Monday, April 29, 2013

In the Works


   I mentioned earlier that I had a couple of projects planned, one of which is repairing a sign that once hung in front of a Phoenixville bike shop, the other is a restoration job on an Atala racing bike (above). No, I don’t want or need another bike! My intent is to return the machine to its former glory and sell it to someone with a love for vintage bicycles. There is some rust and mismatched components need to be addressed. I will probably be jumping back and forth, working on both projects simultaneously. The Atala work will require some time to search craigslist and/or Ebay, wait for auctions to end, arrange pick-up or await delivery.

   Auntra Bicycle Shop closed over a year ago, due to a larger, more modern bicycle store opening right across the street. My wife and I wondered about the motives of these folks who seemed to be intentionally putting a small shop out of business, but there are many factors to consider. Downtown Phoenixville has undergone quite a revival with many thriving restaurants and shops - the owners of Phoenix Cycles may have simply taken the best (or only) location available.
   With its small store front (pictured below) and the way it was squeezed among the other shops and restaurants along Bridge Street, Auntra had the feel of a shop much older, yet it had only been there about ten years. I didn’t see the visual stimulation required to draw in customers from the sidewalk.


   As a result of the recent connection of the Schuylkill Trail right through town, I doubt that Auntra would have had the ability to handle the needs of passing cyclists, having only a small staff and limited hours. I have also heard some stories about Auntra’s not-so-friendly customer service, which made me wonder if one of the new owners had first-hand experience with them and saw an opportunity to improve the situation.
   In any case, I always liked the Auntra sign, which included an old-time cyclist in knickers with articulated legs that cranked a high-wheel bicycle, or Pennyfarthing, when the wind blew. Unfortunately, the weather did a number on the wooden parts over time, and the front wheel took off on its own somewhere down Bridge Street, along with one of the legs! At the time the picture was taken, the bike's front fork had broken, and the wheel can be seen dangling slightly below the bottom edge of the sign.
   When a “For Sale” sign was posted on the property, I kept watch to see if the bike shop sign was removed, but it remained there for months. Late last summer, I contacted the realtor to see if the former owner wanted it and was told “He took everything he wanted”. They simply asked for $25 and that I remove it myself. Early one Sunday morning we borrowed our neighbor’s extension ladder, slid it into our minivan, and headed over to Phoenixville.
   It certainly helped that the sidewalks were empty, but the ladder placement was tricky anyway. We certainly didn’t want to lean the ladder on the sign’s rickety bracket, and we weren’t sure if we could get the right angle against the building to be able to reach out to lift the sign and disconnect it without crashing to the pavement! I am not good on ladders (read: chickenshit), so Sue was going to be the one to climb, but even she had to admit, if something did go amiss, the prospect of me catching her was better than the alternative!
   I rigged what I thought was an ingenious rope safety line – to the sign, not Sue – which also relieved some of the tension on the bracket so that she could more easily unclip the two rusty carabiners that held the sign in place. Other than nearly being startled off of the ladder when the resident of the above-shop apartment opened his window, Sue performed perfectly, and the sign was packed away safely in the back of the van.

Stay tuned as progress is made on the sign and I get into the Atala restoration.



Monday, April 22, 2013

U-S-A, U-S-A, U-S-A...

   It came to my attention that my blog seemed lately like a running commentary on pro cycling, and that was never my intention. This is partly because I haven’t had much shop talk, with a disappointing lack of business this spring. Hopefully that’s only due to the erratic weather we’ve been having in the northeast, and that folks have yet to hit the roads in full force!
   I do have some interesting projects to discuss in the near future, but in the meantime I wanted to mention an interesting occurrence on the bicycle manufacturing front this spring. I’m not usually a big flag-waving nationalist, but builders in the U.S. are clearly putting out some fantastic machines. In fact, of the ten classic races that have been completed on the UCI World calendar, SEVEN have been won on bicycles made by American companies.

 
   I’ll also mention that Sunday’s Liège-Bastogne-Liège was won by Garmin-Sharp’s Dan Martin (photo above) on a bike made by Cervèlo, a Canadian manufacturer. That’s eight out of the ten winning bicycles from this continent. However, I don’t think a chant of “North America, North America...” has as much of a ring to it, so I’ll stick with my title theme. But for the Cervèlo win and two victories on German-made Canyon bicycles by riders on the Katusha team, in the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and Fleche Wallone races, the U.S.A. has dominated!

Let’s celebrate with some eye candy and take a look at these cool machines, starting with Cannondale. Moreno Moser won the Strade Bianche, but we’ll look the Synapse Carbon Hi-Mod Evo that his teammate Peter Sagan rode to victory in Ghent-Wevelgem.
 

The bike features a unique split seat tube.
 

Gerald Ciolek rode a Trek Madone 7.9 to victory at Milan-San Remo.

 
Bikes in the pro peloton are often personalized these days, in this case with the rider’s name and flag of his home nation.
 

Fabian Cancellara made a major contribution to this list with three wins, at E3-Harelbeke, the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix. Except for a bit more beefy tires for the cobbles of Roubaix, his Trek Domane was set up virtually the same for each race.

 
The matte black finish is decorated in silver with sponsor logos and his “Spartacus” nickname on the top tube…

 
…and gladiator-themed artwork, including spears and a helmet near the headtube.
 
 
Finally, Specialized makes an appearance, courtesy of Roman Kreuziger’s victory at the Amstel Gold race. The S-Works Tarmac SL4 is basic black, but has a few team color accents of blue and yellow.

 
The Saxo-Tinkoff team car is loaded up and ready to go with extra bikes, in case of crashes or major mechanical issues. Some riders make intentional switches during a race for a different setup of components on the machine.

 
 
Now stop drooling!
 
 
 

Monday, April 15, 2013

Sky is falling?

   In an earlier posting I discussed the success of Sky Pro Cycling and how other teams might be able to combat their seemingly unbeatable strategy during stage races. Some cracks appeared in their armor during Tirreno-Adriatico, when the team struggled to cope with some extreme conditions. Similarly, the harsh European “spring” weather and the tough terrain covered by the classic races have contributed to the British team’s disappointing results.
   Sky’s training in the past has mostly focused on the major tours, and because of the team’s past failures in the classics, management implemented a training program intended to help their squad challenge for some wins. However, Sky cyclists have come up empty so far, and I see several reasons for their problems.
 
 
   With riders like Geraint Thomas (photo above), Edvald Boasson Hagen, Bernhard Eisel and Ian Stannard all capable of pulling off a big classic win, perhaps Sky has too many leaders. Their usual plan is focused on one man, such as Bradley Wiggins in the Tour de France, or recently Richie Porte in Paris-Nice, and throwing all of their support behind him. I think sometimes when a team has too many options, they are a bit indecisive, whether it is making an attack or responding to another rider’s move.
   Stage racing is completely different from one-day racing in that strategy among the heavy hitters is generally conservative. There are a few elite stage racers that have the climbing ability and time trialing prowess to compete for victory. These cyclists hesitate to waste energy putting in big attacks, preferring to hang with the favorites until the late part of a stage. Sky’s method of sitting on the front and controlling the pace is made for stage racing.
   The up and down terrain of the classic races, with repeated short, steep hills, just doesn’t fit in well with Sky’s strategy of hammering at the front at a constant wattage. The route profiles of cycling’s “Monuments” require short bursts of effort and (hopefully) recovery, and it seems Sky just hasn’t perfected their training to this aspect.
   Finally, one day races are an “all or nothing” event – there is no making up time the next day. Attacks come early and often, and there are just too many talented riders to mark. Someone is eventually going to slip away, and Sky can’t possibly pull back every move. Many of the other teams are built for these races, have had results in the past, and Sky is relatively new to the game, only being in their fourth year of existence.
   I have to admit that, because I read CycleSport magazine and watch British EuroSport’s race coverage, which are both very G.B.-biased, that I sometimes find myself rooting against Sky, but I respect their talent, and I know they will eventually figure out the right method for success in the classics. They have shown a great ability to adapt, and a bit more experience dealing with these difficult races will certainly help.

 
Sky missed out on Sunday’s Amstel Gold race as well; winner Roman Kreuziger is joined on the podium by second-place finisher Alejandro Valverde (left) and Simon Gerrans, who claimed third.
 
 

Monday, April 8, 2013

Cancellara Conquers Cobbles

   Fabian Cancellara was certainly a dominant physical presence over the cobbles in Sunday’s Paris-Roubaix, but, with the help of his team director, he also outsmarted his opponents to claim his third win in the historic race. A bit of bad luck to a couple rivals certainly didn’t hurt, either!
 
 
   Because of his past success in this race and his recent excellent form, Cancellara was a marked man, which makes his victory such an amazing result. With less than 50 kilometers to go, he found himself in a breakaway of about a dozen riders, off the front by over a minute.  Strong contenders in this group also included Bernard Eisel (Sky), Greg Van Avermaet (BMC) and the ever-present, but seldom successful, Juan Antonio Flecha (Vacansoleil-DCM). To me the real danger-men were multiple world cyclocross champions Lars Boom (Blanco) and Zdenek Stybar (Omega Pharma-Quickstep), who thrive over the rough roads of this race.
   This group split in two with about 30 km left, and an interesting poker match ensued with Cancellara refusing to chase, and even slipping back for a visit to his team car. The Radio Shack team leader had crashed twice in the last week, including a fall during a reconnaissance ride of one of the remaining sections of cobbles, and even the commentators (incorrectly) thought he was suffering. Surprisingly he jumped clear at the next cobble sector, and in a flash, he was with the break.
   Belgians Sep Vanmarke (Blanco) and Stijn Vandenbergh (Omega Pharma- Quickstep), slipped off the front immediately and put 30 seconds on their four competitors. Cancellara patiently sat in with the chasers, perhaps recovering a bit from his earlier effort to close the gap, and then accelerated with 25 km to go, with only Stybar able to respond.

 
   It now appeared the Omega Pharma-Quickstep duo had the advantage, with Vandenbergh driving the pace for the quartet and Stybar sitting on Cancellara’s wheel (photo above). Unfortunately for them, a couple of spectators helped to change the outcome of the race. Vandenbergh was riding in the soft dirt gutter to avoid a rough cobbled section, when he struck a retreating fan and went down. Just a few minutes later, Stybar was reportedly clipped by an outstretched camera, and lost contact with his companions. One of the special things about cycling is the proximity fans have to the athletes, but with the crowding of the road that you see at the front of pro races, I find it amazing how infrequently mishaps occur! 
   As Vanmarke and Cancellara entered the Roubaix Velodrome alone, I wondered how much the Swiss star had left in the tank. Wisely, Vanmarke led out the sprint to force his opponent to expend the extra energy to come around him, but Cancellara had just enough to edge past by a bike length. It was a bit of a strange victory celebration (photo below) with the earlier breakaway riders appearing to cross the finish just ahead of the winner, but of course, they had yet to complete their final lap – just another fun quirk of this classic event!
 
 

Monday, April 1, 2013

Fabian's Flanders

   This spring has been a big disappointment so far, with most of days being either to cold, windy or rainy to make any bike ride enjoyable. This weekend proved to be the highlight of the season so far with some of the best weather we’ve had in a long time. Saturday afternoon Sue and I went on a nice ride through Phoenixville towards Audubon and returned on the Schuylkill Trail, while on Sunday morning I sat down to watch the Tour of Flanders, surrounded by the fantastic smell of hot crossed buns being baked!
 

   The race was mostly uneventful, lacking any significant breaks among the favorites, which I suspect was mostly due to the strength of the field and rivals wanting to keep each other in sight. The Radio Shack team (pictured above during pre-race training), who had been criticized for their lack of results in major events, did a lot of work on the front during the first 230 kilometers of the race, keeping the pace high for their leader, Fabian Cancellara.
   In a reprisal of his winning move in the E3 semi-classic race just over a week ago, Cancellara attacked in the same spot on the Oude Kwaremont, except this time around, Peter Sagan was able to stay with him on the steep, cobbled road. The duo was able to distance the peloton over the penultimate climb and linked up with Belgian Jürgen Roelandts, who was the last remnant of any earlier breakaway.
   Sensing a bit of weakness in his companions, Cancellara put the hammer down on the Patterburg (photo below), and although Sagan hung close for a bit, the Cannondale rider faded near the top of the climb. Cancellara, the four-time world time trial champion and 2008 Olympic gold medal winner at that discipline, had the gap he needed and averaged nearly 30 mph by himself over the last 12 kilometers (amazing, after 244 km of racing!) to win the Tour of Flanders for the second time.
 
 
   British Eurosport commentator David Harmon said it all, “Will someone please, please get me a set of those legs for Christmas next year?”