If you want to watch the end of the race on VS or TiVo, don’t click the link:
If you want to watch a great save after an “OH S$%T!” moment, scroll to about 1:16 in:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VQ70BUMY7pE
Great to see races end in scatter and tattered bunches so often this year.
-SD
i think that’s beyond “oh sh*t”.
great ride for the stage winner. he deserved it. great stage overall today.
Great ride by your boy Christian Vande Velde. I loved seeing a ballsy ride like that with a breakaway that actually worked. I was sure Contador was going to catch VV when he powered up that last climb.
What is the atmosphere like at Felt when you guys help win a stage like that?
Ken
What is the atmosphere like at Felt when you guys help win a stage like that?
Ken
It’s a huge deal of course. The guys have delivered for us since day one and their results continue to pour in. The impressive thing to me is how spread out the team is now, with guys all over the globe. I’m really eager to see it gel and come together in the Giro and Tour this year. The TTT events are going to be equally thrilling.
Felt’s a tiny company, it isn’t like Jeff Gordon winning on Sunday and everyone at GM walks around the next day high giving each other pats on the back. There’s a couple dozen guys that each have a part of this thing.
Thanks for the question, like many of us on ST, the guys in our office are bike geeks and are immersed in racing regardless of who is contesting and what they’re riding.
-SD
Very nice!! It’s great to see the team doing so well. Very deserved!
OK I just have to ask…if you are really just “…a tiny company”, why do you guys have so many darn models? You guys must have 50 or more different road, mnt, track, cruiser, etc bikes. How does such a small company keep focussed on all that? Not being critical…just curious.
What is the atmosphere like at Felt when you guys help win a stage like that?
Ken
It’s a huge deal of course. The guys have delivered for us since day one and their results continue to pour in. The impressive thing to me is how spread out the team is now, with guys all over the globe. I’m really eager to see it gel and come together in the Giro and Tour this year. The TTT events are going to be equally thrilling.
Felt’s a tiny company, it isn’t like Jeff Gordon winning on Sunday and everyone at GM walks around the next day high giving each other pats on the back. There’s a couple dozen guys that each have a part of this thing.
Thanks for the question, like many of us on ST, the guys in our office are bike geeks and are immersed in racing regardless of who is contesting and what their riding.
-SD
Great win today, great stage. Meanwhile, in Italy ;^)
OK I just have to ask…if you are really just “…a tiny company”, why do you guys have so many darn models? You guys must have 50 or more different road, mnt, track, cruiser, etc bikes. How does such a small company keep focussed on all that? Not being critical…just curious.
What is the atmosphere like at Felt when you guys help win a stage like that?
Ken
It’s a huge deal of course. The guys have delivered for us since day one and their results continue to pour in. The impressive thing to me is how spread out the team is now, with guys all over the globe. I’m really eager to see it gel and come together in the Giro and Tour this year. The TTT events are going to be equally thrilling.
Felt’s a tiny company, it isn’t like Jeff Gordon winning on Sunday and everyone at GM walks around the next day high giving each other pats on the back. There’s a couple dozen guys that each have a part of this thing.
Thanks for the question, like many of us on ST, the guys in our office are bike geeks and are immersed in racing regardless of who is contesting and what their riding.
-SD
Actually we have well over 350 models. We have a complete line of bicycles from 12" sidewalk kids bikes to 29" Carbon MTB hardtails, 8 seperate road lines with F, ZW, AR, Z, TT/Tri, 'cross, Track, and some Urban geometries and levels among them. When I read about Trek’s new design studio that houses 55 designers, both industrial, web and graphic, etc, I’m awestruck. Or when I read about guys who handle “grips” for company ABC, or “saddles” for company XYZ, with Product Development staff numbers in the 15+ range(!)
We’ve got 5% of that staff. Felt is indeed a small team, but not a tiny company in terms of brand awareness and marketshare.
We have one guy that does PD for everything with knobby tires (except for 'cross bikes, those are my responsibility) Everything! He’s doing 7" travel MTB and internal gear hub Urban bikes.
I’m responsible for the 700c (and 650c) bikes. All of them.
Our BMX brand manager does all the BMX, street, ramp, and sidewalk bikes along with promotion, handling BMX rider (Gold Medal X-games, etc), BMX race teams, etc.
Having walked among other people in this position, I can only say we just work harder than most. It may be too boastful to make that claim I suppose, but the amount of innovation and design and volume of work that comes from the handful of engineers, product managers, and creative team is incredible. We share a commitment to Felt that would make the workload impossible without the love and drive to make the best bicycles in the world.
Regards,
-SD
The commentators on Cycling.tv were talking about VDV’s hand position on the brake hoods and saying it had been researched in the wind tunnel and proven to be faster than riding on the drops. Can you comment on that? Is that true as a general rule or did you lower the bars so you could get a flat back with hands on the brake hoods … or anything like that?
Thanks.
.
The commentators on Cycling.tv were talking about VDV’s hand position on the brake hoods and saying it had been researched in the wind tunnel and proven to be faster than riding on the drops. Can you comment on that? Is that true as a general rule or did you lower the bars so you could get a flat back with hands on the brake hoods … or anything like that?
Thanks.
.
Yes, it is more aero, see the cyclingnews.com report with Julian Dean in the tunnel on his road bike. See also Fabian on his soloist on his many solo moves/wins including that TdF 900 meter sprint and his Olympic medal performance. I trust FAbian has been advised of this as well. As for SPRINTING there, I’m not certain you’ll get the same advantge.
Horizontal forearms, vertical humerus, head in front of shoulders, all the same positional things you try to accomplish on the TT bike for the most part.
Campy 11s brake hoods are incredible for this position BTW.
Great win today, great stage. Meanwhile, in Italy ;^)
I never get tired of seeing Felt bicycles in the media. While this minor setback at Tirreno Adriatico is unfortunate, sometimes you’ve got to take the bad with the GOOD:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NYZ15iIdnKM
Spoiler video warning.
I think Martijn would take a fall or bad luck every stage here if it meant good luck next month in PR.
-SD
Congratulations on todays impressive effort! Very impressive to beat that bunch of world class sprinters head to head, the Giro should be fun to watch for you guys!
If you want to watch the end of the race on VS or TiVo, don’t click the link:
If you want to watch a great save after an “OH S$%T!” moment, scroll to about 1:16 in:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VQ70BUMY7pE
Great to see races end in scatter and tattered bunches so often this year.
-SD
I think LL Sanchez ended up having a rear flat as he did a similar thing in the next big corner. I believe he ended up stopping to get a new wheel - so close to the finish.