Saturday, January 22, 2011
Thursday, January 20, 2011
I need one!!!!
When I was growing up there was this guy that would wheelie down the whole street. I plotted is death more than once!!!!
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Saturday, January 15, 2011
Test of Metal. Tour de France.
So it's mid January and already people are stopping in at the shop and talking about the Test of Metal. Now don't get me wrong the Test is an amazing race put on by amazing people in this amazing town......however I have always been at odds with the event. I have done it many a time and have always finished but I always have a hard time out there and can't seem to pull it together for race day. I'm going to take another swing at it this year and see if I can make it happen....glutton for punishment that I am.
I am a raging addict to all things related to bicycle racing and it occupies my mind when I should be doing other things (such as right now!). I often think about the riders at the back of the professional peloton, the domestiques. These are the guys that get little to no glory and all of the pain. They spend their days fetching bottles, snacks, extra layers as well as setting the pace for the majority of the day on the front of the pack. Generally these are riders that are professional in the true sense of the word. It is their job to ride and suffer with very little if any hope of climbing onto a podium. By now I would think you are understanding what these guys are all about, hard as nails workers just trying to get through the day so they can go back to work the next day (sound familial?). What do they have to do to make it to the next day you ask? Simple, according to the rules of the sports largest race (Le tour De France) they simply have to finish within 18% of the winners time on any given stage of the event. Sounds simple enough right? It's only for 3 weeks after all. Forget about the rest of the season and the fact that some of these guys compete (or work) in all three major tours of the season!
This is where I started thinking about the Test of Metal. What if the same rules applied? (This is a simple what if not any sort of suggestion). It's an event most are familiar with in these parts. Often when two riders meet for the first time the following question can be overheard: "What's your time in the test?". For some just finishing the race is a victory for others there is a goal usually based on time and also from time to time based on beating a certain person. Some riders shoot for under 5hrs some under 4hrs. Do you know anyone that has gone under 3hrs? I had a look at the 2010 results and then it all came together. Just how fast is the last rider in the Tour using the Test of Metal for reference? With Geoff Kabush's winning time of 2:29 (!?!?!? wow!) if you did not finish in under 3hrs game over. That would put you in the top 30 of the Test. Those dudes are fast. Hell finishing under 4 hrs makes you pretty quick in my books!
So as we enter a new season on road and dirt think about all those guys that look like pack filler as the Cavendish's and Greipel's battle for the wins the dudes rolling in behind them are straight up hard men. Take it upon yourself to learn about at least one of these guys. They are the sport just as the riders finishing over 3hrs are the Test.
Late night ranting of a crazed bike geek!
I am a raging addict to all things related to bicycle racing and it occupies my mind when I should be doing other things (such as right now!). I often think about the riders at the back of the professional peloton, the domestiques. These are the guys that get little to no glory and all of the pain. They spend their days fetching bottles, snacks, extra layers as well as setting the pace for the majority of the day on the front of the pack. Generally these are riders that are professional in the true sense of the word. It is their job to ride and suffer with very little if any hope of climbing onto a podium. By now I would think you are understanding what these guys are all about, hard as nails workers just trying to get through the day so they can go back to work the next day (sound familial?). What do they have to do to make it to the next day you ask? Simple, according to the rules of the sports largest race (Le tour De France) they simply have to finish within 18% of the winners time on any given stage of the event. Sounds simple enough right? It's only for 3 weeks after all. Forget about the rest of the season and the fact that some of these guys compete (or work) in all three major tours of the season!
This is where I started thinking about the Test of Metal. What if the same rules applied? (This is a simple what if not any sort of suggestion). It's an event most are familiar with in these parts. Often when two riders meet for the first time the following question can be overheard: "What's your time in the test?". For some just finishing the race is a victory for others there is a goal usually based on time and also from time to time based on beating a certain person. Some riders shoot for under 5hrs some under 4hrs. Do you know anyone that has gone under 3hrs? I had a look at the 2010 results and then it all came together. Just how fast is the last rider in the Tour using the Test of Metal for reference? With Geoff Kabush's winning time of 2:29 (!?!?!? wow!) if you did not finish in under 3hrs game over. That would put you in the top 30 of the Test. Those dudes are fast. Hell finishing under 4 hrs makes you pretty quick in my books!
So as we enter a new season on road and dirt think about all those guys that look like pack filler as the Cavendish's and Greipel's battle for the wins the dudes rolling in behind them are straight up hard men. Take it upon yourself to learn about at least one of these guys. They are the sport just as the riders finishing over 3hrs are the Test.
Late night ranting of a crazed bike geek!
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