[QUOTE=Graham Breeze;678211]How do you know what makes me go weepy? QUOTE]
I obviously don't Graham!
I wrongly assumed that it must have been a Celeste Bianchi crossing the finish line first that had got you all misty-eyed. After watching the highlights of Stage 1 this morning, I now realise than no World Tour team rides Bianchi this year.
So what was it?
Do tell!
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Brett IS the hipster scene.Originally Posted by noel
It's handy around flat cities, as there's less to go wrong and you're never really going that quick. And you can pretend to be a hipster.
I can only assume that Brett lives in a big flat city, and there's a big hipster scene there.
[QUOTE=Llani Boy;678222]A simple thing but I am just an emotional guy.
Christophe Laporte being given the stage.
I know it was only 4 seconds and I know it will ensure his loyalty etc etc but it was still nice in a sport where top riders are not noted for their kindness, as in "no gifts"; or sponsors - as when Froome was pulled back to prop up Wiggins in the Tour.
In 1996 Mapei at Paris - Roubaix (drugged to the eyeballs of course) had the first three riders out in front. (Wikipedia: The managing director of team sponsor Mapei called the team director Patrick Lefevere with 15km to go. The director wanted to ensure that Johan Museeuw won the race. With 8km to go Museeuw punctured though which caused confusion amongst the 3 riders at the front. Eventually Tafi and Bortolami waited and once they arrived at the Velodrome, Museeuw won without having to sprint. The sponsor’s directive being adhered to).
And talking of drugs: the 1994 La Flèche Wallonne was won by Moreno Argentin of Gewiss–Ballan with his teammates 2nd and 3rd after breaking away 72 km from the finish. This was the benefit of EPO on blatant display - although obviously denied.
I am not suggesting anything untoward about yesterday but the win reminded me of a famous photograph Graham Watson took of the three breaking away which is in his book "20 Years Of Cycling Photography" under which he queries if their dominance was "entirely natural".
Last edited by Graham Breeze; 07-03-2022 at 07:13 PM.
[QUOTE=Graham Breeze;678227][QUOTE=Llani Boy;678222]
A simple thing but I am just a simple emotional guy.
Christophe Laporte being given the stage.
Yes. I also thought how sweet of Roglic and van Aert to let him have it considering they are both serial gong collectors.
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Have you ever tried it?
Basically, it's WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY faster than a bike with that derailleur stuff. It's lighter, cheaper, more aerodynamic, has less friction and is more mechanically efficient. The acceleration is unbelievable, and it's a joy to ride. The only downsides are that if you forget to pedal, or ground the pedal, it will throw you off - clean over the bars, no messing.
There seem to be two types of fixed wheel rider, there are those who ride steadily and a smaller group who ride like hooligans, (that would be me), sprinting to find the limits of the bike - regardless of whether it's safe or sensible. If you ride a bike like a fell racer, then this is the bike for you
I've never ridden a fixie.
A friend and neighbour who is a teacher at Lady Manners school, just down the hill, stopped to talk this morning on his way to work. I noticed that his Specialized had a fixed wheel.
I now know why he is always out of the saddle whenever I see him around 4.30pm on his way home!
I shall have to ask him to give me a go.
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I'm clearly no cycle specialist... but that's quite a downside if i'm honest.
If you do give it a go, make sure you're wearing a helmet and gloves. And make sure you haven't got any loose laces or similar on the chain side.
Best bet is to go slowly, so when you do forget to pedal, (which you will), it will just lift you off the saddle, rather than fire you over the 'bars
I rode fixed in my youth.
Although the Cow & Calf climb (of Tour de Yorkshire fame and much else) is less than a mile from my house it struck me when I went up it today (mostly 34/28) how often I manage to avoid it when leaving Ilkley. There was a time when I would do reps. on the bike: up-down-up-down-up-fall off...but those days have gone. And I suppose with a fixie I could get off and walk?
What goes up must come down and so my reward later to myself was to descend Old Pool Bank (near Bramhope) which if you can avoid the postholes is easily a 40mph + scare. Which prompted the thought - how fast would my legs be going at 40 mph on a 63" gear? And how far up into the threes would I be thrown if I stopped pedalling?
I was pondering all this when I overtook a McLaren in Pool. Admittedly he was stopped under the traffic lights as I sneaked past and I will admit he got away faster than I did on green; but I was held back with the weight of all that derailleur nonsense.
But on a fixie???
Anyway 25 miles and 1900 feet.
Last edited by Graham Breeze; 07-03-2022 at 08:38 PM.
I'm currently riding my fixed wheel bike with toeclips, straps, and flat bottomed shoes, so I could walk but haven't done so yet. Prior to surgery I had a lot of trouble, and falls, due to my very poor hip rotation making release from clip-in pedals difficult. The thought of releasing from a constantly rotating pedal is currently concerning me, particularly as the SPD-SL pedals I normally use require a lot of rotation to release. I'm currently trying to negotiate the lease of a pair of SPDs for assessment.
In answer to your question, 40mph on a 63" gear comes out at 214rpm - best of luck with that! 180rpm is considered to be the rev limit for trained cyclists, although I did see some Strava race data from Wout van Aert where his maximum was 189rpm
Back when I was a youth I also rode fixed, on a very small, very light and very fast bike (I never mentioned safe you will notice). With spirited, possibly demented, sprinting I was able keep all the cars behind me in the short distances between traffic lights. It's worth pointing out that McLaren cars hadn't been formed back then
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