Momentum 94.7 Cycle Challenge 2014

[StevieL]

I don't take predictions too seriously this far out, but if this is the case... Happy days.

 

[Skubarra]

 

Probably 400 meters at least to the start (not really road...) - no idea how the other parking looks. I got there at about 07:10 and the purple was pretty full.

 

I just got myself proper roadie shoes for the first time! I am always looking like a retreaded mtb'er at road races with my dirty old mtb shoes and now you tell me to switch back 

[marinusg]

 

 

 

I just got myself proper roadie shoes for the first time! I am always looking like a retreaded mtb'er at road races with my dirty old mtb shoes and now you tell me to switch back 

 

Just saying.... 

[Frosty]

I don't take predictions too seriously this far out, but if this is the case... Happy days.

I've seen the mobile app forecast change every day. If it wasn't sunny, it was windy, then moved to thundershowers, to morning rain and then overcast conditions.

 

Going to be interesting, come race day whatever the conditions.

[Frosty]

Really looking forward to Sunday, but will be taking some precautions. Parked in the purple parking for the MTB and while it isn't pure dust, there's a lot of unfriendly vegetation:

passenger.JPG

Pulled about five of these out of my tyres at the start of the MTB and a load more out of my shoes and tyres when I got back to the car. The sample in the picture came out of one of my shoes - plenty of life left...

 

Since even Gatorskins won't stand up to this, I considered some options:

1. Wear slops and carry the bike to the start, put slops in Camelback and put shoes on.
2. Get cleat covers and carry the bike.
3. Put SPD's on the bike and wear mtb shoes - carry the bike.
4. Put slime in road bike tubes (not keen).
5. Ride the mountain bike.

Probably go with option 3.

 

Please be aware of the thorns - expect to see plenty punctures before the start. 

Or you could listen to the advice from the organisers... wear socks over your shoes, then drop the old socks in the marked bins at the start. They will wash and hand out to the communities that need them.

[canfan]

Or you could listen to the advice from the organisers... wear socks over your shoes, then drop the old socks in the marked bins at the start. They will wash and hand out to the communities that need them.

Thats fine for before the race. What about after the race?

[Patchelicious]

Thats fine for before the race. What about after the race?

Ride bike back to car, change tubes at home.

[tombeej]

Rules of road racing

 

In a big race like 94.7 there are a lot of riders who might be relatively new to bunch riding, so there's a lot of potential for mistakes to happen. The higher up you race, the more stable and predictable the bunches are. They go faster, they're more tightly spaced, but they also feel a lot safer. Because people generally know what they're doing.

 

The risky bunches are often the ones that have super strong riders (e.g. MTB'ers or triathletes) who might be great athletes, but don't have as much road experience. Their inexperience mixed with their highly competitive nature can make things dangerous for those around them.

 

I spent a little time writing up these rules of road racing. People can feel free to add to them. Hopefully it will make things a little safer for all of us on race day.

1. Keep dead still on your bike at all times – do not waiver off your line – stay rock steady. There’s nothing worse than sitting in a tight bunch next to (or behind) a clearly unstable rider who can’t hold a steady line.
2. Never, ever deviate off your line when inside a bunch. Ever!
3. You need to be constantly telegraphing your intentions to everyone around you. No funny movements. Give people around you the confidence to ride close to you. That can only happen if you never drop your concentration.
4. It’s up to people at the front to call out potholes, obstacles, etc. This includes corners: shout out that you’re coming to a corner and in which direction it’s headed. The calls must be picked up and sent down to the back by others. Same with roundabouts and any other ‘traffic furniture’ out on the road.
5. If you want to work on the front, don’t surge. Keep a hard steady tempo, even on rollers/uphills. 
6. Do not half-wheel! Stay directly behind the guy in front of you and don’t creep up where your wheel overlaps his. Sure, there’s always going to be riders overlapping in a tight group, but a good rule of thumb is that you are responsible for your front wheel, not the person ahead.
7. When you stand up, stand up smoothly and don’t throw your bike back. Come up smoothly from your saddle with a simultaneously solid pedal stroke, otherwise your bike will automatically get thrown very slightly backwards and into the front wheel of the guy behind you. Please be very mindful of this.
8. Give the person ahead of you on a climb a little more room to stand up, for exactly the reason just given above.
9. Ride through the top of a climb.
10. If you can’t take out your water bottle without looking down, then move to the outside of the bunch to take a drink. Same with eating.
11. Brake less. If you have to brake, feather them as lightly and smoothly as possible. If you’re on the outside of the bunch or in a pace line, avoid your brakes and move slightly out into the wind to let the air slow you down. Excessive braking in a tight bunch can be very dangerous, and never brake in a corner!
12. Never ‘come underneath’ in a corner. The surest way to make a lot of enemies. Coming underneath refers to taking an inside line on a corner, well inside the bunch that has taken a traditional outside line to cut the apex properly. If you come underneath, you cut the corner way too early and end up being sent out wide and into the path of the charging group. Coming underneath is a seriously dangerous and stupid thing to do. Go wide into the corner along with everyone else.
13. Keep looking ahead – do not look back if you are in the bunch. Fine if you’re in a breakaway and need to see how big the gap is, otherwise eyes forward at all times (even if you hear a crash – rubbernecking leads to the inevitable secondary crash).
14. Don’t fixate on the wheel in front of you. Keep your vision up and at least a rider or two in front of the guy you’re following. Always have a sense of what the bunch is doing up ahead so you can anticipate how to react proactively to surges/swirls/crashes/corners, etc.
15. Learn how to ‘surf’ the bunch. At any one time, part of it is moving up while another section is sliding back. If you want to hold your position near the front you need to learn the art of surfing the bunch (safely looking for gaps and opportunities to catch rides on the parts moving up).
16. Keep left, pass right. If you want to move up, do it on the right. If you don’t want to get boxed in against the gutter, refer back to point 15 above.

 

If I see people in my group who are breaking any of the above rules, riding erratically or dangerously, I try to make a mental note to stay very far away from them, and definitely never behind them.

 

What have I left out?

[tombeej]

People might pick up 'contradictions' in what I've said. Like first saying never deviate from your line, but then later I say learn how to surf the bunch. 

 

Actually that's not a contradiction. The rules are there to make you aware that in road racing, if you don't know what you're doing there can be significant consequences - for you and those around you. But at the end of the day, it's how you apply these rules in the context of the moment.

 

If there's no gap, don't deviate off your line. But if you know exactly what you're doing and you are telegraphing your actions to everyone else, then safely latching onto someone else's wheel who is moving up is a safe move to make.

[Wyatt Earp]

Tombee.

Lovely tips, I subscribe to it in a much easier fashion.

get on the bike, ride like you stole it and skop gat .

[Imploder]

Just out of interest does anyone out there actually do the Elbow thing to indicate to the guy following to take a pull?

[Patchelicious]

Just out of interest does anyone out there actually do the Elbow thing to indicate to the guy following to take a pull?

Yes, the Pros

[kosmonooit]

Took a drive that way this am, traffic from 4-ways is going to be chaos, big road works, road block even on Monday late morning.  Think I will take my chances and park at 4-Ways Mall or even Montecasino .

 

Going to miss the old route, esp. the drag up the highway and then the incredible panoramic view as you peak and come off the highway. New last bit and start/finish looks like a hotchpotch to me.

[GaryvdM]

Do not half-wheel! Stay directly behind the guy in front of you and don’t creep up where your wheel overlaps his. Sure, there’s always going to be riders overlapping in a tight group, but a good rule of thumb is that you are responsible for your front wheel, not the person ahead.

 

Probably the most important thing IMO. To explain a bit better: a picture:

 

Rider X is half-wheeling/overlapping rider Y. Rider Y has no idea that this is happening. If rider Y moves over to the right, rider X is likely to be taken down.

 

Here is a demonstration of what happens when you have a combination of half-wheel/overlapping wheels and a erratic movement:

http://vimeo.com/103675776

 

No half-wheel = Fall avoided.

No erratic movement = Fall avoided.

 

 

 

If you want to work on the front, don’t surge. Keep a hard steady tempo, even on rollers/uphills.

 

Please tell this to the guys in the A bunch. They drop me every time they do this!

[Patchelicious]

 

Probably the most important thing IMO. To explain a bit better: a picture:

overlappingWheels1.jpg

 

Rider X is half-wheeling/overlapping rider Y. if rider Y moves over to the right, rider X is likely to be taken down.

 

Here is a demonstration of what happens when you have a combination of half-wheel/overlapping wheels and a erratic movement:

http://vimeo.com/103675776

 

No half-wheel = Fall avoided.

No erratic movement = Fall avoided.

 

 

 

 

Please tell this to the guys in the A bunch. They drop me every time they do this!

 

Thanks Gary, this halfwheeling and using your brakes in the bunch are the biggest things that makes the bunch nervous.

 

I freak when it happens and become super nervous, which in turn makes me ride erratically.

[GaryvdM]

Just out of interest does anyone out there actually do the Elbow thing to indicate to the guy following to take a pull?

I will do the elbow thing, and if it fails, I'll use a hand signal. You have to paying attention to pick up the elbow thing, it's easy to miss.