Team Sky team up with Rapha

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So, Team Sky will be dropping Adidas as their official clothing providers and picking up Rapha. To me, it is Rapha  who are willing to pay the bigger bill to get the Number 1 team in 2012 to wear and use their  clothing and accessories for the next 4 years.

Simon Mottram, Founder and Chief Executive of Rapha says:

“We are delighted that, after only eight years as a business, we have been chosen by Team Sky, the world’s number one team, as their partner. We share their passion for performance and team ethic and are enthusiastic to inspire and engage a wider fan base around the globe.”

Unfortunately, we won’t be able to buy or get a peek at the collection before 1st January 2013.

More details at http://www.rapha.cc/teamsky

 

Your pick on the Tour de France!

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If you had to put your hard earned saving on the GC winner on the upcoming TdF, I just don’t see anyone would not pick either Bradley Wiggins or Cadel Evans as their bankers.Bradley had shown so good form a couple of weeks ago at the Tour de Swiss and while Cadel had been training as hard as ever for the TdF.

The bookmakers around the net are sharing the same thought as well. Lets checkout the following image capture from oddschecker.com:

So, the bookies are going for Bradley Widdins, Cadel Evans, Vincenzo Nibali, Jurgen Van Den Broeck, Chris Froome and Smuel Sanchez for the GC.

For the KOMs, Chris Anker Sorensen, Johnny Hoogerland, Samuel Sachex and Michele Scarponi are the favors. Frank Schleck is currently 7th on the list. Does it tell the story?!

As our current World Champion Mark Cavendish is going to run a support for Wiggins on the GC. The inform Peter Sagan is on the red hot seat for the Points Classification.

Details of the above captures can be found at http://www.oddschecker.com/other-sports/cycling/tour-de-france/winner

Reality does strike – start cycling

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The above image should speak for itself. The currency is in US$, the 15k mi/year translate to around 65Km of travel per day. That sounds like a bit much for the local Singapore daily traveling distance, but the message should be strong enough.

Stop driving… start pedaling.

Vittoria neutral support @ Giro d’Italia

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I was reading a quick article on cyclingnews.com in related to the writer being riding in the Vittoria neutral support car at one of the stage in Giro. A few videos clips were included. I must say those clips were showing a totally different dimension of the race. Its a must watch.

On the above video, it is interesting to see the on screen speed meter of the cyclist ahead. Travelling at almost 45km/hr (30mph) on the flat looks like nothing for them!

The full article along with the images and videos can be found in here at cyclingnew.com.

 

 

Tour de Swiss Stage 3 – Ridiculous Wait

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We, as an amateur cyclist, had to obey all the traffic rules just like every other vehicles on the road. We had to stop for the red lights, stop for the round about and stop for the safety of a pedestrian at the zebra cross etc.

In contrast, we certainly would not expect the pros at any race had to pull a stop for the traffic to come through. At least I would expect the organizer to have the traffic being controlled for the safety, smooth running and fairness of the competition.

But this is certainly what had happened during the stage 3 of the Tour de Swiss just now. The whole pack were stop by a train that is passing by, and everyone gets a good break of rest before the final 50 odd km sprint in.

Anyway, congratulation to Liquigas-Cannondale’s Peter Sagan second victories in 3 days.

A new TT record!

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How far you can cycle within an hour? Have you ever try to set yourself a distance record on a 1 hour time trial? A lot of cyclist saying they can “maintain” a good speed of 40 odd km/hr over a period of time, but that period of time is too short to judge on the ability of the cyclist. To me, I think a one hour time trial is the best way to tell the story. After all cycling is about endurance and ability to maintain.

On 17th February this year in Aigle, Switzerland. Mr. Robert Marchand had set a new record of covering 24.25Km inside a window of 60 minutes. Hay, you may think that is not very much of a record. What if I tell you he was like 100 years old on the day of his riding? Would that make you think otherwise?

Robert only began cycling at the age of 78, that counts for 22 years of cycling experience.

To me, Robert is an absolute inspiration for all of us who like to put the wheels between the legs. Furthermore, it’s interesting that the UCI have created a new age group for centenarians. Is the UCI recognizing the average age of cyclist is getting higher and higher every year?

Further reading:
http://www.uci.ch/Modules/ENews/ENewsDetails.asp?id=Nzg3NQ&MenuId=MTI2Mjc

Is the new 2012 Sram Red backward compatible?

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Sram official says No, but practical test from Velonews says otherwise. The full test review can be read here.

The simple conclusion of the test was the new Yaw front derailleur and crank system had fully improve the slow shifting on the previous Red “fromt-shifting” system. Where the new derailleur and the new chainrings made most of the difference disregards to which version of shifters that you are using.

If the pocket is not so deep on the upgrade, the first priority would be the new  Yaw front derailleur, then moving onto the crank system. The shifters can be changed when the improved ergonomics and shift feel had justified the extra cash, while the rear derailleur doesn’t even make any difference at all.

Further reading:
http://velonews.competitor.com/2012/03/news/it-works-we-test-sram-red-backwards-compatibility_209270
http://www.bikerumor.com/2012/02/01/unveiled-new-2012-sram-red-lighter-quieter-more-aero-better-ergonomics/

 

A round of Mt. Coot-Tha, Brisbane – 29/05/2012

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The weather is getting better in terms of temperature in the morning. It was 14 degrees at 8 when I rode out. To a lot of people, this is what they called the “Air-Con” riding. To me, it is the best all round riding condition.

Mt. Coot-Tha is the highest natural point near the city of Brisbane. With the highest point being slightly over 200 meters above the sea level, it can consider to be the junior grade climbing route. The lookout at the peak of Mt. Coot-Tha is also a famous tourist spot, you are guaranteed a good view of the city if the sky is clear.

This is supposed to be a 55Km return trip, but with the wrong route up and down the wrong side of the Mountain, extra 20Km were logged. Some part of that extra mileage was no fun at all, logging a gradient of over 20% had never been easy for a 80Kg guy like me.

As mentioned above, Mt. Coot-Tha is very near to the city. Riding there from where I stay had to go through the City of Brisbane. I had decided to ride along the Bikeway instead of gunning down the heavy traffic roads. Bikeway is the multi-million dollars project which connects various suburbs together. To me, it is a simply a bike highway. Wouldn’t you like to have the same in Singapore and Hong Kong as well?

Back to the climb, I went up from Sir Samuel Griffith Drive, which sat on the northern side of the Mountain. Traffic was very low when I was there. The gradient was varying between 9 to 13%. These kind of gradients were also the same as every other mountains as my home land Hong Kong, they really made me felt like home but with a extra freshness of air. Anyway, there were enough virgin green parks, reserve areas and creeks to keep my mind off the pain. In no time, I had already hit the peak. I wasn’t surprised to see all the broadcasting towers from various stations sitting right up there. After all, it is the highest natural point near the city.

Not far from the broadcasting towers is the lookout. From there you will have the city’s full view.

One of the worst things in riding in an unknown territory is to find the right way to the destination. I’ve spent extra 2 hours on finding the right way, hopefully I will get there in a quicker manner next time round.

Anyway, fabulous ride and climb toady. Love every minute of it.