Peter the Great (most definitely!)

   Saturday morning I packed up the car to head down to Richmond to view the World Championship Road Races. My plan was to arrive in the late afternoon, catch the end of the women’s event and then walk around downtown. The Virginia capital was once a major railroad hub and I found out on a historical society website that several stations are within a few blocks of each other, right in the middle of the race circuit. I would also be looking for some options as far as parking and access to the men’s race on Sunday.

   After initially looking at the race route a couple of weeks ago, I decided that the place to be would be Libby Hill Park, which included a steep, winding cobbled road and was to have a large viewing screen with which spectators could view the action as it unfolded. Unfortunately there only seemed to be street parking in this old neighborhood, and the prospects of getting in and out easily seemed very poor.

   To promote the idea of spectators riding in to view the race, I had heard Richmond planned on hiring bike valets and setting up bike “garages” during the week-long series of races. I originally had the idea to take advantage of these services and park a few miles north of the city to completely avoid the parking and traffic hassles. To my dismay, the weather forecast showed rain all weekend, and I didn’t really feel like soaking myself with a ride before the race and being miserably soggy for hours during the action. However, I put my Bianchi trail bike into the back of our Honda Fit, just in case I found no decent alternatives.

   I encountered a bit of drizzle on the drive to Virginia, but the heavy rains never came. As I circled around the downtown race circuit, approaching the city from the south, I noticed a commercial property that was being used as a temporary lot for the race, at about half of the price of those I had seen advertised on the W.C. website. This area was close to a paved trail that was only a short ride out to my intended viewing spot in the park on Sunday morning. Happy to have found a nice compromise, I moved on to explore downtown Richmond.

   The Main Street Station is a spectacular old building once shared by the Chesapeake & Ohio and Seaboard Air Line (its “air line moniker intended to mean “direct route”). Amtrak still serves passengers at the station, and a developer is working to turn the enormous train shed into a market/convention space, much like that which exists at Philadelphia’s Reading Terminal. The photo below is an artist’s conception of the finished construction.

   I witnessed Great Britain’s Lizzie Armistead powering her way to the women’s World Championship, then walked around to find six other nearby structures, some which were freight stations and others that were less elaborate passenger stations belonging to competing railroads, in this case the Southern Railway:

On the way back north to my hotel, I visited Union Station, which is a spectacular neo-classical building now containing a children’s museum:

   When I woke up early Sunday morning, the rains had yet to move in, but I wasn’t getting my hopes up, since the weather reports were still pretty bleak. I grabbed breakfast and packed up my stuff, leaving some dry clothes on the passenger seat, so that if needed after the race, I could make a quick change before driving home.

   Traffic was still very light heading back into the city, and since I was so early, I took a shot and drove by Libby Hill Park on my way to the lot I had spied the day before. The Honda Fit is very compact, but I still couldn’t believe that I was able to find a space “just my size” only a couple blocks north of the park! With such good fortune, I didn’t mind so much the thought that a bit of wet weather might eventually occur, especially now that I wouldn’t have to ride in the rain. As I stepped from the car, I grabbed the raincoat I had brought.

   I had walked about a hundred yards from the car when I thought, “You know, if the sun comes out while I’m down there for the next few hours, I might want my hat for my bald head.” I returned to the Fit and snagged my sunglasses while I was there. I was very glad I did – amazingly, that raincoat only served as a cushion while viewing the race. There was some very brief, light mist, but into the early afternoon the skies were just breaks of clouds and sun!

   The first few laps of the race I positioned myself where the cyclists first turned right, up onto the cobbled climb – a perfect place for the slow-down, accordion effect that happens on such an incline and provides a great view of the riders. It bothers me when I see people constantly looking through their camera(phone)s, instead of actually viewing any event, so I was determined to just take a couple of shots during the first few of the 10-mile laps (of which there were SIXTEEN), and then just watch the action with my eyes.

   The crowd was entertained by someone in an Evel Knievel costume riding up the climb several times, and his red, white and blue, star-spangled jumpsuit inspired early chants of U-S-A, U-S-A. Later, another individual dressed much like the Tour de France’s famous Didi the Devil attempted to run up the climb. At this point the race was underway, and the person was intercepted by security. I heard a very calm explanation being offered as he was being led by the arm back down the hill, about how “these people will be drinking, and we can’t let this kind of stuff start now, or it will only get worse”.

   The Dutch team led the peloton into the park on the first lap:

   I snapped a couple more photos, this one featuring Italy’s Daniele Bennati, who almost seems to be looking right at me, while just a couple bike-lengths behind him is the star of this year’s Vuelta a España, Tom Dumoulin, riding in the Dutch orange kit with a black helmet.

   The peloton had actually entered the park in too big of a bunch on this first lap and when they reached the pinch point, came to a grinding halt with many of the cyclists having to put a foot down. I looked up, and there was 2014 Tour de France champion Vincenzo Nibali, right in front of me. I had just put my camera in my pocket and stood there a bit stunned by my luck (probably a little star-struck as well). If I had another couple of seconds before he clipped back in and took off, I should have said “Ciao Vincenzo” or “Buon giorno” and gotten his attention!

   Lap two – the bearded wonder from Germany is Simon Geschke, who won a stage at this year’s Tour de France. He is surrounded by Italian teammates Daniel Oss and, in the funky helmet, Giacomo Nizzolo, who won the points jersey at the Giro d’Italia. The Columbian towards the right in the all-white kit with a dark blue and green helmet (from his Movistar trade team) is one of my favorite names in cycling, Winner Anacona.

   A couple laps later I moved across the road to catch the peloton heading up Libby Hill. Former world champion Michal Kwiatkowski can be spotted in the middle of the group, wearing the white and red Poland jersey with “CCC” on the side and a pale blue helmet. I think it is rather strange that a rider wears his trade team helmet, especially when it completely clashes with national colors, but I’m sure it’s some type of sponsorship concession!  Movistar and Spanish teammates Jon Izaguirre and Alejandro Valverde are in yellow, just below the 4K sign. German star Tony Martin is in his white and black team kit, just above the dude taking a selfie, and right in front of Tony is the day’s eventual winner, Peter Sagan, wearing blue and riding the black bike with neon S-Works decals.

   I understand that many people in attendance weren’t knowledgeable cycling fans and were just taking in the festive atmosphere, but despite the cliche chants of U-S-A, “our” national team really didn’t have the firepower to win this event. They did, however, try their best to make it interesting, putting hometown hero Ben King in the early breakaway to get the crowd fired up. This group was reeled in with about five laps remaining, and teammate Taylor Phinney took his turn jumping away with three others to send the fans on the hill into a frenzy.

   A knowledgeable gent sitting next to me, agreed that the cheering was fruitless because the field was simply packed with too many powerful riders, but we forgave those hopeful (and mostly clueless) U.S. fans. This group lasted until two laps remained, but when American Tyler Ferrar launched a last-ditch attack with Belorussian Konstantin Siutsou and gained 10 seconds during the final lap, the crowd was absolutely losing it! My new friend and I knew, with Tyler being more of a sprinter, that the hilly finish would be his undoing, but we hoped he would at least reach the park in front so that he could hear the roar of the crowd.

   Alas, it was not to be, as the favorites were now near the front, driving the pace and looking to rip into the cobbled climb and shed the pretenders. Tyler was caught about a half mile from the park and was quickly spit out the back as Czech powerhouse Zdenek Stybar led the pack over Libby Hill for the last time. The stretched out peloton came together on the decent back into the city center, but Peter Sagan made a vicious move over the nineteen percent climb up 23^rd Street and used his superior bike handling skills to weave down the backside of that ascent to build a gap that he hoped to maintain on the long finishing grind up Governor Street to the finish line on Broad.

   Even the casual cycling fan knew of Peter Sagan from watching the Tour de France, and the Slovakian star’s frustrating string of runner-up places over the past two years. When the crowd realized who was leading the race up the final climb, the noise began to build, and as I looked around, people were jumping up and down, chanting his name in an attempt to will Peter on to victory.

   As he finally crossed the finish line, Sagan’s rather subdued celebration seemed to say, “THIS is what I can do – and it’s about time!” The crowd on Libby Hill laughed as we watched him toss his helmet and glasses to fans on Broad Street and then walk back through the remainder of the peloton to greet those still crossing the line.

   It was a heart-warming moment to see so many rivals shaking his hand or patting him on the back, enthusiastically congratulating Peter on this long-overdue “big win”. My favorite moment was a “shame on you” finger waving from Tom Boonen with a big smile on his face to suggest how the veteran pros had all been tricked by the emerging star’s powerful late move.

   I always find it unnecessary to rush back to the car, just to sit in traffic, so I hung around the quickly-emptying park to watch the podium ceremony.

Spiffing Up the Joint

   It’s funny, now that both of my sons have graduated from the Royersford School for Misfit Boys (our unofficial homeschool title), and I am now headmaster emeritus, I think I’ve been busier this September than any month the last three years. Not that anything I’ve been doing is as important as the education of my children, but I keep imagining how I would get all this stuff done if I was also taking a couple hours out of the day for teaching.

   The month started out rather hectic with my historical society holding a multi-day convention, and since I am the membership secretary and have the contact information at my disposal, it’s logical that I handle registrations for that event. There is really no way around the last-minute rush to gather all of the sign-in materials and create name badges for attendees after the last of the forms are collected from our post office box.

   There were (and still are) a few household projects that needed to be taken care of, none of which were going to be particularly fun in sweltering summer heat, and since the weather has been fantastic lately, I’ve kinda crammed the whole lot into the last couple weeks. Our over-110-year-old house has plenty of things that require the occasional touch-up, so I’ve been putting aside twisting Allen wrenches and screwdrivers in the basement and taken up slinging saws, hammers, sandpaper and paintbrushes outdoors.

   Working in the physical therapy appointments seemed even more important after this type of physical activity. My arthritic neck seems to be responding well, but I also suffer from something called Thoracic Outlet Syndrome (look it up yourself), which causes some numbness in my fingertips. I had been having increased symptoms during longer bike rides, but I now have a regular bunch of exercises that have kept the problems to a relative minimum. Yea! 

   Squeezing in a decent ride at least every other day is important to me, and I have managed to take some time out to work on my various bike projects, in between coats of paint drying or lines of caulk curing, etc. I have re-organized my storage in the basement, so that I can easily access the many bicycles – both my own and the one’s being assembled. While a handful of the Larimer family machines had hung from hooks up in the rafters, I had also leaned bicycles along the walls surrounding the room, which kept them out of the way for the most part, but space became limited after a couple were finished and a few more were partially complete.

   I took everything down and rehung all of the bikes, staggering them logically to save space and keep them all in a “non-contortionist” reach, which also wasn’t the case previously. It has been great to be able to switch bikes on the stand and work on them as parts have been delivered. It’s also nice not to have piles of parts accumulating on the bench downstairs and have multiple bikes at/nearing completion without creating an obstacle course!

   I sanded down the chain stay on the Colnago 1988 XL, which had enough evidence of chain slap to make one think a shotgun had taken target on it. My pal Bruce did an excellent job of matching up the red paint, and he supplied me with a bit of extra in order to touch up some of the smaller nicks here and there. Assembly went without a hitch, except for the right-hand Campagnolo Synchro lever, which required a bit of attention to have its indexed shifting work smoothly. Here are some photos of the bicycle:

   Since I had a decent Shimano 105 group swapped from the Colnago, I was looking for an inexpensive, but unique frameset onto which I could mount the leftover components. During the late 1980’s, many Schwinn dealers felt that the company should add a second brand of higher-end bikes, which was a rapidly growing product category at the time. Late in the decade Schwinn started this by importing from Asia a few bikes called Prologue, and at the same time successfully expanded the use of the PDG (Paramount Design Group) name for parts, accessories and clothing.
   In 1990, Schwinn committed to importing a line of complete bikes, both road an off-road, under the Paramount name, all of which had the “Series” designation. I found this lugged Series 2 frame in beautiful condition, with only some wheel rub on the inside of the chainstay and markings from a dropped chain on the outside. I had some bright red enamel in my paint box, which was a near perfect match for touch-up.

   I’ve started some assembly, but hit a bit of a snag with the headset, which required a thicker spacer. Of course all of the brake cables will be attached to the handlebars, and without a secured headset I will have to hold off on putting together that end of the bike. Planning ahead, I knew that I would have to figure out the internal cable routing through the toptube.
   In the past I’ve used a powerful magnet to guide a cable end through carbon fiber or aluminum frames, but because this frame is steel, I knew that option wasn’t going to be effective. Several attempts from either direction to carefully feed a leftover cable through were ineffective, each time feeling the cable “bottom out” when it missed the opposite exit port and hit the end of the top tube.
   I then hit upon the idea to use a small, lighter powered magnet from a bicycle computer, placed on top of the exit port, hoping to magnetize a small area and draw the cable that direction. Bingo – results! I estimated the needed length of cable housing, with a few extra inches to be safe, slipped it onto my feeder cable and pulled it through the frame. Now all I will have to do, after I eventually mount the handlebars, is hook up the brake cable to the lever and slip it back through the housing to the rear calipers.

   Considering that it was better to finish the projects that needed less work to complete and have them ready for sale, I had put off the two Pinarello projects a bit. Now that the Gran Turismo is in Bruce’s capable hands for some touch-up to the pitted top tube, I will focus on the blue (seems I lately have an overstock of red bicycles) Vuelta frame. I have nearly all of the parts ready for assembly, but the downtube decals definitely need some attention. I’ve read that a solution called MicroSol, used by hobbyists to soften decals and make them more easily conform to molded details on plastic models, will loosen up Pinarello decals for easier removal – most importantly, without damaging the paint!
   I also received a tip that the “shadow” of the decal letters left behind in the clearcoat can be smoothed out by applying a product called Meguiar’s ScratchX, an automotive compound used to rub out small scratches and blemishes. I used a bit to clean up the Giant bicycle I assembled a few weeks ago and was happy with the results, so I’m hoping for similar success on the Pinarello.

   I’m heading down to Richmond this weekend to view the World Championship road race. I’m planning on hanging out on the cobbled climb through Libby Hill Park. There is supposed to be a “Fan Zone” there with a huge video display, so that we won’t miss any of the action when Valverde, Nibali, Sagan, etc. battle for the rainbow jersey! Expect a full report next time.

At the Movies - Part Two

One of my early blog entries detailed some cycling movie favorites (click here to view), and since I’ve recently seen a few really good films about the sport, mostly via Netflix, I thought I would share.

The Triplets of Belleville – This animated film is quite different from the rest on this list and was a bit of a surprise as I was watching, since I had no idea beforehand that the plot involved cycling. I had previously seen Sylvain Cholet’s 2010 Academy Award nominated feature The Illusionist and had really enjoyed it. I found out that this earlier film had also been nominated and put in on my Netflix list.

   The story centers on a boy who dreams of winning the Tour de France and trains his whole life to become a champion – strangely that is the boy’s name, Champion. Raised by his grandmother, who also serves as his trainer, the boy is eventually kidnapped by the French mafia for gambling purposes. Grandma eventually tracks down his captors and is assisted in the rescue mission by a trio of elderly music hall singing sisters who work at the restaurant in which the mafia boss is dining.

   There is very little dialog, and it is really unnecessary – proven by the fact that I don’t know French and thoroughly enjoyed the film. The animation is offbeat, with most characters displaying strange body proportions and distorted facial features. The background scenery has whimsical architecture or exaggerated landscape details, which ensure that the film is always visually interesting.

Rough Ride – A very recent viewing, the film is a documentary version of the book of the same title, written by Irish sports journalist Paul Kimmage, who was himself a pro cyclist during the 1980s. Kimmage dropped out of the pro peloton because of frustration from competing with/against doping athletes. His book exposed the widespread use of PEDs (performance enhancing drugs) and cost the author many friendships within the sport.

   Lifelong friend Stephen Roche, winner of the 1987 “triple crown” (Tour de France, Giro d’Italia and Road Race World Championship) and former colleagues saw Kimmage’s actions as a betrayal to the sport, in which there had always been an omerta, or  code of silence, about drug use. Kimmage points out that he was not trying to single out individuals for prosecution, he wanted to expose the misuse of drugs and prevent young athletes from killing themselves for a sport that he loves and wants to see become a clean completion.

   Kimmage later becomes a part of the process to expose Lance Armstrong and follows up with an investigation into the corrupt practices by former UCI officials to hide the actions of the American cyclist. 

Slaying the Badger – This ESPN “30 for 30” feature examines the rivalry between Greg Lemond, now the first and only American Tour de France champion, and teammate Bernard Hinault, a five-time Tour winner himself. A brutal competitor, the Frenchman known as “The Badger” had promised to support Lemond in his quest for his first Tour win, only to have a change of heart when victory was within his own grasp.   

   Through interviews with Greg and his wife Cathy, Hinault, journalists, and former members of the La Vie Claire team, it is obvious that even today, a bit of tension is still there between two of the greatest cyclist the sport has ever seen. The documentary highlights the time period in which I, along with millions of Americans, was first exposed to pro cycling and grew to love it!

Stop At Nothing – The opening two segments of this film set the tone, one of which shows an arrogant Armstrong vehemently perjuring himself in a deposition, the other in which he is blowing a taunting kiss at the peloton, having “beaten” them only by making a behind-the-scenes deal to let him win the race.

   While I certainly enjoyed an earlier release on the subject, The Armstrong Lie, this documentary has updated information about the depths to which the disgraced cycling star sank to cheat, lie, and bully others into aiding the cover-up of his deeds. This version of the story is aided by an Academy Award-winning production team (One Day in September) and acclaimed director Alex Holmes, who effectively weave facts and footage with commentary by those who were close to the events, many who had become targets of Armstrong in an effort to discredit their testimony.

   As I watched the film I found myself constantly shaking my head in disbelief, not only that someone could so stubbornly profess innocence, but that so many people wanted to believe Armstrong was clean, no matter how much information began to pile up against the multiple Tour de France “winner”. I can honestly say I never really liked the Texan, but for the sake of the sport and those who looked up to him as a cancer survivor and supporter of those in the fight against the disease, I was holding out hope that this was some type of conspiracy against the American.

   It is amazing how the pro cycling scene has changed, with very few athletes able to enjoy their victories without a cloud of doubt, questions and accusations about performance-enhancing drugs. While Armstrong was just one cyclist in a sport-wide culture of cheating, the extent of his actions have irreparably affected the public perception of the sport.

A few more quick picks:

Hell On Wheels – a behind-the-scenes look at the Telekom pro cycling team as it competes in the 2003 Tour de France.

Bicycle Dreams – covers the 2005 edition of the brutal Race Across America, in which competitor Bob Breedlove was killed in a head-on collision with a pickup truck.

Clean Spirit - the “clean” Argos-Shimano team is followed during their successful 2013 Tour de France, during which German sprinting star Marcel Kittel took four stage victories.

Rising From Ashes – details the efforts of controversial American cycling legend Jock Boyer in his attempts to field a national cycling team in Rwanda, a country recovering from one of the World’s most devastating genocides.

Language lesson - back to school!

   As the cycling season winds down with the final Grand Tour, the Vuelta a España (or Tour of Spain or, quite simply, La Vuelta) is showing indeed how hard the Tour de France is on the body. All three finishers on the podium in Paris about a month ago are participating in this year’s Vuelta, and each appears to be suffering greatly, most likely from a buildup of fatigue, but probably also from not having a lot of time to relax when you are in public demand as a celebrity in the sport!

   Another observation from Spain is that support cars and media motorcycles are going to be more closely managed by race officials, judging by the number of accidents caused by reckless driving in this event, and really, all year long. In the last few days two riders from the same team were knocked out of La Vuelta with injuries, as Tinkoff-Saxo star Peter Sagan (photo right) and teammate Sergio Paulinho were hit by motorcycles.

   There have been a handful of occasions during race coverage when I (and the commentators, for that matter) have gasped after seeing the aggressive maneuvering of camera bikes to gain position within the peloton. Rider safety has to come first, and race organizers must get involved to give their stars room to pedal comfortably and confidently without outside interference – they are already dealing with tight spaces amongst each other at very high speeds!

   An article in Cycle Sport Magazine this month discusses how, even though English is becoming the common language of the peloton, French vocabulary is still dominant in cycling jargon. Included was an interesting graphic of cycling phrases that were interwoven to roughly form a map of France. I have to admit that I didn’t have complete familiarity with all of the terms, and I was a bit disappointed that there weren’t definitions for all of the phrases within the article.

   So I am going to take on the job, and the next time you watch some Tour coverage (or any bike race) and one of these terms pops up into the commentary, you will feel like an expert!

Palmarès – think of this as a cyclist’s resume, a listing of his career results. Taking a look at Sean Kelly’s lengthy palmarès makes one wonder if there were races he didn’t win!

Directeur sportif – the team’s race coach or manager. Since one-day races and stage races have different strategies, and also because of the demands of the pro calendar and the need to split the squad in order to participate in coinciding events, many teams have several directeurs sportif. For example, Team Sky’s Nicolas Portal (photo left) handles the Tour de France squad, while Servais Knaven is in charge of the spring Classics campaign.

Soigneur (swan-YUR) – an assistant responsible for feeding, clothing, massaging, and escorting riders during races. The American 7-Eleven cycling team was the first to gain acceptance with a female soigneur as part of their organization.

Domestique – the ultimate teammate, the guy who rides back to the team car to load up with water bottles and distribute them among his colleagues or waits for the team leader when he has a problem, then helps to tow him back up to the front while the leader saves energy by drafting behind. A common role of the domestique is giving up a wheel when his team leader gets a flat, or his complete bicycle during an extreme equipment failure!

Puncheur – a cyclist good over undulating terrain, with an ability to excel on short, steep climbs. Because these riders generally do not have the spritely build of the pure climbers, their more powerful frame becomes a hindrance over the long haul. Therefore, you will seldom see elite puncheurs like Philippe Gilbert or Michal Kwiatkowski (photo right) hanging around near the front over the Alps or Pyrenees.

Rouleur – a rider who is considered a good all-arounder and can often serve as a valuable domestique, riding at the front of the pack, keeping the tempo high. A few of the most talented cyclist of this type achieve success from small breakaways near the end of races. One of the most popular rouleurs of recent years was Trek’s Jens Voigt, who could always be counted on to stir things up with an audacious attack!

Grimpeur – a pure climber of skinny and/or small stature that has a high power to weight ratio, enabling him to dance up the mountains (seemingly) effortlessly. While the strategy of putting your team on the front and keeping a high tempo has done much to negate the talents of the true “mountain goats”, when a top-level grimpeur the likes of Movistar’s Nairo Quintana is on form, there are few pro cyclists who can hang with him.

Flamme rouge – translated as “red flame”, it refers to the pennant that flies over the course at one kilometer left in the race (photo left). The situation is often heating up under the flamme rouge, as the teams jostle for the best position to unleash their sprinter towards the finish line.

Bidon (BEE-don) – the word more accurately describes the old metal water bottles, but now includes today’s plastic containers. In fact, the modern pro bidon is biodegradable, just in case fans or the post-race cleanup crew miss picking up all that have been discarded by the peloton.

                    

Musette (mew-ZET) – a lightweight cotton shoulder bag, containing food and drink given to riders in a feed zone. The bag is designed so that it can be easily taken by a moving rider, but there is a definite technique for handing off and grabbing it, so that the bag does not swing into the bicycle or pull the rider off balance. Unfortunately fatigue can work against a cyclist's attempts to make a successful musette snag, as Lotto-Soudal’s Tim Wellens found out during stage 19 of this year’s Tour (click here).

Gilet (GEE-lay) – actually translates to a waistcoat, but because of its similar appearance, it describes the sleeveless jacket or vest riders don as protection from chilly temperatures. You will often see pros zipping up such a garment at the top of mountains, just before taking on the breezy decent. A thin rain jacket is often incorrectly called a gilet by television commentators.

Chapeau – of course this is the French word for hat or cap, but this phrase is used in the manner of tipping your hat in salute of a cyclist’s achievement. “Fabian Cancellara's brutal attack with 15 km to go has resulted in another Tour of Flanders victory – chapeau!"

Lantern rouge – the competitor who finishes in last place. The term derives from railroading as a light placed on the caboose to mark the end of the train and used by the conductor to make sure none of the cars have become uncoupled. The lantern rouge at this year’s Tour de France was FDJ’s Sebastian Chavanel (photo right).