i let them know i’m FIRST!!!

true that.

catch guys on 9W…No look, no smacktalk, just chase them down and whizz right by.

It’s no fun if they’re wearing FGX gear. Too easy to catch.

What’s the opposite of a Sandbagger?

Peer pressure that turns mellow, low intensity repeats into full on pukers

If someone passes you and keeps going thier merry way without looking back, let them go. No harm, no foul. However, if they do the look back shortly after passing you, it is game on. The look back must be countered with the full effect of your full time pencil pushing mightiness every time.

there’s just no excuse for pinning it on the bridges. if you do that your an idot.

I Just sat through 5 minutes of weather in Basque. It’s either raining or hailing or not.

You can watch it online here

http://www.channelsurfing.net/watch-vuelta-ciclista-al-pais-vasco.html

no cycling tv, can’t bust the belgians-only internet feeds

Bloomington. Fail.

New York State Criterium Championships:
http://www.bikereg.com/events/register.asp?eventid=8494

Course (flat, six turns) and other details to follow shortly.

Registration opens 4/15.

it just doesn’t seem right to have the state crit championship in Canada. Where is Saratoga Springs, anyway? Calgary or something?

to live in Jersey….

Last word is that the slide is not cleared. One place to check for updates is http://www.njpalisades.org.

If you just want to do Alpine repeats, that area is clear. Just go 9w to the Alpine light and turn right.

I’ve heard estimates that it should be clear in a couple of weeks so you can ride the whole road.

David (Carr)

When I am watching videos while riding my trainer I try to close gaps that open up on the TV. Dorky but true.

I also urinate off the trainer onto the living room floor when the peloton stops for a break.

light spin, riding along and blissed out. some dofus on a fixie passes, glares and gives you the look.

…i.e., never do any work, always works well in those situations. just sit on their wheel and enjoy watching them crash and burn. if they don’t, well, you’ve got yourself and nice little draft to ride in. win-win.

get off your soap box please. there is no reason why you should give a shit what other people spend their money on, except for the fact that it helps people that make a living from cycling continue to do so.

It’s ten days from the spring series TT. Is there an alternate plan in place? Anyone have any insight into the particular stretch of road where the TT is supposed to be held? Is it a TT bike course? Road bike? Clip ons?

will be a thing of the past in a year. Unless they start selling bikes for normal people/normal salaries ($1500-$4000 bikes)they will go under. There is simply no reason to spend more than $4000 on a pro level race bike these days. Even gucci online shops like Comp Cyclist understand this are now pushing bargain racers (BMC with SRAM Rival for $1500). With the tech getting better and cheaper spending $20k on a bike is a gross waste of money.

I also think that all these “coaches” will soon find their client base shrinking. The top guys (Roger A etc) will be ok. HOwever, I think as the economy gets worse, this expense will be a luxury and cut out by most racers at the Cat 3 level and down.

Just my 2Cents

i need a power tap to tell me why i’m not winning.

full disclosure: i am a thrifty dude. i do not spend big $ on cycling. i have nothing to do w/ cadence.

cadence sponsors good race series w/ the best promoter in the area. they support our community and our friends. title sponsor of floyd!

at the least, everyone who has the chance should check out the shop, say hi to the guys, and say “thanks for the race sponsorship, i appreciate it.” that doesn’t cost anything and would be a sign of respect for one of our patrons, and for charlie i. it is correct for a man to be respectful.

some of you complain about race promoters you don’t like. instead of b-tching about that, it is even more powerful / positive to go to a sponsor, say ‘that is a great series, and you partnered w. an awesome promoter. so i wanted to stop by, say thanks, and bring in my bike for a tune-up.”

sry off my soapbox now…

no, sorry, i didn’t. i’m just not interested in discussing that.

i am making a statement about cadence that i wanted to make.

the “you” might’ve well have been “y’all” or “yous” … i was speaking to the community as a whole. (i’ve always felt that english lacked a good 2nd person plural … but i digress).

…They just can’t survive. The points Cadence made in that interview still place them as arrogant, in my mind, and their view seems wildly obtuse. If you look at what has been happening to retail in this country you will understand why this reinvention will not work: High-end retail (Saks, Needless Markups, etc.) and low-end retail (Walmart) will see losses, but not as significant as those placed solidly in the middle of the market. Look at the demise of “casual” restaurants (Applebees, Bennigans, etc.) in the burbs… Many are being boarded up as their customer decides to cook at home and they are not being replaced with others in their range. Those with the means will continue to shop, those without will also continue to shop because they don’t know any better. A $3.99 meal at McDonalds will fill up a person for the day, but a $15 meal won’t because it’s more nutritious and not designed to do so.

The relationship to Cadence/Altheus/etc is clear: Though they brought in lower-priced options to have the appearance of a “regular” bike shop, they still carry (I’m assuming) high overhead, high payroll costs (Those Exercise Physiologists can’t be cheap), and obviously high construction costs that were all calculated during a time of great wealth.

They will have to sell many more mid-range bikes to make up for the huge loss in revenue they attached to those wall street guys that they claim vanished. If they didn’t plan for that when they decided to open their doors in NYC then they are doomed for failure.

I have shopped there and truly support their effort, but I just don’t see hope for this reinvention. Their outreach has been unbelievable and their support of the racing community is second to none, but how many of you have bought a $4k bike there?

If their business is coaching, they truely are doommed…

that much overhead just to attract people for coaching services. You can find a ton of good local coaches whose office is called Central Park. Anything high end, regardless of the service or item, is in deep trouble.

Cadence just joins the list.

Shame as it’s nice to have seen the growth in NYC cycling in recent years. But we’ll be forced back into our little shops surrounded by gnomish mechanics who know how to true a wheel blindfolded while being pelted with tennis balls.

If anyone wants to race tomorrow I’ll be the guy on 9W passing you.

Roger Aspholm, David Jordan, Mike Sherry, Will Schneider… the list goes on and on.

The bikesnobnyc take on it:

“You’re not buying the bike; you’re buying the attention”.

http://bikesnobnyc.blogspot.com/2009/04/synthesis-putting-it-together.html

yes, Cadence is a great supporter, but there is a disconnect between who they would like their market to be (wall street brokers) and the actual market (us, the NYC cyclists and racers)… their expenses at that location have to be off the roof, I doubt they are making any money, so it is a question of time, they need to change and better target the actual NYC cyclists.

nyvc: attack Armstrong and signs name.
snob: defends Armstrong and attacks hipster doofuses, can’t sign name.

You were saying?

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/10/business/economy/10shop.html?_r=1&hp

I think this proves his point.

You’re riding along 9W minding your own business and some 60-70 year old Roger De Vlaeminck “wanna be” without a helmet, sweating balls and panting like a Polar Bear at the Bronx Zoo in July decides he’s gonna get on your wheel for a free pull!

No asking, no small talk, not even a first date meal! Just latches on your ass like like that ugly girl in 4th grade.

That’s when I drop them “too old school” fools back to their retirement home at Del Boca Vista Phase III!

That’s funny shit 14:52. You know your Seinfeld.

as for 22:53 can’t you see he’s joking?

Of course it’s not a race. But funny as hell visualizing it.

This website isn’t really about right and wrong, it’s about this crazy sport we do called cycling.

Twice now, this season, racer types have sat up and said, indignantly, “Stop drafting me!” I’m not talking about high-pressure workout situations: this is more like 21 mph cruising along the bike path with a 7-10 mph tailwind. So, yes, I’m a wheelsucker — I’m just a commuter, looking for a tow uptown.

What, exactly, is the objection? Is it:

– Mental? Am I breaking your concentration?
– Aesthetic? Must I shave to ride with you?
– Safety? Are you afraid of knocking me down?
– Aerodynamic? Am I screwing up your powertap training diary by increasing your average speed to unrealistic levels?

If I you can help me understand your issue, perhaps I’ll be able to reconcile myself to your proprietary air toward the commons.

With all due respect, you’re a jack-hole to draft on the bike path. Seriously. It isn’t very safe to ride 21 MPH on the path, but it’s definitely not smart to wheelsuck unless you want to pull a rollerblader out of your teeth some day. You can have all the draft you want in the park. Or the pub.

But why,um, are you drafting on the bridge? Are you in the top 10 GC and want to protect yourself until the time trial? Are you in the polka dot jersey?

Draftin’s nice, but time and place BRUDDA

I don’t want you on my wheel because my commute in to work is time for me to mentally prepare for the day and have a little bit of private time in public, so to speak. Drafting a stranger on the bike path is about as polite as walking side-by-side, in stride, w/ a stranger on the street. That’s some pure, all-natural dickishness right there.

when coming upon a group (of 2 or more) or even an individual, it’s always a good idea to just say, “hey, mind if i sit in?” or “mind if i draft for a bit?”

that’s so easy to ask, and most of the time it’s no big deal–or at least so long as you don’t ride like an idot….

1) Yes, just ask. Of course in some environments some people are less likely to object than others, but really, asking costs you nothing, and if there’s a 1% chance someone will be annoyed if you don’t ask, not asking is unnecessarily rude.

2) Yes, you really do need to ask. And if you’re on a shared use path, you have absolutely no business riding so hard you can’t speak.

Also, I’m admittedly basing this on only a few dozen words, but: based on your tone, I really, really suspect that you’re the one with the superior/insecure attitude, and not the other way around. “Proprietary air toward the commons”? Dude, I just want a couple feet of personal space. “Marvelously fast”? If I ride faster than you, it doesn’t mean I feel superior or want to ‘race’ — all it means is I happen to be riding faster than you, and there’s nothing more to it. Same thing if you’re speedier.

You’re absolutely correct: drafting and riding quickly are terribly unsafe when it’s crowded; also when it’s dark. Parts of the path are more congested, or subject to random cross traffic, or shared with pedestrians. In these instances, one sensibly slows down and increases one’s following distance.

That’s not the type of situation I meant to describe. The bike path was quiet today. It was just the two of us.

I brought the question here because the rider who admonished me so memorably this morning was dressed in the uniform of a local bike racing club. That he took such offense surprised me.

I would like to add that I do not think that the rider in front bears any responsibility for signaling road hazards to an uninvited wheelsucker. While it would certainly be kind to do so, he might not even know that you’re there. Isn’t the burden on the drafter?

Dude, drafting people you don’t know is rude. Period.

A quick “hi, mind if I ride on your wheel” or “can I join you” makes all the difference.

This morning was quiet…, well, maybe this rider wanted to appreciate that, didn’t need or want some unknown fool following him around…

Again, from here on out, I will do my best to show this courtesy — I simply never knew there was such a formality to this. Bike riding just seemed like fun to me.

The ‘local racer’ types are generally the best to draft, because they ride fast and well. If your advice helps me fit in, or sit in, a little better, then I am grateful for it.

I referred to emotions because I believe that, on the spectrum between emotion and intellect, words like “jack-hole,” “dickishness,” “idot,” “fucking,” and “fool” lie closer to the former than the latter.