Talking Heads talking cities
Really interesting stuff about cycling and what makes a city livable. I’m buying David Byrne’s book when it comes out.
As someone who has used a bicycle to get around New York for about 30 years I’ve watched the city—mainly Manhattan, where I live—change for better and for worse. During this time I started to take a full-size folding bike with me when I traveled so I got to experience other cities as a cyclist as well. Seeing cities from on top of a bike is both pleasurable and instructive. On a bike one sees a lot more than from a freeway, and often it’s just as fast as car traffic in many towns.
Grafton to Inverell
The race was on last week. Congrats to friends who competed and all did awesome rides:
From the results page, here are my highlights:
- Craig Dickson, 10th in B grade, in 7:03:22.20
- Craig Briant, 23rd in B grade in 7:05:56.36
- Liam McCarthy, 44th in B grade in 7:34:03
- Aaron Pickett-Heaps, 28th in C grade, in 7:28:01
- Dean Winchester, 46th in C grade, in 7:40:16.02
Legends.
2009 Cycle Epic: in the heat and dust
Lots of stories (not just mine) out of this year’s Cycle Epic.
Are we having fun yet? Me & Em at checkpoint 1
Update: The results are included now at the end. And a new pic from the official photogapher.
Epic enduro pleasure pain 6hr 100k mtb thingggg
So this Sunday I’ve got my last mountain bike event for 2009.
The Flight Centre Epic is the biggest, snazziest, longest-established mountain bike event on the calendar. It has the numbers, the names, the reputation.
It’s not necessarily the best event. But it’s the one that seems to matter.
I’ve been quietly pleased with myself this year with how each event has gone.
The Mt Perry 6-hour was super hard because I made some mistakes in preparation. I finished 17th in the 40+ category, riding only 6 laps in 6 hours.
The Noosa Enduro was super hard because its a super hard event. 27th veteran ( out of 40), 110th out of 137 finishers. It took me 7 hrs 54 minutes, 48 mins faster than in 2008 when it was wet.
At the recent Coffs Harbour ‘Pleasure & Pain’ Enduro I finally did an event where I was happy start to finish with how I handled it, which probably means that I didn’t really go hard enough! 7th out of 20 in my category, 40th overall out of 82. 6 hrs 21 mins for 100km.
So all the work comes down to this. And quite frankly, I don’t feel the best this week. My time last year in the Epic was 6 hrs 56 mins in dry conditions. This Sunday looks like dry and hot again, so no excuses if I’m no faster than last year.
Everybody loves Jens, part II
Saxo Bank - Taking The Lead » Archive » a message from jens.
This is why.
“I am better than expected. I’m a bit beat up, and hurting a bit, but nothing that’s going to kill me.”
Everybody loves Jens
“It was horrifying to see Voigt crash out of this Tour de France on Tuesday, not only because he is smart and honest and loyal and funny and tireless, but also because it happened in a place where he is usually in his element, flying down a mountainside on a mission.”
Bonnie Ford, ESPN, who is an excellent writer on cycling, in a piece called Jens Voigt is the conscience of cycling.
Di Luca was on the juice, sorry ’bout that
The International Cycling Union (UCI) announced Wednesday that it has suspended Italian Danilo Di Luca for two positive tests for the EPO derivative CERA. The LPR-Brakes rider’s doping control samples showed evidence of the banned blood booster on two occasions - on May 20 and 28th during the 2009 Giro d’Italia.
via Di Luca Positive For CERA In Giro | Cyclingnews.com.
Hmm, I’m just so sorry to have predicted this.
Don’t over-tighten it, it might snap
“I’m not necessarily aiming for yellow, I’m just looking to do my best ride I can and consolidate where I am. I’m not stupid enough to think I can beat Contador. I think he’s proven he’s by far the best bike rider in this race and you never really know how hard to tighten stuff before it breaks and I don’t want to over-tighten things.”
via Wiggins Ready To Seize The Day | Cyclingnews.com.
Great quote. Brad Wiggins in Cyclingnews today.
UPDATE (23/07/09): I think he might have snapped it last night. We’ll see if it really is broken in tonight’s time trial.
Heinrich, Alberto, & Brad Wiggins
Winter in Brisbane … can’t beat it.
- Getting up before dawn for a bike ride.
- Staying up to watch le Tour.
- And trying to keep it all in balance with the rest of your life & work.
The heroes of the last week, from my p.o.v.
Heinrich Haussler. What a ride from Aussie HH to win on a cold & rainy day near the German border. As many have pointed out, he took advantage of weather conditions similar to a Belgian spring day to firstly get in the breakaway, and secondly demolish his breakaway companions with a show of strength and daring rarely seen on any stage of the Tour. The most impressive ride of any breakaway in this year’s event.
Alberto Contador. All along I have been saying that he is the top favourite for the Tour. Last night was the decisive stage, and he smashed them. Game over. He is now the undisputed leader of the undisputed strongest team in the race. The only interest now is what shape Astana will take for 2010, and which team Alberto will ride for in the future. Because there’s no earthly reason why he shouldn’t win at least the next three or four Tours. He is that good.
Bradley Wiggins. Now that is a transformation, from pursuiter to Grand Tour contender. Put it this way, the two best pursuiters of all time, Chris Boardman and Bradley McGee, were never able to make the transition into becoming top riders in the mountains. Wiggins seems at the moment to have done it with about six months work. Astounding. If he can keep it up, he looms as Contador’s only real rival, which is a sentence I did not think I would ever write.
All this, and mountain biking on a Sunday afternoon in Karawatha Forest. Life is good.
Cadel’s free to fly … if he can
So Astana’s in total control of the Tour now.
I think it’s a real possibility to think about: Can Astana fill all three podium spots? Contador’s still the heavy favourite in my book … in the Giro Lance showed that he just doesn’t have the jump on climbs that he used to have, and I think Contador will show on Friday night that he does rule the roost.
But a podium of Alberto, Lance and Levi (or Andreas Kloden for that matter) doesn’t seem at all far-fetched at this stage. Put it this way: in the last few years, who are the riders who have attacked Astana and made it stick? That’s right, no one. Once you’ve lost time on Contador/Armstrong, it’s very very very very hard to get it back.
So, Cadel, this is freedom. Nobody who understands bike racing thinks you can win. But you might gain some fans with some attacking riding! I reckon that his best bet … not silly Pantani-style attacks, but just seize the moment when it occurs. Counter attack when the Astana boys have reduced the bunch to the last five or six. Go for it on the second-last col of the day … go for it whenever there’s half a chance. More Vino than Pantani is the style I’m looking for. Cadel (and Menchov for that matter, and even Sastre) has nothing to lose. So why not?