Previous Posts
- Test riding Continental Grand Prix 5000s today February 24, 2019chuckp2390
- What a fabulous Spring Day February 24, 2019Teocalli2387
- Omloop Het Nieuwsblad February 23, 2019Teocalli2261
Photo – Michael Valgren by dragfepic.pw
The OTR Classics season starts on Saturday 2 March with the 74th edition of the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad. With the Pro Peloton moving North back to Europe from the warmer climes of the Southern Hemisphere, Omloop is the first race of the Belgian cycling calendar and includes a number of climbs from the Tour of Flanders. Starting in Ghent, the race is over roughly 200 Km and finishes in Ninove via the Wall of Geraardsbergen and Bosberg.
2018 saw Michael Valgren (den) take the win with Greg van Avermaet taking the honours in 2017 and 2016. Top 5 from last year were as below (Event results from 2018 can also be found on the Peloton page).
- Michael Valgren (Den) Astana Pro Team
- Lukasz Wisniowski (Pol) Team Sky
- Sep Vanmarcke (Bel) EF Education First-Drapac p/b Cannondale
- Jasper Stuyven (Bel) Trek-Segafredo
- Philippe Gilbert (Bel) Quick-Step Floors
Full details of 2019 entrants can be found here
To change your picks simply submit a new set and we will pick up your latest set.
2019 Result
- Stybar
- van Avermaet
- Wellens
- Lutsenko
- Teuns
- Stelbel February 23, 2019Teocalli2377
Photo: Stelbel photo, my frame before painting.
Stelbel
The story begins. Bike fit booked with Super Domestique in London next week…………
Part 1 – Bike Fit
Shaping my fit
So, an interesting day with Elliott at Super Domestique in London. Started with a set of reference measurements from my Pinarello and the brief was to take that as the start point for something I am familiar with and to tune that based on best recommendations from Elliott. Superficially at least, we moved things about a bit and seemingly have arrived back as something very close to the Pinarello. Waiting of the drawings with exact measurements but longitudinally from bars to saddle we are within a millimetre or so of the Pinarello though I think we have changed the offset to the BB a little.
Most significant change is to move from 172.5 crank to 170. Something I meant to do last time I changed my cranks and then completely forgot till it was too late!
Visually, I have decided to go with a slight slope on the Top Tube. While I do like the tradition of a horizontal TT, I also have pretty short legs, so a slight slope gives a better balance to the seat post/tube IMHO.Some options to decide on what type of BB shell to go with and also around cable routing. Likely to go with external gear cables but internal hydro (the bike will be disc) and a slightly longer chain stay vs the Pinarello to allow me the option of mudguards for winter/wet use and a bit more stability on Gravel.
The frame will be Stainless Steel to be bullet proof for all season use and tyre clearance to 30mm for the odd venture on Gravel.
So a few things still to finalise – not least the colour. It will be bare Stainless in the rear triangle and colour in the front per the drawing but the precise colour yet to be picked. Sooo hard when you can have anything (but it won’t be Orange!).
Choices
Choices, choices
Part 2 – Sizing
So this is where we are at for my wee frame (in both respects!)….
Stelbel Sizing – by Super Domestique
Part 3 – Decisions
Head Tube Cable Stops
Current feeling is to go with external cable routing with stops on the Head Tube
Part 4 – Spec agreed
So going with Down Tube cable stops as placing them on the Head Tube does move them outboard of the DT a fair bit. Also considered an oversize T47 BB so that the Hydro cable could route internally but in the end decided with a standard BB and the Hydro cable will exit the DT near the BB and then reenter the right Chain Stay. It won’t really be visible and I felt that the overall looks would be better with a standard BB shell.
All ready now for me to pay a deposit and then wait a while!
Custom paint job should look good. Hopefully understated but classy. You’ll have to wait on that though.
Part 5 – Wait List!
Frame build is scheduled for Sept, starting to feel real now. Did not intend buying best wheels now till next Spring but when you are offered a set at trade price it’s hard to resist…….
Campag – but which ones….
Part 6 – Groupset.
Well, it has to be Gruppo Campagnolo. Superdomestique have quoted me for a stunning deal on a groupset. Thanks Elliott!
So it will be Campagnolo Record with Bora wheels. I’ll probably run a set of Hunt Four Seasons for gravel/winter use. Going with 35mm deep rims as I don’t race and I’m reasonably light and not a great fan of uber deep rims anyway. I also think the medium deep rims will look better with a steel tube frame.
Campagnolo Bora 35mm
Part 7
Groupset arrives – just need the frame now!
Gruppo Groupset
Part 8
Revised date now Jan 2020 due to apparent shortage of the Columbus SS Tubing. Bit disappointing but hanging in there.
Part 9
After much waiting my frame is now in production and due to head to the paint shop in January. Starting to feel more real at last! Should be getting some pre-painting photos soon hopefully.
Part 10
She is built. Received the post build photos and she is now in paint. Starting to get exited! Seems that I have Head Tube cable stops after all but as I was 50:50 between that and down tube I’m happy with that as I was wondering whether I should have spec’d that anyway. Photo updates of the bare frame. Fork is ENVE Carbon and will be painted to match the frame.
Part 11
Bergamo finally came out of lockdown and Stelbel have been able to restart and she is painted and finished. Oddly it’s been so long in germination that I’d forgotten what I spec’d for the Chris King Headset! I did haver between Blue and Red for the Chris King Headset and Stelbel logo. I actually thought I’d gone with Blue for a more subdued effect but apparently I did go with Red. The contrast does look great.
The colour is blended from front to back made up from two colours Bertulessi https://stelbel.it/build/8993/ and Wojtek https://stelbel.it/build/antenore-campagnolo-wr-compositi/
It turns out that when the top clear coat was applied the colours are so close that it’s hard to see the fade. Anyway they have offered to respray it but that would take another month or let me see it, ride it for the Summer and then if I want a higher contrast I can send it back next Winter and they will respray it. Can’t say fairer than that.
The Stem and Bars will be in matching colour.
So just needs to be shipped to the UK. So close now.
Continue reading → - Signs of Spring February 20, 2019Teocalli2349
Spring could be in the air but how can we really tell. Officially (according to the ‘net) the following are signs of Spring.
Snowdrops – well, not so sure about these as they usually pop up about the same time as we get our annual 1 inch of snow in the UK that brings the country to a standstill. Indeed they were up around here when it happened again this year.
Dawn Chorus – not sure about that as since I retired I’m seldom awake at that time any more to check.
Trees starting to bud – fair comment on this one and indeed some of our trees are starting to show signs of budding. So there is hope in the air there, though nature is so confused these days that some things are in flower in the middle of winter, though our Acer trees are definitely showing signs of sprouting.
Bees Foraging – well I did get whacked by a large flying insect this weekend that could have been a Bumble Bee but I didn’t stop to ask.
Buzzards Skydancing – hmm, nice and I did see a pair last weekend doing precisely that. Could be………
Though surely the greatest sign of Spring is the appearance of the white plumage of the Spring Cyclist as the cycling community starts to shed its winter coat of long leggings and arm warmers to reveal their fresh, new, startlingly white, Spring Coat. On that basis, around here, this weekend revealed the first signs of Spring with the odd outbreak of legs and arms in bright Spring Coat after some 4 months of hibernation.
The second sign is the opening of the Spring Classics. Picks open next week for the inaugural OTR League. Be there (well, here actually) or forever be in Hibernation!
PS – Expect the odd glitch and/or cock up as we tune the process.
PPS – That is a Primrose in the photo.
Continue reading → - Real men wear pink February 20, 2019chuckp2358
Test riding Velotoze shoe covers and their new wind/waterproof gloves, which are like scuba gloves. Review forthcoming on PEZ.
Continue reading → - One for the Good Guys by Wiscot February 14, 2019Teocalli2338
Lead Photo – Cycling Weekly/Watson
Professional sport can be both kind and cruel. Not matter what heights of glory or fame are achieved, there will inevitably come the day when the ability fades and retirement looms. For some, the transition is easy and made on their terms; for others, the end of a career is premature or simply enforced by a body unwilling or unable to continue.
For example, Bernard Hinault retired in 1986 at the age of 32. True to his nature, it was his call. Could he have ridden a few more, highly paid years? I’m sure he could, but Hinault was a born winner and he had no desire to be uncompetitive. Cycling can be spectacularly cruel in revealing weakness. In most sports you finish on the same field of play at the same time. Not so much in cycling. It’s hard to hide the fact that you’ve just finished 10 minutes behind the winner because you just don’t have it anymore.
Ask Andy Murray or Lindsay Vonn about retirement. A trashed hip and buggered-up knees respectively have called time on their careers. Both ended their careers far from home. The mental side is willing, the body is not.
For recently retired pro Mathew Hayman, retirement was sweet – on his terms and on home turf. It was nothing more than he deserved. A journeyman pro, a pro’s-pro, Hayman was a professional cyclist for nineteen years and retired at the grand old age of 40. Over that career he really only rode for three teams Rabobank (2000-2009), Team Sky (2010-2013) and Orica Green Edge (2014-2019 in various iterations). His palmares aren’t lengthy or spectacular (with one exception) but he gained the respect of his peers in the peloton and of the millions who watch.
That one exceptional ride was, of course, the 2016 Paris-Roubaix, a race with a special place in Hayman’s heart as he had ridden it as a neo-pro in 2000. He knew his opportunities were getting fewer to win a race he loved and in 2016 (his fourteenth attempt) there was the added obstacle of it being four-time-winner Tom Boonen’s final race – and final chance to set a new record of five cobblestone trophies.
Hayman’s previous best result in the velodrome was 8thin 2012, but in 2016 it all came together with the tall Aussie (6’ 3”) being in a select group of five by the time the race hit Roubaix. Boonen was there, so was Britain’s Ian Stanndard, Belgium’s Sep Vanmarke and Norway’s Edvald Boasson Hagen – any one of whom would be a worthy winner.
By the time the group hit the last few kilometers, it was apparent that everyone in the group was on fumes. Attacks were made and nullified as tired legs couldn’t sustain the effort. As all five hit the track, it was going to be a sprint. Boonen, whose sprint prowess and love of the race made him an obvious favorite gave it his all but was beaten to the line by Hayman who, despite what his eyes had seen and his legs had accomplished, was in pure disbelief that he had won. The congratulations showered upon him, notably from the gracious Boonen, were genuine and heartfelt. There have been a few flukey wins at Roubaix over the years, but this time, it was a case of well-deserved.
Boonen retired immediately – as he said he would before the race. Hayman didn’t. He stayed with the team for two more years, offering sage advice and wisdom to his team’s new crop of talented youngsters such as Esteban Chaves, Simon Yates and Adam Yates. But father time pedals on and Hayman was presented with the luxury of calling time on his racing days – and that was at the 2019 Tour Down Under. There, on home soil, he was tasked with helping the 2018 winner Darryl Impey defend his title. And helped he did with Impey becoming the first rider in the race’s history to repeat overall victory.
For Hayman,it was the perfect ending to a great career: home soil, winning team. He was lucky and he knew it to be going out on his terms. He will stay on with Mitchelton-Scott. This is a smart move by the team. “It takes so many years to learn those races and it’s so close to me now, in three to five years I might not have that feeling of what it was like to be in the bunch anymore,” Hayman has said. “Hopefully I can transfer some of that knowledge really quickly and help out some of the young guys, and maybe with a Luke or Trentin we can get some results.” As I said, a pro’s pro.
The last word I’ll leave to Luke Durbridge, who was possibly as ecstatic as Hayman was in shock at the finish at Roubaix. And while he was talking about one particular race, it really could sum us his friend’s career when he said it was “one for the good guys.”
Continue reading → - My Hill is harder than Your Hill February 6, 2019Teocalli2245
Lead Photo by geograph.org.uk
At the outset here I have to be clear that I’m talking Hills not Mountains.
One of the things about Hills in the UK is that they seldom have zig zags. Maybe there is insufficient space or just that historically the roads developed up old paths but there is a tendency for our roads to go straight up the gradient. The riders of the Yorkshire stages of the Tour de France where pleasantly (or should that be unpleasantly) surprised at the cumulative effect such climbs have on a day’s ride.
The result is that many of these hills have developed something of a mythical subculture in UK cycling.
Some deserve their place from the UK history of Time Trialing having equivalent Hill Climb competitions. I’m thinking here of hills such as Mam Nick in the Peak District where Tom Simpson held the record from 1958 till it was finally broken in 2016. I’ve been over that on two Eroica Britannia events and can appreciate Gentleman Tom’s achievement on a vintage bike. It is something of a beast even on a modern bike – I was mighty glad to have geared down The Butler as I passed numerous folk having to walk with gearing along the lines of 42×24.
The Mam Nick Hill Climb from Brendon Tyree on Vimeo.
Others seem to gain their status in current folklore from being accessible to the masses and frankly not too difficult. I’m thinking here of Box Hill in Surrey which seems to have a status far beyond it’s challenge factor – the views to the South from the top are pretty good (for the South of England) and there is a cafe which probably helps. Also it is one of the few hills in the UK with true zig zags where you can see riders above or below. Somewhat different to Mam Nick in the Peak District which is beautiful in good weather but bleak in inclement weather (see lead photo) but I suspect much about Box Hill is due to it’s proximity to London. However, I can think of at least 5 climbs in the local area that are considerably more challenging – strange (not) that you don’t meet many cyclists on those when Box Hill can be packed at a weekend. Having said that, it was not that pleasant on the drenching London Cogal a few years back!
ChrisO was way up the hill
The strange thing in some respects is that many of these climbs become defended by their own local community – “Yeah but have you tried xyz Hill, It’s a beast and steeper than your abc Hill”.
This can have a interesting effect when you visit a new area for an event. I was reminded of this last summer on Day 1 of the Hot Chillie London Paris through Kent. We were due to route via Kidd’s Hill “The Wall”. In itself it we suspected it would probably be a max of 10-15 mins suffering but it was due to be in the middle of a 170 Km day, and it was due to be hot (for the UK). So my buddy and I were in a bit of trepidation for surviving the 80 Km or so after the climb as The Wall had been bigged up in the route guide and by another friend who rides a lot in Kent. In the end when we got there it was nowhere near as bad as a number of local routes I know around my vicinity over the South Downs and we wondered a little what the fuss was about.
Honister Pass by strettonhillsbiking
Many of these hills are documented in various versions of 100 Best Climbs in the UK and I’m sure there is the cycling equivalent of Munro Baggers who travel the country ticking off climbs. Personally, while I may plan a route to take in a particular hill or other, for me it’s part of the whole ride and not the sole objective of a route.
The strange thing about these type of publications is while they do provide an interesting list, they inevitably are open to the challenge of My Hill is harder than Your Hill. I know of people who are massively protective of their hills when the reality is places like the Lake District do have some real beasts.
Just another of those areas where the bottom line is the degree of suffering becomes the reference point for ranking.
Continue reading → - Scarred for life by ChrisO January 27, 2019ChrisO2227
It’s not surprising that Stuart O’Grady chose the title Battle Scars for his autobiography. The Aussie hardman owned some of the most notable crashes in Tour history and memorably finished with a fractured vertebra. He once said “In cycling it’s not a matter of if you crash, it’s when you crash.”
While never personally having endured anything of O’Grady-esque severity (a fractured hip is a good attempt but thoroughly outclassed by his eight ribs, shoulder-blade, collarbone, three vertebrae and a punctured lung in Milan-San Remo 2009) most cyclists of a certain age can trace much of their history through various scars and injuries. Poke a long-healed wound and you’re bound to get a story.
A recent family conversation with my wife and children went something like:
Wife: “Ooh, that scar is still quite red.”
Me: “Yes the others have healed but that one was quite deep.”
Daughter: “Was that the brambles? That was ages ago.”
Me: “No, this was the barbed wire last summer… the brambles is my other arm, see.”
Son: “What about that one on your knee?”
Me: “Oh that was completely different – while I was going into work.”Looking over my middle-aged body I have a patch of lighter skin on the point of my left shoulder going back to my 20s, which still reminds me of being at university in Sydney when my rear wheel locked coming down the Gladesville Bridge after a rowing training session one day.
There’s the one from Clapham High Street where I’d just started a new job and had a meeting with the CEO first thing that morning. Fortunately I’d brought a black suit to wear that day so the chunk out of my leg bleeding into my trousers wasn’t visible. It got infected later because I hadn’t been able to clean it out properly.
There are the tiny criss-crosses along my right forearm from dodging a tractor around a blind bend at 55km/h in a time trial and instinctively deciding the roadside ditch (full of brambles as it turned out) was marginally preferable to going under farm machinery.
And there’s my own Johnny Hoogerland tattoo on the left arm, from a 60km/h crash into a barbed wire fence at the bottom of a hill on a club ride.
So when did you stop self-harming?
My Hoogerland moment
The immediate aftermath on the left, and on the right my current state, still visible nearly a year later.
The thing is, I like them. I didn’t really like the pain and fear at the time but they remind me of things in my life – things I’ve done, places I’ve been, periods of my life that I might not otherwise call to mind, pain and suffering I’ve overcome. People who have tattoos will tell you the same thing (I have those too).
I wonder if people look at my scars and think I must self-harm. Maybe there’s a parallel. Cyclists punish themselves mentally and physically but our reward is being generally fit and healthy and in control of our bodies – whether it’s a neat tattoo or a jagged red line, deliberate or accidental, embracing the scars is a way of showing that we own our skins.
Continue reading → - The Gios and Spindles by Teocalli January 23, 2019Teocalli1667
Lovely though The Butler is, it is a touch on the heavy side at 24 lbs/11 Kg and over an Imperial Ton on an Eroica style route that weight has a certain penalty. So, a couple of years back I decided to move from the 60s to the 70s for an Eroica compliant #2 Vintage Steed. The target was either a Colnago or Gios and I happened on an already restored Gios frame in the right size and Brooklyn colour scheme so the deal was done.
The target for the build was not to be hidebound on correct components for a specific year but rather to have a good representation of a Roger de Vlaeminck bike with a few twists to add a bit of bling.
The first consideration was the crankset. Based on my experiences with The Butler that had to be a Stronglight so that I could run a Compact equivalent front end. At the rear it was 126 OLD so a 6 Speed Block. I wanted (needed!) to go to a 28 sprocket and decided on a Pat 83 Campagnolo rear mech just to be a bit different to The Butler.
To my delight I found a Stronglight crankset with Drillium chainrings at a more or less reasonable price and so wanted to match that concept in the Brake Levers. The choice here was a pair of NOS Campagnolo Victory levers. They have the added bonus of being slightly larger than older Nuovo Record and give a modicum of extra comfort. There is also some benefit in having manufacturer supplied Drillium when hauling on the levers and trusting that they are strong enough to be full of holes!
The end effect is per the photographs and the bike is a delight to ride and pans out at 21 lbs/9.6 Kg and has been my partner of choice on 1 Eroica Britannia, 2 Eroica Limburg and Anjou Velo Vintage last year as well as local riding.
The main reason for this article though is to do with Q-Factor/Angle.
One of the things about bikes of the vintage era is that they did not really bother with Q-Factor – at least in the consumer market. So it was quite common (or even normal) to have a different Q-Factor on the drive side and the non-drive side resulting from an Asymetric Spindle.
Where you have a bike with relatively large inner chainring (ie some were around 42T), you need additional drive side Spindle length so that the inner chainring doesn’t hit the chainstays. Typically, the crank on the non-drive side would be closer to the centre than the crank on the drive side. This would become worse as additional chainrings were added going from 5 speed to 10 speed and indeed to the dreaded triple, particularly when upgrading a bike that originally had a single chainring. Thus, you have an Asymetric Spindle in that the distance from the Spindle Bearing Race face to the end of the Spindle differs on each side. The result is that the rider is (or may be) a little offset to one side in the saddle and/or with asymmetric loading on the rider’s hips when in the saddle.
Bottom Spindle is Symetric
I’m sure there is some science in axle choice but I did find that getting an axle that measured up to a balanced Q-Factor was a bit hit and miss, not least when I discovered thick and thin BB cups – which caused me no end of puzzlement at one point when I bought a BB that came with mismatched cups. Net is that both The Butler and The Gios are set up with a balanced Q-Factor or Symetrical Spindle though that is at the cost of some exposed Spindle inside the crank on the non-drive side that some purists may frown on.
Typically, this does not occur on modern bike which usually have a Symetric Spindle/Crank and the profile of the cranks made such that they blend nicely to the BB.
Anyway, this started me thinking whether or not this was also the case on Pro bikes of the era. Specifically, whether Eddy Merckx had an imbalanced Q-Factor and whether this could have contributed to his lower back issues post his crash in Blois. The difference is not great – maybe a max of 1 cm drive to non-drive size but having some back issues myself I know that keeping alignment is crucial and with the additional power output that Merckx had vs my puny wattage, I have to wonder how his bikes were setup and whether this could have been an issue for him. You can just about see that the Benotto at the start of A Sunday in Hell is quite likely to be asymmetric as the left crank is close to the BB.
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Visually, I have decided to go with a slight slope on the Top Tube. While I do like the tradition of a horizontal TT, I also have pretty short legs, so a slight slope gives a better balance to the seat post/tube IMHO.
