you ROCK!

Have a phantastic phriday

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maybe she's born with it, maybe it's chlorine
If you're injured and need some sympathy, PM me and I'm very happy to write back.
disclaimer: PhD not MD

what is with the PH

http://www.trinewbies.com/...d=51076&posts=15

"they need to learn how to corner (it's inside pedal UP!), "

LOL! and get off the aero bars, especially if cornering in the wet! A guy on a $$$ tribike wiped out that way at a local tri last year, almost taking my wife with him.

We're not surprised. In general, IMHO, triathletes tend to be very nice people. Not that roadies are bad people, but the difference is that as a newbie triathlete, you get respect and a pat on the back for just being there. With many roadies, that doesn't come until you can hang with the front group.

1. Great to see triathletes out at the local TT. I have always been surprsied that the local bike club TT's are not overwhelmed by triathletes. It's the BEST training they would/could do all week. Strange, because triathletes have the tricked out TT bike, all the aero goodies, talk about hammering the bike all the time, but are no where to be seen at local TT's!!

2. Roadies get a bad rap. I ride with a great local road group. Everyone is very friendly and helpful. We always wave to others and say "Hi" and this is a serious group that will average 35+ k/h for 100K. I was out for a ride yesterday and waved and said hello to two triathletes that I passed going the other way. They never flinched from their head-down in the aero bar position. No hello. No wave.

3. Generally speaking triathletes bike handling skills, well . . . . what can I say here with out pissing to many people off other than to say that they are lacking and need some work. Mid pack in a big triathlon must be a scary place!

Fleck

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Steve Fleck @stevefleck | Blog

http://forum.slowtwitch.com/...ring=phreaky;#789062



it's a good idea.

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http://www.theninjadon.blogspot.com

"The bicycle riders drank much wine, and were burned and browned by the sun. They did not take the race seriously except among themselves." -- Ernest Hemingway, The Sun Also Rises

i think it's that the triathletes weren't in it for points, and realized that we were just volunteers. the roadies, on the other hand, were in-freaking-tense. here's the thing, though... if you are so competitive that you can't afford to lose time due to a bad turnaround, then pre-drive or pre-ride the course! we're there as a convenience to you!

i'm not upset at the roadies. they were generally fun to hang out with after they'd calmed down, caught their breath, and wiped the mucus off their faces... hell, i'll admit it, i'm a roadie too!

i am, however, very impressed by the behavior of the triathletes. hence the thread.

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http://www.theninjadon.blogspot.com

"The bicycle riders drank much wine, and were burned and browned by the sun. They did not take the race seriously except among themselves." -- Ernest Hemingway, The Sun Also Rises

"Mid pack in a big triathlon must be a scary place! "

Stephen.

It is. Because that's where I'm at. It also sucks being an older guy because you're in one of the last waves and have to carve your way thru the bike field.

We're a small town roadie group. About a third of the members are AG triathletes. We have a couple of current cat 3 road racers, a few ex road racers including an older guy who raced pro in Europe, and the rest are recreational enthusiasts. We have about thirty members, but a typical group ride will be 10-15 people showing up. About a half dozen will be in the front group on a hammerfest. If I can suck rear wheel, I'm usually there. So it's not like we're big time.

A few of us are talking about adding a regular TT night to our regular rides. So far it's only the triathletes that are interested.

If you don't mind I'll use this opportunity to share my first ever Time Trial experience last Wednesday night...

So my wife, our training buddy, and myself show up for the local TT. We did wear shirts with sleeves as that was the only unique rule I was aware for USCF races. The 3 of us signed up for category B which ended up being the Cat 4,5 men and all the women. There were 27 of us. The race was 9.2 miles point to point, slightly rolling with a moderate wind, and a few miles of very rough roads. I surprised myself with a 25.8 mph average. My wife averaged 24.8 mph, which was huge for her as well.

The organizers seemed pretty excited that a few triathletes decided to show up for their event and we had a lot fun going all out, knowing we didn't have to run afterwards (actually we did go for short run waiting for the results...). I'm not sure they were quite as excited about us after the results were posted. I ended up 1st in B, our training partner was 2nd, and my wife was 3rd. They had cash for the top 3 (something new to me) and so the 3 of us split the $80, and said see ya at the next TT! Paid for our entry fees, one-day licenses, and dinner afterwards. Not a bad night of training! We all got a good laugh out this. Definitely not what we were expecting. In the end, my wife was 45 seconds ahead of 4th. For perspective, 4th - 14th were separated by less than 45 seconds. The 3 of us were definitely the outliers.

Certainly a positive experience!

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Justin in Austin, get it? :)

Cool races:
- Redman
- Desoto American Triple T

hey - easy on the sterotypes

along those lines i'll share my first TT experience (can i hijack my own post?)... which, as it happens, was also the TT in my original post

so, after watching people race for 2 hours, i was getting really antsy to ride. unfortunately, i hadn't brought a bike, or any gear, with the exception of a helmet and my shoes (long story). so as the last few people are going off, i found someone to replace me at my post, drove back to the start/finish, and borrowed a teammate's cyclocross bike. it didn't fit, it was as aero as a dump truck, and it had 700x30 slicks. one of my teammates decided that this is a great idea and grabbed his own 'cross bike. we rolled up our jeans, threw our helmets on, and started riding on the course (this is 2 min after the last rider has gone). we "neutralized" the start, since neither of us had warmed up, so we rode side by side for the first 3.5 miles at a conversational pace. at the turnaround, we agreed to duel it out, and i attacked him hard (all of the crit training had to be good for something) and held on to the gap for the rest of the 3.5 miles. i checked the time afterwards... we actually would've been right around MOP in the "eddy merckx" division (no aerobars).

the cool thing was that as we approached the finish line, a lot of joggers were cheering us on... i wonder if they were the triathletes?

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http://www.theninjadon.blogspot.com

"The bicycle riders drank much wine, and were burned and browned by the sun. They did not take the race seriously except among themselves." -- Ernest Hemingway, The Sun Also Rises

There are local TTs in freakin' Oklahoma, but I can't find jack in bike-crazy Marin County, CA.

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Too f@ckin depressed from various injuries to care about having a signature line.

Sponsored by Blue Shield PPO.

TTs are awesome. I did my first two this year and I loved them; I hope to get a few more in before the year is up. You get to ride your tri bike and you don't have to jump in cold water at 7am. I agree with Fleck that they are great for training and you really learn how to push yourself to a whole new level.

As for your other comments, I've ridden with Roadies, Mountain bikers, Triathletes and Cyclocross guys. There are plenty of "less-than-friendly" folks in every group. Roadies do seem to trend on the tense side, but I bet Cyclocross guys win the contest for the most laid back with mountain bikers right behind them.

as an avid cyclocrosser, i have two words for you... "beer tent"

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http://www.theninjadon.blogspot.com

"The bicycle riders drank much wine, and were burned and browned by the sun. They did not take the race seriously except among themselves." -- Ernest Hemingway, The Sun Also Rises

AMEN Brother. I've never done a cyclocross event but the words "beer tent" make me much more likely to try one.

i wasn't going to type in another story, but i can't help it

i was at granogue in 2005, a C.1. race in delaware. i raced the C race and was pleased (if frustrated) with a podium placing, so i celebrated by walking over to the beer tent for some recovery ale. as the masters are flying around the course, i walk by a tent where ryan trebon, barry wicks, and tim johnson are warming up. i introduce myself, and they immediately ask about my race. 3 of the coolest pro athletes you'll ever meet, in my opinion.

later, i'm pitting for a teammate in the B race. he finishes pretty damn well up in the field and cruises along the course as a cool down. as he reaches the pit, one of my other teammates "feeds" him a cup o' microbrew from the beer tent (to the cheers of onlookers), which he tries to chug while sliding around the course.

good times. gooood times!

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http://www.theninjadon.blogspot.com

"The bicycle riders drank much wine, and were burned and browned by the sun. They did not take the race seriously except among themselves." -- Ernest Hemingway, The Sun Also Rises

I am assuming this was not a USCF sanctioned time trial, since sleevless jerseys are not allowed at USCF events.

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"When I first had the opportunity to compete in triathlon, it was the chicks and their skimpy race clothing that drew me in. Everyone was so welcoming and the lifestyle so obviously narcissistic. I fed off of that vain energy. To me it is what the sport is all about."

i didn't even think about that. there were definitely uscf judges. and i think i remember sleeveless jerseys... that might be all in my head though. anyway, there were a lot of blank jerseys, although i wouldn't swear to the sleeveless part.

good catch!

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http://www.theninjadon.blogspot.com

"The bicycle riders drank much wine, and were burned and browned by the sun. They did not take the race seriously except among themselves." -- Ernest Hemingway, The Sun Also Rises

Very few TTs in the Bay Area (or even central valley) as far as I can tell. I did the Pinole two man TTT a month ago but other than that...just nothing. It would be pretty neat to have a local TT series.

ot

OT, Mines road to the 5 mile marker and back to Tesla any time you want. Let's set it up some weekend.
Dave

Let's do it. I will be camping at Del Valle so it will be a quick ride over the hill to the start. I know we would have JohnA, Bret, Jason and a few other Livermore folks for sure. OT and John R should be able to make it as well if the can get their Sunda run in after.
Dave