bikeblogchicago.com

The other day I was talking to some friends about how “parking” a bike is so easy that I often have a hard time with not being able to just pull up to the door of a location, etc. Then I got an email from the Active Transportation Alliance last night regarding Chicago’s removal of parking meters and that initiatives impact on the availability of bike parking. It is a very good point and seems to be a lose-lose situation to almost everyone.

So, as the emails suggests and if you’re a resident of Chicago,  contact your alderman and let them know that appropriate replacement bike parking provisions are needed. Unanimous “rock star parking” for all cyclists is not the goal here, but just enough to fill the void that meter-less streets will create.

I really like the forum on Cyclocross Magazine’s website. A lot of really good questions get asked there and they’re almost always answered well. A couple recent discussions I participated in over there brought up the issue of bike-fit. I really can not stress the importance of a good bike fit enough. If you think you like riding/racing now, after getting a professional fit you may find it hard to get out of the saddle day in and day out.

You can fit your bike yourself. In fact, I’d say that if you haven’t at least followed the steps found here, you are doing yourself a dis-service. However, to fully garner all the benefits of the process you should have outside input.

There are several processes that I’m somewhat familiar with. A popular one is the Retül Fitting and you can also have  high-precision fittings done locally using the Fitmaster; made in Wisconsin by Waterford. Both, if done by a qualified professional, will make your entire riding experience a better one.

Personally, I’ve had Wobblenaught fitting performed on my road bike. It also allowed me to take the same numbers generated by its measurements and apply them to my cyclocross bike. I will say that mountain bikes are measured totally differently than road and ‘cross bikes, so if you’re an MTB enthusiast you’ll want a separate fitting for that particular bike. (If I wasn’t so currently soured on serious MTB riding, I would be bringing mine in ASAP.) If you are interested in this fitting, please email me and I will give you the number to set up an appointment.

The measurements taken of riders’ physiques then applied to bike size and set-up create not only a newfound level of comfort but of performance. I was floored at how improperly I was setting up my bikes before I was fit. I’m also amazed by how small an adjustment can be to make a huge difference in your fit. I am lucky to be able to go back to my fitter to make these adjustments, and others should follow suit.

I’m also kinda skeptical (or jealous?) of people who can get by based on the Competitive Cyclist fit, or by just ‘experimenting’; with their set-up. Either way though, it makes a huge difference in your performance and comfort on the bike.

…ride it.

We’re all guilty — who can blame anyone for wanting to enjoy great weather? The problems I have though, are when my safety is threatened. I was thinking the other day about how it had been a long time since I crashed (while NOT racing) or had a collision with a car or other thing. So, I was not very surprised when I took a spill into the intersection of 18th and Halsted on my way to the lakefront for a workout Friday morning. While unpleasant, it helped put things in perspective especially now that there will be many more bikes out on the roads/trails/etc. It reminded me that stuff happens and that we all need to be conscious of what we’re doing.

I have to cover a lot of ground in the city. Of course, this is because I choose to ride for transportation so often. The reason Chicago’s trail and certain bike routes are ridden so often is that they’re effective. However, this means they are crowded when warm months roll around.

While I am occasionally guilty of hopping on the trail on weekends, possibly late for something, and riding at a pretty fast rate, it’s really not practical to do this. Yet, I encounter unsafe riding all the time. There is absolutely no sense in arguing that other trail-users need to get out of the way — there’s far too many of them so it will never happen. They also have the same right as anyone to be out there. But when I’m out on the trail just trying to get home and other riders are attempting hard workouts too many dangerous variables are created. I find it’s pretty simple to remember not to take the path in a hurry during peak hours, workout in the early am on the southern sections and slow down if you end up on it having had a lapse in judgment on your route planning. It’s not worth getting hurt.

The streets also get more crowded as the temperature climbs. There are enough things cyclists have to worry about while commuting, so when other cyclists become a problem it can be very disheartening. Simple acknowledgment of other cyclists and how they’re  riding can virtually eliminate any potential conflicts.

Far too often riders I pass in the middle of a block will blow right by me while I’m stopped at a light. If a rider passed me it would seem pretty obvious that they’re traveling at a higher rate of speed. So, why must riders have to pass again, almost certainly causing the other to venture out into the flow of traffic that is much heavier having just left a stopped intersection?

Even racing, now that forecasts are much more tolerable, has become a bit more dangerous. There’s really nothing that can be done about this except to stress to the utmost racing within ones ability. Saturday was the first of several criteriums that are held in the city each summer. No doubt, with the shape of the economy and gas-prices, the race attracted many that would not otherwise take part in this style of racing. I witnessed several crashes during my race, and while again — there is really nothing that can be done to avoid crashes in races, racers can take precautions. Myself; I will probably only attend this latest race as a spectator in the future. I have no shame in that. I, like all racers, am extremely competitive but I value my safety above any potentially successful result.

So, hopefully it won’t take being in and/or witnessing a crash to raise riders consciousness this season. Riding bikes is way too much fun to have to forego it due to preventable injury. Sure, things will happen but we can all take steps to minimize the risk. Ride safe!

Buy this shirt!

It’s worth mentioning, before I get fully into this report, that I crashed at my first (and possibly last) mountain bike race about 2 weeks ago. My thigh was bruised pretty badly and it kept me off the bike for a week. When it felt good enough to ride again, I still didn’t push it. Then, I barreled headlong into the Vernon Hills Grand Prix.

I knew I had lost a little bit of fitness due to the injury, but I was feeling good about the whole race experience. I now realize that I race much better when things aren’t going so well. 2 of my teammates and I rode up to the race – making for a nice warmup, though.

Upon arrival we all took a pre-race lap to note the turns and the wind direction. Then I registered very smoothly in comparison to some other people, as witnessed at the table. After that I found a field house men’s room entirely to myself (and the cleanest I’d ever experienced at any cycling event). I even wheeled my bike in with me! Done with that, I then went on to achieve a personal best at number pinning (which still needed an amendment later, but a big step forward for me nonetheless). Things were on the up-and-up!

This was my first race in a Category 4 only field. I had raced with many of the guys out there before in combined fields, ‘cross, etc, so it felt no different. The pace was also no different. And, my penchant for making aggressive moves early also went un-changed.

I was unable to start in the front, near where I wanted to be, but after a lap and a half was able to make it up there. After railing the 3^rd turn hard, I found a wheel ahead of me that I wanted and thought could work with on a break. The wind hit me before I could latch on and make the suggestion. Then the rest of the pack swallowed me up and spit me out.

After that I was a bit confused as I looked back and only saw my teammate, Joe. The aforementioned pack now seemed much smaller that the field did at the line, numbers-wise. In retrospect I would find that my jump had dropped tail end of the peloton. So, it was just me and Joe, in “two man’s land.”

Me and Joe; pre-race. Photo: Zach Thomas.

At first I thought we could work together to bridge, so we traded hard pulls and tried to get some other stragglers to latch on and help with the effort. No one else could hang, so my pulls became less and less strong due to the fact that bridging was becoming impossible. That didn’t stop Joe and me from working together and finishing strong. It was truly a team effort and I felt very proud to be out there lap after lap working with him for the crowd to see. I wanted to “fist-bump” at the line but he ended up a little farther back on the final straight and I didn’t want to hit the brakes.

This was the best crit I’ve been to yet. The combination of the amenities, the weather, the team work and the course itself was not to be beat. I, on the other hand, was. I often don’t look for my results, but this time I really don’t mind not knowing. I raced well and am happy. I initially wanted to pass this one up but now am looking forward to next year. I think that says a lot!