The last time in giro (around) I wrote about how we all need to share the burden of leadership while on our rides with friends old and new, but it is hard to lead if you are a bit on edge. Have you ever been at the tail end of a ride feeling a bit overwhelmed?

The level of ride doesn’t matter much if you feel like you’re underwater and can’t catch your breath. A sense of where you are doesn’t happen overnight. A sense of where you are means you are comfortable in your situation and in control of your place in that situation. Much easier said than done.

One of my favorite books is A Sense of Where You Areby John McPhee. McPhee’s subject is Bill Bradley and grew out of a New Yorker profile he wrote about young Bill while he was a student at Princeton in the early 1960’s rewriting basketball records and leading the Tigers to the Final Four NCAA tournament in 1965 before heading off to Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar, a 10 year pro career for the Knicks and being a US Senator (not too bad Bill…). In explaining how he can make a reverse layup tossing the ball over his shoulder and into the hoop without looking at the basket Bill says that it comes from having a sense of where you are which is a result of years of working at  - practicing the moves and playing the game with passion over a long time, but not recklessly.

Meanwhile back underwater the group is riding away and the light is changing. We all know that the right safe thing to do is stop at the light, but getting dropped is the last thing that we want to happen.

I just finished reading Blink by Malcolm Gladwell. In Blink, Gladwell explores intuition in many ways and cites a study of what happens to us at certain heart rates. What Gladwell reports is that between 115 and 150 beats per minute most people experience a heightened sense of awareness and that above that our decision-making ability is impaired. The specific range mentioned isn’t really that important – some of us max out at 150 some at 200, but the point is that we need to be excited - sensitized to perform at a peak level. Call it being in the zone or in this case, having a sense of where you are. Gladwell illustrates what can happen when we are out of this zone with some very painful examples including the shooting of Amadou Diallo

When do you make good decisions? Is it when you are calm and collected or when you are panicked? When we are panicked our heart rate is way up and it occurred to me when I read this bit in Blink that it’s something I’ve seen on many rides at every level from beginner rides to days at the races. People panic about being dropped and people at the front push the speed up beyond the agreed/posted level. 

It’s easy to say don’t go crashing through that light because you are being dropped, but how can we acquire a sense of where we are that could save us from a very bad decision that could prove deadly?  One way is to keep riding with your head up and not over your head. A pretty good cyclist, Eddy Merckx, who won everything multiple times from one classic races to world titles and the grand tours, said something along the lines of if you want to become a better cyclist then you need to ride. And it is perfectly ok to be dropped – showing up for a ride that is above your ability, and out of shape is not what Eddy was talking about. That is a crummy recipe. Take your time and work you way up to that level, if you aspire to be there, and in the meantime enjoy the ride. We don't need a goal for every ride, but if you have a bit of a plan running in the background it will help if things (the group & your cool) seem to be slipping away from you. I like to think every ride I do is social. It could be that I'm maxed out and going to be dropped or I could be leading a ride or coaching one of the great folks I get to help train, but I keep trying to observe what is happening and thinking about what I can take away.

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It’s true.

I was at Pocono Raceway for the National Auto Sport Association (NASA) Northeast Region’s Grand Slam Weekend racing with my motorized friends last weekend. It’s the biggest event of our region’s season. There are no ride leaders per se, but there are racers that are respected and some that are not. The first day of Grand Slam Weekend is Friday, which is used for competition school for NASA. If you demonstrate that you are both fast enough and safe enough to be allowed on track with the established racers then you are allowed to race on Saturday and Sunday. New racers get a big R on the front and back of their car so they are easy to identify.  Rookies need to race safely, as in not have contact with other racers or anything else like walls, tire barriers, etc., that line the typical race course, and complete several races to get their national level racing license.

Inevitably there are novice racers who are timid and novice racers that are overly aggressive. Rookies aren’t abused; competence is the bottom line. We are not professionals. We’re amateur club racers so we pay to play and get plastic trophies for our efforts, but a good race, let alone a win is extremely satisfying since we work on our own cars and our crew is usually family and/or friends. Our cars are generally stripped down regular cars – Mazdas (like mine), Hondas, Minis, and other small engine compact cars or the beefier Mustangs and Camaros, or the somewhat more exotic BMWs, Corvettes and Porches. We have full safety gear including fire resistant race suits, full face helmets, head and neck restraint systems, roll cages that form an internal steel cage to reinforce and protect us and either fire extinguishers or fire suppression systems. We go as fast as we can and although it is dangerous to drive at 100+ mph with other cars all around you we are all going the same direction and no one is on the phone or texting, eating, drinking, or reading. There are observers placed strategically around the track who are all connected to each other and race control by radio and they communicate with us by flag if there is an issue – a car off, or oil on the track, etc. Generally speaking, it is much safer racing on the track than driving on the highway (to get to the track) where the rules are more lax and more apt to be ignored.

What does this have to do with a C+ or any other level ride? More than it would appear. There is a structure to an organized led bike ride. Leadership is really important, but not wholly dependent on the designated ride leader. Everyone on the ride is responsible for they’re self of course, but everyone on the ride also shares in the responsibility of creating a safe and comfortable environment for everyone else on the ride too.

At the track last Saturday a buddy who has been racing for several years and is recognized as a leader off the track as well as a safe, fast racer on the track was parked next to me. Folks stopped in to say hi, borrow a tool and ask for advice all day. He is always willing to help and offer an opinion or proffer the asked for advice without making anyone feel like they are foolish, or anything but welcome. Just like any club there are core people like my friend that have been doing what they do for quite a while. At the end of the day getting together over a grill and most likely a beer with them to talk and tease about the day’s racing is pretty much the norm, and as much why people come out to race as the racing itself.

At Pocono, we were joined by a rookie driver who did a great job racing.  What I mean is that we knew he was out there with us, but there wasn’t any drama when he passed slower cars or when he was passed by faster ones. He and his wife who shares the car and goes out on track to drive in one of the training groups were great. At the end of our race though we heard him yelling inside his trailer. We couldn’t tell what the trouble was, but he was really wound up. The race went off at 4:30 in the afternoon and after the barbecue and trophy presentations, the second round of grilling and drinking got going the new driver came by which was unexpected, but really nice. It only took about half a beer before my friend’s wife turned to him and said, “You sounded pretty upset after the race today. What happened?” Apparently he was accused of running in to the back of another car and putting it out of the race, which made friends of that racer mad. It turned out that a suspension part had broken and caused the subsequent spin, but that was only learned later.

Sitting around the grill, my friend’s wife followed up by saying to our new friend, “You know there are always going to be hot heads and yahoos out there. It’s ok to be competitive – really competitive, that’s what makes you guys’ racers (we all were nodding in agreement), but there’s more to being a good racer than being fast and aggressive all the time. You don’t have to be a jerk. Being consistent, being predictable is what makes you earn these’ guys’ respect and trust. Being fast is great, but not the only important thing.”  

There was really nothing to argue about there. There is always a bigger fish. We all agreed and I thought, “Wow, I have been coming out here racing for the last five or six years and while my little car is not the fastest I always race clean and hard. When I win a trophy these guys are genuinely happy for me.” I didn’t realize that I am respected the same way that I respect the racers I know work hard and race clean too. When I think of learning something at the track it is in the realm of how to take a corner better or do my braking better so my lap times improve. I didn’t expect to learn anything about leadership at Pocono, especially while having a brew after a long hot day.

Leadership does not have to come only from the top. Leadership is something we can all practice and use to make our experience on the road, the track or anywhere else better. To be a good leader on a ride you don’t even have to speak up. Being mindful of your fellow riders, keeping an eye out for things that could be dangerous and lending a hand are all things that we should do. Practice these and help your designated ride leader. He or she will really appreciate it, as will your fellow riders.

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           It took a long time to get to the first race this year (and this will be a longer than usual post), but racing June 18 & 19 in the Mid-Atlantic National Automotive Sports Association region at their biggest event of the year; Hyperfest was a blast. Scheduling conflicts with my Columbia Business School development job kept the Reparto Corse Protégé off the race track in April and May when my NASA Northeast region headed south to NJ Motorsports Park and north to the Glen, but that was a good thing. The spring weather was cold and rainy and the Protégé was undergoing serious work under the hood and on the surface too.

Many of the upgrades were accomplished with the help of the extended Reparto Corse team. The little-engine-that-could received upgrades in the shape of a custom AWR exhaust header scored at a great price (thank you Protégé forum!), a racing intake header and AEM cold air intake. The brakes were redone with new calipers and braided lines that massively improved brake performance and control. Thanks to the loan of an old angle grinder from friend (and team plumber, Alvar Lee) the doors were lightened with new cutouts. This dropped a couple of pounds and cleaned the interior up  – no more ugly interior door sheet metal panels! A new Recaro racing seat saved about 15 pounds too thanks to friend and Protégé-protégé, Mike Schultz, who traded a day of driving instruction for the new seat. (Thanks Mike!) A fresh set of Toyo RA1 Proxes from Phil’s Tire Service picked up at the track helped keep things on the blacktop at Summit. When I run out of mechanical ability/time/etc, Mario and Silvio at Post Rd Sunoco greet me with “Hey Speed Race-a! What’s going on?” They installed the headers, brake lines and new seat too.

On the outside the crinkly war wound in the right rear quarter panel received at NASA Nationals in 2007 was finally unwrinkled and made smoother than most of the rest of the panels by buddy John at Reimann Auto Body – all these guys enjoy sending me off to play. With the cleaned up body came a freshening of the Reparto Corse graphics. The Protégé acquired a new number changing from 9 to 4 at the Northeast region’s request so we don’t have conflicting number 9’s on the track and Jackman Max helped with the cosmetics – cleaning up the body and painting the interior panels. Racing a Protégé usually turns a couple of heads, and often includes a sort of why a Protégé look, if not spoken question. The answer, whether spoken out loud or not is really simple. When I decided to go racing I needed something that was inexpensive to buy and work on and would also have enough room to transport all of my junk since I would be driving it to the track. The Protégé was the least expensive thing available in the Sports Car Club of America entry level Showroom Stock categories. Being a sedan it has plenty of room to carry the spare tires and tools and it was very competitive in the hands of the top level amateurs when it was new. Basic maintenance and replacement parts are relatively inexpensive and it’s a tough no-nonsense design. There is a good Protégé community for support and it handles quite well too thanks to the package developed by Mazda’s racer support arm, Mazda Speed.

Being economical usually elicits one of two responses. The wondering negative one as in, ”What happens if you crash and can’t drive home?” and the sort of nostalgic positive one as in, “Cool! I remember back in the day when we all drove to the track. It was a lot simpler then…blah blah blah”, or “Man – driving to the track really forces you to think about how much crap you’re gonna actually need to pack! That goddam trailer of mine is full of junk we never use…” One thing that anyone who lives in one place for more than a year knows is that if there’s space, for sure it is going to get filled up.

What I learned at Hyperfest:

The Reparto Corse Protégé races under the NASA Performance Touring rules. These go from A for the fastest, most modified cars through F for the most lightly modified least fast (we, I, at least, don’t say slowest) cars. The Performance Touring rules allow racers to upgrade their car as much as they like. A point system for the modifications determines the class. The base class for the Protégé is F as in least fast! After all of my upgrades I registered for PTE for Hyperfest. What I learned at Hyperfest is now that the Protégé is at the limit for F class modifications; it with me hanging onto the steering wheel was 5 seconds quicker than the other PTF race cars entered to race. I also learned that with me sawing away at the wheel and pushing the pedals and levers around as best I could the Protégé was 5 seconds from the middle of the PTE race car field.

The down side to this at Hyperfest was that I made the guy who finished 8^th in PTE feel really good ‘cause I was 9^th. I did not get a trophy (like I would have if I raced in PTF). I was not cheered by the fans when the race winners walked onstage on Saturday night (like I would have if I raced in PTF). I did not share said stage with the Daisy Dukes look-a-like contestants (like I would have if I raced in PTF). The upside is that I think the Reparto Corse Protégé has a shot at doing very well at NASA Nationals in PTF and that is really cool. I also had a great trip with Jackman Max. We changed a lot of wheels from practice wheels to rain wheels to dry wheels and he learned some good preparation skills when I killed the battery and fried the transponder that sends the timing tower my lap times.  No harm done except to the transponder that needs replacing. It was just another lesson learned about moving quickly, but not hurrying. Being more than competitive for what would have been the correct class on a new track on the first day was great. 

The Northeast region’s Grand Slam weekend at Pocono Raceway is next on the calendar. Grand Slam is happening July 15-17 so come on out and enjoy.

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Time Trial and Road Bike Frame Design Differences

How many of us were remember Greg Lemond’s victory in Paris in 1989?

How many of us wanted to try those funny handlebar extensions he used to set his record breaking pace that day?

Greg’s Scott company designed aerobars allowed him to be low and narrow compared to his competition. The time he saved using his aerobars helped win him the 1989 Tour de France and complete an amazing personal comeback. The technology of the aerobar that Greg used was already common with triathletes. The new sport of triathlon was rife with wild experimentation that couldn’t be seen in regular bike racing in part due to regulations to keep things looking a certain more or less traditional way. Triathletes were not part of the same traditional culture and their equipment reflected that.  

It seemed that every other cyclist mounted an aerobar on their bike after Lemond won the Tour. The reasons so many cyclists wanted to try an aerobar were the pursuit comfort and performance, but unfortunately they didn’t really get much of either by sticking those bars on their regular road bikes. Fast forward twenty years and you don’t see too many folks out riding on their regular road bikes with a set of aerobars except for specific time trial events when speed is desired over comfort. You can have both in one bike – it’s just that you need bikes built to the intended purpose.

The road bike is designed to have about 55-60% of a rider’s weight on the saddle with a little forward lean to best engage the cycling muscles in our legs and buttocks.  The remainder of a cyclist’s weight is spread from the waist to over the bars. This split allows for smooth handling wherever we place our hands on the drop bars and the angles in the frame and fork are designed with this weight split in mind. Time trial bikes are designed with the weight split reversed! 60% of a time trialist’s weight is on the front of the bike and the remainder is over the rear of the bike in order to find a position that helps to cheat the wind as much as possible.

Once a cyclist is pedaling over 14 mph the majority of the drag we need to overcome is air resistance rather than from the tires on the road or any mechanical drag from bearing in the wheels, chain and cranks. The least aerodynamic thing about a bike in motion is the rider on it. The thing to do to be more aerodynamic is reduce frontal area – think of tossing a javelin versus a cardboard box. For a cyclist this means to get as low as your body will be able to tolerate and hold for whatever your target distance is as well as getting as narrow as possible based on your upper body. Now we have a sort of ski tuck position on the front of the bike.

A cyclist can’t ride around with 60% of their weight over the bars for very long if they are using their hands to support that weight, but if they can prop themselves on their elbows then the situation is different. Now all that weight is being supported by the upper arms and shoulders and the bike is designed to accommodate this position forward aero position. To regain some of the stability of a road frame the time trial frame is designed a bit differently. The top tube can be lengthened and the stem shortened to change the wheelbase of the bike in what is called the front to center area meaning from the axle of the front wheel to the middle of the bottom bracket where the cranks connect. To help position the time trialist forward the seat tube on the time trial bike is steeper than on a road bike. Road bikes typically have seat tube angles between 72 and 75 degrees. Time trial bikes typically have seat tube angles between 74 and 78 degrees. For the time trialist’s upper body to be relaxed and comfortable the angle of the upper arms should be a good reflection of the angle of the head tube on the bike. This positioning will also promote stability and good handling so the time trialist can stay on the aerobars even when negotiating turns where the brakes are not needed.

It is possible to set up a road bike for time trial duty, but it most likely won’t be as comfortable, stable or fast as a purpose designed time trial bike. Some bikes – time trial bikes in particular are designed with flat aero seat posts and these often have more than one seat clamp position to accommodate differently built riders so whether you have relatively long, average length, or short thighs you can get a good fit for your aero work.

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Why Do My Hands Go Numb When I Ride?

If your hands go numb when you ride you are putting too much pressure on your hands and, or, not changing hand positions often enough.

The high level of pressure could be form gripping the bars too tightly, or be from poor saddle positioning causing you to slide forward off your saddle and forcing you to hold yourself up with your hands.

Why Does My Butt Hurt When I Ride?  Do I need a squishier saddle?

The saddle size a rider uses is related to how much you ride and how big you are, but the cure for a sore butt is to get off of the saddle for a few seconds every few minutes to allow for healthy blood circulation down there before you get sore or numb. Drink before you’re thirsty, eat before you’re hungry and get up off that thing before you loose feeling.

Why Do My Feet Feel Hot When I Pedal?

You need better more supportive shoes than your old tennis sneakers for riding. If you have clipless pedals you need to have the cleat repositioned.

My Back Hurts…

There could be several reasons for your back to hurt, but it usually comes down to being positioned correctly on the right size bike. If you have to reach too far down or out because the bike is too big or not set up to match your natural range of motion and flexibility then you lower back or upper back and neck will let you know that they are unhappy. If you are positioned correctly on the right size bike and you push yourself too hard you could cause back pain too. That is, if you want to do the century to Montauk - a great ride – then you should work up to it by gradually increasing the distances you ride. Gradually means about 10% each week.

My Neck Hurts…

If your neck hurts you are making it work to hold your head in an unnatural position. As I suggested above it is usually from a bike that is too big or too long. If the basic bike size is correct then your neck pain could be alleviated by changing the stem length and height to properly accommodate your reach, range of motion and flexibility.

Am I leaning too far forward? (Or not leaning far enough...)

No matter what type of bike – recumbents excepted- it is necessary to lean forward at least a little bit so you distribute your weight in a balanced fashion between your seat and upper body, and are thus able to engage your pedaling muscles. The pedaling muscles are your glutes, quads, hamstrings, hip flexors, calves and the smaller muscles that help stabilize your legs during motion. To find out what these muscles are and how you use them try this experiment:

Sit in a straight back chair and keep your back against the flat upper part of the chair. Try to stand up – without leaning forward! Can’t do it? You’re not weak - it is not possible to stand up without leaning forward. However, if you lean just a little bit forward you will engage your glutes and be able to stand up. Your bike pedaling motion works the same way.

If you cannot see ahead of you while keeping your head in a natural position during riding then you are probably too low and will have some neck and, or, back pain.

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Your Bike, Your Back – Lower Back Pain and the Cyclist

Of all the vile inventions misbegotten by mistake

The thing they call the bicycle does surely take the cake,

‘E’s ugly an’e’s vulgar, and ‘e’s dangerous to ride,

An’ he fills the man as rides ‘im with a sort of beastly pride.

Oh, the bike, oh the bike! Oh, the scarin’ tarin, Bike!

‘E’s just a ‘oly terror going scorchin’ down the road

With a grinnin’ idiot clingin’ to the ‘andles monkey-like

‘is shoulders ‘unched above ‘im like a ‘umpy sort of toad.

“The Bicycle Craze” in Humors of Cycling – Rudyard Kipling

From: Cycling, p.45; Oxford University Press, 1981.

Dr. Andy Pruitt, Ed.D., Founding Director, Boulder Center for Sports Medicine in Boulder, Colorado lists back pain and specifically pain in the lower back as the second most common cyclist problem he sees at his Center. He notes that even though cycling is theoretically safe for the low back there are four general culprits that can cause low back pain in the cyclist. They are skeletal design, skeletal disease, isolated deconditioning or over-conditioning and bike fit (ergonomic positioning).

While cycling is a low impact and low weight bearing sport, the weight of the cyclist is supported by only three contact points. These three points of contact are the cyclist’s feet on the pedals, the cyclist’s hands on the handlebars and the cyclist’s sit bones on the saddle. Of these three contact points really the saddle and bars support the majority of the cyclist’s weight. A cyclist with proper weight distribution has about 55-60% of their weight on the saddle and about 40-45% of their weight on the bars when in the seated riding position. As you may have noticed, neither the bicycle saddle nor the bars have a particularly large surface area to support the weight they need to bear while a cyclist is riding. These factors make it especially important for the cyclist to have proper positioning on the bike.

The back does not like to be in the same position for extended periods of time – whether it is seated at a desk, in a car, or flexed forward on a bike. These common positions result in a shortening of the hamstring muscles and lower back.  This shortening is felt as a lack of flexibility.  The shortening of these muscles can be counteracted, however, by moving from the static seated position as often as possible and by stretching. At the upper end of the back and shoulders the result of all this forward positioning is a rounding of the shoulders and again the simple remedies are changing position and stretching.

Dr. Pruitt notes that our individual skeletal design determines our flexibility patterns, posture and skeletal asymmetries. Concerning the bony parts of the low back skeletal design the most common causes of low back pain is leg length discrepancy. There are two types of leg length inequality, the first being structural, which means that the segments that make up your lower extremity are of actual different length right versus left, while functional leg length inequality could be caused, for example by one flat foot and one high arched foot or a degeneration of soft tissue in a knee joint. The key thing in cycling when faced with a skeletal design flaw or inflexibility would be to make sure the bike looks like the rider instead of trying to make the rider fit some formula or style. This can be as simple as having your brake hoods in different locations to level out the shoulders or a spacer under the short leg’s foot.

            Skeletal disease such as degenerative joint disease (arthritis) or degenerative disc disease can occur simply with time and activity, but many times is accelerated or exacerbated by existing skeletal design flaws. A comfortable position for a cyclist with skeletal disease can usually be found for a cyclist by making the appropriate bike fit accommodations. Cyclists are notorious for isolated conditioning and de-conditioning. Riding develops the quadriceps and gluteus, but does not do so much for the hamstrings or abdominals.  This imbalance needs to be addressed and even if it is not done during the season, the off-season affords the opportunity to work on the imbalance. When the time devoted to riding due to cold temperatures, inclement weather and less daylight is reduced the cyclist should devote more time to addressing the imbalance.

            Bike fit is all about taking into account the rider’s body and creating a bike that fits rather than making the rider adapt to the bike, but there is only so much that bike design can accommodate.  If you are trying to touch your toes and cannot reach much past your knees then you will need a fairly upright position to cycle with much comfort.   This is not a good situation and should be addressed before cycling enjoyment becomes a memory due to injury.  Fortunately a lack of flexibility can be changed with work.  My ten year old son really only wants to have steak, but unfortunately he has me telling him that he also needs to eat vegetables to grow strong and be healthy.  If you think of riding as your steak, you should think of your stretching and muscle balancing exercise as your vegetables.

            Dr. Pruitt puts it succinctly when he concludes, “I think the most important thing to consider in dealing with low back pain in the cyclist is the potential for leg length inequality, weak abdominals and tight hamstrings, faulty skeletal design of some type, degenerative disease of either bony articulations or the cushioning discs and lastly an appropriate individual positioning on the bicycle.”

            I’m happy to be the grinnin’ idiot clingin’ to the ‘andles, but I’ve no intention of riding with my shoulders ‘unched above ‘im like a ‘umpy sort of toad. Bike fitting is more than just getting the right size frame.  The fitting process should also teach a bit about how to maintain your flexibility and core body strength so you can ride stronger and be more comfortable too.

Questions? Give me a call at 914 328 9811 – Ed Cangialosi

Sources:

Serotta International Cycling Symposium, Dr. Andy Pruitt Presentation, 2007

CRCA Newsletter, June 2007.

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The first track day of the year is always highly anticipated. In the case of the RC Protege there was a new motor and suspension fixes to try out before the racing season starts in April. I was signed up to instruct at Lime Rock Park and this would give me the chance to test the car out. Things got off to a rough start at 6:30am when my garage door was blocked by another tenant...a little banging on the door took care of that. Sort of a problem and now I was late. So with the trailer hooked up I reach into my pocket and find that I've not got the car key! After the shouting died down - I think I was back in WP by that point thirty minutes later...I returned to the garage.

Bright and not so early I arrived at LRP - 9:23am to be exact,only two hours late. I didn't get much of a happy look from the head of instructors and offered to do whatever needed during the day. I ended up in a very nice Saleen Mustang - its got gobs of power, but in this case the student was a bit intimidated by his own vehicle so he was safe if not really listening to the instruction.

Then again maybe neither was I - the first session was kind of rough - really cold track with an air temperature of about 35. The tires never really got much grip, but on the second lap at the uphill turn on the back of the course things went just a little sideways - enough that the corner worker was ready to bail his post, but things really were ok and when they straightened out I happened to be going the right direction over the hill and the corner worker was well he gave a thumbs up the next time by since i came through with slightly less histrionics or squealing rubber either.

Track days always bring an interesting mix of cars out. The prize at this one had to go to the Lola T70 coupe. It was form 1969 and had been converted to road use by the Lola factory for the owner. Unfortunately none of the instructors including me could get anywhere near fitting in the passenger seat so the poor guy didn't get much of a run. Lola was born in post-war England and has been a specialty race car builder ever since. The T70 debuted in 1966 and is one of the prettiest race cars ever designed. It was at the top of the performance ladder then and still is an incredible car.

Things got better as the day went on and by the last session things were feeling natural again. New Jersey Motorsport Park and the first race of the season is next. I've got my packing list ready.

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Taliah Lempert does more than trace arcs in her bicycle portraits. It is a completely extravagant concept – a portrait of your bicycle, but wholly indulgent in all the good ways that bikes, our bikes, make us feel. A pristine new bike is only that way once and really in that un-possessed form a wonder to behold, but is not the same as the well used machine that literally transports us. Machine, yes, and more since we’re on a journey wherein our bikes are an extension of our humanity. Even without owning much grace personally, a bike takes places we couldn’t otherwise go either physically or metaphysically, providing us with the style a few of us might otherwise be (im)modestly lacking.

One should never fight with one’s bike – it exists to serve us providing meditation in motion. The best tools do this I think – simple, human powered, transformative. Taliah’s paintings of bicycles are like windows into the life of not only the machine itself, but also the owner of the bike too. Each portrait is simply named along the lines of, “Connie’s Bike on Canvas” or “Trudy’s Seven”. Taliah’s style reminds me of Edward Hopper. Her portraits speak displaying the effort the rider has invested in the ride. The bikes appear more as horses often in need of rest, or waiting for the rider to come take them away. Sometimes melancholy and sometimes hopeful her bicycle portraits are a celebration of the union of rider and bicycle.

Having been to Taliah’s home/studio I can say that it is an incredible clutter of bikes and art in progress. It is also a sixth floor loft space shared by a somewhat mutable cast of artists and her boyfriend Dave Perry, who shares her passion for bikes. Dave was a racer a couple of decades ago out in California. Dave is the author of the book, Bike Cult, and the owner of the bike shop in lower east Manhattan, BikeWorks NYC which is truly a cycle cultists heaven and haven.

Having had Taliah display her work in my former Reparto Corse Studio space I can say that the effect on cyclists seeing her portraits is one of thoughtful joy. It’s hard to look at one of her paintings and not smile, or want to go for a ride.

Taliah’s website is www.BicyclePaintings.com. Enjoy the show – order a coloring book for rainy days.

Happy Spring!

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The Reparto Corse Mazda Protege is set to go back into action after a year off with mechanical issues. The sponsor, Reparto Corse (that would be ME) had some finance issues to work out over 2009, but is now back on the black(top) so the show will be rolling in the NASA Northeast series once again.  More than just a great BBQ and party on Saturday nightat the track, the racing is fun and the fields are growing. I'm excited to be back racing as well as instructing this year, especially since we going to be doing endurance racing, which in our case means about 2 hours of thrashing and a pit stop. A big deal if you've never done one...That's my friend Dirty in the picture (it's all right he's a doctor) helping out at NASA Nationals a couple of years back - he'd never seen a torque wrench so we started the good doctor out with loosening lug nuts the old fashioned way with a cross wrench. And this year the racing is a big deal because I'm getting to race with my brother, Mike, so it will be good no matter where we finish!

The first event of the season is at Lime Rock Park on March 27th where I will be instructing and using my driving sessions for testing the new motor and suspension setup. Racing begins on April 16 at New Jersey Motorsports Park on the Lightning course. A great track with plenty of speed and enough change in elevation in the right places like a blind corner here and there, to keep it interesting.

Look at that guy - seems ready to drive...

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On January 17, 2010 the New York Times ran an article featuring the E-Bike concept from Sanyo in the Business Section under the section title, “Bright Ideas” written by Brad Stone. It posits that the era of the e-bike may finally be coming to America. Apparently tens of millions are sold in China each year. The downsides to e-bikes if you haven’t seen one at a shop yet are that the battery pack drivetrain adds about 40 pounds to a regular hybrid bike that isn’t so light to start with and they are priced in the $2200-2600 range which is a lot of bike to leave at the train station. The upside is that the e-bike additional 250 watts on demand makes it possible to overcome the heavy weight.

Brad’s article includes a quote from David Cabanban, the Sanyo North America bicycle business manager who says, “The average auto trip in the US is five miles or less. At the end of the day, how do you lower pollution and get people healthy? We’ve got to get people back to riding bikes.” Brad reports that e-bike makers saw a mini-boom in 2008 when gasoline prices spiked and people started looking for eco-friendly alternatives to the automobile. But there are challenges with include that in the US bikes are seen as recreation not transportation. We do not have the infrastructure to support bike commuting in most places and while it may be a statement of professional achievement in China, in the US bikes are not held in very high regard.

Funny, but I thought it was me on my bike that was not being held in esteem…I have experienced lots of nasty encounters while commuting. I have been shoved and slapped as well as spit at by various teenagers when I was commuting across the county in the early 90’s, and more recently I have been aimed at by drivers as I’ve left the White Plains train station when I was not able to quite clear one of the massive intersections before the light turned on me. In one particularly scary incident I gave a hearty – not rude - wave of the hand to guy bearing down on me with his horn blaring. (Have you ever noticed that your car horn does absolutely nothing to control your car?)  Anyway my gesture prompted the driver to chase me and scream at me in beautifully colorful language that I should not be on the road. I took to the sidewalk for protection and made the mistake of rolling by the guy since he was stuck at the next light and I experienced another volley of insults. I really wish this guy could be transported to China and be surrounded by millions of cyclists. I see it rather like the big bug that gets taken apart by the army ants.

Now if I had known that it was my bike and not me that set my buddy off I wouldn’t feel so bad or scared.

On February 1, 2010 the New York Times Business section carried an article titled, “An Electric Boost for Bicyclists” on its first page by David Goodman (David came an covered the first gathering of the East Coast Greenway (http://www.greenway.org/ny.php) and Westchester Putnam Walk Bike Alliance and frequently writes about bikes and bike history in  New York.). David talks about a Shanghai marketing manager, the president of San Francisco’s board of supervisors, a retiree in the Netherlands and the myriad others who have taken to using e-bikes as transportation. Without bike lanes and following no rules I see tens of e-bikes in use every day in Manhattan under guys doing, mostly it seems, Chinese restaurant takeout delivery. David estimates there are 120 million e-bikes in use in China up from a few thousand in the 1990’s. The growth in China is spurring interest in other markets including India and Europe.

About a week ago I received the news from friends and saw it myself that in NYC the Transportation Alternative group lost a court case with the result that groups of 50 or more cyclists need to have a parade permit. Is it just me, or is there a disconnect here?

I don’t know, but I think the argument that we often hear saying that alternative energy and green initiatives will not succeed without the proper market conditions is accurate because we live in a market driven world and some would argue always have. Right now the market is telling me that I better watch out when I leave the White Plains train station to get home. I am only trying to balance my carbon footprint with a trackstand at the light and save about $1000/year in parking and car expenses by not taking my car. The market is also telling me that since bicycles are not a respected alternative to automobiles, as in China, that an electric bike is not going to be an acceptable choice in a car driven market either. So who is going to buy these things in the US? They are cool. The electric assist (governed to not exceed 20mph) is a really useful device, and quite a kick, but I can’t see that many cyclists going for the added expense and complexity. From a distribution point of view, the dwindling dedicated bike shop channel which has been shrinking for the last ten years is probably not the place a non-cyclist will look for an e-bike. Perhaps the big box stores will be the better option – Walmart anyone? Walmart is driving green initiatives by asking its suppliers for a carbon footprint for products that it is selling. Changes like doing away with extraneous packaging not only helps the environment, it helps the manufacturer and Walmart’s bottom line by reducing product expense and increasing profit since we are not paying less for the missing packaging. That’s smart market driven change.

But green aside. But issue-angry-loony drivers aside. But China aside. But $2500 e-bike prices aside.

I say how the heck are we going to classify e-bikes for Westchester Cycle Club rides? I ask you, are there B riders out there who are going to freak after being dropped by a D-e-bike rider?

Me? I hope that if you have an e-bike, that you come on one of my rides so I can draft off you!

Wish me luck getting home.

 
Ed Cangialosi
RepartoCorse.com
914-328-9811 Reparto
914-953-9648 Cell

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via oms.nexternal.com

 

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Rollin’ Rollin’ Rollin’ on the…

You can hear the do-do-do-do-do’s and the horns backing it all up can’t you?

Above is my old Benotto on my old set of rollers. Some years neither have really gotten any use. If that happens it means that mother nature has been dating the friends of cyclists during the winter and that I have been fortunate to have the free time to enjoy the said happy couple’s bounty. This year the old Benotto and the old Kreitler rollers have seen lots of duty. Mama Nature needs a date!

Each winter I am asked by friends and bike customers what I recommend for winter training. The answer is usually some variation of, “Move south!”

Sorry, but riding inside is no fun. All the devices made to provide the cycling fix for the home bound are really quite effective, but equally horrible. I have a couple of mag trainers, a Computrainer which is an amazing training tool that sees a lot of service in my bike fitting work where I use it to do pedal stroke analysis, and I have this old Benotto track bike and these old PVC 4”drum Kreitler rollers that I inherited from dear departed training partner. 

Forced to pick my poison as I have this winter, I’d say I prefer the rollers, not because I’m some sort of retro-geek (I don’t see one in the mirror, anyhow), and assuredly not because it’s fashionable to have a single speed bike to ride on them. The benefits of rollers are that you actually have to ride rather than just pedal mindlessly like on a trainer. If you pedal mindlessly you will literally suffer the downside of rollers and fall off. Sure I’ve come off of mine a couple of times, 3 that I can remember in about 15 years. I’ve just come to a stop and maybe keeled over. I’ve heard about people going shooting across the room when hitting the ground with wheels spinning at 25mph, but I think it’s either urban legend or I ain’t doin’ somthin’ rite.

The benefits of rollers outweigh the literal downside. Rollers force you to ride and that means pay attention so the inside ride is less obnoxious. This helps you be a more attentive rider as well as straighter liner rider on the outside rides. Rollers work pretty simply. The front wheel rests on the front roll and the rear wheel rests between the two rear rolls. A big ole rubber band wraps around the front and middle rolls. (See clever image above of old rollers and old bike above.) Pedaling cranks the rear rolls and the rubber band turns the front roll. The whole contraption is a self-propelled bicycle treadmill.

Now there are those that say rollers offer little resistance so the work-out can’t be as good as on a trainer – piffle! First of all, all I hear about is how no one likes to ride hills; you know the ones that add resistance to your pleasure. So why in the world would you go looking for resistance during a distinctly less pleasurable activity like riding inside? Secondly, lesser resistance does not mean a lesser quality training session. I might use a heart rate monitor, since I know my training zones, but I might not. If I want to go harder on my old one speed bike I pedal faster – a neat trick that also has immense benefits for the outside ride. You actually want to be pedaling a high cadence out there when the weather is nice because it is more efficient! You can go further faster with a smooth high rpm cadence. The goal of cycling is not to kill yourself with slogging up hills and big gears. Traditionally, it’s been to use the incredible double diamond machine to go farther under your own power than would be otherwise humanly possible. That the bike has hardly changed a jot from the design of my old Benotto in about hundred years is pretty much a good indicator.

If you want your pain and suffering too, you can get small diameter rollers, or ones with a mag unit built into the middle roller, or the Kreitler Killer Headwind System. I’ve roller raced on the Killer deal and it’s no joke. I’m just fine with the regular size rollers and no headwind, thank you.

If you’ve never tried rollers you really should. They won’t make you into a cycling champion. A pretty smart rider named Eddy Merckx said my two favorite cycling quotes which I will paraphrase. 1. “If you want to be a better cyclist then ride your bike more.” 2. “Cake is not bad for a cyclist…hills are bad for a cyclist.” If you do 1., then you can have 2. and eat it too.

Do-do-do-do-rollin, rollin, rollin on the…

-Ed C

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Imperfect Circles

By Ed Cangialosi

Welcome to the new year! January looking backward and forward at the same time is all about the rolling around – in some circles anyway. There was a very nice article on the first page of the Science Times section of the New York Times on Tuesday, December 8^th titled, “The Circular Logic of the Universe”. If you read it, I hoped you enjoyed it as much as I did, and that it inspires you to take a trip to the Guggenheim Museum to see the Vasily Kandinsky show in its spiraling exhibition space. You can climb the hill in the museum, but this is the off-season, and holiday season, so it’s ok to coast a bit…start at the top and roll the downhill way.  

There aren’t any bicycles in the Kandinsky Guggenheim show, or in the article which focuses on nature’s work and how it inspires us. The Times article author, Natalie Angier, points out through her source work that perfectly round is not natural. The wheels on our bikes are slices of spheres and optimally round unless we happen to crack them up. Angier circles in on the concept that we are drawn to circular objects. Back in the day, (way back like more than 5K BCE) before we had really reliable calendars and history was not written down the times of the year were consistently noted by festivals celebrating nature – spring’s green, the fall’s harvest and those equinox times of the year. Not recording history gave us a way to keep a continuity stretching back and forward without end in a nice circle.

Recording things makes it possible for us to make them linear. For example: On July 4, 1776, the Colonies declared their independence and we can trace a (few messy) line(s) of history down to our present American day. Or more in more bike friendly terms…How many miles are on your odometer after a season of riding? These two concepts of time being circular and linear are not contradictory; they work together.

I like my roads smooth. Someone in a factory somewhere trued my wheels as round as possible, and smooth roads keep them that way. I also like my roads linear, after a fashion, going up and down as well as around and around. I like connecting my roads and making loops so that I eventually get home again. I am drawn to the bicycle, and now  Vasily Kandinsky too.

So while pedaling those imperfect circles on my rollers this winter I will take a moment to reflect on, if not record, the round trips of the past year and look forward to the rides ahead with friends.

Enjoy!

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