le grimpeur

Goals, nostalgia1
Guy WR posted in Local Climbs on January 11th, 2010

Nostalgia is a file that removes the rough edges from the good old days. ~ Doug Larson (newspaper columnist)

In cycling, as in perhaps all human behaviour, nostalgia is a powerful force. The ‘good old days’ always present a simpler template for the complexity we face today, as well as a stylistic cachet. What is Rapha, for example, except for nostalgia well-filed and with an extra lustrous sheen added?

Nostalgia is an opportunity to strip away the excess baggage of complications and view the past with the comforting glow of fondness. Ah, how much better it was in the 80s (substitute your favourite era here), with Hinault, Fignon, LeMond, Herrera, Hampsten, Roche and so on. (Of note, someone remarked recently that 2010 is to the 80s as 1990 was to the 60s, in terms of time elapsed – a sobering thought.) (more…)

Urban climbing revisited0
Guy WR posted in Local Climbs on September 29th, 2009

The first installment of urban climbing appeared here back in February. (more…)

Défaillance: an interlude, a parody2
Guy WR posted in Climbing Skills, Local Climbs on September 22nd, 2009

They’re good wheels, he thought to himself. They’re good wheels and they’re strong and true and light. Not the best wheels ever made; not the most expensive. Not as good as a hand-built set of Italian wheels, the sort of wheels that Pantani rode in his prime. But good wheels nonetheless. American wheels.

“Muck straight gauge,” he said to no-one in particular as he spun the wheels holding onto either side of the axle with both hands, feeling the smoothness of the bearings, feeling for any pitting in the races: that slight tension, or catching of the motion that would be his signal for further maintenance.

Cyclists spend a lot of time obsessing over wheels, he thought. Only a damn fool would think that they weren’t the most important part of a bike, with the possible exception of the tyres. There was a reason that Merckx fussed over his wheels – like everything else – and had his hand-stitched tubulars curing in his basement for months or years to harden them against punctures. (more…)

Pedalare nel pasato3
Guy WR posted in Local Climbs on May 26th, 2009

While France and England can probably take shared credit for the invention of the bicycle and its first mass production, Italy certainly deserves praise for the popularization of cycling.

Italians have done much to sustain cycling as a sport over the years and were, of course, early adopters of the notion of the Grand Tour with the Giro d’Italia – celebrating 100 years this year – started just six years after the Tour de France.

Much like the Tour came to symbolize a sportive France, and became infused with the history, culture and politics of the country, the Giro in Italy has had much the same role. One might even argue that the Giro has retained something distinctly Italian while the Tour has become a more international, cosmopolitan – even European – event. One certainly hopes that the great race will soon receive similar scrutiny and study in English-language writing as the Tour has done. (more…)

Urban climbing – a photo essay0
Guy WR posted in Local Climbs on February 18th, 2009

Riding through the countryside, on quiet roads in the forests and mountains, provides a singular experience. Nature is like a comforting blanket, soothing, giving relief to the senses. It is like a departure from the real world that most of us inhabit, a fantasy world devoid of traffic and noise and smog and the detritus of the city. Just tyres quietly hissing on the road; and ideal often elusive that it must be savoured is small bites and then tucked away in one’s memory. (more…)

Race to train0
Guy WR posted in Local Climbs on January 14th, 2009

It’s mid August, a balmy late afternoon, when Mt. Seymour beckons. The purpose of his ride is not entirely clear. It could be end-of-season training outing, in advance of a last chance at racing glory. Or another opportunity to “knock the bastard off” by tackling the toughest of the local climbs. Or simply a chance to spin the wheels and mash the pedals in the peace and quiet of the uphill road, the final rays of the sun slanting through the trees.

Whatever its purpose, he quickly establishes a steady climbing rhythm; setting that exquisite pace where the pain and strain of climbing is just bearable, breathing forced but not laboured, heart rate metronomic but not racing; a pace where he can still lift his gaze from a few metres from the front wheel to actually enjoy the scenery; and any time the effort in its totality becomes too severe, a slight easing of the pace to prevent too much lactate acid washing through the legs.

The road is quiet: a few passing cars but no other riders. He feels himself easing off early, distracted as often seems to happen by the contemplation that cycling seems to engender. Plots and schemes, wild kinetic dreams of grand designs, the fermenting of new ideas, imagining epic rides in distant locales, a magnum opus on cycling writing itself in his head. (more…)

The politics of bicycles6
Guy WR posted in Local Climbs on December 3rd, 2008

A recent comment in Bicycling magazine caught the attention of your author. To paraphrase, perhaps unjustly, the essential thesis was that bicycle buyers are not swayed by brand image but are instead focused on the frame build and components that can be obtained at various price points. Forget whether a bike is a Giant, Specialized, Trek, Colnago, or Sachs – it’s all about the specs.

It was perhaps a throwaway comment, a general observation that what a frame has on it matters as much as, if not more, than the label that adorns the downtube. Which may well be roughly correct: a consumer faced by a 105-ed Giant for the same price as a Ultegra-ed Specialized would probably chose the latter (although the price points seem to be mostly the same these days for many mainstream brands) and be unphased by minute differences in the frame.

The comment, though, did prompt some thinking about the importance of the brand in cycling. In fact, your author would go so far as to suggest that the brand of a bike plays a very important role when the buyer makes his or her decision. That this thesis is true is essentially the assumption of every manufacturer that sponsors a pro team; the company wants fans of the team to bask in the collective glory of the team by riding the same brand of bike. Witness, for example, the ‘I am Specialized’ campaign with Quick-Step’s Bettini and Boonen – that’s powerful advertising stuff! (more…)

In praise of slow1
Guy WR posted in Climbing Skills, Local Climbs on April 18th, 2008

The bicycle is mechanical perfection. When man invented the bicycle he reached the peak of his attainments. Progess should have stopped when man invented the bicycle. — Elizabeth West.

What else is there that can be said about the humble, magnificent bicycle? Its ability to range over impressive distances with a minimum of energy is unequalled. A 100 watt light bulb, burning all day, is the energy equivalent of a normal human daily diet – and exemplary cycling feats can be achieved on such a diet alone. Running a marathon is a impressive effort, yet the same distance on a bicycle a mere trifle. A double-marathon run nearly unthinkable; for a cyclist, a good ride. Only when the distances reach 100 miles, or a double-metric century, is the average rider really challenged. (more…)