Satruday Dunlap Ride - Last Chance to See

Crank the Shield

3 days of muddy mountain biking sound fun to you?  Parry and Raoul cranked out the kilometers and finished 35^th and 43^rd respectively out of 58.  250 kilometers in total!

www.cranktheshield.com

I think that is Parry on the right side.

I wonder if the jersey stayed white.

University Heights

Hello Velo dontaed some Rocket Science Rocket Bottles to the Youth Cup winners.

The last race of the year and three brave ones ventured up to the Jane and Finch area for the last road race of the season, an open criterium with a $1000 pursue.  The rain wasn't too hard but it ensured a good coating of water on the roads, plenty of rooster tails and lots of opportunity to wipe out.

From Quentin:

"The course was 2km, mostly single lane except for the back stretch, there were three corners, all requiring you to kill some speed given the conditions. The group took off at a good pace with no time to settle into some rythm. I think it was lap 2, when there was a three person crash on the first turn (although this turn is almost 1.4km into the route due to its crescent shape). This immediately separated out the group with me now in a chase group. over the course of the next several laps i had caught up to a couple of riders and suggested we work to try and pull back to the main group. there were 4 riders in total but there didnt seem to be a desire to push it."

Of course, there was a lot of "fun" further back in the pack.  After settling into a good working pace I grouped up with three other riders in the hopes of staying in the race as long as possible.  The roads were pretty bad and the police were not paying attention to everything that was going on - as soon as the main group passed them, they stopped tending to the race.

The course followed Driftwood to a short side street and then headed west to Jane.  On Jane, the race took over the 2 northbound lanes and the southbound lanes were divided for north and south traffic.  All that separated the race and traffic was a line of pylons.  

Coming around after 20 minutes I took to the front of my small group and the turn a little too tight.  The bike slid out from underneath me.  The police had not bothered to stop traffic and so as I slid, a mini van rolled slowly northbound.  I slid past the pylons, the bike went under the car and the car on top of the rear wheel and I stopped myself with my hands on the bumper.  I quickly got up, opened my brake and got back on to see if I still had a rideable machine.  A police officer made his way over to me to see if I was alright.  All I had were strong words for him, "Stop the traffic when we come around the corner!".

Back on the bike, I looked down and saw that my wheel was bent 2 inches to the left and the derrailleur was just as far off true.  I packed it in for the day, happy that I wasn't too badly damaged and that the bike wasn't toast.

Better a bent hanger than a broken leg.

I accepted the risk of racing and so will pay the cost the fix the bike, fortunately just a simple derrailleur hanger and a new rear wheel - good thing it was the $200 eBay special set!

Here's to the end of the year!! 

Part 2 - Expo Cycle

On the top end Jamis Xenith SL, the bottom bracket has been changed to the stiffer BB-30 standard and the head tube has a tapering 1.5" to 1.125" diameter also increasing stiffness.  The entire fork on the Xenith SL is hollow.  These features are shared throughout the Xenith line, however the grade of carbon changes as you slide down the pack.

Some of the cool things about the top three models of tri/TT bike from Jamis is that they all have their front brakes tucked behind the fork, feature internal cable routing and their rear brake is placed behind the bottom bracket.  That last innovation is also on Felt's bikes and my only observation is that it may make for difficult brake pad changes.

SRAM is also well featured throughout the Jamis line.

Felt's TT/Triathlon Line is pretty sweet looking, lots of non-traditional shapes.  I was hoping to see the AR, Felt's top of the line aero road bike, but it wasn't there.

Giant's top of the line has an integrated seat mast.  Perfect for people who don't travel or who have their own private jet.   I would love to ride a bike with this kind of seatpost just to see if it really makes a difference in ride quality.

Provincial TT Championships

Great day out on the course.  This supposedly flat course actually was better termed as gently rolling.  A head wind of about 30-35 km/h kept the first leg of the TT long for everybody but then contributed to a very fast second half.  The air was thick and heavy and the sun came out in time for the race.  A special thank you to the 100 Harley riders who decided to ride the TT course along with us.

Congrats to Jordan K who put in a solid effort at the last TT, completing just about every race on the OCUP calendar as well (I think) – 24:25 for 15km.  I am not sure that there are any in the BCC or Flyers who could go to the line with him.

David’s 1:00:34 was fast enough for a personal best at that distance and my 59:56 for the same 37 km was a result that I hope to see as the starting point for next year. 

Just to let you know, the fastest time of the day was 47:14 for Michael Nash of “Ride with Rendall”.  

Get tucked In

Some recent work that I did with a client in Toronto resulted in an excellent triathlon specific position.  He had done just about all he could with his current equipment (bike and otherwise), resulting in a road bike-to-triathlon conversion that was close but a little off from ideal.  To give you an idea, his original setup had the bike with a virtual seat post of approximately 76 degrees, the saddle 75.8 cm from the centre of bottom bracket and the saddle 5.5 cm behind the centre of the spindle.  Like I said, pretty good but the result was less than ideal.

After some equipment changes (a forward set seat post, not the regular dog leg that people are using but something kind of special - skip to the end to get a peak; and an ISM road saddle), a little additional height in the saddle and a nudge forward on the rails and he was now perched 76.5 cm above and 2 cm behind the bottom bracket, at an 80 degree angle.  

Before on the left - After on the right.

While the result at the back of the bike is notable, look what happened in the cockpit - no more stretched out/superman position, he is in a more comfortable, aerodynamic and powerful position.  Something I like to refer to as being tucked in and ready to pounce  These are static photos so it is hard to fully appreciate the change but hopefully you get the idea.  Here are some key stats from his before and after power tests (I do this with every fit):

Before

Avg Watts: 271.1 Max Watts: 328.0

Avg RPM: 87.2 Max RPM: 94.0

Power Left Leg: 48.5% Power Right Leg: 51.5%

After

Avg Watts: 314.0 Max Watts: 405.0

Avg RPM: 97.3 Max RPM: 112.0

Power Left Leg: 49.2% Power Right Leg: 50.8%

And here is a closer look at the seat post I favour for road bike conversions and the excellent ISM saddle, that everyone should be riding.

Part 1 - 2009 Bicycle Trade Expo - Montreal

There are 2 very large bicycle trade shows in the late summer each year: Eurobike and Interbike.  These events see the launch of just about all the new products for the next year.  Taking place every year around the same time is our own smaller event, a hybrid of a bike show and member conference run by the Bicyclte Trade Association of Canada.

Since we are a smaller market and this event is scheduled very close to the much larger and higher profile events, not all manufacturers take the time to attend.  Notably missing was Cervelo, and from what I understand they almost never come to the BTAC show anymore.

I did get to take a look at some great stuff and here is some of it, starting with soft goods from Louis Garneau and the new Argon18 designs.

What the heck is this you ask?   Argon18 has introduced an interesting innovation, the variable head tube.  To shorten or increase the height of the head tube on their all new Gallium line, you screw 1 cm or 2 cm metal spacers on to a coupler.  This increases the stack of the bike, and most likely is a stiffer solution than just leaving a fork uncut and protruding from the top of the frame.
They also changed the paint job (looks very nice), rounded and flattened the top tube and implemented what appears to be twin seat stays at the rear.  All with a nice tight carbon weave.

This new paint scheme has trickled down to all other models as well, an improvement in my mind from the over labelled version of years past.  All other bikes have remained the same.

Louis Garneau's considerable line of soft goods are sure to impress in 2009.  

The custom fit road shoe is home heat moldable and comes with 2 foot beds: one for the summer and one that blocks the air vents in the winter.  This is standard for all their high-end shoes and the foot beds can also be purchased as aftermarket accessories. 

The biggest thing for me at the LG booth was the new Diamond helmet.  40 vents, super strong and priced under the top-end of another very famous line.  Look out Italy!

Very comfortable fitting system, one piece pads and adjustable helmet cage make this one nice helmet.


Up there at the top of the rack is the Super Leggera, LG's aero helmet on diet pills.  There is no difference in the protective inner shell, but they have lightened the outer fairing considerably.  I found it a little flimsy but I am sure the weight weenies will love it.

Next up, more bikes and accessories.

39.3 km Individual Time Trial

Day 2 was the 39.3 km individual time trial. This would be my second of the season, David's 100th and Mehdi's first. The course was gently rolling, 20km out and back with a fast downhill finish. The wind was from behind on the way out, road conditions smooth except for the 5 km before the turn around.

Mehdi was second out of the gate for the Flyers putting the pedal to the metal for the whole course and wrapping up the ride in 1:14.44 minutes with an average speed of 31.5 km/h. This included the time needed to take his helmet off, remove a bee that had stung him and then contrinue on. Congrats to Mehdi on a great weekend of racing.

I was the first Flyer out of the gate, feeling as strong as I possibly could given my crash at the Tour de Creemore 160 only a week before. My strategy was to go out slightly harder than I planned to, get into my groove and then push the pedals hard enough to go under 1hr 10 minutes. The first 20 km went by in 32 minutes and change, completely on track with plenty of energy left for the very strong head wind. I saw David only a couple kilometers behind me after the turn around and I thought for sure he would be breezing by soon. I wrapped the second lap up in 33 minutes, total time 1:05.54 and 5th place in my category (35.8 km/hr average).

David was the last Flyer to leave the gate and made quick work of everyone in front of him. His first lap was a lightening fast 29 minutes and then the wind took its toll. David asserted his team dominance as the lead time trial artist and finished in 1:04.18 minutes (36.8 km/hr average).

Day 1 Recap

The road race was set on a relatively gently rolling course, about 1/2 of the course with the wind at our backs and the rest of the time nearly head on. Lap 1, younger riders were already making short breaks on the 15 KM circuit, but none of them were successful. Other riders would try the same but the head winds were so strong that no rider could make it off the front. Lap 1, Edgars and I were still in the front pack, and Mehdi led a group that formed just off the back.

Lap 2, and the group of about 50 riders really started to spread out across the road, throwing caution (and race rules) to the wind and rode on the left side of the road. This led the peleton to stretch out quite a bit, leaving the right side of the road nearly clear at the front and making it relatively easy to zoom back into position if you needed to (and I often did). In general, the racing strategy of the racers was slow down into all the corners, sprint like mad out the other side, back off after about 100 m, zoom down the hills and slow down signigicantly on the short uphills. Edgars went off the front again with a younger rider, I found myself occaisionally at the front and soon to be swallowed up. Mehdi's groupetto continued to hammer around the course which is much more difficult than riding in the main group.

Lap 3 and the pace picked up significantly as riders started to get eager for the finish. Edgars stuck it out at the front and I was about 1/3 back. The final 3 kilometers of the course starts with a slight uphill and then winds quickly down to the finish. I got stuck behind 2 very slow riders and boxed in by the yellow line and the "train" on the final roller and had to scrub nearly 10km/h as the peleton sped towards the final lap. I put my head down for the next 6 km trying to get back on, but to no avail. I eventually grouped together with another rider and we picked up and dropped all the others who could not keep the pace of the peleton. We lost sight of the main peleton and after a short chat the two of us decided to zip up our jerseys to show off our sponsors and ride across the line together rather than contest the 32nd and 33rd position.

Edgars was waiting at the finish line for me, having finished 3rd (after safely navigating the final turn despite the recklessness of another rider on a team with a name that rhymes with Cornellas) and then Mehdi led the final group across the line.

Flyer On The Podium!

Quick report. A hot and slightly windy day on a gently rolling course. Edgars, Mehdi and Paul came to mix it up in the little town of Warsaw outside of Peterborough.

Edgars came in 3rd, Mehdi not in last(as planned) and Paul in 32nd. Full details on how it played out on Monday. Time to relax and recover for tomorrow's time trial.

Mud Cup

The O-Cup series was in Gravenhurst this past weekend at the Buckwallow Cycling Centre. Thanks to this summer's generous amount of rain (especially lately) the trails were pretty much turned completely into mud.

Image of Emily Batty posted by "BlackCanoeDog" on www.mtbr.com

I was once again riding in the Master (35−39) Sport Male category and was very happy with my top 10 finish. I ended up finishing in 9th place (same time as the 8th place finish, but he nudged me out at the line in a photo finish!) which was my best result so far this season. My time was 1:32:54.10 for the 23 km race.

Edgars Apse was also racing but i am not sure what happened as he is listed as a DNF.

Coming up next for me will be the Mountainview 9hour race in Midland (i am going to try going solo) this coming Saturday and then will be hitting the Provincial Championships in early September.

-pary

Time Trial Positoning Part 1

A recent experience at a local time trial inspired me to do a little research on the issue of UCI positioning rules. I've found the relevent rules here: http://tinyurl.com/6mc7rx , although not without difficulty. The UCI could do a lot to make it easy to find the rules that are of great interest to riders more accessible.

I'll paraphrase a rule that is of relevance to the riders at UCI governed time trials.

1. The tip of the saddle needs to be 5cm behind the bottom bracket (1.3.013)

So here is the issue: riders were showing up at the start line, with their bikes in what I am going to assume is their optimized time trail position, one that they have probably spent time training in. The commissars checked their setup measuring the distance from the bottom bracket to the nose of the saddle, found them out of compliance with the rule above and required them to change their setup minutes before their race (the photos posted here demonstrate the measuring and are not intended to imply any of these riders had a positioning issue).

This is a big deal for 3 reasons:

1. This forces the riders to sit on the nose of their saddle in order to maintain that optimized position (something I can't do, that is for sure)
2. If they decide to ride on a more comfortable part of the saddle, the distance to the cockpit increases, perhaps stretching the rider and resulting in comfort issues.
3. Riding further back on the saddle also requires the saddle height to be decreased to prevent over-reaching during the pedal stroke.

Just imagine having your positioning de-optimized right before your race.

--Next Up--

Positiong solutions, equipment options and the other rules

Mo'Flow Saddle

Last Saturday I took off my rebranded Selle Italia saddle (received on a previous bike) and slapped the Blackwell Research Mo'Flow saddle on for a test ride. Do you consider 138 KM a bit much for the first ride on a new saddle? Me too, but it was sure to indicate whether or not the design worked for me.

The first thing that you notice about this saddle is that the nose just falls away at the front. This gets it right out of the way of your nether regions and also makes sure that the stitching does not cause any chaffing or rubbing.


Next up in the slightly peculiar department are the long sides of the saddle that hide the rails. What I found was that these "wings" prevented chaffing/rubbing of the inside of my legs against the head of the seat post. A nice little feature that I think a lot of people will appreciate.

The mass is in line with other lightweight saddles.

This saddle also had a 1 cm higher stack than the one I replaced and so I needed to lower my seat post in order to get my position where I needed it.

Pros: After 138 KM I was still reasonably comfortable. Down in the drops was the most comfortable position on this saddle and this indicates that this could be a great one for riding in the aero position.

Cons: The deep channels that provide relief proved to be a bit too sharp when up on the hoods of the brake levers. Where the ridges of the centre-cut on my previous saddle were very flat, the Mo'Flow ridges were definitely more peaked. At about the 100KM mark I could definitely fell these on my butt, BUT never on my tender bits.

Were I racing triathlon this year, this saddle would be on my TT machine. Since I am not and am restricted by UCI rules, I am using ISM Racing instead. As for the road bike, I am putting the old Selle Italia back on. For me the irritation from the centre-cut ridges of the Mo'Flow was manageable, but it was not something that I wish to learn to live with.

Want to try it out to see if it is the right one for you? Send me an email.

Stolen Bikes in Toronto Recovered

More info: http://www.torontosun.com/News/TorontoAndGTA/2008/07/19/6204991-sun.html

Andrew Wanie - Tour de Terra Cotta

Andrew gives us a peak at the Tour de Terra Cotta.