First of all, have a great and prosperous year 2008 ahead. I hope will achieve greater heights in your job, communities and in all your A races for the season. And fireworks... Boom....! (Oh, and don't forget how to open a champagne bottle!)
The last post for this year features an article (courtesy of one of my favorite websites, Composites World) describing exactly why Cannondale engineers, who have loved to work with Aluminum in the past, sought after carbon fiber in their Six 13 frame (if you'll remember, the same frame was outlawed by the UCI in 2003 for being "too light"). Some of you may be familiar with the carbon fiber "weave" found in racing frames. Well, this article looks at a new "braided" type of CF construction and the some of the decision making present behind going for this cost effective solution. Its also interesting to see the variety of suppliers who helped Cannondale realize these solutions. It is clear that many brains were at work.
Those of you who ride Cannondale bicycles, old or new, might be interested in reading the article. Eitherway, I encourage you to also take a look into a virtual factory tour of the Bedford plant. The link to the tour is in my Honeycomb on the left bottom called "Factory Tours - Cannondale (Bedford)" You'll immediately get an understanding of the flexible manufacturing system at the plant. Some other supplemental reading can be found in the "Composites/Plastics" section on the left as well. Topics such as carbon fiber production, bladder-molding process etc, are addressed there so you won't miss out on anything.
By Jared Nelson, Contributing Writer | January 2006
Over the past three decades, the manufacture of bicycle frames has advanced rapidly from an industry traditionally centered on steel to the use of extremely lightweight materials, including steel and aluminum alloys, titanium and carbon-fiber composites. Typically, frame designers have selected a single material and capitalized on its unique properties. Unlike competitors who have camped on carbon as their material of choice in high-performance models, CannondaleBicycle Corp. (Bethel, Conn.), until recently, focused on eliminating every bit of weight possible and maximizing power transfer by building all-aluminum frames. Although aluminum has a lower modulus of elasticity than steel — 68 GPa (10 x 106 psi) compared to 210 GPa (30 x 106 psi) — its effective stiffness in a tubular structure is proportional to the radius of the tube raised to the fourth power for bending and to the radius cubed for torsion. (and according to Cannondale engineers, round is the best shape for the down tube, for torsional stiffness)
Cannondale exploited these exponential relationships by designing frames with thin-walled aluminum tubes of comparatively large diameter, which optimize the frames' stiffness-to-weight ratio. The frame design has been so effective in weight reduction that the International Cyclists Union, bicycle racing's governing body, has outlawed some Cannondale frames for being too light! The design also delivers what Cannondale calls a "snappy, energetic" frame that optimizes load transfer from the pedal to the rear wheel by conserving the energy usually lost when the frame bends with the force of the rider's pedal stroke.
While the frame has pleased racing teams around the world, its greater stiffness makes for a rougher ride, which can fatigue a rider faster than a more vertically compliant frame. When a single material is used, such trade-offs are inevitable: as stiffness increases, so does performance, but rider comfort is sacrificed and vice versa. Recently, industry bike frame designers have begun to combine materials in an effort to turn this "either/or" into a "both/and," retaining the snappy feel of the all-aluminum frame while increasing rider comfort. Cannondale is claiming success with the introduction of its new hybrid six13 road frame, a combination of carbon fiber and aluminum (the elements' atomic numbers, 6 and 13, yield the frame's name).
Frame analysis
Cannondale's senior composites engineer Mike Parkin says the six13 design team adopted a philosophy of selecting materials based on what each does best. They began the design process by looking at each tube of the frame to determine where continuous carbon fiber's anisotropic properties and low density might be beneficial. While lower density would make carbon fiber useful in weight reduction, the team believed its anisotropic possibilities held the key to simultaneously increasing power transfer to the rear wheel and reducing the all-aluminum model's rough ride.
The team replaced aluminum with carbon in two areas: The top tube, which runs between the top of the steering structure to the top of the seat tube, and the down tube, which runs between the bottom of the steering column and the pedal structure at the bottom of the seat tube.
For the top tube, carbon fiber proved ideal because the tensile modulus of elasticity of carbon fiber/epoxy composites can range from 13 GPa to 520 GPa (1.9 x 106 psi to 75 x 106 psi) but its compressive modulus of elasticity ranges from 11 GPa to only 15 GPa (1.6 x 106 psi to 2.2 x 106 psi). The top tube was designed with a high percentage of 0° plies, using intermediate-modulus — 250 GPa to 325 GPa (36 x 106 to 47 x 106 psi) — unidirectional prepreg supplied by Newport Adhesives and Composites (Irvine, Calif.) The design increases frame stiffness but also improves rider comfort because the fiber is layed up so that most power transmission loads put the tube into tension while most riding loads (bumps in the road) are compressive.
The down tube, however, was the focus for the most important of the bike's "both/and" adjustments. The team realized that much could be gained by increasing torsional stiffness. Greater torsional resistance would improve the power transfer from the pedals to the rear wheel by resisting frame twist, which in the most extreme case is induced as a rider pushes down on the pedal with one foot while pulling up the handlebars.
It was determined that a tube featuring a large percentage of continuous fiber running at ±45° would effectively resist torsion without significant effect on the tube's bending stiffness. And with greater resistance to torsion and high stiffness in the top tube, Cannondale found it could use a thinner wall in the aluminum seat tube, making it more "vertically compliant." While both the top and down tubes feature plies with 0° and ±45° orientation the number of unidirectional plies varies depending on tube location and the size of the road frame.
Rather than build up the biaxial orientation in the down tube by roll wrapping plies of uni prepreg, Cannondale avoided labor-intensive layup by selecting A&P Technology's (Cincinnati, Ohio) prepregged biaxial braid made with a standard-modulus 3K carbon fiber supplied by Grafil Inc. (Sacramento, Calif.). Pam Schneider, A&P's VP of sales and marketing, explains that a braid is a system of at least three fiber tows that are intertwined so that no two are twisted around each other. Braided fiber architecture combines advantages found in filament winding and weaving. Like filament winding, a tubular braid can provide seamless fiber continuity throughout the part. Like a woven fabric, braided fibers are mechanically interlocked. Used as composite reinforcement, a braided structure forms a mechanical system that evenly and efficiently distributes load throughout the component and increases impact strength. (Biaxial braid, the most commonly used type comes in standard ±45°, but can be adapted to yield part fiber angles ranging from ±15° to ±65°.) Its helical design reportedly functions like a spring to increase the fatigue life of the part. In addition, the braid construction ensures fiber angle accuracy and consistency throughout the tube length, to optimize torsional performance and avoid localized weaknesses.
Its compressibility allows biaxial braid to expand in diameter, permitting an easy fit over a mandrel.
To assemble the tubes, the braid is telescoped (collapsed lengthwise, increasing its diameter), and easily pulls over the pre-rolled 0° unidirectional tube, much like a sock is pulled onto a foot. Once the braid is pulled over, it can be pulled from the ends to conform to the preform. The braid is engineered by A&P to fit tube dimensions precisely so that the desired fiber angle will be achieved once it is pulled into place on the preform. Assuming the diameter of each preform is the same, the resulting fiber angle will be the same.
The secret is in the sauce
To permit this kind of flexibility and conformability in a prepregged braid, the tows currently must be impregnated with resin prior to braiding. The braid is manufactured from towpreg provided by Adhesive Prepregs for Composite Manufacturers (APCM, Plainfield, Conn.). Prepreg materials are typically impregnated by one of two means: a transfer coating system or a dip coating system. APCM owner Dave Young explains that transfer coating applies a film resin to each side of the fiber tows and pulls the combination through a machine that applies heat and pressure to create the prepreg. A dip coating system differs in that tows are pulled through a resin bath. APCM employs a system similar to dip coating to make towpreg, in which tow is pulled through a proprietary device that applies 42 percent (±2 percent) resin. The towpreg is then shipped to A&P for braiding.
Braiding and processing impregnated material is no easy task unless the resin exhibits certain properties. Precision of the fiber/resin ratio is crucial. If there is too much resin or the resin is too tacky, it can prevent the tows from sliding over each other, making the fiber difficult to braid and the finished braid hard to handle during layup. A release agent in the resin helps prevent the resin from sticking to itself, but if it is added in too great a quantity, it can interfere with bonding during cure and prevent the end product from achieving its potential strength. Likewise, resin that is too "boardy" makes braiding difficult because the material is too stiff. The ideal material, says Young, must be tacky enough to be malleable, but still have a low enough coefficient of friction to prevent it from adhering to itself. APCM has designed a proprietary thermosetting epoxy that exhibits the necessary properties and, when the towpreg is braided, can be processed like conventional prepreg.
Prepreg supplier Entrotech Inc. (Columbus, Ohio) is currently developing what may prove to be an alternative system for prepregging the braid. Instead of impregnating the tow prior to braiding, the company's system uses a continuous resin infusion process to impregnate already braided material with a proprietary modified thermoset epoxy resin. Jim McGuire, entrotech president, explains that the resin is highly viscous and is pressure-infused into the braid using processes awaiting patent. While this resin system may not be ideal for all end-users, it is expected to result in A&P braided prepreg with more tack and higher resin content.
Assembly and cure in one shot
Hybrid frames in the high-end bike market are typically assembled from welded metal components and cured carbon-composite tubes, which are adhesively bonded in place as a secondary process. But Cannondale has taken a different approach here as well, curing the carbon fiber tubes in place after they are assembled with the frame's aluminum components.
Uni tubes for the top and down tubes are roll wrapped using a mandrel and braid is placed. Once the tube is layed up, the mandrel is removed and an inflatable bladder is inserted. Tube ends are overwrapped with film adhesive where they will be inserted into junction tubes of the already welded aluminum components. The bike's aluminum components feature laser cut, oblong openings at each junction. The openings function as mechanical interlocks, that is, the prepreg can flow into the opening as it is compressed between the bladder and the surface of the closed mold cavity. This creates a mechanical lock that reinforces the adhesive bond.
Braid can be made from many different fiber types and can range in diameter from 0.25 inch to 24 inches (6.35 mm to 609.6 mm).
A boron fiber epoxy prepreg from Specialty Materials Inc. (Lowell, Mass.) is overwrapped on the top end of the down tube to reinforce the junction between it and the head tube. Parkin notes that boron fiber with its high compressive strength (about 400,000 psi) marries well with the high tensile strength of unidirectional carbon to locally reinforce this area that is highly stressed in compression. The entire assembly is then placed into a modular closed mold, the bladder is inflated and the tubes are cured in place.
We all know and have seen professional cyclists with bent, flat backs over the aerobars or knees closer to the top tube while pedaling. The lore of aerodynamics is that drag increases as square of the velocity, so the faster you go, the double becomes the drag against you. The biggest area exposed to the wind is the cyclist himself, so the largest gains in speed are made if one minimizes or streamlines this exposed area. In mathematical terms, its called CdA.
Traditionally, aero drag area of a cyclist was measured in wind tunnels. But it has been found that the energy expenditures of operating the wind tunnels overwhelm the costs of the measurements. It is a big investment.
Ordinary folks (or extraordinary folks) sit on their saddles wondering how they can calculate/quantify this area. I have many times.
But if you want to sink your head deeper into numbers, there is a paper I discovered written by James C. Martin et. al. (from the University of Utah at Salt Lake) in 2006 describing in detail a field test that could be done by anyone with :
1. Microsoft EXCEL
2. A Power meter like PT or SRM
3. A nice stretch of road or a velodrome
4. Some knack for taking measurements and a pinch patience Aerodynamic Drag Area of Cyclists Determined With Field Based Measures can now be accessed on the peer reviewed website, SportSci.Org in the Tests and Technology Section under Biomechanics category. The results can have slight errors compared to a wind tunnel (duh) but according to the paper, they are negligible.
Along with the free paper comes the EXCEL spreadsheet that you can play with!
What I like about this method is the fact that you can immediately get an idea of all the factors that play a role in dictating CdA. And you can get the experience being a bike scientist as well..
Head over there, bike freaks. This could get slightly addictive...
Going strictly in sequence, I want to point your attention to crash # 4 and 6. The slow motion makes everything look like poetry, but it gives one an excellent chance to analyze a high speed crash. Crash 4 involves a direct hit on the hip area and the head, while crash # 6 has the individual somersaulting in a sideways position before he lands on another rider. Actually, wait. Its a bicycle that lands on him. Oww....ccchhh
The other crashes were no less severe, and some took blows to the head and chest. I think the slope also worsened everything in the end, making riders slip/linger away in pain inspite of their split second ordeal.
Bike racing is not funny. I hope the racers are doing fine, but fine is no word if you want to get back to racing again.
On a more peaceful note, Merry Christmas and have a fantastic new year!
Anyone who took a conventional steel frame of the 60's or 70's and compared that to a modern carbon frame will notice the beefiness of the bottom bracket area that is unique to modern era bicycles. Ofcourse, its all there for a reason.
In layman's terms, its there to decrease deflection one would say. So "every ounce" of energy would go into the road.
I'd like to put some more insight into this.
All frames, whether steel, aluminum or carbon have a certain elasticity to them. This contributes to the comfort and "liveliness" of the bike. If they didn't, one is better off riding a bicycle made of reinforced concrete. Try a century on that one! Ouch...
The external work done on an elastic member in deforming it is transformed into strain energy, or potential energy. If the member is deflected or deformed by distance y, this energy U is equal to the product of the average force, F and the deflection.
U = F.y
The above equation is general in the sense that F can also mean torque or moment.
Engineers would know where and how to find out formulas for F. This is gained through analysis of a bicycle bottom bracket. They draw free body diagrams, and pinpoint to the nature of the force(s), and the sites of loading.
But in general, when those engineers come out with equations for U, it is generally found that U is inversely proportional to a product of modulus of elasticity, and some form of area (in cases of torsion, there is a polar moment of inertia term). This modulus, a number characteristic of the material under consideration, is what is known as "stiffness"in layman's terms.
So, if 1 is inversely proportional to 2 (just to make things simple), a greater amount of 2 will lead to a lesser amount of 1.
Or, the development of high stress in the bottom bracket area of a bicycle with low modulus of elasticity and a low area or volume leads to a higher amount of strain energy storage. Do the opposite, and you have lesser strain energy storage.
Conservation of energy has it that energy created = energy destroyed. So this stored energy has to be released in some way when the loading is taken off. Some folks say all of that energy goes the drivetrain. Some say the frame springs back to its initial position. Others don't defend that theory and say most of it is converted to reactions in the muscles and heat and what not. These are the same ones who will complain about wet noodle like bottom brackets, and attribute to it losses of (outrageous!) 2-3 mph on their favorite climbs.
But the bottomline is, why do you want to bother yourself with all that if you can make a beefier, and stiffer bottom bracket through good design and appropriate material selection? The bottom bracket is then a more rigid point for pedal force delivery, and so, every "ounce" of energy can appropriately go to the tarmac.
Cool?
Interestingly, what bike companies don't tell you is that these numbers are very small. C'mon, we all know Keirin racers still use "flexy" steel and Merckx won most of his campaigns on the age old metal as well.
Hence, someone is making money off you. Otherwise they'd shut down and there'd be nothing new in the area of racing bicycles.
What do all three have in common, you ask? Nothing really, except for the fact that I am writing my first post from Dubai.
DUBAI
I managed to save a little time for some thoughts. Dubai is an extra ordinary city developing at a break neck speed. I have been here many times before, but the incredible night time urbanism couldn't be more rightly exposed to me on any other occasion than during the time I was on my aircraft bound to the Dubai International Airport.
I could see the tower, with its share of cranes and night time construction lights and it already looked like a mammoth in the sky , making the rest of the infrastructure around seem like small pieces from a child's Lego set. The new hub of the future of Dubai will be right here, at the Burj and commercial and high status residential life will radiate outwards from this central location. I amazed myself at the fact that this tower is more than 10 km tall, and grinned at the idea of jumping into a construction worker's uniform and illegally hopping onto a makeshift elevator to get some high altitude adaptation going into my cardiovascular system. (Just think of those numerous poor Indian and Pakistani workers making this dream come true for the Arabs, hundreds of storeys high in the air, putting one concrete block over another.)
People who have been here will say that in a few years, post modern Dubai (which was simply a desert some 30-40 years ago) with its sprawling city life, massive skyscrapers and some of the biggest shopping complexes in the universe will easily put the best cities any where in the world to shame. Where in the world does all this money come from? Much of the answer probably lies in all the foreign investment and tourism money being poured into this strategically well placed region. The saying here is that if you pull the expatriates out of area (which should be more than the local population), the city's economy might probably collapse.
Dubai, as someone aptly put it, is really one vast construction site. And it just doesn't build. It builds world records. The costs are many. It is expanding so fast that increasing living costs, traffic jams, environmental damage and the rich-poor divide is the order of the day. Whether all this is leading somewhere worth it, or to complete collapse, I don't know. All I can say is that the story of Dubai will be a different one in your urban development case study class.
Bike Tech Review have been a decent party at testing bike products and you will come out more enlightened technically after reading some of their testing work. I will add this link to the Honeycomb on the left.
Thats a suitable body adaptation after hundreds of years in the mountains.
Quick side thought. That must be awesome for a cyclist from Tibet! And do Tour riders use Nitric Acid supplementation in any way or form? Is that considered illegal? I know many body builders swear by it.
I like to fantasize about putting people from different regions and races on bicycles. I'm certain of the fact that there are hundreds of people physiologically different and suited for endurance events like a pro level international stage race. In my last post, I hinted at my belief that with proper training, an East African could easily outwit someone like Tom Boonen at the line. Seriously, if I were the manager of a pro level team, I would choose my boys carefully from hitherto unknown parts of the world to make them champs. However, I don't believe in a vague term like genes. I like to use the term adaptation.
Before I start, I'd like to inform my valuable readers that to avoid the teeth chattering cold here in Buffalo, NY, the bee is taking a trip to the warm sands of Dubai on the Arabian Gulf. I'll be there for 2 weeks so if I do get the time to post, I will. I think it'll mainly be a time to get my mind off to other things. So happy holidays in advance!
Another reason I like the design is that it features a complete 360 degree faced entry. And the cleat on the shoe can engage at whatever site through a circular gap made by pushing open the two engagement components (110 and 112) apart through the force of the feet via the cleat.
Perhaps that was the idea the inventor thought would do justice to mentioning the fact that it is a truly "no look" entry pedal. The title on the application itself is named
"Quick entry clipless bicycle pedal"
A third reason I like the design is that due to the unconstrained sitting of the cleat in the gap, there is a freedom (limited but still there) for lateral movement of the feet, or what is called float.
Fourth reason is that the designer dreamed up the idea of using Titanium for the spindle and pedal. Ooo.. nice. What you essentially end up doing is making an already lightweight pedal (due to low number of parts) even lighter, so much so that it tips the scales like no other pedal has done before it. Its marketed weight becomes 99 g per pedal and weight weenies all over the world go nuts when the item is brought out. The costs for precision machining the Titanium bumps up the overall price of the pedal to 200, maybe 300 dollars. Do I like the cost? A little maybe. With the exotic nature and mystery some forms of utter "bling bling" products bring with them, you quietly savor the costs and believe it to be part of that certain beauty and mystery. You then dream up of a million ways in the world on how you can attain this holy grail of lightness that will put any Italian mobster to shame.
Now comes what I don't like about the design. I don't mean to be a snob. These are what I genuinely dislike.
1. Plastic bearings, plastic end screw (132). Durable? Not happening. If you're going to ride this thing every day for 30-50 miles, consider maybe 6-10 months before you throw the bearings out and replace it with new ones. This "engineered polymer", as it said on my product sheet couldn't withstand the ends of my Allen keys and soon I had a great looking pedal with eaten end screws, like as if the cookie monster had just nibbled at the ends.
2. This whole float thing was looking weird to me. It wasn't giving exactly what I wanted and at times, where was more float than I really wanted which was bothering me. The float is a byproduct of the design and I don't think there wasn't enough thought put into fine tuning it.
3. The attachment itself! Boy, you have got to love it when they tell you its a 360 degree truly "no look" pedal. If you give me a speed play or a Look Keo, I wouldn't have to worry too much about learning how to ride on it. 1 or maybe 2 days of constant practice and I'll have the engagement right. However, with the Orb's , I thought studying engineering thermodynamics was far easier than learning how to engage and disengage. I would constantly have it wrong, sometimes I thought I was in but wasn't, sometimes I was pushing too hard with little outcome. I know it takes a certain time to break into a product like this, but through out my experience riding the pedals, it never became a truly "no look" quick entry pedal for me. In the end, the decision was to use such a nice thing like this only on training rides because I didn't want to risk wasting time engaging and disengaging when I could spent that time taking my position in a race. That, I thought, was a shame.
4. If you compare a Shimano SPD or a SpeedPlay with an M2 Racer, the surface area on the cleat-engagement piece was barely that of an ant. It was as if you were pushing and lifting via a needle. I remember having rode the hills so much on it that my left knee started to hurt. And when a 20 year old's knee starts to hurt, its pretty BAD! I constantly drink milk and lift weights with my legs. There's enough bone density in there...
5. Another reason to reconsider the pedals was the numerous times I would accidentally disengage on some 3% climbs in my area. This was not at all fun when I was training, as my right leg would suddenly disengage and dangle outwards. Safety, not very much. Part of the problem could be the fact that I never really knew how much float it really had. My feet was going all over the place. Why should a rider really be completely bothered about containing his feet movement. The pedal-cleat system should have all that worked out.
6. Finally, disengaging the pedal was an art you would have to master to get off this thing. The extreme angles your feet would have to attain to twist out of this mechanism didn't feel good on my knees again.
Hate to be snobbish, but again. I love the design for what it is. But again, Mr. Menayan didn't get it right all the way. Granted that he and his dad brought out more amazing products over the next couple of months and years, but whether the downward trend of M2 Racer's Orb pedals was a factor in the company's shut down in 2006, I do not know. That was a shame as well, for a brilliant company that M2 Racer was. A few months ago, they had a partly functioning website. Now, they have nothing.
All I know is that all engineering desigs will fail at some point. This is why the design stage has to be so important. A careful design saves you money in the long run. Through analysis and study of failures, modern engineering designers can learn what not to do and how to create designs with less of a chance of failure.
P.S : Allow me to speculate on the origins of the name, "M2Racer". The inventor, Jesse and his father Victor (a mechanical engineer by profession) both had last names that went by Menayan. The "M" probably came from Menayan and the "2", due to the fact that it was just the two of them against the others in a jungle of harsh competition in the world of the racing bicycle.
Its easy to generalize genetic foundation with the foundations of a building.
I find it laughable. The way structures work have been analyzed inside out. Its relatively EASY for qualified people to work out through equations and computer analysis and tests what not.
The human body is immensely COMPLEX.
So complex that even the top medical experts like gene scientists don't know for sure which gene codes for superior sporting performance.
So when these people have no accurate information, I don't understand why the rest of us below should be coming up with generalizations that genes overpower any training effects. We still don't know what sport worthy genetic material is.
3. Height may be certainly genetic, and so would one have a weight corresponding to height but there are lifestyle factors that influence what weight you have. A 400 lb person can lose 200 pounds if he really puts his mind to it. We hear about extra ordinary stories like this. How did he get there in the first place? Were his parents obese? Maybe, but is that a definite conclusion? On another extreme, why are Kenyans skinny? Check out how they live. World champs with different lives, very simple ones.
So I don't think there is a magical weight figure tied permanently to anyone.
4. How do you attain 400 watts of power. Certainly with training right? A new Cat 5 racer probably will not put that much power on a climb, a seasoned veteran will.
Pros that line up the tour probably have very systematic, scientific training methods. Its not something that they jote down the night before in their training diaries and say, 'ok I'll do this and this tomorrow.'
Yet none of us question how they train. We are more likely to be comfortable reading crap from a website, or taking the advice of a coach. Far more of us train uselessly and end up with overtraining and fatigue. We don't understand rest and recovery. We don't understand how the body works.
I don't believe that sort of training will get you anywhere.
Find out how successful people train, just like you can be successful in other endeavors by learning from people in that field. Napolean Hills success books talks specifically about what people did to become successful in its case studies. Do we have a Napolean Hill for cyclists? He could be used in a way for cycling, but it probably won't do you good because he won't tell you how the successful racers train.
5. Being feather weight and able to crank 400 watts is not everything. Ask a foot ball player to do the same, and he might. But for how long?
My point is that training helps the body work more economically through stronger hearts, bigger lungs, and by managing lactate better. Lance could crank 33-34 mph for maybe an hour. Was that genetic? Maybe yes, maybe no. Who knows? Show me a scientific study on how better his body was, than say, Jan Ullrich's, by how much, and how much of that is behind his victories. (Or you may read the book From Lance to Landis : The American Doping Controversy, and dispose of all fairy tales you saw about Lance on discovery channel.)
And could he have done the same when he just got into cycling?
6. There are also many other complex factors (financial, personal, diet, family) etc that come into the equation and determine whether a person with so called "good genes" makes it at all to the pro circuit. If genetics were everything, East Africans should be massing at the start line at pro races and Boonen would be just another figure in the peleton. Oh, I'm dying to watch a scenario like this. Boonen being shamed at a sprint by a native African. Oooooo...
My point is that its easy for most of us to make a mistake with the whole genetic superiority idea. I did that last year. Until I started thinking clearly.
What I also have to advise people choosing to believe this is that its easy to limit ourselves with the "genes makes perfect" issue. I would say try different training strategies to break that Cat 2 web. What are you doing wrong? Patience and lots of time gets you where you are, nothing is achieved over the course of the night.
None of us really look at how the pro's train. The lame person watching the Tour on Versus TV doesn't have valuable information on what exactly and specifically his favorite rider did to get to where he was.
Sorry, you may think I was crying and whining about this, but I'm really not. I just lusted for my perfect Christmas gift for all time.
Training diaries of the most successful cyclists on the planet, not necessarily limited to the Pros. Pros have all the time they want and their 'office time' is actually ON the bike.
I probably won't emulate every single thing written in the diaries. I'll decide what to do with that material after getting it.
Get me their training diaries... all of them.
Bottom line : Don't limit yourself with the gene pool idea. Train smart and take rest. Genes suck. I love my mom and dad but you know what, I won't waste my time thinking genes and letting it dictate where I go. Neither should you.
Its funny, you go to all these other cycling blogs and the authors tell you want they want for Christmas.
You know what I want for Christmas?
Not that ultra high modulus carbon fiber bike I saw on Colnago's website.
No, not that 15 g bottle cage, or Magnesium hoops. or 10 pairs of Assos or the Ti-Boron skewers or a library's worth of books and dvd's of all the past year's Classics from Paris-Nice to the race of the falling leaves.
Maybe its slightly shocking. Maybe you've never thought of it.
But here is what I want.
All I want is a carton full of training diaries of some of the best cyclists of all time , Eddy Merckx, Fausto Coppi (he probably just drank the whole time, rather than writing a diary), Lance Armstrong (fingers crossed), Gino Bartali, Tom Boonen, Robbie Mceven, Rasmussen, Contador, George Hincapie, Nicole Cooke etc etc etc etc.
I'm getting a little wild with that, but my point is this : I, as a learner, as a student of cycling as my blog claims, want to know how exactly, word to word, specifically-to-the-point, the riders whose faces we have all memorized train. What have they done since the beginning of their careers, or from the time they took to serious cycling at all. Are their any common threads that unite them?
A side thought is this. An average Joe sitting and watching the Tour on Versus TV or scavenging the archives of PezCycling News will hardly ever come up with any useful material that he can apply. I'm talking about how pro's train.
Instead, most of us are far more prone to be ENTERTAINED with a top cyclists's career, or that unimaginable win. Lance Armstrong, Eddy Merckx, Pantani etc, legends in their own rights, have become just simple personalities for us. We call them gods or angels or whatever, which is totally crap for me because I don't think they are fit in any sense to be called god, and I hate this whole manmade idea of a god, just another form of idol worship. Anyway, so why are they gods? Because their unreachable, you can't touch them, neither can anyone else. Their strength on the Alpine hills or those pancake flat stretches of French country side that perfectly suits a breakaway is simply unimaginable. We can't be like them.
So we simply watch them on TV or read about them in books. We look at them and say, Oh, he was the greatest, he was the strongest, he could win a race on empty stomach with a bed head right after waking up.
"If you give Eddy Merckx a bicycle in this position, he'll still win. Genes!"
Which is not really bad. I get crazy when as a result of this hero worship, people bring another, much LESS understood topic into the picture.
Genes!
Yes, haven't we all at some point stepped up and said, Oh you know what, he rides like that because of his genes. I don't have it so I can't be like him, or win races like he does. Some coaches also bring this idea up frequently instead of focusing on motivating their riders.
Not really true in its full sense. What really happens is that the average joe's start discussing this among themselves and this idea that genes are needed to win races becomes sing song. These people then tend to believe that even strength vs weight ratio is genetic. As much as I like the idea that certain people are better on the bike than others, I find this whole "genetics is greater than any effort you put" idea totally biased and over simplistic. These people see everything in a black and white paradigm. They say they can't get that elusive victory because they don't have the right genes. They are not meant for it and yada yada yada.
I have a few points to make here. Read on if you're interested and if someone wants to challenge me, go ahead. Read Part 2.
Being an engineering student, time is a resource I would die to get more of. Having said that, when going to the gym, all I want to look for is some of the best and most efficient exercises that will get my job done, without spending unnecessary time. What job? In an earlier post, I talked about the muscles a cyclist uses to pedal. And what is a more beautiful exercise to build up those muscles than the age old classic squat. Simply a king among exercises, it is especially nice for cyclists because :
1. It is inherently a compound exercise, bringing into play a number of big and important muscle groups such as those on the lower back, knee and thighs. Without any external form of support, your stabilizers and your core get a real workout. Especially those glutes man! Think about it, chimpanzees have underdeveloped gluteal muscles. Do you want to look like a bike racer or a chimpanzee?
The efficacy of squats in the rest room and during birth (classic style) have also been observed.
The squat is a top exercise to do during the strength phase of the periodization cycle. What I typically do is to select a weight I can lift 15-20 reps on (40-60% 1 Rep Max) and then do 2-3 reps, controlling my form, breathing and my speed of movement the whole time. I visualize how I ride my bike then, how my thighs move through the range of motion while pedaling and try and imitate that same form.
Toward the end of the strength phase, I'll bring the weights up by 20-30% to favor adaptation. Then I'll plan on doing higher intensity workouts on my bike after that to put that gained strength into actual application.
With all this said, I simply think the squat is becoming a forgotten exercise. I also feel this simple movement is becoming extinct in our daily activities. Since the marketing of the most comfortable chairs, the European toilet bowl/seat system, and other technological unnecessities to make one perform lesser and lesser work by the day, the squat is slowly being flushed down the toilet (excuse the pun). We are becoming more lazier and our bodies are turning into a rigid and stubborn package of muscle and bone.
Now we have the luxury of performing this only in the setting of a gym.
While you zoom in and read (using an image viewer), pay attention to the orange highlighted text at the bottom of the second page on how to create a BLOCK
Interesting article (I actually had my mouth open the whole time) on the President's cycling greediness. Man! Two bikes worth 8000 dollars, with custom colors, a 2 grand stationary bike from Saris, and lots of free goodies from Cannondale and Trek. Looks like the companies have been out to please him. Oh well, he's the big man after all. (The part where it says he has turned into a "high tech" gear head almost made me spill the water I was drinking.) The fact that now not only the pros but also Mr. Bush endorses Cannondale will have amateur cyclists flocking outside bike stores from far and wide.
On a serious note, I'd like to reason that he gained some (probably very little) of his lost political sensibilities after having started to ride a bike! And that's totally constitutional. Finallyyy...! The man has been so disgraced in the past (Bush supporters bear with me) that a simple freedom like riding a bike on a "mountain" might convince him he REALLY can kick some butt, unlike what his adversaries think.
The Associated Press Thursday, November 23, 2006; 2:37 PM
WASHINGTON -- Swapping his running shoes for bicycle pedals, President Bush bid adieu to painful runner's knees and transformed himself into a devoted mountain biker _ and high-tech gearhead.
Even with elections looming, the cyclist-in-chief made time earlier this month for his ritual mountain biking on weekends. He changed into biking clothes and muddied up his newest ultra-pricey mountain bike given him by a manufacturer, a $5,000 Cannondale with a custom red, white and blue paint job. The 2007 model was put in his hands even before it had been shipped to stores.
Such a passion it is: he also went biking Thursday while spending the Thanksgiving holiday at his mountaintop retreat in Camp David, Md.
"He's an avid rider, a fanatic," said Matt Mannelly, president of Bethel, Conn.-based Cannondale, who hadn't publicized but confirmed what he called an unsolicited gift to Bush a month ago. "We also made it very clear we wouldn't do anything to market this. To give it to someone like the president, who's actually going to use it a lot, means a lot to us."
Bush already has two Trek mountain bikes, one worth $5,500, the other $2,700.
The president likes super lightweight carbon frames, trail-absorbing shocks front and back, a light but supportive seat, top Japanese components and special paint jobs. But they are essentially stock bikes, similar to what ordinary buyers can get.
The president's thoughts drifted to his newest bike on the campaign trail. Maybe it was a calorie-conscious moment at a local farmer's ice cream store in Pennsylvania, or the anticipation of busting his lungs on an expensive new machine over rocky ruts. Whatever the impulse, Bush said he'd gotten a new bike and was looking forward to riding it.
Rolling around the dirt track at a Secret Service facility in suburban Beltsville, Md., Bush tried out the Cannondale but also brought along one of his "old" mountain bikes _ a 2006 Trek painted up like Air Force One.
The Trek has "United States of America" painted in white letters across the blue top tube, and a 2-inch presidential seal affixed to both sides of the head tube. Revolution Cycles, a local chain of stores, maintains the bike and owns an identical backup that it keeps ready for Bush.
"It's kind of like the backup space shuttle," said Darrin Misiera, a manager of the stores.
None of Bush's mountain bikes, in fact, is very old. His other Trek is a 2005 model.
The stores' president, Mike Hamannwright, fitted Bush with his Trek bikes and has ridden with him. Co-owner Santiago "Pinkey" Gonzalez doubles as the president's bike mechanic.
The Trek bikes came courtesy of John Burke, president of Waterloo, Wis.-based Trek Bicycle Corp., who also chairs the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports.
Bush reported the bikes on his financial disclosure forms the past two years. He also got a $1,700 indoor cycling trainer from Saris Cycling Group president Chris Fortune, two pairs of cycling shoes from Rob Teskey of Trek Nike Cycling Division, and three helmets, at least four pairs of riding gloves and other cycling equipment worth $532 from Burke.
White House spokeswoman Emily Lawrimore said the president "is in full compliance with federal laws governing the acceptance of gifts." Those laws say presidents and their spouses must list on financial disclosure forms any gifts from constituents worth $305 or more. Often the gifts wind up in presidential libraries.
It was only three years ago that Bush took up cycling after a painful knee forced him to cut back on jogging. At 60, he is an exceptionally fit rider who likes to go hard, always at the head of a small pack of other riders.
Most of his cycling is at Beltsville. But he also bikes occasionally at the Marine base at Quantico, Va., Camp David at Catoctin Mountain Park and at his ranch at Crawford, Texas. He also sneaks in rides during presidential trips.
Misiera said he has turned down offers from collectors of up to $21,000 for his store's spare presidential bike.
"We could probably get $25,000 for it on eBay," he said. "But of course we can't sell it. It has the seal of the President of the United States."
Dan Schmalz and Andy Shen are the creators of this super crazy cycling comic series called As the Toto Turns. The elusive directory for the strips are located here. I will add this to the HoneyComb on the left as well.
You know what'll be a really nice idea, Andy? Why not publish a pro cycling graphic novel? That'll be a nice addition to the fiction shelves after Greg Moody and Dave Shields.
There is a science behind the obvious thing that cyclists don't need to be as thin as runners to be successful. Power to weight ratio is the magic figure. Its everything. While reading this article, I once again started thinking about what my ideal weight would be as a cyclist. Striking that perfect balance between too lightweight, or flyweight to climb those long hills, and being bulky with huge legs that will haul one on the flats and down hills is not so easy and I guess much of what you know comes from experience. For example, last season, I was pretty good on some climbs in the area but I found my flat road power going down. Next season is the time to bridge those gaps and strike a perfect chord weight wise. I need to put on more muscle.
The Bicycling Paradox: Fit Doesn’t Have to Mean Thin
Andy Hampsten, the former pro cyclist, the only American ever to win the Tour of Italy, the first American ever to win the grueling Alpe d’Huez stage of the Tour de France, does his best to discourage casual riders from signing up for the cycling trips he leads in Tuscany.
“All of our trips are designed to satisfy experienced riders,” Mr. Hampsten writes on his Web site. To train, he suggests, “you should ride at least 100 miles a week for at least 6 to 10 weeks” on routes with “as many hills as you can find.”
So I had an image of what our fellow cyclists would look like when my husband, son and I arrived in Castagneto Carducci for a cycling vacation. They would look like Mr. Hampsten, who at age 45 remains boyishly thin and agile, bouncing with energy.
I was wrong. For the most part, our group consisted of ordinary-looking, mostly middle-age men and a few middle-age women.
These were serious cyclists. One of them was Bob Eastaugh, a 63-year-old justice on the Alaska Supreme Court who said he rode mostly to stay in shape for his true passion, downhill ski racing.
And our trip was challenging. The longest hill was 15 miles, the steepest had a 15 percent grade, the longest one-day ride was 90 miles, and the terrain was never, ever flat. It is hard to imagine that a group of middle-age adults could have handled an equivalently difficult 10 days of running. What, I wondered, made bicycling different?
It turns out that others, too, have been struck by the paradox of bicycling fitness.
“When I first got into cycling, I would see cyclists and say, ‘O.K., that’s not what I perceive a cyclist to be,’ ” said Michael Berry, an exercise physiologist at Wake Forest University. Dr. Berry had been a competitive runner, and he thought good cyclists would look like good runners — rail-thin and young.
But, Dr. Berry added, “I quickly learned that when I was riding with someone with a 36-inch waist, I could be looking at the back of their waist when they rode away from me.”
He came to realize, he said, that cycling is a lot more forgiving of body type and age than running. The best cyclists going up hills are those with the best weight-to-strength ratio, which generally means being thin and strong. But heavier cyclists go faster downhill. And being light does not help much on flat roads.
James Hagberg, a kinesiology professor at the University of Maryland, explains that the difference between running on a flat road and cycling on a flat road has to do with the movement of the athlete’s center of gravity.
“In running, when you see someone who is obviously overweight, they will be in trouble,” Dr. Hagberg said. “The more you weigh, the more the center of gravity moves and the more energy it costs. But in cycling, there are different aerodynamics — your center of gravity is not moving up and down.”
The difference between cycling and running is like the difference between moving forward on a pogo stick and rolling along on wheels. And that is why Robert Fitts, an exercise physiologist at Marquette University who was a competitive runner, once said good runners run so smoothly they can almost balance an apple on their heads.
Even Mr. Hampsten has been surprised by the cycling paradox. He recalls a woman from San Diego who went on one of his trips. “She was quite overweight,” he said, and even though she claimed to be an experienced cyclist, he worried that she would have trouble keeping up with the group. He was wrong.
“She rode so well,” Mr. Hampsten said. “Her cadence was very efficient. I was just amazed and delighted.”
As for the effects of aging, serious recreational cyclists do slow down, but they are not penalized as much as runners by the passing of years, Dr. Hagberg said. It’s because cycling, while grueling, is not as demanding as running.
“The best example of that, in a bizarre way, is the Tour de France,” Dr. Hagberg said. “What runner could go out six hours a day for three weeks and not be totally trashed after a day or two? That’s a microcosm of the aging issue.”
Still, even the best serious recreational cyclist is almost a different species from a professional rider. How much faster, our touring group asked Mr. Hampsten, would a professional rider go up that 15 percent grade during a race? About twice as fast as the fastest in our group, he replied.
And how about recovery after racing? Mr. Hampsten used to compete in 100 races a year, including the Tour de France, and he would recover by going for a long, relaxed ride. It sometimes took him three hours of cycling to warm up after a hard race. Then he’d continue for another two hours.
But recovery does become a limiting factor for professional cyclists, Mr. Hampsten said. It’s why most professional riders can no longer win long, multiday races after age 32.
“It’s almost eerie that at 32 years, you stop winning,” Mr. Hampsten said. “The endurance seems to stay, but recuperation doesn’t come around.”
When Mr. Hampsten retired, he was 34, “and I hadn’t won a race in two years.”
Now, he estimates, he is 80 percent as fit as he used to be.
But 80 percent for Andy Hampsten is still impressive. As soon as our cycling tour ended, he headed out on a fast ride that included a long hill to the town of Suvereto, taking a road with 187 switchback turns.
Here's is a good article that talks about the manufacturing practices of TREK bicycle corporation, particularly that for making and cutting the complex shapes found in TREK frames.
For example, TREK uses multi-axis laser cutting for its frames, and all cutting along contours are preprogrammed and managed by a software. The flexibility offered by the software and the time reductions help TREK to make changes to their design and implement those changes quickly. Lead times are less. Today's machines are very complex and able to do a lot of things that in the past required multiple machines. Examples are 5 axis milling and turning centers that comprise of a variety of tools and changes between tools are quite quick. These machines enable companies to come up with the complex shapes we see in some of the designs out there, far more quickly and accurately than before. They save costs in molds, scraps and other painstaking setups to get the work done right.
I've always been interested in studying how such a high volume company manages its operations. While there are plenty of sites out there offering pictures of TREK factory tours, none really talk about the layout of the factory, how frames are cut, what machines, CAD/CAM, and automation techniques are used, how many frames are made in a day, week etc. I'll be keeping an eye out for these. Manufacturing practices of big bicycle companies are quite relevant to this blog. Its aids in my own study of flexible and automated manufacturing practices in today's world.
Few of us really appreciate the engineering going on behind top end frames. I'm not going to be one of them.
With the goal of “Building the Best Bicycles in the World,” a Wisconsin operation employs a powerful CAM program to precisely cut high-end alloy and carbon fiber composites with a multi-axis laser.
Trek Bicycle Corp. (Waterloo, WI) produces bike frames at the rate of about 300 metal –aluminum, titanium or steel – frames a day, and nearly that number in carbon fiber. The frames are then sent to another plant for assembly into a bicycle.
Last year, 13 new models were designed and produced in titanium, steel or aluminum metal with an average of seven different sizes of each. Product life is usually only about two years before one model is replaced with a new one.
With this schedule, Trek manufacturing engineers face at least two challenges: keep up with design changes and keep up with volume, while assuring a high quality fabrication and finish. Some of the frames are like no others, designed to minimize wind resistance, while providing proper rigidity and looking cool. These characteristics make Trek bicycles popular worldwide and the choice of Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong.
Laser Cut Tubing To accomplish their mission, Trek engineers are using Delcam (Windsor, ON) PowerMILL 5-axis version to program a multi-axis laser to cut the tubing for the high-line bicycles. PowerMILL is a world-class NC CAM software for the manufacture of complex shapes typically found in the toolmaking, automotive and aerospace industries.
Key PowerMILL features include a wide range of cutting strategies, including 5-axis cutting techniques. Exceptionally fast calculation times and powerful editing tools for the software help ensure optimum performance of the machine tool. At Trek, engineers use PowerMILL to program 4-axis laser cutting of frame tubes.
“When I first started here, we had round, oval and a few arrow-shaped tubes,” says Dean Garner, Trek manufacturing engineer, weld/frame build. “At the time, the two methods of writing laser code were an excel spreadsheet type of software for round tubes, and for oval we scanned in the profile with a CMM and calculated with a spreadsheet where we needed to be with the laser to produce the cuts required. Our previous CAM software would not handle sloped surfaces – which we were seeing more of in the frame designs. It could not help us cut a 4-dimensional spline (X-Y-Z and rotation) in our laser.”
All aluminum, steel and titanium frames manufactured in the Waterloo facility cross the laser tube-cutting machine. The challenge for manufacturing is to keep the beam normal (perpendicular) to the part surface or it will be deflected to other parts of the room – dangerous as well as ineffective.
Sloping Surface Cutting
“Even though the Z positioning of the laser is automatic to assure correct focus, we still have to follow X, Y and rotation. That’s a challenge on a sloping surface, which is the nature of the tube profiles these days,” notes Garner. “Calculating X, Y and rotation to prevent deflection of the laser is extremely important in order that the laser follows the contour of the part. If you are off just a little bit, working with 3-dimensional space, you could ruin the spline – and the material is costly. PowerMILL made it possible to cut the shaped spline to fit the joining piece with no gaps,” Garner says.
“The development of the laser cutting programming started several years ago with round tube, which was fairly simple to program,” he explains. “Now, with changing surface shapes, without a 5-axis program we would be writing the laser code one line at a time which would take about a day per tube compared to about 10 minutes with PowerMILL.”
In using CAM software to program a part, the operator chooses the application, the part number (SKU) of the frame, the size, which version, how many points around tube and other details. “Once we decide how we want to cut it, PowerMILL generates the tool path around the part without us having to do anything else,” Garner adds, noting that an especially helpful capability of the software is that it calculates the transition point between the inner spline and the outer spline, allowing Trek to manufacture a smooth interface between frame components. There are seven to 15 laser programs per frame.
Tool Path Creation
Most of the tool path calculations, which the shop would have had to do manually, the CAM program now does automatically. “All we have to do is setup the frame model in our desktop computer so PowerMILL can find the ends of the spline tube and generate a tool path for the laser,” Garner says. “Each size frame may have upwards of 15 different programs to complete it. And each frame set will have 3 – 15 sizes. And since PowerMILL breaks the tool path into pieces, we can select a section and modify or delete as needed to optimize the program and avoid having to run and revise the whole code – a major advantage with the product changes we normally see.
“Once the tool paths are created, we can post that code to a program for a laser. Once posted, it shows how the laser will respond to what we have just done. If we like it, we can run that chunk of code,” Garner points out. The automated post processor added by Delcam VAR Programming Plus, Inc. (New Berlin, WI) speeds programming time, helping Trek keep programming time per tube in the 10-minute range. Some of Trek’s frame tubes would otherwise probably take about 30 minutes to program, Garner explains.
“We have been cutting tubes with the laser for the last 10 years, but PowerMILL has made it possible for Trek to design some exciting, aerodynamic shapes into the bike frames – and then to produce them quickly. Our production may only be a couple thousand of a particular type of bike in nine different sizes. It would be cost-prohibitive to tool up to mill the details in each different size.”
The CAM program is also a big help while Trek is in the validation stage and proving out a bike concept. At this point, geometry, dimensions or other specifications may change after a few test rides. “That means we in manufacturing have to go back and re-program our laser code. We sometimes may have 4 – 5 iterations before we are ready for production. But because we are holding tighter tolerances, the number of iterations is being reduced, resulting in faster time to market,” Garner advises.
Quality Fit-Ups
Today, Garner’s team programs the laser to chase some very tight corners on the new complex tube cross sections.
“With PowerMILL we are getting a much tighter fit, piece to piece, and minimal gaps, if any, which means we can hold our overall frame geometry much better. Parts normally shrink as we weld them, and with a gap, shrinkage is much more uneven or random.” Compared to its previous CAM techniques, gaps between parts before welding could have been 1 mm or more. “Today, it is rare to see a gap greater than 0.1 mm,” Garner says. The closer tolerances mean a better fit-up, which makes it easier and less time-consuming to put the frame together. A looser fit takes more time to bring together. Difficulties in fit-up may be half of what they used to be, according to Garner.
PowerMILL has played a key role in helping Trek stay ahead of the pack with quality, design and short time-to-market with some of the most sought-after bikes available. And other applications are on the horizon at the company. “We have worked out other potential uses for PowerMILL, such as making die sets for producing the carbon frames, which saves us up to $30,000 each,” Garner adds. “Now we can do them in-house with better results.” Delcam, Inc.
Guys. My final exams are around the corner so I'll be busy burning some midnight oil.
I leave you with a short opening from Giro d'Italia, the Greatest Show on Earth. I presented this to my Italian class this past week. The gravity of the carnival following the riders on the Italian streets made it a good candidate for a student given lecture on Italian sporting culture.
Its an amazing clip from the 70's, and the scenes of the riders on the switchbacks makes you want to be there in the action. Caspita! (Wow) Very cool indeed. Sorry for the abrupt ending, but this is all what the demo version of the editing software, XiliSoft, could do.
Preliminary note : I'm very grateful to all the sources of these pictures. Some of them are great photos taken by hard working people and were published in the daily cycling sources that we all commonly read, including Cycling News, Graham Watson'ssite, Pez Cycling etc. So, thank you!
Looking For A Victory Salute? Hit CTRL+F and type it in to go directly to that section.
The Lore of the Victory Salute
To all those who tried, in vain, to salute...they tried..
Few things deliver that perfect finishing touch to an election, speech, or race campaign as the simple old victory salute. I don't know when it started. We are not exactly sure when man had nothing to show at that knife's edge of a moment when he had found he had something to his credit. It has probably been here as long as he discovered that rubbing flint together made fire that lightened up his dark life. Ask the anthropologists, non lo so [I don't know].
Victory salutes can make or break the world.
Make.
Break.
It can also make you look like a fool while you break the world.
In the sport of cycling, the victory salute is the ultimate self-expression of the day. It pretty much seals the highlights of the race. We don't need to see who crashed where, how the breakaway began, how the chase unfolded, who attacked on which alpine gradient. One look at the victory salute probably tells it all. "Wow, he won?!! How on earth--" And then we have a mix of amazement - at raw human strength and sometimes the miracle of the pharmaceutical industry- and a sense of the glory and pride of achieving one's dreams.
The range of victory salutes are far and wide. Its amazing that in the hopes of etching a place forever in the minds of the Tifosi and being in the limelight at that defining moment of victory has made many folks pretty creative with a perfect combination of grace (or clumsiness), the dexterity of two limbs and 10 fingers, and two wheels and a truss known as the bicycle.
Before we even go onto the meat of this post, lets explore what is NOT a victory salute.
1) Just pull up your shorts before making any moves. Unfortunately, this guy got shot from the back instead of the front. Great. Now we have a picture of his butt. Where is the salute, monsieur?!
2) Are you a) a monkey b) a bike racer or c) both? Victory is no excuse to pull off a shoddy one.
and..
3) This is not the way to salute. Christ! A victory salute in cycling is serious business. Getting that hard earned publicity can make or break a figure from your paycheck. A victory salute is not meant to help you climb into the hall of fame of comedy.
See, there is an art in it. Its all about containing your feelings for the right moment. Amateurs can take it too soon or too late. Either can lead to disgrace. A victory salute at the beginning of the race is certainly the extreme (I've done that on a few occasions), and one 5 minutes after crossing the finish line with a bland face not knowing the you did cross the finish line is at the other end of the spectrum. In between are those painful bunch sprints where you're far more involved at edging past your opponent than thinking about your victory salute!
The picture above is an example by which you can prevent this latter scenario, by avoiding a bunch sprint altogether. Bite hard into your tongue, throw a universal amount of push onto the tarmac, shelling out 2000 watts into those poor pedals for 30-60 seconds. No train, no water bottle, no finish line, forget everything your science teacher told you about the ills of high intensity fatigue. Just DO IT!!
When the time limit is over, relax and deliver a questioning look as you glance behind the rest of the pack. "Where is everyone?!"
Having done that, you may resort to any of the below given victory salutes.
Let us begin anyway...
1. The BREAK NECK 'ONE-HANDER'
There is one keyword for the use of this salute. TIGHT FINISHES. What do you do when you're a valve stem faster than your nearest competitor but you still want to throw up your hand with the last remaining store of energy at 42 mph, to let your fans know you indeed won in this mess of a sprint finish. These type of salutes are indeed courageous acts and deserves special attention.
You can't go wrong with the "One Armed Salute". It works well in tight finishes and has a gallant look about it. Merckx pulled this off flawlessly and Miguel Indurain made it his trademark in the 1990's. [Slow Your Roll]
Robbie Hunter
2. The JUST IN TIMER (JST)
What happens when that sprint finish will put the best cameras to shame? Leave no tables unturned. It may just happen that you might have won.
Throw a salute anyway, but keep it half way down in the air. This works well with opponents who don't have time for a victory salute, and fans and sponsors who just want to see the race and don't bother to look at the overall standings of the day. What ends up happening is that you earn your fan base even though you lost, and you'll look pretty good in the media as well.
3. The SOARING ANGEL
A mountain top finish, some 4 digits of feet above sea level, is the perfect place to play this card. It acts as a metaphor of soaring into greatness. Feel the lightness of victory in thin mountain air and show your immortality.
The "Christ" is a variant of this salute.
When pacing the gradient with a teammate, a confirmatory salute can be thrown out as well for the one who crosses first.
Few cycling salutes can make a defining moment like winning a Tour, especially when you're competing with time.
It is a simple salute, with a clenched fist, like as if you have caught the race with its horns and there is no running back. No mention is made of the pain gone through while doing so, and an affirming, honest and indeed charismatic smile is thrown for the cameras.
5. The TT WIN
Many exciting cycling races are finished on the mountains. But when the competition is tight, its a battle among the best men who can race time itself.
This salute is carefully executed a few meters away from the finish line, STRICTLY in the aero position. A glance back at the time readout can be combined with the salute. What is worse than throwing a haphazard salute without confirming your win?
The TT WIN can be combined with the Tour Winner if you're on top of the GC.
If the amplitude of a victory salute is only limited by the view angle of the newspaper man's camera, a simple understanding will be reached by that racer and the camera man before the race, wherein something like this will be said :
"Dude, I want it limited, tight you understand?... keep it small. 300 x 420 pixels. This has to be sent via email to my boss..."
The result, will be something like this.
8. The PIOUS ONE
Show your reverence to the Lord. Your religiosity will be admired. Complement this by drawing a cross before the race and it will make heaven proud.
A small variant of this pose is when you have zero upper body strength to raise up your arms, and all you can do is look up at the air and ask humbly.. "Lord, what did I do to deserve this victory?!"
9. The GRACIAS a DIOS (Thanks Be To The Almighty)
The bravest victories come also with extreme exhaustion. At this point, your legs will be incapicated by massive, leg amputating cramps. As you cross the finish line with this most spectacular display of guts and glory, there's only one way to show off your biceps, while at the same time opening up the divine channels of communication for a 3 second, one to one talk with your maker. If you're confused on how to express your gratitude to Him, use any of the following. Anglican : "Thank God!". Among the crowd who cheers you on, you'll find your childhood fan, the scandalous church minister, and a couple of Deacons holding offertory plates, waiting in anticipation for your generosity.
Catholic Spanish : "Gracias a Dios!" (Note : NOT to be mistaken with the steamy porn scenes from Thalia's song. This is the holy version of it.) At this point, you may start reciting the Nicene Creed. But like all folks, the One above is a busy one. And photographers don't have all day to keep standing there under sun. So keep the word limit down, and get your act done quick.
Due to the post 9/11 world we're in now, make sure your shave your beard and not carry any rucksacks on your back, even if its your hydration bag. Unwavering Hindu : "Jai Shri Krishna!". Bring a flute to play along. Amazonian Tribesman : "Oooga magaa oooga."
and finally...
If you're a stupid alien hugging Scientologist, dedicate your offerings to the evil alien warlord Xenu. (Btw, I think Darth Vader is a much better choice of a god for you. As a bonus, he's also a celebrity!) Here's the complete sequence of the Gracias a Dios :
10. The GHETTO
Doood, forget God and angels. Chico, I'm a gangsta here! And this is my territory. Undastand??!
11. The QUE SERA SERA
You are the racer that somehow goes with the race's flow, believing that you all you have to do it give your best and what will be will indeed be. If its meant for you, the victory will simply be your life's biggest surprise.
Coincidence can arrive when your losing competitor does the same thing. This is allowed only if both of you are edge to edge rivals and any could win at any given time. There is no predictability in the situation.
Remember, don't over exaggerate the QUE SERA SERA. Otherwise, to the organisers' chagrin, they'll take a harder look at your results and may order the police to raid your team van.
12. The ROCKY BALBOA
If you're a die hard fan of who is known as the "Italian Stallion", make it known at the finish line.
Someone who isn't such a die hard fan might also express his own feelings behind you, but fear not... your back is turned to him since he has already lost.
The person behind, in this case, exercises the LOSER'S VARIANT of the ARROGANT PISS OFF.
Emphasize the sub 500 gram of your super aero front wheel and showcase your bike handling skills with a nicely done wheelie. This will not only turn heads but if you're a bachelor, will increase your nuptial chances by 2 or 3%.
Remember not to fall, as the exact details of your infamous embarrassment to the most minute picky details will be accurately detailed in VeloNews and YouTube and the thousands of cycling blogs all over the world.
14. The RUNNING MAN
While victorious ones can do this in front of the pack, (comma)
who says victory salutes can only be administered when you're at the front clinching victory?
If you've never won a race, you always end up seeing other's butts and you can't be a sport any longer, vent your frustration with this one in a million gesture. The rider will throw his bike, and run wildly after the pack, chanting death to the winner.
Are you a running man at the back?
15. The SUPERMAN
Let's face it. Nothing looks more cooler than slicing through the wind, across the finish line like the best known superhero in the world. Of course, Superman had a special chemical "aura" around his suit that helped him fly. But do not mistake the abilities of your mundane, more worldly Lycra costume. Stretching far beyond its limits could make it tear apart from the rear which will turn you from what was previously superman to a mere Nakedman. Moreover, do not attempt this in a pack choke full of riders. You'll be shoving your feet into their mouths.We imagine the last thing any hungry, tired rider in the back wants to know after 100 miles of racing is how the fossilised chewing gum you stepped on in the morning tastes.
The "V" can be done with your hand, or with your fingers, whichever suits you best. Either way, its boring to watch.
17. The BOW AND ARROW
When you have nailed the race right where it should be, how better to give a lasting and charismatic impression than shooting an arrow into the air, a bow of love and homage to your family and fans. Like Robin Hood to Sherwood Forest and Nottinghamshire, here is the winner to his abode. A salute like this deserves special mention. It gets 10/10 for creativity and flare.
Even though the bow and arrow salute has Juan Antonio Flecha, the original inventor, written all over it, some folks like to plagiarize it. Here it means 'even though I won, I'm a loser'.
Moral : DO NOT COPY other's copywrited victory salutes. The rule is also that you cannot show anything thats in the same genre as the other's. For example, machine gun and bow and arrow are both ARMAMENTS!
18. The DIGITUS FAMUS
There's only one great digitus famus. That is Richard Virenque's one finger kiss salute.
While it may be shrouded in peculiarity, it is certainly no mystery. Legend has it that Virenque lost a finger in a logging accident with his dad. Through saving the paychecks he received through two or three seasons, he had transplanted a brand new 3K weaved, full carbon fiber index digit for the lost one. Virenque was a happier man, and considerably lighter in weight after the surgery. Hence, his closeness and admiration for all the weird finger kissing.
19. The DIGITUS INFAMUS
Losers are of all kinds in the peleton. But some don't ride bikes, they ride motorcycles with camera crew. If you're a loser, and another loser comes erratically in the way, unload the digitus infamus with full force.
20. The COWBOY
Few racers can give a Western touch to the race finish than The Killer (or Cowboy) himself. Accurately executed in slow motion comes your next Clint Eastwood in tight Lycra. It has to be seen in real to know how good it looks.
Danilo is often several bike lengths away from his chasers when he resorts to this salute. He has enough time to look back at the slower horses, raise an arm in the air and catch his victory with his imaginary rope, all in perfect slowmotion for your digital tastes. Due to the scarcity of pictures on the web I cannot show you every sequence.
Another newer variant of this technique is the SPANISH COWBOY, where the racer takes a relaxed position on the bike, and shoots a victory bullet to the army of photographers ahead of him. This might not be an oh so favorite among gun control lobbyists.
Do this also if you have just humiliated the most ridiculous climber in the world.
21. The COURT RULER
Say that you're an individual at rifts with the long arm of the law. But you also happen to be a dedicated bicycle racer. If a court ruled out a case of speeding violation or possible drug abuse in in the past in your favor on the day you actually win a bike race, it is to be duly celebrated with the court ruler salute. The salute is extending your warm appreciation for the old civil servant sitting in the court of law, an appreciation that's nothing more but an expression of gratitude for saving your helpless ass. Just a flick of a wave of one hand is more than sufficient. Using both hands leads to power wastage. Unnecessary celebrations can also arouse suspicion, and your court case could potentially be further visited by other judges in the country since the law system strictly obeys Murphy's Law at all costs in order to squeeze every remaining dime out of your pocket. Important Note : If you're court martialled, many people would tell you to save your face and remain at home. But cycling experts recommend that you appear to the race and win it at all costs. The race money should then be dedicated as bribery to that certain law official to twist around the outcomes of your wonderful actions.
If your mind is more consumed with the hot girls cheering for you near the fence, perhaps you can make it obvious that you are sexually available.
However, it can get out of hand. UCI officials were informed about the apparent obscenity of this salute - signaling to mammary glands while spreading the lower limbs far apart, revealing package.
After famous racer Tom Bean had a heated argument with his girlfriend over this very subject, he decided to leave the bad boy image for more decency. Note closed legs in more recent of his races.
We hear that his lady love has gotten back in his life again. Good for you, Tom Bean!
24. The LIAR LIAR
Liar Liar is a special victory salute that combines the finesse of winning a classic race over and over again until people get bored out of their f***ing minds, and the finesse of blatant lying. As any adult knows, telling a good lie makes you feel oh so good at the end of the day. In fact, in front of cameras, it takes the gold. In this moment of confusion, when fans are so bored and expect you to win even blind folded, you can snatch some of that 'extra' excitement by outright lying.
In this example, a prominent racer reigned king in the Hell of The North 3 times in a row, but he takes a mundane figure as 3, and multiplies it by 2 to double it to six! Micheal Andrews, a PR specialist who works for a bicycling magazine, tells us that doubling your victories is optimal and works well with sponsors and the public at large. This is best done by using both hands to coax the lie to the audience. Won twice? No problem. Double it to four. Won 5 times? Good. But you can make it better. Make it 10 by signaling 5 on both hands. Take note not to try if you're winning the race for the first time. Fans do not know you, you are still a stranger to them, and if you lie without a mutual relationship, they will toss their beers aside, stampede themselves out of their bleacher seats, and into the velodrome to spank your silly ass blue until you cry for your coach.
25. The SHINDIG
What's common between hungover, party mood, style, victory? The shindig victory salute ofcourse! Get your groove on, and slap on your dancy fancy mood for a classic "I feel good" James Brown moment on the bike. Can you hear that song play in your head as you see Horner right now?
26. The PUNCHER
Along with the footloose, there are other things you can do to show your dominance in the race. Punch the air for instance. Who cares, its free.
You may add two, three even four punches. Think an over excited Greg Lemond.
27. The MAMA TRIBUTE
When you want your victory to clearly go to your mother, here's the "Mama, look what your boy did! I loveee youu!" salute. It sends the message loud and clear to all the mothers in the world who have their boys in the peleton.
28. The BABY TRIBUTE
Another version of the salute in the tribute series, dedicated to when your wife has a baby. Christophe Moreau, Fabian Cancellara and few other noted racing celebrities have attempted this to show honor to their offspring's arrival into the world.
But few come even remotely close to Carlos Sastre's move. The gesture shows how tough one can be, inserting a pacifier into one's mouth at the top of a climb, constricting one's breathing after 2 or 3 hours in the anaerobic zone.
Its nice to watch an actual video of this execution. So check out the video below and forward to 7:16 mins.
The use of props here is the focus of the gesture and proper selection and revision of the item is important on the night before the race.
Weight weenies take note, the weight of the prop might slow your climbing by .001 mph. If this matters, do not attempt it.
There are also other variations to this salute. Winners may start relentessly sucking their thumbs like Robbie Mcewen in some past Tours, or rocking a baby like Moreau has done (Paris Nice 2007?). Ambiguity arises when one starts sucking thumbs. It can mean several things you know. A proper execution can do good to your career.
A properly done thumb suck can also signal a weakling destroying the opposition and boy, that hurts for the ones with the powerful legs. Its a classic remake of the Goliath vs David story at the finish line.
29. The HEROES GONE BY TRIBUTE
Self explanatory. Its like Lance to Fabian Casertelli. Cycling is one of the most dangerous sports in the world. Dedicate your risk taken victory to [INSERT YOUR FAVORITE CYCLIST OR LOST FAMILY MEMBER]. Look to the sky and give respect to the angels watching over you.
30. The DOMINGO
This salute originates from DOMINANCE AND HERE YOU GO... Just like a firm handshake makes an impact on the receiver, hammer your bone shattering strength home with a fist clenched as tight as a seat post stuck in a beater frame.
Sometimes, it can be used to emphasize why your name means the God of Thunder. I can literally feel my computer screen cracking at this moment.
There's no better way to scream "Sono numero uno!" at the crowd. Be heard!
31. The CRY BABY
Are the legs hurting? Wondering if there's a better career out there? Too grateful to the coach? Girlfriend left you? Or did some drunken Tifosi taunt you up that climb? Fear not. There's a victory salute for all emotions. Just bring out the inner child in you and cry like a baby, rubbing teary cheeks off with both hands while simultaneously showcasing the victory.
"Working Man" is humility in a golden wrapper. This is another fan favorite because of its inspirational overtones. Facial expression is crucial, it should say "Boy, that was hard. Look, I can barely extend these heavy arms". It makes the slowpokes and dreamers feel that they too can be champions. Pull this off and you may well achieve the status of "people's champion". [Slow Your Roll]
Perhaps this one is appropriate for a domestique?
34. IL RUGGITO DEL LIONE - THE LION'S ROAR
Throwing your hands up on a "V", give your lungs a final boost of VO2 max at the finish line, with a lion's roar, so loud it is said to intimidate reporters so that racers can make a peaceful getaway to the team van to escape doping questions.
If you're in such a situation, make sure you practice the roar to perfection. The roar should be strictly above 80-90 decibels. The last thing you want to spoil your hard earned victory with is to show a 170 pound sculpted beast making a fool of himself by chirping out like Tweety from Disney Land.
I mean its not so bad. This may work well if you want to show off your 3% body fat and you are envious of other "chickens" in the race. I'm the chicken! "Where's your chicken face, show me your chicken face!"
36. The FLAHUTE
Poke another pin of embarrassment deep into your opponent with the nonchalant victory salute. A Flahute thinks the Tour de France is just a bunch of long training rides.
This might really get to your rival's head. Exchange a glance with him and say something like :
'Baah, it was nothing, I feel a tingle in the legs that's all. More worried about that sun tan, jeez will you look at that? You know, those Alps are getting flatter by the day. Think I'll believe global warming."
Do not attempt this with inexperience to show off. You opponent will make sure you not only lose on the climbs in front of your wannabe Spanish fans, he'll also make sure you bonk, throw up and have fits on the bike.
Take note that you don't have to stress out and worry too much about how to show flahuteness. In the following image, the best sprinter in the world wins the stage and then wipes off the injured fly that was sticking on his funny glasses all that time. Well, before wiping it of, he actually shows the fly its last images before death - that of the finish line.
This is the R.I.P Fly variant of The Flahute and must be practiced with live samples of flies. Visit a biology store near you.
37. The CONFIRMATORY
Give credence to your team mate, and confirm that he has indeed won! It reflects team pride and professionalism. The confirmatory is great as you can have the "license" to do a salute as well.
If you were meant to win the race but your teammate stole it in the end, you can also easily show your annoyance with a confirmatory. You can disguise this as a praise, but inside, just grit your teeth hard and vow revenge. In front of cameras, this looks like a positive confirmatory and people will only admire you more.
38. The GRUPPO
The chances of a 1,2 and 3 position are highly odd, but if lady luck is good to your team, instruct everyone to go at once.
And just when you think the odds couldn't get odder, here's a 1-2 from the same team, crossing the line at the same time. Confirmatory+1-2 win = GOLD! (Ok, I dont know about that first guy but whatever...)
39. The BOEING 747
Francesco Chicchi is often preoccupied with fantasies of being an airplane at the finish line. We don't blame him. He has the serious horsepower of a 4 engine Boeing jet packed into a pair of thighs.
Select this salute if you have the capabilities of this fine Italian sprinter.But pay attention. The salute itself is composed of a twosome combo.There is the approaching salute as you near the finish line. Then there's the final touchdown salute.All this megaton horsepower needs to brake, and that's not easy.The twosome move will give ample warning to cameramen, organizers and fans : Get the F**K OUT OF MY RUNWAY!
Approach Salute
Final Touch Down Salute
40. The MISCALLER
So you dropped your cell phone into your jersey before the race thinking that it'd help you call rescue when your tire is pinch flatted. But every other km in the race, the damn phone is ringing and when you fish into the jersey, get the phone and say 'hello', you hear the Rick Roll song. Ticked off so much by several prankcalls, your blood curdling anger somehow transforms into a race win while your rivals are stumped by your new found energy. As you cross the line in absolute ignorance of your rivals surprised and beaten faces, you answer that final miss call once more and tell them, "I have caller ID bi***. And you are now f****."
41. The WARDROBE DISASTER
This victory salute comes in handy when everything has gone wrong in the clothing department.
Wrong size? Shrunken team kit? Shammy sticking out of your bottom like a poorly designed parachute? Forgot noticing the washing instructions mentioned on the jersey and dropped it in boiling hot water in the washing machine? Felt yourself doing Michael Jackson moves all day to get comfortable in size petite?
Watch Voeckler display dissatisfaction with the fit of his clothes on crossing the line. This is how its done.
42. The TRIUMPHANT SWORDSMAN
We talked about the BABY TRIBUTE. Here's another salute requiring the proper use of a prop. Carry the sword on your top tube, or let a team mate hand it to you from the crowd.
Hands down, Ryan Trebon's execution is among the coolest salutes ever. It easily wins the Cozy Beehive award for best victory salute!
There are many many other types of salutes and this post doesn't have it all nailed down, but somehow they all manage to slip into one or other types of salutes mentioned here. Thanks to Slow Your Roll and Road Bike Review. If someone has something I missed, speak so and it will get special mention in the Cozy Beehive Victory Salute-apedia.
Have you thought enough about your Victory Salute?
Over the past three decades, the manufacture of bicycle frames has advanced rapidly from an industry traditionally centered on steel to the use of extremely lightweight materials, including steel and aluminum alloys, titanium and carbon-fiber composites. Typically, frame designers have selected a single material and capitalized on its unique properties. Unlike competitors who have camped on carbon as their material of choice in high-performance models, Cannondale Bicycle Corp. (Bethel, Conn.), until recently, focused on eliminating every bit of weight possible and maximizing power transfer by building all-aluminum frames. Although aluminum has a lower modulus of elasticity than steel — 68 GPa (10 x 106 psi) compared to 210 GPa (30 x 106 psi) — its effective stiffness in a tubular structure is proportional to the radius of the tube raised to the fourth power for bending and to the radius cubed for torsion. (and according to Cannondale engineers, round is the best shape for the down tube, for torsional stiffness)
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