Matt Haughey doco on Katie f’n Compton? Got me.
Category Archives: Cyclocross
All things bicycle, ZZZ-style
So my good friend Eleanor roped me in to be a guest with her on ‘At the Local’ on 4ZZZ last Saturday. The link above is the result (minus the songs Dom played), which I will admit that I enjoyed listening back to. Thanks Dom for having us on your show.
The content is all good ZZZ stuff, as we talk about women and cycling and the sub-cultures that emerge in an activity like cycling that is becoming more and more mainstream. And if you listen long enough, you get to hear Ali McLatchie talk with considerable verve about women in bike polo. Cool.
(For those who would like to know what music they play on 4ZZZ, here’s the song Dom played in tribute to Ali. You better press play on that, cos I predict that this is the one and only time that Peaches is going to feature on this blog.)
As an added bonus to this whole thing, you get to listen to Elle’s ‘radio voice’. There’s just something that comes out occasionally in her accent that gives a hint of either her Filipino mum or time spent overseas. I can’t quite identify it, but the effect is (like everything else about Eleanor) quite adorable.
Hugs & kisses for Handsome
This is as cool as the other side of the pillow. Handsome Cycles, a small bicycle maker in Minnesota, has brought out the XOXO.
Handsome Cycles XOXO left, the original Bridgestone XO-1 below left.
Back when the Internet was young, in the mid-90s, I used to follow the fortunes, the ups and downs, of Bridgestone Cycles. Yes, the Japanese tyre company. It may still be the case that in Japan that Bridgestone still make bicycles, I don’t know.
But in the early and mid 90s, Bridgestone bicycles in the USA were cool. Because the product manager was a certain Grant Petersen, who was never afraid to swim against the tide of popular opinion. They called him a retro-grouch as a result, but I think it was more than he wasn’t worried about saying what he thought was good about innovations in bicycle design, and what wasn’t.
And the most iconic of an iconic range of Bridgestone bikes was the XO-1. It was a bike which had 26 inch wheels (mtb size), rigid fork, road geometry, odd looking moustache handlebars, and cantilever brakes. At the time, it was described as a do-it-all bike. I would call it just about the perfect dirt-road bike.
And Handsome’s XOXO is a copy, a tribute, to the XO-1.
What with Rapha’s videos, website and magazines featuring so much dirt-road riding, and the surgence of cyclocross in Australia (I can’t call it a resurgence if its never been popular before), it seems that the XOXO would be timely, if it was available in Australia. Sadly, its even more niche than cyclocross so it will never get to Australia.
There’s lots of so-called commuter bikes around these days. They are mostly flat-bar road bikes, usually with low-end (cheap) components, and are designed around narrow tyres, and not for taking off-bitumen.
That said, you could make a pretty good dirt-road bike from a Surly Cross-Check or Long Haul Trucker frame, and there are lots of people doing that. And there’s also the Kona Dew series, which is a superior commuter bike or light tourer, it would be pretty cool on dirt too.
But luckily for me, I already have a bike that’s perfect for this, just with a tweak or two. My Shogun Alpine GT has spent the last few years as a singlespeed city bike. The drivetrain is pretty much shot, and has had no work since forever. But in the last six months or so it got given some sweet XTR v-brakes (courtesy of a MTB Dirt member), which makes it much nicer to ride. Think I need to find some sweeping moustache style bars, and make a eight or nine-speed dirt-roader.
Emma had some swoopy flat bars like that once on her Cotic singlespeed … wonder if they’re still in her shed? Hmmm. (No, Em, this isn’t a test to see if you’re reading).
Update: Swoopy bars on short-term loan from Em to see if I like them. The model is the Sparrow, from SomaFab.
I have a Deore mtb derailleur at home, so I reckon a trip to Bicycle Rev for some down-tube shifters might be the next thing. And an 8-speed cassette.
Jaman
I quite liked this pic of Aaron. Might have to Instagram it as well and see how it turns out. Click on the pic for a bigger version.
Smashing small barriers
OK, I do understand that my concept of fun may not be shared by everyone. But I know that all the cyclists reading this will totally get it when I say that last Saturday at the Ipswich Cyclocross I had so much fun that I may have given myself exercise-induced asthma.
“Pursuiter’s cough” is the term cyclists use, and it describes a hacking cough that can affect you for up an hour or so after a really intense effort. I remember in the late 90s, SBS interviewing the Australian pro rider Neil Stephens, who was tough as old boots, straight after a stage finish in the TdF. Stephens couldn’t get a complete sentence out without the interruption of a bout of hacking coughs.
Well that was me, to a lesser extent, after cyclocross.
I raced in Division 4. And the reason for that mystery link was that alongside me in Div 4 was a dead-set bandit or burglar. A certain Dean Winchester, who races B grade on the road, and in Masters B in open events. According to the event flyer this would mean he should have raced in either Div2 or perhaps Div3.
But after we drove out there together, unloaded the bikes, registered and got our numbers, I was shocked & appalled (yes, both) to find that Dean was pinning a green number on his jersey, the same colour as mine. His excuse: “You do this sort of thing (i.e. off-road riding and racing) much more than me.” I should have set Gerard Kennedy onto him.
Dean was racing on his hardtail mountain bike. And the last time I had seen that machine in working order was at the 2009 Epic. It wasn’t a thing of beauty then either.
For me, my weapon of choice was my Frezoni, a steel framed road bike that has (by design) greater clearance than standard road machines. It’s not a proper cyclocross bike, because it uses long-reach road brakes rather than cantilevers or v-brakes. So it’s more likely that in bad conditions to get clogged up with mud.
But what it did have for this occasion was proper cyclocross tyres, secured at just about half price from a friendly person at a friendly bike shop. That would help me find some grip on the grass and mud. So advantage me in the bike department.
But how Furracabad could it be on a football oval in Ipswich in the middle of winter? What mud?
Well the rain came down the night before, much to the joy of organiser Scott Kirton. And the course this year included crossing a creek, or perhaps ditch would be closer to the truth.
Div4 winner Tim Hooker showing some style crossing the ditch. Tim was waaaay too good for the rest of the Div 4 field.
So after the kids had their race, it was our turn. There were 16 starters in Division 4. Louise Jones, one of Cycling Queensland’s top commissaires was there, because her husband was racing in the Div 4 race with us! Louise gave us the race briefing (‘be careful’ and ‘don’t hurt yourself’ was what I heard), and then we were off!
Louise’s husband (Phil?) leads us out on the first lap, followed by race organiser Scott (black Rapha cx kit), and then Tim Hooker, then Deano & me.
So by halfway through the first lap, eventual winner Tim is disappearing from sight, and to my surprise Dean and I are dicing for second place. The effort is intense, but staying upright is pretty easy, and getting the power to ground is also working pretty well. Dean’s mtb is making horrible noises every time he shifts gear, so that’s got to be in my favour as well.
The creek is fun, the steps are ok, there’s no sharp corners or steep sections really, and I’m just having a blast and almost keeping up with Dean, and another guy who I later meet as Adrian.
About three laps in, and my initial speed is starting to fade. I come to the series of barriers, and unclip to jump off the bike and prepare to hurdle. But clumsiness caused by fatigue defeats me, and I don’t quite lift the Frezoni high enough, and kind of smash it into the wooden barrier.
The handlebar in turn smashes me in the knee and I stumble and very nearly fall flat on my face. By the time I stop staggering and get upright, I realise that the chain is off the bike. Stop & fumble with chain, and Dean and Adrian are gone.
It was probably kind of a relief to realise at this point that I was unlikely to catch the place-getters, and that I was well ahead of fifth place. So I could just try to find a steady rhythm for the rest of the race and see if I could make the finish line without throwing up.
And that modest target I achieved.
It was a super-fun day out. There should be more cyclocross, or dirt crits, or similar events. I would absolutely race in them.
Of course, when I say “there should be more”, I realise that the best way to make this happen is to be part of doing it myself. So a bigger effort towards getting cyclocross back into Bike Week next year is what I’m saying.
More cowbell!
Ipswich Cyclocross 2011, a set on Flickr.
I’m still working on my post about the Ipswich Cyclocross event on Saturday. But in the meantime, here are some photos.
The two races pictured here are the Div4 race, featuring myself and Dean Winchester, among maybe 16 others. Thanks to Ian Darcy for wielding the camera during my race.
And the Div 1/2 race, featuring the three fast guys in that event, especially Josh and Aaron. I’m behind the lens for these ones.
Unfortunately, during the Div3 race I was sucking down frites and a Coke, and suffering from occasional pursuiter’s cough.
Via Flickr:
Held at Jim Finnimore Reserve on Saturday 16 July.
I feel (surprisingly) good
In Karawatha Forest on the CX-ready Frezoni. Great fun.
I had a few days off the bike last week, with the same bug that everyone else has suffered from this winter. But after a couple of good rides on the weekend, I reckon I’m back.
It’s also true that I have contracted Tour de France fever, but that’s a different ailment.
It was a massive weekend in the Tour, with crashes causing all sorts of chaos and carnage. Which has a pleasing alliterative effect, but actually was pretty nasty. I saw an interview with Cadel after last night’s stage, and he was very shaken up by the crash. It reminded him of the death of Wouter Weylandt, in the Giro D’Italia.
So, an update from my point of view, of Who’s Hot and Who’s Not.
Hot:
- Cadel is smokin’ hot. Everything is coming up roses at present for Cadel and BMC. He is still in position A amongst the overall contenders. He did use his team on the front for half the stage the other night, and it was hard to work out why. But apart from that possible tactical mis-step, everything else has been great for BMC.
- Thomas Voeckler. Another one of those characters that everyone loves. In fact, on Jens Voigt’s blog on Bicycling.com this morning, its clear that Voeckler is popular in the peloton as well. Such a great ride by him in the breakaway yesterday. Chapeau!
- Thor Hushovd. Even though his reign in yellow is over, it was a wonderful defence of the jersey by Garmin-Cervelo and especially by Thor himself.
- Tejay Van Garderen. Rui Costa. Phillip Gilbert. Johnny Hoooooooogerlund. Legends all. Especially Johnny H. Proudest moment of his career thus far, receiving the polka-dot jersey, and he is so battered and beaten up (as a result of this) that he is in tears (below).
Not:
- Vino. Even though I admire his attacking style of riding, I admit that I don’t like Vino. I’m sorry that his career may have ended with yesterday’s crash, and I hope he recovers fully.
- Radioshack. The whole lot of ‘em are gone now. Imagine having four GC candidates (Horner, Leipheimer, Kloden, Brajkovic), all in good form, and now having basically none. All through crashes. This is a strange tour.
Lukewarm:
- Alberto Contador. Keeps being involved in minor crashes. That’s going to take a toll. He might not be hurt, but everytime you hit the deck, it means that your condition gets worse. You don’t sleep well, your recovery overnight is not as good your rivals.
- “Frandy” Schleck. They have shown nothing. I hope they’ve got nothing. But we won’t find out until we get to Luz Ardiden.
What’s going to happen next?
Well, I obviously have less than no clue. There’s bound to be people who surprise us. But from what I can see, it will be Cadel vs Contador vs Frandy. And for the first time ever, I reckon Cadel’s a chance.
Have a look through the group that finished with Cadel on Stage 9. The winner of the Tour was in that group, I guarantee it.
Mind you, I am an incurable optimist. I thought the Matildas were going to beat Sweden.
C’mon Cuddles!
It makes no sense, that’s why it’s so much fun
So, we all like riding, yes? You wouldn’t be reading this site if you didn’t.
And we all like to try something new from time to time?
Well, why not try cyclocross? It’s like all the speed & fun of road riding, except you add in a bit where you jump off your bike at full speed and attempt to hurdle over a low wooden fence.
It’s like all the flow and awesomeness of mountain biking, except on tyres that are a bit too skinny, and on a bike where the brakes don’t work nearly as well!
A couple of years ago we (Bicycle Queensland that is) included cyclocross in the Bike Week activities, and it was held on a Friday night at Davies Park. I might even have a pic of me doing that race. Maybe its on the ‘puter at work. Will find it tomorrow. Edit: Here it is!
What I remember about it was a total blur of riding then running and jumping and riding and being yelled at by people with beers in hand, and smiling and riding, and everything going very blurry towards the end. That’s why the pic is blurry. I think.
Awesome. Really!
But rather than BQ, the real driving force behind cyclocross in these parts is Scott Kirton, who is a member of the Ipswich Cycling Club. And on 16 July, Ipswich CC is holding their second cyclocross race. Nice work, Scott.
Last year I chickened out of racing, cos I was feeling fat and slow at the time. This year, I feel just as fat and slow, but I am definitely going to enter the event. (That’s why I am posting this, to confirm that I am going to ‘race’, although that’s an ambitious word to describe the way I will get around the course).
You can bet that Jaman will race. He is a fool for racing. He even got himself a proper cross bike, just for the purpose! Me, I’m just going to ride the Frezoni, if I can scrounge up some cheap 700×32 knobbies for it.
Although I didn’t know it at the time, this is Eleanor’s friend Blakey (at the time I didn’t know Eleanor either, so I could hardly be blamed for not making the connection that I didn’t have). Blakey came up to Brisbane especially for the cyclocross race. I don’t know if it he is doing that again this year, that would be crazy.
So this post is to encourage people who might be considering entering a cyclocross race to JUST HIT CAPSLOCK and DO IT. Cos I reckon it will be ace.