m2sport

Pics from last years criterium in East Grand Rapids.

My friend Jamie wrote a really great book about bike racing. I’m thinking about buying a copy for everyone who doesn’t understand why I ride. Also some fantastic supporting illustration from Jef Mallett. Creator of Frazz. It’s a lot more fun to read a book when you know the author and illustrator.

Here a nice article from the Freep about the guys.

Get your copy here

by Jamie Smith, Illustrated by Jef Mallett
Veteran race announcer and long-time cycling enthusiast Jamie Smith sets out to explain the sport he loves and the roadies who live for it in this lighthearted treatise on bike racing. Finally, a book to explain those people who roll out for a ride dressed in technicolored Lycra at the crack of dawn on Saturday, and return at sundown with a glow of satisfaction and even stronger tan lines.

Perfect for anyone who has ever known a roadie, considered becoming a roadie, or walked away from a bike race completely puzzled, Roadie addresses all of the curiosities that accompany the sport of cycling, from shaved legs to colorful jerseys and unbelievably expensive bicycles, shoes, and components. Every seemingly neurotic tendency is explained and celebrated with humorous illustrations from nationally syndicated cartoonist Jef Mallett (also rumored to log thousands of miles of riding per year).

Explaining strategy and races from the famous Tour de France stage race to the local criterium, Roadie brings the excitement of bike racing alive for anyone with an appetite for adrenaline. And for the thousands who purchase a shiny new road bike each spring, it’s a much-needed primer on the politics of a group ride. Pacelines, drafting, sprinting, climbing, and breakaways are turned into everyday commonsense with colorful anecdotes.

Whether interested onlooker or cycling aficionado, readers will find themselves laughing out loud as they revel in the roadie’s world.

In a world full of modern technological wizardry and gimcrackery, sometimes simple is better.

Take, for instance, single-speed bicycles.

There’s been a movement in the mountain biking community over the past decade or so to rip out all the unnecessary parts - derailleurs, cassettes, cables, shifters and other components of the modern 27-speed drive train - and get back to the basics of propelling a two-wheeled vehicle.

One chain ring, one sprocket, a chain (or belt) and a lot of leg work.

Clean, elegant, efficient.

“We’re shedding new light on an old tradition,” said Carl Decker of Bend, Ore., a two-time national single speed champion (2004, ‘05) and runner-up in last summer’s Single Speed World Championships in Scotland.

“You feel like a purist,” said Julia Violich of San Anselmo, a runner-up (on a multi-geared bike) in the UCI Masters Mountain Bike World Championships in France in August. “You don’t need all those fancy gears.”

Too many gears can actually spoil the ride. By eliminating both front and rear derailleurs - and their attendant components - single-speed bikers have a more efficient pedal stroke, with less chain drag through derailleur pulleys making pedaling a bit smoother and easier. Also, the chain line is straight, which enhances performance. Plus, you’re shedding a lot of weight.

“My fully geared racing mountain bike weighs 21 1/2 pounds,” Violich said. “My single speed bike weighs 17 pounds.”

Ironically, despite dumping the cassette and double (or triple) chain ring, single-speed riders still have to make a gearing choice: What size chain ring and rear sprocket to use.

“Gearing is key; it’s the most important thing,” Violich said. “That’s something we single-speeders talk about all the time. A common thing to say to another single-speeder is, ‘What’s your gear ratio?’

“That one choice is a big one.”

The most common gear ratio is 2:1; i.e., having a 36-tooth ring in front and an 18-tooth cog in back, or 34 and 17, etc. Other riders advocate a 1.8:1 ratio (32-18), which is a better suited for the hilly terrain in the Bay Area.

(Speaking of locals: Single-speed bikes differ from what a lot of urban youth use to buzz around town. Many of those folks use a fixed-geared machine, which doesn’t have a free-wheel in back, so they can’t coast and they have to back-pedal to brake the bike. That’s not a great option for off-road riding.)

Finding the proper gearing for your riding style will take a little experimenting. Do you want something that will help you up steeper hills, but have you frantically spinning on the descents? Or do you want a bit of control on the downhills and have to work harder going up?

Remember: It’s you against the terrain, not you and a bunch of gears against the terrain.

“Don’t be afraid if you have to get off the bike and walk,” Decker said. “It’s all part of the game.

“But once you get set up, not much can go wrong.”

It’s the clean and simple lines that attract single-speeders, who tend to eschew Lycra in favor of baggy shorts and T-shirts. They harken to the early days of off-road riding - think back to the Repack crowd of the mid-’70s - when it was all about having fun on the bike and when beer, not some electrolyte replacement drink, was the fluid of choice.

“They are such a cool group,” said Jeff Frost, the athlete services director at this weekend’s Sea Otter Classic in Monterey, where some 60-70 single-speeders, including Decker and Violich, are expected to compete. “They are more down-to-earth. They like to consider themselves hard-core mountain bikers. … They’re just old school.”

“It’s kind of a counter-culture,” Decker said. “I’ve been mountain bike racing since 1984, and these (single-speed) races are like those early days: good crowd, great scene, fun to be around.”

Added Violich: “There is that underground element: a little bit different, a little bit dangerous.”

Despite the throwback, party-hardy attitude, there is something thoroughly modern about single-speed cycling: It’s a heck of a training regimen.

“It’s a fabulous workout,” Violich said. “You use your body a lot. You use a pushing-out motion to help you get up hills. You use your stomach, your back, your arms … you use your body a lot more for leverage.”

“It does make you a stronger rider,” Decker said. “At the U.S. nationals two years ago (at Sonoma County’s Infineon Raceway), I rode both multi-gear and single-speed cross-country races, and I found myself doing faster laps on my single speed.”

Buns of steel notwithstanding, most single-speeders are in it for the pure joy - and challenge - of it.

“I love it; I ride my single speed 99 percent of the time,” said Violich, who admits that she had to tape direction markers on her handle bars to remind her how to shift at last summer’s event in France. “I really like the challenge, and it’s really fun.”

It’s the simple pleasures of cycling.

Link to article

I’m out in California riding and watching the Tour of California. Lots of great photo opportunities.

I’ve been getting into cyclo-cross this fall. It’s fun in a painful kind of way. It’s kind of hard to describe. The follow is the best primer on cross racing that I could find.

‘Cross My Heart and Hope to Die: A BSNYC Cyclocross Primer
Cyclocross is the opposite of sex–if you’re doing it right it hurts, and it’s only fun before and after. In my time racing cyclocross I’ve learned some tips for dealing with that nasty in-between part, which I present to you herewith. I won’t say they’ll make you a better racer–the way I race puts the “can’t” back in “cantis”–but I guarantee they’ll make you a better loser:

Know When And Where The Race Is
Eddy Merckx famously said, “The Tour de France is won in bed.” Cyclocross races, however, are not won in bed, since misreading the schedule, sleeping in, and arriving after your race has begun tends to winnow your chances down considerably. Furthermore, as I’ve cited before, Woody Allen once said, “90% of success is just showing up.” Of course, that still leaves a 10% window for failure, since I’ve showed up at cyclocross races and not succeeded innumerable times. I will say though that 100% of failure is not showing up, because it’s tough to be competitive when your race is starting and you’re 30 miles from the venue because you Mapquested the wrong address.

Don’t Pre-Ride the Course
Yes, you read that right. While this bit of advice flies counter to every bit of cyclocross wisdom you’re likely ever to hear, I’ve always believed that courting common wisdom is the path to complacency. I find that going in cold and flying blind can take the edge off the searing pain of those first few laps, since you’re too busy being surprised to focus on how awful you feel. And dreading that terrible run-up for a half a lap can be demoralizing, while the shock of suddenly discovering it can give you that extra shot of adrenaline to get you over it. Complete unfamiliarity with the course can turn a killing field into a haunted hayride teeming with fun-filled surprises, thrills and spills at every turn.

Do Not Have a Pit Bike
This is another counterintuitive tactic. If you’re like me, a crash or a mechanical problem comes as sweet relief. It’s like a fire drill in school during a test. Suddenly, the pressure’s off and there’s no more pressure to perform. On the other hand, having another bicycle in the pit so that you can make a quick bike change and continue to race only expands the vast horizon of opportunity for you to lose. It’s like getting one of those flu shots they give out at the office—how are you going to call in sick for a week when everybody knows you’re immune? Never squander your inventory of excuses.

Get a Bad Starting Position
There are few things as embarrassing as getting a great starting position only to drop through the pack and completely fall apart on the first lap. Not only do your fellow racers notice, but so do the spectators. It’s like you’re an Alka-Seltzer and the race is a big glass of water, and everybody gets to watch your effervescent, frothy demise. But if you start the race in the back, you have nowhere to go but up. If you finish DFL, you can blame your start position. If you finish strong, you can point out how many places you had to make up and how high you would have placed if you’d started up front. Everybody hates a sandbagger, but everybody loves an underdog.Constantly Re-evaluate Your Goals

As in everyday life, it’s important to rationalize and to temper your expectations. Certainly you should start the race expecting to finish well. However, if you cling to that expectation you’ll only be disappointed. So take the time each lap to analyze your position and re-structure your goals. If you find yourself slipping back, try to keep the guy behind you from passing you. If he does, try to hold his wheel. If you can’t, repeat with the next guy. When there’s nobody left, just wait, because eventually you’ll get to experience the thrill of battling the race leader as you try to keep from being lapped. And if all else fails, comfort yourself with your superiority over the other riders in areas outside of racing. Sure, the guy who passed you just then was stronger than you, but there’s no way he’s better at cooking eggs than you. You’re the Egg Master.

“Chunk” the Race
You may have heard of the memorization technique called “chunking,” wherein you break large chunks of information up into smaller parts to make them easier to remember. Well, you should do that in cyclocross races as well. While a ‘cross race seems short and appears to unfold faster than a Dahon on a Friday afternoon, it can feel like an eternity if you’re actually in one. So like an alcoholic or someone getting paid by the hour to retile a bathroom, focus on completing one tiny section at a time. Like life, if you think about how much more you have left you can find yourself overwhelmed. Another “chunking” trick you can take from life is picking some small section of the course and convincing yourself you enjoy it. That way, you have something to look forward to each lap. It’s like hating your job but looking forward to lunch.

Ignore Your Surroundings
As the race leaves you behind like a club-footed tuba player in a marching band, try not to pay attention to the announcer or the crowd. The announcer’s spirited narration of the battle at the front will only serve to remind you how far back you are, especially when he starts describing the action on sections of the course you’ve just completed. Similarly, the crowd can be inadvertently discouraging as well. At first they’ll cheer excitedly. But as you slip back the cheers become gradually less animated and more conciliatory, until they eventually devolve into the type of “you can do it!” sentiments generally reserved for “special” people, and then finally disappear altogether. Then, it’s all about not getting passed by the riders warming up for the next race.

Have Fun!
That’s right, this is supposed to be fun. So try to remember that as you struggle to keep your perfectly-cooked eggs down.