Monday, June 08, 2020
Docker warns of a peloton frayed at the seams come fall
EF Pro Cycling’s road captain warns of mental burnout as pros face keeping the legs turning from January through November.
Mitch Docker is carefully storing both his mental and physical matches as he enters a transitional period between lockdown and competition.
EF Pro Cycling’s Australian road captain feels the peloton could be at breaking point come the conclusion of the revamped season in November, and so for now, is resting as hard as he is playing.
Like many of his colleagues, Docker first turned the pedals in anger on January 21 at home race Santos Tour Down Under. And for all he knows, he might not hang up his wheels for the year until the Vuelta a EspaƱa rolls to a halt in Madrid, November 8.
“I honestly feel like I haven’t stopped since the start of the year,” Docker told VeloNews. “Normally we have small breaks through the year. And even though I haven’t been training or racing as hard as I would have, nothing’s really stopped. I’ve been spending the whole time doing three hours or four hours of Zwift a day, or 20, 25 hours a week out on the road. It’s still nothing to be laughed at, it’s still something.
“It’s not like we’ve just been on off-season for two months and suddenly we’re raring to go,” Docker said. “I think a lot of people are gonna hit this unknown feeling or lack of motivation, and they’ll be wondering ‘what the hell… What’s wrong?’ Well, it’s still a whole season as well.”
It’s been just more than a month since the UCI confirmed its revised WorldTour calendar, set to start in the dirt roads of Strade Bianche on August 1. Since then, riders have been transitioning from an enforced lockdown into a period of preparation for the season and returned to riding on the roads.
Riders across the globe encountered different circumstances through the spring as coronavirus took its grip. Like a host of other pro cyclists, Docker has been locked away in his adopted home in Girona through spring, keeping the engine warm on the indoor trainer as he waited for the world, and the cycling season, to emerge from the peak of the pandemic. Similarly, cycling hubs in, France, Italy, and Andorra were placed in strict quarantines, forcing riders into spending more time on Zwift than they may wish to remember. Meanwhile, riders across Belgium, the Netherlands, Switzerland and the UK continued to train on the roads.
What united riders globally, however, was a nagging sense of the unknown and the need to adapt to the stress of a world facing a raging health crisis and a wave of restrictive measures designed to halt its progress. Top that off with the dilemma of whether to train or rest in the absence of fixed race dates, and the accumulated tension could see the peloton fraying at the seams come fall.
Docker is one of dozens of riders who may close their racing season 10 months after it started in Australia this January.
“Everyone’s just thinking ‘yeah, we’re gonna hit the ground running because no one’s raced and everyone’s so fresh,’ but everyone’s still been riding every day, and we can’t underestimate whatever stresses this situation is put on everyone,” Docker said.
“Sometimes the racing is the easy part – you go to a race and everything’s done for you and you know all you have to do is race. Yes, you’re physically tired. But that’s sort of the easy part. So now everyone’s been trying to work out life at home. And I think they’re gonna underestimate the amount of energy and stress that it had on us.”
EF Pro Cycling goes into the restarted season with a youthful team stacked with promising under-25-year-olds such as Sergio Higuita, Hugh Carthy, and Americans Logan Owen and Neilson Powless. The team has paired up all its racers with personal mentors from its coaching and directing staff to provide guidance and oversight. Docker feels the role of the experienced voices in the team has become more vital than ever in keeping young heads cool as the race season gets closer.
“The younger guys really need to rely and lean on those guiding them a lot more than they think in previous times,” he said. “It’s important for these younger riders to go back into racing in a good spot, mentally – relaxed but ready to take what comes.”
Docker and his guide, sport director Ken Vanmarke, have mapped out a pre-season schedule that will see him balancing short but intense training blocks with total downtime that will allow him to totally immerse himself in either rest or play. The all-or-nothing approach is one that Docker knows many of his teammates are also adopting for the next eight weeks before racing resumes.
With a 14-week racing block that allows little downtime and complex logistics looming on the horizon, riders have a light at the end of the tunnel after an unprecedented five-month pause. Figuring out how they navigate toward that exit in the following months is the next challenge for them to take on in a year that has already seen relatively little racing but an exceptional amount of stress.
Sunday, June 07, 2020
Saturday, June 06, 2020
Friday, June 05, 2020
2020 Joe Martin Stage Race goes virtual
Three stages of racing will take place on Zwift, June 19-21.
roject Echelon is hosting the Virtual Joe Martin Stage Race for both men and women, June 19-21, on Zwift.
The race will consist of three stages:
Stage 1 – Bologna time trial, 5km
Stage 2 – Sand and Sequoias road race, 44km
Stage 3 – Richmond UCI road world championships course, 40.4km
To date, multiple domestic elite and pro squads — as well as several WorldTour teams — have expressed interest in this event.
Originally scheduled for April 2- 5, the race was canceled on March 14 out of concern for the health and well-being of race organizers, racers, and spectators.
Out of respect for the current Black Lives Matter movement and responding to the need to address inequities in our society, racers will observe a one minute moment of silence after the banner drops for the race start during stage 2.
The virtual event will honor those who have lost their lives in the COVID-19 pandemic by asking riders to observe a one-kilometer neutral roll out during stage 2, following the moment of silence.
Project echelon has recently hosted the Virtual Tour of the Redlands and the Virtual Tour of the Gila stage races when the events were canceled due to the effects of COVID-19.
The Joe Martin Stage Race has been on the USA Cycling Pro Road Tour (PRT) for 18 years and has been on the UCI Americas Tour calendar for six years.
- waffles....good but too crumbly and messy
- blocks...not for week dental worl
- gels...emergency only...or when your in oxygen debt..
- pickles..nice salty break
- jerky...The Grayling Giants go to...
- pop tarts...gross when cold
- trophies...more of
- cash..less of
- round..smooth
- oval..the Jury is out
- geared...less is more..and weirdly more costly.
- singlespeed..those that go...know...
- complain...habit forming..and addictive
- praise...goes along way
- stiff..in certain situations
- compliance...save energy
- tubes...old technology
- tubular...even older
- tubeless...not as scary as you think
- 27.5...questionable
- 26...underrated
- ear-buds....paradise when your around assholes
- world noise...too much lately
- intervals..when its deemed necessary
- session....trendy way to do intervals
- dreams...we all have em
- free-spirits...the one least expect
- phone...put it down
- GPS...in the right situations
- Strava...pay up you free-loading piece of shit
- no route...not a bad idea
- cops...bad time to be one
- citizens..not much better
- fixed...stress reliever
- freewheel...simple fun
- cap...visor in front and down
- helmet...expensive shit out there
- Instagram....out of control
- facebook...there are some strange folks out there lurking around.
- new...not always the best
- secondhand...best value
- CO2...not just for vaping
- pump..also acts as a club to beat half wheelers
- outboard...the best idea since STI...
- press-fit..was a dumb idea when Gary tried it 25 years ago
- flat..so many ways to do it...
- punchy..when tired can break you...
- driving to ride..seems kinda ridiculous unless its a super awesome place
- ride to ride...impress me
- flat bar..versatile
- drop bar............boy things are sure getting weird with em
- blonde..see above
- ginger...Maggie Green
- Metal...underrated
- composite...over-rated
- passion...cant fake it
- lust...the death of Adam
- watts...not as crucial as you may think
- life ac-rule...the often equalizer
- climb....never enuf
- descend...when your good and you know it...uno it...
- coast..simple..but rarely done in style
- pedal...moms screaming at there 7 year old kids..
- group...rides..sex..etc..not allowed now a days
- single....sweet solace
- Supacaz...costly but rad
- Lizard-Skins...costly but tacky
- Oakley....if i were a rich man
- Rudy...slightly off the back...
- rigid...works great...but ain’t for everyone
- movement...better when your younger
- Craft....beards required
- ordinary...the working mans go to..
- bread...dont put the eggs on top when packing my groceries you mask punk
- tortilla..wrap anything u want em and grill that shit
- dogs...mans best friend
- cats...love em but don’t want any animals peeing in a box in my house..
- bump...used to catch air of the speed ones
- grind...still gonna learn that shit...
- hydration bladder...never ever on a road bike
- gas stations....always welcoming...
- Slayer....first album
- Metallica....used to be cool..now lame
- Motley Crue...partied better than anyone
- Van Halen....Dave didn’t want to talk about love...Sammy did
- wanting more...one of the seven deadly sins
- happy with what you got...feels pretty good
- talking shit....trying to make up for something
- STFU....we all should do it more often
- gloating.....makes u look like a turd..cept tp other turds
- confident...the fine line to arrogant
- silver...almost is as good as...
- gold...bling..before bling was bling...
- double pepperoni...always a go to...
- double cheese...not if your lactose intolerant
- Lies..some people like it
- Guns and Roses...first album i the best as usual
- Wasp...wild child
- 3 hrs of tolerable abuse....yes
- 6 hours of a death march....perhaps
- One.....dont have to rely on anyone
- Two..fine unless there a half wheelin jerk
- three.its a race
- miles...dont getb caught up in it
- speed...better
- praise...never enough
- criticize...learn to accept it
- flow....some folks got it
- huck....some folks happen upon it
- protest...............its your right
- stand together.....rare
- like....everyone wants it
- comment....some people seek it
- Tom Petty...never a fan
- Bob Segar....Bobs got some good music
- Scotty...fired his gun last week
- Tommy....where are you???
- Michigan ...the right bear arms
- Ohio...the right to race bikes..and drink beer while eating wings on a patio
- Detroit..no riots cuz there isnt nuthin left to burn
- Chicago...war zone
- Hate...ez and addictive
- ignore...a great quality
- gossip....waste of time and energy
- truth....hurts folks
- narrow minded.....lotsa humans
- expand your horizons....might be surprised
- hot laps.....hey its almost Waterford
- table dances....soon
- eating out.....please wait to be seated
- The Tour....yea let it wrest for a year
- The Alma GP...where are you
- DTE trail...not sure its worth getting sick
- Island lake..see above
- Mohican 100..scene looked good
- Everyone....luvs mountain bikes
- Bike shops...empty
- staying home....no prob
- Gravel Kings...over-rated
- Fat Road tires..underrated
- Mullets...on the rise
- Bottle returns...please take a number
- Pillows..the cool side
- Cat 3s...no upgrades this year
- Kudos...just like likes but differnt .....sorta
- Everwresting....ya but lets see you do that shit on a recumbent
- Monica Bellucci ...wa wa wa!!!
- Summer...one day at a time
- CX..perhaps
- TMS....im TMS and I hate TMS
Our World..
Thursday, June 04, 2020
Two, one two three four
Everybody's talking about
Bagism, Shagism, Dragism, Madism
Ragism, Tagism, this-ism, that-ism
Ism ism ism
All we are saying is give peace a chance
All we are saying is give peace a chance
Everybody's talkin' 'bout ministers, sinisters
Banisters and canisters, bishops and fishops
Rabbis and pop eyes, bye bye, bye byes
All we are saying, is give peace a chance
All we are saying, is give peace a chance
Let me tell you now
Everybody's talking about, revolution
Evolution, masturbation, flagellation
Regulation, integrations, meditations
United Nations, congratulations
All we are saying is give peace a chance
All we are saying is give peace a chance
Wednesday, June 03, 2020
Tuesday, June 02, 2020
1992 GT Ricochet in Tequila Sunrise
Custom built to replace the ever so pricey Cannondale Slate
1x9 groupset, new cassette, NW chainring , Chain
26x2.1 knobbies on it right now
Salsa cowchipper bars with microshift R9 shifters
all new cables, housing, tires, tubes, etc.
Bike is ready to go, can handle dirt roads, pavement and trails.
I'm 5'10 and it fits comfy, and would work for someone taller as well
New 3T Exploro RaceMax
promises more speed, more clearance, more capability
A FURTHER EVOLUTION OF THE ONE-BIKE SOLUTION
Four years ago, 3T ventured out into unknown territory with its original Exploro. Borrowing the dropped chainstay concept of the Open UP that was introduced just a year earlier (3T co-owner and frame designer Gerard Vroomen wears the same hats at Open), the ultra-progressive Exploro was able to mate an usually short 415 mm rear end for more nimble handling together with room for tires up to 700×40 mm or 650×54 mm. And yet despite all that capability, the curious tube shaping supposedly made the Exploro more efficient aerodynamically than it otherwise would have been, to the benefit of riders still interested in going faster, regardless of surface type.
As you’d expect, then, the new Exploro RaceMax further expands on that initial philosophy with a more refined frame shape that not only accepts even-bigger rubber, but is also said to be more aero as well — just as you’d expect for a new top-end model.
The new Exploro RaceMax should now easily accommodate 700×42 mm-wide tires, while 650b users should be able to cram in tires with a total measured width of 61 mm — both with the same 415 mm chainstay length as before. That said, both of those figures are estimates and, as always, will vary depending on variety of factors, including tire make and model, rim internal width and tire bed shape, tread pattern, and even inflation pressure – more on this in a bit.
On the aero front, 3T hasn’t provided much in the way of specifics, but Vroomen says the Exploro RaceMax’s bulbous frame has been upsized to make for a smoother transition between the bigger front tire and the rest of the frame. The down tube, for example measures a healthy 46 mm across behind the head tube, but steps up to a gargantuan 75 mm about a third of the way down. Not at all coincidentally, that width is also specifically designed to help direct air around the water bottles that will invariably be mounted to the down tube (and, likely, the seat tube as well).
The new fork also features a road bike-like 370 mm axle-to-crown length and a very low-profile crown in general. As a result, the front wheel sits rather close to the down tube — again, something that supposedly helps in terms of drag — and there’s also a pronounced cutout in the backside of the seat tube to shield the rear wheel. Otherwise, the frame clearly embraces the truncated airfoil concept, with the head tube, down tube, seat tube, and seatstays all sporting some variant of the idea.
Other features include dual dropped chainstays — only the driveside chainstay is dropped on the current Exploro — a BB386EVO press-fit bottom bracket shell (with thread-together cups), compatibility with 1x or 2x drivetrains, mounts for three water bottles and a top tube feed bag, hidden front and rear fender mounts, adapter-free flat-mount disc-brake mounts for 160 mm-diameter rotors, and adaptable internal cable routing that can accommodate a wide variety of mechanical and electronic drivetrains.
3T even plans to unveil a suite of custom accessories for the Exploro RaceMax, such as a dedicated front and rear fender set, special bottle cages and bags, and even a pump.
A few annoyances on the first-generation Exploro have been addressed, too.
First and foremost, the cumbersome splined seatpost head has been ditched in favor of Ritchey’s one-bolt head design, which is far, far easier to adjust and install (and yes, it’s backward-compatible if you’re a current Exploro owner looking for some relief). And whereas the rear derailleur hanger on the current Exploro basically just falls off the bike when the thru-axle is removed, the new Exploro RaceMax uses a more conventional design.
TWEAKED GEOMETRY, SIMILARLY LIGHT
Where the current Exploro is only offered in four sizes, the Exploro RaceMax will be available in six. One of the additional sizes basically allows for finer gradations in between the current largest and smallest Exploro frames, so prospective buyers should be less likely to find themselves in between sizes. However, the other new size slots in at the very small end of the spectrum, meaning the Exploro RaceMax can supposedly now fit riders as short as 1.42 m (4’ 8″).
Reach is largely unchanged for the most part, but stack has gone up a bit for a less aggressive position than the regular Exploro. For example, a medium Exploro sports a reach of 378 mm and a 546 mm stack. On a 54 cm Exploro RaceMax, though, the reach is virtually identical at 377 mm, but the stack goes up to 564 mm.
Bottom bracket drop has also increased by several millimeters for more stability, ranging from 75 to 79 mm, depending on size. However, steering geometry has actually gotten a bit quicker. On that same medium Exploro, the trail figure is a middle-of-the-road 67 mm when used with a 700×35 mm tire. But on the 54 cm Exploro RaceMax, the trail is a nimbler 63 mm.
Weight-wise, it’s mostly a wash.
According to Vroomen, painted frame weights on the new Exploro RaceMax range from 1,050 to 1,150 grams, depending on size — virtually identical to the current Exploro Team. The higher-end Exploro LTD shaves another 100 g off of that, but it also costs significantly more, which suggests that 3T is leaving the door open for a higher-end Exploro RaceMax model later.
A NEW WAY OF MEASURING TIRES
When you dig into the press materials 3T provides with the Exploro RaceMax debut, one key piece of information is conspicuously absent: explicit call-outs for how big a 700c or 650b tire will fit in the new frameset (which is why the figures I supplied earlier are only estimates).
“Which brand? Which model? Which rim?” replied Vroomen when I inquired about this. “That’s the whole point. This question is unanswerable. Always has been.”
As a result, 3T is proposing a new method for measuring tires that includes two metrics, WAM (Width as Measured) and RAM (Radius as Measured), both of which have the associated rim internal width as a suffix. As the names suggest, they refer to actual measurements of the tire on a specified internal rim width in order to provide more reliable tire size information.
For example, a Schwalbe G-One Allround with a printed width of 35 mm only actually measures 35 mm when mounted to a rim with a 19 mm internal width — hence, the WAM19 dimension would be 35 mm. However, that same tire mounted on a rim with a 29 mm internal width has a substantially broader footprint, and a WAM29 dimension of 39
Likewise, a tire’s actual radius will vary with rim width, too. That same Schwalbe tire on a 19 mm-wide rim has a measured radius of 351 mm (hence, RAM19 = 351 mm). But on a 29 mm-wide rim? The RAM29 decreases to 348 mm.
WAM and RAM provide consumers with far more reliable tire sizing information than anything currently available, and combined, they have the potential to transform the way tire sizes are described, much in the way stack and reach are now used to define how a frame fits. Coincidentally, Cervelo (back when Vroomen and Phil White were running that show) was the first major brand to embrace stack and reach, so it’ll be interesting to see where WAM and RAM go from here.
Either way, I have a lot of thoughts on this subject that I’ll discuss in more detail in the near future, but let’s just say I’m absolutely a big proponent of the concept. More accurate and informative tire size information is something I’ve been actively pushing the industry to adopt since at least 2013, and I hope the WAM and RAM concept is embraced more widely moving forward.
NEW WHEELS AND HANDLEBARS, TOO
To suit the new Exploro RaceMax’s do-everything attitude, 3T is also debuting a new set of ultra-wide 700c carbon wheels.
The new Discus 45 | 40 LTD tubeless carbon clinchers boast an exceptionally generous 29 mm internal width to better support the wider tires that are increasingly popular with gravel riders. In keeping with the Exploro RaceMax’s aero mission, the external width is a similarly spacious 40 mm while the depth is a mid-deep 45 mm, all of which should make for a nicely cohesive total package relative to narrower rims that would result in more of a “light bulb” profile.
3T is lacing those new rims to your choice of Chris King, Industry Nine, or Carbon-Ti hubs, and claimed weight for the set is 1,665 grams (with the Carbon-Ti hubs). Retail price is US$2,400 / €2,400 with the Industry Nine or Carbon-Ti hubs, or US$2,700 / €2,700 with the Chris King ones. 3T expects to have these available some time in June.
Also in the mix are four new carbon fiber drop handlebars.
The Superergo LTD sports flattened tops and a multi-shape ergonomic drop shape that prioritizes comfort, while the Superghiaia LTD features the same tops, but with 3T’s distinctively flared drops to provide more control in off-road situations.
The Aeroflux LTD is a more traditional aero-minded road bar with a more aggressively flattened top section and non-flared ergonomic-bend drops. Finally, for aero-minded gravel riders — heads up, prospective Exploro RaceMax buyers — there’s the new Aeroghiaia LTD, which combines the Aeroflux LTD’s aero tops with the Superghiaia LTD’s funky flared drops.
All of the new bars have a retail price of US$350 / €350. UK and Australian pricing is to be confirmed.
EXPLORO RACEMAX MODELS, PRICING, AND AVAILABILITY
Given the huge range of compatible wheel and tire sizes that works with the new Exploro RaceMax, 3T is also offering a rather diverge range of build kits to suit, including 1x and 2x drivetrains as well as 650b and 700c wheel-and-tire configurations with both aluminum and carbon fiber wheel options.
Complete builds with 700c setups that are aimed more at higher speeds on more traditional road surfaces are tagged with a “Race” designation, while complete bikes with 650b rolling stock designed for more off-road routes will wear the “Max” moniker.
Retail price for the frameset is set at US$3,200 / €3,200, and complete builds start at US$4,200 / €4,200. Frames and complete builds should be at some dealers now, with more widespread availability in the coming weeks. Australian and UK prices are still to be confirmed.
The existing Exploro frameset will remain in the lineup unchanged, aside from updated build kits and new color options, and will essentially comprise 3T’s “entry-level” and mid-range models.
I’ve got one of the first medium-size production Exploro RaceMax models in for test now, outfitted for one-bike duty with two wheelsets. In 700c mode, it’s equipped with a SRAM Force eTap AXS 1×12 drivetrain and deep-section 3T Discus 45 carbon clincher wheels wrapped with 35 mm-wide Pirelli Cinturato tires; in 650b mode, it’s equipped with a SRAM Force/XO1 AXS “mullet” 1×12 drivetrain with a mountain bike cassette and rear derailleur, 3T Discus Plus carbon wheels, and 54 mm-wide Vittoria Barzo knobbies.
Actual weight in the burlier 650b trim is 8.82 kg (19.44 lb) without pedals or accessories, while the 700c setup is nearly a full kilo lighter at 8.1 kg (17.86 lb) — and I can’t wait to ride it.
Stay tuned.
Monday, June 01, 2020
The way we were
Godfather of Michigan Cycling 1st place,
Former Canadian National Champion 2nd,
Short-Fat-Bald Man 3rd...
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