tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-68477126562398099732024-03-06T02:35:58.667+01:00Travels with a Tin DonkeyA Website dedicated to cycletouring, racing and other good things two-wheeled.Sprocketboyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00002657522696618715noreply@blogger.comBlogger576125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6847712656239809973.post-17735693516616314392023-09-17T20:24:00.034+02:002023-10-29T21:04:06.848+01:00My Challenge Ride at Lake Placid, September 15, 2023<p>Lake Placid, located in the New York
State's Adirondack Mountains region, is one of only three places that
have hosted the Winter Olympics twice, the others being Innsbruck and
St. Moritz. Lake Placid held its events in 1932 and 1980 and remains
a destination for winter sports enthusiasts, as well as for outdoor
activities of all kinds throughout the year. It offers road cyclists
some outstanding opportunities for riding and one of these is the
Ironman Loop.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnqJChDuapWBl6nO1G5UVYEAh03JQ9_zZX-WTxMn_ItfXFZ-9pw_OYObsjgfkicHFwpCKPHePgeVWLoIVHRdFtFkugnX4XpYwbXrG3hEYhugDV3yE5VYpkbthuZosTRr3K-Xn7Jg0qytDGY8pzBtthMa_L3d_Hpdr2JpTx-MRBvRqqTYPc7AtQJFPfKOIi/s943/Ironman%20Loop%20and%20Whiteface%20Mountain%20route.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="497" data-original-width="943" height="338" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnqJChDuapWBl6nO1G5UVYEAh03JQ9_zZX-WTxMn_ItfXFZ-9pw_OYObsjgfkicHFwpCKPHePgeVWLoIVHRdFtFkugnX4XpYwbXrG3hEYhugDV3yE5VYpkbthuZosTRr3K-Xn7Jg0qytDGY8pzBtthMa_L3d_Hpdr2JpTx-MRBvRqqTYPc7AtQJFPfKOIi/w640-h338/Ironman%20Loop%20and%20Whiteface%20Mountain%20route.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><b>My route along the Lake Placid Ironman loop and Whiteface Mountain</b></i></td></tr></tbody></table><p style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: left;">The first Ironman triathlon in Lake Placid took place in 1999 and for many years was the only Ironman venue in the United States besides the Ironman World Championships in Kona, Hawaii. The cycling course, which has varied slightly from year to year, is two circuits of a 90 km (56.5 mile) course. Each of these loops has an elevation gain of 640 m (2019 ft), with most of the gain coming in the second half.</p>
<p align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">Lake Placid, which is two
hours' drive south of Montreal, is keen to market itself as a cycling
region and many of the roads are marked to show bicycle traffic.
Shoulders are paved and wideand generally in very good condition.
All along the route, even when there is no Ironman on, there are
“portable restrooms” marked with very visible signs. The scenery
is beautiful although this route apparently ranks as one of the
toughest Ironman courses. That said, the Men's Ironman World
Championships, recently held in Nice, was much harder, featuring a
bike course with double the elevation gain!</p><p align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br /></p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMv4ALafnoNe6i6kO9d24aYE5tRVu9O-EZDze3M9pS4w_bAZXQFs4TQUmcEeHusUgiZeIptQ6xDuy-Hi_IXCpYpFx3nm2opKOIyGQngT4fyH4Hu3L4yOp7BKnLroxol4653sX4OtvHJlAFJTgVfFhRhxWn-HQGD_Ijon7ngnWVFsULa9cFWlo0z0dfLNFY/s3072/Main%20Street,%20Lake%20Placid.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2304" data-original-width="3072" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMv4ALafnoNe6i6kO9d24aYE5tRVu9O-EZDze3M9pS4w_bAZXQFs4TQUmcEeHusUgiZeIptQ6xDuy-Hi_IXCpYpFx3nm2opKOIyGQngT4fyH4Hu3L4yOp7BKnLroxol4653sX4OtvHJlAFJTgVfFhRhxWn-HQGD_Ijon7ngnWVFsULa9cFWlo0z0dfLNFY/w640-h480/Main%20Street,%20Lake%20Placid.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><b>Main Street, Lake Placid</b></i></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLLGWSZE6pSIzguerXTOfCtiDlng4vHWasfc4yulmFZPxVMFomJquOd6RHvOmJRo1nukkqi3Fb4zD9snCujPWJmZxfJR1w4wJS9bOC0PmpaIRiasljY7XfHePc_waDED362cjCmm5ZBr2UV0gYOhJombfYOYLb1SpAnEORz4e0BYnrUFicf9E8MnjRZja6/s3072/IMG_7722.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2304" data-original-width="3072" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLLGWSZE6pSIzguerXTOfCtiDlng4vHWasfc4yulmFZPxVMFomJquOd6RHvOmJRo1nukkqi3Fb4zD9snCujPWJmZxfJR1w4wJS9bOC0PmpaIRiasljY7XfHePc_waDED362cjCmm5ZBr2UV0gYOhJombfYOYLb1SpAnEORz4e0BYnrUFicf9E8MnjRZja6/w640-h480/IMG_7722.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>The Pines Inn, my hotel</i></b></td></tr></tbody></table><p style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: left;">On a beautiful early Fall
day I rolled out of my hotel (possibly one of the very few budget
alternatives in town and probably THE place to stay in Lake Placid
circa 1912) and eased downhill and onto Main Street, which runs along
the shore of Mirror Lake—for some reason the village of Lake Placid
is not actually on nearby Lake Placid!--and takes you past an amazing
number of restaurants, outdoor equipment stores, and realtors'
offices. It takes you past the hockey arena where the 1980 “Miracle
on Ice” match took place and the big high school, which has the
Olympic speed skating oval in front of it. A little further and you
are out of town and following Route 73 southeast in the direction of
Keene</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipuNemxR0mps4z5Dhoo37J_3E88A9n7Ps7qoIVeoEZtMD9ti0dV5eK8m6bG0q_jR9rikuSP201R20HrKL5wl77WnVLtEPCKGrvkG5YfZN9Aihvd7MOe9h3rY2gdDTvHy1Buh3ktZmHIEThs3726CJFQPEDnrjK1RtAQIed7UXmHga1ca_ScOIYLa5xCcrh/s3072/Lake%20Placid%20Hockey%20Arena.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2304" data-original-width="3072" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipuNemxR0mps4z5Dhoo37J_3E88A9n7Ps7qoIVeoEZtMD9ti0dV5eK8m6bG0q_jR9rikuSP201R20HrKL5wl77WnVLtEPCKGrvkG5YfZN9Aihvd7MOe9h3rY2gdDTvHy1Buh3ktZmHIEThs3726CJFQPEDnrjK1RtAQIed7UXmHga1ca_ScOIYLa5xCcrh/w640-h480/Lake%20Placid%20Hockey%20Arena.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Olympic ice hockey venue</i></b></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>There are reminders of Lake
Placid's Olympic past as you will see on your right the two towers
that mark the tops of the 100 m and 128 m ski jumps, the only jumps
in North America that are homologated for summer as well as winter
competitions. Built for the 1980 Games, they were modernized in
2021. The next bit of Olympic history is when the Ironman course
takes a little detour to the Mt. Van Hoevenberg Olympic Sports
Complex, which is the home of the bobsled track. The track was built
in 1930 and used in the 1932 and 1980 Games. The most recent version
of the track was constructed in 2000 and the site is listed on the
National Register of Historic Places.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcJ6JeEx1ir3In1DxVz6GiMNMQI2Q324mNkWlBztFahVVila216TFhS5GXH5HBNJhkyvfIKzDvkF-kN5LWdXdzdQRipZDrXQewy7iSoZYIFd4qxCsb9dMbYt0rhVxS6p1wm03_Pu09bDnJQYIPKoYRWj4mP7Fwel7eNIEn6qbN9-1mqx6Pr0OZmKRZ2G0H/s3072/IMG_7732.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2304" data-original-width="3072" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcJ6JeEx1ir3In1DxVz6GiMNMQI2Q324mNkWlBztFahVVila216TFhS5GXH5HBNJhkyvfIKzDvkF-kN5LWdXdzdQRipZDrXQewy7iSoZYIFd4qxCsb9dMbYt0rhVxS6p1wm03_Pu09bDnJQYIPKoYRWj4mP7Fwel7eNIEn6qbN9-1mqx6Pr0OZmKRZ2G0H/w640-h480/IMG_7732.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"> </span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhITSr6Gige7ipF6hGOzAEPy2OBjFcB9C3hqlQ0-2rRpSH2EWapole3Kgr7TS_C4x7isLWR63pcnJLme0NUVxf_UoN3WpGpRcyRoipDG3NLiDmpeFm3v7piH0CyZAlWn-2i9hzj0o-mXCqJDnXOyw-VQy5vb1BCXOwDbpOKqmbbY3BM8aU82qLiFQBH5bz1/s3072/Mt.%20Van%20Hoevenberg%20Sports%20Complex.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2304" data-original-width="3072" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhITSr6Gige7ipF6hGOzAEPy2OBjFcB9C3hqlQ0-2rRpSH2EWapole3Kgr7TS_C4x7isLWR63pcnJLme0NUVxf_UoN3WpGpRcyRoipDG3NLiDmpeFm3v7piH0CyZAlWn-2i9hzj0o-mXCqJDnXOyw-VQy5vb1BCXOwDbpOKqmbbY3BM8aU82qLiFQBH5bz1/w640-h480/Mt.%20Van%20Hoevenberg%20Sports%20Complex.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><p style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: left;">Although Route 73 had a fair
amount of traffic on a Friday morning, the shoulders of the road make
riding safe enough and for a good portion of the Ironman loop here
the road goes downhill, making some sections very speedy indeed.
Exhilarating, in fact.</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: left;"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhthw1ade8NeOFrHbwnfiMrqajKEO3vjq__mnBbAk9JeMH0QklRyFtSpWz-L6yF1ZtopHpfuI8np2zeyHtStkTGLejZ904ATNqDa-dJYtMEeAphkLBmkZs5AUQxceViYK9fkxKUssNntuDulmbdX8ZVH7YDYoQ3cKjz0uxAGxNV54ebjKYmGzRkxCY9ZmK2/s3072/Along%20Route%2073.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2304" data-original-width="3072" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhthw1ade8NeOFrHbwnfiMrqajKEO3vjq__mnBbAk9JeMH0QklRyFtSpWz-L6yF1ZtopHpfuI8np2zeyHtStkTGLejZ904ATNqDa-dJYtMEeAphkLBmkZs5AUQxceViYK9fkxKUssNntuDulmbdX8ZVH7YDYoQ3cKjz0uxAGxNV54ebjKYmGzRkxCY9ZmK2/w640-h480/Along%20Route%2073.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><p style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: left;">Reaching the hamlet of
Keene, you leave Route 73, turning left onto Hwy 9N, and enjoy a
beautiful ride on a quiet road heading north alongside the Ausable
River until reaching the hamlets of Upper Jay and Jay proper. Jay
has a nice village green but is notable as having the only covered
bridge in the Adirondacks. Originally built in 1857, it eventually
fell into disrepair and was removed, while the current bridge, using
original hand-hewn beams, was opened as a footbridge in 2007.</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: left;"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPriHuehTMP0GXoqXoxccSh20nsi4RPV5TkOO00e8JRnUZsmkfK6PgEoYJVPLTbD7nG27hhUaFSAIk_hyTotLl76hexCpZoNP52b8wtT4lJFMjwl0WMQZQg9nh8I9P1Lb0CLgXR9GzuI0zlW9T6c7ei0_APhq9YCP2td9AoaLVIewVOhvt5xhe3PTdDLZ9/s3072/IMG_7735.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2304" data-original-width="3072" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPriHuehTMP0GXoqXoxccSh20nsi4RPV5TkOO00e8JRnUZsmkfK6PgEoYJVPLTbD7nG27hhUaFSAIk_hyTotLl76hexCpZoNP52b8wtT4lJFMjwl0WMQZQg9nh8I9P1Lb0CLgXR9GzuI0zlW9T6c7ei0_APhq9YCP2td9AoaLVIewVOhvt5xhe3PTdDLZ9/w640-h480/IMG_7735.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><p style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><br /></p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3DTN8ACMoqi0DfJpUjhMrF8jsn4I1ntFWL0S3KbLnt9tjcyTNSm3FRxEp3wCFAz3MDq79Ht9G6ia_uH5To0TW1ISWZtunel2cJKhQASqzdcEgGmGe97Qb35uOiwInMLaJyYR-YTQ_dP8zZNfPIZRNP5qmZgf8ZlfKG2rHriragnSGV5zXmb7tx3INTmyN/s3072/Route%209N%20to%20Upper%20Jay.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2304" data-original-width="3072" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3DTN8ACMoqi0DfJpUjhMrF8jsn4I1ntFWL0S3KbLnt9tjcyTNSm3FRxEp3wCFAz3MDq79Ht9G6ia_uH5To0TW1ISWZtunel2cJKhQASqzdcEgGmGe97Qb35uOiwInMLaJyYR-YTQ_dP8zZNfPIZRNP5qmZgf8ZlfKG2rHriragnSGV5zXmb7tx3INTmyN/w640-h480/Route%209N%20to%20Upper%20Jay.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiSg-PWVoszeZvqhLS1alotkJCdzT9a6KKfpbjuHStKjd_DKrNNNFi40y4sBDAGY1VuyrFeTCZcRu4eG9RE02KJ1ekGOzFlasYf7CYhzhqB_m_KzRZ3qqZJbbHkDeOgaRPVs5mfLu-Ml82sfHfc9mNYUShnPTTrJWfgKvoAS7pS43pUbhGmfzGQod2jMfb/s3072/Covered%20Bridge%20in%20Jay.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2304" data-original-width="3072" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiSg-PWVoszeZvqhLS1alotkJCdzT9a6KKfpbjuHStKjd_DKrNNNFi40y4sBDAGY1VuyrFeTCZcRu4eG9RE02KJ1ekGOzFlasYf7CYhzhqB_m_KzRZ3qqZJbbHkDeOgaRPVs5mfLu-Ml82sfHfc9mNYUShnPTTrJWfgKvoAS7pS43pUbhGmfzGQod2jMfb/w640-h480/Covered%20Bridge%20in%20Jay.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><p style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: left;">Another left turn takes you
from Jay onto Route 86, which goes northwest and gradually climbs
before the Ironman course takes another out-and-back detour along
Haselton Road. Unlike most of the loop, this 22 km total section is
shaded by tall trees and features lots of gentle climbs and descents
as you reach the turnaround at the hamlet of Black Brook and come
back. A really lovely section of road. Next stop: Wilmington.</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: left;"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj71meJcPBD5he_-7EI7XXdfYlocA-B-7HJv33ICpUKWzOyZ-SP8NprhXkTFWwYqM3-VBGKP5cKlmI3L2-9GK56wacQU6W500ZQEY7Te36cnOsx2VGcxXuaPmFIGQi_LbBt1EEgCcg5LYuZ3KCAxOsB43Dn7UJT_04gUoip7rVRW9qQL4lrlppNLBh8EQb8/s3072/Wilmington%20Visitors%20Bureau.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2304" data-original-width="3072" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj71meJcPBD5he_-7EI7XXdfYlocA-B-7HJv33ICpUKWzOyZ-SP8NprhXkTFWwYqM3-VBGKP5cKlmI3L2-9GK56wacQU6W500ZQEY7Te36cnOsx2VGcxXuaPmFIGQi_LbBt1EEgCcg5LYuZ3KCAxOsB43Dn7UJT_04gUoip7rVRW9qQL4lrlppNLBh8EQb8/w640-h480/Wilmington%20Visitors%20Bureau.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCdwgHBQ09eyVIyKlWaSBmnrjMIHxfmOnXZHEwsDWubjnWFlaoTJPcemCWWbZxByk9BhsVo6OxC_UkdtyGNfIIisXpu9RIZNBc2-740J2Zkt8_grPaobt29-cTsMCDC9daT-I5Bu8Q83twzpZisRUanoJ0jVO14v4Kyimh0dq-vNO1nRFvpfpVjADjqBM7/s3072/IMG_7752.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2304" data-original-width="3072" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCdwgHBQ09eyVIyKlWaSBmnrjMIHxfmOnXZHEwsDWubjnWFlaoTJPcemCWWbZxByk9BhsVo6OxC_UkdtyGNfIIisXpu9RIZNBc2-740J2Zkt8_grPaobt29-cTsMCDC9daT-I5Bu8Q83twzpZisRUanoJ0jVO14v4Kyimh0dq-vNO1nRFvpfpVjADjqBM7/w640-h480/IMG_7752.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5wPPor3b4k9R-_RZ5zbLec_vbqBAhj0Zt28NqigfSMLIW8Inq5Y-jbTEg6Div11vWawElICrEE6c3y39ruD6yaj6wYepNxdDmN2QGq4zCdtMZmSDNtaY-i9p1RF1GzVxBx3HkZXX32WqOpDeGRn0PU4hKBOxUdS48mo0yIyGhhja2mk1YpEEFW9WTi8YG/s3072/IMG_7757.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2304" data-original-width="3072" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5wPPor3b4k9R-_RZ5zbLec_vbqBAhj0Zt28NqigfSMLIW8Inq5Y-jbTEg6Div11vWawElICrEE6c3y39ruD6yaj6wYepNxdDmN2QGq4zCdtMZmSDNtaY-i9p1RF1GzVxBx3HkZXX32WqOpDeGRn0PU4hKBOxUdS48mo0yIyGhhja2mk1YpEEFW9WTi8YG/w640-h480/IMG_7757.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div>Wilmington near the
base of Whiteface Mountain and I took a break at the Visitors Bureau,
which was all decorated for Fall. Speaking with the lady working
there, I learned that she was the chief organizer of the bicycle race
held every June that starts at the Visitor Bureau parking lot and
goes to the top of Whiteface Mountain. She told me that the hardest
part of the ride is the section up to the toll house, with the
remaining 8 kms (5 miles) to the top being steadier. I had planned
to ride up to the toll house to consider whether I should go on or
just come back down and continue with the Ironman loop but, feeling
encouraged, I set off on the big climb.</div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfWqelVZZV8twA0ddst72_oOL3sqTEvcNC5GwLFOQbpm8tomh_qXQRPBFSAQ51p9gSMB5Coq1B4iobflmC417-tWlSCoeJQOjIWdwinuWxSFO0od0nlm4nmJh0REeVV6YJsZ5NSWPhJ661qbQVKl-3nBzJI-WzJNRJijnIGI-AOd5aoc5l5_Xyb-OuxgTA/s3072/Start%20of%20the%20Highway.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2304" data-original-width="3072" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfWqelVZZV8twA0ddst72_oOL3sqTEvcNC5GwLFOQbpm8tomh_qXQRPBFSAQ51p9gSMB5Coq1B4iobflmC417-tWlSCoeJQOjIWdwinuWxSFO0od0nlm4nmJh0REeVV6YJsZ5NSWPhJ661qbQVKl-3nBzJI-WzJNRJijnIGI-AOd5aoc5l5_Xyb-OuxgTA/w640-h480/Start%20of%20the%20Highway.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div>Passing North Pole, New York
(“Home of Santa's Workshop”), a little theme park that opened in
1949, I found this section of the Whiteface Veterans' Memorial
Highway to be fairly arduous. The climb has been described as the
American equivalent of the Alpe d'Huez, which I have actually ridden,
and both certainly start off hard. Reaching the Alpine-inspired toll
house (fee for a cyclist is US$15), I needed a short break to recover
before the next section.</div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVD4Ysczb6n_tiPl6pe1doVaQqyQc5W-FQrgRYxXMNZDt1N_rCyV8qkz6x_nMor-HLYKFXH9n_jPSAAoXBPnOWoFKADfshMTGUZ8nHB5NUCPnEkknIlcoOc6Ej88_miU68MmpnV36yox2xsI5l9s-8qKChWXutlxnMWWvIOMD9JEndzIrMlOog-EybNiNN/s3072/Whiteface%20Mountain%20Toll%20House.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2304" data-original-width="3072" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVD4Ysczb6n_tiPl6pe1doVaQqyQc5W-FQrgRYxXMNZDt1N_rCyV8qkz6x_nMor-HLYKFXH9n_jPSAAoXBPnOWoFKADfshMTGUZ8nHB5NUCPnEkknIlcoOc6Ej88_miU68MmpnV36yox2xsI5l9s-8qKChWXutlxnMWWvIOMD9JEndzIrMlOog-EybNiNN/w640-h480/Whiteface%20Mountain%20Toll%20House.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div>Whiteface Mountain's east
side was used as the Alpine skiing venue for the 1980 Olympics and
features the highest vertical drop of any ski area in the Eastern United States.
Opened in 1929 by then-Governor Franklin D. Roosevelt, the Memorial
Highway rises at an average of 8% to a parking lot at 4,610 feet
above sea level, and access to the actual summit, another 280 feet,
is either up a set of steps or an elevator. Those 8 kms uphill
seemed to last forever. Unlike the Alpe d'Huez, the Memorial Highway
does not really have any switchbacks until the last 2 kms so it is a
steady grind, with no relief along the way. Stopping to take photos
was tricky as getting going again at that gradient was not very easy.
Views from the summit are impressive and it was a fine day but
already quite cold.</div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPB6Rn0ZmPgPysKn6CYvp0EiVk7aFbaU_4Ep3iNKsaH0ZAaxgysDtMNOF60X_MSbd_t16AW41xgynQbu636R3wz0UuDpzi1j8yPSx0E6pvM2eZo0KqMG_x8fq3dcARPZUQQW7Lb4CdNRN0Ri05GbqAsCGVNlDGhsJD4EtV6FNH2nWP-5U58LtbQcWFaEXh/s3072/Summit%20of%20Whiteface%20Mountain.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2304" data-original-width="3072" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPB6Rn0ZmPgPysKn6CYvp0EiVk7aFbaU_4Ep3iNKsaH0ZAaxgysDtMNOF60X_MSbd_t16AW41xgynQbu636R3wz0UuDpzi1j8yPSx0E6pvM2eZo0KqMG_x8fq3dcARPZUQQW7Lb4CdNRN0Ri05GbqAsCGVNlDGhsJD4EtV6FNH2nWP-5U58LtbQcWFaEXh/w640-h480/Summit%20of%20Whiteface%20Mountain.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGlGQyOtyxl94Rljr_SdIP8dQrfBSKzhde3G7lsrOKuuLm6liceeBICT_8QsYD68lwAIg7Ed-4i_hsyrxsBm17c6Tvgd1hzUc_-OQmIAv_kYePa8MpH-KH2mOwc3KL67ccL9C-aS8Pg7ZA_E64amndm9H9amYMAss-Cq5Hsi5-4adMXpHRCjSQaJoj43eV/s3072/View%20of%20Lake%20Placid.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2304" data-original-width="3072" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGlGQyOtyxl94Rljr_SdIP8dQrfBSKzhde3G7lsrOKuuLm6liceeBICT_8QsYD68lwAIg7Ed-4i_hsyrxsBm17c6Tvgd1hzUc_-OQmIAv_kYePa8MpH-KH2mOwc3KL67ccL9C-aS8Pg7ZA_E64amndm9H9amYMAss-Cq5Hsi5-4adMXpHRCjSQaJoj43eV/w640-h480/View%20of%20Lake%20Placid.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><b>View of Lake Placid</b></i></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTjfgLiC9ZYvN4hyphenhyphenT2H_jwxqiA8vi3plsNvh9UoYFncdvQtut-UCHhNmXvROGPMGQ_c_JZT7jCZvcrBJl-xaj50XYCGZIvom7sO4igyowLRNQxIv9kZX7Yceyx0dLdd_e1y8dCVC4iaYRF5HPZOjyQNxStzOqHiV74ATIhqEeoI2TUV5PIMCg5pdnwuF4M/s3072/At%20the%20top.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2304" data-original-width="3072" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTjfgLiC9ZYvN4hyphenhyphenT2H_jwxqiA8vi3plsNvh9UoYFncdvQtut-UCHhNmXvROGPMGQ_c_JZT7jCZvcrBJl-xaj50XYCGZIvom7sO4igyowLRNQxIv9kZX7Yceyx0dLdd_e1y8dCVC4iaYRF5HPZOjyQNxStzOqHiV74ATIhqEeoI2TUV5PIMCg5pdnwuF4M/w640-h480/At%20the%20top.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div>I had the foresight to bring
a small backpack with extra clothing—arm and leg covers, glove
liners—which turned out to be a good idea as returning downhill at
speed (even for this terrible descender) felt freezing. The road
surface is excellent but at the steepness speed builds up very fast
and it was not so comfortable until I passed the toll house. Oddly,
I found doing this final section into Wilmington much better as the
curves were wider and easier for control.</div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVBQMnKIkATr2qL16UGQfkGGevKzGEg6PcX8-C8SXDcCdoj2Gd499UjBNy6BpPVqv4hbU9bAch3WRApuxLni4LHmNHNKmRYiblXFXRKswTfDPHEGIAEM8x5ochaeYXUAfd_4X36fmkFuwjmuNVQT91PaAB0ucBz3zya1Cm5LopNKsWtERu1CZn-KecLowE/s3072/Memorial%20Highway%20view.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2304" data-original-width="3072" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVBQMnKIkATr2qL16UGQfkGGevKzGEg6PcX8-C8SXDcCdoj2Gd499UjBNy6BpPVqv4hbU9bAch3WRApuxLni4LHmNHNKmRYiblXFXRKswTfDPHEGIAEM8x5ochaeYXUAfd_4X36fmkFuwjmuNVQT91PaAB0ucBz3zya1Cm5LopNKsWtERu1CZn-KecLowE/w640-h480/Memorial%20Highway%20view.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: left;">Back in Wilmington, it is
time to head southwest along Route 86 and the 21 kms back to Lake
Placid. This section of the Ironman loop features steady climbing,
including three little climbs known as the Three Bears, which would
be very tiring if you were doing both loops of an Ironman race.
Traffic was heavier here again and while the shoulder is paved it is
rather narrow in some spots. There are little parking spots were
people stop to go fishing in the Ausable River.</div>
<p align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">Soon enough one is back in
Lake Placid and unlike the Ironmen/women, I did not have to run a
marathon after getting off the bike, thankfully. In all, I had
covered 120 kms and climbing just under 2100 m. A beautiful day out
that can be recommended for any cyclist—well, maybe with more
modern gearing that my 34-26!</p><p align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi51BiD9Wmq0Vl25stezSTBq9dom-iZhsjcso88f_m6iBLNz5N9W8g-RAF6dW7ZXxlgSIfZBauctUVhVXHWBzVMSYtNuaM1Ka_12AtPr6TexH0ayP-jfnK5VEePreBvJd-1KxptPX9QSWlrUwp-YYXrHzgVTffO8igc5t_PpelC5TTS4SZrxIlhOpai0E3g/s3072/Mirror%20Lake.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2304" data-original-width="3072" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi51BiD9Wmq0Vl25stezSTBq9dom-iZhsjcso88f_m6iBLNz5N9W8g-RAF6dW7ZXxlgSIfZBauctUVhVXHWBzVMSYtNuaM1Ka_12AtPr6TexH0ayP-jfnK5VEePreBvJd-1KxptPX9QSWlrUwp-YYXrHzgVTffO8igc5t_PpelC5TTS4SZrxIlhOpai0E3g/w640-h480/Mirror%20Lake.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><b>Mirror Lake, on the shores of which is found the town of Lake Placid, oddly</b></i></td></tr></tbody></table><br />As to the Ironman Lake
Placid race taking place on July 21, 2024, this will be the 25<sup>th</sup>
Anniversary Edition, with various special events. General
registration sold out in August already for the 3,200 participants so
you just have to do it on your own. The Ironman website provides
a map and turn-by-turn instructions for the course <a href="https://www.ironman.com/im-lake-placid-course">here</a>. The Veterans Memorial
Highway information is <a href="https://whiteface.com/todo/whiteface-veterans-memorial-highway/">here</a>. And if you really want to
race up Whiteface Mountain, you can check out the event information
<a href="https://www.whitefaceregion.com/do/events/whiteface-mountain-uphill-bike-race">here</a>. <p align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">I had planned to enjoy some craft beers at the nearby Lake Placid Brewing Company but my legs were so exhausted that the best I could do was stagger over to the nearby McDonalds, where I recall eating pretty much the entire menu. The next morning was not much better as I walked to a local diner and had the biggest meal, the Adirondack Breakfast, on the menu, which disappeared as soon as the waiter set it down. Apparently my ride the day before had used up something like 5,00 Kcal!</p><p align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">Feeling somewhat more myself and having packed the car, I drove over to a state historical park. This was the one-time home, and then only briefly, of famed abolitionist John Brown, who helped ignite the Civil War by leading a slave uprising to seize the arsenal at Harper's Ferry in Virginia in 1857. Executed for treason, he is buried with some of his followers at this farm in North Elba. It is a beautiful site and a peaceful setting considering its association with a pivotal and still-controversial figure in United States history. More information on the John Brown Farm may be found <a href="https://parks.ny.gov/historic-sites/johnbrownfarm/details.aspx">here</a>.</p><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjymC0G90-84Z3sUfFp1SxcIWyenXgiPY89qIC8saV7TR3TAiaOMqMM6kptETDDQUbBKfkhM0ywYcp_TJKrBcfzNxbo8lTHyVw2qveCeEpXBsD5JnQZGQwIZwb5hgXrutzfGyWo1RvWOxb7idYt0Cgu22gY4EyXX_hrmeDzaXtSVIhSZh7MRyNWqMITqwte/s3072/IMG_7789.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2304" data-original-width="3072" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjymC0G90-84Z3sUfFp1SxcIWyenXgiPY89qIC8saV7TR3TAiaOMqMM6kptETDDQUbBKfkhM0ywYcp_TJKrBcfzNxbo8lTHyVw2qveCeEpXBsD5JnQZGQwIZwb5hgXrutzfGyWo1RvWOxb7idYt0Cgu22gY4EyXX_hrmeDzaXtSVIhSZh7MRyNWqMITqwte/w640-h480/IMG_7789.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjarqktJ0TyyQ8g5HakweabTGaXysJ2mndt3oy0rtKN7HRoTy6b6ok-DXzj1uFhDcBkAjY8LFdLg2ncmEYYCITjmeEN_fiD-9SuN70ME2YjqVyEnD1gu9Ok_FQU_ie3iP9C86XWAjW66l8gUY0mmma9gASBgEd_-ulvpIuaF9ik_Rr-sq2V_nfDJst0zCjR/s3072/IMG_7792.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2304" data-original-width="3072" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjarqktJ0TyyQ8g5HakweabTGaXysJ2mndt3oy0rtKN7HRoTy6b6ok-DXzj1uFhDcBkAjY8LFdLg2ncmEYYCITjmeEN_fiD-9SuN70ME2YjqVyEnD1gu9Ok_FQU_ie3iP9C86XWAjW66l8gUY0mmma9gASBgEd_-ulvpIuaF9ik_Rr-sq2V_nfDJst0zCjR/w640-h480/IMG_7792.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji3bZTCdCUg76X-iGD4wfq0bLgzRn5AlXmNjAqyP08pHEyfXWs7-1IYfkr1xW8srI2w9LPGIcKGjcK2fJU5tg-joSoGTWU0sxgLdkmsyJyJ3pAKqUPPXskEt1xUv4Zj3kr4JAu7WPUvb0pc-mhkjm6HTcu70CBeAN9xdGNJw2cln8X2EOK4IcEYFS5jaaZ/s3072/IMG_7795.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2304" data-original-width="3072" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji3bZTCdCUg76X-iGD4wfq0bLgzRn5AlXmNjAqyP08pHEyfXWs7-1IYfkr1xW8srI2w9LPGIcKGjcK2fJU5tg-joSoGTWU0sxgLdkmsyJyJ3pAKqUPPXskEt1xUv4Zj3kr4JAu7WPUvb0pc-mhkjm6HTcu70CBeAN9xdGNJw2cln8X2EOK4IcEYFS5jaaZ/w640-h480/IMG_7795.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh3-QHqSM0AhzumvD5VdxujF7K_MfXHimrGpsYgkBoPUlp4keKYB1QMfks9qlq6GLbNAwx9cjJjVLyVTbs4k17em2AI-NLLEGLJT6N7UJG9fzA59Y1JH4KHmQ7XmqPwENYgAIVAVx2vMydMsxqW1DDRIxQFBpOFh53BxSx-vRWtnnI0LOim3rQ6MVWy2yf/s3072/IMG_7798.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2304" data-original-width="3072" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh3-QHqSM0AhzumvD5VdxujF7K_MfXHimrGpsYgkBoPUlp4keKYB1QMfks9qlq6GLbNAwx9cjJjVLyVTbs4k17em2AI-NLLEGLJT6N7UJG9fzA59Y1JH4KHmQ7XmqPwENYgAIVAVx2vMydMsxqW1DDRIxQFBpOFh53BxSx-vRWtnnI0LOim3rQ6MVWy2yf/w640-h480/IMG_7798.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><p style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><br /></p></div>Sprocketboyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00002657522696618715noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6847712656239809973.post-46723444004119230382023-08-22T02:00:00.003+02:002023-11-14T00:30:35.391+01:00Monarch of the Mountains: August 21, 2023<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLlvhhLk0MoCcNd_8FEvjzGGlhwOQxn5UhQLEv3ey4extburBb0ZYHKK6Vw5v7dXx-wLpaDFjrPNQ33Whkk2bjpSBPjbdOI8I7P4PpiRVRLiOIzwftkQcfislYY-u2agnwUpKzBRktHf69MN-BA19hK1v9mEWFNrYv_EzhYcCnpRX-BsSS1x94RVes3eEV/s634/352537472_577037831210633_8149246671622334824_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="634" data-original-width="501" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLlvhhLk0MoCcNd_8FEvjzGGlhwOQxn5UhQLEv3ey4extburBb0ZYHKK6Vw5v7dXx-wLpaDFjrPNQ33Whkk2bjpSBPjbdOI8I7P4PpiRVRLiOIzwftkQcfislYY-u2agnwUpKzBRktHf69MN-BA19hK1v9mEWFNrYv_EzhYcCnpRX-BsSS1x94RVes3eEV/w506-h640/352537472_577037831210633_8149246671622334824_n.jpg" width="506" /></a></div><br /><p style="text-align: left;">When I was at the Tour de Whitewater, I saw a brochure for a series of organized rides starting in Eganville, Ontario, in August. The Tour de Bonnechere offered rides of 20 and 65 kms on the road, with another one of 60 kms on gravel but what interested me was the 100 Km "Monarch of the Mountains," which I overheard someone say was a very hard ride.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvoVGrzOPS8VZB9z-RMlcOd0afm-vZvW9wziUOrwo2JgRa8caZtGx1Y-rVGaJ8KTy74nN0Gs86qXOJ6nwIqcJqhWzPWxY7zMR0WWaGnhFK-lJ91UBj_nrnNJVe3QmxnIc-dkMOwl6HVnOf8A_mNnDGcxLFmlyg1OMqXz1QGUgKc9a8BzKHWPq5KpEht3bZ/s941/Monarch-100-map%20(1).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="638" data-original-width="941" height="434" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvoVGrzOPS8VZB9z-RMlcOd0afm-vZvW9wziUOrwo2JgRa8caZtGx1Y-rVGaJ8KTy74nN0Gs86qXOJ6nwIqcJqhWzPWxY7zMR0WWaGnhFK-lJ91UBj_nrnNJVe3QmxnIc-dkMOwl6HVnOf8A_mNnDGcxLFmlyg1OMqXz1QGUgKc9a8BzKHWPq5KpEht3bZ/w640-h434/Monarch-100-map%20(1).jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p style="text-align: left;">Looking up the course online, I did in fact see a reference to it being one of the most challenging rides in Ontario but I also found a GPS course of the route, which I was able to download. With my experience of the Tour de Whitewater, I was not sure that I would want to pay again to ride by myself. Admittedly, that ride had included lunch and two rest stops with drinks and snacks, but as I often do 100 km rides with some good climbing getting to and from Gatineau Park self-supported, I decided to do the route that way.</p><p>I sent a copy of the map and directions to Alec, my neighbour who does triathlons, and asked him if he wanted to join me. He would be available on Monday, August 21, when the weather looked promising, as he had taken the day off for other reasons. He said we could go with his SUV, making handling the bikes easy, and I said I would be happy to buy him a meal in Eganville after the ride so all was good. There are a few advantages besides saving the registration fee in that you can ride when the weather is most suitable and start the ride whenever you want. Alec pointed out that he was not an early riser and with a 90 minute drive to Eganville leaving at 8 am would be fine. An organized ride would also have a much earlier start time as I found at the Tour de Whitewater, which was a negative, but an event also has refreshment stops and as we discovered on this ride there is basically nothing en route.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYkxFiaflXre6ApOiX57zXYfcswCNFWCCFf3Us0YA4DKwZJKVx1wnofqSPQXdq97f3MyTrD9l64z47hig46a4nikzlgYqWlFZycvvWV8t9dAZs8RVrIT2EMubsUCdjeLKcH2Di37MF24tnlp3AINhaAt5DYxRamttKQFwFXYc2V2W5JDAAeysoaiC47jWm/s2048/-HeYe8QTdtvyEif2j8FmPICocg93LNLB_beAw-lerZk-2048x1536.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYkxFiaflXre6ApOiX57zXYfcswCNFWCCFf3Us0YA4DKwZJKVx1wnofqSPQXdq97f3MyTrD9l64z47hig46a4nikzlgYqWlFZycvvWV8t9dAZs8RVrIT2EMubsUCdjeLKcH2Di37MF24tnlp3AINhaAt5DYxRamttKQFwFXYc2V2W5JDAAeysoaiC47jWm/w640-h480/-HeYe8QTdtvyEif2j8FmPICocg93LNLB_beAw-lerZk-2048x1536.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0BcMgJdjwjBnOURUuX3KtmqNXrNeFBkVRVRzUyeCW4ie5IVcMceza7UFWtEAdoaIq61fAB3CsTn5iCYiVvd2Lglb306PqHD1sr1K9jIE9dRlhJqtNCT8Y77tl5kFuyOJSmI-gv44ZPagIx2FwwItmh6zzT7vuMaNSFKRUHBbqUCVTmpNqg9M51y8unVdt/s3088/IMG_3815.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3088" data-original-width="2316" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0BcMgJdjwjBnOURUuX3KtmqNXrNeFBkVRVRzUyeCW4ie5IVcMceza7UFWtEAdoaIq61fAB3CsTn5iCYiVvd2Lglb306PqHD1sr1K9jIE9dRlhJqtNCT8Y77tl5kFuyOJSmI-gv44ZPagIx2FwwItmh6zzT7vuMaNSFKRUHBbqUCVTmpNqg9M51y8unVdt/w480-h640/IMG_3815.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><p style="text-align: left;">I had checked a map of Eganville and found that there was a community arena, so hopefully we could use the showers there after the ride. It turned out we couldn't but while we were able to park in the arena lot we saw it was right beside a small beach and there was a building for changing and outdoor showers so that would work.</p><p>The directions for the ride are quite straightforward as it is a big figure 8 and there just are not a lot of roads here. We followed County Road 512 southwest for just over 20 kms. The road was fairly quiet but there was some construction along the way and it was a relief to get past that. Then we came to the Foymount Hill, which I experienced years ago during a randonneur ride and I recall as being quite hard. It definitely is, climbing around 185 m in 2.2 kms, with maximum grade of 14%.The hamlet was once a listening post in the NORAD Pinetree Line during the Cold War but the base was decommissioned in 1972. There was a nice wide shoulder to ride on so traffic was not an issue but it was a slow grind. My gears were a bit of a limiting factor but not as much as my weight as Alec is 15 kgs lighter so he flew up the climb. Well, he was faster than me, anyway!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvyw5k1n1EJLsB2Pr9KXuwxsJziOFe_wPx27oP_MOedA7Ag47hnjx8XkWvaGH10yU0JFw004ci4p_p9o6QahyphenhyphennuF8FyS_nOh6tTvK4BleOR89g06Gosrwg8rAI3v3IhpFbclYFfClFjl5OUBwd2UHIkscUaoDY4luRPOeFKYW8RfX7KGlwCzhOn4lYtYBM/s2048/iVAW1tq6D7tpxwfzXFQtK0csUJQy9dbE6oUQru-ERps-2048x1410.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1410" data-original-width="2048" height="440" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvyw5k1n1EJLsB2Pr9KXuwxsJziOFe_wPx27oP_MOedA7Ag47hnjx8XkWvaGH10yU0JFw004ci4p_p9o6QahyphenhyphennuF8FyS_nOh6tTvK4BleOR89g06Gosrwg8rAI3v3IhpFbclYFfClFjl5OUBwd2UHIkscUaoDY4luRPOeFKYW8RfX7KGlwCzhOn4lYtYBM/w640-h440/iVAW1tq6D7tpxwfzXFQtK0csUJQy9dbE6oUQru-ERps-2048x1410.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi6gHhYKkHamdrrybOLInop-oT0HAc6JJUgCpVdJB2BiGAkenMV3R4ahsVyfQFchFonh2R0pfDZT7pHxdd95elX8PFY01Hy7IHBlYS7-MSkzWEJXf1eGXpmqEtupdlZxM30cVKWWgc4mi28_GU7RvqJmdqy5XlWEN9AWs1lJ747ys7U5KxZAKB4iVXyvaz/s2048/lsaTSvlDnUdbA1njyDIjk9c2PN3dsAZjzsVpvSYFF8o-2048x1536.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi6gHhYKkHamdrrybOLInop-oT0HAc6JJUgCpVdJB2BiGAkenMV3R4ahsVyfQFchFonh2R0pfDZT7pHxdd95elX8PFY01Hy7IHBlYS7-MSkzWEJXf1eGXpmqEtupdlZxM30cVKWWgc4mi28_GU7RvqJmdqy5XlWEN9AWs1lJ747ys7U5KxZAKB4iVXyvaz/w640-h480/lsaTSvlDnUdbA1njyDIjk9c2PN3dsAZjzsVpvSYFF8o-2048x1536.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p style="text-align: left;">Reaching Foymount my GPS kept us on the course but in the wrong direction as we should have turned right onto Opeongo Road West but instead continued straight through on 512 until we reached County Road 66. There was an absolutely marvelous descent on freshly-paved tarmac, which was such a pleasure that in the end we did not care we were going the wrong way around the loop.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBb5jC9MZ5v2FbEV8NCJgXGBEa5iPBEb2O4JfWmQoC-z-CpVSxyWAUKQh2zaiAGsUvdpVH_2LS3MIGpdGqYmY3wpalm2yaRjLDxFdiRHfI7rpshyphenhyphendTFUpvU5Lar40Dra5UWwmXTtuL3lrPZSIzhVN1UDMldMod0V7DQPfdlYAyQT76Fo7Rfa3n0L9UOggx/s4032/IMG_3827.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBb5jC9MZ5v2FbEV8NCJgXGBEa5iPBEb2O4JfWmQoC-z-CpVSxyWAUKQh2zaiAGsUvdpVH_2LS3MIGpdGqYmY3wpalm2yaRjLDxFdiRHfI7rpshyphenhyphendTFUpvU5Lar40Dra5UWwmXTtuL3lrPZSIzhVN1UDMldMod0V7DQPfdlYAyQT76Fo7Rfa3n0L9UOggx/w480-h640/IMG_3827.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikZkrgMCHKHir57OEBtlri3ZuPo1gkCfM-ibq2RLcdhYRx-UiUtvFU22KiYosj37yVbfMP00zihqy4hyphenhyphenr1zWhERA5XuYINJyqTiWExWr6pCmTf2jY1xuF-x1OEi8r1JgjgTBfQwURrUiU5aWvY8eOs339-q7La2-vwdv9fcRgvc27BQfnXdOgM3M0quaKA/s2886/IMG_3829.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2886" data-original-width="2315" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikZkrgMCHKHir57OEBtlri3ZuPo1gkCfM-ibq2RLcdhYRx-UiUtvFU22KiYosj37yVbfMP00zihqy4hyphenhyphenr1zWhERA5XuYINJyqTiWExWr6pCmTf2jY1xuF-x1OEi8r1JgjgTBfQwURrUiU5aWvY8eOs339-q7La2-vwdv9fcRgvc27BQfnXdOgM3M0quaKA/w514-h640/IMG_3829.jpeg" width="514" /></a></div><p style="text-align: left;">There were plenty of up-and-down bits but the scenery was beautiful as we rode through the heavily forested countryside, with the odd farm and summer cottage and skirting along the edges of some lakes. Turning onto Letterkenny Road (all the names in the area reflect Irish Catholic settlement), we discovered why this ride was considered one of the hardest in Ontario as there were some brutal (albeit short) climbs to deal with as we continued along this segment for 18 kms.</p><p>We reached the hamlet of Quadeville, which was the only settlement after Foymount, and reputed once to be close to the summer home of gangster Al Capone, which was very unlikely but is clearly something of a local legend. We turned onto County Road 515, rolling northwards for 17 kms and reaching Foymount again. Back on course, there were a few dips and climbs as we followed Opeongo Road West, which took us to McGrath Road after 13 kms. This was a lot easier to ride as the road was flatter and descending and I felt quite invigorated and was able to push the pace a bit. 12 kms further and then we turned onto Highway 41N, which was the road we had driven in on, and this brought us soon back to Eganville, although this 4 kms was not very pleasant given the amount of traffic.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_cjFr-RdnPtYv9CkqOaW2LOGviTw677mpNuaFyqkT8sZkRa6BDm8nIeXZrp00ThaKiPUyqpb7pRAJDiWO41-mCw8o3QaAQclol40yIsaTvP7Iv_Vspi-F59IFL1eO2WFSrFlZP6mgtmasHgutLdOAdgFK5puWFLM1PuScRFjusMnJlkblC-sS1ew9fevi/s2773/IMG_3843.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2773" data-original-width="2166" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_cjFr-RdnPtYv9CkqOaW2LOGviTw677mpNuaFyqkT8sZkRa6BDm8nIeXZrp00ThaKiPUyqpb7pRAJDiWO41-mCw8o3QaAQclol40yIsaTvP7Iv_Vspi-F59IFL1eO2WFSrFlZP6mgtmasHgutLdOAdgFK5puWFLM1PuScRFjusMnJlkblC-sS1ew9fevi/w500-h640/IMG_3843.jpeg" width="500" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCuofokb0ld6XebyNtZKr1oV-vEQC7QsvZeP2y_8Iy9OMj6bMQ78mSuHsENU7egcrD6Jt5YIY-pcprL6bzttvhjpvZBsHXuNZ6D1dpqYp_9h8BmDhgdIuJSv67aALECumIZO7zeC1RiyJoqIuH2mDR4oEe9zJeR_qc4mBpPwGAoxpbTInAN5uA48lCNIXK/s4032/IMG_3846.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCuofokb0ld6XebyNtZKr1oV-vEQC7QsvZeP2y_8Iy9OMj6bMQ78mSuHsENU7egcrD6Jt5YIY-pcprL6bzttvhjpvZBsHXuNZ6D1dpqYp_9h8BmDhgdIuJSv67aALECumIZO7zeC1RiyJoqIuH2mDR4oEe9zJeR_qc4mBpPwGAoxpbTInAN5uA48lCNIXK/w640-h480/IMG_3846.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><p style="text-align: left;">Back in Eganville we showered at the beach (cold water only but it was a warm day) and got changed. I had packed some cold water and that was good to have after the ride. Then we had a very pleasant lunch at the Rio Tap & Grill, sitting outside and overlooking the Bonnechere River, before heading back to Ottawa.</p><p>The GPS course I had downloaded showed that we would be climbing 1100 m on the route and even though we did part of it backwards I was still astonished that in our 105 kms of riding we had actually seen nearly 1700 m of altitude gain. But it was a great day out, with riding time of just over 4 1/4 hours and an average of 25 km/h.</p>Sprocketboyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00002657522696618715noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6847712656239809973.post-89284716659450251922023-07-17T01:12:00.006+02:002023-11-01T00:24:07.940+01:00Tour de Whitewater, July 15, 2023<p>With the Covid-19 pandemic basically killing all travel plans and the inertia that takes over when one is retired, I realized that it has been ages since I went riding anywhere outside of Ottawa, with the last major cycling trip being along the Blue Ridge Parkway in 2017! Figuring that the least I could do was get to know this region a bit better, I discovered an event taking place west of Ottawa that was a reasonable drive away. The Tour de Whitewater in Westmeath, Ontario, offered a number of different distances and so warranted a two hour drive to get there.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwj85x5wSY662sEO7E6Apc6qz2vwm6WqBOUjkH7uBHzbtg8TYz0ZTtESCLhQvAt7V63RwnEQpL4xeqsLbCHhSXbfrMLOcNghgtVlgzE57uZ5otyuxCFOoY9irbrbbFDt6Sg0OLVJVhb-vXkmB3RQvDi8Vk8TORkOi8ZOlzSaxjV0U6WJFmxXLqecDUBrYo/s2048/337877656_171429892395276_9107519024497838507_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1582" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwj85x5wSY662sEO7E6Apc6qz2vwm6WqBOUjkH7uBHzbtg8TYz0ZTtESCLhQvAt7V63RwnEQpL4xeqsLbCHhSXbfrMLOcNghgtVlgzE57uZ5otyuxCFOoY9irbrbbFDt6Sg0OLVJVhb-vXkmB3RQvDi8Vk8TORkOi8ZOlzSaxjV0U6WJFmxXLqecDUBrYo/w494-h640/337877656_171429892395276_9107519024497838507_n.jpg" width="494" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-PhfV6YW7GgScz41BbaVVgfl5bGU2KB8XOyBno-p1PZXQDPwnNHPbwUGosgiGbn11wkmZNTtKSYMmPfwq1HwPpj6FYW0mMdE7sP-TiBKEDi3yFNOISDmcKXS1gz2ijQYJaZ99p1XYOxBS7NascDrzy5QcSxewgo1zW3RXgY0l3Ud5bpHUCoRkBjP1XKYE/s600/whitewater.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="462" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-PhfV6YW7GgScz41BbaVVgfl5bGU2KB8XOyBno-p1PZXQDPwnNHPbwUGosgiGbn11wkmZNTtKSYMmPfwq1HwPpj6FYW0mMdE7sP-TiBKEDi3yFNOISDmcKXS1gz2ijQYJaZ99p1XYOxBS7NascDrzy5QcSxewgo1zW3RXgY0l3Ud5bpHUCoRkBjP1XKYE/w492-h640/whitewater.jpg" width="492" /></a></p><p style="text-align: left;">Of course, getting there turned out not to be as easy as I expected. The Queensway in Ottawa, the main east-west highway, was closed as there has been major work going on in bridge reconstruction, so going that way was not an option. Crossing the river into Quebec, there was a slow drag through Gatineau, getting every single stop light even though there was no traffic whatever at 5 o'clock in the morning, but then the road was quite pleasant and I let the Corvette off the throttle a bit. There are very few bridges across the Ottawa River west of the city but there is a small two lane one behind a small hydroelectric plan at Portage du Fort.</p>
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/HeW_HRM_Y7s?si=BMuf1So9oPReNVG0" title="YouTube video player" width="700"></iframe> <div>The organizers had even put up a YouTube video showing the 100 km route which, while not looking exactly like the Swiss Alps, offered at least a chance to ride some new, and probably very quiet, rural roads.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhIZbKcvlGWJB8z4ZiButqorvP4xUeA7gdvvly3zJ6kHBkwvZfUZh_0rBInENagfRvy7NKLXJufsYrric15UFupnFyNxdoLRaxbsZkRxtJ6OYOjahKA-uKUp3Qpw30C1se4lpAqoBwTPysd2lSMq7kpznOYI1_wgkPqW_B3hybaWAUUJfhz8CzD_kujNtA/s5152/IMG_0310.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3864" data-original-width="5152" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhIZbKcvlGWJB8z4ZiButqorvP4xUeA7gdvvly3zJ6kHBkwvZfUZh_0rBInENagfRvy7NKLXJufsYrric15UFupnFyNxdoLRaxbsZkRxtJ6OYOjahKA-uKUp3Qpw30C1se4lpAqoBwTPysd2lSMq7kpznOYI1_wgkPqW_B3hybaWAUUJfhz8CzD_kujNtA/w640-h480/IMG_0310.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>I was directed to a good parking spot beside the local hockey arena as the volunteers were concerned that the Corvette was too low to get into the temporary lot they were using. I registered inside and noted that the changing rooms were ideal for my quick-change into cycling gear. I enjoyed a coffee and a donut and breakfast was available for those wanting it. I unpacked the bike (to the bemusement of several people who were surprised you could fit a bike into the back of a Corvette), got changed and joined the others getting ready at the start line. I chatted with a lady from Orleans (east of Ottawa) who was wearing a jersey that indicated she had done a bike tour in Italy.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikbA3obwuGu3Uj_p3F3pAEQfyLZnTPxyFdd8p5HRQti66FdsrgQ6oHuxUikMezUxNfGB1EKHEnQsKmQjbUyU1_LKglCzPsA4aEdgEjQ09yMxJJeEd5GXjFdZu-DsuuKmVFNyTX-uCXMlaM7DxP0CTUXR7g-YuaGLdsX574oYb7LbGR6tTzYZXzDyIyCREh/s5152/IMG_0311.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3864" data-original-width="5152" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikbA3obwuGu3Uj_p3F3pAEQfyLZnTPxyFdd8p5HRQti66FdsrgQ6oHuxUikMezUxNfGB1EKHEnQsKmQjbUyU1_LKglCzPsA4aEdgEjQ09yMxJJeEd5GXjFdZu-DsuuKmVFNyTX-uCXMlaM7DxP0CTUXR7g-YuaGLdsX574oYb7LbGR6tTzYZXzDyIyCREh/w640-h480/IMG_0311.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFpv4Ce-64ItuaNM-yzOaNbIQvzo-d5bVPqIMGoCP-fv0nsm6zQwMt-uDct3PUBraJ0XIbj-0xTiCBdghE49ArL8H3m1E_0cSLu6qEekdZYTygrscaIXbmIfSAmQM1TINJF9NbkrN5z-LiZsjY67QIyyyGmJuweEKzbURTPFl4eoVdfQcVcodRrYFZCOg3/s5152/IMG_0312.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3864" data-original-width="5152" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFpv4Ce-64ItuaNM-yzOaNbIQvzo-d5bVPqIMGoCP-fv0nsm6zQwMt-uDct3PUBraJ0XIbj-0xTiCBdghE49ArL8H3m1E_0cSLu6qEekdZYTygrscaIXbmIfSAmQM1TINJF9NbkrN5z-LiZsjY67QIyyyGmJuweEKzbURTPFl4eoVdfQcVcodRrYFZCOg3/w640-h480/IMG_0312.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>The organizers told me that they had 400 registrations, with one-quarter doing the 100 km route. There was a group of younger riders on fast carbon bikes who were going to run a paceline from the way things looked. It was to prove so as after the start at 8:00 am sharp I only saw them once as they passed in the opposite direction. Slowly riding out with a big group, I looked around are realized we were all of a certain age, although I soon found myself riding beside someone in his 30s who was good company and quite proud of his new-to-him fancy carbon bicycle. However, although I was riding a fairly relaxed pace, all those months of training in the Pain Cave were showing results as I pulled away easily on each climb and soon found myself alone.</div><div><br /></div><div>The first part of the ride had some nice rolling climbs but I was surprised when at around 25 kms we came to Beachburg and the first rest stop. I didn't see much point in stopping so just took a photo and headed onwards.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVJWFbrgo7k7MU6NdPLVHPyf6xvL1yWIOlyPssANdYBgFpvmQGjHbHIr0UENY99eyNc7B_O8BlJTVF9elefdGXgHxpTBXD8wh8vRi6FaZCtrcbmvfM7R32MunYYvY-y_TeGMe4oDhawb51-C8M-oZukgIl8L-8ks5McD9avrHa0Zm9KoYlz0iddPTu5R-U/s5152/IMG_0314.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3864" data-original-width="5152" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVJWFbrgo7k7MU6NdPLVHPyf6xvL1yWIOlyPssANdYBgFpvmQGjHbHIr0UENY99eyNc7B_O8BlJTVF9elefdGXgHxpTBXD8wh8vRi6FaZCtrcbmvfM7R32MunYYvY-y_TeGMe4oDhawb51-C8M-oZukgIl8L-8ks5McD9avrHa0Zm9KoYlz0iddPTu5R-U/w640-h480/IMG_0314.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieophL-bTfJH5LnmhcerjjCTbpKI9XO3yiG8UnHF7Y4BFv5Dw7KUhWGt47zDIHS8kTSMtBB4L-yOrs-M8l_vsxv1AVeeX7ckfuiEGuIAM4yy79SlaC92t5Rrkt2TsDIqf8h1lNiWUFM0RDJBrtG5jvtTI7kO8bDNqXsCzBclHXuP5xjLjQXPI5z37GndhF/s5152/IMG_0315.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3864" data-original-width="5152" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieophL-bTfJH5LnmhcerjjCTbpKI9XO3yiG8UnHF7Y4BFv5Dw7KUhWGt47zDIHS8kTSMtBB4L-yOrs-M8l_vsxv1AVeeX7ckfuiEGuIAM4yy79SlaC92t5Rrkt2TsDIqf8h1lNiWUFM0RDJBrtG5jvtTI7kO8bDNqXsCzBclHXuP5xjLjQXPI5z37GndhF/w640-h480/IMG_0315.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>Although I had loaded the course onto my GPS unit, I was somewhat confused when I saw the fast people riding back along the road I was going down, not realizing that the course ran down one road and then up another that was parallel. So after reading down the long straight and rather boring Queen's Line Road, I turned right at Chenaux, following Chenaux Road east but then got confused at Magnesium Road, which led me to Mine View Road. At this point, I could not figure out the way so just rurned around and went back--realizing later that if I followed Mine View Road for its full length south I would have been on the right track! </div><div><br /></div><div>No matter. After the long drag back along Queen's Line Road, I turned right onto Foresters Falls Road, which soon enough took me to the small town of, yes, Foresters Falls. Here was the second rest stop and it was very busy. I took a short break but really should have joined the long line and filled up my water bottles but my Tommasini attracted a great deal of attention and being the proud owner I had to answer lots of questions. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiob8ihJR4Sz5OxOlzgCk3lAmdsHujntFrDMn3MLt0GLe5zIlPztmeTNmhtk7qsM1QwGPsMtTN1uO2F_TShpREwiY4QKn9Hvy21ho4C6Ewx34Xl6lsdyKQfjA7JLl6HVtRwUQvrIylJKxdmIdwj4wj2DntRyt5JsIWLxodudLsP8KEpZytRAPeLYHoIh5ia/s5152/IMG_0316.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3864" data-original-width="5152" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiob8ihJR4Sz5OxOlzgCk3lAmdsHujntFrDMn3MLt0GLe5zIlPztmeTNmhtk7qsM1QwGPsMtTN1uO2F_TShpREwiY4QKn9Hvy21ho4C6Ewx34Xl6lsdyKQfjA7JLl6HVtRwUQvrIylJKxdmIdwj4wj2DntRyt5JsIWLxodudLsP8KEpZytRAPeLYHoIh5ia/w640-h480/IMG_0316.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>The next stretch along the Grants Settlement Road was the best part of the ride, going for around 15 kms alongside the Ottawa River. There were some sharp little climbs and I paid the price as I seized up with bad legs cramps. Luckily I had brought my Hot Shot stuff with me and that took care of the problem right away, although it tastes pretty terrible. I continued along the edge of the river, rejoining Lapasse Road, which was part of the outgoing route, then turned left onto Gore Line, which brought me on a very straight course back to the finish line in Westmeath. Of course, the few little hills on this road were enough to start the cramps up again but I persevered.</div><div><br /></div><div>After getting changed and packing up the bike, I enjoyed a simple lunch in the arena, and was particularly happy to have something to drink, going through several bottles of water. It had not been a very hot day or very windy but I was definitely dehydrated. </div><div><br /></div><div>Returning to Ottawa, this time I drove along the Trans-Canada Highway, stopping at friends in Carp where I had arranged to use their shower as I knew it would be a long trip home. In fact it was pretty bad as all the alternative routes to the Queensway were completely snarled up and instead of the usual hour to get home from Carp it took closer to two and a half. But arrive I did in the end.</div><div><br /></div><div>The ride itself (except for getting a bit lost and having cramps) went well enough. I ended up adding 12 kms to the official route, making my Tour de Whitewater 116 kms long and there was around 500 m of climbing involved. I was surprised that my average speed was 29 km/h since I rode almost the entire course alone but the Tommasini is such a pleasure to ride quickly once you find a rhythm. It would have been nice to work with a group but I could not find anyone riding at my speed so perhaps my next ride does not need to be an official event I have to pay for since I ride alone anyway! At the arena I did see a flyer for a ride near Eganville, the Tour de Bonnechere, in August and that looked interesting as I heard someone say how hard it was!</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyA67GWS-MDlxVhn_5Ig_uMi1PtzczAlPf2TyhDpVhtbmAeS1Fo6L_dN71UrwX5ElpTuuiZQOWe3uXetnJwLzpXUKZx8aazWyd68JRVxwXpl2LP0rtA_TZ2UNmuKpVTPAkO6hJ-x5GFPawN4nzYh2OJ9WwF24Rz3JaHKtEdXwYaSSIFoLQ_gqvxkS7ExIr/s1366/Screenshot%20(670).png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1366" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyA67GWS-MDlxVhn_5Ig_uMi1PtzczAlPf2TyhDpVhtbmAeS1Fo6L_dN71UrwX5ElpTuuiZQOWe3uXetnJwLzpXUKZx8aazWyd68JRVxwXpl2LP0rtA_TZ2UNmuKpVTPAkO6hJ-x5GFPawN4nzYh2OJ9WwF24Rz3JaHKtEdXwYaSSIFoLQ_gqvxkS7ExIr/w640-h360/Screenshot%20(670).png" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>Sprocketboyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00002657522696618715noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6847712656239809973.post-46861863190742347822019-01-13T23:45:00.000+01:002019-01-13T23:46:17.768+01:00How to Break the Hour RecordI enjoyed this video about prepping for the Hour Record. When the presenter was challenged to ride while putting out 440 W, estimated to be the amount produced by Sir Bradley Wiggins when he took the record in 2015 at over 54 kms, he lasted 45 seconds. However, there was no mention of watts/kg, a key measure of cycling power. I can easily produce 440W for a minute, but at more than 12 kg over Wiggins' weight when he did the ride I would probably need to produce something crazy, like 650W, to get around the track in the same distance in one hour. Ain't gonna happen!<br />
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<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/DiUE3qDnFtU" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>Sprocketboyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00002657522696618715noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6847712656239809973.post-40906284095075232102018-03-31T15:07:00.006+02:002023-10-30T00:59:05.366+01:00Volta Limburg Classic!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha-YD3TYHnH3gks43LcVkar8CeKjmSGUTYwKZj8owMtIgDqeh1syULpN74z1s1jp2lr6mvJ8bdNMa2YmZswYxCR9VcxMPFVi1ZTa9NpHiJCprBx-y6rUAnBbiWuEb1jSJh0N-k2LQbN3PR/s1600/VB.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha-YD3TYHnH3gks43LcVkar8CeKjmSGUTYwKZj8owMtIgDqeh1syULpN74z1s1jp2lr6mvJ8bdNMa2YmZswYxCR9VcxMPFVi1ZTa9NpHiJCprBx-y6rUAnBbiWuEb1jSJh0N-k2LQbN3PR/w640-h426/VB.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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One of my great memories of cycling in Europe was the various times I rode in the Netherlands in the Limburg region. In addition to twice riding the Amstel Gold course (the 150 km version; once during the official event and once with friends a few weeks later in better weather), the 2012 World's time trial course as well as the World's Toertocht (sportif) ride that year.<br />
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Today the Volta Limburg Classic, a UCI 1.1 level race, is taking place in the region. Also known as De Hel van Het Mergelland, it has been run since 1973, receiving its current UCI status in 2005 and today is the 44th edition (the race was not run in 2001 due to the foot-and-mouth crisis in rural Europe). As it is shortly before the Tour of Flanders, it is more of a race for up-and-comers rather than the top pros, although sometimes UCI WorldTour pro teams are present. Jumbo-Lotto NL is on the start list in 2018 but the rest of the participants appear to be from UCI Pro Continental and Continental teams. I have not heard of most of them, which also makes things interesting. "Monkey Town Continental Team," anyone?<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqnZxmvijBVjlFTemJ0wpazmGTNPHVV_0oIqGk0Gz4DIJpoHQiuGacPC_siah7PyYqH2rapCu2mRUxDbkP3CmAnXcZ89GUmdHZbte9CYZCJd5R9AOYMIVjCXxb4TquY75kCmfiXIdSJXVp/s1600/Kaart_Heren_2018.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="773" data-original-width="1250" height="394" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqnZxmvijBVjlFTemJ0wpazmGTNPHVV_0oIqGk0Gz4DIJpoHQiuGacPC_siah7PyYqH2rapCu2mRUxDbkP3CmAnXcZ89GUmdHZbte9CYZCJd5R9AOYMIVjCXxb4TquY75kCmfiXIdSJXVp/w640-h394/Kaart_Heren_2018.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Past winners have included Tony Martin in 2008 and Stefan K<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">ü</span>ng, <span style="font-family: inherit;">a rising Swiss pro with Team BMC, in 2015. From an entirely Dutch/Belgian event in its early days, the race has become much more international, with winners from Australia, Germany, Italy, Russia, France, Ukraine, as well as those other two nations. I see a Canadian, Benjamin Perry, of St. Catherines, Ontario, is present today for the Israel Cycling Academy team.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
span style="font-family: inherit;">People tend to think of the Netherlands as flat as a pancake but this region, as I discovered, boasts the "Limburger Alps," a whole lot of brutal little hills that really hurt! The course today is just under 200 kms and makes my legs hurt to look at the profile!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLXRus9U4P1ENHUstKV0Vi6xUO1wH9ASXXymWQlD9CaM9SvDkOMXf01EVZLdfEFnjyqAP8_Ypf2WCBq6VPlB2_IHo0Dd4f06N0mmkIrEYLXs4E6YeuqdsOqXWxauDBOyHstLYhSIh1jEGB/s1600/2012_volta_limburg_classic_profile.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="374" data-original-width="694" height="344" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLXRus9U4P1ENHUstKV0Vi6xUO1wH9ASXXymWQlD9CaM9SvDkOMXf01EVZLdfEFnjyqAP8_Ypf2WCBq6VPlB2_IHo0Dd4f06N0mmkIrEYLXs4E6YeuqdsOqXWxauDBOyHstLYhSIh1jEGB/w640-h344/2012_volta_limburg_classic_profile.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Thanks to the magic that is the Internet, it is possible now to watch these races live (although I will need to brush up on my Dutch) and I will pass a happy Saturday enjoying the familiar scenery in preparation for tomorrow's Tour of Flanders.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Limburg L1 television's broadcast coverage includes the women's race as well as the men's.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">For Dutch fans, here is the link to the event's <a href="https://www.voltalimburgclassic.nl/" target="_blank">website</a>. There is also a Toertocht version on Easter Monday.</span></div>
Sprocketboyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00002657522696618715noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6847712656239809973.post-58048324068214641122017-11-28T02:28:00.002+01:002023-10-30T22:14:47.665+01:00Movie Review: Inspired To Ride<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizWIZ9OBwhCJG_F6r8qs8nSZyyl969V4IPhLGOL8kXSl1eYaLodZpLAyjDMGJwtvmYyjnA-m73CR8gIUGYTohrZKbFMF-mqW_ILlRroxZkNCmqObWlWzf9jSMsldZRApbFoWPVTJalaECk/s1600/Inspired-to-Ride-DVD_14b2b433-116b-4e98-97c4-e97181523b20.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1040" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizWIZ9OBwhCJG_F6r8qs8nSZyyl969V4IPhLGOL8kXSl1eYaLodZpLAyjDMGJwtvmYyjnA-m73CR8gIUGYTohrZKbFMF-mqW_ILlRroxZkNCmqObWlWzf9jSMsldZRApbFoWPVTJalaECk/w549-h640/Inspired-to-Ride-DVD_14b2b433-116b-4e98-97c4-e97181523b20.png" width="549" /></a></div>
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The Race Across America (RAAM) was
meant to be the ultimate long-distance bike race but spawned a number
of imitators—the Race Around Ireland, the Race Around Austria, the
Race Across Europe—which followed the same format. This means
individual and team categories with support crews. But that clearly
was too easy as we see the emergence of races over insane distance
that leave the cyclists unsupported and entirely to their own
devices. “Inspired to Ride” is a film about the inaugural
TransAm Bicycle Race in 2014, an unsupported race across America for
“the crazies,” as one contestant notes with approval. It is
quite a story.<br />
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The
rules of the TransAm Bicycle Race are simple enough. Each rider is
equipped with a GPS that shows his or her location, letting the
organizers and other competitors know who is where. There is no
support allowed; no stages; no checkpoints; no drafting. The path
followed is Adventure Cycling's Trans America Bicycle Trail, a route
developed for the American Bicentennial in 1976, that runs from
Astoria, Oregon to Yorktown, Virgnia. It is 6,800 km (4,200 miles)
in length and crosses 10 states.</div>
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<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
The
film focuses primarily on two riders. British ultracycling legend
Mike Hall rode the mountain bike ultradistance Tour Divide, from the
Canadian border to the Mexican one in 2011, and finished 11<sup>th</sup>
in spite of a knee injury. He went on to win the inaugural World
Cycle Race in 2012, racing around the world in only 91 days, and
going on to win the 2013 Tour Divide. That same year he organized
the Transcontinental Race, another unsupported event that crosses
year with a different route each year and quickly attracts its 350
rider limit. In 2016 Hall won the Tour Divide again.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDtMD_vfbQ5FDY7RFSDvzTno3HVHrmF-hu_KIOB-_25R1ULZjt2g_vOxu4qh_uWUUpR4lvjI_qa2Sws6QkSP9Jn7Di286r5dfh7CkLbn7sf7UfvS06K8gc1A8AGcVjqTKvfXfB-DB9ZRhx/s1600/Mike+Hall.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="799" data-original-width="1200" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDtMD_vfbQ5FDY7RFSDvzTno3HVHrmF-hu_KIOB-_25R1ULZjt2g_vOxu4qh_uWUUpR4lvjI_qa2Sws6QkSP9Jn7Di286r5dfh7CkLbn7sf7UfvS06K8gc1A8AGcVjqTKvfXfB-DB9ZRhx/w640-h424/Mike+Hall.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><b>Mike Hall</b></i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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The
other rider highlighted is Juliana Buhring, who owns the record for
the fastest circumnavigation of the world by a female cyclist. She
accomplished this in 2012, two years after learning to ride a bicycle
at the age of 30. She had a bruising childhood, growing up in a cult
environment, and is proud of her self-sufficiency. Crashing on the
second day of the TransAm, she shrugs off her bruised knee and
painful ribs and heads east at a remarkable pace. She casually
explains that she really needs five days to get warmed up properly.
She typically rides 14-16 hours each day of the event.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcP09PROAPw0ohLB2-4vWcVu2rCu_kAzvd3_JHjIov08tssy4x8oZ8JToNCRwnN-4Tj1ghzeQfYPgIfKdyZL_bwtmiAL8bt9geb2xUASU8Iu7WiQlziwmlD0fUQDHhNJwU8FFYDjAsojan/s1600/Juliana+buhring.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="639" data-original-width="960" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcP09PROAPw0ohLB2-4vWcVu2rCu_kAzvd3_JHjIov08tssy4x8oZ8JToNCRwnN-4Tj1ghzeQfYPgIfKdyZL_bwtmiAL8bt9geb2xUASU8Iu7WiQlziwmlD0fUQDHhNJwU8FFYDjAsojan/w640-h424/Juliana+buhring.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><b>Juliana Buhring</b></i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: left;">
There
is a funny subplot featuring two Italians who Juliana Buhring is
obsessed with beating to the finish. One of them cannot believe that
a woman who has only ridden for such a short time cannot possibly be
going faster than him, a racer with years of experience, and he
accuses her of cheating somehow. Needless to say, she has the
personality that thrives on this kind of outrage.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq-sYBnfMsdDXEaoy9bwbhGm2xRFw4VYmNyVU3kxKHJn7B94lgwFYftBmauWSqJeis3_eogLikILUz30OYKb4AHwyVTnKZi-42b50dC5idwjvpb27VNuP17h-e1bCmZo7l18CrvSUMQtA7/s1600/italian.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="799" data-original-width="1200" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq-sYBnfMsdDXEaoy9bwbhGm2xRFw4VYmNyVU3kxKHJn7B94lgwFYftBmauWSqJeis3_eogLikILUz30OYKb4AHwyVTnKZi-42b50dC5idwjvpb27VNuP17h-e1bCmZo7l18CrvSUMQtA7/w640-h424/italian.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
The 45
starters in Oregon are a mixed group of riders, with people who could
not afford the steep expense of RAAM, or wanted to accomplish
something special. The greatest challenger to Mike Hall is Canadian
Jason Lane, who is delighted that he can do this and travel around
the world, “pretending to be an athlete and not having to grow up.”
Lane appears to ride with minimal sleep, stopping at post offices
where he has mailed the ingredients for his liquid diet. Jovial
actor Brian Steele is 6 foot 7 inches tall and specializes in playing
monster roles for Hollywood.</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
The
Trans America Trail does not appear to go through towns of any
significance for the entire stretch. The cyclists face rain as they
ride along the Pacific Coast, then turn inland to cross mountains.
There is sleet and snow although the race is in June. Horrific winds
greet the riders as they come into the Great Plains and make their
snail-like progress across Kansas. Unlike RAAM, the cyclists need to
arrange their own accommodations and find supplies or mechanical
help. This often means sleeping at the side of the road and eating,
well, pretty much anything they can get. Considering the scale of the
enterprise, nobody is carrying all that much on their bike. Jason
Lane says that the time for arranging food and shelter is much more
time-consuming than he had expected. As the race unfolds the
cyclists become gaunt and a lot less coherent than in Oregon. Mike
Hall cannot recall what day it is—but then the organizers in their
van can't either.</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
The
filmmakers give us little vignettes of others on the road—a Vietnam
war veteran on his bike; an Australian lady riding the Trans America
Trail to honour the memory of Martin Luther King; two friends, one
from Oregon, the other from Virginia, just riding the Trail for fun,
with no plan; a bartender proud of his smoking and drinking and
honest approach to life.</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
There
is much of the kindness of strangers. A little bike shop in tiny
Newton, Kansas, is open at all hours to help the riders; a lady
forces money on Juliana Buhrling to buy food; a pair of enthusiasts
in a small town offer Brian Steele a free dinner, which he is happy
to accept. But even help from friendly people is not enough to
overcome health or mechanical issues or just total exhaustion. In
the end 25 of the starters make it to Yorktown. Mike Hall,
unsurprisingly, has led almost from the first day and rolls up to the
monument that marks the end of the race a full day ahead of his
closest competitor. It has taken him 17 days and 16 hours. The 25<sup>th</sup>
rider comes in at 116 days.</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Sadly,
the road can take its toll. The Australian lady doing her tour never
reached the end, becoming another traffic fatality in America. And
Mike Hall himself died in a collision in March 2017 after having
completed 5,000 kms of the 5,500 km Indian Pacific Wheel Race in
Australia and holding second place at the time.</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
“Inspired
to Ride” shows what determined people can accomplish and the joy of
each finisher as they come into Yorktown, no matter when, is
infectious. The filmmakers have chosen to feature not only the
scenic delights of the route but also the rather grim flatlands, with
their endless winds and straight roads, to show the diversity of the
race landscape. The riders are in their world during the TransAm and
it is worth joining them through this well-made documentary.</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/VjsUetmMI0Y" width="700"></iframe></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
“Inspired
to Ride” is 128 minutes in length and may be purchased as a digital
download at <a href="https://watch.inspiredtoride.it/">https://watch.inspiredtoride.it</a>/.
The website also has information about how to host a screening of
the film, along with a selection of merchandise.</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Learn
more about the TransAm Bicycle Race at: https://transambikerace.com/</div>
Sprocketboyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00002657522696618715noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6847712656239809973.post-4418451081912647772017-11-21T00:21:00.003+01:002017-11-21T03:20:04.780+01:00Movie Review: MAMIL<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8zXMtdeZ15C5TVp_hRZNjfhy2HhyhHwFsN2I38Nl8THNZzUSjke1zW2yqs3PphJgm1XkHaRVvFbvnLCvydlaGScK4ojr4KNn1S604doSYfRenDz4rWzoDwvjmHBHyVy5TVT4rYsWfkxDs/s1600/MAMIL-FB-event.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8zXMtdeZ15C5TVp_hRZNjfhy2HhyhHwFsN2I38Nl8THNZzUSjke1zW2yqs3PphJgm1XkHaRVvFbvnLCvydlaGScK4ojr4KNn1S604doSYfRenDz4rWzoDwvjmHBHyVy5TVT4rYsWfkxDs/s400/MAMIL-FB-event.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
The acronym MAMIL for “Middle Aged Men in Lycra” has, from its inception several years ago in a British newspaper, always had something of a derogatory air to it. To the majority of people, MAMILs are Caucasian males of a certain age who shamelessly jam themselves into ill-fitting and disturbingly revealing clothing to slowly ride their incredibly expensive pro-wannabe carbon bikes while selfishly blocking traffic. But as a new Australian-produced film--<b>its latest single night showings to be across Canada on Thursday, November 30</b>—indicates, there is so much more to the story.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPRpIh2jcy0n0OjVkv5Z5di8zxTFLuWRpA6oYgZC9KLsIaHfaNZjddRWXJVEh51QkO6Ga27bMoY5-TZkCx4ggbn4X13HfawhuLfNcbk3h9qWqMvBI0kt0fdUQDDCDXIxM35sAdUoDG_BAd/s1600/Adelaide+Fat+Boys+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPRpIh2jcy0n0OjVkv5Z5di8zxTFLuWRpA6oYgZC9KLsIaHfaNZjddRWXJVEh51QkO6Ga27bMoY5-TZkCx4ggbn4X13HfawhuLfNcbk3h9qWqMvBI0kt0fdUQDDCDXIxM35sAdUoDG_BAd/s400/Adelaide+Fat+Boys+%25281%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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One would think that the term MAMIL, when first coined, would cause some cheap laughs and disappear soon enough. In fact, with the explosive growth of high-end cycling and all its accoutrements, including those carbon bikes and flyweight components, Alpine tours, advanced training programs, and even better Lycra, the MAMILs did not disappear at all but in fact the word was included in the Oxford English Dictionary in 2014.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsmtoTAYLxNBMW1ilfnspaG40PbGxBUX71AbSIZA-yiIZ789yOVg6b6EEmtc-lIhzj7F41r075UeJj7Eixj7GeVx-9G91zzjGiVUaexwI_Su9-3fj8Elz6gG3Gz4LhOs0-NwIjt-Ytb1m9/s1600/Rupert+Englander+-+UK.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsmtoTAYLxNBMW1ilfnspaG40PbGxBUX71AbSIZA-yiIZ789yOVg6b6EEmtc-lIhzj7F41r075UeJj7Eixj7GeVx-9G91zzjGiVUaexwI_Su9-3fj8Elz6gG3Gz4LhOs0-NwIjt-Ytb1m9/s400/Rupert+Englander+-+UK.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
The MAMIL movie opens with a sequence in which a number of person-in-the-street chats in which the interviewees express their unparalleled revulsion at the wear of Lycra. We then go into the world of the MAMIL in Australia, with the Fatboys Cycling Club. The Fatboys, based in Adelaide and operating since 1995, are apparently the largest recreational cycling group in South Australia. The club looks like a pretty typical MAMIL haunt, with about 100 members, early morning group rides and a lot of socializing.<br />
<br />
This is from the club's website:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Why do we ride? No one is really sure. With an average age upward of 50, it could be a late mid-life thing. We like to think it is driven by the need to keep fit, lose weight and spend time with our mates. But it is more likely the mix of endorphins, adrenaline and caffeine (and the need to talk crap) that hits us at the end of a big ride. This is when we all get together and remind each other what heroes we could have been and ponder why our families fail to appreciate our cycling prowess. </blockquote>
But MAMIL is about much more than “cycling prowess” as it tells not only the Fatboys story but of cyclists in Britain, New York, Minnesota, Iowa, and California as well. All of those profiled have very different reasons for cycling and it is clear that MAMILs are a group of great diversity. Cycling is an end to find some kind of fulfillment.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwbFSLwWTFACmZ61tXGTtUcl7UNJWVhh94beYVNf_r-ecmXkMJR5cllZfUmRtw21ZRbcWODkyn3bpZwv2h4T2Q4Qijrz2-lTKkB8-xOtR5shvjuecKM4cFqegLpNbyh0k1x4lgNFSuNNOf/s1600/Fast+%2527n+Fabulous+Cyling+Club+-+NYC.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwbFSLwWTFACmZ61tXGTtUcl7UNJWVhh94beYVNf_r-ecmXkMJR5cllZfUmRtw21ZRbcWODkyn3bpZwv2h4T2Q4Qijrz2-lTKkB8-xOtR5shvjuecKM4cFqegLpNbyh0k1x4lgNFSuNNOf/s400/Fast+%2527n+Fabulous+Cyling+Club+-+NYC.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKx4F2km09JSqxVgi6W5o_uiwwz53pTwhz66sUyp3EEATdISUSUmChASNjTVjF9JsRvHSqdoaNo-yXrqwO8xygweqxM2oxg6eN5___S6A-68QSDUebb9UC6swFqez-Lc7mn4GM9hkxuSIU/s1600/Jayman+Prestige+-+Warragul+cc+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1065" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKx4F2km09JSqxVgi6W5o_uiwwz53pTwhz66sUyp3EEATdISUSUmChASNjTVjF9JsRvHSqdoaNo-yXrqwO8xygweqxM2oxg6eN5___S6A-68QSDUebb9UC6swFqez-Lc7mn4GM9hkxuSIU/s400/Jayman+Prestige+-+Warragul+cc+%25281%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
What are the different reasons for cycling? For many, like the Fatboys, there is camaraderie on the open road, the opportunity to push one's physical limits with others suffering the same effort, to sit around and laugh about it all afterwards. A barrister from Australia with a high-pressure job finds a release on what he considers a self-indulgent vacation as he follows the Vuelta with a tour group. For some it is finding like-minded people, such as the gay cycling group in New York City, or the devout church group in Minnesota. But for others cycling has a much more serious purpose.
For example, the East Side Cycling Club of Los Angeles was formed when its founder, who was morbidly obese, asked friends to come with him as he started to ride and not only did his health improve but others joined in seeking the same kind of support. A British father of two seeing his fitness fall apart in middle age was determined to regain control of his life. Another in the UK learned that he had MS and discovered that while his unresponsive right side meant walking was difficult it did not affect his balance on the bicycle. A Fatboy found solace in his club as he suffered from depression. A paraplegic discovers a new world riding a tandem recumbent with his wife.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
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A group of friends in Australia rallied around one of their number who was diagnosed with cancer and joined a charity ride and have formed their own club (yes, named MAMIL) that has raised a good deal of money. And an English rider, who regrets that he gave up too early on what might have been a pro racing career decades ago, grits his teeth and hammers away at local races determined to crush men half his age.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
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Of course, being a MAMIL is not without its downsides. The president of a local racing club has to juggle unpleasant administrative work and steps back, in spite of his success at it, when he realizes how much time it costs. There is time away from the family in order to train, the considerable expense of the equipment, and, worst of all is the risk of very serious injury. Several riders are rolling GoPro stations as they record encounters with hostile and dangerous drivers. There is an interview with what must be the world's unluckiest cyclist, an Australian who gets confused about what has happened in his chain of life-threatening accidents, but who is back out riding with his club while wearing a neck brace. The president of the Fatboys breaks his back in a mountain bike crash.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
Being a middle aged male can be tough generally as it becomes an interlude to reflect on a half lifetime of accomplishment as well as goals unfulfilled. The clock is running and everyone in this often amusing but sensitive documentary is aware of it. The barrister, who is agonizing over his trip to Spain as he thinks it is short-changing his partner should be less stressed as she would only need to watch him in this film as he stands on the edge of the time trial course as Alberto Contador blasts by. He looks like the happiest man on earth as he watches.<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" mozallowfullscreen="" src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/233252697?title=0&byline=0&portrait=0" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="640"></iframe><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">“MAMIL” will be shown on one-time screenings in Canada on Thursday, November 30. For more information about these showings or to get the film into a theatre near you go to https://ca.demand.film/mamil/
</span>Sprocketboyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00002657522696618715noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6847712656239809973.post-37260730483013961502017-11-18T21:38:00.000+01:002017-11-18T21:38:23.213+01:00Stage 17 of the 2018 Tour de France ReconThis is amazing. I rode the Peyresourde a few years ago and loved it but this will be at a whole different level. Formidable! Now, if only I was in Mike Cotty's condition I would consider it but when you think that the first 30 kms gives you 1000 vertical meters of climbing already it is not for everybody...<br />
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<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/y_3b3_tIDaM" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>Sprocketboyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00002657522696618715noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6847712656239809973.post-81896810342983194952017-11-17T03:19:00.003+01:002017-11-17T03:19:41.221+01:00Book Review: The Art of the Cycling Jersey<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgK-vmr0nX98DcP7ONygNo-6iWQaZWPCU-2g0xQl31eqCFO2IU_L6p-WjCSjNnyq2hqawFLKTR9q89ZxBA_4kFZH8WCCwsVMN6-QHm8JEfqVQQz_ekU97ZwcMHFOia_e06P-v52itXgbYu/s1600/Cycling+Jersey+Cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1261" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgK-vmr0nX98DcP7ONygNo-6iWQaZWPCU-2g0xQl31eqCFO2IU_L6p-WjCSjNnyq2hqawFLKTR9q89ZxBA_4kFZH8WCCwsVMN6-QHm8JEfqVQQz_ekU97ZwcMHFOia_e06P-v52itXgbYu/s400/Cycling+Jersey+Cover.jpg" width="315" /></a></div>
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“What is the well-dressed cyclist
wearing these days?”, I hear you ask me. “Or back in those early
days?” I am glad you asked because Rodale Press' excellent book,
“The Art of the Cycling Jersey,” subtitled “Iconic Cycle Wear
Past and Present,” shows us that looking good and going fast are
not mutually exclusive.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhulRVYwDIGSfaW52MXNv4ouOwoHqNsHEt0htarUrEkIIN1uPkuCfRfIlQ5i9YnLfBWX6-07mUy9KdPx2hyFl3M2-0GgTMILKW2M8GDs4-uE-ToHm6RPkFcFf5kA6aiy6PnCoje4zggMdGj/s1600/HR-shutterstock_85425823.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1486" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhulRVYwDIGSfaW52MXNv4ouOwoHqNsHEt0htarUrEkIIN1uPkuCfRfIlQ5i9YnLfBWX6-07mUy9KdPx2hyFl3M2-0GgTMILKW2M8GDs4-uE-ToHm6RPkFcFf5kA6aiy6PnCoje4zggMdGj/s400/HR-shutterstock_85425823.jpg" width="368" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><b>Copenhagen 2011: The British National Team leads Mark Cavendish to victory at the World Championships</b></i></td></tr>
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British
author Chris Sidwell's latest book addresses an area that has been an
empty shelf on my gargantuan bookshelf. We have books on famous
races, famous riders, suffering amateurs, the training programs they
suffer with, custom bicycles, vintage bicycles, components (yes, we
have both the original and revised editions of “the Dancing Chain," a history of the derailleur) and even variations of road surfaces in
Belgium, to say nothing of daunting climbs and disastrous
around-the-world rides. It is about time that somebody recognized
the role of the cycling jersey in our sport and this elegant and
attractive book is welcome indeed.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTKKv6N2aAgnPS27OBcoNjfPoanrOTgEGv5yRyWjjfvvpL4l80qXtQsYmmqb7FRgJjHw9elGyiGKjgPdHbZsoEqQJNsMFZTPPFBSSmrtlzQPG0NqqiC9bFOG8iBITfiMSgIHuypaHABrNJ/s1600/HR-Bollen+006-clean.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1549" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTKKv6N2aAgnPS27OBcoNjfPoanrOTgEGv5yRyWjjfvvpL4l80qXtQsYmmqb7FRgJjHw9elGyiGKjgPdHbZsoEqQJNsMFZTPPFBSSmrtlzQPG0NqqiC9bFOG8iBITfiMSgIHuypaHABrNJ/s400/HR-Bollen+006-clean.JPG" width="383" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><b>The Tour de France King of the Mountains jersey, little changed since its introduction in 1975</b></i></td></tr>
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The
book is set out chronologically. In the early days riders did not
really have cycling-specific clothing in the first races but there
was a realization that clothing should be more form-fitting to offer
less wind resistance as well as appropriate to the weather
conditions. During the first Tour de France racers did not ride in
teams and were free to choose their own gear. The winner of that
first race in 1903, Maurice Garin, wore a distinctive white jacket to
keep cool. In a pre-yellow jersey move, race officials gave him a
green armband to distinguish him as the race leader. While jackets
had their place, it was the sweater's evolution that began the march
towards the jersey as we know it.</div>
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“The first cycling jerseys were plain wool, but bicycle
manufacturers who sponsored early professional riders soon saw the
publicity possibilities of having their names on the jerseys. So in
the early years of the twentieth century, bike manufacturers' names
were embroidered onto some woolen jerseys, often in a rough copy of
the script used in the manufacturer's logo. They were stitched by
hand, using the same think wool the jersey was made from, although in
a contrasting color. This relatively crude method was improved with
the introduction of lighter, thinner wool yarns to make cycling
jerseys. The embroidered letters on some of these were quite
exquisite.”</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrwtltf_mLf1rX4na4M4jDoiFRLS-a3aowDVwaDDba5K3KppcL11smCokOmDgz5G9_UIeSwpj9FWOM2xj6A_Vy5bOfXkcWSMNJ6AoXZqscPr2IPEIpfQ017Si-VBlSTXsbfxXmPk2POonr/s1600/HR_Criterium_des_as_1926_fre%25CC%2580res_Pelissier.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1281" data-original-width="1600" height="318" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrwtltf_mLf1rX4na4M4jDoiFRLS-a3aowDVwaDDba5K3KppcL11smCokOmDgz5G9_UIeSwpj9FWOM2xj6A_Vy5bOfXkcWSMNJ6AoXZqscPr2IPEIpfQ017Si-VBlSTXsbfxXmPk2POonr/s400/HR_Criterium_des_as_1926_fre%25CC%2580res_Pelissier.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-weight: bold;">1926 The three Pelissier brothers riding for Dilecta-Wolber</span></i><br />
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<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;">The first chapter of the book covers this early evolution and focuses on some of the notable teams that made their mark, at the finish line and in fashion statements. These included the blue jerseys of Alcyon, the French team whose riders won a dozen Tours de France on the way to victory in 120 world-class races; Legnano, the team of Gino Bartali, with its green jerseys with red sleeves; and Atala, a team that existed from 1908 to 1989, with striped jerseys (“reminiscent of the clothing you might expect jail inmates to wear”) and the company name in a flourished italic script.</span></div>
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<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;">The
next section of the book deals with the World Champion's rainbow
jersey, created in 1927, and a number of celebrated National Champion
jerseys from the Promised Lands of Cycling: France, Belgium and
Italy. It is clear that the author pines for the days of simpler
jersey designs and disapproves of the watering-down of the impact of
these iconic symbols, notably the Italian one which seems to have
become subsumed in the colours of the team sponsor.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;">The
Grand Tour jerseys, on the other hand, still retain their power,
although it seems as if Vuelta organizers have not always been ready
to settle on a particular colour for their race leader so the three
jerseys of the Tour—yellow, green, and polka dot—and the Giro's
<i>maglia rosa</i> get subchapters to themselves. The Yellow
Jersey, introduced in 1919, may be the single most celebrated article
of clothing in sports.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKtfyVYrUAmDGyBeyiWUcbvG617Xy9lOSQtRHrk0kfaHgyOxtTDeaiqz_OOeNx94hrwZ8FV8fx7qnvgEBSlUk7xErLicGEzNYiseYW0jcS3cMYQpqAzWEC2JYyw5FNvzvmh367GU8fe330/s1600/HR_ob_38887f_dsc09436_VELOSVINTAGE.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="900" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKtfyVYrUAmDGyBeyiWUcbvG617Xy9lOSQtRHrk0kfaHgyOxtTDeaiqz_OOeNx94hrwZ8FV8fx7qnvgEBSlUk7xErLicGEzNYiseYW0jcS3cMYQpqAzWEC2JYyw5FNvzvmh367GU8fe330/s400/HR_ob_38887f_dsc09436_VELOSVINTAGE.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">1<i><b>966 Tour de France: eventual winner Lucien Aumar following Raymond Poulidor</b></i></td></tr>
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There
is so much in this book that is of interest that it is surprising it
is only 224 pages in length. It covers national team jerseys,
special track jerseys, and jerseys from particularly notable epochs
of cycling: the 1920s and then each decade on from the 1950s. The
greats of cycling were always closely identified with their jerseys:
Poulidor with Mercier-BP-Hutchinson; Coppi with Bianchi; Hinault with
La Vie Claire; Indurain with Banesto; Boonen with QuickStep; Merckx
with Faema and then Molteni; De Vlaeminck with Brooklyn; Simpson with
Peugeot. There is a fine selection of photos of these riders in
their prime and the accompanying text is packed with unfamiliar facts
or some that are just good to savour again:</div>
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“The man with the most yellow jerseys to his name is Eddy Merckx,
who wore it 96 times between 1969 and 1975, on the way to winning
five Tours de France. Another five-time winner, Bernard Hinault of
France, is second, with 73 days in yellow....Only four men have held
the Tour de France yellow jersey every day from start to finish of a
single Tour...”</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><b>Jacques Anquetil (left), one of France's greatest cyclists, never won the French National Championship</b></i></td></tr>
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<div style="text-align: left;">
Along
with the history of the teams we are given an enlightening look at
the development of the jersey from the sweater to a sort of polo
shirt with front pockets, from wool to not-entirely-succesful
wool/synthetic blends to the current clothing made from high-tech
materials that fit the form exactly, so that time trial skinsuits,
meant for the aero position, are actually awkward to walk in. There
are different weights for different weather and a range of designs
that vary from simple and elegant to garish and, well, embarrassing.
The book concludes with modern jerseys, and a set of the jerseys used
in the 2016 UCI World Tour.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmY0W3efMWmMRkifc-uk-Sa9DqpDPkTCvwufM8H0mcN6VEJFzTK7aNQIKfhq5kzs2LWI8O_kwij1jjR_uXSVcnfaWF1mvM6Ybe3K2hxqLR-2mzbWd8CbFOUyL1i4MntaDvStfVCt6YLDmg/s1600/HR_Antoing_-_Triptyque_des_Monts_et_Ch%252B%25C3%25B3teaux.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="981" data-original-width="1600" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmY0W3efMWmMRkifc-uk-Sa9DqpDPkTCvwufM8H0mcN6VEJFzTK7aNQIKfhq5kzs2LWI8O_kwij1jjR_uXSVcnfaWF1mvM6Ybe3K2hxqLR-2mzbWd8CbFOUyL1i4MntaDvStfVCt6YLDmg/s400/HR_Antoing_-_Triptyque_des_Monts_et_Ch%252B%25C3%25B3teaux.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><b>Les bleus--the 2016 French National Team</b></i></td></tr>
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It is
perhaps to the author's credit that he does not single out the worst
jersey designs of the past (and present). The famous saying “de
gustibus non est disputandum” (“there is no disputing about
taste”) probably applies here since everyone has their own views.
For example, the Mapei jersey, with its vibrantly coloured plastic
blocks, seems to annoy many but is also considered a classic. Mr.
Sidwells is keen on the Carrera outfit, with its psuedo-denim look,
and worn most effectively by Stephen Roche in his miraculous year
(the Giro, the Tour, the Worlds) in 1987. So we are not given a
chance to ridicule bad designs; I leave it to the reader to look up
the 2010 Footon-Servetto team kit or the Castorama ones that made the
riders look like housepainters or toys from Gepetto's workshop.
Brrr...</div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
This
book focuses entirely on professional racing and does not cover the
clothing choices of enthusiastic amateurs. The introduction by
former Bicycling Editor-in-chief Bill Strickland is more tuned to
this element:</div>
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<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 1.25cm;">
“The jersey! The most dominant value of the cycling aesthetic, and
one of its simplest components, yet also the one most laden with
subtext and potential ironies and sincerities and affiliations and
memories and references often unknown to the wearer A jersey can be
a nod to a team, a racer, an era, a fabric, a design sense, a
remembrance, a personal experience, an aspiration, or else simply
come in a color we really like and that happened to be in our size.”</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 1.25cm;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
We are
not going to enter the argument of whether it is good or bad form for
amateurs to wear pro team kit—fans in other sports have no issues
with this—but just remember that in his early racing days Greg
Lemond showed up in a yellow jersey to the amusement of other
competitors whom he then thrashed.</div>
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<br /></div>
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I would like to admit that I have a 2001 Mapei World Championship jersey (Oscar Freire's second title) that I wear but I only wear it while on my home trainer in the basement and never, ever outdoors where someone could see me.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbW95khrwuVTNB7h4xGREvFvY1EHmln1Yn-qX2r0QQBk_MGDwQwUZptal71_uwJl-fshjlQb0J8rvbZMWteKHJWh-c-Mj2X3Z6bB2Tl0uBUMTW9djSNsG0tXhJNP1-bWcYSf0vRu3oPGdU/s1600/freire.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="640" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbW95khrwuVTNB7h4xGREvFvY1EHmln1Yn-qX2r0QQBk_MGDwQwUZptal71_uwJl-fshjlQb0J8rvbZMWteKHJWh-c-Mj2X3Z6bB2Tl0uBUMTW9djSNsG0tXhJNP1-bWcYSf0vRu3oPGdU/s400/freire.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><b>Except for the jersey I look nothing like this. Photo credit: Mapei Madness</b></i></td></tr>
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<br /></div>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<i>All photos courtesy of Rodale Books unless otherwise noted</i><br />
<br />
<br />
“The
Art of the Cycling Jersey—Iconic Cycle Wear Past and Present”</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
by
Chris Sidwells</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
224
pp., hardcover, profusely illustrated</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Rodale
Books, 2017</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
ISBN:
978-1623367374
</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Suggested Price:
US$27.99/C$32.50</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
For more information: <a href="https://www.rodalebooks.com/art-of-the-cycling-jersey/">https://www.rodalebooks.com/art-of-the-cycling-jersey/</a></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
Sprocketboyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00002657522696618715noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6847712656239809973.post-82224813698452899172017-11-15T22:40:00.002+01:002017-11-15T22:44:37.896+01:00Le Ride: A Cycling Movie!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEc03OPl9-55XhVXuPXDfd_tD4fzdeMPE1TrT4FSgWHrfFC3g4fLBeCRllSqKyqCHCEeHvJkpee7xnOo-HUOUBGfYniP_5e2Vt1RA8xTT2V1aSspg31pVn0SC2wHOFC2JJp_GTMK8SyTxf/s1600/poster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="650" data-original-width="978" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEc03OPl9-55XhVXuPXDfd_tD4fzdeMPE1TrT4FSgWHrfFC3g4fLBeCRllSqKyqCHCEeHvJkpee7xnOo-HUOUBGfYniP_5e2Vt1RA8xTT2V1aSspg31pVn0SC2wHOFC2JJp_GTMK8SyTxf/s400/poster.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Many sports—baseball, football,
hockey, soccer--offer fans fantasy camps to let the average person
get a feel for what the Real Thing is like. Every cyclist's fantasy,
perhaps, is to ride in the Tour de France but sometimes it might be
better for that wish to be unfulfilled. The recent film, “Le
Ride,” shows what happens when two enthusiasts decided to honour
the first English-speaking team in the Tour and duplicate that 1928
event today.</div>
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New Zealander Phil Keoghan is highly
visible as the host of CBS' “The Amazing Race” reality show and
has many exploits to his name, including some spectacular underwater
dives and even a bungee-jumping world record. In 2009 he rode across
the United States, averaging 100 miles daily, for a charity event
that raised $500,000 for multiple sclerosis research. He made a
documentary, “the Ride,” about that 3,500 mile trip.</div>
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Mr. Keoghan learned about the
Australasian team (three Australians, one New Zealander) at the 1928
Tour de France and was surprised that the Kiwi rider, Harry Watson,
had come from his hometown of Canterbury. After considerable
research he decided to honour that team by retracing their route in
2013, starting on June 17 and ending on July 15, the same dates as
the 1928 Tour. This meant riding 5,376 kms (3,340 miles) over 22
stages, or 244 kms (151 miles) daily. There were four rest days.
And he was to do this with his riding partner Ben Cornell using
period bicycles.</div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/go1iV7bZbZs" width="560"></iframe>
<br />
The resulting film is a highly
entertaining mixture of accounts from the 1928 race and Phil and
Ben's Really Hard Ride. The Australasian team arrived in France
expecting to be joined by six Europeans to make up a ten man team but
this did not happen, nor did their French support crew ever
materialize. Led by famous Australian rider Hubert Opperman, they
nonetheless were ready when the peloton rolled out of Paris, although
the local press gave them no chance of winning and predicted they
would be out after the first stage.
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjstoN73aw58TRZMQbzuO6sbXceS0KwFDhLwy7PZRfeLXj-_HR4WwyLQf4ArvhXlR3Q966pCpqa5lMW4Qd5xAC9XH5HlPJ6SzP6yMy4qJKeU8eYnFqgjh2BC7S4rqSJS61CAY37e_jvOh0O/s1600/opperman+at+stage+6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="886" data-original-width="593" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjstoN73aw58TRZMQbzuO6sbXceS0KwFDhLwy7PZRfeLXj-_HR4WwyLQf4ArvhXlR3Q966pCpqa5lMW4Qd5xAC9XH5HlPJ6SzP6yMy4qJKeU8eYnFqgjh2BC7S4rqSJS61CAY37e_jvOh0O/s400/opperman+at+stage+6.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><b>Hubert Opperman receiving flowers during Stage 6</b></i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
The Tour de France was quite different
from the race we know today as the Tour's founder Henri Desgrange was
constantly fiddling with its format. In 1927 it had consisted of
nothing but team time trials across France and the 1928 race retained
those in 15 of the stages. There was no rule about how many men
would be on a team except a maximum of 10, which would be an obvious
disadvantage to the four Australasians as several teams had a full
complement, although the ultimate winning team, Alcyon, did not.
Even stranger, fresh riders were allowed into the race as domestiques
part way through, although not allowed to officially win a stage or
the race overall! 162 riders entered the race, the highest number to
date, but 111 of those were “touriste-routier” cyclists who rode
along as independents and had to be self-supporting. Phil Keoghan,
in his narration, does not mention the difference between the pro
riders and these amateurs, not a single one of whom completed the
race.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl928egNcuW_JAQh9F6wfaN0-LxcTd8qm1SGuDAecC4t_jc4wCNV5yHrP2aNgCvaJXUB1tP7tTSLDHEE_n4Kof99Cav3PqRmbFBNFWfsND4rvIKxbIFSK8NKlYz84YBTfRHqwmPxSNNRfv/s1600/Maurice_Geldhof+on+the+Aubisque.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="525" data-original-width="757" height="277" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl928egNcuW_JAQh9F6wfaN0-LxcTd8qm1SGuDAecC4t_jc4wCNV5yHrP2aNgCvaJXUB1tP7tTSLDHEE_n4Kof99Cav3PqRmbFBNFWfsND4rvIKxbIFSK8NKlYz84YBTfRHqwmPxSNNRfv/s400/Maurice_Geldhof+on+the+Aubisque.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
When the Tour riders went out, they had
modern equipment for the day, although “modern” still meant very
heavy bicycles by our standards. While the first Tour winner in 1903
had a bicycle that weighed 18 kg (39 lbs), by 1928 a more typical
weight was 11.5 kg (25.3 lbs), still hefty compared to today's 6.8
kg (15 lbs) limit but actually about the same as bikes used in the
early 1960s. The difference was clearly in having variable gearing
and effective brakes, the lack of which obviously added to the trials
of the Keoghan party who, it must be remembered, were riding 85 year
old antiques.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid0HgPVTomyCh9hyJTBz1ct6JW7nMtqHQFx7_IbVpMr476o9vBxveziWWy0ADK0ObbvR96YndOspvbr91hj97U1pIe2UyaFQLP0mDXe8QvBGkiilcjoP_mHW5hqydzgvnsfyQowB2cVW4L/s1600/mountains2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="795" data-original-width="1200" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid0HgPVTomyCh9hyJTBz1ct6JW7nMtqHQFx7_IbVpMr476o9vBxveziWWy0ADK0ObbvR96YndOspvbr91hj97U1pIe2UyaFQLP0mDXe8QvBGkiilcjoP_mHW5hqydzgvnsfyQowB2cVW4L/s400/mountains2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
The difficulty of these early Tours
cannot be overstated. Along with their primitive bicycles, rides had
to contend with massively long stages, very poor roads—many
unpaved—and nutritional issues. Tires constantly flatted and
Desgrange's rules were designed to weed out almost everyone. During
Stage 19, race leader Nicolas Frantz's bicycle broke and he ended up
riding the last 100 kms on an undersized woman's bicycle.
Incidentally, as the previous year's winner, Frantz started in the
yellow jersey on the first day and kept it until the end, the only
time this has occurred in the race's history.
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb49PGt0YcG2MASBMeZaRp-68tmnOoDvjuuov5yd7h1auLRlGy20vWHuOtVrV2LigWsHAErZJsFQ7a3Uij4ZfalnYRU6hK7fA2MwRtKgNGx4sqvQUeVnIuMX1JTJ679dCEqGLlnGAhy0BV/s1600/Nicolas_Frantz_Wort_1928-07-16.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="473" data-original-width="489" height="387" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb49PGt0YcG2MASBMeZaRp-68tmnOoDvjuuov5yd7h1auLRlGy20vWHuOtVrV2LigWsHAErZJsFQ7a3Uij4ZfalnYRU6hK7fA2MwRtKgNGx4sqvQUeVnIuMX1JTJ679dCEqGLlnGAhy0BV/s400/Nicolas_Frantz_Wort_1928-07-16.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br />
At least the modern adventurers had LED
lights and helmets, as well as GPS and cellphones to help. One of
the other issues, of course, is that in 1928 the racers simply took
the main roads from town to town but in 2013 many of those roads were
now limited-access highways and closed to bicycles so often getting
lost, even with the support team, added to the woes. And the
mountain stages, where navigation was not so much of a problem, were
terrible—we watch Keoghan descend the Galibier at what appears to
be 7 km/h and the squeal of the quasi-useless brakes are a constant
part of the film's soundtrack.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsfU30_IhmEv6rBceijsnTmXP3UFRkDRul4xypuHS9XhFGzaxWIXHxoGMtcTgJsGJvh4-oHLXubyvNDLbmGsyXQr3qtAKqlT3H4VATK2LPvW0nsZEQH1H3dlirkAGCwmo45iOdhpP9NH3_/s1600/mountains.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="420" data-original-width="630" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsfU30_IhmEv6rBceijsnTmXP3UFRkDRul4xypuHS9XhFGzaxWIXHxoGMtcTgJsGJvh4-oHLXubyvNDLbmGsyXQr3qtAKqlT3H4VATK2LPvW0nsZEQH1H3dlirkAGCwmo45iOdhpP9NH3_/s400/mountains.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
The mountain stages are incredible and
the fabulous scenery is balanced with Phil and Ben's epic suffering.
Leaving in the dark and arriving in the dark almost every day, they
took 23 hours to complete one of the 1928 stages. Those four rest
days must have seemed very short. And while Phil Keoghan mentions
that the oldest Australasian team member was 38 and had to drop out,
he does not mention that he himself was 46.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
41 riders finished the 1928 race and
the three remaining Australasians of the Ravat-Wonder-Dunlop team
confounded the critics by placing well enough, with Opperman best at
18<sup>th</sup>. Amazingly, the sole rider who entered the race as
the Thoman-Dunlop team, placed fourth. Belgium's Jan Mertens also
won the Tour of Flanders that year.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
While a lot of this historical
background is underplayed, it is commendable that Phil Keoghan's
enthusiasm for that 1928 team has led to this film to honour their
efforts. All four riders lived into their 90s, a seemingly
impossible actuarial result, and they were harbingers of the
non-Europeans who would come to the Tour so many years later. But
one must give a tip of the hat to Phil Keoghan and Ben Cornell as
touriste-routiers who did not quit in spite of the many obstructions
they faced and the remarkable physical demands they were able to meet
although I was not convinced it was really necessary to do the ride
in this way. Still, an enjoyable evening for cycling fans; the
cinema in Ottawa was packed to overflowing when I saw it.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
“Le Ride” screenings took place
across Canada last week. They are arranged via Demand Film,which
organizes screenings of independent films in Australia, New Zealand,
the United States, Canada, Italy and Germany upon request. For more
information, go to: <span style="color: navy;"><span lang="zxx"><u><a href="https://ca.demand.film/le-ride/">https://ca.demand.film/le-ride/</a></u></span></span></div>
</div>
<br />Sprocketboyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00002657522696618715noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6847712656239809973.post-87090538174141854532017-07-15T00:59:00.005+02:002017-07-15T01:05:21.023+02:00Back in the saddle again...finally<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJngiXbBauG8Hjg1LPlnfiutbAaUspDXC8jdxpMUP8yRkYbr5XOMOjCJ1Rr5yzthP9hr1PX8cTA0D7AWQ6Isur_OoWI9vOTHNGTpDFOMaGUXfNfU7HQzwa7H_yOeqHGnBYuSkyd8ZRgOao/s1600/20170703_125016.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJngiXbBauG8Hjg1LPlnfiutbAaUspDXC8jdxpMUP8yRkYbr5XOMOjCJ1Rr5yzthP9hr1PX8cTA0D7AWQ6Isur_OoWI9vOTHNGTpDFOMaGUXfNfU7HQzwa7H_yOeqHGnBYuSkyd8ZRgOao/s400/20170703_125016.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Tom in his RSV Vagabund 13 wool jersey; me celebrated Canada Day two days late</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJBZaj0FAhyphenhyphen7hPvr1LYw4y9cH4mzXovH8_eGIFoVRqcUUw8Eb8EVNBwnUMWsTlk0X9-P8Bv2hzLXDBCdjamZ9kVijPT7TVq0zOphgsUkyCg9yLt2F_Xdq8RUS4P6Mo5wtfvFDO65ZWowjT/s1600/20170703_124935.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJBZaj0FAhyphenhyphen7hPvr1LYw4y9cH4mzXovH8_eGIFoVRqcUUw8Eb8EVNBwnUMWsTlk0X9-P8Bv2hzLXDBCdjamZ9kVijPT7TVq0zOphgsUkyCg9yLt2F_Xdq8RUS4P6Mo5wtfvFDO65ZWowjT/s400/20170703_124935.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Ruediger and I enjoying our ride along the Rhine bike paths</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
After more than a year's silence here at Tin Donkey, I am pleased to return to writing about my favourite subject: cycling! It has been a busy year, albeit not so much from the riding standpoint but I retired on June 10 from my day job and am looking forward to getting back on the road on two wheels more. I have been writing regularly for Pezcyclingnews.com and I hope you have seen my book reviews and my recent pieces about the start of the 2017 Tour de France in Dusseldorf, Germany.<br />
<br />
On July 3rd I was able to do a 42 km ride along the Rhine to Duisburg and Krefeld with my good friends Tom and Ruediger, using a lovely Mondonico borrowed from Tom. It was great to ride the rural country roads on a beautiful day and now that I have returned to Canada again I am inspired to do more, much more!<br />
<br />
You can check out our route via the wonderful Relive software <a href="https://www.relive.cc/view/1066234672" target="_blank">here</a> but I have also included a map of the ride. <br />
<br />
<iframe frameborder="0" height="400" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="//www.gpsies.com/mapOnly.do?fileId=tidlywkubwqhsqxd" width="425"></iframe>
Sprocketboyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00002657522696618715noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6847712656239809973.post-78106480513378080172016-03-15T15:15:00.000+01:002016-03-15T15:15:09.261+01:00Cycling the Etruscan Coast, Retro-Style<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw7yHP0ZxqDAx6VdarLwB_1ES6EvdlPx6FSOrjeg8Kow8wON_7fGLAtWviceKxJ9SMIerwrknFrQ502yvp7Fpd_C3qDzZ61QXJCzdx1O0ixIG4bf1SH7r2qXDWpVPNfaxSXLtCNWgdWima/s1600/100miglia.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw7yHP0ZxqDAx6VdarLwB_1ES6EvdlPx6FSOrjeg8Kow8wON_7fGLAtWviceKxJ9SMIerwrknFrQ502yvp7Fpd_C3qDzZ61QXJCzdx1O0ixIG4bf1SH7r2qXDWpVPNfaxSXLtCNWgdWima/s400/100miglia.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
Our good friends at Tommasini are working with L'Etrusca, an Italian retro-tour that began in 2013. It will run April 9-10, 2016 from Bolgheri, west of Florence and the routes range from a 27 km "L'Elegante" to a robust 160 km ride with lots of gravel. And attention, Gran Fondo overchargers: the cost for the long route is 25 Euros if you register early! Information about the ride (mainly in Italian) can be found <a href="http://www.letruscaciclostorica.it/en" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
<br />
Until then, enjoy <a href="https://www.facebook.com/tommasini.biciclette/videos/1974692876089303/" target="_blank">this</a> video!<br />
<br />
<br />Sprocketboyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00002657522696618715noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6847712656239809973.post-70638993340394004032016-02-22T02:15:00.000+01:002016-02-23T22:59:43.971+01:00The Tour of Sufferlandria: Where Nobody Hears You Scream<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9Tya-pH5Ym3-ZUjJem7DemBQlWCSOjC3Zh4x4ggak0ZpG3y68yHnm-X2LE-9YoRysZyzMLRB0UhaHXRbHhK3imKb0Hm6-ZDZLYvrIPi08lEe5yuaiE7bYZSJ1CMdrMCXCUHt5oTdZ87HY/s1600/Tos+Banner.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="146" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9Tya-pH5Ym3-ZUjJem7DemBQlWCSOjC3Zh4x4ggak0ZpG3y68yHnm-X2LE-9YoRysZyzMLRB0UhaHXRbHhK3imKb0Hm6-ZDZLYvrIPi08lEe5yuaiE7bYZSJ1CMdrMCXCUHt5oTdZ87HY/s400/Tos+Banner.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<div align="CENTER" style="text-decoration: none;">
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Every February there is a bicycle race that is considered the
harbinger of the new season by thousands of keen riders, tired of
sitting on the couch and welcoming the chance to put down the
doughnuts and get fit. Not the Tour Down Under, nor the Tours of
Qatar and Oman, or even the Volta ao Algarve, this race takes place in
a country so obscure it appears on no atlas. A race that offers an
impressive list of prizes but no actual winner; a race where all
riders are encouraged to encourage each other and share the pain; a
race where nobody dopes and everybody hurts. This is the Tour of
Sufferlandria, and I have survived three editions.<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXCbqNaAmjQsuTF49WQOYhxmw0LhOLh1RA9XEojwd9szjIdJsPUGnBClm0kPuoOL5T-PCgjmeha3Ui4wyMcLV39Ob0FmZ0tmHVPJsTYas1H9nSqg6c5jAnw9RCsVlIMu8VdgVkV1xvj50n/s1600/Tour_de_SUF_Poster_2016_v005_grande.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXCbqNaAmjQsuTF49WQOYhxmw0LhOLh1RA9XEojwd9szjIdJsPUGnBClm0kPuoOL5T-PCgjmeha3Ui4wyMcLV39Ob0FmZ0tmHVPJsTYas1H9nSqg6c5jAnw9RCsVlIMu8VdgVkV1xvj50n/s400/Tour_de_SUF_Poster_2016_v005_grande.jpg" width="285" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT">
For those unfamiliar with them, the Sufferfest training
videos offer a wide range of training situations—climbing,
endurance-building, sprinting, time-trialling—set against images of
real races licenced from the UCI and others. On-screen legends
indicate the desired cadence, percentage of power output and time in
the interval. From time to time you are required to stand or spin
faster in a 10 second surge. There is suitable accompanying music by
bands nobody has ever heard of.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT">
It can get pretty dull spinning for hours in the
basement, watching a big fan oscillating in a vain attempt to blow
away the perspiration. Maybe not as boring as that East German
technique of putting your rider on rollers facing a blank concrete
wall, telling him to spin for four hours and then turning out the
lights, but pretty boring. What makes the Sufferfest different from
other video training systems? Others also use coaches to set the
program and indicate your optimal cadence or power output. Others
are also available only as downloads, with no DVD alternative. What
sets the Sufferfest apart, in my view, is a) the very reasonable
price of the videos; b) the you-are-in-the-middle-of-the-race editing
of the videos; c) the worldwide community of enthusiasts and d) the
ridiculous narrative of each video. And the Tour of Sufferlandria
(ToS) is the ultimate statement of that narrative, a way to train
with purpose and be entertained for more than a week of intense
exercise. Well, pain, really.<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="281" mozallowfullscreen="" src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/44974162?color=f0001c&title=0&byline=0&portrait=0" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="500"></iframe>
<br />
<a href="https://vimeo.com/44974162">The Sufferfest - Introduction</a> from <a href="https://vimeo.com/thesufferfest">The Sufferfest</a> on <a href="https://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a>.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
</div>
<div align="LEFT">
The ToS runs for 9 days, with an investment of around 2
hours each weekend day and an hour each weekday. Participants
qualify by simply owning the necessary videos and, preferably,
signing up for the special Facebook group page. This year more than
3,800 were signed up. Then you just ride the stages, make comments
on Facebook if you would like, and do your best. To do good, one
contributes to the Davis Phinney Foundation, established by the famed
American sprinter after being diagnosed with early-onset Parkinson's
Disease at age 40. For each $10 donated, participants had a crack at
a pretty amazing list of prizes, such as a trip to the Tour de
France, a BMC Time Machine bike, various signed World Champion
jerseys, books, jackets, helmets, fashionable clothing and even a 12
week personal coaching plan and consultation. The ToS raised over
$111,000 for the Foundation this year.</div>
<div align="LEFT">
<br />
Described as “the Greatest Stage Race of a Mythical
Nation,” the Tour of Sufferlandria features you as a rider on the
Sufferlandrian National Team, doing the bidding of the remarkable DS,
Grunter von Agony. His idea of strategy is to cover every break, go
for the KOM points and win every sprint finish. Dire threats are
promised; failure is not an option. It is said that becoming a
Sufferlandrian comes wish some heavy responsibilities: you shall
always suffer; you will never be passed;
</div>
you
will never get dropped, and if you do it will be in such a glorious
explosion of Suffering that it will be seared into the minds of those
around you and become a legendary tale for generations to come.
Sounds easy, right? Just remember that in Sufferlandria the standard
form of greeting is: “Have you suffered today?” and the correct
response is “More than you.”<br />
<br />
Like a real race in non-mythical countries, you get a start number
(you print this yourself and impress others with your creativity) and
there is an excellent handbook, outlining all the stages and offering
helpful suggestions on nutrition, mental focus (i.e. not quitting)
and equipment. I am using a time trial bike on a Kurt Kinetic Road
Machine trainer stand with a Garmin ANT stick communicating to my
laptop and TrainerRoad, which works as a kind of overlay to the video
but with the wireless communication allows me to see heart rate,
cadence and virtual power. It downloads to Strava as well so fans
can enjoy the suffering too. The Sufferfest now offers an official
app and there are other alternatives. But you don't have to be very
high-tech at all. Some participants appear to have used gym exercise
bicycles crammed into bathrooms.<br />
<br />
As the event went on, hundreds of Facebook posts appeared each
day, commenting on the difficulty of the stage and the suffering
involved (with confirming photos), as well as encouraging others.
The event took place in a range of time zones and the Handbook let
you know when you could start and when you should have finished each
stage, whether you were in Kiribati or Vancouver. Specifically.<br />
Stage 1: Known as ISLAGIATT (“It Seemed Like A Good Idea at the
Time”) this is a very very long 2 hour stage with a lot of
climbing—half the stage, in fact. Climb No. 3 takes you to the top
of Mt. Sufferlandria, a noted volcano. Not being very good with
computers, I had some issues with the TrainerRoad interface and
synchronization of the video and the power readings. The result was
that my stage ended up being 2:25. I knew that this would not help
me on Stage 2 much since no credit is given for getting lost on the
Tour.<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="281" mozallowfullscreen="" src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/73827683?title=0&byline=0&portrait=0" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="500"></iframe><br />
<a href="https://vimeo.com/73827683">The
Sufferfest - Trailer - It Seemed Like a Good Idea at the Time</a>
from <a href="https://vimeo.com/thesufferfest">The
Sufferfest</a> on <a href="https://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a>.<br />
<br />
<br />
Stage 2: When unveiled at the Embassy of Sufferlandria in January,
this is the stage that frightened everyone. “Revolver” takes 90
minutes and involves 16 one-minute intervals at high power. This
hurt a lot and for the ToS participants had to do it twice. 32
one-minute intervals are much less fun than you would expect. My
maximum wattage in the first set was nearly 600 but only 500 in the
second. Ouch.<br />
<br />
Stage 3: At only 48 minutes this looked at first glance to be a
bit more merciful but in fact involves two segments of race
simulation, with breaking away, sprinting, climbing “and generally
crushing the spirits of your Sufferlandrian opponents,” in the
words of the Handbook. This stage rejoices in the inappropriate name
of TBTITW “The Best Thing in the World.”<br />
<br />
Stage 4: Today was more merciful as another 90 minute video was
the object of our sweat (“Sufferlandrian Holy Water”). A base
training session with Michael Cotty, of the excellent Col Collective
video series, it rambled through wonderful scenery in Italy and
Austria. “To Get To the Other Side” was a bit more comfortable
to do, which was good as I was now using a great deal of chamois
cream on each ride.<br />
<br />
Stage 5: “The Wretched” hits you with a miserable sucker
punch. After going up and down for 35 minutes on three major climbs
you are confronted with a final climb basically rips off your legs.
I could not believe this stage was only 49 minutes.<br />
<br />
Stage 6: A much nicer change of pace. “The Rookie” posits
that you are the Sufferlandrian stagiare allowed to join the
Giant-Shimano pro team. The story is that for the first third you
just hang in, the second third you help your leader and in the third
you are the leader. You get to drop Jens Voigt (if you can). There
are three 10 minute intervals. Good stuff and it is thrilling to
watch John Degenkolb's titanic acting skills, to say nothing of the
beauty of Marcel Kittel's coiffure. At the end of the video when
Kittel learns the team will ride the Tour of Sufferlandria next
season he remarks: “This is frightening. But I am not afraid when
we have the Sufferlandrian with us.” That would be you, of course.
And the Handbook helpfully suggests it is time to clean your bike
before it corrodes from a week of Sufferlandrian Holy Water being
dripped on it.<br />
<div align="CENTER">
</div>
<div align="LEFT">
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="281" mozallowfullscreen="" src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/104075238?title=0&byline=0" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="500"></iframe></div>
<div align="LEFT">
<a href="https://vimeo.com/104075238">The
Sufferfest: The Rookie - Teaser</a> from <a href="https://vimeo.com/thesufferfest">The
Sufferfest</a> on <a href="https://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a>.<br />
<br /></div>
Stage 7: “Do As You're Told” is 47 minutes and very
complicated. It involves 22 high-intensity intervals that run in
inverse order to recovery periods and there is a nasty sting at the
end here too. This was difficult to follow as it is hard to
accelerate suitably on a training stand. I did manage to hit 804
watts but felt pretty worn by the end. Seven days of this was
starting to wear me down and I noticed that I was seeing a higher
heart rate with lower power output. Not good.<br />
<br />
Stage 8: Saturday and I started late after driving to and from the
Montreal Salon du Velo. I would rank this the second most difficult
after Stage 2. The first segment, “A Very Dark Place,” offered
10 strength intervals from three to four minutes each. This was
followed by “Nine Hammers,” which I liked because it features
video from the Tour of Romandie the year I was there to watch it. It
involves a series of threshold-level and V02 max intervals. I
completed this stage in a stage of total mindless exhaustion.
<br />
<br />
<br />
Stage 9! Valentine's Day began with the latest love note from the
Sufferfest, a new video called “Power Station.” My first time
seeing this and it was quite different from the usual drills, with a
lot of climbing at high-power and low cadence. I enjoyed this as a
pedal-masher with strong legs, no aerobic capacity and limited
intelligence. The last segment was “Violator,” which clearly was
not meant for me and I just had to hang on and suffer through this—64
brief sprints at full power. Although I managed to put out over
1,000W I did not have a lot of fun. I kept telling myself it was for
a good cause and when the Tour of Sufferlandria ended on Sunday I
felt a bit let down. But I slept very well that night.<br />
<br />
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</div>
<br />
<br />
“Cycling is suffering,” said Fausto Coppi. But it is not so
bad when you do it in a great big global group. It was fascinating
to follow everyone's effort on Facebook and it was disappointing that
there were riders who Did Not Start—whether through illness,
scheduling problems or, in one case, ending up in Intensive Care
after being hit by a kangaroo—or Did Not Finish due to a swollen
ankle, dental problems or a crash on a commuting ride. Everyone got
encouragement, including some from Davis Phinney himself. And
Micheal Cotty, notorious for always standing on the pedals, produced
photographic proof that he actually does use his saddle from time to
time.<br />
<br />
My favourite postings were from a couple where he had to drop
out but his wife, who had only ridden a beach cruiser for a short
distance before, continued. She must have been seriously fit because
after the Tour of Sufferlandria she then immediately became a Dame of
Sufferlandria, which requires doing 10 videos in one day, a task that
typically takes 12 hours. Fit, or compulsive/obsessive. I myself
might take a crack at the Knighthood of Sufferlandria (the male
equivalent) in a month or two.<br />
<br />
I did not win any of the lovely prizes? So what did I get from
the Tour of Sufferlandria? I rode 335.1 kms in 11:19, burned 8,144
kcal and produced 7,308 kilojoules of work. Maximum power output was
1,010W and I dropped three kilograms of weight (some of which has
returned—aaargh). More importantly, I am made lots of virtual
friends on Facebook and am highly motivated to continue my training
in my Pain Cave until warmer weather and the potholed streets of
Ottawa beckon.<br />
<br />
The next Tour of Sufferlandria will be February 4-12, 2017.<br />
<br />
A joke runs that a masochist is defined as someone who says; “Beat
me! Beat me!” while a sadist says; “No.” Cyclists: we are all
Sufferlandrians now. And if you dare you can find out more at:
www.thesufferfest.com<br />
<br />
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Sprocketboyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00002657522696618715noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6847712656239809973.post-6114650510687227272015-12-05T01:08:00.001+01:002015-12-05T01:24:25.635+01:00Book Review: Mapping Le Tour<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
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For cycling enthusiasts one of the
great joys of the sport/pastime is that if you love the Tour de
France you can a) buy a bicycle similar to the one the pros use and
b) go out and actually ride the same roads of “la Grande Boucle”
that they do. And of course not just the roads of the next edition
but pretty much all the roads since 1903. The <a href="http://www.tindonkey.com/2013/08/ooh-la-la-anjou-velo-vintage.html" target="_blank">Anjou VéloVintage</a> event in 2013 included a section of the final stage of the
1903 Tour between Angers and Saumur,
luckily making it only 90+ kms instead of the insane full 471 kms
from Nantes to Paris of the original. But I thought then how nice it
would be to have a book showing maps of each year's Tour so that you
might be able to put together your own ride into history.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
It turns out that in fact 2013 saw the
publication of “Mapping Le Tour: The Unofficial History of All 100
Tour de France Races” by Ellis Bacon. This nicely-produced book is
an excellent information source for Tour enthusiasts and offers a
logical progression of each and every edition of the race, usually
spread over two pages. The left-hand page, heading by a period
photo, is where one will find the text describing the race that year,
and includes some key statistics for easy reference, such as the
number of starters and finishers, the distance ridden and the average
speed for the winner, the longest stage and highest point as well as
the podium winners. The right-hand side offers a full page map of
the route with the route as a yellow line marked into stages and
showing major cities.<br />
<br />
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<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
I learned that the while the Ballon
d'Alsace was credited as the first major climb of the Tour (appearing
in 1905), the inaugural 1903 race included a number of climbs (with
the highest point at 1161 m) but these were not seen as particularly
challenging—although one would think that racers on fixed gear
super-heavy bicycles with terrible brakes would find any climb
challenging. It may have been fairly flat but that first race
featured some crazy stage lengths, with the shortest being 268 kms
while most of the rest were over 400 kms each. No wonder that of the
60 starters only 21 made it back to Paris.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
While the text is concise and
interesting, I enjoyed just looking at the maps even more. The Tour
began as a huge circle, heading clockwise around the hexagon that is
France but taking some care to avoid the Alps and the Pyrenees but
rolling through major cities. By 1905 the previously-mentioned
Ballon d'Alsace appeared and the winner was declared on a points
system rather than time. The winner, Louis Trousselier, apparently
gambled all his winnings away in a single evening in Paris playing
dice. He never won another tour but seems to have set a precedent
for nicknames for French cyclists, being called Trou Trou (see “Pou
Pou,” “Dudu,” et al.) although Henri Desgranges christened him
“the Florist” due to his family business.<br />
<br />
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<br /></div>
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</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
By 1906 the race went outside of France
for the first time into German-held Alsace and in 1907 included a
section of the Paris-Roubaix course (on a stage won by Trou Trou).
It was 4,488 kms spread over 14 stages, compared to 2428 kms in the
first race (over only six stages). For the next few years the race
seemed to more or less follow the same route but things really
changed in 1910 when the Tour divided into the Pyrenees, inlcluding
the Portet d'Aspet, Col du Peyresourde, Col d'Aspin, Col du Tourmalet
and Col d'Aubisque for the first time. The next year the Alps showed
up, providing climbing thrills on the Col du T<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">é</span>l<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">é</span>graphe,
Col du Lauteret and the huge Col du Galibier: seven mountain stages
in a race covering (gulp) 5,344 kms. The climbs that would become
legendary in Tour history were now part of the regular itinerary and
in 1913 the race finally went around France counteclockwise, although
it would be many years before the regular annual switch (clockwise
alternating with counterclockwise, or Alps before Pyrenees and vice
versa) would be instituted.
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Curiously, for a good part of its
history the Tour avoided the central part of France, rolling around
the country's periphery and avoiding the Massif Central. The was to
change in 1951 when not only did Mont Ventoux show up on the route
for the first time but the race did not start in Paris but rather in
Metz and the race has not started in Paris since then except in 2003.
Clemont-Ferrand was on the Tour route, deep in the heart of the
Massif Central and not only home to Michelin but also the centre of
French bicycle manufacturing. In 1952 the Alpe d'Huez and the Puy de
D<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">ô</span>me were added, the same
year that Fausto Coppi won five stages on his way to winning the
overall race by nearly 30 minutes.<br />
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</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
The maps are very interesting but the
scale is unfortunately too large to be of much use in planning a
stage-specific reenactment on your own but would be a useful general
guide. The photos are well-chosen and the final sections of the book
provide a preview of the 2013 Tour (the 100<sup>th</sup> Edition) but
also a series of chapters on “the Tour's Most Memorable Places.”
These include not only the famous climbs but celebrated cycling
regions such as Normandy and Brittany.
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Every region in France has been covered
by the Tour and more than a few foreign countries have been visited.
Excursions into the Italian Alps have been pretty common (and will
take place again in 2016) and the Tour has not only gone to its
immediate neighbours, including Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands,
Andorra, Spain, Luxembourg but across the Channel several times to
the UK and even Ireland. The author includes the memorable Grand
D<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">é</span>part in London in the
book but also, for non-British readers, waves the Union Jack a bit
too much. The inclusion of the Tom Simpson incident in the 1967
chapter is right and proper and it is nice to mention Barry Hoban,
whose eight Tour stage wins were the most for a British rider before
Mark Cavendish but eight wins is half as many as our somewhat obscure
Trou Trou won. The worst example of Little Englandism is the remark
in the 2011 chapter that “Bradley Wiggins' yellow jersey was still
a year away...” but this is easy enough to overlook, along with the
fact that Wiggins did not even finish the 2011 race as he crashed out
in Stage 7, breaking his collarbone. There is a revised 2014 edition
of the book, only in paperback, that was produced to include a
preview of the 2014 course which began in Yorkshire so the publishers
were probably not looking much at the global audience.<br />
<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</div>
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</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
“Mapping Le Tour” is highly
recommended even for those with an extensive Tour library. The
geography of the race is what makes the Tour de France the great
sporting event it is and this book would make pedalling backwards
through time possible with a bit of effort. Maybe I will yet take
down the steel Peugeot PXN-10 with its Simplex derailleurs, put on my
black-and-white checkerboard team jersey and head eastwards from
Nantes through Touraine on the long road to Paris...well, probably
not in one day.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
“Mapping Le Tour” by Ellis Bacon,
with a foreward by Mark Cavendish</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
335 pp., hardcover, with profuse
illustrations</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
HarperCollins Publishers, Glasgow,
Scotland, 2013
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Suggested Retail: <span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">₤25.00
(seems to be available in the USA for around $30 online)</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
ISBN: 978-0-00-750978-2</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
Sprocketboyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00002657522696618715noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6847712656239809973.post-20669558820903955812015-06-20T02:58:00.000+02:002015-06-20T02:58:01.506+02:00Book Review: Feed Zone Portables--Cuisine à la Road
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Proper nourishment on a long bicycle
ride is just as important as pumped-up tires, an oiled chain and
comfortable shorts. Many years ago I learned this the hard way when,
as a cycling neophyte, I decided to challenge Skyline Drive in
Virginia without sufficient food. Climbing and descending nearly
continually on the Blue Ridge on a very hot day is pretty wearing but
relief eventually came. We enjoyed a brilliant descent to Luray
where we dealt with our hunger pangs by indulging in foot-long
submarine sandwiches. Little did we realize the climbing had only
begun and as we grovelled up Massanutten Mountain in discomfort our
sandwiches haunted us. The final long stretch along Fort Valley Road
saw us in starvation mode and the Man with the Hammer (or the Green
Witch, if you are the Continental type) was banging on us pretty
hard. We arrived at our destination in bonk delirium and stopped at
the first restaurant, fittingly named the Village Idiot, where we
anxiously stuffed ourselves on terrible food. We could have
avoided all of this “education” if only we had had something like
the excellent “Feed Zone Portables” cookbook by Dr. Allen Lim and
Chef Biju Thomas.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvejDvl3LbV5F2Xa0Ipn6dnuP9xoBzrghnvPshYlxDSSfOxG0iB1kvfc-zmBtJN3tBp5sJG4lpegkmv6hrboqSg94uYZUpdsjqG0Hensrft74fWv1SXroU6T5QsLItl6PO3sgYkzHRFs70/s1600/_61V2969_JK.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvejDvl3LbV5F2Xa0Ipn6dnuP9xoBzrghnvPshYlxDSSfOxG0iB1kvfc-zmBtJN3tBp5sJG4lpegkmv6hrboqSg94uYZUpdsjqG0Hensrft74fWv1SXroU6T5QsLItl6PO3sgYkzHRFs70/s400/_61V2969_JK.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Dr. Allen Lim is well-known to pro cycling enthusiasts for his work
with the Garmin Professional Cycling Team in developing new
approaches to nutrition as well as anti-doping measures that
eventually led to the Biological Passport. With Biju Thomas, a
self-taught chef based in Denver, he launched an all-natural sports
drink company in 2012. Biju has cooked for many notable cyclists,
including the BMC Racing Team and together he and Dr. Lim produced
“The Feed Zone Cookbook” in 2011 with 150 recipes for athletes
that were light, flavourful and healthy. That cookbook included a
section of recipes for food to be eaten during activity and “Feed
Zone Portables” is an expansion of that idea but provides a
rationale and the science behind what to eat when training and
competing.</div>
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A central premise of the cookbook is that people are happier eating
“real” food instead of pre-packaged gels or bars. European pros
still stick to their panini, small rolls with jam, ham and cheese, as
an important element of on-the-road eating. Dr. Lim believes that
real food is not only tastier but will also deliver improved
performance.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirRzaZC2S-Kg-LLFS_kHvmS_XHW2Mwjv5sYCAJaiTd-9WQ8BptnjWx6fhLfTXf6i6dlifMpH4vWvWBo4dvkUJs_Q8PGUCqWWCrSVwfiRJmbi0VWOqWvaI5_UCci1v4cD9Osb7HJ3QsOAvj/s1600/FZP_GriddleCakes%2526Waffles_webres.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirRzaZC2S-Kg-LLFS_kHvmS_XHW2Mwjv5sYCAJaiTd-9WQ8BptnjWx6fhLfTXf6i6dlifMpH4vWvWBo4dvkUJs_Q8PGUCqWWCrSVwfiRJmbi0VWOqWvaI5_UCci1v4cD9Osb7HJ3QsOAvj/s400/FZP_GriddleCakes%2526Waffles_webres.jpg" width="272" /></a></div>
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As the owner of several cookbooks (well, about 150), I can honestly
say that I have never seen one that commences with an introduction 57
pages long. An impressive variety of topics is covered clearly and
efficiently: calculating calorie deficits; electrolyte replacement;
gastric emptying rates; liquid vs. solid calories; pre-packaged food
nutrition facts; hydration; and ingredients. Then there is a quick
run-through of what you want in your Athlete's Kitchen and a
step-by-step illustrated guide to cutting paper-backed aluminum foil,
a necessity for the foods you make from the recipes in this book.</div>
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Then on to the meat of the book, so to speak: the recipes. (Don't
worry: there are vegetarian alternatives in many instances as well).
The reason you will want to have a big stack of nicely cut foil
pieces is because the foods you create from the modest list of
ingredients are designed to be wrapped up and stuck into a jersey
pocket or packed into an airtight box and kept cool. You will want
to go riding with friends: the majority of the recipes make from 6 to
15 servings, admittedly small ones but still quite a bit. </div>
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<span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">It
is clear from the onset that Dr. Lim's scientific approach has been
balanced by a chef's sensibilities in terms of colour, taste and
texture. Many of the recipes in the book seem a bit strange to the
normal North American palate and there is a certain fusion cooking
approach with things like sticky rice (beloved at dim sum buffets)
combined with Swiss cheese (beloved as fondue in the Alps). The rice
cakes, which the Garmin team made famous, come in many styles, both
sweet and savoury. They are joined by an entire chapter on baked
eggs (use muffin pans to make these), then miniature pies, cakes and
cookies, and waffles/pancakes/griddle cakes. I particularly enjoyed
the chapter of “Aha! Portables” which let you take everyday foods
and convert them into your training ride victuals—baked pasta,
pizza rolls and, ah, blueberry kugel. And of course the celebrated
panino (plural form is </span></span><i><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">panini</span></span></i><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">!)
is present in an impressive list of variations. Dr. Lim even
attempts to address the question of whether pickle juice prevents
cramping on Page 245 but I will provide no spoiler for that.</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsb4mT95JO8HwNGoVW7ZKMAdKMyya7QZW8a5jjXfkUIim9_dZSKfWa9hVVqqsAG82_hyphenhyphenNCc18gy2RBl5VNYTPuj_lXXzpJuMLNH8UqKSABT55cwEh4FjqxWTY8ZTA-ZJoRdyiaXlTDSmXe/s1600/FZP_BeetJuiceWaffleSandwiches_webres.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsb4mT95JO8HwNGoVW7ZKMAdKMyya7QZW8a5jjXfkUIim9_dZSKfWa9hVVqqsAG82_hyphenhyphenNCc18gy2RBl5VNYTPuj_lXXzpJuMLNH8UqKSABT55cwEh4FjqxWTY8ZTA-ZJoRdyiaXlTDSmXe/s400/FZP_BeetJuiceWaffleSandwiches_webres.jpg" width="266" /></a></div>
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This is a wonderful book, entertaining while informative, and causing
you to rethink exactly what it is you are eating (and why) on or off
the bike. Unlike some of the gels or bars on the market, the food
you will make using these recipes is light, fresh and appealing. The
authors admit several times that there is a lot more work to doing it
this way rather than just buying something off the shelf (which may
have been on the shelf for a very long time) but I am certain that
anyone buying this book (which has excellent photographs and is
finely bound) will find enjoyment in preparing these novel but pretty
simple meals-for-your-time-on-wheels. So get this original and
unique book, get a rice cooker and unleash your kitchen
impulses—you'll feel better on those long rides and maybe faster
too.
</div>
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<br />
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It's much better than joining the Village Idiots.</div>
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<br />
</div>
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<b>Feed
Zone Portables: A Cookbook of On-the-Go Food for Athletes</b></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-decoration: none;">
by Biju Thomas and Allen Lim, with forewords by Taylor Phinney and
Tim Johnson</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-decoration: none;">
VeloPress 2013, 272 pp., ill. hardbound</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-decoration: none;">
ISBN: 978-1-937715-00-7</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-decoration: none;">
Suggested retail price: US$ 24.95</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Available
at </span></span><span style="color: navy;"><span lang="zxx"><u><a href="http://www.velopress.com/"><span style="font-weight: normal;">www.velopress.com</span></a></u></span></span></div>
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Sprocketboyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00002657522696618715noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6847712656239809973.post-23334879747810186072015-04-02T03:33:00.000+02:002015-04-02T03:34:54.264+02:00Book Review Soon: The Great Road Climbs of the Netherlands<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUI5Hv64aZfwSe9Sgn74L7fFB3rTmacozSNUCQ2qoIzpu3Hh0xt05QqMsOdGte0ghKwdbIOXgWyGTG0wycKMhDGUrtV4Ykn6Ei196GpuTUAfK5xr_2GnOY7zwZWH9w-g3t8y4HxWt0aXcw/s1600/Great_Climbs_Neverlands_v61-1024x592.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUI5Hv64aZfwSe9Sgn74L7fFB3rTmacozSNUCQ2qoIzpu3Hh0xt05QqMsOdGte0ghKwdbIOXgWyGTG0wycKMhDGUrtV4Ykn6Ei196GpuTUAfK5xr_2GnOY7zwZWH9w-g3t8y4HxWt0aXcw/s1600/Great_Climbs_Neverlands_v61-1024x592.jpg" height="230" width="400" /> </a></div>
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I was thrilled to read today that Rapha will soon release the latest in its series of beautiful road climb books. I have reviewed the first three, written by Graeme Fife, for Pezcyclingnews.com and they covered the Northern Alps, Southern Alps and the Pyrenees. I knew that sooner or later the famous climbs of Gouda country would have to be covered and I am looking forward to receiving this latest volume. Although publication was announced today there was no release date so we will all have to be patient. Until then, here is what Rapha tells us about this fabulous new book: </div>
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<h2>
The Rapha Guide to the Great Road Climbs of the Netherlands</h2>
</header>
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<div class="body-text">
<h5 class="meta">
| Date: <time datetime="2015-04-01" pubdate="">April 1, 2015</time></h5>
With the grand opening of Cycle Club Amsterdam this month and the Tour de France setting off from Utrecht in July, Rapha are proud to introduce a new publication.<br />
<br />
<i>The Rapha Guide to the Great Road Climbs of the Netherlands</i>
is a uniquely unique niche cycling guide to the great cols of the
Netherlands. Inspired by Admiral Francis Beaufort, the author – Edwin de
Groot – combines careful meteorological research with a blustery
narrative style, supported by beautiful photographic portrayals of the
imposing landscapes taken by Peter Von Drinkel. It gives persuasive
encouragement – if you needed any – to visit.<br />
<br />
The Great Road Climbs of the Netherlands is not a conventional guide
to the roads of Holland. Facts and guidance is offered on obscure and
well-known Dutch mountains, but the gripping element is rather a highly
variable scale of Beaufort. The variety and peculiarity of the wind and
its direction leaves the reader with a colourful and memorable picture.
As Joop Zoetemelk once said: “Headwinds are far more menacing and
unpredictable then any Alpine pass.”<br />
Climbs featured include:<br />
<ul>
<li>De Afsluitdijk</li>
<li>Oosterscheldekering</li>
<li>Kanaaldijk Oost and West</li>
<li>De Vogelweg</li>
<li>Noordzeeroute</li>
<li>Oostvaardersdijk</li>
<li>Zuiderdijkweg</li>
<li>Haardijk-Banweg</li>
<li>Middenweg</li>
</ul>
<i>Ja, dit is gewoon wat luchtig vermaak, dus wees niet beledigd. En
natuurlijk, je kunt dit lezen, dus je weet wat er aan de hand is.</i></div>
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Sprocketboyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00002657522696618715noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6847712656239809973.post-47043050533815826062015-03-15T22:07:00.000+01:002015-03-15T22:14:55.332+01:00Book Review: Book de Tour is an Original Take on Coverage of the Tour de France<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJKjtBCV0EFDk7JtissQLNb16Yin5r4Wdasa_RuzZH9KwrHNh0BdotpidCXegOwfRctXQbteTdNfY0AVQ-CqAUzZ3sSGPDqXOyCszDrkCdezK-qkU7Io744I9cbyyHMxliPXihWSuO24me/s1600/Book+de+Tour+Cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJKjtBCV0EFDk7JtissQLNb16Yin5r4Wdasa_RuzZH9KwrHNh0BdotpidCXegOwfRctXQbteTdNfY0AVQ-CqAUzZ3sSGPDqXOyCszDrkCdezK-qkU7Io744I9cbyyHMxliPXihWSuO24me/s1600/Book+de+Tour+Cover.jpg" height="308" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>All images courtesy of Greig Leach</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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The capturing of a bicycle race has
taken many forms. From the breathless, florid prose of the
overwrought correspondents following the Tour de France writing for
<i>L'Auto</i>, then to still photography with unwieldy cameras and on
to sound with radio (and accordion accompaniment!) then film
newsreels and television and now Internet sites, podcasts and fans
waving cellphones. There have been attempts by painters to capture
the special moments of a race: Toulouse Lautrec's 1896 poster of
racers using Simpson chains; Lyonel Feininger's trapezoidal
speedsters in 1912; Edward Hopper's 1937 portrait of a Six Day Racer
in his cabin. But they all seem too studied, unable to depict the
energy that we know and love when we watch our cycling heroes in
action. But when the Road World Championships come to Richmond,
Virginia this fall there is at least one man ready to try.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Greig Leach is an accomplished painter
whose works have been exhibited throughout the United States. He has
received formal training at the Corcoran Museum's School of Art in
Washington, DC, Montgomery College in Maryland and Virginia
Commonwealth University in Richmond. In addition, he has been
Visiting Artist at the American Academy in Rome and is a past Fellow
of the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, where he also served a term as
Artist-in-Residence. And not only are his painterly credentials thus
established but he also enjoyed bicycle racing as an amateur in the
1970s, the Precarbonian Era of American competitive cycling. And he
now enjoys the title of Official Artist of the World Cycling
Championships in Richmond.</div>
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<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Mr. Leach's affection for cycling and
his understanding of the sport have allowed him to capture today's
races in a colourful and exciting style. Watching the races live on
television, he endeavours to paint, using watercolours and oils, in
the moment. This video capture technique and a sure sense of colour
and composition result in rapid-fire but fluid miniature works of
original art, apparently in a postcard sized format.</div>
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<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
I only recently became aware of Mr.
Leach's work during the early Spring races in Belgium this year. He
produced and displayed online wonderful pictures of the action at
Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne. His work is
characterized by bright splashes of colour, a feeling of movement and
only enough detail to sense who the riders might be. He has already
moved on to Paris-Nice activity and produces around five images per
stage. All of this excellent paintings may be seen at his blog, The
Art of Cycling (<span style="color: navy;"><span lang="zxx"><u><a href="http://theartofcycling.blogspot.ca/">http://theartofcycling.blogspot.ca/</a></u></span></span>)
and under each painting there is clear explanation of what is
happening: riders going over the cobbles; poor Tom Boonen crashing
out.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5uaSG4A6kSGx4LCcwQMXIyPHUK1Z0eWS1vij1KbYWblOdJqwga9T0UgnGtrCra_0R7b3eEj-67JM3SK_kyAn6t6u8r91pnpE6tUNBQzt59_rpuEc4r-ezLePpCqhjzF4YuRr4tzyJxT6S/s1600/Cobbles+of+Belgium.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5uaSG4A6kSGx4LCcwQMXIyPHUK1Z0eWS1vij1KbYWblOdJqwga9T0UgnGtrCra_0R7b3eEj-67JM3SK_kyAn6t6u8r91pnpE6tUNBQzt59_rpuEc4r-ezLePpCqhjzF4YuRr4tzyJxT6S/s1600/Cobbles+of+Belgium.jpg" height="262" width="400" /></a></div>
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All this admirable activity should be
contained in a nice book, you say.
And thanks to the miracle of crowdfunding and his own considerable
initiative your desires are fulfilled. Mr. Leach felt guilt about
spending so much time watching the Tour de France rather than indulge
his workaholic tendencies. His wife suggested painting the racing
and sharing his work on social media sites was a way to deal with
this. He began his blog at the start of the 2013 Giro d'Italia and
produced daily paintings of each stage. He launched a crowdfunding
campaign to launch a new project in 2014: coverage of each stage of
the Tour de France. The result was his first publication, <i>Book de
Tour</i>, which was released early this year.</div>
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It is hard to believe that Mr. Leach is
not actually present for the races he paints. All of the work is
created from either television or internet video feeds in his living
room. He has the advantage of thus seeing the entire race and is
able to judge those moments best suited to his portrayals.</div>
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<i>Book de Tour</i><span style="font-style: normal;">,
in its 220 pages, covers each stage of the 2014 race in glorious
colour. Each stage has a chapter which begins with his drawn profile
of the stage, followed by around eight pages of stage incidents and
concluding with a page showing the jerseys of the stage winners and
the overall leaders.</span></div>
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It is enjoyable to
relive the wonderful moments from that Tour de France. In Stage 1 we
had Jens Voigt chasing down the King of the Mountains jersey on the
road to Harrogate and Marcel Kittel, like some kind of monster,
crossing the finish line for the win, only to slide off the back with
a consolation pat from Romain Feillu during Stage 2. For Stage 5
Mr. Leach again shows his facility with rendering cobblestones for
the segment when Vincenzo Nibali showed he was a real contender.
Tony Martin's unexpected triumph on the hilly Stage 9 was captured in
the first and last painting in the series. Less happy events, such
as the abandonments by Froome and Contador, are included. And who
did not feel sorry for Jack Bauer and Martin Elmiger, caught right at
the finish line after leading most of Stage 15 by themselves.</div>
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Present as I was in
Paris for the final stage, I particularly enjoyed reliving the
experience through these paintings, including the perfectly timed
moment when the peloton crossed the Seine into the city as French
fighter jets provided a red-white-and-blue finish. There's Jens
Voigt again! And Tony Martin having a mechanical. And Kittel once
more first at the finish line.</div>
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The lively images
coupled with the intelligent and concise summaries make this an
unusual and very attractive that-was-the-Tour summary compared to the
the photos we have seen so often in yearbooks past. Book de Tour is
a charming and entertaining volume that would appeal to art lovers,
cycling neophytes and hardcore fans equally. We suggest you follow
Mr. Leach's blog for colour commentary in the truest sense of the
word. His postcard paintings, each original artworks, can be
purchased as well. Bring on the World Championships!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL_ZttzmUGZUKnE_iCvVn8yXZixiEPCfEEYEoPdPXM3lXBgnR6Zc-dufc4NI1R1DvN-oq5FEcZ79c5Dcd4eDJZ5hQzbVZOkPn91Sqezcs-3078S0uhyphenhyphenBUPxY_1d38Yhjd7dGjfN7HPchjY/s1600/art33_art_bike_paintings.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL_ZttzmUGZUKnE_iCvVn8yXZixiEPCfEEYEoPdPXM3lXBgnR6Zc-dufc4NI1R1DvN-oq5FEcZ79c5Dcd4eDJZ5hQzbVZOkPn91Sqezcs-3078S0uhyphenhyphenBUPxY_1d38Yhjd7dGjfN7HPchjY/s1600/art33_art_bike_paintings.jpg" height="262" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
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<i>Book de Tour</i><span style="font-style: normal;">
by Greig Leich</span>
<br />
<div style="font-style: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
227 pp.,
illustrated in colour, paperbound</div>
<div style="font-style: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Dementi Milestone
Publishing, Viriginia 2015</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="color: navy;"><span lang="zxx"><u><a href="http://www.dementimilestonepublishing.com/"><span style="font-style: normal;"></span></a></u></span></span></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
ISBN
978-0-9903687-6-2</div>
<div style="font-style: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Suggested Retail:
US$29.95/22.95 Euros<br />
Available <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Book-Tour-Art-101st-France/dp/0990368769/ref=cm_cr-mr-title" target="_blank">here</a> at Amazon.com. </div>
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<span style="font-style: normal;">For
more information about Greig Leach's art, go to </span><span style="color: navy;"><span lang="zxx"><u><a href="http://www.greigleach.com/"><span style="font-style: normal;">www.greigleach.com</span></a></u></span></span><span style="font-style: normal;">.</span></div>
Sprocketboyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00002657522696618715noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6847712656239809973.post-50348810056547109852015-03-12T13:28:00.003+01:002015-03-12T13:28:55.675+01:00The best poster for the Spring races?Behold: the Man with the Hammer brought to life. The translation is "The course knows no mercy."<br />
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Welcome to racing in Belgium!<br />
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<br />Sprocketboyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00002657522696618715noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6847712656239809973.post-13848863288389126702015-03-11T18:35:00.001+01:002015-03-11T18:37:10.793+01:00Cycling at 80"Portrait of My Grandfather: 80 and still cycling" is a charming example of an Internet amateur video, a slight story warmly told. Let's hope we can all be like Grandfather, who can roll along pretty well!<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="281" mozallowfullscreen="" src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/74715441" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="450"></iframe> <a href="https://vimeo.com/74715441">Portrait of my grandfather : 80 and still cycling</a> from <a href="https://vimeo.com/florentpiovesan">Florent Piovesan</a> on <a href="https://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a>.Sprocketboyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00002657522696618715noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6847712656239809973.post-56926445933435064502015-03-07T22:45:00.003+01:002015-03-07T23:00:44.895+01:00Marinoni Documentary Coming to Ottawa! April 22-25, 2015<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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From April 22-25 the <a href="http://www.bytowne.ca/" target="_blank">ByTowne Cinema</a> in Ottawa will be showing Tony Girardin's 2014 documentary about Montreal framebuilder <a href="http://www.tindonkey.com/2008/03/framebuilder-of-trust-my-visit-to.html" target="_blank">Giuseppe Marinoni</a> and his attempt to beat the One Hour Record in his age group in 2012. I not only have a <a href="http://www.tindonkey.com/2007/02/herd-of-tin-donkeys-my-marinoni.html" target="_blank">1998 Marinoni Ciclo sport/touring bicycle</a> but I had Cycles Marinoni refinish my <a href="http://www.tindonkey.com/2010/01/heron-arises-new-old-bike-for-new.html" target="_blank">Raleigh Team Professional</a> and Mr. Marinoni made a new fork for that frame although he is quasi/semi-retired. The documentary about his attempt at age 75 to beat the record on one of the steel bicycles he built himself premiered last April in Toronto and has limited distribution since.<br />
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At the April 22 screening Giuseppe Marinoni will be present for a Q&A session after the film. Should be fun! More information about the movie can be found <a href="http://www.marinonimovie.com/MAIN/INTRO.html" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/f-nZgOQk_EE" width="450"></iframe><br />
<br />Sprocketboyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00002657522696618715noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6847712656239809973.post-34090351177487386582015-03-02T00:03:00.000+01:002015-03-02T00:03:20.918+01:00Book Review: Kittel's Vittles Revealed in Tour de Cuisine!
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It is said that Tour de France cyclists
consume quantities of food during the event second only to sumo
wrestlers in training: 11,000 calories per day for the former, 14,000
for the latter. But while sumos are famous for their vats of greasy
soup, an innovative new book suggests that pro cyclists are in
reality a pretty sophisticated bunch when it comes to noshing.</div>
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2015 marks the appearance of
a new German UCI Pro Continental team, BORA-Argon 18. With new name
sponsors it is actually the successor to the NetApp-Endura squad and
like its predecessor has received a wild card invitation to the Tour
de France, hoping in 2015 to match the results of last year when the
team showed it deserved to be included amongst the elite of the
sport.</div>
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Sponsor BORA's link to
cyclesport could be found on broadcaster Eurosport's German
television coverage of major European races through its regular
advertisements. The company, based near Munich, is a manufacturer of
high-end cooktops and extractors. Without a range hood, cooking
odors are drawn out directly from the cooking surface. From one
employee in 2006, the firm has grown to more than 50 today with
subsidiaries in Austria and Australia and won various design awards
along the way. It is a typical example of a German “Mittelstand”
company, producing an innovative, high-quality (and cost!) product
with a great deal of personal attention. It appears that founder
Willi Bruckbauer's personal enthusiasm for cycling has expanded to
encompass this pro team, whose other title sponsor is Canada's Argon
18, provider of the team's bicycles.</div>
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With German pro cycling
coming back to life thanks to the performances of the likes of John
Degenkolb, Tony Martin and Marcel Kittel and the return of the Tour
de France to German public television after an absence of some years
due to the fall-out from doping scandals, it is perhaps not a
surprise that a German company would seek to maximize its exposure by
sponsoring a team. What is unusual is how the sponsor aims to link
the sport of pro cycling to its product by producing a very
high-quality cookbook featuring favorite recipes of racers. The
result is the very attractive “Tour de Cuisine,” available in
several language and featuring 53 cyclists and their comfort foods.</div>
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It is probably unlikely that
many of these riders are whizzes in the kitchen, given a BORA
cooktop/teppan grill or not, but the book includes their comments
about the various dishes, accompanied by excellent photos of the
riders and a brief summary of their palmares. The contributors are
not limited to Team BORA-Argon 18 but include many of the big names
of the pro peloton, including the aforementioned German trio. It
cannot be overlooked that some of these summaries are a bit peculiar
in their sharing of information. For example, George Hincapie is
described as having ridden in 17 Tours de France, completing 16 and
“he acted as a helper for the likes of Alberto Contador and Cadel
Evans.” For someone else as well, methinks.</div>
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Aside from this bit of
historical revision, the book is more entertaining than the usual
cookbook. Many of the recipes reflect a certain nationalism:
Americans Peter Stetina with his Chicken Sandwich and Mr. Hincapie's
T-Bone Steak. For those unfamiliar with <i>Mitteleuropa</i> cuisine,
Michal Gola<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">ś's</span>enthusiasm
for Kaiserschmarrn or John Degenkolb's for Beef Olives (better known
as Rouladen) should be no surprise. But it is notable that many
riders eschew their native victuals in favour of foreign (often
Italian or Asian) meals. Pole Sylwester Szmyd goes for Rice Noodles
with Fried Vegetables, Jens Voigt for Moussaka, Andr<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">é</span>
Greipel is keen on Prawns with Green Tagliatelle and Asparagus and
Golden Boy Marcel Kittel keeps up his sprinting strength with Lasagne
al Forno apparently. </div>
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As is traditional, the
cookbook is divided into chapters including Soups & Starters,
Vegetarian Dishes, Pasta & More, Fish & Seafood, Meat &
Poultry and Desserts. Cyclists representing Poland, Switzerland,
Germany, the USA, Spain, Italy, the Czech Republic, the Netherlands,
Austria, Sweden, Portugal, Slovakia, Australia, Norway and Belgium
reflect the United Nations (or at least mainly European Union)
make-up of the pro peloton. Truly a bunch of <i>Feinschmeckers</i>!</div>
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A fine book that would be at
home either on your cookbook shelf or in your cycling library, “Tour
de Cuisine” is an excellent effort to unite gourmet cooking and
road racing, two of the great pleasures in life. And in your heart
you know that when Matthias Br<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">ä</span>ndle
(Swiss) broke the One Hour Record on October 30, he rode those 51.850
kms powered by Cheesecake with Strawberry Granita (page 194, 1 hour
preparation time coincidentally).</div>
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“Tour de Cusine”
published by BORA in conjunction with Teubner Verlag</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
200 pp., illus, hardbound</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Suggested price: 39.90 Euros</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
It is available as of now at
Amazon.de in German (ISBN: 978-3-8338-4538-3), English (ISBN:
978-3-8338-4642-7), French (ISBN: 978-3-8338-4643-4), Italian (ISBN:
978-3-8338-4644-1), Spanish (ISBN: 978-3-8338-4646-5) and Dutch
(ISBN: 978-3-8338-4645-8). It will also be available at fancy
cooking equipment stores.
</div>
Sprocketboyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00002657522696618715noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6847712656239809973.post-5251156735304483282015-03-01T19:17:00.000+01:002015-03-01T19:22:29.250+01:00Book Review: "Fast After 50" by Joe Friel<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1G1LUqUYOZul-uXq0eRRTETZcWY2fN9hsBYtDz7nYSaDyDFFYgGaIJjjmvdFG-qteqGivBB8dFaQgStjT0qSQ_36pzSR4lPyQs9aLc_U-3yunbncKs2jDD_iwQmLNZdTZYxgG0YDu-R-O/s1600/FA50_96dpi_400pw_str.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1G1LUqUYOZul-uXq0eRRTETZcWY2fN9hsBYtDz7nYSaDyDFFYgGaIJjjmvdFG-qteqGivBB8dFaQgStjT0qSQ_36pzSR4lPyQs9aLc_U-3yunbncKs2jDD_iwQmLNZdTZYxgG0YDu-R-O/s1600/FA50_96dpi_400pw_str.jpg" height="400" width="311" /></a></div>
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We are indeed living in the Age of the
MAMIL—Middle-Aged Men in Lycra abound. Where once bicycles were
sneered at as children's toys or for those too poor to afford
motorized transport we now have astonishing two-wheelers, crafted of
the highest of high-tech materials in the exotic Far East and
featuring electronic shifting and featherlight wheelsets for
five-figure sums that would buy excellent used cars. <i>Gran fondo</i>
events have become all the rage in North America, catching up to
European counterparts, and thousands are spent on travel packages to
let the well-heeled enjoy the cobbles of Paris-Roubaix or retrace the
Tour de France route itself. Middle age may not just bring the
wherewithal to indulge in these luxuries but also some unpleasant
surprises and noted coach and author Joe Friel brings succour to
those who find their bikes losing weight in inverse proportion to
themselves in his latest book “Fast After 50—How To Race Strong
for the Rest of Your Life.”</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT">
Joe Friel has trained endurance athletes since 1980,
including national champions, world championship contenders, and
Olympic athletes in triathlon, duathlon, road cycling, and mountain
biking.</div>
He is an elite-certified USA Triathlon and USA Cycling coach and
holds a master’s degree in exercise science. He conducts training
and racing seminars around the world and provides consulting services
for corporations in the fitness industry so he knows a great deal
about athletics but the book had its genesis in his sudden
realization that he was about to turn 70. He writes about his
milestone birthday: “My greatest concern was that it might signal
the beginning of the end of my lifelong adventure as a serious
athlete. I simply didn't know what to expect.”<br />
<br />
With six months to go until the dreaded day, he delved into the
scientific literature to determine what his future might hold. Since
writing a previous book (“Cycling Past 50”) published in 1998, he
learned that the huge baby boom generation, a cohort entering their
60s in 2005, meant a significant increase in studies on aging and the
patterns he saw in them came together in this new book.<br />
“By the time we're in our 50s, it's just starting to become
apparent that things are going the wrong way. The first thing that
athletes typically notice around that age is that they don't recover
from a race or a hard training session as quickly as they did a few
years earlier. And not only that—race times are slowing, there's a
loss of power, hills seem steeper, and other performance markers are
also looking worse. What can be done?”<br />
<br />
Apparently not all is lost! We learn that there is a surprisingly
low deterioration in the performance of elite athletes as they move
through their race age groups. But there is a reduction and Mr.
Friel forces us to look at the grim truth in Part 1 of the book,
entitled “Older, Slower, Fatter?” This examines the various
theories of aging (and the book is festooned with footnotes to
indicate just how much serious research went into it). There is a
sad list of what happens with aging: skin loses elasticity; hair
thins and turns grey; high-frequency sounds become more difficult to
hear; sleep quality declines; bone density is reduced; the basic
metabolic rate slows down, resulting in weight gain...well, that's
enough for the general population. But for athletes this means
aerobic capacity declines; maximal heart rate is reduced; muscle
fibres are lost and so forth. The “Big Three” aging limiters for
athletes are reduced by the author to:<br />
<ol>
<li>Decreasing aerobic capacity;<br />
</li>
<li>Increasing body fat;<br />
</li>
<li>Shrinking muscles.<br />
</li>
</ol>
There is an inevitability to this but recognition of these three
effects and the acceptance that one might not be as fast as one was
in his or her 20s or 30s but that it is more important to live up to
the potential fitness one might have is the heart of “Fast After
50.”<br />
<br />
Frankly, it was disconcerting to read through this catalogue, as
well-researched as it might be, and feel the cold breath of the Grim
Reaper close by. The author realizes the effect and writes: “I
know what you're thinking and I agree. There wasn't much in the way
of good news in this chapter. Unfortunately, there's even more to
the downside of aging that's been left unexplored. <span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">{</span>In
addition to the Big Three limiters<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">}</span>...we
may also include other changes that senior athletes often experience,
such as increased risk of injury and a weakened immune system that
makes them more susceptible to disease.” Sigh.<br />
<br />
Luckily, Part 2 arrives: Faster, Stronger, Leaner! This was
designed to address the problems set out in the first section by
noting that aging is a blend of genetics and lifestyle (in an unknown
ratio) but research has shown that the process can be speeded up or
reduced through something we can control. The physiology of training
is no different with age although capacity may be reduced so it is by
modifying our lifestyle we can truly reach the potential high
performance of our athletic endeavours.<br />
<br />
Given that the book is aimed at people who are already familiar
with athletic activity, Mr. Friel does not need to go into detail
about things like goal-setting but covers the importance of
high-intensity training and avoiding the tendency to comfortable
training levels and easier workouts that we slide into. With clear
goals set we move onto periodization to avoid overtraining and then
into advanced training that makes allowances for the aging athlete,
including sections on strength training (not only to improve
performance but to stop age-related loss of muscle mass) and on to
the importance of rest and recovery. There is an entire chapter
devoted to body fat and nutrition and how to deal with those
shrinking Lycra<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">™</span>
jerseys. In addition to his own research, the author has called in
interesting contributions from a number of noted sports figures,
including the truly ageless Ned Overend of mountain bike fame.<br />
<br />
The book ends on a hopeful note as the author believes that the
baby-boomers will bring about statistical changes in the expected
decline after 70. “If you count yourself among this group, then
you are part of the most athletic and performance-focused generation
in history. I believe you will rewrite the numbers in such a way
that we may soon find that the rate of decline for athletes in their
eighth decade of life is no greater than it was in the previous 10
years.”<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju0rcHdpHu1gtjvg-sYtmpz0dFaDUsvCVYTxb_VyRZRzTJqFu_2ujUIyUfFNBKa7bvquL8wM9jEdws51pxyMiiFoA8ChayZnmxiZuS3ckoaPaH91u75UEtRtyijXg4ZilhZusaestfpGAa/s1600/Joe_Friel_72dpi_400x600p.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju0rcHdpHu1gtjvg-sYtmpz0dFaDUsvCVYTxb_VyRZRzTJqFu_2ujUIyUfFNBKa7bvquL8wM9jEdws51pxyMiiFoA8ChayZnmxiZuS3ckoaPaH91u75UEtRtyijXg4ZilhZusaestfpGAa/s1600/Joe_Friel_72dpi_400x600p.jpg" height="400" width="285" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Coach, author, competitor, septuagenarian: Joe Friel </i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
Alas, a month after he reached 70 Mr. Friel crashed on a training
ride when a strong gust of wind blew him into a curb. He broke seven
bones and received a concussion and subsequently developed blood
clots in his legs and lungs. He expects to be racing again on his
71<sup>st</sup> birthday and invites his readers to write to him
about their experiences with the ideas and suggestions in this
thoughtful, well-written and groundbreaking book. We wish him a
speedy and complete recovery and look forward to “Even Faster After
80” which we anticipate will come out in 2030. We will be ready!<br />
<br />
<br />
“Fast After 50: How to Race Strong for the Rest of Your Life”<br />
by Joe Friel<br />
328 pp., some chart illustrations, paperback<br />
VeloPress, Boulder, Colorado, 2015<br />
ISBN: 978-1-937715-26-7<br />
Suggested retail price: US$21.95<br />
For more information about this and other VeloPress publications
go to <span style="color: navy;"><span lang="zxx"><u><a href="http://www.velopress.com/">www.velopress.com</a></u></span></span><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Sprocketboyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00002657522696618715noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6847712656239809973.post-56153101571783439562015-03-01T19:02:00.000+01:002015-03-02T15:01:40.153+01:00The Rik van Steenbergen Classic<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_Soc90VN2R3xHw4hQ1Yefj-xifn_mkT4dccETYNTJFDvcb94-irfnaL0YbwYguedF1E4PfMo8Xcw8I0ZEquqga3UT0aHXOFTw0UQuyv4Qc3qi0_ZeH67A2E5pOwGl744WI3GhFqo0e7MZ/s1600/000_app2003051577679_600.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_Soc90VN2R3xHw4hQ1Yefj-xifn_mkT4dccETYNTJFDvcb94-irfnaL0YbwYguedF1E4PfMo8Xcw8I0ZEquqga3UT0aHXOFTw0UQuyv4Qc3qi0_ZeH67A2E5pOwGl744WI3GhFqo0e7MZ/s1600/000_app2003051577679_600.jpg" height="400" width="281" /></a></div>
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Once again Springtime approaches and
with it appear the <i>flahutes</i>, the tough men of the Low
Countries, and the fans congregate on the narrow roads beneath the
leaden skies of Belgium to watch their heroes and the air is redolent
with <i>frites</i> and beer and rain or dust or both. There are
brutal climbs to conquer and nasty cobblestones that bite in these
races where, unlike the famous Grand Tours, you only have a single
day to become a legend. And amongst Belgium's cycling legends, near
the very top, one finds the name of Rik van Steenbergen.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizvNqwNSQpPEFbErcZmxF_zJgKtFrAr-TvidCr-6e9392vTunZcR-dWuFIIj8BMlndDMSAR0Q9oISRiHMnO2Gu796UlJLQuNJW9iP3KadXGYgtaNF8eHRDQeohZ7vm4nHnvLHbPxWxUO0H/s1600/rik+v+steenbergen.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizvNqwNSQpPEFbErcZmxF_zJgKtFrAr-TvidCr-6e9392vTunZcR-dWuFIIj8BMlndDMSAR0Q9oISRiHMnO2Gu796UlJLQuNJW9iP3KadXGYgtaNF8eHRDQeohZ7vm4nHnvLHbPxWxUO0H/s1600/rik+v+steenbergen.jpg" height="400" width="366" /></a></div>
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Born in Arendonk in 1924 into a poor
family, he worked as an errand boy and a cigar-roller and began
racing at 14. During World War II he blossomed into one of Belgium's
top juniors and then after turning pro in 1942 he won the Tour of
Flanders in 1944 and again in 1946. His palmar<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">è</span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">s
impress: three times Road World Champion; double wins at
Paris-Roubaix and La Flèche Wallonne; victory at Paris-Brussels; at
Milan-San Remo; 40 Six Day Races won; 15 stages wins at the Giro;
four wins at the Tour de France; six stages of the Vuelta—and these
are only the major victories. It is estimated that in his career,
which ended in 1966, he won nearly 1,000 races. A sprinter, he was
challenged by climbs but still managed a second place overall at the
Giro d'Italia in 1951. It is said that if he had concentrated on
stage races rather then enter every race he could find he would have
had even greater success but perhaps that ignores the economic
conditions of post-war Belgium and reflects the small earnings of
even the best pro cyclists.</span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIF6SlG1IJdD-GZGNXL_4jqwDbLJ1i2P8v4IEdfgJaM9hyphenhyphenZlBNmNb1bAaLJwl0uP71ip68eyds6q9MnsX2I0xpFcNYkWTgwDAHznuyvOtMR1qQiYGhtBHyf5OCuLnoOyQfFNLetRr0gzGc/s1600/Rik_van_Steenbergen_en_Peter_Post_(1967).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIF6SlG1IJdD-GZGNXL_4jqwDbLJ1i2P8v4IEdfgJaM9hyphenhyphenZlBNmNb1bAaLJwl0uP71ip68eyds6q9MnsX2I0xpFcNYkWTgwDAHznuyvOtMR1qQiYGhtBHyf5OCuLnoOyQfFNLetRr0gzGc/s1600/Rik_van_Steenbergen_en_Peter_Post_(1967).jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">Post-retirement Rik van Steenbergen (left) with Peter Post, 1967</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">Life
after racing was hard for the man they called “Rik I” and he
adjusted poorly. Troubled by a gambling addiction and other vices he
spent time in prison. At one point he even starred in an adult film
before stabilizing his life with the help of his English wife. He
died in Antwerp in 2003, aged 78.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">To
honour this great cyclist, a race was established in 1991 in the area
where he grew up and trained. The GP Rik van Steenbergen, later
named the Memorial Rik van Steenbergen, gained in importance and
became a UCI 1.1 event in 2005. Past winners have included Mario
Cipollini, Tom Steels, Andrei Tchmil, Tom Steels, Tom Boonen, and
Greg Van Avermaet. Theo Bos was the last victor, taking the win in
2012 for Rabobank. Since then race organizers have been unable to
raise sufficient sponsorship and the Memorial Rik van Steenbergen is
in danger of becoming a mere memory itself.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">A
series of amateur cycling events are organized every year in Belgium
by Proximus Cycling and in years past there was a Rik van Steenbergen
Classic, giving riders the opportunity to ride the same roads that
Rik I rode as well as retracing the path of those competing in the
Memorial. It began in the same town as the Memorial, Aartselaar,
located a short distance south of Antwerp and last year I was joined
by my friend Bernd who was willing to drive on a scorching hot day (quite
unlike what you will find at the Spring Classics!) to the start.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiUr3D2QJRDSe8raVEmvy_-TI6WdzXyKLu45IsijRwKGkugNotab4-Z1JpNtnxsqlPs4p0ICgReysivXOKxdK0bQNM_r43jR6y1I9e5mOnPhRtvBGCcho2D_9kpRJtadSBraWMWZbiqDbd/s1600/IMG_6747.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiUr3D2QJRDSe8raVEmvy_-TI6WdzXyKLu45IsijRwKGkugNotab4-Z1JpNtnxsqlPs4p0ICgReysivXOKxdK0bQNM_r43jR6y1I9e5mOnPhRtvBGCcho2D_9kpRJtadSBraWMWZbiqDbd/s1600/IMG_6747.JPG" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;"><i>Bernd meets Belgian cobblestones!</i></span></td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidByCZSjyoKe01z6htjvQkPexSHAu59ex5_Czy-DO3VveeV50Iu0QqD90BR0rAPsy0mAsKNuVS0_5On6rSIFzel27kQOmqC3tT-NuX84ZC3-tZrfzpvuOD-tWgzqx28quAd6Sv5hX-axxa/s1600/IMG_6750.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidByCZSjyoKe01z6htjvQkPexSHAu59ex5_Czy-DO3VveeV50Iu0QqD90BR0rAPsy0mAsKNuVS0_5On6rSIFzel27kQOmqC3tT-NuX84ZC3-tZrfzpvuOD-tWgzqx28quAd6Sv5hX-axxa/s1600/IMG_6750.JPG" height="400" width="298" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">Registration
with Proximus is easy and inexpensive, with most events costing 8-10
Euros, and we found ourselves checking in at a big sports centre on
the outskirts of town. It was no problem to find our way following
the purple arrows Proximus puts up everywhere (and reuses for each
event in the caldendar) and soon we were rolling through the Flemish
countryside, joined from time to time by other riders but usually
enjoying the trip by ourselves.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHDsS3FHNDteH27Ytk-VSotErasL7aQAueyOrya0X53ygzVCB0VTGt54hOhkslqv7wf-YgUrXQbClXXoeQfqv2Pd84dvkkuarDXl3J8_2-oimfPGXLiH2MJ7Lvp-X4UyHWp5Gxxk-MdrMF/s1600/IMG_6753.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHDsS3FHNDteH27Ytk-VSotErasL7aQAueyOrya0X53ygzVCB0VTGt54hOhkslqv7wf-YgUrXQbClXXoeQfqv2Pd84dvkkuarDXl3J8_2-oimfPGXLiH2MJ7Lvp-X4UyHWp5Gxxk-MdrMF/s1600/IMG_6753.JPG" height="295" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">I
will not exaggerate the attractiveness of the landscape. Much of
Flanders is board-flat but the occasional monotony of the route was
broken up by long sections alongside canals and detours through
interesting and ancient small towns, with narrow cobbled streets and
impressive churches. Buildings were brick and solid and everything
had an intimate feel: it was if you were just cycling around your
neighbourhood. Although my neighbourhood does not offer gigantic greenhouses producing eggplant!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">The
route was not terribly challenging, with only 462 m of climbing
during a ride of 120 kms, but that was fitting since van Steenbergen
was a sprinter, after all. The road takes one south past Rumst and
over the Rupel River before heading southeast towards Mechelen along
the Dilje. The road continues straight and then a turn to the east
takes you up the sole hill of note at Km. 54.7. Proximus offers
refreshment at each 40 kms or so of the ride and we were looking
forward to the next break. Gradually the loop takes you north again
and at Km 98 the next refreshment stop beckoned: the Ordal mineral
water plant in Ranst! After relaxing in the cool warehouse and
sampling many of the company's refreshing products we only had
another 20 kms of riding ahead of us to bring us back to Aartselaar.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">No
medals, no timekeeping, no jerseys. It was a simple enjoyable day
riding in Flanders, where nobody looks at you strangely for riding a
racing bicycle and wanting to pretend you are Rik I in his glory
days.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrEw-f5GT8edtN01WqZ2mzFt4cQG0AzuNUNcjniy0ZH6ofp0eeg6DPj1NXL3rTJFNsT9SW-J92iJt-IE0A3-Mzm3b4EbuTreU60z6DSZ6t-20ayAQnVx7TzNTIA0SGLWs2U5nGRJOphda-/s1600/Plein_Rik_Van_Steenbergen_Arendonk.jpg.h380.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrEw-f5GT8edtN01WqZ2mzFt4cQG0AzuNUNcjniy0ZH6ofp0eeg6DPj1NXL3rTJFNsT9SW-J92iJt-IE0A3-Mzm3b4EbuTreU60z6DSZ6t-20ayAQnVx7TzNTIA0SGLWs2U5nGRJOphda-/s1600/Plein_Rik_Van_Steenbergen_Arendonk.jpg.h380.jpg" height="292" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;"><i>Rik van Steenbergen monument in Arendonk</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><iframe frameborder="0" height="400" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://www.gpsies.com/mapOnly.do?fileId=jbidfyrtlmzbakdr" width="450"></iframe></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">Proximus
Cycling Challenge offers an extensive calendar of events and begins
2015 with its own version of the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad on Saturday,
February 28, followed by Dwars door Vlaanderen on March 20 and its
Gent-Wevelgem on March 27. Ride lengths are 30, 50, 80 or 110 kms
and while the number of rides has gone up from 12 to 14 over seven
months the Rik van Steenbergen Classic is not among them in 2015.
But if you find yourself in Belgium with a bike and a yearning to be
part of the legend just sign up!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">Proximus
Cycling Challenge can be found at
<a href="http://wfl.proximuscyclingchallenge.be/">http://wfl.proximuscyclingchallenge.be/</a></span></div>
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Sprocketboyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00002657522696618715noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6847712656239809973.post-51609718488422038392015-02-25T20:58:00.000+01:002015-02-25T20:58:52.851+01:00Carlton Reid's Next Literary Effort<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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After his excellent "Roads Were Not Built for Cars," which I reviewed <a href="http://www.tindonkey.com/2014/12/book-review-roads-were-not-built-for.html" target="_blank">here</a> a short time ago, Carlton Reid is continuing his story up until the present day as bicycles--once derided as toys then accepted as a symbol of modernity and mainstream only to sink back to toy status--has now launched a <a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/carltonreid/bike-boom-the-book?ref=nav_search" target="_blank">Kickstarter campaig</a>n to fund his next book, "Bike Boom." Judging from the quality of the first book, the new one will be definitely worth having. Join track and Tour de France star Chris Boardman and myself in supporting this publication, which will be coming out in April 2016 if all goes well! As of today he has found 151 backers and reached 86% of his funding goal but I am sure more money would always be welcome for a project like this!Sprocketboyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00002657522696618715noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6847712656239809973.post-84735033501702028882015-02-15T23:26:00.002+01:002015-02-15T23:31:59.156+01:00Zut Alors! L'invention et réinvention!Having just completed four months of full-time French language training, I enjoyed this ridiculously pretentious little video (which is in English) celebrating, well, you'll see... <br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="210" mozallowfullscreen="" src="//player.vimeo.com/video/116277241" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="450"></iframe> <a href="https://vimeo.com/116277241">House Industries: Velo</a> from <a href="https://vimeo.com/monogramtv">Monogram</a> on <a href="https://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a>.<br />
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"Inspired by cycling." Aren't we all? Well, those of us who wear white socks and mesh-back gloves...Sprocketboyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00002657522696618715noreply@blogger.com0