Go Pro appears to be putting cameras on Tour de France riders this year and uploading highlights right away to youtube.  These perspectives illustrate just how TOTALLY INSANE road bike racing is:

 

The average speed of the Tour de France is usually around 23mph over the 2,000 mile run, including many 5-10 mile climbs up mountains.  That means they're around 35-45mph for a ton of the flat or mile downhill riding and bombing the mountain downhills at over 50mph. 

UK's Chris Froome punches fan mid-race:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jGyZfb3z2vY

Same rider (current yellow jersey) crashes into cameraman on motorbike who stopped suddenly because of more fan misbehavior.  This happened just 1 mile from the finish of the stage, so he started running toward the finish line. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tFjMeZUPPcE

Froome (and Sky) are way too boring for my taste to make for an interesting Tour, but that was some incredible footage yesterday.

Froome wins his third tour:

http://www.cnn.com/2016/07/24/sport/tour-de-france-2016/

 

If Wiggins was still doing this race it would be a heckuva lot more interesting.  He's a blue collar character in a sport that has a bit of a higher class sheen to it like tennis. 

 

Froome should be racing for Kenya in the Olympics, not UK.  He never lived in England until he was an adult.  I know a guy whose mom was from Ireland who played lacrosse for Ireland's national team despite never having lived there.  But that's just one player on a team sport.     

Froome hit by car on training ride in France:

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2708691-chris-froome-shares-photo-of-totaled-bike-after-driver-rammed-cyclist?utm_source=cnn.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=editorial

 

Apparently he's okay but it's a shame to see that beautiful bike destroyed! 

Is anyone following this year's Tour de France? It's one for the ages with only a week left although I think Froome will still pull it out.

 

It's amazing how little coverage the Tour gets in the US since Lance Armstrong's scandals. I do wonder if we'll ever see another serious American contender.

Is anyone following this year's Tour de France? It's one for the ages with only a week left although I think Froome will still pull it out.

 

It's amazing how little coverage the Tour gets in the US since Lance Armstrong's scandals. I do wonder if we'll ever see another serious American contender.

 

Yeah only three Americans are even in the race this year. 

All sports are suffering in viewership except soccer since regular TV is out of fashion.

Is anyone following this year's Tour de France? It's one for the ages with only a week left although I think Froome will still pull it out.

 

It's amazing how little coverage the Tour gets in the US since Lance Armstrong's scandals. I do wonder if we'll ever see another serious American contender.

I'm a huge cycling fan, but still my interest in the TdF has declined recently, but this year Lance Armstrong's podcast has renewed my passion for the race. I'm really enjoying his commentary and insider's perspective. If you haven't listened to it, I strongly recommend it.

Usually the Overall Stage winner is well established by now. This year there's conceivably six cyclists who could still win it. I can't remember the last time the race was this competitive going into the final week. This week there are two Alps stages and a time trial in Marseilles. It actually might be a true race in Paris instead of the usual dog and pony show.

 

To me, this is way more interesting than when Lance was just putting a hammer lock on everyone else.

Yeah I listened to Lance recently.  He seems like he has chilled out.  It wasn't that way for the first year or two after he got the boot.  I think there is actually some chance for a career comeback of sorts for him.  The thing he revealed that is pretty scary is that he's being sued by US Postal or Discovery and could be wiped out financially.  If those suits aren't successful he should be fine with money.

 

 

 

It's amazing how little coverage the Tour gets in the US since Lance Armstrong's scandals. I do wonder if we'll ever see another serious American contender.

 

Well, there was Floyd Landis for a hot minute.

Floyd Landis! What a character. He was an amazing rider though. He's selling weed in Leadville now and will be participating in the toughest 1-day MTB race in the world at Leadville 100 this weekend. I lived in San Diego where Landis lived and trained in the off-season and he was truly amazing to watch on a bicycle. Not only was he an extremely strong rider, he was an amazing bike handler. He could ride a wheelie or ride on his front tire. To transition from MTB to road racing, his coach Arnie Baker, a local doctor that has been leading a Wed ride for decades told him he needed to ride 25,000 miles in a year. He did. It worked.

If you ask another US cycling legend, Chris Horner, about the best stage he's ever seen/ been a part of, he'll tell you about Stage 17 of the 2006 TdF. That's the stage after Landis lost the yellow jersey and over 8 mins and set out solo for 80 miles and made up almost all that time against the whole field.  That stage win also led to a urine test that ultimately failed and led to his demise. Horner says clean or doped, he's never seen anything like it. He didn't admit that the whole field was dirty, but most who follow the sport closely know it was.

They're doing a coast-to-coast gravel race (dirt and gravel roads) in Michigan this year. 

 

Here is the route:

https://www.strava.com/routes/11067831

Tour de France riders pepper sprayed:

Time to cancel that vacation

Also, there was a pretty spectacular crash...like getting thrown out of the wrestling ring:

 

My only experience with a mountain descent is Newfound Gap Rd. in the Smoky Mountains...when you go around the curves on a mountain, the wind often comes whipping at you in the opposite direction it was an instant ago, and it's tough to stay on the bike.

 

I'm a wimp and I think I max out around 40mph, maybe 45mph on downhills.  These guys often top 60mph. 

Not good:

 

^ Mesmerizing!!!!

22 minutes ago, surfohio said:

^ Mesmerizing!!!!

 

Look how that one dude loses his shoe right at the beginning...I'm not even sure how that is possible.  

 

But it's pretty grisly when you look at it a second time.  I'm worried that a few guys sustained pretty serious neck injuries - those full-face helmets don't do anything to stop your neck from twisting and ending up with a disc herniation that haunts you for the rest of your life.  

On 7/1/2019 at 4:14 PM, surfohio said:

^ Mesmerizing!!!!

 

Here is the gopro footage from the winner of this race.  Wow, this event is simply spectacular. 

 

So the giant wreck happens about 90 seconds into this 30-minute race.  I'd bet that some of the guys injured at the top attempted to make it down but had to bail at some point. 

 

So this run would take me about 90 minutes or even 2 hours since I am so cautious on downhills.  This winner is chewing up one super-dangerous bootleg switchback after another.  I am absolutely terrified of those! 

 

 

This is a motorcycle race.

The last several minutes of the race there would be no way to pass anyone.

Well, you could walk your bike past them when they crashed as I bet a ton of Amateurs did. That's about the only way I pass people in my Quad races since I'm so slow!

On 7/3/2019 at 9:33 PM, X said:

The last several minutes of the race there would be no way to pass anyone.

 

Well with 1,000+ guys involved I'm sure a few of them managed to do it. 

 

In mountain biking there is such thing as a downhill bike, which all of the winners were riding, but many of the amateurs no doubt just rode whatever they had, be it a trail bike or an XC bike.  A downhill bike has a front fork angle that makes the thing way more stable on steep slopes, which is where this race was won.  The winners would have likely joined the carnage behind them if they were on the wrong type of bike. 

 

A new top-of-the-line downhill bike costs over $5,000.  Renting one at a downhill park usually costs over $100 per day on top of the lift ticket. 

Edited September 10, 20195 yr by jmecklenborg

I am floored every time I check out what is going on in BMX.  It's way, way beyond what I remember it being when I was a kid.  The sponsorships by Red Bull and Monster are obnoxious but obviously have brought a ton of money into the sport. 

 

Check out the insane jump off the Monster logo in minute 14:

 

It's a shame that they don't have the sense of style that the 80s ones did. Instead it's all black all the time. Maybe a little red. Like a nu-metal video from 2001.

Edited September 10, 20195 yr by GCrites80s

3 hours ago, GCrites80s said:

It's a shame that they don't have the sense of style that the 80s ones did. Instead it's all black all the time. Maybe a little red. Like a nu-metal video from 2001.

 

Yeah look at this lame-o event from 1987:

 

There are so many guys out there who are amazing.  Thousands upon thousands of them.  Look at those Scotty Cramner videos before he got injured in 2016 or 2017.  The guy had so much power while maintaining a flow.  What was going on back in the 80s was totally weak compared to where the sport is now. 

 

I remember around 1987 staying up late and out of nowhere some sort of indoor skateboarding and BMX event from California came on TV.  This is back when there were only 3 channels, so somehow this was on broadcast TV on a Saturday night after Saturday Night Live.  I remember watching it with my dad and it was the first time either of us had seen a half pipe.  The whole thing was just overwhelmingly impressive at the time.  But I bet if I saw it now it was totally weak. 

 

 

 

 

^^Update - check that video out at 37:30.  The video moves outdoors and we see a female rider do some sort of bizarre plank move to the sounds of Madonna's Who's That Girl. 

,Mountain biker jumps over bear:

https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/more-sports/mountain-biker-goes-flying-over-bear/ar-AAHWrVf?ocid=spartandhp

FYI Baltimore is getting a UCI day race (9/6/2020) for anyone that wants to plan a trip nearly a year out! 

https://www.velonews.com/2019/10/news/baltimore-to-host-uci-one-day-race-in-2020_501505

 

Edited October 9, 20195 yr by GISguy

   

 

https://www.cyclingweekly.com/news/racing/preventing-trans-women-competing-denying-human-rights-transgender-athlete-rachel-mckinnon-returns-defend-track-world-title-440713

 

 

Wish me luck, I entered the lottery and got a spot in the Dirty Kanza 100.  This is not the marquis 200-mile event, but it is held the same day and on much of the same course.  I'm going to have to actually get off the couch and train for this thing. 

 

^The Dirty Kanza was moved back to September 12. 

 

In other news, some guys in Michigan just put together a 500-mile off-road course that stretches from the Wisconsin border on the UP, over the bridge, and down almost to Ohio.  I don't know if they're planning to do a formal race on this course in the future or what.  Unfortunately, we have very few unpaved roads in Ohio by comparison so the same opportunity for an off-road event just plain doesn't exist here. 

 

 

And if you find a gravel road in Ohio there usually a million loose dogs on it.

9 hours ago, GCrites80s said:

And if you find a gravel road in Ohio there usually a million loose dogs on it.

 

All of the armchair bicyclists who complain endlessly on Twitter about cars have never had to deal with...dogs. 

 

 

 

 

 

Pro cyclist flips over the railing of a historic bridge during a race in Italy:

 

 

https://www.cyclingnews.com/news/police-find-and-arrest-spectator-who-caused-mass-tour-de-france-crash/

 

Quote

The spectator who caused a mass crash on the opening day of the Tour de France has been arrested and placed in custody, according to RTL.

 

Race organisers threatened legal action in the aftermath of Saturday's incident and French police soon opened an enquiry, launching a search for the culprit. 

 

After appealing for witnesses, the person has been identified, found, and is now in police custody in Landerneau, according to RTL. According to Reuters, she turned herself in.

 

The 30-year-old French woman is accused of involuntarily causing injury and faces a fine of 1,500 euros.

 

Unbound Gravel 2023 is underway today in and around Emporia, KS - 100, 200, and 350-mile races.  It's hilarious seeing people communicate with other riders via a Facebook group mid-race. 

 

 

This is a pretty good video.  The guy trains for months in anticipation of this 350-mile endurance event but DNF's.  That's what is so frustrating about these off-road events.   Bad weather destroys the course and you're stuck doing repairs out in the middle of cattle pastures:

 

 

The early footage is pretty impressive.  These guys are fast as hell. 

 

What's crazy is the section where they all come up on a barbed wire fence that wasn't cleared before the race.  This guy almost gets seriously injured since he wore road bike shoes to this mud-fest. 

 

 

 

Here is a good video on the annual Pittsburgh hill climb race:

 

Unbound Gravel 2024 was held this weekend in Emporia, KS under perfect conditions (relatively cool, no residual mud or adverse weather during the race).  This meant that there were sprint finishes at the end of most of the races...including, apparently, a sprint finish at the end of the 350-mile event!  They had GPS trackers on everyone in the 350-mile event.  The conga line of riders can be viewed here: http://trackleaders.com/unboundxl24

 

Here is a still from early in the 350-mile race:

 

Somebody entered the 200-mile on a beach cruiser...no telling if they finished or not:

 

 

 

On 6/16/2020 at 11:56 AM, GCrites said:

And if you find a gravel road in Ohio there usually a million loose dogs on it.

 

I was pleased to learn that Lachlan Morton won the 200 mile event. I've always been a fan of his, he trully seems to love cycling in any form. 

 

I also find it fascinating that Emporia, Kansas, a small town in the middle of knowwhere, somehow became the center of mass for two growing, but still fringe, sports: gravel cycling and professional disc golf. 

On 6/3/2024 at 10:36 AM, Balkmusic said:

I also find it fascinating that Emporia, Kansas, a small town in the middle of knowwhere, somehow became the center of mass for two growing, but still fringe, sports: gravel cycling and professional disc golf. 

 

It is also on one of the transcontinental railroads, and the huge double-stack freight trains roll right through the center of the town almost constantly.  The south course crosses this mainline, which I believe has three tracks in that spot.  It has led to many situations where top riders rush to beat the trains.  On the north course, there are other crossings of this same mainline...look at 20:30 of this clip and you will see a bunch of the riders in the lead pack sprint to beat a train even after the gates come down:

 

 

By coincidence, I have a friend from college who grew up in Emporia, and who used to tell me about it, before any of this stuff happened.  It's pretty funny that this fairly nondescript town has somehow built a mystique around it.  The town itself really is no different than any number of towns around Ohio like Urbana, Sydney, etc.  Also,  any of the gravel roads used in this race are high quality. What makes the race crazy is its routing through obscure ranch land on barely-used public roads or even private farm roads.  Unfortunately, the race organizers have succumbed to pressure in recent years to make the course easier since a lot of hobbyists have flown out there and gotten their bikes destroyed in the mud just two hours in.  I'm sure that we'll soon see the railroad tracks taken out of the course in the name of "safety".  There is a high bridge over the tracks in Downtown Emporia, but it's a few blocks off the main street, and I believe that they try to keep that open for cars and emergency vehicles throughout the race.   They also try to keep the race out of residential streets. 

 

 

 

I'm watching this race recap and in the 23rd minute the guy talks about how there was no food to be found in a town because all of the earlier riders had cleaned out the gas station. 

 

So he sends his girlfriend out to find food and she brings back...a POT BROWNIE. 

 

So this guy flies from NEW ZEALAND to KANSAS just to participate in this race and has to QUIT THE RACE because he consumes a POT BROWNIE at mile 130:

 

Hunt Brothers Pizza and Chester's just couldn't keep up with the demand.

6 minutes ago, GCrites said:

Hunt Brothers Pizza and Chester's just couldn't keep up with the demand.

 

Never underestimate the inability of small businesses to adjust to annual events.