Cycling 2014 - In honor of MDS

[Ali the Baseball Cat]

That's the degree mill, he's talking about the sludge

I'm pretty sure Stanford's in California.

[JCA-CrystalCity]

That's the degree mill, he's talking about the sludge

I'm sure the folks in Stamford, CT are relieved that the sewage spill is not really in their town and is in some imaginary place called Stanford, CT.

[JCA-CrystalCity]

off to watch the last stage of the Giro.

[Dave B]

So how does cycling work? 3 week race followed by a month off?

[JCA-CrystalCity]

So how does cycling work? 3 week race followed by a month off?

There are a mix of races.  the big 3 grand tours are the Giro d'Italia, the Tour de France, and the Vuelta de Espana.  These are the 3 week races.  The are one week races, too, and one day races.   late March and April is the Spring classic season in Italy, Belgium, and Netherlands, with 4 of the biggest races of the year (Tour of Flanders and Paris-Nice, which are over coutnry roads and some cobblestone paths), Milan - San Remo (the longest 1 day race at 150+ miles), and a race through the Ardennes (Liege - Bastogne - Liege). 

Between the Giro and the Tour there are several week long races that sort of preview some of the tour course and that are used to train for the Tour.  They are big by themselves - Tour of Switzerland and the Criterium Dauphine.  The winner of the Dauphine often has won the Tour.

The biggest American races are a 1 week race in May, the Tour of California, and a 1 week race in August, the US Pro Cycling Classic.  There are different levels of teams and races.  The biggest races are in the World Pro Tour with the big budget teams, and below that are Professional Continental and lower levels. 

Next weekend, there are lower level races in Clarendon and Crystal city.   These are the Air Force Cycling classic races and feature second tier teams.  There are also chances for the public to ride an extended course on Sunday out of Crystal City that does loops over the Air force Monument hill.  there are prizes depending on how many laps you do.

[Ali the Baseball Cat]

The UCI World Championship elite road race (in Spain this year but in Richmond VA in 2015) is arguably the biggest one-day event of the year.  Of the other one-up races, I'd say that only Paris-Roubaix has historically had comparable cachet.  The whole scoring formula that determines ranking has changed a lot in recent years (and is corrupt as all freak), so this may no longer be reflected in how the races are weighted.   

There are a mix of races.  the big 3 grand tours are the Giro d'Italia, the Tour de France, and the Vuelta de Espana.  These are the 3 week races.  The are one week races, too, and one day races.   late March and April is the Spring classic season in Italy, Belgium, and Netherlands, with 4 of the biggest races of the year (Tour of Flanders and Paris-Nice, which are over coutnry roads and some cobblestone paths), Milan - San Remo (the longest 1 day race at 150+ miles), and a race through the Ardennes (Liege - Bastogne - Liege). 

Between the Giro and the Tour there are several week long races that sort of preview some of the tour course and that are used to train for the Tour.  They are big by themselves - Tour of Switzerland and the Criterium Dauphine.  The winner of the Dauphine often has won the Tour.

The biggest American races are a 1 week race in May, the Tour of California, and a 1 week race in August, the US Pro Cycling Classic.  There are different levels of teams and races.  The biggest races are in the World Pro Tour with the big budget teams, and below that are Professional Continental and lower levels. 

Next weekend, there are lower level races in Clarendon and Crystal city.   These are the Air Force Cycling classic races and feature second tier teams.  There are also chances for the public to ride an extended course on Sunday out of Crystal City that does loops over the Air force Monument hill.  there are prizes depending on how many laps you do.

[mitlen]

The UCI World Championship elite road race (in Spain this year but in Richmond VA in 2015) is arguably the biggest one-day event of the year.  Of the other one-up races, I'd say that only Paris-Roubaix has historically had comparable cachet.  The whole scoring formula that determines ranking has changed a lot in recent years (and is corrupt as all freak), so this may no longer be reflected in how the races are weighted.   

Any idea the route in Richmond?

[JCA-CrystalCity]

The Richmond routes have been announced and i think are up-thread.

The individual time trial will run from Kings Dominion into the city, and the team time trial will run from the Petersburg battlefield in as well.  The road  race will have laps around Richmond, including several climbs up what I think is cobble-stoned hill, something like a monument ave (but not the one in Charlestown).

[mitlen]

The Richmond routes have been announced and i think are up-thread.

The individual time trial will run from Kings Dominion into the city, and the team time trial will run from the Petersburg battlefield in as well.  The road  race will have laps around Richmond, including several climbs up what I think is cobble-stoned hill, something like a monument ave (but not the one in Charlestown).

Thanks JCA.   My boy lives there and I might have to pay him a visit.   

http://richmond2015.com/2014/02/25/richmond-2015-unveils-courses-for-2015-uci-road-world-championships/

[Ali the Baseball Cat]

I'm so there. 

Adrian Fenty was very close to having a grand tour (Giro) start in N. America for the first time, right here in DC. 

I can't imagine why the folks in Wards 7 & 8 were not utterly electrified by this.  Ah well.

[JCA-CrystalCity]

nice hills in ward 9.

Ali - are the other "monuments" a notch above in prestige than other classics?  Tour of Flanders or Liege-Bastogne-Liege vs. say, Strade Bianchi or Paris-tours?

[Ali the Baseball Cat]

My sense is that historically the spring classics in BENELUX carried the most prestige, but that's also based on what I was reading the most about in (mostly British) cycling fanboi mags back when I followed the sport a lot more closely than I do now, and there very well could have been a built-in bias.  All of those big 'monument' races are a big deal, though that has probably been somewhat diminished by the new $$$ events in other parts of the world (Amgen tour, various stage races in the Middle East and Asia, etc), which have diluted the field a bit.  Even the Giro has been getting a bit more of a "B-field" since the Amgen TdC got big. 

Ali - are the other "monuments" a notch above in prestige than other classics?  Tour of Flanders or Liege-Bastogne-Liege vs. say, Strade Bianchi or Paris-tours?

[JCA-CrystalCity]

Awesome video of one of the race teams, Giant-Shimano, with a top notch sprinter, setting him up for the sprint at a race.  The camera is mounted on one or more of the bikes - it is probably more than one camera.
http://velonews.competitor.com/2014/06/news/video-mix-giant-shimanos-sprint-train_332621

(I'm pretty sure that's Degenkolb and not Kittel)

[Ali the Baseball Cat]

That gave me a major adrenaline rush...or perhaps it just added to the adrenaline rush I already had from watching Costa Rica beat Italy 

[JCA-CrystalCity]

Was Degenkolb.  Finished 3d to Moddolo and Sagan that day. 

BTW - finally bought a Fuji hybrid (Absolute 1.7) the other day from Hudson Trail in Pentagram City.  More gears than I know what to do with.

[imref]

Any recommendations for a bike suitable for a 5'9" 14 year old, mostly for paved/unpaved trail riding (c&o, wo&d and the like)?  Hoping to stay around $400 but get something better than a walmart special

[tomterp]

Any recommendations for a bike suitable for a 5'9" 14 year old, mostly for paved/unpaved trail riding (c&o, wo&d and the like)?  Hoping to stay around $400 but get something better than a walmart special

http://www.giant-bicycles.com/en-us/bikes/model/xtc.jr.24/14877/75702/

Giant has a really nice line of smaller bikes under $400.

[imref]

Thanks!

[imref]

Ended up getting a trek 3500 with disc breaks for $480 from my local shop. I really like it.   He's tall enough to fit on a 19.5" frame. 

[imref]

did 25 miles on the Mt. Vernon trail today, very crowded but the weather was absolutely perfect.

[Ali the Baseball Cat]

I'm sure Cavendish has at least a broken collarbone after crashing at the finish today (first stage of TdF).  Rotten.  Tyler Hamilton managed to finish the race after crashing in the first or second stage back in the mid naughts, but he wasn't a sprinter. 

[JCA-CrystalCity]

I'm sure Cavendish has at least a broken collarbone after crashing at the finish today (first stage of TdF).  Rotten.  Tyler Hamilton managed to finish the race after crashing in the first or second stage back in the mid naughts, but he wasn't a sprinter. 

I could not here the commentary, so i could not tell if Goss (or whoever the Orica rider was) was pushing into his path.  It looked like the Europcar guy squeezed the Orica rider so he pushed back at Cavendish.  I guess Greipel was caught behind the jam.   Froome i think finished 6th.  I wonder how close he was to that mess.

[1995hoo]

I'm sure Cavendish has at least a broken collarbone after crashing at the finish today (first stage of TdF).  Rotten.  Tyler Hamilton managed to finish the race after crashing in the first or second stage back in the mid naughts, but he wasn't a sprinter. 

NBCSN ticker during F1 prerace this morning (I haven't watched the race yet) said Cavendish withdrew due to a shoulder injury.

[JCA-CrystalCity]

Nibali probably i snot going to miss the second or two he blew celebrating today.  I thought he was going to leave it so close that they were not gong to give him a time split over the chase.

[1995hoo]

I could not here the commentary, so i could not tell if Goss (or whoever the Orica rider was) was pushing into his path.  It looked like the Europcar guy squeezed the Orica rider so he pushed back at Cavendish.  I guess Greipel was caught behind the jam.   Froome i think finished 6th.  I wonder how close he was to that mess.

Spoiler from today:

Froome dropped out after multiple crashes.


My brother's charity ride from Pittsburgh to DC is next week (Great Allegheny Passage to Cumberland, then the C&O). I wonder what sort of weather they'll have. Last year they had torrential rain the whole way. I think I'd rather have rain than July humidity, although perhaps up in the mountains it won't be as bad as it gets in the DC area.

http://www.afcea.org/events/cycleforstem/14/