Category Archives: Comments about Cycling

Off Track Once Again

This entry was posted in Comments about Cycling on by .

I would like to be writing something more fun here, but am not able to. I woke up yesterday morning with crazy diarrhea. It came out of nowhere. The only thing I can think is maybe it was the antibiotic injection, plus the oral antibiotics I took for my “farm injury” to my knuckle or maybe a few slices of beets I had on a salad the night before. I was searching around the internet and found this about antibiotic induced colitis. The symptoms seem right, but it’s just one of a zillion things it could be. Maybe the tetanus shot. All guesses, I doubt I’ll ever figure it out.

Whatever the reason, I spent the majority of the day in the bathroom or in bed. I managed to get out on my bike for 5 miles and had to go home because of a splitting headache. I never took my temperature, but I didn’t feel well. I went to bed around 9 pm last night and that is pretty much the day.

It wouldn’t have worked out for the heat training because, one, I didn’t ride and two, the heat never came. The high yesterday was 81 or so.

I think the deluge has sort of subsided now, but I am super weak. The Tour of Lawrence starts tonight with the downtown street sprints. I’m just going to go over there and ride the 200 meters once and out. Hopefully another day and a half will be enough to get some strength back. We don’t race until 4:30 Saturday afternoon for the circuit race.

Sorry for being so boring and such here the last few days, but this week didn’t really go to script. Actually, this year has really went to script, but I’m trying not to dwell on that too much right now.

I’m going to try to lay around in bed all day today until later. If I feel any better, I’ll go out for a short ride. That is really the only way I really get back on track after being down and out. Sometimes it isn’t so good for the mentality, but physically, it definitely puts me back on track. Usually. I hope I feel better for the weekend. I always look forward to this weekend and it’s been such a roller coaster recently, I hate to think I’m just going to be spectating. Okay, that’s it for now.

Lawrence Street Sprints from a couple years ago.

Tour of Lawrence, Street Sprints 2011 from Gizmo Pictures on Vimeo.

Crashes in the Tour – Is it the Chicken or the Egg

This entry was posted in Comments about Cycling, Racing on by .

When I was in Colorado a couple weeks ago observing the Garmin testing on Tom Danielson and Christian Vande Velde, I was surprised how stressed both of those guys were about going to the Tour and especially the potential crashes. They had both just finished the Giro a few weeks earlier and the stress was still lingering from that.

They went on to explain what any informed viewer/observer already knows. The stupid crashes that are occurring more and more in these important stage races are because there isn’t enough room at the front for all the riders. Each team is trying to control the front, or more accurately, keep their GC or team leader out of trouble by riding near the front of the field. The problem is that there isn’t enough room for 10 GC leaders and their teams. So, you’re safer at the front, in theory, but it is very, very difficult to stay there because there are 10 guys for every one that wants to be in the same place. So, you think you might rotate to the back. But at the back you end up doing an unbelievable amount of intervals, full braking and then sprinting. Or you end up stuck behind the inevitable crashes. Even worse, you end up on the ground.

This especially happens in Italy where the roads are super narrow and twisty. But, it happens in the Tour also, obviously.

This riding in team formation, this modern tactic, has really changed the dynamics of the race and has added a ton of danger to the sport. The teams and riders themselves came up with this style of riding that actually makes the races more dangerous.

It is pretty similar to the way that teams here in the US control the front of a criterium the last 5 or more laps, by riding at the front on the inside of the course. This tactic works great to do what it is intended to do, but makes the races much more dangerous to participate in.

I think it is strange that once the ball gets rolling with these tactics, then if you don’t participate, you are at others mercy. It is strange that the sport has evolved to where it is actually a step back. If each team just would have only one guy escorting their GC leader, then there wouldn’t be so many people fighting for wheels constantly. But, it isn’t that easy, obviously.

Anyway, I thought it was strange about how much the Garmin guys were already dreading the constant fighting and stress of the positioning during the Tour. Most of the riding during a stage race should be stress free. At least stress free from worrying about falling on the ground. I can’t imagine how much extra energy these guys are burning on a daily basis, stressing about the whole thing and also actually participating in the silliness.

Since the riders and team directors came up with this new style of racing, they need to figure it out themselves, how to fix the problem. I don’t think anyone benefits from the constant crashes and injuries associated with them. It definitely destroys some of the beauty of the sport.

Scenes like this just detract from the race in my opinion.

Scenes like this just detract from the race in my opinion.

This is all fine and dandy as long as the roads are wide and open. It gets super dangerous as the roads narrow and get twisty.

This is all fine and dandy as long as the roads are wide and open. It gets super dangerous as the roads narrow and get twisty.