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Taking a wheel

05.04.2008 by Ray Niekamp // 2 Comments

Great ride on Southwest Parkway today. I went 22.4 miles at an average speed of 15 mph. This is the hilliest route I do, and can be quite challenging for me. The thighs protested at the beginning, but by mid-ride, they were pumped into submission.

Did something today I’ve never done before. I asked for a pull from a stranger. As I was going up a gentle grade, a cyclist passed me with a pleasant, “Good morning!” He was moving a little faster than me, but wasn’t really pulling away. I caught him at the top of a long hill. He looked over his shoulder at me, and I asked, “OK if I take your wheel?” “Sure,” he said, and off we went.

After drafting on a couple of club rides, I now feel confident following someone closely. I stayed between six inches and two feet behind him, and I think he was a little surprised to look back at the top of yet another hill and find me still there. “Where you going?” he asked. “Barton Creek Road, a little past it, then I turn around and head back,” I replied.

He evidently thought I meant to turn at Barton Creek Road, which is another hilly route through a very swanky neighborhood. A long, fast downhill leads to that intersection. He waved back at me, and crossed against the red light. I stopped. I do not blow red lights. Period. He was a good quarter mile ahead when he looked back and saw that I was continuing after him. He seemed to slow down a bit, but after a mile or two, the road is divided by a large median. That’s where I make my turnaround. By then he was out of sight around a bend.

So, if you were that cyclist with the CSC team jersey and the salt-and-pepper ponytail and beard, thanks for the pull. I’m a whole lot better on the downhills than the uphills, and drafting you helped a bunch. Maybe someday I can return the favor. But please, don’t antagonize motorists by blowing red lights.

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Categories // Rides, Technique

The elusive go-to riding position

04.12.2008 by Ray Niekamp // 4 Comments

One of the toughest things I’ve had to adapt to since being back on the bike is the idea of riding with a relaxed posture. Elbows bent, shoulders and neck relaxed. It’s always been second nature to me to ride with straight arms, which pushes my shoulders up, so I’m a bit hunched at the neck.

I’ve read articles in magazines and on web sites, chapters in books, and heard from experienced cyclists to relax. “Bend those elbows!” they say. I comply immediately. For about a minute and a half.

When I was being fitted for the new bike, the salesperson had to remind me several times to bend my elbows and drop my shoulders. “I know it,” I said. “But it’s hard to break a bad habit.”

So this afternoon, I decided to concentrate on riding relaxed. I bent my elbows as I pulled out of the driveway, and pretty much kept them that way. The position felt all right, but not all-out comfortable. I tried varying the amount of bend in the elbows. Mostly, that just helped me move around on the bike. Any change is good for comfort, but I’m not discovering that one go-to position that I’d like to have. Then, the hills come, and I’m sitting back on the saddle with my hands on top of the bar. Once the road flattens out, I’m searching again for the elusive go-to position. When my hands are on the hoods, the handlebar blocks my view of the front hub, which is as it is supposed to be, from what I’ve read. So, I must be in more or less the right position. But it just doesn’t feel normal. What’s a fella to do?

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Categories // Technique

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