Tour de France

[Hitcher]

Heehee. If you are interested, I can probably get you a job as a bike marshall in a local race, like the Tour of Wellington.
You might get to go up the Akatarawas, thew Rumatakas, or even Hawkins Hill!
Plenty of call for then here with the local multisport races too.

Hold that thought!

[Milky]

Hey Milky, you did the schoolboywaterfront racing too?

As a matter of fact, I did. I wondered if you'd ask...

I was racing from 99 thru 01, but unfortunately there wasn't much in the way of a team then - two reasonable cyclists were about all our school managed most of the time.

[Milky]

Well, I used to do a 50mile sprint race. Your average speed is 50mph (80km/hr) and you need to finish under 60 mins. At the time the world record was 54 mins and most riders were getting 56mins (inc me). The last two mins is a bitch - even more so for me because I used a touring bike with inch and a quarter tires (twice the drag of a road bike).

No way i'll ever be able to get that fit again. Mind you, I dont miss the tree trunk legs and puny upper body.

Faark... You were rather serious about it at a time I see.

I think back on my younger days and realise that when I was 10 or so, I was the fittest I have ever been. The thing with reaching the same level as a young adult is that is takes so much dedication and hard work - back then I used to do heaps of cycling, running, playing soccer, generally anything involving aerobic fitness, where as now I have to force myself to get out and exercise. Not that the enjoyment has diminished at all, but there are all those other things to fit in with exercising like work/KB/Uni

[idb]

In those days we didnt know the trick of getting into anaerobic respiration before the race began which they do now. So we always hit the wall 20 mins into the ride. Now they dont have that problem.

As a sloth of some note, I've never heard of this.
Could you explain a bit please?

[Gremlin]

Hey Gremlin, you did the schoolboywaterfront racing too?

yep, only did the 01 season though, for Howick College.

I believe our school was legendary in a few of the previous years (with some going to Holland I think), but 01 was not very good.

We had 3 serious cyclists, and finding a fourth rider was almost impossible, so we struggled to even get official times in. Nobody at the school wanted to support us, so we had a semi coach and in a good week we got one training session together. Best time I think was a 25 something.

But what a blast. North Island Champs in Hamilton in frost was an interesting experience for aucklanders...

[TwoSeven]

As a sloth of some note, I've never heard of this.
Could you explain a bit please?

In basic terms - do some exercise till you stop puffing.

[curious george]

Way-hay! Three ex-schoolboy cyclists!
Gremlin, - Howick had some bloody good riders I remember, but struggled to get a decent team for the whole year... Ahhhhhhhhh hazy memories...
Milky - Jeez, I'm showing my age here.... 99-01? Damn, that was last week, wasn't it?
And what school was that?
Do Grammer still hold the record? We came close, but didn't quite get it.

And TwoSeven - was that motorpaced? On a track? Like the Madison?
Average 80kph? Hmmmm rusty memories like mine 'eh?
Did you road race or time trial? My least favourite event, but it's all you guys had for a while isn't it?

[TwoSeven]

Club stuff on the street. I dont really think much of the track stuff but thats just me. Anyone who cant cycle up a hill, cant cycle.

I worked full time so wasn't interested in proper stuff (also couldnt afford the kit) and it didnt help being on a touring bike 28lbs vs 14lbs just really doesnt help, including having an extra half inch of drag from the tires. My bikes hung on the wall now, and I havn't been on it for nearly 7 years and that was only round the block. I think the last time I actually rode it in anger would have been around 92 when I did a short trip round part of the south island - only about 5000k from memory. Its only in the last few years i've been able to walk down stairs normally instead of sideways - although I still have to hold the rails in case I fall.

I know some of the chaps used to try out for the milk race every year, can't remember who did it or not. Team stuff is where its at I think.

My memory is very rusty but some of the guys were pretty serious, they'd have blood tests (for oxygen) and special diets. During the race they'd have special drinks formulated for certain energy requirements depending on the race strat and what pace they used to set.

Everyone knew what cadence and heart rate you could maintain at what speeds for how long, so the role of the pace setter was to be the point man and set the pace at different points in the race depending on the strat, then you had a hill climber who would lead during the steep bits and a sprinter when that was required. Sometimes you had two pace setters which meant on a long 4 hour race you could have a faster average pace.

There were four basic muscle groups - sprinters could only cycle fast for about 50 meters and then they were shagged, hill climbers didnt go fast, but were really really strong and pace setters were half way in between - couldnt go fast, nor up hills, but could peddle all day. Since I did medium and long distance touring, that was my favourite role.

What you'd do is calculate a cadence and work out how much energy you had to maintain it and at what heart rate it would take you to. I used to sit at 165bpm and be able to hold for about 10 mins at 175. A sprint for me would take me to nearly 185 and i'd be shagged within 20 meters - wouldnt even be able to sit on the bike. I never liked my cadence above 120 (100 was best) with the gearing to suit - I knew folks who reckoned on 140, but thats some impressive spinning.

All the technology has changed since then tho, 754 was just coming out and a couple of people may have experimented with carbon wheels. Shimano Deore was also just new - my touring bike had one of the early DX 21 speed mechs. Now it has 28 speed STI XT (that i've never used).

I think the best thing in it was when you realised that the other team didnt have enough calories or oxygen to maintain the pace, so you'd bust them by riding slightly faster - interesting seeing them fade with the bonk.

I really dont understand this namby pamby stuff they have going on now - it used to be your team was out to destroy everyone else. Non of this bitching about people not taking their turns at the lead. Only pace setters did that.

[Gremlin]

I really dont understand this namby pamby stuff they have going on now - it used to be your team was out to destroy everyone else. Non of this bitching about people not taking their turns at the lead. Only pace setters did that.

I once was on the receiving end of that. I was in a breakaway group (but middle of the field) with two rangitoto guys. Said it was my turn to take the front "or else". I said "What's or else??". They didn't reply. Then I left them behind

[Milky]

Milky - Jeez, I'm showing my age here.... 99-01? Damn, that was last week, wasn't it?
And what school was that?
Do Grammer still hold the record? We came close, but didn't quite get it.

Haha.. It sure doesn't feel like last week
I was cycling for Mt Roskill Grammar - we had two teams, one junior, one senior and I got involved in the senior team from form 4 with PT (my brother) and one other reasonable cyclist. Then there were the fill-ins...
As for the record, we didn't get close enough to it to care :-p

[mattt]

Bit unusual to see cyclists on here. I raced a bit in Europe, won Tour of Wellington and the Secondary School Nationals a few times. Addictive sport, but a fucking pain in the ass when you do it for a job.

Well, I used to do a 50mile sprint race. Your average speed is 50mph (80km/hr) and you need to finish under 60 mins. At the time the world record was 54 mins and most riders were getting 56mins (inc me). The last two mins is a bitch - even more so for me because I used a touring bike with inch and a quarter tires (twice the drag of a road bike).

In eleven years of racing I have never heard anyone do this. Lance Armstrong wouldn't even have a shitshow in hell. You're talking it up mate. And using a touring bike - I don't think so.

[Gremlin]

Bit unusual to see cyclists on here.

Why?? Love of roads, two wheels, racing round corners etc.

I just sick and tired of getting the speeds through hard work, now I just have to move the wrist a bit Plus, I loved how they looked when cruising along behind you, and then blipped the throttle and shot past you.

[TwoSeven]

Bit unusual to see cyclists on here. I raced a bit in Europe, won Tour of Wellington and the Secondary School Nationals a few times. Addictive sport, but a fucking pain in the ass when you do it for a job.

In eleven years of racing I have never heard anyone do this. Lance Armstrong wouldn't even have a shitshow in hell. You're talking it up mate. And using a touring bike - I don't think so.

I probably am, more than likely confusing the one our unlimited with the 50 mile sprint. I just remember having a time of 56.59. Its been more than 15 years since I quit.

What were your times for the same events ?

Out of interest I designed the geoemtry for my touring bke and apart from using slightly more durable components and being made from 531C rather than 754, using a steeper fork geometry (to work with panniers) and as mentioned wider (hand made belgium alloy rims). It was assembled for me by Dawes (a well known cycle company) and cost bucket loads (why its hung on the wall).

Dont make the mistake of confusing this style of touring bike with mountain bikes or those hybred ones. I have a real touring bike.

I can bet it would be a pain doing it full time. I can remember getting home and not having the energy to walk up the stairs (I could cycle up, but legs would be jelly if I tried to walk). An I remember my legs always hurting.

I used to ride from Woking, thru Stains, round Heathrow, out to north london (past uxbridge), back round almost to guilford, and home every day for practice (and to go to work) and in my spare time I would pick a small country and cycle round it (thats where the long distance fitness comes from).

[mattt]

I just sick and tired of getting the speeds through hard work, now I just have to move the wrist a bit Plus, I loved how they looked when cruising along behind you, and then blipped the throttle and shot past you.

Yep, lack of hard work is why I got straight on a bike after I retired from racing. Plus taking good lines the road came automatically. I remember earlier in the year out West somewhere we were doing some race and a guy on an Aprilia pulled along side, popped the wheel up and took off. That was cool and much appreciated by the riders in the bunch!!!

I probably am, more than likely confusing the one our unlimited with the 50 mile sprint. I just remember having a time of 56.59. Its been more than 15 years since I quit.
What were your times for the same events ?

Not sure if you mean a motorpaced track race (Those guys average high 50's kph goin round and round in circles (Mindless mindlessness )
You might mean the 40km Individual TT - I hated these events, my best was low 54min from memory at nats one year. I'd much rather duke it out over a 5hr road race against other guys, than over an hour against the clock
Equipment always played a big part in racing too. Now we're on a weight limit - our bikes can't weigh any less than 6.8kg. People are paying $10k upwards for <7kg of bike. Madness

[marty]

In eleven years of racing I have never heard anyone do this. Lance Armstrong wouldn't even have a shitshow in hell. You're talking it up mate. And using a touring bike - I don't think so.

that's what i thought too, just couldn't think of a nice way to say it..

i'm pretty sure chris boardman has the 1hr record at about 56km/h, so to do the alleged speeds are pretty awesome