"normal"? eh, depends on the race.

but, it's not abnormal. Often at the end of a long stage or at the end of a big race, they will do several circuits around the destination city, probably mostly to give the fans something extra to see. Sometimes they also throw in sprint-point at each lap to give the riders motivation to keep going hard and to mix-it-up some at the end of the race.

At the end of yesterday's Tour of CA state, it ended in with several laps around Santa Cruz. Something like 4 3-4 mile loops.

The most famous of all, of course, is at the end of the Tour de France when they make several laps around Paris, across the cobblestones and by the Arc de Triumph several times.

2/17/2009 12:52:26 PM

^ thanks, i was just curious -- 5 seemed like a lot, and pasadena certainly isn't paris so it also seemed kinda lame

but again, i know nothing about cycling so i'll check it out...

2/17/2009 1:03:08 PM

yeah, should be cool. If you're lucky, maybe there will be a break early in the day that will still be away once they start the circuit, and you can see how the chase group organizes to pull the break back in.

If anyone is curious to see how teamwork works in a sprint finish, check out versus.com or cycling.tv later tonight to watch the end of today's Tour of CA finish. It was textbook finish. First, the chase caught a 2-man break just a couple miles from the end, then there was a battle between 3 teams to take control of the pack. The Cervélo team won the battle and put a train of 4 guys on the front of the pack, with their leader and sprinter Thor Hushovd in 4th. The 3 lead-out men timed everything perfectly and peeled off one at a time at the exact right spots and the last lead-out guy actually pulled Hushovd off of the front, and gapped the entire sprint pack about a 100m from the finish, before Hushovd took over and cruised to the win.

2/17/2009 7:44:10 PM

I saw the Tour go by as they headed up to the 2nd climb today. It was pretty cool, all these professional cyclists are doing one of my standard cycling routes! Except much faster! The crowds were larger than I thought, too. I'll post some pictures later.

2/17/2009 8:03:11 PM

if you get close to lance armstrong, don't expect him to be anything other than an asshole

2/17/2009 8:14:23 PM

The leaders, not sure who they were:

The peleton approaching:

Team Astana:

Team Astana again:

Is Lance the Astana guy to the far right? When they went buy I thought it he was the older guy fifth in line but that isn't Team Astana. Looked for Landis but didn't see him.



[Edited on February 17, 2009 at 8:56 PM. Reason : a]

2/17/2009 8:53:43 PM

wow, great pics! looks like a nice camera.

yes, that is Lance in the yellow and black. He got agreement from Astana to wear his special Livestrong helmet and bike.
It's great to see him back in the saddle again (OMG pun)

2/17/2009 9:09:13 PM

i realize this isnt classifieds, but i figured it would be the best place to ask. i have a buddy thats about 6'4" or 5" who is looking for a tri bike without much luck, anyone know where he should go to find a bigger selection

2/17/2009 9:13:13 PM

Inside-Out Sports in Cary is the go-to place for tri gear. If they don't have something in stock for his size they will know where to get it

2/17/2009 9:25:42 PM

alright i'll let him know. thanks for the info

2/17/2009 10:24:42 PM

Dad just got a Specialized Tarmac Pro. Thing is crazy light. He won't let me ride it. I think this is like bike number 6 or 7.

2/27/2009 2:00:21 PM

On the one hand, it is his $5000 new bike. (BTW, did he get the SRAM, Shitmano group??)

On the other hand, your are his child and that is just fucking stupid that he wont let you ride it. You have just as much chance going down while riding it as he does.

But, I completely understand his argument. I have 14 and Ive only let someone else ride any of them maybe 3 times.

[Edited on February 27, 2009 at 2:10 PM. Reason : ]

2/27/2009 2:09:51 PM

Well he'd let me ride it normally but it's raining now.

2/27/2009 2:15:04 PM

lol well duuuur....i dont take the race bike out in the rain either

2/27/2009 2:20:08 PM

He's almost 60. Wanna be like my dad when i grow up. He rides more than anyone i know.

2/27/2009 4:44:46 PM

where do you keep 14 bikes?

2/27/2009 5:48:05 PM

I've got 5 of them out here with me, 6 at my parent's house, one at my family's mountain place, and two boxed up in dad's warehouse.

2/27/2009 6:06:13 PM

where do you keep 5 and 6 bikes in one place?

2/27/2009 6:25:32 PM

Well, for the 5 at my place, one is on the trainer, two are on the porch, and two are in the closet.

For the 6 at my parents, 3 are hanging in the garage, one is in the attic, one is in the guest room, and one is in my old room.

And no, I cant ride them all at the same time. And yes, I do plan to purchase more...lots more actually. I made the mistake of selling a bike years ago, and I regret the decision to this day. Not saying I dont ever sell any of them, I do from time to time, with bikes that I hate (ie. stupid fucking 20" death machine)

But, Im a bit of a bike geek. I dont have any other obsessions or collections, so I dont see it as a problem. And with the exception of the road bikes, they are all quite different machines.

2/27/2009 6:31:25 PM

oh i don't see it as a problem either

i just know when i have both my bikes in the same place, i'm always like jeez this a lot of bike

so i couldn't imagine keeping 14 bikes around... or even 5 or 6

2/27/2009 6:42:55 PM

I'm about to pull the trigger on a new TREK 2.3. I think it looks sweet. I was curious if anyone else had any suggestions on a sub $2K bike with a 105 or better groupset? Something stiff enough to race crits and tri's (as a complete amature) and plush enough for centuries?

3/10/2009 5:41:50 PM

I have an 05 Giant TCR C2 I set up for triathlon. I have clip on aero bars and I got fitted to this setup. The position I can tell you is pretty good for riding in aero for a little over an hour. On my particular setup I have the aero bars way to aggressive for anything much longer than that. Also, this bike has a slightly more racey geometry than a bike you'd look to ride centuries on. It's comfortable enough up to about 70 miles, and after that everything just starts to hurt. I'm sure this is partly because I have it set up for triathlon, but I suspect different geometry would help as well.

The point is, you're going to have to get good with switching back and forth for it to feel comfortable when you start to go long at a given discipline.

3/10/2009 6:41:42 PM

Thanks Fail Boat.

No one else has an opinion on a sub $2000 bike?

3/17/2009 6:46:59 PM

You haven't provided enough information for me to even get close to recommending you a ride.

Body weight?

Aggressive, or compact geometry?
- Lower back strength on a scale of 1-10
- Flexibility on a scale of 1-10

Years riding?

How long do you plan on keeping the bike before you upgrade?

New or used?

Warranty?

After you answer all these, then I might pull some ideas out of my ass. But, with the economy, it may be hard to find good deals. You should also always give a good test ride. Get fitted; make necessary adjustments to the handlebars, stem, seat post or saddle.

Stiffer isn't always better. I think the word stiffness gets thrown around too much, with few people actually knowing what makes a frame stiffer or the difference in ride quality.

There is plenty of evidence that people are often very poor judges of their physical environment. They often see relationships where they don't exist and mis-attribute other relationships. For example, peoples' judgement of ride quality in automobiles is more related to the sounds inside the automobile than the ride itself.

3/18/2009 9:58:49 PM

Quote :

"You haven't provided enough information for me to even get close to recommending you a ride. Body weight? Aggressive, or compact geometry? - Lower back strength on a scale of 1-10 - Flexibility on a scale of 1-10 Years riding? How long do you plan on keeping the bike before you upgrade? New or used? Warranty? After you answer all these, then I might pull some ideas out of my ass. But, with the economy, it may be hard to find good deals. You should also always give a good test ride. Get fitted; make necessary adjustments to the handlebars, stem, seat post or saddle. Stiffer isn't always better. I think the word stiffness gets thrown around too much, with few people actually knowing what makes a frame stiffer or the difference in ride quality. There is plenty of evidence that people are often very poor judges of their physical environment. They often see relationships where they don't exist and mis-attribute other relationships. For example, peoples' judgement of ride quality in automobiles is more related to the sounds inside the automobile than the ride itself."

I'm about 180 pounds. I've been riding my mtn bike (Gary Fisher 19" Marlin) on the trails for over a year. I also got a 13 year old aluminum TREK 1200 56cm that I've started road riding on. My lower back strength hasn't been an issue on either bike, and I can flex at the hip pretty well without bending my back. I can touch my toes if I bend my back. I want to be able to keep the frame for a minimum of 5 years, after that I"ll keep it until it wears out. Needs to be either new or very lightly used. Warranty on the frame and/or wheels are a big plus. Should have Shimano 105 groupset or better. Needs to be crit raceable, century rideable (I know a lot of that is saddle/position geometry). I've ridden a Giant Defy Alliance 1 and liked it, and I hope to ride a TREK 2.1 or 2.3 soon. There is also a Cannondale & Specalized bike shop in town that I have not tried yet. I looked a Salsa cycles, but they seemed a little too expensive. I'd ride a Gary Fisher roadbike, but I hear it is just a LeMond knock-off. I'd prefer an american built bike if I can find a good one. I'd be happy with a major brand, but I'm curious if anyone has any experience with a smaller name bike.

[Edited on March 19, 2009 at 8:24 PM. Reason : []

3/19/2009 8:23:19 PM

^ It's a moot point now, I just bought a new bike. I rode a 2008 Cannondale six-13 Team Z, and really liked it. The bike shop had it on discount for $1600 since it was last year's model.

I then went to my bike shop (where I got my last bike, and know the employees), and rode a 2009 Giant Defy Alliance 1. That rode really sweet. They dropped the price from $1725 to $1575, and I figured I couldn't pass that up, so I brought it home.

Tomorrow it'll get it's first group ride.

3/21/2009 5:36:54 PM

Anyone here go for rides in Durham? Where do you ride other than the Tobacco Trail?

3/29/2009 10:56:08 AM

Ear bitten off in road rage incident

http://www.wishtv.com/dpp/news/crime/Man_bites_off_ear_in_road_rage_incident_20090402



* Video
* Photo
* Map

Curtis "Alan" Cross

Jeffrey Guffey
PreviousPlayNext
Regular Photo Size12
Map data ©2009 Tele Atlas - Terms of Use
Map
Satellite
Hybrid
Change Location Large Map Go
Advertisement
Ear bitten off in road
rage incident
Confrontation quickly turns to
violence

Updated: Thursday, 02 Apr 2009, 11:05 PM EDT
Published : Thursday, 02 Apr 2009, 10:18 PM EDT

* Jennifer McGilvray
* Edited by Andrew Bonner

NEW CASTLE, Ind. - New Castle police said a road rage incident escalated to violence Wednesday when a driver actually bit off another man's ear.

Jefferey Guffey said he was riding his bike and stopped to talk to two kids on the side of the road when Curtis "Alan" Cross sped by in his SUV.

Guffey said he told Cross to slow down. But he said Cross pulled his SUV in front of him and put it in reverse.

"(Cross) encountered a bicycle that he found frustrating to get around,” said Detective Ross Frame with New Castle Police Department.

Police said both men exchanged hand gestures. Guffey said Cross then got out of his car and started yelling at him.

"Jumped out and said, 'What did you say?', and I said, 'You need to watch where you are going, there's kids here',” said Guffey.

Guffey said Cross, a man he had never met before, then started attacking him.

"He come bum-rushing me and grabbed me like this, and started taking chunks out of my ear and spitting them at me,” he said.

4/6/2009 5:15:04 PM

It's shit like this that makes me contemplate carrying a pistol with me when I go for rides. Generally, I don't talk shit if I am on solo rides (which is rare), but I've been known to toss a flippant hand (no birds) in the air when someone does something douchey on the road.

4/6/2009 5:21:57 PM

OK gang I am 5'8" and weigh 140lbs, I run approx 30 miles a week and want to get a road bike. I have never had one before, I do cycle on the stationary bike at the gym. Don't want to spend TOO much, like to keep it under or around $800 if possible.

suggestions? Thinking about commuting to work 2.5 miles each way and then riding aroudn the Cary/Morrisville area. Running will be my primary thing, but having a bike for crosstraining and commuting would be nice............

so ?

4/6/2009 7:24:55 PM

^
I have a Trek 1.2, a beginner bike with an Al frame and a carbon fork. Mostly, I'm a recreational rider and only do 4-5 centuries a year & maybe 80-100 miles a week. Like you I'm mostly a runner so I don't really see the point in getting a more expensive bike unless I start riding competitively.

4/6/2009 8:35:10 PM

reading up on the Raleigh Grand Sport 2009 model, seems about what I'd want........and I am a REI member too

4/6/2009 8:47:07 PM

i'm looking at http://www.bikesdirect.com

and http://www.velovie.com (i get a huge discount through my gym)

sooo ready to pull the trigger on a road bike

the reason i came here... i found this and thought some people on here may be interested

http://www.bikemania.biz/North_Carolina_State_Wolfpack_Cycling_Jersey_p/adrenaline_nc_state.htm




[Edited on April 22, 2009 at 3:50 PM. Reason : websites]

4/22/2009 3:50:22 PM

^Sweet Jersey

I'm just getting into triathlon myself (have a sprint coming up in May) and a great site for cycling gear that I have found is http://www.bonktown.com. It's like woot for cycling stuff (everything from hardware to jerseys and shorts).

4/22/2009 3:58:11 PM

http://www.chainlove.com

they do a deal until its sold out then throw something else up. similar to http://www.steepandcheap.com

4/22/2009 4:00:08 PM

yeah, chainlove is the mountain biking equivalent of bonktown and they are all run by backcountry outdoor gear.

4/22/2009 4:07:48 PM

yeah, i noticed the set up was identical besides the name

4/22/2009 4:54:31 PM

^^ I just did my first triathlon last Sunday in Raleigh, the TOA sprint. I'm signing up for the Triangle Triathlon in July. Yay heat and humidity! I can't decide whether I want to continue in sprints this year or move on to Olympic distance towards the fall.

I think a lot will depend on how I do in weekly group rides, and how much my running improves.

I am looking forward to swimming in open water without a wetsuit- that shit was maybe 63 degrees on Sunday. I took 5 min in T1 to thaw the hell out once getting out of my wetsuit.

[Edited on April 22, 2009 at 9:27 PM. Reason : yar]

4/22/2009 9:26:20 PM

anyone with a road bike for sale?

4/22/2009 10:22:38 PM

http://raleigh.craigslist.org/bik/

If you watch that for a couple weeks, you will typically find some decent deals on road and tri bikes. I bought a hand-me-down from a friend for now.

4/23/2009 9:22:51 AM

recommend me a good brand/model if you can...I'm not sure how serious I'd be about the bike once I get it, so I'd like to stay in the sub 250 price range. I'd like a road bike, I think, but still be able to take some dirt paths etc if necessary, so I don't want a full fledged touring bike, perhaps a hybrid of some sorts. Also, I worry about my size, I'm 6'1 200 give or take and pretty muscular, when I was fat, I remember breaking chains and once the pedal, so those are 2 areas I'm concerned about reoccurring problems with in the future if I'm pushing too hard etc. I really don't care for shocks either, when I was 300lbs and road a bike, the shock absorber, well, didn't do shit since I was so fat it was just compressed the entire time wondering what the hell was going on. It likely wouldn't be the same anymore, just throwing it out there that I'm not a fan on shocks etc, although disc brakes would be nice, wouldn't squeak as much or so I think.

4/25/2009 4:27:35 PM

I got this thing last week and rode 40 miles today. w00t! I didn't eat enough breakfast or take enough snacks so I started bonking pretty bad at about 35 miles.

4/25/2009 5:26:01 PM

^^ Porcha, your best bet is to find a used cyclocross bike or hybrid - a Trek or Surly perhaps, I would see if someone on here is selling one in your frame size, or if you're lucky Craigslist.

You're not going to find anything new, sub-$250 for what you want, unless you go with a Walmart mountain bike. Those are fine for riding 5 miles on a paved trail and back, but I'm worried with your described height and weight, you're going to be too big and stress the components on a cheaply made bike. If you really want new, I would recommend increasing your budget to $300-400, that will get you into the base model better-quality bikes.

I would look for something generally with more generous tire width, and all metal components.

4/25/2009 8:07:42 PM

yea like 10yrs ago i had a Trek 800 something which was like 200 something new, I broke the pedal about a year into its use, the bike seemed solid otherwise, next bike I purchased was the wal-mart mtn bike, i forget what brand but the chain broke one day while riding to class, i replaced it but the bike was still shitty, i parked it somewhere one summer and havent bothered to look for it since

but yea, I'm not looking for anything new either, i def want used, been cruising CL every few days looking for a steal...theres just such a huge gap, either its a 700+ bike with all the works or a sub 100 bike from walmart, not many in between, so i just wanted to know what to keep an eye out for

also, what size should i be looking at for my size? 26" wheels and what size frame etc, i know very little

4/26/2009 12:02:55 AM

it's hard to give you brand advice because most of the big brands have high end that pros ride and low end that you can get at target or walmart. Its really about the frame materials and components.

What are you trying to do with it? Road riding? Mountain biking? little of both?

4/26/2009 8:15:17 AM

optimally ride it to school daily as long as the weather permits, I live ~7 miles from campus

although I also have a cabin in the mountains so I'd still perhaps like the option to go mtn biking, not necessarily off-road

4/26/2009 9:59:19 AM

Real Ultimate Power Alleycat Race, Raleigh NC 5/2/09 Noon ?

Anyone going to this?

http://trianglemtb.com/yabbse/index.php?topic=16626.0

4/30/2009 8:56:02 PM

I would do the alleycat, but I have to put my garden in this weekend, and my fixed wheel has a broken spoke from Earth Day I haven't replaced yet. Stupid trailer

5/1/2009 12:42:47 AM

this bike any good and or a good deal @ $150?

would it fit a 6'1 200lb rider?

http://raleigh.craigslist.org/bik/1157435185.html

5/6/2009 7:12:22 PM

set em up

5/8/2009 4:38:01 PM