The Vuelta never disappoints

Of the three Grand Tours, I often feel that the Vuelta a Espana is the most entertaining. Coming off one of the best Tour de France events in recent years, I wondered if this was likely this year, but after just over a week of racing, I have to say, “Possibly.”

What makes any sporting event entertaining and exiting is the unknown, the unexpected outcome. Prior to this year’s TDF I thought Tadej Podacar was unbeatable, but he proved to be human after all. Or it could be argued that the strongest team won, not necessarily the strongest individual.

The Vuelta always has the unknown element because it is such a tough race, with more climbing than the other Grand Tours. This year has the added unknown of so many new riders entering the sport at young ages, (In their early twenties.) previously unheard of.

Looking at the start list before the race, I was struck by the number of new names, most I had not previously heard of. One notable exception to this was Remco Evenepoel. So much has been written about this 22-year-old Belgian rider during the last year, along with the speculation that he is the new Eddy Merckx.

I can’t help but feel what a tremendous and unnecessary burden this is to place on such a young athlete, but sadly this is what the press and media do.  They build people up only to knock them down again when they fail.

Cycle racing has to be one of the toughest sports out there, both physically and mentally. The constant steam of new-comers to the sport keeps it fresh and interesting, but entering the sport, especially Grand Tours, at such a young age I expect to see shorter careers than we have seen in the past.

What are your views?

Power, Torque and Traction

Belgian Wout van Aert wearing the World Cyclocross Championship Jersey.

A higher gear equals more traction under certain conditions. I learned this driving a manual (Stick-shift) transmission car in the late 1950s. The engine puts out torque, or twisting power, and torque is what moves the car forward. But only if the tires are gripping the road surface, if the wheels start to spin on ice, snow, or soft ground, then torque is reduced to zero, and the car goes nowhere.

The torque the engine produces is multiplied by the transmission, with the first gear (Lowest) increasing the torque the most. Therefore, first gear is engaged when starting out from a standstill as more torque is needed to move the weight of the vehicle. Once the car is rolling, less torque is required so the driver shifts up through the gears to eventually reach top gear, which puts out the least amount of torque, but transmits more revs, or speed.

If the car is stuck in mud or deep snow, the driver can sometimes get out by starting from a standstill in 3rd or 4th gear, thus reducing torque. He then pushes the clutch pedal down to disengage the clutch, revs the engine a little, and then allows the clutch to engage slightly so the clutch is slipping.

In normal circumstances, if the driver were to allow the clutch to fully engage, the engine would most likely stall because the load would be too great. But by slipping the clutch the driver is limiting the power going to the wheels. As the clutch slowly engages, torque is transmitted to the wheels gradually, just enough to move the car, but not applying too much torque so the wheels start to spin.

Now let’s fast forward from what I learned from driving a stick-shift in the 1950s, to what I learned riding cyclo-cross in the 1970s, and bear with me, there is a connection.

I was running my frame building business just outside Worcester in the West Midlands area of England. A good place to be in the bike business, as this area was a hotbed of British cycle racing, including cyclo-cross. From October to January there were events every weekend within easy driving distance.

Business slowed in the winter months, my commute to work on my bike, and a two-mile run on foot every evening was enough training, coupled with a cyclo-cross race each Sunday. I always reckoned a one-hour cyclo-cross race was the equivalent of 80 hard miles on the road. That is what my legs always felt like after a race.

There were all class of riders in these races. Professionals rode with the amateurs, and after a bunch start, the events soon strung out to a procession around a one mile or so course. I was in my early forties and still pretty fit, plus over time I gained a cyclo-cross skill set that allowed me to beat riders who were younger and faster on the road.

Some of the bigger events in the Birmingham area had enough prize money that some professional riders from Belgium and other mainland European countries would come across and enter. These guys were in a different class all together.

On a one mile course I would expect to be lapped at least two or three times during a race by the leading pros. I remember this Belgian rider went past me having caught me on my second lap, he then passed me every second lap. In other words, he was riding at twice my speed.

One time I was passed going up a steady incline through deep mud, I was in a low gear struggling to keep moving, and as this guy went by, I noticed he was on his smallest sprocket, probably 13 or 14 teeth. While my wheels were losing grip, slipping, and spinning, he appeared to be gliding across the top of the mud. Which of course was exactly what he was doing.

I remembered my old driving lesson that while my lower gear gave me more torque, it was of little use if I did not have traction. His higher gear equaled more traction, plus with his speed and momentum he was going so fast there was less time for him to sink in the mud.

Wout van Aert (Jumbo-Visma) leads the GC group on the Grand Colombier (Image: Bettini Photo)I was recently reminded of this story watching Wout van Aert perform in the Tour de France. Setting an unbelievable pace on mountain stages, shelling some of the world’s best climbers out the back of the peloton. (Above,)

Not really considered a pure climber, certainly not built like one. The other thing is Van Aert won several stages in a sprint. Former World Cyclo-Cross Champion, he must have built up a tremendous core strength riding big gears through the mud in the manner I described earlier.

He certainly developed a big engine that produces a lot of torque.

     To Share click "Share Article" below

Climbing out of the saddle

Climbing a hill out of the saddle, standing on the pedals is very tiring and a rider can soon burn himself out. But used sparingly at the right time, an experienced rider can save energy in the long run.

When deciding how to climb a hill on a bicycle, think of it as a work load. Imagine two men, each moving 100lbs. of sand from A to B in five minutes. One man hoists the 100lb. bag of sand on his shoulder, moves it from A to B in one minute, then sits down and rests for four minutes. The other man divides the sand into five, 20lb. loads and takes a minute to move each 20lb. for a total of five minutes.

Now imagine that the two men have to immediately repeat the same task over and over. Who is the fresher? The one who makes a big effort to start with, but then rests, or the man who spreads the workload over the full five minutes? A lot depends on the makeup of the individual.

If a road is an undulating series of short steep hills, it is often in the interest of a rider to use the speed and momentum of the descent to carry him half way up the next climb, then without shifting down, he gets out of the saddle and puts in a big effort to keep the momentum going to carry himself over the crest of the next hill. He does this knowing that even if this effort takes him to the point of exhaustion, he can recover on the following descent.

On a long steep climb it is different, even a long gradual climb. One must still try to keep momentum and must occasionally get out of the saddle to boost that momentum, but a rider cannot put in those super efforts, when there are no downhill respites where he can recover.

A rider climbs out of the saddle not only to get his full weight over the pedals, but to get his body nearer his hands so he has a direct pull on the handlebars in opposition the downward thrust of his legs. Think of using an elliptical treadmill in a gym. One must constantly move their body from left to right, so the user’s full weight is directly over the downward stroke of the paddles.

However, on a bike, instead of moving the body from side to side, one can move the bike and keep the body vertical. As the rider thrusts down on the right pedal, he pulls upwards on the right side of the handlebar. This not only puts an opposing thrust on the pedals, but it moves the bike to the left, effectively using the bike as a lever.

As the right leg pushes down on the right pedal, power is transferred through the crank, chainwheel, and chain to the rear wheel. Meanwhile the bike’s frame is moving to the left and the bottom bracket, is moving upwards on the right side. 

There is not just the leverage of the crank arm, but the leverage of the whole bike frame working in the opposite direction. As the pedal moves down towards the bottom of its stroke, the right side of the crank axle is moving towards the top.

When the right pedal gets to the bottom, the rider pulls up on the left side of the handlebars, while pushing downwards on the left pedal. The rider’s body stays vertical, and the bike moves from side to side. (See top picture.) Also, as the rider pushes down on one pedal, he can pull upward with his other foot on the opposing pedal. 

Obviously climbing out of the saddle like this is very tiring, one is using the whole body. But used sparingly, to increase momentum, it can be highly effective. For example if the gradient of a climb starts to level out, a strong rider can shift up a gear, then get out of the saddle to get the cadence back up to a level where he can sit down a pedal again.

It is all a matter of a rider knowing his fitness level, and his recovery time. Knowing his strengths and limitations, and that only comes with experience, hard work, and training.

     To Share click "Share Article" below

Best Tour de France Ever?

Primoz Roglic (Left) with 2020 TDF winner Tadj Pogacar

Amidst all the suffering this year that this pandemic has brought, with many of us stuck at home going stir crazy. Into those homes via TV and computer screens came a bike race, a bright spot in an otherwise over-shadowed year. A wonderful three weeks of distraction in the form of the Tour de France.

Earlier in the year when all this nonsense started, I was not even sure if there would be a 2020 Tour de France. It was pushed back from the usual first week in July start, to the last two days of August. With little racing before the Tour, I wondered if many riders would come to the race, unfit and under-prepared.

I could not have been more wrong, and it soon became apparent that we were in for some great racing. Looking back, I do not remember a single day that disappointed. Team Jumbo Visma soon established themselves as the dominant team, and their team leader, Primoz Roglic would be the man to beat in the GC.

I found it a nice change to see a team other than Ineos (Formally Team Sky.) at the front. I had also remembered Slovenian Roglic’s battles with his 21 year-old compatriot Tadj Pogacar, (Team UAE.) in last year’s Vuelta a Espana. It soon became clear that this would be another show-down between the two. They were closely matched, although Pogacar did not have the same team support that Roglic enjoyed.

Stage 15, Pogacar beats Roglic, with Richie Porte third.

The opening stages saw these two within 7 seconds of each other until Stage 7, a relatively flat stage when strong cross-winds split the Peloton, and Pogacar found himself in a chasing group, 1 min. 28 sec. down, and in 16th place in the GC.

Pogacar fought back and on Stage 9, was 48 seconds down, then 44 sec. and by Stage 16 just 40 sec, behind Roglic. However, the following day on the Queen Stage 17, that finished at the top of the Col de la Loze, 2304 meters above sea level, things changed again.

Team Bahrain McLaren set a blistering pace all day in an effort to set up their rider, Mikel Landa to move up on the General Classification. The result was that many of the race contenders were blown off the back of the peloton, including Mikel Landa. When the last Bahrain McLaren rider (Demiano Caruso.) peeled off Mikel Landa himself, blew up and went backwards. How embarrassing must that have been, after an entire day of extreme effort by the Bahrain McLaren Team?

Astana’s Angel Lopez jumped away to win the Stage, (Above.) with Roglic second, and Pogacar third. However, Pogacar lost another 17 seconds on Roglic for a total 57 second deficit. That could have been the end result for the race and most, including me, would have been satisfied. However, Tadj Pogacar had different ideas.

Stage 20. A 36-kilometer Time Trial with a steep uphill finish. The race of truth, as Time Trials are sometimes called. Man, against man, with no team to help. Pogacar set out at a blistering pace and maintained it even on the uphill finish. He was the fastest rider of the day taking 1 min. 56 sec, out of Roglic. He made up his 57 second deficit, plus added another 59 seconds.

Tom Dumoulin (Left) and Wout Van Art cannot believe Pogacar has beaten them both by well over a minute.

Not only that, he was the fastest that day, beating former World TT Champion Tom Dumoulin by 1 min. 21 sec. A spectacular performance by 21 year-old Tadj Pogacar. As well as taking the race winners Yellow Jersey, he won the Polka-Dot King of the Mountains Jersey, and the Best Young Rider, White Jersey. The last rider to win all three jerseys was a 24-year-old Eddy Merckx in 1969.

I should mention, Australian Richie Porte, rode the time-trial of his life to tie for second place with Tom Dumoulin. The ride moved him up to a Podium finish in third place, His best place ever in the Tour de France. So wonderful to see for such a great rider and all round nice Bloke, who has worked so tirelessly for other riders in previous Tours. Plus, he has had more than his share of bad luck, crashes, and broken bones.

Richie Porte finishing his Stage 20 TT ride.

Irishman Sam Bennett (Decunick-Quick-Step.) won the Green (Points.) Jersey, and won the final stage in Paris. I have been following the Tour de France since 1950, when I had to wait a week for the French print magazines to arrive in the mail. To recent years when I can now watch in as it happens on TV.

This has to be the best Tour I have ever seen. We all love it when the “under-dog” just will not let go and fights to the very end. Hats off to Primoz Roglic, he and his team did nothing wrong, he just got beat by a younger, and faster rider when it counted the most.

Thanks to the organizers and everyone involved in putting on this spectacular event under such adverse conditions. You have brought a lot of sunshine into an otherwise dismal year.

Pictures, videos, and full results on http://www.steephill.tv/tour-de-france/ 

     To Share click "Share Article" below    

Track Bike

The Fuso track bike above was built 30 years ago in 1988. It is still owned by the original owner, Dave Watring, and is pictured at the Los Angeles Velo Sports Center where it is still being ridden three times a week.

I built only a few of these specialist track frames over the years, there was little call for them at the time. They were not yet a fashion fad to be used on the streets. They were only ordered by someone who actually had access to a track or velodrome.

The track bike is as simple and as basic as one can get, which is part of their appeal. A single fixed sprocket screwed directly to the rear hub, and no brakes. What, no brakes? The uninitiated will ask. Isn’t that dangerous?

No, actually when used as intended, on a banked velodrome, brakes would be more dangerous than “No Brakes.” Everyone is riding counter-clockwise around the track, there is no need to stop, and the last thing one needs would be someone slamming on their brakes when riding only inches from the rider in front.

If someone falls, and it happens, the riders are so close and going so fast that there would be no time to stop even with brakes. The best defense is to steer around the fallen rider. For this reason, track bikes are designed with a steeper head angle to steer quickly.

On a road bike, to go around a corner, the rider leans in the direction he is turning and the bike steers itself around the bend. On a banked velodrome, when the bike and rider are traveling at speed, the bike is leaning, and in theory is at 90 degrees to the track surface at all times. It is as if they were traveling in a straight line.

The time to deviate from that straight line, is to go around an opponent, or a fallen rider. The track rider learns a whole different skill set. He steers the bike by turning the handlebars. Something a road rider rarely does.

Watching a track meet, one can always pick out the inexperienced road riders. In the event of a crash, the first thing they do is try to stop pedaling, and reach for brake levers that aren’t there.

Track bikes I built had a 74 degree head angle, and 1 1/8 inch (30 mm.) fork rake. Less trail than my road bikes which were 73 head angle, 1 3/8 in. (35 mm.) More trail for self-steering qualities, less trail for track bikes meant to be physically steered.

Footnote:

I am late with my blog posting this week partly because I am preparing to attend the Classic Rendezvous Weekend event in Greensboro, North Carolina, May 18-20. I will probably be late next week for the same reason. I hope to meet up with a few of you there.

     To Share click "Share Article" below