[Other Sport] Cycling geeks

[Notters]

Well done.

How did you do it?
Did you follow Bold's advice re gears and tempo etc?

Yes! I started in 5th gear and went down to 4th about half way up. Stayed in my saddle the whole way up except the very steepest sections. Most unlike me as I usually attack hills standing up.

Slightly concerned about my bike. It was creaking a lot. Think I need a new chain, brakes, gears and god knows what else.

 

[Pogue Mahone]

"Quite near" for you means "not very near" for normal people though. Yorks Hill is not that far west from Carter's Hill which is a breaker. Might mosey on over before too long.

Seriously, it is absolutely horrible. There were people watching on King of the Downs, applauding people up. God knows why...probably waiting for relatives. Without that support, and other riders, I doubt I'd have made it all the way up.

 

[Pogue Mahone]

Yes! I started in 5th gear and went down to 4th about half way up. Stayed in my saddle the whole way up except the very steepest sections. Most unlike me as I usually attack hills standing up.

Slightly concerned about my bike. It was creaking a lot. Think I need a new chain, brakes, gears and god knows what else.

You can get a chain measurer - it lets you know when you need a new chain, and also a new cassette. The trick is to change your chain before you need the cassette!

But yeah, get it checked over, and like I said previously, I recommend Rayments.

 

[Notters]

You can get a chain measurer - it lets you know when you need a new chain, and also a new cassette. The trick is to change your chain before you need the cassette!

But yeah, get it checked over, and like I said previously, I recommend Rayments.

I emailed rayments this afternoon. Hopefully they check their emails.

 

[teaboy]

Fair enough. I spent many a Tuesday evening at Hillingdon - sucha wasted opportunity when you're designing a circuit from scratch. I actually did my first race on the Hayes bypass (the forerunner of the Hillingdon circuit!).

Good luck, hope it all goes well.

Well, it went fairly badly. Apparently commuting isn't quite the right sort of training, and racing in the wind on a bike that's slightly different gives me back spasms. Oh, and 3/4 is MUCH faster than just 4. At least the track's nice, and not too far from my house... I didn't crash, or kill anyone though, so every cloud...

 

[Indurain's Lungs]

Well, it went fairly badly. Apparently commuting isn't quite the right sort of training, and racing in the wind on a bike that's slightly different gives me back spasms. Oh, and 3/4 is MUCH faster than just 4. At least the track's nice, and not too far from my house... I didn't crash, or kill anyone though, so every cloud...

Shame. A crit is very specific - lots of repeated maximal efforts and needing to recover quickly.

Keep at it though as that sort of racing will bring the fitness on very quickly. Especially if you've raced before and the muscle memory is there somewhere!

 

[Stat Brother]

'Only' 9,240 views away from quarter of a million, .

 

[teaboy]

I'll be back next week. I wasn't expecting much, but I need to be a bit more sensible. We had a group of 4 of us off the back, about 50m behind another small group. I decided it was bridgeable, so spent about 5 laps riding an ITT to get to about 30m behind before my back went. I was re-caught and I stayed on a wheel for about 2 laps before falling well back and cutting my losses. Next week I'll just sit on a wheel (if I can!) and get some nice hard miles in.

 

[Notters]

Anyone know when the finalised route for the Tour of Britain will be announced?

 

[Bold Seagull]

Anyone know when the finalised route for the Tour of Britain will be announced?

Going to be tough to organise given they can only get up the Beacon between 07.00 and 10.00 on a Sunday morning!

 

[Stat Brother]

Hey [MENTION=1320]Notters[/MENTION] I didn't realise yesterday was your first ever successful ascent of Col du Ditchling.
Chapeau.

 

[Notters]

Hey [MENTION=1320]Notters[/MENTION] I didn't realise yesterday was your first ever successful ascent of Col du Ditchling.
Chapeau.

Indeed! Thank you kindly. It's something I've aimed for for years! I'd never had any unsuccessful ascents, I'm pleased to say. I really don't like stopping on a hill.

Just wish I hadn't wasted my prime cycling years with an imaginary back problem! Still should be able to knock a fair bit off time of that, especially when I get a new bike sorted. (anyone want to swap a bike for 0.64 bitcoin? )

Going to try to up my mileage at the weekend, perhaps even squeeze in a 100k-er.

 

[Bold Seagull]

Just a quick heads up.

Although Lancey-poohs is on BBC4 at 9 pm, he's followed by Velorama.

A Storyville BFI presentation on 100 years of cycling.
I imagine it'll be very good.

Mrs IL is out for the evening so I'm just watching the armstrong lie.

Knew the story but a very good account of it.

As an aside, I've decided Greg lemond is the only human being that I would be actually wee myself if I met them!

Much as I want to see this, you are missing the most incredible football match ever on BBC1.

Watched the LA story on iPlayer - I'm left with a burning question in all this, how on earth has he escaped prison? Even for perjury alone and the lives he attempted to destroy with his lies. Let alone the fraud. How is the man free!!??

 

[Indurain's Lungs]

Watched the LA story on iPlayer - I'm left with a burning question in all this, how on earth has he escaped prison? Even for perjury alone and the lives he attempted to destroy with his lies. Let alone the fraud. How is the man free!!??

Few factors probably -

- friends in high places. Livestrong made him a big ally of elected officials (Obama included) and they are keen to forget him now rather than have any associations dragged up if he went to prison. If you remember, their Department of Justice suddenly dropped their case against him in an election year.

- the perjury won't be pursued as his lie relates to the admission of doping when being treated for cancer. There is no proof that he made the admission in the hospital so no proof he perjured himself. I'm not sure he ever denied doping in a court of law.

- the remainder of the outstanding issues are mainly civil - defamation of character, damages for loss of earnings etc rather than being able to prove criminal fraud.

- cycling is keen to forget about him and I'm sure some of the US doping establishment are. Everyone wants him to disappear and be the bogeyman of a bygone era.

 

[Bold Seagull]

Few factors probably -

- friends in high places. Livestrong made him a big ally of elected officials (Obama included) and they are keen to forget him now rather than have any associations dragged up if he went to prison. If you remember, their Department of Justice suddenly dropped their case against him in an election year.

- the perjury won't be pursued as his lie relates to the admission of doping when being treated for cancer. There is no proof that he made the admission in the hospital so no proof he perjured himself. I'm not sure he ever denied doping in a court of law.

- the remainder of the outstanding issues are mainly civil - defamation of character, damages for loss of earnings etc rather than being able to prove criminal fraud.

- cycling is keen to forget about him and I'm sure some of the US doping establishment are. Everyone wants him to disappear and be the bogeyman of a bygone era.

Seems Ole Greg would like to see him banged up - although who could blame him! http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/greg-lemond-lance-armstrong-should-go-to-jail

As for the perjury, he made a deposition under oath that he never doped or took any drugs, and yet has since admitted that he did. How can that not be proved to be perjury?

 

[teaboy]

Few factors probably -

- friends in high places. Livestrong made him a big ally of elected officials (Obama included) and they are keen to forget him now rather than have any associations dragged up if he went to prison. If you remember, their Department of Justice suddenly dropped their case against him in an election year.

- the perjury won't be pursued as his lie relates to the admission of doping when being treated for cancer. There is no proof that he made the admission in the hospital so no proof he perjured himself. I'm not sure he ever denied doping in a court of law.

- the remainder of the outstanding issues are mainly civil - defamation of character, damages for loss of earnings etc rather than being able to prove criminal fraud.

- cycling is keen to forget about him and I'm sure some of the US doping establishment are. Everyone wants him to disappear and be the bogeyman of a bygone era.

This is the bit I find most unsettling. "Remove him from history and pretend it didn't happen". I want him remembered by future generations. I want WADA to have his picture up in the office as a reminder of how they failed for so long. I want the UCI to remember him, and Pantani, and Ullrich, and Riis, etc because it's REALLY important for clean sport to do so.

I want his 7 Tour wins returned, and asterisked for all to see. A big "You cheated" for people to see in 50 years - that should serve as a deterrent.

 

[Spreadbetting Seagull]

Whats happened to [MENTION=11738]Spreadbetting Seagull[/MENTION]?

I've been underground the past few months! Been a hectic time, moved house and a couple of stag do's and holdiays etc...

Passed you a few weeks ago driving in Portslade. Was going to cut you up and scream 'stop cycling up the beacon' but you were too quick for me.

As you mentioned, finally got round to joing the NSC Geeks Strava group. We should organise a ride one weekend soon, the Haywards Heath Howler is on the 3rd August I believe. Need the miles, doing the Prudential Ride 100 the weeekend after. Loved your TDF Stage 2 story btw, lucky git!

 

[Bold Seagull]

I've been underground the past few months! Been a hectic time, moved house and a couple of stag do's and holdiays etc...

Passed you a few weeks ago driving in Portslade. Was going to cut you up and scream 'stop cycling up the beacon' but you were too quick for me.

As you mentioned, finally got round to joing the NSC Geeks Strava group. We should organise a ride one weekend soon, the Haywards Heath Howler is on the 3rd August I believe. Need the miles, doing the Prudential Ride 100 the weeekend after. Loved your TDF Stage 2 story btw, lucky git!

You'll love the Pru100. Brilliant day, get on the back of some teams / groups, great fun. I'll look at what I'm doing on the 3rd, was thinking I need to squeeze a sportive in!

 

[Stat Brother]

Well that's Halfords living up to their reputation once more.

As said the indexing on Jnr's new bike was shot to pieces.
I took it back explaining to Goon A the problem.
Wouldn't shift into the big cog at the back, and the front ring shift was hard for jnr (but that might just be him)

Goon A looks perplexed, shifts gear a few times, then says 'hmm the gears aren't working'
He picks up a screwdriver and holds it over the mech but thankfully does nothing.
Goon B says 'can you leave it'.

I've just picked it up, Goon C says 'yeah it's all sorted, everything fine, it'll get smoother once the cable has stretched'.

I just wanted out, knowing I should have just sorted it myself.

Get home and the gears still won't shift into the big cog at the back


I have to wait for the cable to stretch before I can use all gears, FFS.

"Ok Alberto the bikes good to go, but you just can't use your climbing gear on the Tourmalet, until the cable has stretched".

 

[banjo]

First ride on the board.