Monday, January 26, 2009

Does my arse look fat in these pants?















-- It’s a question every cyclist should ask

Somebody once said that cycling is the only community in which men appear to obsess more over their weight than women do.

It’s a fair assessment and a pointer to the brutal reality of a simple formula from which there is no escape. Cycling’s magic formula: power-to-weight ratio, which essentially dictates that the more power you can produce, and the less you weigh, the faster you climb.

The stark truth of this formula is seen in wearers of a grand tour King Of The Mountains jersey, who are invariably squits, often weighing in at less than 60kg. And this is why cyclists, particularly in the early season, spend so much time looking at each other’s arses – simply because size reliably indicates probable performance.

Much science has been put to assessing advantages of lost kilos. Calculations show that carrying 1kg less on a 7% grade is worth 0.04m/s (90 kg bike + rider) to 0.07m/s (65 kg bike + rider). For the 90kg rider this translates to 144 metres gained over 1 hour of climbing.

It doesn’t sound like much, but it was just a few kilos that apparently undid five-times Tour de France winner Miguel Indurain, whose reign was finally broken in 1996 by one Bjarne Riis (who has since admitted to EPO use). At the time of his win Riis weighed 150lbs (68kgs) and possessed Maximal Sustainable (MS) power of 480 watts, giving him a power-to-weight ratio of 7 watts per kilogram (480 / 68 = 7) – widely regarded by professional cyclists as the magic number. 

Indurain’s MS power of 550 watts was much greater than Riis’s, but he weighed more (176lbs or 80kgs), giving him a power-to-weight ratio of 6.8 watts/kg - 0.2 less than Riis. Indurain might have cleaned up the time trials, where weight is less significant, but on the long steep climbs he was caned.

Time to dust off the scales.

Friday, January 23, 2009

What were we thinking?













-- Mountain Road, Henderson Valley, Auckland. Go on. How tough can it be? There’s a clue in the name.


Sure, it’s no Alpe D'Huez. But in the land of stumpy volcanic cones it’s the closest thing to an alpine climb Auckland cyclists have got. Henderson’s Mountain Road (click settings and tick elevation). A vicious 6km brute, rising 350 vertical metres from the verdant floor of Henderson Valley to Scenic Drive, which winds along The Waitakere Ranges.

Patches of 16% and 17% gradient, coarse chip and the odd mullet behind the wheel of a rusty Holden make this one of Auckland’s toughest climbs.

Go on. Do it twice

Back in the saddle













-- After a 20-year layoff an old pro rediscovers his passion for cycling


Cyclists come and go. We’ve all been there, gripped by enthusiasm and a rampant appetite for miles and competition. But, eventually you pass a certain limit and excuses creep in. Seasons and circumstances change and, one day, months down the track, you find yourself wiping cobwebs from your handlebars, wondering how it all went so wrong.

But in that quiet moment of reflection, watching dust particles dance in the beams of sunlight streaming through cracked weatherboards into the greyness of the windowless garage, the decision to ride comes suddenly. And very soon, you’re back, chalking up miles and grinning like a pleased ram savouring the heated whiff of wanton ewe.

You ride because you love it. And that feeling is never fully extinguished.

You'd think this comeback scenario would be less common among retired pro riders, whose inhumane workloads tend to wear away the child-like thrill of riding for the sake of it.

So it was both intriguing and affirming to read a fantastic Cycling Weekly story about Italian born Falvio Zappi, 48, a successful pro-rider in the early 80s, who, after a layoff of more than 20 years, rediscovered the glory of the bicycle.

Go check for cobwebs.

Tuesday, January 20, 2009

“Careless” truckie faces charge of killing police cyclist














-- Could have been me. Could have been any one of us.


I didn't know traffic safety expert and Police Superintendent Steve Fitzgerald, 57, who was killed last year cycling home from work, on Petone’s Esplanade, by truck driver Desmond Wilson, 45, who will face the charge of careless driving causing death when he appears in Lower Hutt District Court on February 26.

But on hearing news of Fitzgerald's tragic death every cyclist would have felt a grim connection. It’s hard not to shudder and grope for wood knowing that, but for the time and the place, it could have been me. Could’ve been any one of us.

Knowing Fitzgerald’s profession and track record in traffic safety it’s unlikely he was riding irresponsibly. Most 57 year-old office-bound cycle commuters aren’t built for speed, nor do they needlessly flirt with danger. And it’s unlikely that truck driver and now defendant Wilson drove that day looking for trouble, or to take a life.

But something happened on that fateful June day last year and a body of evidence will argue that truck driver Wilson's carelessness killed the police superintendent.

Fitzgerald is one of many cyclists maimed or killed by motorists (2006 Ministry of Transport crash statistics show 9 cyclist deaths and 150 serious injuries. The same report states that motorists have primary responsibility 70 percent of injuries and deaths).

Driver ‘carelessness’ will smite out many more cyclists. Careless: |ˈkerlis| not giving sufficient attention or thought to avoiding harm or errors. What makes people careless? Laziness? Inadequate skill (presumably Wilson was licensed and, at 45, experienced)? A bad attitude? 

Did Wilson de-personalise that anonymous helmeted character with its head down, pedalling along a road built principally for motorised transport? Did he take a chance, show a split-second disregard for the smaller, slower, mildly inconvenient road user? Ignorance flourishes in the warmth of a cab, where the link between disregard and death is permanently fogged, and always on another road, in some other town. 

As both a driver and cyclist I'm keen learn more about the factors behind Fitzgerald's tragic demise. I hope Wilson comes clean. And I hope the followup story gets more than a one-line brief in a midweek newspaper column, for the sake of everyone. 

RIP Steve Fitzgerald.

Touch wood. 

Thursday, January 15, 2009

Gentlemen’s ride to redress gender imbalance















-- Organisers say, “Hello ladies”

A small tightknit group of bicycle enthusiasts is hoping to bring an air of conviviality to Auckland’s cycling scene, organising a ‘Gentlemen’s’ ride along Auckland’s iconic Tamaki Drive.

Spokesperson of event organiser The Glendowie Bicycle Club (GBC), Chairman Mike, describes the planned ride as “slow riding at its best” and wants participants to forsake lycra for more crowd pleasing attire.

“The bicycling movement has been enslaved to garish fashion, accessorising and fleshy contours. We want to reclaim the glory of the bicycle and celebrate its raw understated beauty – everything that is good and right,” he says.

But ladies shouldn’t be put off by the name. “Quite the opposite, “ says Chairman Mike, who is married. “We say, in the best possible taste, hello to all ladies.”

GBC treasurer Steve, also married, and dressed in brown flannel shorts, concurs. “Ladies, hello,” he says.

Departing Parnell’s Paddington pub, 5:00pm, Friday, 20 February, the Gentlemen’s ride will wind its way along the Tamaki Drive cycelway, stopping at regular intervals, and ending at La Vie En Rose bar in St Heliers. The $3.49 event entry fee also provides lifetime membership to the Glendowie Bicycle Club.

Chairman Mike says the ride was originally planned to follow the road. However, following lengthy public consultation and concerns expressed by motorised road users, the ride was rerouted to the cycleway.

Monday, January 12, 2009

New lobby group fresh impetus for Auckland harbour bridge cycleway









-- Auckland City Councillor and cycling commentator Toni Millar likely patron


Dear Councillor

Long time cyclist and first time e-mailer, Raoul.

Firstly, happy New Year.

In writing I was hoping to appeal to your political instincts and interest in more efficient motorised travel along Auckland’s Tamaki Drive.

Last year on Campbell Live you expressed dissatisfaction with cyclist behaviour along the Waterfront and the extra time and trouble shoddy riding cost motorised road users.

Just because I’m an enthusiastic Tamaki Drive cyclist doesn’t mean I reject your concerns. Hell, everyone makes mistakes. Lord knows I’ve run my fair share of red lights and knocked down the occasional slow-walking pedestrian. Forgiveness is a great thing.

Anyway, you will be aware of the cycle lobby group Getacross, which failed to convince the Transport Agency to consider a Harbour Bridge cycleway.

But here’s a thought. In my mind, the opportunity to cycle across the Harbour Bridge is a cyclist draw card possessing attraction similar to Tamaki Drive. Both routes offer magnificent harbour views and provide cyclists with a route destination that defines their ride.

Surely, then, an Auckland Harbour Bridge cycleway will alleviate cycling congestion along Tamaki Drive. Afterall, a cyclist can’t be in two places at once.

With this in mind, I’m investigating the formation of a new lobby group (Auckland Regional Transport Authority calling Getacross a “dead horse” gives it a branding problem).

We’re still working on a name, but wondered if you’d consider being our patron. You are already part of the cycling conversation. Perhaps more importantly, becoming the figurehead of a pro-cycling group will help you to win back the goodwill of Auckland’s significant cycling community.

Please let me know.

Chopper Guard