Erin at PEAC sent an e-mail to me last week entitled "Strange Celebration of Cycling Request". It wasn't all that strange, but maybe she felt weird asking me to escort one of PEAC's students on the 100-mile ride at the PEAC Celebration of Cycling.
Jonathan, my riding pal for the day suffers from a few medical issues that required a companion for the day. He has ridden long rides before, but needed a tour guide capable of the 100-mile trek through Westland, Plymouth, Ann Arbor, Whitmore Lake, Northville, and back to Warrendale Recreation area on Hines.
As a generally speedy rider, I wasn't used to stopping every couple of miles to take a drink, adjust the gloves, shake out the hands, etc. Normally, a century would take 5.5-6 hours for me, 5 of which is riding time, and the rest breaks. This actually took us 8.25 hours, with riding time running around 6 1/2 hours. This wasn't really a big deal to me, because I expected to be out all day, but the different style of riding was rough.
I'm used to leaning over in the drops and spinning a good hefty pace. With my legs pushing, there's less pressure on my rear, and with my arms pumping, there's less leaning on my hands and shoulders. With a slower pace and looking behind me for Jonathan, I spent most of the day riding on my hoods, and sitting rather upright on the seat. This meant a really sore tushie and lower back, and extremely sore shoulders and hands by the end of the day. I had actually re-fit the bike in anticipation of the riding conditions, but it still was rough on me. So, towards the end of the ride, when Jonathon needed frequent breaks, so did I.
Sunday, September 17, 2006
Wednesday, September 13, 2006
Blood Doping and the Speed Limit
On any given bike ride, the subject of Floyd Landis, Lance Armstrong, and their accusations of blood doping will come up. We worry about whether this will destroy cycling and people's enthusiasm to go out, buy a bike, and start riding.
The latest news in this ongoing saga is that Frankie Andreu, who is from this area, admitted to EPO use way back when, before it was banned. He, of course, never saw his teammate Armstrong take anything, and he eventually stopped once it was banned. We still wonder whether Floyd's explanation is really true, and for all the accusations that skirt around Armstrong, you'd gotta think that he's either a target, or he's really beaten the system.
So here's one explanation on how riders could be beating the system. Take Floyd's case: The testosterone/epitestosterone test says that a rider is over the limit when the ratio is 4:1. Normal ratios are around 1:1. Well, why not just take enough so that your ratio is 3:1 so that you don't trip the test? Keep analyzing urine samples on your own to make sure that you're taking the right amount. I'm sure every test allows a threshold to protect "normal" fluctuations in the bloodstream, so all the rider has to do is dope up to the limits and not go over.
Also, cyclists seem to have a number of medical problems already, which require them to take doping products. 60 of 105 tour riders had some sort of legal medical excuse such as asthma for their excess medication. It's amazing how so many ailing athletes can actually ride a bike at that level.
I equate this to speed limit enforcement on the highway. The speed limit on the nearby highway is 70mph, but I know that everyone on the highway speeds, so I just won't go fast enough to trip the cop's attention, which might be at 80-85mph or more. So I'll cruise past the radar detector at my 77mph and the trooper won't even blink. I didn't get caught, but I was still speeding, right?
So, there's my theory. All cyclists are taking legal and illegal supplements to help extend the limits of their bodies. This probably is true of many pro athletes. They also know exactly how much to take so that they will not trip the tests, and they manage to stay one step ahead of the testers. We hope that someday procedures improve so that we can detect exactly what's going on, but until then, we'll have to deal with these accusations and denials.
The latest news in this ongoing saga is that Frankie Andreu, who is from this area, admitted to EPO use way back when, before it was banned. He, of course, never saw his teammate Armstrong take anything, and he eventually stopped once it was banned. We still wonder whether Floyd's explanation is really true, and for all the accusations that skirt around Armstrong, you'd gotta think that he's either a target, or he's really beaten the system.
So here's one explanation on how riders could be beating the system. Take Floyd's case: The testosterone/epitestosterone test says that a rider is over the limit when the ratio is 4:1. Normal ratios are around 1:1. Well, why not just take enough so that your ratio is 3:1 so that you don't trip the test? Keep analyzing urine samples on your own to make sure that you're taking the right amount. I'm sure every test allows a threshold to protect "normal" fluctuations in the bloodstream, so all the rider has to do is dope up to the limits and not go over.
Also, cyclists seem to have a number of medical problems already, which require them to take doping products. 60 of 105 tour riders had some sort of legal medical excuse such as asthma for their excess medication. It's amazing how so many ailing athletes can actually ride a bike at that level.
I equate this to speed limit enforcement on the highway. The speed limit on the nearby highway is 70mph, but I know that everyone on the highway speeds, so I just won't go fast enough to trip the cop's attention, which might be at 80-85mph or more. So I'll cruise past the radar detector at my 77mph and the trooper won't even blink. I didn't get caught, but I was still speeding, right?
So, there's my theory. All cyclists are taking legal and illegal supplements to help extend the limits of their bodies. This probably is true of many pro athletes. They also know exactly how much to take so that they will not trip the tests, and they manage to stay one step ahead of the testers. We hope that someday procedures improve so that we can detect exactly what's going on, but until then, we'll have to deal with these accusations and denials.
Monday, September 04, 2006
Mark's Stop Sign Manifesto
I rode 100 miles yesterday with the club. Many members have mentioned to me how terrible we are with bike safety and following the rules of the road. I usually think we're not as bad as they say we are, but after yesterday, I agree a little bit more. Members in our group coasted through many stop signs, and stole the right of way from cars 3 times at 4-way stops. One member blew a 2-way stop crossing M-52, forcing a van to get on the brakes.
I think the unpredicability of cyclists at stop signs is probably the #1 thing that ticks off motorists. Most drivers can't tell whether or not the bicycle is going to stop, because they're practicing the "rolling stop". The rolling stop is where the rider slows up, but never stops and puts their foot down. The bike is actually still moving.
Because the bike has no brake lights or other "stopped" signals, the only way that a motorist knows that you're going to stop is if you put your foot on the ground. I've seen a number of motorists just staring at me, waiting to see if I'll go while I roll the bike. Eventually, I'll slow down too much, and have to put my foot down anyway to let them go. Sometimes, I get folks who will waive me through just because they're afraid to go while I'm rolling through the intersection.
Anyway, here's my take on how a bicycle should approach a 4-way stop:
1) Always slow down enough so that you can come to a stop if a car beats you to the intersection. You should give yourself time to look both ways.
2) If no traffic is at the intersection, proceed from that slowed down position.
3) If cars are at the intersection and will or have beat you to it, stop and put your foot down to signal that you are yielding the right of way. Don't let them waive you through.
4) If a car is braking and will reach the intersection ahead of you, don't accelerate through while they're braking. That will either just scare them, or make them mad. This is especially a problem if you steal the right of way, then force them to pass you after the fact.
I think the unpredicability of cyclists at stop signs is probably the #1 thing that ticks off motorists. Most drivers can't tell whether or not the bicycle is going to stop, because they're practicing the "rolling stop". The rolling stop is where the rider slows up, but never stops and puts their foot down. The bike is actually still moving.
Because the bike has no brake lights or other "stopped" signals, the only way that a motorist knows that you're going to stop is if you put your foot on the ground. I've seen a number of motorists just staring at me, waiting to see if I'll go while I roll the bike. Eventually, I'll slow down too much, and have to put my foot down anyway to let them go. Sometimes, I get folks who will waive me through just because they're afraid to go while I'm rolling through the intersection.
Anyway, here's my take on how a bicycle should approach a 4-way stop:
1) Always slow down enough so that you can come to a stop if a car beats you to the intersection. You should give yourself time to look both ways.
2) If no traffic is at the intersection, proceed from that slowed down position.
3) If cars are at the intersection and will or have beat you to it, stop and put your foot down to signal that you are yielding the right of way. Don't let them waive you through.
4) If a car is braking and will reach the intersection ahead of you, don't accelerate through while they're braking. That will either just scare them, or make them mad. This is especially a problem if you steal the right of way, then force them to pass you after the fact.
Friday, September 01, 2006
Am I Bad Luck?
Straight from the twilight zone - is the curse of Toshiki's rear tire.
I'm good for one weeknight ride a week and that's about it. So on Tuesday of this week, I showed up in the parking lot of the AABTS Far East Fringe Ride in Plymouth right next to Toshiki, who was unloading his Lightspeed from his car. For the last few rides, Toshiki has gotten a flat somewhere along the ride. So I joked with Toshiki, "I brought extra tires and CO2 just for you tonight, Toshiki." He replied, "I don't flat every ride, just the ones you show up for"
Our little group dropped Toshiki along the 30-mile ride (guess he didn't feel like hammering). As we get back to the parking lot, someone mentioned that Toshiki had a flat. I couldn't believe it. Of course, when Toshiki pulled in, he immediately blamed his misfortune on me. "Every time you're out here, I get a flat"
Let the record show that I did weeknight Plymouth rides on July 25th, August 15th, August 21st, and August 29th. On all of those rides, Toshiki had a flat.
I'm good for one weeknight ride a week and that's about it. So on Tuesday of this week, I showed up in the parking lot of the AABTS Far East Fringe Ride in Plymouth right next to Toshiki, who was unloading his Lightspeed from his car. For the last few rides, Toshiki has gotten a flat somewhere along the ride. So I joked with Toshiki, "I brought extra tires and CO2 just for you tonight, Toshiki." He replied, "I don't flat every ride, just the ones you show up for"
Our little group dropped Toshiki along the 30-mile ride (guess he didn't feel like hammering). As we get back to the parking lot, someone mentioned that Toshiki had a flat. I couldn't believe it. Of course, when Toshiki pulled in, he immediately blamed his misfortune on me. "Every time you're out here, I get a flat"
Let the record show that I did weeknight Plymouth rides on July 25th, August 15th, August 21st, and August 29th. On all of those rides, Toshiki had a flat.
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