Track Stuff

What’s with all the crashing at ADT last weekend?

I thought those guys were supposed to be all pro and stuff? Anyone can go out to the track and crash, that’s not so hard. Even I can do that.

Those guys all suck. I should have been out there racing last weekend.

In other news, thank you to Bob Schwartz for pointing out what a colossal idiot I am (as if everyone did not already know). Earlier today I posted this tripe on the MCF site:

No one has yet brought up the fact that our type of track, while very nice, is probably not the #1 choice for an elite hour record attempt.
 
My understanding is that riders look for longer tracks (333m) in order to reduce the number of times they go through the corners and thereby reduce fatigue as well as the associated slight scrubbing of speed that occurs through the banked turn.

Yea, no one brought it up ‘cause apparently it’s total BS. Schwartz replies:

Dude, you accelerate in the turns. The steeper the banking, the greater the acceleration. The effect is such that most people doing a pursuit will speed up when entering a turn, even though power is dropping. And yes, I can show you the power meter data that supports this.
 
Does anyone know why this is? Think geometry, and the relationship of the rider’s center of mass in relation to the track surface.

Dude, I don’t need no power meter data to know that I am stoopid. That’s why I have a blog, so people can tell me I am stoopid all day long. So thanks, dude.

I don’t know, I thought I heard that fact somewhere before but apparently it was only having to due with indoor velodromes to reduce the effect of weather on an hour record attempt. Oh well.

Finally, I have been noticing a number of world class riders who use clipless pedals on the track. In the past I have been told that real track riders don’t use clipless pedals because they can pull the cleat out of their pedal due to their massive power.

(BTW, I think that is total crap. If the pedal is manufactured and set up properly there is no way that someone is going to pull the cleat out accidently. Feel free to load up the comments section with your anecdotal “evidence” that will prove me wrong…)

But I have noticed that, along with the clipless pedal, the riders are still using toe straps. What’s the point to that, I thought? If you are worried about pulling out of the pedal then why don’t you just pedals with clips? Then it hit me: it has nothing to do with pulling out of the pedal.

During standing start events and events that require a massive burst of acceleration, the interface between the pedal/cleat/shoe may be so rock solid that the upper of the shoe will actually stretch out slightly. This “give” in the shoe upper can momentarily delay the transfer of energy between the foot and the pedal. The sensation of the shoe stretching may cause the rider to feel like they are going to pull out of the pedal. This sensation might cause the rider to wind up their acceleration more slowly than they otherwise would if their was no energy loss between the shoe sole and the shoe upper.

So, with the risk of accidental release gone, these guys are just using the toe straps to keep their shoes tight. Amazing.

Posted by Smithers at 9:39 pm in Pro Cycling | Permalink | No Comments »

Racism?

New York Post:

N.M. GOV THROWS SOMBRERO INTO RING

Does that qualify?

Posted by Smithers at 1:38 pm in Politics | Permalink | No Comments »

Flanders Indoor Cyclocross

How big is cyclocross in Belgium?

Big enough to have a special building just for indoor racing.

If you ever get over to Mechelen you have to go take a look.

Posted by Smithers at 12:30 pm in Pro Cycling | Permalink | No Comments »

Click and Clack propose a gas tax

Ray Magliozzi:

Here’s what I’m proposing: this year, we start with a fifty-cent per gallon per year increase in the gasoline tax. So, after six years, we’d have a three-dollar increase in the gas tax.

Let’s consider the advantages of such a proposal:

#1 By phasing the tax in like this, we would not unduly punish the dopes who recently bought, say, Lincoln Navigators, and other vehicles that get 14 miles to the gallon. Those people will have a chance to rethink their purchase, trade it in — or have an accident.

#2 It would give automakers a chance to rethink their product lines and retool accordingly.

#3 The additional tax dollars could fund public and private research into alternative fuels and public transportation.

#4 It will lower the real price of fuel, including home heating oil, as demand starts to plummet. At the current rate of increase of fuel consumption, gasoline prices are going to approach six dollars a gallon in six years, anyway. So, instead of giving those extra three bucks to the oil companies, we can give it — are you ready for this? — back to ourselves! So, in addition to funding the aforementioned research, we can pay off the federal deficit, shore up programs like Medicare and Social Security… and increase funding for National Public Radio!

Sounds good to me, although I don’t feel too much pity for those who just bought a Lincoln Navigator.

There are so many benefits to cutting the amount of gasoline that this country consumes each year. Less pollution to the environment and reduced dependence on a energy source that requires the U.S. to invest in really nasty parts of the world are just two.

I like the idea that the citizens of the U.S. would be investing back into their country instead of lining “big oil” with increased revenue as the price of gas inevitably goes up.

Posted by Smithers at 8:41 am in News | Permalink | No Comments »