwards
18. Learn from your experience!
Friday, February 20, 2009
Boonen beaten twice but enjoys the rain and cold
Only a Belgian would be enjoying the lousy weather at the Tour of California.
"The early weather in this race helped me a lot [for the Classics]. I feel great now after racing two or three days in the rain!"
Quite a contrast from the Tour Down Under, which of course was held in a heatwave (as usual).
"The early weather in this race helped me a lot [for the Classics]. I feel great now after racing two or three days in the rain!"
Quite a contrast from the Tour Down Under, which of course was held in a heatwave (as usual).
Friday, February 13, 2009
McEwen takes mountain points in Mallorca
It's just unusual to see so I'll repeat it - Aussie sprinter Robbie McEwen takes points on a mountain.
Coll de Claret
1 Bram Schmitz (Ned) Van Vliet EBH Elshof 10 pts
2 Rafael Serrano (Spa) Contentpolis - AMPO 7
3 Alejandro Paleo (Spa) Xacobeo Galicia 5
4 Jesús Rosendo (Spa) Andalucia Cajasur 3
5 Robbie McEwen (Aus) Team Katusha 2 6 Kenny De Haes (Bel) Team Katusha
Mind you, I don't think he stuck around to the bitter end... nor did his lead out man Steegmans for that matter. Bigger fish to fry.
Coll de Claret
1 Bram Schmitz (Ned) Van Vliet EBH Elshof 10 pts
2 Rafael Serrano (Spa) Contentpolis - AMPO 7
3 Alejandro Paleo (Spa) Xacobeo Galicia 5
4 Jesús Rosendo (Spa) Andalucia Cajasur 3
5 Robbie McEwen (Aus) Team Katusha 2 6 Kenny De Haes (Bel) Team Katusha
Mind you, I don't think he stuck around to the bitter end... nor did his lead out man Steegmans for that matter. Bigger fish to fry.
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