It should exciting to watch. I hope he kicks butt!

http://www.cxmagazine.com/zdeneck-stybar-signs-with-protour-team-quickstep

Okay, I'm only 1/2 through this article (after reading for an hour straight), but this is INSANELY interesting on so many levels. It's the unedited full transcript interview of Floyd Landis by Paul Kimmage. Really insightful.

http://nyvelocity.com/content/interviews/2011/landiskimmage

So I want to spark a little bit of a discussion around the idea of cycling widows. How do you balance having family and relationships with long hours of training and weekends away racing?

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703439504576116083514534672.html?mod=WSJ_LifeStyle_Lifestyle_4

Dan,

I think, for one, anytime one spouse is totally disconnected from the other's life, and carries on with a kind of disregard for what the other's needs are (as it appeared to be in the article in at least one case) that is going to be a source of friction. Especially in a sport that requires so much time from us.

Dan,
When I first noticed my bike racing contemporaries shacking up, it seemed there were two distinct groups. Those who were racing before they met their significant other, and those who started racing after. The latter group generally had a tougher time justifying their bike riding and racing habits. For lack of a better understanding, those who were racing first and then shacked up had a benefit in that their S.O. realized, at some level, that cycling was part of the deal. (a related anecdote: a friend of mine who was phasing out of racing when he met his wife continues to shave his legs, something she prefers; she says "that's how the model was delivered" or something to that effect.)

You want them to be happy. They want you to be happy. This is where there is common ground and the starting point for all considerations.

JP's point about the point at which the significant-other entered the equation relative to the bike makes sense to me. I think one of the major problems outline in the original article is that for the one triathlete, his training and competing were events that occurred in the virtual isolation-booth of the athlete. The other example noted an athlete who's spouse was also a competitive triathlete and so they shared/competed with each other leading to their own personal harmony.

But there's a middle ground amongst these two extremes here. And I feel that my wife and I exist happily in the middle. This could be a sign that I'm not training enough though. Of course, we don't have any children and I can't begin to understand how moms and dads make it work. But for us, the key is that no-one gets "widowed" for extended periods of time.

When choosing my race program, I take into consideration my wife's calendar, for example. As when she plans out her to-do lists, she thinks about my racing calendar. Now I don't have children, so that makes things SIGNFICANTLY easier for us, but thinking about longer race weekends as "mini-vacations" has really worked for us. I'm not exaggerating here one bit, when I say that every year in early May, Sarah asks me, "When are we going to go on a bike racing trip!?"

For me a HUGE part of what makes the racing experience fun, is sharing the day with my wife--fortunately, she loves coming to my races too.

Interesting article on tire testing:

http://www.cyclingnews.com/features/tech-feature-the-work-of-wheel-energy

an excerpt:

Wider tyres roll faster than narrower ones: Many riders have argued for years that narrower tyres – especially on the road – are faster and more efficient than wider ones when in fact, the opposite is true. According to Wheel Energy, the key to reducing rolling resistance is minimising the energy lost to casing deformation, not minimising how much tread is in contact with the ground.

All other factors being equal, wider casings exhibit less casing 'bulge' as a percentage of their cross-section and also have a shorter section of deflected sidewall. How big a difference are we talking about here? For an equivalent make and model of tyre, Wheel Energy claims the 25mm-wide size will measure five percent lower rolling resistance on average – the supposed average limit of human detection – than the more common 23mm-wide one.

Unless you're a pure climber and solely focused on weight, the takeaway message here is that you'll go generally faster on wider rubber even if it's slightly heavier.

First,
Can someone in charge make Articles of Interest a category. Seems like we have no shortage of items to discuss.

Second,
Mike's posting of the Cyclingnews tech article was interesting. 23mm tires being faster than 20mm is pretty widely accepted. 25 better than 23 is interesting. I found myself wondering if they've looked at wide rims and the impact that has on rolling resistance, as the theory on deformation is what the wide rim proponents are talking about as well.

I found it striking that some of the wisdom seemed to track very closely to what Specialized is saying about tires. Made me wonder if Huang's trip was paid for by Specialized or Bontrager or one of hte bigs.

Tyres:

This article felt like a bunch of conclusions and no meat to chew on. Well not entirely, but it left me wanting more. I'm totally on board with the idea that 23 mm tires are faster than 20s. And I'd be willing to consider the conclusion that 25s are yet even faster...IF...

...the article or research addressed at what point the wider contact patch creates enough rolling resistance to outweigh the supposed benefit of having less casing deformation.

For example, should we all be rolling on 32mm tires? I mean, at some point the rolling resistance of the contact patch HAS to matter, right?

I just can't believe that this issue hasn't been studied or addressed.

A thought, look at Indy and F1 cars. Wide tires until they are off the oval and have to turn. Pressure is also a fundamental part of the equation, and with this comes rubber and tube types. I have seen rather dramatical difference in resistance from 110psi to 135psi on my clinchers. Difference could be high as 50 watts.

There is no question that the transfer of power from wheel to road is limited by the size of the contact patch.

Clayton

p.s. If pressure and suppleness are raised proportionally, the wider the tire the faster you go. 24"ers for the track, of course you would want to fill them with something lighter than air to keep the weight equivalent.

Cyclocosm.com gets its hands on some very interesting documents that "takes the “Floyd has zero credibility” rebuttal off the table."

Posted By: mattioCyclocosm.com gets its hands on some very interesting documentsthat "takes the “Floyd has zero credibility” rebuttal off the table."

Very good article.

Thanks

Posted By: mperlberg

Posted By: mattioCyclocosm.com gets its hands on some very interesting documentsthat "takes the “Floyd has zero credibility” rebuttal off the table."

Very good article.

Thanks

This is brilliant stuff. I'm sort of puzzled by many of the reactions to the extended released director's cut edition of the Kimmage-Landis interview. They seem to range from, "Landis is full of shit and/or a pathetic loser" to "this is a boring interview." Neither of which can possibly be true--in it's entirety. Is every word fascinating? No. But as a cyclist, how could you not be interested to read, for example a relatively banal detail like, in Landis' first year on Mercury (one of the two super teams of the late 90s, Saturn being the other one, and Navigators slotting in there as well) he made $6000. To me that's just interesting. Is it a mind-blowing piece of information, never before released or known? Probably not, but it's just one example of many little mostly annonymous details that pops up in the transcript that kept me reading.

Or the Landis goes to strip club with Armstrong story. I loved that story. I believe that story. Why? Because I've been racing long enough and have rubbed shoulders with enough upper echelon riders (more than a few pros) to know that shit like that happens. I've been to strip clubs with goof-ball cyclists on race weekends. I've stood over a black jack table watching several well-known pros gamble their money away. And so when I read a little story like that, it just has the ring of truth for me. I could easily imagine the scenario that Landis laid out.

Anyway, it was absolutely brilliant to see this letter which corroborates at least one aspect of Landis' gripe with the UCI. Of course the far more inflammatory accusation comes when Landis tells the tale of Armstrong telling him to apologize to Verbruggen because one day we may need a favor from him, like I got when I tested positive at the Tour de Swiss. And as of yet there is no damning fax. But HOT DAMN. That is at the least one very good story to read.

I'm starting this category thinking that it will become a "sticky." Each category should probably have another sticky discussion too for all the pre-race cyber-space planning. That week's team captain should probably ride lead on that discussion. But I'm getting ahead of myself. We're not talking captains here..

For now I want to know who is planning on racing, where and what category. This way I can cajole all you stud cat 3s and Masters (you know who you are) into racing 1/2/3s instead of the 3/4 or 35+ categories. Just kidding...sort of. I don't mean this as a substitute for the Google Docs spreadsheet that was used last year to some degree of success. Just another venue of communication.

Marc Bertucco: March 6, Central Park, 1/2/3.

William Doyle-Capitman:

March 6, Central Park, 1/2/3

March 12, Grant's Tomb, 3

onwards into the sunset (the rest TBD)

edit: to those 3s or Masters on the fence about doing the 1/2/3 races instead of the 3/4 or Masters', keep in mind that sitting in the pack is only marginally harder in the 1/2/3 race and overall, it is much safer

Chris Bloome:

March 13th: Spring series
March 19th: spring series
March 26th:

march 5 branch brook, newark, nj
Every saturday until they end in april.
Grants tomb too if I can swing it timewise.
Maybe spring series but I doubt it.
Eric R.

Don't forget to note your racing category! Especially on dates where you may have the option of racing in more than 1 category (e.g., 1/2/3 or 3/4 race). Thanks!

Posted By: WilliamDCWilliam Doyle-Capitman:

edit: to those 3s or Masters on the fence about doing the 1/2/3 races instead of the 3/4 or Masters', keep in mind that sitting in the pack is only marginally harder in the 1/2/3 race and overall, it is much safer

I want to add onto WilliamDC's comment here. In most all circumstances, cruising around in the pack is not good for your development as a bike racer. You may get in a good "motorpaced" workout in, and there is value in that, but if you are coming out on any given day to become a better racer, then it is better that you pick a category in which you can race and be active.

THAT said, I can pretty much guarantee that no matter who you are, if you race with me in the category above, even if your fitness is not quite there yet (who's is, really?), we will give you job that will keep you in the mix and having fun for enough of the race that will guarantee you a cut of any prize money. Does this mean, you will necessarily finish the race? No. But I can tell you from experience, when I was teammates with some serious track/road racers who told me, "Marc, if you finish this race, you haven't ridden hard enough." I would never trade the experiences of chasing down national track champions, professional road racers, just so I could say, yeah, I finished a points race in the pack. I mean, I died a thousand deaths trying to get on their wheels and just sit there, but the look on their faces when they saw me, working for my guy, was priceless.

So just think,about the flurry of Spanish profanity that will be hurled at you when you jump on Pulla's or Pollo's wheel they look back and see that their solo bids for glory are for naught. Fun right?

And anyway, most of you Master's and Cat 3 racers are just fronting anyway; and easily kick my ass on the training rides.

well said, marc

to that end, i'm pasting in my race report from 3/26/10 that speak to your point of an in-race "job" improving your performance and making for a more interesting racing experience:

Brooklyn Spring Series - Floyd Bennet Field (NYC's first airport - flat, mercilessly windy 2.2 mile circuit)

I flatted out of my first Floyd Bennet Field 1,2,3 race the previous Saturday, so that one doesn't count. As such, I was determined to prove wrong Eric Robertson's declaration that "no one finishes their first 1,2,3 race at Floyd" so I went out conservatively (unlike the week before) and let the race beat me up, rather than beating myself up following the attacks. I rode pro rider Jackie Simes' wheel for a few laps to try to divine The Secret and noticed that he was always in that perfect spot close to the sharp end of the pack but just far enough back for there to be three riders abreast and allow him a spot in the middle completely out of the wind. Also, I noticed that when he attacked (which he did several times), it was as furious and sudden as a taxi plowing into a Duane-Reade. He eventually got away with two AXA riders and a Mengoni, and for the next 2/3rds of the race, AXA and Mengoni did an excellent job of blocking/stifling any and all attacks and coordinated efforts. We should have worked better with BVF, the other reasonably well-represented team that, like us, wanted to prove that there's room for the little guys as well, but we didn't explicitly coordinate, and JP's patented Subliminal Mind Meld technique got all messed up by the radio waves emitting from some nearby RC airplanes - Damn Boyscouts!

With three or four to go and the break away for good, I was hungry and tired and near the back of the pack. JP told me to go to the front and drill it for as long as we could. This made no sense to me, but when I told him I was tired and didn't want to get up for school drill it at the front until the last lap, he insisted that I do it at once. The funny thing is that once I had some "marching orders" I stopped thinking about how tired I was. Up to the front I went, putting my head down and pushing the pedals just below my whimper-threshold for half a lap. On the back stretch JP jumped from mid-pack, swung really far to the left and pulled away on his own. Still on the front, I hoped no one would notice that it was my teammate who had just launched, and I began my bid for Oscar Glory, dropping a gear, rocking side to side, hanging low over the bars, but all the while watching for the attacks, which came intermittently for most of another lap and which were easy to chase down.

At this point, JP was in 4th position (Simes had flatted out of the break) and I was hoping that if I stayed on the front, we could keep it that way, but with just over one to go, Simes came TEARING past us and an AXA rider followed. Tad jumped on their wheels and stuck himself assiduously into the middle of the flurry of attacks that followed. I was toast and watched as Simes and the AXA rider eventually got away and caught JP, but I knew he'd at least be in the money. In the last half lap I pretended to care about setting up for the sprint before totally crapping out, and watching Tad and the rest of the train chug by me. I'm sorry I didn't help you, Tad. I crossed the line dead last, but felt like I had earned it. so there, eric.

Sat 12: Grants Tomb (cat4)
Sun 13: Bethel (cat4 and cat3/4) then most Sundays until April 10
Sat 26: Kings Country @ FBF (cat4)

I'll be doing the branchbrook series, and hopefully grants, as a 4.

William,

Your writing makes me want to raceTODAY.

Makes me thankful that william was there that day, and happy that he's a teammate this year. Let's show the other clubs/teams/covens/whatever how it gets done.

Bike Racing Coven? I thought the entire Salem Velo Coven was burned at the stake by the Cotton Mather Racing Team.

OMG I think JP is going to try and french kiss William in Central Park on the 6th. I think I'll enjoy watching this blossoming "bromance."

uhoh

<3

Got this today. I am not sure how I feel about their response, if its a good sign or lip service.

Regardless, if you have pics of folkings racing or training at FBF, or even engaging in other fun awesome cool activities there, please upload them at http://gallery.me.com/sophiekoven#100106

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Maya Borgenicht <maya@rpa.org>
Date: Fri, Feb 25, 2011 at 5:13 PM
Subject: Thank you for your imput on the Floyd Bennett Field Blue Ribbon Panel

Thank you for your comments and concern regarding the bike racing at Floyd Bennett Field. While racing is not explicitly referenced in these initial recommendations, the panel certainly understands its value and will be referencing all the important and exciting public programs now occurring at Floyd Bennett Field. It's important to note that the Panel's recommendations aim to lay out a vision for FBF and critical strategic steps. The Panel will not be producing a detailed plan, and will not develop recommendations for individual programs.

Yet to advocate for continued and improved public use of Floyd Bennett Field, we would like to visually represent the wealth and diversity of current uses in our report, including bike racing. So we invite you to submit your own photographs of your activities at Floyd Bennett Field for our consideration for use in our report. Please click here to upload digital pictures and submit credit information. Thank you in advance for helping us advocate for continued and enhanced public enjoyment of our great urban park. We look forward to your photographs.

Finally, we invite you to continue to check www.rpa.org/floydbennett for further updates regarding the Panel's recommendations and for the final report in the coming months.

Sincerely,

Marian S. Heiskell Deborah Shanley

Panel Co-Chair Panel Co-Chair

Maya Borgenicht

Research Associate - Regional Plan Association
Director of Public Programs - Governors Island Alliance
4 Irving Place, 7th Floor
New York, NY 10003
maya@rpa.org
Phone: 917.652.6359
Fax: 212.253.5666

www.rpa.org
www.governorsislandalliance.org
twitter @govisalliance

April 15, 2011: RPA's Regional Assembly "Innovation and the Global City" www.regionalassembly.org