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Archives for June 2009

Team kit?

06.11.2009 by Ray Niekamp // 7 Comments

With the Giro d’Italia just ended, and the Tour de France looming over the horizon, we bikers (or this biker, anyway) start to pay more attention to the pro teams.

I like to see whether their team kit, to use the veddy British expression, has changed at all since last season. Some of the redesigns are forced because of sponsor changes — CSC to Saxo Bank, for example — and some are changed just to have a new look, like Columbia Highroad. They’re pretty spiffy, but would you ever deck yourself out in team kit?

Jerseys

Thios poor guy has been floating around the Internet for awhile now, and I couldn't resist.
This poor guy has been floating around the Internet for awhile now, and I couldn't resist.

A lot of bikers seem to think that dressing like a pro makes you a poseur — a wannabe — since we recreational cyclists can’t hope to match the performance of the pro tour riders.

But others say there’s nothing wrong with it. If it feels good, do it, etc. The comparison is often made to NASCAR fans who wear racing jackets covered with flashy sponsor logos. They don’t race, and probably couldn’t match the ability of a pro driver if they tried. Then there are fans of U.S. pro football, who wear replica team jerseys with the number of their favorite player. For some reason, no one seems to knock folks who do that.

Besides, a lot of the cycling team jerseys are pretty eye-catching. They’re generally made by prominent manufacturers, so you’re getting good quality items. I especially like oddball ones from defunct teams — they look the part, but maybe I’m less of a poser because the team is no longer active?

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Categories // Accessories Tags // clothing

Passages: A biking saga (guest post)

06.09.2009 by Ray Niekamp // 9 Comments

After entering my first time trial last month, something I never thought I would do, I considered my progress since starting biking almost two years ago. Apparently, others go through the same type of progression. On Bike Forums last week, Robert Foster of California posted an item that neatly sums up our passages as bikers. He gave me permission to reuse the post.

It is strange how this sport seduces a person. When I first got back into cycling all I wanted was a bike that I could ride around town and get a little exercise. Then I decided there was no reason I couldn’t ride greater distances and maybe run a few errands. But I sure didn’t want a road bike. Then if I wanted to ride greater distances I discovered would need a road bike but I sure didn’t want to consider clipless pedals or Spandex/Lycra. I wasn’t interested in club rides or any other organized rides.

One day I decided to try club rides but I never wanted to ride in a pace line. And I wasn’t interested in trying to keep a spin going up a hill. One of the people I rode with asked if I wanted to ride a century and I laughed and said I didn’t think I was ready. Three months later I did my first century and was looking forward to my second.

I was perfectly happy to ride with the B riders but every now and then when we get together with the A riders near the coffee shop I will give chase for a while. But I would never consider racing. Last week one of the A riders asked me to consider the Bull Dog race at Camp Pendleton and I just smiled and said no way. Does anyone know how long that race is?

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Categories // guest post, Odds 'n ends

But sometimes the rabbit is you!

06.07.2009 by Ray Niekamp // 3 Comments

Just a day after gloating about beating some poor guy who didn’t even know he was racing, I was brought back to reality. Out again on Mopac for an easy ride with Pat, I thought I would spin up the hills and wait for her at the top. It was another beautiful morning, and the best time to be out, because the afternoon would be uncomfortably hot.

What I had forgotten was that Saturday mornings are when the T3 team does its practice rides.  They’re one of several triathlon teams in Austin, and we could see some of them heading north on Mopac when we reached the road and turned south. I didn’t think much about them as I pulled away from Pat on a slight downhill section.

I concentrated on my cadence as I hit a small hill, shifted into an easier gear, and started spinning at about 90 rpm. The effort brought the first drops of sweat to my brow, and I started to breathe in a measured, but faster, rhythm.

Swish! Two of the T3 guys glided by me, gaining speed as they went uphill. All right, this could be fun. Maybe I could hang with them on the next hill, then wait for Pat at the top.

As I watched them widen the distance between us, I realized it would take everything I had to close the gap. I wasn’t pushing yet, but I was moving a bit faster than I usually do on this part of the route. Then, two more T3s sailed past. One, a young woman, was tiny — but she led the guy who was with her without effort. I reached the base of the biggest hill on the course and kept a close eye on my cadence. By the time I reached the top, all four of them were out of sight in the distance ahead.

Pat has an arthritic hip, and was struggling today. I decided I would take it easy, and not get too far ahead of her. That worked until we reached the big downhill on the way back. I was pulled over in a cutout for a yet-to-be-built cross street, waiting for her to catch me. She went by, and urged me to get moving. I shifted into the big ring and passed her, quickly gathering speed as the grade steepened.

But the wind was from the southeast again, and it hit me in the right front. I pumped hard, trying to get above 30 mph. At the base of the hill, where I always register my fastest speed — two more T3s cruised past. These guys weren’t even breathing hard. They were down on their aero bars, coasting along, while I sat up, gasped for air, and settled into an easy effort.

At the end of the course, we were stopped at a red light when another T3 rider, a young woman, pulled up next to us in the left turn lane.

“How many of you are out this morning?” I asked.

“About 30,” she said. “We’re out here every weekend.”

“I’ve been passed by you all all morning long.”

“Heh-heh.”

So today, I was the rabbit. If nothing else, it keeps me humble, and realistic about my cycling abilities, while at the same time, giving others the boost of confidence I felt on Friday.  Glad I could help, folks.

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Categories // Rides, training Tags // Mopac, Rides, training

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