tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32187896340012398882011-12-18T22:59:30.045-08:00bikes, racing, and commentaryNo One Linehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15902282734965802244noreply@blogger.comBlogger1011100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3218789634001239888.post-74262627832721582912009-10-02T09:18:00.000-07:002009-10-02T09:20:39.766-07:00

I'm in the process of moving this blog to wordpress. It looks nicer and is a bit more pleasant to use.Please update your RSS feeds, links, and whatnot, and I hope I don't lose too many of my several faithful readers over the switch.

No One Linehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15902282734965802244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3218789634001239888.post-4691483792894932952009-10-01T12:58:00.001-07:002009-10-01T12:59:24.525-07:00

I woke up late enough to catch only the fun parts of the World Championships last weekend.It's pretty nice to see Cadel Evans, who has a bit of a reputation as an always-the-bridesmaid rider (not to mention a bit of a whiner), ride a strong, well-timed attack to victory. Seeing him alone in the final kilometer, out of the saddle and grinding his gear to the finish line without any flamboyant

No One Linehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15902282734965802244noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3218789634001239888.post-53478443346058126172009-10-01T08:21:00.000-07:002009-10-01T08:26:12.952-07:00

My track bikes have all left town, but I'm still going to find a way to come to Boogie Nights, a five-week late-night track-bike race series in Prospect Park.Yes, it's safe.It's a great way to get some fun end-of-the-season racing in. It's also a good way to get some first-time race experience under your belt, if you haven't raced in a pack, or raced a track bike before. It will get you buying

No One Linehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15902282734965802244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3218789634001239888.post-78546685232444422962009-09-27T10:34:00.000-07:002009-09-27T10:43:56.915-07:00

"Race well, race with dignity, race with a conscience:" Sprinter Della Casa proposes USAC policies to punish intentionally dangerous riders, and reminds us that there are some people who take our down-home amateur sport far too seriously - to the detriment and danger of those around them.I twitter. I apologize.Everybody's favorite racer, Fabian Cancellara (he's up there with Hincapie and Jens

No One Linehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15902282734965802244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3218789634001239888.post-19166243076901063062009-09-21T07:52:00.000-07:002009-09-21T07:55:09.170-07:00

Recently, some good reading on the subject of aerodynamic wheels came up. I didn't really understand aerodynamic wheels until I read this post and this post by sprinterdellacasa a while back.A few months ago, NYVelocity posted an equipment review of rental deep carbon wheels from Revolution Wheels. Using Zipps as a familiar point of reference, NYVelocity concluded, "These wheels are maybe 95% as

No One Linehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15902282734965802244noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3218789634001239888.post-77902401009511073272009-09-17T13:03:00.000-07:002009-09-17T13:08:35.112-07:00

I don't think that Bear Mountain will forgive me. When I first saw the profile of the race course through Harriman State Park (not actually all that close to Bear Mountain), I thought, "It looks pleasant, but wouldn't it be nicer if it actually had a hill or two?" When I raced it, that long, slow drag up the Tiorati climb - never particularly steep, but long enough to hurt - was kind enough to

No One Linehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15902282734965802244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3218789634001239888.post-83222782253859435812009-09-11T06:44:00.000-07:002009-09-11T07:09:26.124-07:00

I took my camera to Kissena far more times than I actually used it to take some photographs this year, but since I was pulling some photos off my camera in order to add some flair to my previous post (Goodbye IRO), I figured I'd share a few that I snapped at some point this summer. May shots of a carefree summer evening to bring you warmth on a rainy September morning.Here's my oft-mentioned

No One Linehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15902282734965802244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3218789634001239888.post-30728455617307188142009-09-10T13:35:00.000-07:002009-09-11T06:38:58.340-07:00

My faithful everyday bike, which hasn't really seen a whole lot of use in the past year, is going to a new home.I got this bike in 2005. Prior to that, I had a junky fixed gear conversion, and wanted something a bit more held-together. It was the first time I had bought myself something nice - other than my guitar amp. I used it to go on my first "long ride," from NYC's Chinatown to my parents'

No One Linehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15902282734965802244noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3218789634001239888.post-32374185713698748302009-09-08T07:36:00.000-07:002009-09-08T07:38:19.569-07:00

One of the things that JP said earlier in the year in his shoes as the club's development director was, "You might be a sprinter with your friends but that's a lot different than being a sprinter in a race." The lesson is that you might have a sprint but in a race there's bound to be somebody bigger and stronger who can apply that pure power better than you can. Most people's best bet is to try

No One Linehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15902282734965802244noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3218789634001239888.post-66268465805626497072009-08-31T14:07:00.001-07:002009-09-03T12:18:37.724-07:00

I try to keep 'race reports' brief to avoid boring teammates, friends, and family members. I also try, by and large, to avoid making them the subject of this blog. I enjoy reading other people's stories from their races, and I enjoy writing about races I've done, but it's not my intended focus for this blog.So you'll have to forgive me for my last post, on last week's scratch race out at the

No One Linehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15902282734965802244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3218789634001239888.post-69936548119837155782009-08-27T07:06:00.000-07:002009-08-27T07:10:48.594-07:00

The Twilight Series is over. Long live the Twilight Series. I love having a night of track racing each week but by the end of the season it gets hard and exhausting. Add some internal pressure - I really wanted to win the scratch race. I really, really wanted to win the last omnium of the regular season. That Big John upgraded to a 3 made it a little easier, but there are some definite

No One Linehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15902282734965802244noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3218789634001239888.post-16520769379310103222009-08-22T08:07:00.000-07:002009-08-22T08:07:00.173-07:00

Remember during this year's Tour de France, when Armstrong jumped away from the dwindling group of B-climbers and bridged up to that yellow jersey group? All across the internet I saw a few eyebrows go up, questioning Armstrong's move as "chasing down his teammates." This reminded me of a moment at Union Vale, when I launched an attack, bridged up to another rider, and together we worked very

No One Linehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15902282734965802244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3218789634001239888.post-11330382985311772822009-08-21T09:44:00.000-07:002009-08-21T09:52:17.089-07:00

The news broke recently that regulars at our humble velodrome have represented well at the Master's National Champships.Andrew "Cupcake" LaCorte defended his stars and stripes in the Men's 35-39 Sprint.Christine D'Ercole won gold in the Women's 35-39 Sprint.And Alex Farioletti, who's out in LA receiving intensive training as part of a Gatorade-sponsored reality TV show, took silver in the Men's

No One Linehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15902282734965802244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3218789634001239888.post-21249272181953549492009-08-21T09:05:00.000-07:002009-08-21T09:05:00.246-07:00

On Saturday I raced at Trexlertown. Since I'm doing well at Kissena, I figured, maybe I'd do well at Trexlertown. Maybe really well.Maybe I could have.If I had the 51t chainring on during the points race... if I had moved up just a little bit earlier in the scratch race... if that junior hadn't come down on me while I had the sprinter's lane in the point-a-lap... if I had qualified for the

No One Linehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15902282734965802244noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3218789634001239888.post-16663006973997011252009-08-17T08:54:00.000-07:002009-08-17T14:33:32.490-07:00

I've seen bike people do some amazing things. No, I'm not talking about sweet wheelies, I'm talking about helping each other out. Last year, a bunch of friends were injured; people just up and gave money. "You're in a hard place, your bike is wrecked, here's a few bucks." Add it up from a few dozen friends and it gets to be a sum that's helpful in a rough spot. Maybe it won't buy a new bike, but

No One Linehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15902282734965802244noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3218789634001239888.post-62327878907081337862009-08-15T05:22:00.000-07:002009-08-15T15:01:07.930-07:00

New York City is a great place for bike racing. In the middle of the season it's pretty easy to race three or four times a week - Tuesday's Floyd Bennet Series, Wednesday at the Kissena Velodrome, Thursday up in Rockleigh, NJ, and Saturday or Sunday in Prospect Park or Central Park.However, when we race bikes in New York City, our tires run over the same pavement over and over again. Floyd, the

No One Linehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15902282734965802244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3218789634001239888.post-80437870638487965892009-08-14T11:59:00.000-07:002009-08-14T12:02:26.447-07:00

Writing about bikes takes a backseat to worrying about a riding buddy who got into a bad bang-up with a car yesterday, while out-of-town on some summertime travels. He's currently receiving some intensive care. Scary, and I spent the day worrying until I heard some more news, but he's a damn champ.I met him at one of the first races I ever did, and he won a prize for the best shotgunning of a

No One Linehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15902282734965802244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3218789634001239888.post-9340044528511070632009-08-13T08:00:00.000-07:002009-08-13T08:07:34.613-07:00

Oh, Mount Washington.I found this picture on VeloGoGo and was reminded once again of how badly I want to ride my bike up Mount Washington.I've been on the mountain several times, and to the summit once - in my hiking boots when I was a teenager, which provided me with the self-congratulations necessary to scoff at those bumper stickers that read, "This Car Climbed Mount Washington." Oh yeah? Well

No One Linehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15902282734965802244noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3218789634001239888.post-89849809659042986312009-08-12T05:39:00.000-07:002009-08-12T05:57:04.994-07:00

The Cadence Cup is our hometown series, so it was really exciting that in the last race, we showed up well, raced hard, and won a few prizes.David Gardiner Garcia took the leader's jersey in the Cat 5 field. We look forward to having you in the 4's, David.Al Barouh took 2nd in the King of the Mountains competition in the Cat 4's, wearing the polka dots on the final day since the leader, Larry

No One Linehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15902282734965802244noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3218789634001239888.post-1822670918887186732009-08-11T19:23:00.000-07:002009-08-11T19:24:46.850-07:00

Another NYTimes piece on cycling, this time on the Sands Street bike lane, and the comment section dissolves into one of those "Bad Bikers" sound-offs. It a tiring "blah-blah-blah-I-can't-hear-you" situation, where folks with grudges against cycling or complete streets advocacy confound a pet peeve with a public safety issue. Yes, bikers shouldn't ride on sidewalks. Yes, it's really

No One Linehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15902282734965802244noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3218789634001239888.post-59963464841807409882009-08-11T16:37:00.000-07:002009-08-11T16:39:54.116-07:00

This summer, me and the boys have spent some time in the farm country north of New York City, in the hills and valleys outside of Poughkeepsie, where there's a farm house that needs scraping and painting and strong, undermployed young folks to pay to do so, and lots of sweeping country roads for evening rides.Tired from working and tired of training, we went out one evening for a fun ride. No

No One Linehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15902282734965802244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3218789634001239888.post-29272679064831912332009-08-06T13:20:00.000-07:002009-08-06T13:24:13.281-07:00

Last night, I rode home from the track via an unusual route, to continue my conversation with a teammate. We turned down Metropolitan Ave and I reminisced about a race, three years ago, from Kissena to a bar after some track racing. I was riding my Pogliaghi, wickedly undergeared, flying in a pack down Metropolitan. At one point, I was dropped by the pack I was in, and eased up as I came to a

No One Linehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15902282734965802244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3218789634001239888.post-72566069201468457282009-08-06T06:44:00.001-07:002009-08-06T06:54:31.390-07:00

Squarebuilt bicycles are among the nicest handmade bikes coming out of New York City (with a nod to Johnny Coast, who's been doing it a bit longer). I've had my hands a few of the frames made in this little shop, and they sure are lovely.Apparently, a few of them are more than a little bit cursed. Messenger bikes are footsoldiers in a very odd war, and Joey Krillz's bike (before and after) is the

No One Linehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15902282734965802244noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3218789634001239888.post-27708217399491917082009-08-04T08:33:00.000-07:002009-08-04T08:35:19.667-07:00

Nigh on two years ago, NYTimes' City Room blog published a piece on our local cycling community's heroic stolen-bike-recovery network. The mover and shaker behind the recovery that the Times profiled was Jack Crank, an all-around ne'er-do-well of No Gods, No Vegetables, and he's done it again.This time it was Dan Bones's Waterford, a lovely bike that I hadn't even had a chance to drool over

No One Linehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15902282734965802244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3218789634001239888.post-57512165487590931842009-08-01T05:54:00.001-07:002009-08-04T08:32:39.098-07:00

...but a Craigslist ad for a used Bianchi Pista that says, Busted fork is very fixable makes it hard to avoid commentary.In the interest of brevity: I would speculate that the fork in that photo is outside of the range of fixability, and it's probably hard to sell something that busted-looking.

No One Linehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15902282734965802244noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3218789634001239888.post-36308571755713048872009-07-28T10:28:00.000-07:002009-07-28T10:47:42.549-07:00

Every activity has milestones for its participants. Rites of passage. In my racing season, I've ticked off a handful: going from pack fodder to being a contender; my first crash in a race; first mechanical that took me out of contention; and so forth.This weekend I had one more: the first time a saddle sore made riding on my bike absolute and abject torture. It was the Cadence Cup and I couldn't

No One Linehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15902282734965802244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3218789634001239888.post-73097171737763329902009-07-23T07:19:00.000-07:002009-07-23T10:27:12.577-07:00

Sprinter Della Casa shared a nice quote from Miguel Indurain a while back:"I'm fascinated by the sprinters. They suffer so much during the race just to get to the finish, they hang on for dear life in the climbs, but then in the final kilometers they are transformed and do amazing things. It's not their force per se that impresses me, but rather the renaissance they experience. Seeing them suffer

No One Linehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15902282734965802244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3218789634001239888.post-82480665751877042992009-07-21T04:53:00.001-07:002009-07-21T05:06:19.510-07:00

I've been steadily clicking refresh on a few blogs that I ought to share.6 Years in a Rain Cape is Joe Parkin's blog. Parkin wrote A Dog In A Hat, a remarkable account of scrabbling his way to a pro career as an American racing in Belgium. He answers questions, tells anecdotes, and keeps finding a way to mention that he loves biking in the rain.Red Kite Prayer - you know, that arrogant and

No One Linehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15902282734965802244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3218789634001239888.post-76704968487778781392009-07-21T04:47:00.000-07:002009-07-21T04:51:56.759-07:00

Last Sunday was the Union Vale Road Race, which featured a big finishing climb. I was on domestique duty for my buddy Al, so I'll let his race report tell the story. As you'll see, the team was successful. Three of us were in the top 10 and we put Al on the podium. I'll try to keep this short and sweet. This was my best result so far and I can attribute it to a few things. 1. I have been training

No One Linehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15902282734965802244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3218789634001239888.post-9314694874155355062009-07-18T14:01:00.000-07:002009-07-18T14:08:15.393-07:00

Stage 14 of the Tour was incredible to watch - well, the last 20k, which I caught after coffee and muffins - and provides plenty of fodder for us armchair jerks. Everybody's favorite hardworking nice guy pro, George Hincapie, was the virtual yellow jersey being the best-placed rider in a break of 12. He needed to finish a little over five minutes ahead of the peloton to grab the yellow. The break

No One Linehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15902282734965802244noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3218789634001239888.post-11983135454263957002009-07-07T07:23:00.000-07:002009-07-07T07:31:17.605-07:00

Yesterday, during my day of avoiding any Stage 3 spoilers on the internet (and before I headed down to Lakeside Lounge to watch the two-hour replay during happy hour), I started drafting a post with a list of things I want to see during this year's Tour de France. It's a list of things I'll be watching out for and pulling for, in the name of an exciting tour. I had no idea that I'd see some of it

No One Linehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15902282734965802244noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3218789634001239888.post-80442944829318885832009-06-25T07:22:00.000-07:002009-06-25T07:26:28.194-07:00

Welcome to No One Line's Recycled Content Number Two!A buddy of mine is a geek when it comes to bikes - and guitars, and (shamefully), cars too. He loves knowing about types of tubing, wall thickness, tube diameter, relative strengths and weaknesses of different tubesets, and he keeps on telling me to get a bicycle made out of Reynolds 531. So it's with him in mind that I sit down to read an

No One Linehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15902282734965802244noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3218789634001239888.post-57480177244320067222009-06-24T07:01:00.000-07:002009-06-24T07:05:13.966-07:00

The weather has been ridiculous lately, with rain all month long, and so even though the sun is shyly, tenatively shining from behind thinning clouds I'm still keeping my fingers crossed that track racing will not be rained out, like it's been for the past two weeks. Track racing is an hour of hard training, guaranteed. A good warm-up ride out to the track, a few races with regular hard efforts,

No One Linehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15902282734965802244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3218789634001239888.post-2186647099628819862009-06-15T06:22:00.000-07:002009-06-15T06:28:53.750-07:00

We had numbers in this race, and I knew who to mark in the event that a leadout train failed. I stayed sheltered, and felt strong. I've been sprinting well. I can do this. I was in position. Brooklyn Velo Force had a strong train going up; our train was running strong at the front. Westwood Velo moved up and things got chaotic, dense, elbows bumping and everybody struggling to hold position and

No One Linehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15902282734965802244noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3218789634001239888.post-34960573592510303832009-06-11T07:23:00.001-07:002009-06-11T12:04:46.762-07:00

Doing some circles outside the velodrome to keep my legs moving between races during a recent installment of the Twilight Series, an old-timer approached me and asked, "Hey, do they have any of these kind of races out in Jersey?""No," I said, "This is the only track around. The nearest one is out in Trexlertown, Pennsylvania.""So, not out in Jersey?" he repeated."No.""They used to have these

No One Linehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15902282734965802244noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3218789634001239888.post-3195392825117656642009-06-09T10:37:00.000-07:002009-06-10T19:00:30.791-07:00

A blog post about intentional contact while racing led to comments about other ways to effectively communicate in a pack, and Aki mentioned something that I've realized for a little while: bikers can be vulnerable. He wrote:I stopped yelling for a while, but I do it if it's a critical point and no one's moving. Usually someone does because the cry is enough to put them over the "should I go or

No One Linehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15902282734965802244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3218789634001239888.post-16201561627744536792009-06-09T08:32:00.001-07:002009-06-09T11:57:53.396-07:00

I am halfway to an upgrade to Category 3 on both the road and the track, and I took the subway to work, again. Take the A Train was echoing in my head as I swiped my MetroCard and daydreamed about a bike with full fenders and a June that wasn't 58 degrees and rainy.With my household currently reporting from the front lines of the latest public health crisis and my tolerance for the omnipresent

No One Linehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15902282734965802244noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3218789634001239888.post-28781692993623635372009-06-05T08:43:00.000-07:002009-06-05T08:52:58.328-07:00

I love when rest days coincide with rainy days - I can take the subway, read a few chapters of a book (currently: Acts of Faith by Phillip Caputo. Crushing), and not feel completely lazy or like I'm missing a day. Last night's efforts - twentyfive miles up to a crit in New Jersey, placing 8th in the race, and riding back to Brooklyn - got my egg well and cooked.I think I've made at least one and

No One Linehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15902282734965802244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3218789634001239888.post-50853900224450727872009-06-03T18:47:00.000-07:002009-06-04T10:26:58.519-07:00

Track racing was canceled last night, due to rain. I had been hoping that the rain would hold off, or be over early enough, but Alan sent the email in the afternoon and I had to make other plans.Al and I decided to hit Prospect Park on our track bikes for a handful of laps and some hard efforts thrown in. A few hours before we were scheduled to ride I called him and said, "I'm bored! Let's ride

No One Linehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15902282734965802244noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3218789634001239888.post-29421926682092504902009-06-02T11:53:00.000-07:002009-06-02T12:02:53.806-07:00

This morning, on my way to work, I happened upon a collision scene. A schoolbus with a very mangled bicycle underneath it, and a scraped and bloody rider. The driver had, apparently, failed to check his mirrors before turning, and the rider got hooked. Fortunately she fell off before the bike got sucked under the bus's wheels. She was scraped up but wasn't majorly injured. I called 911 anyway, to

No One Linehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15902282734965802244noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3218789634001239888.post-5659897767138712532009-05-27T09:05:00.000-07:002009-05-27T09:05:00.201-07:00

I've recently gone from underemployment to overemployment, and my schedule fits together like tetris pieces. That's part of the reason why a wide-open morning for a lovely ride - fast and hard in parts, but sans-computer and without a hard end time - is such a welcome rarity.One of my jobs is working in the laboratories of Laek House, run by Ethan Benton, a local cyclist and all-around great guy.

No One Linehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15902282734965802244noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3218789634001239888.post-10980396576196198982009-05-27T08:18:00.000-07:002009-05-28T05:44:19.549-07:00

A curious frame is for sale on Craigslist and eBay.A local bike buddy has apparently met the builder, and shared the following story:Pettenella is an amazing guy. I spent some time at his shop in Milano and he was kind enough to send me home with an old cycling cap bearing his name. Famously, he once help a track stand for 65 minutes in a match spring under oppressive Milano summer sun. His

No One Linehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15902282734965802244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3218789634001239888.post-37960772263676503762009-05-26T15:05:00.000-07:002009-05-26T15:23:10.199-07:00

It is incredibly cool that Graeme Obree is going after the Hour Record again. The Beatles performing on a rooftop. That's the kind of level we're talking aboutI've written about the Hour Record a few times, but have never gone into depth about Graemme Obree. In the 1990s, he was perhaps the quintessential outsider athlete: an undersponsored, penny-pinching where-are-you-from who launched a

No One Linehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15902282734965802244noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3218789634001239888.post-21616667776928918222009-05-26T05:08:00.000-07:002009-05-26T05:09:39.512-07:00

Every cyclist should know that when riding starts to feel like a chore, before you start to hate your bik, you should put new tires on and clean and re-lube the drivetrain. I just did that to my workbike/everyday bike, which had been sitting with doubleflats since the last time I worked on it, back in late March. It feels nice to have a comfortable bike that I don't mind locking up

No One Linehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15902282734965802244noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3218789634001239888.post-49874784884396650692009-05-20T04:44:00.000-07:002009-05-20T05:09:34.630-07:00

My past two races have been unfamiliar territory - a feature race with the 1/2/3 men at the velodrome (a 20 lap scratch race), and the 3/4 race out at Floyd Bennet Field. Last night was my first time racing at Floyd Bennet Field, and it was unlike any other race territory I've seen. It was like a gigantic, four-corner crit, almost 2.5 miles around - which obviously eliminates the tighter way that

No One Linehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15902282734965802244noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3218789634001239888.post-79408248706548462632009-05-19T04:35:00.000-07:002009-05-19T04:39:01.611-07:00

The internet world is abuzz with talk over the peloton's neutralization of Stage 9 of the Giro D'Italia. Pedro Horrilo's crash into a 150 foot ravine during Stage 8 prompted them to organize their concerns about the safety of the course. Apparently, Stage 9's kermis-like circuit race had parked cars still on the course, among other hazards. I can't blame them. Yeah, they're the best in the world

No One Linehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15902282734965802244noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3218789634001239888.post-51600188724236071142009-05-15T11:19:00.001-07:002009-05-15T11:27:44.098-07:00

Riding without a computer at the Bear Mountain Classic may have given me the confidence to bomb that descent a bit more aggressively than I would otherwise. Unlike at Battenkill, I know that I wasn't eyeing the speedometer every few seconds, watching it climb higher and higher. We were over 50mph - of this I'm confident - but I had few of the wide-eyed high-speed what-if jitters that I sometimes

No One Linehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15902282734965802244noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3218789634001239888.post-77581020441775091902009-05-11T10:12:00.000-07:002009-05-11T10:27:09.356-07:00

When I got off the bike at the end of the Bear Mountain Classic, one thought ricocheted into my head and rattled around in the emptiness up there hollowed by post-race fatigue.This race was harder than Battenkill.I'm not sure it stands up to scrutiny but I sure did believe it at the time. I spent the last several miles cramping hard, struggling to close gaps. It was only a 56 mile race. I drank

No One Linehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15902282734965802244noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3218789634001239888.post-7441933013068712142009-05-08T15:37:00.001-07:002009-05-08T15:37:28.513-07:00

The team is coming together in a good way. In particular, our little subset of it. We're getting used to reading races in similar ways, and sharing similar instincts. We are also figuring out some of the nuts and bolts of cooperation. Like this one: somebody being protected or worked for can call the shots, big time - throwing commands out not necessarily to quarterback the situation, but to get

No One Linehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15902282734965802244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3218789634001239888.post-61008627107887113512009-05-02T15:25:00.000-07:002009-05-02T15:29:09.763-07:00

I was on my leadout man's wheel, just to the left because the wind was coming from the right. We were flying and I was feeling good. He was spinning in a tiny gear, hands on the tops, and he had just jumped around the last remaining person. I hazarded a look behind me. Strung out. Gaps everywhere. Man, we were flying. "More!" I yelled. Was he going to upshift or just pull me along at 180 rpm? I

No One Linehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15902282734965802244noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3218789634001239888.post-47016214800109868542009-05-01T05:28:00.000-07:002009-05-08T15:33:58.798-07:00

Friday morning, I woke up early to change handlebars on my road bike before I left for work - again. Last week I had put on a different set of handlebars, looking to get a deeper, lower position than my preferred handlebars, Ritchey Biomax bars, afforded me.I first realized the importance of handlebars and bike fit a little over a year ago, when, after many rides fidgeting and trying to get

No One Linehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15902282734965802244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3218789634001239888.post-8583436554010448572009-05-01T05:21:00.000-07:002009-05-01T05:28:32.928-07:00

It has been a time of bike repair. Last week I perfected the fine art of bending a derailleur hanger back into alignment. However, just to be on the safe side, I ordered a new derailleur hanger, and though I didn't immediately install it, knowing that my current hanger was probably vulnerable or still somewhat bent, having the spare on hand was reassuring.A few days ago, while riding over to work

No One Linehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15902282734965802244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3218789634001239888.post-22376582911757200522009-04-30T05:24:00.000-07:002009-04-30T05:25:33.284-07:00

The Twilight Series at the track began with some trepidation about Sunday's crashes late in the Omnium, and a few people hinting that maybe they weren't quite recovered from the weekend. The fields were fairly well attended - the women's field was larger than the small 1/2/3 field - but everything looked sparse compared to the huge crowds of Opening Weekend.Dan, Al, and I had a quick conversation

No One Linehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15902282734965802244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3218789634001239888.post-83626015149926282042009-04-27T11:09:00.000-07:002009-04-27T11:31:21.230-07:00

It was an action-packed Opening Weekend at the Kissena Velodrome this weekend. The weather was perfect, the turnout was high, and the racing was strong and competitive. I was racing in Category 4, and the weekend's lineup called for a Kilo (1,000 meter individual time trial), Team Sprint, Points Race, Scratch Race, Match Sprints, and a Miss and Out - all spread over two days, to accommodate

No One Linehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15902282734965802244noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3218789634001239888.post-91863392565436066642009-04-20T05:30:00.000-07:002009-04-20T05:43:05.755-07:00

Friday night, my Co-Motion toppled over as I was about to put it on a repair stand and give the drivetrain a quick clean-and-lube before Battenkill. The fall - minor, slow-motion, usually harmless - bent the derailleur hanger toward the cassette.Fortunately, one of my teammates is well-accustomed to bending derailleur hangers back into position. By leaving the wheel and derailleur on the bike,

No One Linehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15902282734965802244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3218789634001239888.post-74955712382703134162009-04-19T11:22:00.000-07:002009-04-19T11:24:47.524-07:00

In only 5 years, the Tour of Battenkill has acquired the moniker of "America's Queen of the Classics." What's more impressive is that they've earned it. It's the largest race in the country in terms of participants, with multiple full (125 rider) fields for many of the categories. The course (map), which does change from year to year, has a reputation for devouring souls and bikes and hopes and

No One Linehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15902282734965802244noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3218789634001239888.post-89983058188393606942009-04-10T05:52:00.000-07:002009-04-10T06:09:43.006-07:00

Is Theo Bos old news now? Everybody has been talking about Chris Hoy for the past year or so, but before that, it was all about Theo Bos, this young Dutch rider who seemed indominitable in the sprint. Just how powerful was he? Take a look at this keirin from the 2006 worlds - when he also won gold in the sprint (against Gregory Bauge, looking a lot less muscular four years ago than he does these

No One Linehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15902282734965802244noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3218789634001239888.post-40764691459434130522009-04-07T16:02:00.000-07:002009-04-07T16:13:10.519-07:00

On the day of the Tour of Flanders, my team went out to Pennsylvania farm country to race the Fawn Grove Roubaix. A look at the course profile showed me stuff I liked to see - hardpack, some steep climbs but not too much. Excellent, I thought. I think I'm better at that stuff than most other people. Me and a carful of teammates - all hard knock New York City bike racers - rolled in early and went

No One Linehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15902282734965802244noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3218789634001239888.post-62110930197051931142009-04-03T07:14:00.001-07:002009-04-03T07:22:47.482-07:00

There are still many big road races coming up, but I can't help but get excited for track racing at my favorite down-home race venue, the Kissena Velodrome. Opening Weekend at the Kissena Velodrome is in just a few weeks, on April 25 and 26. The schedule has been posted, and that means it's time to get excited - organize your squad for the team sprint, plan your strategy for the points race, and

No One Linehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15902282734965802244noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3218789634001239888.post-89743970033345916082009-04-02T07:26:00.000-07:002009-04-02T07:41:05.203-07:00

I've been watching the Men's Match Sprint from the World Champsionships a few times over to see how it played out. Unfortunately, I couldn't find the first round, but here are the second and third rounds. France's Gregory Bauge versus Malaysia's Azizulhashi Awang - such a size difference between the two! There are plenty of small, punchy road sprinters like sprinter du jour Mark Cavendish of High

No One Linehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15902282734965802244noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3218789634001239888.post-41937263728669184362009-03-31T06:35:00.000-07:002009-04-02T07:44:37.752-07:00

Well, No One Line has been on vacation for a little bit, but as of yesterday, I'm back. Yesterday, three of us went over the river and through the woods. We rode up to Piermont, team trialing into a strong headwind. On the way back we visited Alpine for some hill repeats, and dragging back down to the bridge, took the opportunity to launch a few sprints.Five days off the bike - while I was

No One Linehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15902282734965802244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3218789634001239888.post-25171605066698962852009-03-18T04:47:00.000-07:002009-03-18T06:19:57.799-07:00

I've been reading a blog called Busted Carbon - or, rather, I've been looking at the pretty pictures. By focusing its content on carbon, the blog perpetuates the easy inaccuracy that carbon is more fragile than other materials. The reality is a bit more nuanced - steel and aluminum both have a long history of failing for various reasons. I file carbon-fearmongering under "missing the point."

No One Linehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15902282734965802244noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3218789634001239888.post-27752103410700138232009-03-16T06:49:00.000-07:002009-03-17T13:37:32.007-07:00

Kissena was out in full force for the Grant's Tomb criterium this weekend.My teammate William organized the 4's into a strong team. He spent the race chasing down breaks (that's him rounding the corner), and then went to the front, burying himself for three or four laps prior to the end for what unfortunately wound up to be an unsuccessful leadout.But then he climbed back on his bike for the 3/4

No One Linehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15902282734965802244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3218789634001239888.post-35102039579733373422009-03-13T06:31:00.000-07:002009-03-13T07:25:12.804-07:00

On the left is my now departed titanium Litespeed Solano. It's on its way to a doctor in Wisconsin who plans to ride brevets. I picked it up for a steal in the fall to replace my Tough Little Bianchi - I wanted something a bit snazzier than generic TIGed steel for all-around riding, but something that was also raceable.The Solano rode well - it was slightly overbuilt for somebody of my size, so

No One Linehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15902282734965802244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3218789634001239888.post-41322904860094341182009-03-12T04:31:00.000-07:002009-03-13T06:21:57.229-07:00

In the part of the cycling world that's perpetuated on the internet - message boards and such - there's a lot of hipster-bashing, centered around ubiquitous photos of very stylish bikes featuring some very nonsensical tradeoffs in build/component choices. A surprising amount of Bike Snob's blog is about these bikes, so I assume you can forgive me for not going into detail. However, for all the

No One Linehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15902282734965802244noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3218789634001239888.post-54362876648776475402009-03-09T06:04:00.000-07:002009-03-10T05:02:06.832-07:00

I spent a weekend in Connecticut and used the opportunity to race criteriums in Plainville and Bethel. I needed just a few more races before I upgrade, and I chose Plainville based largely on having heard about it from Sprinter Della Casa's blog and Bethel from its reputation in NYC as a good training crit. After racing both, I highly recommend each for some good weekend racing.Plainville is an

No One Linehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15902282734965802244noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3218789634001239888.post-54827823466975229122009-03-04T05:06:00.000-08:002009-03-04T05:27:36.546-08:00

There is an excellent piece over on Belgium Knee Warmers about the Greg Lemond/Bernard Hinault rivalry The backstory is that they were teammates in 1986, and during the Tour de France, their team - La Vie Claire - fractured in two as both Lemond and Hinault went for the yellow jersey. Hinault had pubicly vowed to work for Lemond in thanks for Lemond's work for Hinault's victory the prior year,

No One Linehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15902282734965802244noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3218789634001239888.post-24922114553399586962009-03-01T08:01:00.000-08:002009-03-01T08:06:07.015-08:00

For a few more road races, I'll be racing in the Cat 5's. I talk a big game, like I know what I'm talking about, but that's mostly because I'm a nerd rather than somebody who's done a lot of racing. Writing this blog is a way to articulate my own learning process.One of the things I've been learning over and over again this winter is that a relaxed upper body goes a long way toward improving

No One Linehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15902282734965802244noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3218789634001239888.post-69339490846893377162009-02-27T06:21:00.000-08:002009-02-27T06:33:07.465-08:00

"The Rider," by Tim Krabbe, starts boldly: Meyrueis, Lozere, June 26, 1977. Hot and overcast. I take my gear out of the car and put my bike together. Tourists and locals are watching form sidewalk cafes. Non-racers. The emptiness of those lives shocks me.Krabbe is singlemindedly focusing on his bicycle, his body, and the race that unfolds over the course of the book. He is brutally honest, and

No One Linehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15902282734965802244noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3218789634001239888.post-22389946797041628892009-02-21T07:09:00.000-08:002009-02-22T06:18:31.703-08:00

Photo from Doug D.I thought I was a good bike handler until I watched New York City's bike polo players in action. If you think that trackstanding at a stoplight on your road bike is hard, wait until you try reaching over your handlebars with a mallet, straining to reach the ball, while turning to avoid the wall of the court as an opposing player shoulders you and tries to swat your mallet away

No One Linehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15902282734965802244noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3218789634001239888.post-33512639587404771922009-02-18T05:43:00.000-08:002009-02-18T06:06:22.956-08:00

A couple of months ago, the Velosopher made a nice post about souplesse, accepting nominations of the cyclist who best demonstrated souplesse. Not surprising, he concluded that Fausto Coppi is the cyclist with that graceful strength that's so elusive and beautiful.Last month, Belgium Knee Warmers published a really moving four-part essay on Fausto Coppi, written by his friend, teammate, and rival

No One Linehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15902282734965802244noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3218789634001239888.post-3991248279924537042009-02-12T05:17:00.001-08:002009-02-12T05:52:14.398-08:00

I read this Cycling News interview with Marty Nothstein, and found it pretty interesting. If you watch track sprint races from the 1990s, Marty Nothstein is the enormous dude in the front at the finish line. He's got a couple palmares, including being the National sprint champ from '96 to '01; here he is dominating the 1996 Olympic trials at the Trexlertown Velodrome (the 5 parts of that video

No One Linehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15902282734965802244noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3218789634001239888.post-28558092018067999652009-02-11T05:38:00.000-08:002009-02-11T05:52:29.292-08:00

Stephen Roche on La Plagne, Tour de France 1987.On Monday, three of us met in the morning and headed over the bridge for a training ride. We had no lofty goals for the ride, no intentions of long mileage or tough paces, but we did want to take advantage of the nice day and get some miles in to our legs. And we wanted to ride together, outdoors. Al and I went after some hills together, and on the

No One Linehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15902282734965802244noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3218789634001239888.post-21819693416628224332009-02-10T06:15:00.000-08:002009-02-10T06:17:54.312-08:00

Rumor on the street is that Lance Armstrong might be going after the Hour Record. Apparently (according to Velonews, he booked some time at the ADT Velodrome and tested with two bikes: a Trek T1 with 28-spoked wheels, and a bike set up with aerobars and deep-section carbon wheels. Not surprisingly, reports say that in the aeroposition, Lance saw a significant increase in speed at the same power

No One Linehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15902282734965802244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3218789634001239888.post-88865097070788025802009-02-05T10:28:00.000-08:002009-02-05T07:40:53.937-08:00

The dates for VeloCity 2009 have been announced - the flyer is here. Run by Kevin "Squid" Bolger, NYC's most media-friendly bike messenger, VeloCity is both great track racing competition and an excellent way for the inexperienced to try racing at a velodrome.Over the past several years, Squid's top-notch promotion has gotten a lot more people racing at the Kissena Velodrome in Queens. He has

No One Linehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15902282734965802244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3218789634001239888.post-12513961268141116552009-02-02T06:48:00.000-08:002009-02-05T07:29:48.280-08:00

I headed north over the George Washington Bridge with the team for what turned out to be ninety-five miles with some pretty good climbs - more than I thought I'd be riding in the day. I reminded myself to eat and drink often, even though early in the ride, river-to-rivering Manhattan, one water bottle (of two) wormed its way out of a broken cage, fell down to Canal Street, and burst open. Damn.I

No One Linehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15902282734965802244noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3218789634001239888.post-35589406004103843052009-01-28T17:50:00.001-08:002009-02-05T07:30:03.045-08:00

I was going to write a post about track bike orthodoxy and why it's silly, using my own bike as an example. This morning I put cyclocross tires on it. When I woke up around 6 AM it was snowing heavily and the street in front of my apartment barely had any tire tracks in it. Cyclocross tires, I thought, would be useful for a day of working in those conditions. At 10 AM, a few hours after mounting

No One Linehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15902282734965802244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3218789634001239888.post-54881237279113823552009-01-27T07:09:00.000-08:002009-01-27T08:15:39.570-08:00

This morning I was thinking about cycling and losing - two ways in which Steve Bauer lost big races. One was the 1984 Olympic Road Race. It came down to a sprint between Bauer and Alexi Grewal. Bauer was the superior sprinter but didn't jump early enough to drop Grewal, who stayed with Bauer and came around him at the line to become the first American to win an Olympic gold in the road race.Four

No One Linehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15902282734965802244noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3218789634001239888.post-6108134230602783112009-01-21T00:00:00.000-08:002009-01-21T07:14:13.843-08:00

I took a recent visit to a buddy's new bike workshop. He's getting started building lugged-steel frames, and in an old loft in Bushwick has a neat, well-organized, well-lit workshop. Tools hung in the corner below wheels and frames, a drafting table, and a couple big steel filing cabinets filled with parts. The walls are hung with classic racing posters featuring toned men with backwards cycling

No One Linehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15902282734965802244noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3218789634001239888.post-18162893252087287202009-01-17T06:53:00.000-08:002009-01-17T07:20:50.814-08:00

Everybody knows that there's doping in cycling. There always was, and while there may not always be, it's not just some modern evil. After all, Tom Simpson died on the road up Mt Ventoux (partially) because of amphetamines and alcohol.Via VeloGoGo I stumbled on this short video bit on David Millar. As contemplative music strums in the background, he tells the story of his entry into professional

No One Linehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15902282734965802244noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3218789634001239888.post-87723353761562225412009-01-06T07:09:00.000-08:002009-01-08T06:08:44.430-08:00

A curiousity in track racing is the 3-person or 4-person match sprint. Elite level match sprints have only two riders - that's the point. One of the best match sprints I've seen while sitting in front of a computer is Huebner vs. Golinelli in the 1990 World Champsionships. In a match sprint, two riders will stalk each other slowly, using track stands and feints in order to gain what seem like

No One Linehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15902282734965802244noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3218789634001239888.post-41754669930339470322009-01-03T09:42:00.000-08:002009-01-13T05:47:42.666-08:00

John Prolly wrote a pretty good piece for Urban Velo magazine about fixed gear freestyling, here. John is one of the more public figures in the FIX/MX (or 700CMX) trend - using full-sized fixed gear bikes for BMX-derived trick riding.I've been impressed at how how skill throw-downs have evolved in the past few years. When I started racing alleycat races, side events featured track bike skid

No One Linehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15902282734965802244noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3218789634001239888.post-32463254212449134012008-12-30T06:19:00.000-08:002009-01-03T09:40:54.080-08:00

There's a thread over in the Road Racing forum at bikeforums asking what Category 5 criteriums are like. It's largely some banter about Cat 5 racing. In cycling, listening to people talk about Cat 5 racing is kind of like listening to high school sophomores talk about freshman. There are a couple of convenient put-downs and it makes people feel like they're a bit more advanced. I mean, come on -

No One Linehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15902282734965802244noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3218789634001239888.post-81848046885298756252008-12-27T06:48:00.000-08:002008-12-31T12:32:58.738-08:00

My secret source of shame is that I'm a fairly poor bike mechanic. I cut my teeth at a bike co-op that I cofounded, which means that I was tinkering with junkers. It was the "hammer-and-duct-tape" school of bike repair.Then I started riding fixed gear bikes. Fixed gear bikes are a small step above the hammer-and-duct-tape school of bike repair. It's very easy to wrench on fixed gears, and very

No One Linehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15902282734965802244noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3218789634001239888.post-83352057771918355472008-12-24T10:48:00.000-08:002008-12-28T14:44:41.195-08:00

I have an excel spreadsheet - my training outline. It's got all the dates for the next several months on it, and for the past six weeks or so I've been recording what riding and other exercises I've done. It helps me look back on the last week, and on to the next week, and think, Okay, did so many miles. I should plan for another longer ride on Thursday; and I should make sure to do leg workouts

No One Linehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15902282734965802244noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3218789634001239888.post-70628135328237413152008-12-17T05:01:00.001-08:002008-12-17T05:25:07.469-08:00

My brain has a tendency to store somewhat useless data. As a child I would sit down and read the Encyclopedia when bored; memorize Hardy Boys novels; accidentally imprint long monologues from Brian Jacques novels into my brain (usually sections dealing with feasts and food). It makes being a bike dork fun, because somehow, a bunch of information that I find interesting just gets stored away, and

No One Linehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15902282734965802244noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3218789634001239888.post-28905195926381922232008-12-11T07:35:00.001-08:002008-12-11T17:46:39.246-08:00

When I started No One Line a few months ago, I made a point not just to repost photos found on other blogs. No offense meant to bike bloggers who do, but I take inspiration from blogs like Belgium Knee Warmers and Sprinter Della Casa - I want this to be writing about cycling, not just snapshots.However, this post is going to focus on recycled content. In the last few days I've been sitting around

No One Linehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15902282734965802244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3218789634001239888.post-42253367907334065312008-12-04T05:55:00.000-08:002008-12-11T08:14:48.404-08:00

The NY Daily News has a nice piece on Kissena regular Gabriella Allong, which Kissena Track Racing also posted. And it includes an extremely bad-ass picture.Gabby's a great racer to watch - she attacks viciously, tearing apart the race field with strong solo efforts. When she enters races where she's the only woman in the field, she does exactly the same thing - makes daring attacks early in the

No One Linehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15902282734965802244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3218789634001239888.post-14284913920253492752008-12-01T11:16:00.000-08:002008-12-11T08:15:57.113-08:00

To the layperson, bike racing can be pretty confusing. What strategy and tactics can there be about a clump of riders spending hours in the saddle waiting to sprint to the finish? Why do they ride together if they all can be going faster?Okay, there's something involving air and slipstreams or something. That much is clear. But how do you win, and what teamwork can there be when it comes down to

No One Linehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15902282734965802244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3218789634001239888.post-57986618098011734852008-12-01T08:16:00.000-08:002008-12-11T08:16:57.727-08:00

On Sunday, I got to learn firsthand why so many cyclocross riders are amiably insane. The conditions on the morning of Staten CX were miserable - grey, cold, and wet. The sky was spitting and it was only a matter of time before it turned into a steady drizzle that turned Wolfe's Pond Park to muck, making a mess of the tight 180-degree turns, the mud pits, and the already treacherously slick and

No One Linehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15902282734965802244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3218789634001239888.post-36983473219141148572008-11-24T06:41:00.000-08:002008-12-11T08:18:59.062-08:00

Do you know what that is? That's a picture of a bad component going badly. The story is here, but the abridged version is: some kids were riding on poorly made rims, and one failed impressively.A few months ago, an unheard-of company called H Plus Son started making deep dish aluminum rims marketed toward the fixed gear crowd. The rims are an even Deeper V for the crowd who enjoys matching

No One Linehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15902282734965802244noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3218789634001239888.post-40796512002953511452008-11-23T14:08:00.000-08:002008-12-11T08:19:35.259-08:00

If you keep up with Bike Snob NYC - which you shouldn't, as he's ran out of witticisms and his blog posts serve only as a medium for a surprising volume of spectator idiocy - then you'd know that next Sunday, November 30th, New York City will see its first cyclocross race in over ten years.Those of us who've never raced 'cross know it as a sport where in order to qualify for the post-race

No One Linehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15902282734965802244noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3218789634001239888.post-56219757320992626502008-11-19T12:48:00.000-08:002008-11-24T12:05:22.699-08:00

Those of us in New York City who feel the frustration of dealing with red lights every tenth of a mile and a world-class levels of automobile congestion, there is always Rt 9W, and Nyack.It's easy to get to. Ride up Manhattan in a leisurely warm-up pace via the West Side Bike Path or Central Park, and cross the George Washington Bridge. If you're sentimental, take a moment to appreciate the

No One Linehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15902282734965802244noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3218789634001239888.post-49162059510651269502008-11-15T13:42:00.000-08:002008-11-15T13:43:29.574-08:00

Recently I spent a little while during a long, lazy autumn morning trying to plan when I would pull on my kit and go for a low-intensity, get-the-legs-moving ride in Prospect Park. In the bathroom, brushing the coffee out of my teeth, I looked down at my legs and realized that as much as underemployment might give me plenty of time to ride, I'm not making the most of it. My legs are unshaven. My

No One Linehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15902282734965802244noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3218789634001239888.post-2745191296723227652008-11-03T08:38:00.001-08:002008-11-03T08:38:36.521-08:00

Cycling is on the rise. To hear about greying locals talk about the sport twenty, thirty, or forty years ago, it was a blue-collar sport. Al Toefield was a cop who managed Olympic Teams, got the Kissena Velodrome built, and founded the Kissena Cycle Club; David Walker was a cop too, working in community relations, who started one of New York City's biggest and most enduring races, the Harlem

No One Linehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15902282734965802244noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3218789634001239888.post-77183524890174521742008-10-09T12:26:00.001-07:002008-12-11T08:20:33.485-08:00

Over at Velocity Nation, there's a nice interview with Ken Harris; there's another one on CRCA's website. Ken recently set the World Hour Record for his Master's age category, (40-45). He shares some interesting tidbits about his training, his aerodynamics, and his gearing, so it's an interview that satisfies the nerd in each fan.Harris set the record by riding 45.6 km (28.3 miles) in one hour on

No One Linehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15902282734965802244noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3218789634001239888.post-26644956434121573182008-10-03T07:46:00.000-07:002008-10-09T12:30:26.942-07:00

It's been interesting reading reportbacks from Interbike, the cycling industry's annual convention. I wasn't there, as I'm just a lowly enthusiast - in the world, not of it, as the saying goes. But the messageboards and blogs get all fired up with reactions to the new lines of gear, the new aerodynamic improvements of this and that, everybody gushes about the photos of the new technological bit

No One Linehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15902282734965802244noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3218789634001239888.post-58009836045636806722008-10-02T09:07:00.001-07:002008-10-09T12:36:24.811-07:00

The Kissena Velodrome was built in 1962, a project of the infamous Robert Moses - he also gave us some pretty terrific public pools, some pretty terrible public housing, some pretty terrific public parks, and highways that block generations of New Yorkers from accessing New York City's significant and beautiful waterfront. Thanks, Mr. Moses.Kissena was built out in Flushing, Queens. In order to

No One Linehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15902282734965802244noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3218789634001239888.post-90476970414555338682008-09-30T14:17:00.001-07:002008-09-30T14:17:33.989-07:00

I have a friend from my more torn-clothes punk-rock past; I fear her reproach. She lives half in my head and half in the real world - which to say it's entirely possible that I'm imagining the things that she would say, engaging in too much speculation. That I'm using her as a way to externalize my conscience. We discovered bikes together at the university bike coop, taught each other the

No One Linehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15902282734965802244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3218789634001239888.post-12348458192517507022008-09-30T14:16:00.001-07:002008-12-11T19:00:19.610-08:00

Occasionally I hit upon some witticism that I just can't let go of. Two or three years ago, in conversations about my bike habits, it was correcting somebody: "Oh, I'm not a cyclist. I'm a biker." "What's the difference?" they'd ask, leading me perfectly. I'd pause. "I think it's spandex." I was an avowed utilitarianist - my one bicycle was meant for all-purpose use, for getting me around, for

No One Linehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15902282734965802244noreply@blogger.com0