Joe Biker

BELGRADE, Serbia - Authorites aren't quite sure yet, but some suspect that Radovan Karadzic, the former leader of Bosian Serbs, grew a long white beard and attempted to take on the alias of BioWheels Cincinnati Cyclocross masters racer Harry Wicks to conceal his identity, officials said Tuesday in revealing details of the fugitive's capture after a decade on the run.  No offense Harry, you gotta admit the resemblance is pretty uncanny!

Radovan while in power (left) Radovan making believe he is BioWheels Harry Wicks (right).

The real Harry Wicks tearing it up at a Detroit UCI CX race.

The real Harry Wicks with unrelated cyclocross superstar Barry Wicks.

joejoebiker at 1:53:49 PM EDT Permalink | Blog about this entry |  Add to del.icio.us |  digg this This entry has 1 comments: Show Recent | Add your own

 

(American Christian Vande Velde from Velo News)

I tuned in Sunday at 4 to CBS’s coverage of the Tour De France expecting to see 60-75 hours of bike racing somehow condensed into a neat little 45 minute package.  We all knew it would be that way.  No complaints there.  We know Versus has the full meal deal.  I also know any monkey with a You Tube account can edit video.  Why I expect more from CBS than actually cramming 60-75 hours of footage into 45 minutes, I don’t know.  I don’t understand how CBS didn’t see the big angle for any American watching TV on Sunday afternoon.  An American rider has been for nearly two weeks, and still is, 38 seconds away from the Yellow Jersey.  Sure it’s a long shot.  But, it’s no piece of cake for Cadel Evans either, just ask his shoulder.  The sad thing about CBS’s lame Tour De France recap is that someone will no doubt ask CBS why they don’t air more cycling on TV and CBS suits will point to the fact that not many people watched the hour on CBS yesterday.  Well duh.  That’s no fault of cycling.  It’s because CBS failed broadcasting 101.

 

I’m a producer myself, went to college, been doing it for over 20 years and the whole lot.  Here’s the first thing you learn in broadcasting 101.  Cater to your available audience.  It’s so easy.  Aside from having a functional TV, what’s the one thing that every possible TV viewer on Sunday had in common?  All cyclists?  Nope.  All NASCAR fans?  Nope.  All American!  Ding.  Ding.  Ding.  Every possible TV viewer for CBS on Sunday at 4pm was American.  Someone needs to let CBS know that there’s an American named Christian Vande Velde in contention for the yellow jersey.  For the past two weeks he’s been wheel to wheel with Cadel Evans.  Not to mention, his team, Garmin-Chipotle, has the toughest anti-doping protocol in all of cycling, and maybe in all of sport.  Focusing the hour of tour coverage around Christian Vande Velde would’ve made the most of Sunday’s available TV audience and brought the tour to a level all Americans could understand and enjoy.  CBS completely missed the story and probably the ratings.  

 

Instead, CBS tried to cram an elephant into a keyhole, made even smaller by including a ten minute documentary about the race caravan.  While the piece would’ve made a good 60 minutes segment, as aired in the middle of the race coverage it basically told the audience that the bike race isn’t interesting enough for an hour, so here’s a story about pretty girls handing out trinkets from a giant cup of coffee on wheels.  I won’t even get into what that stupid “dramatic” music during the race footage was all about.  The bottom line is that CBS had an hour to somehow tell the story of the first 15 stages of the Tour De France, and blew it, not from a cycling standpoint, but from a professional broadcast standpoint.  Cyclists who really want to watch the tour have Versus, the internet, or a friend who has Versus.  CBS had a real opportunity to take the hour and make it something that every TV viewer on Sunday could enjoy: the Tour from the perspective of an American rider in contention for the Yellow Jersey, Christian Vande Velde. 

joejoebiker at 3:52:33 PM EDT Permalink | Blog about this entry |  Add to del.icio.us |  digg this This entry has 0 comments: Add your own

10 July 2008: Another typical finish at Le Tour, Alejandro Valverde hammers head down to beat Cadel Evans and win stage six at Super Besse at 2008 Tour De France, while the dope in front with his hands in the air is hauled off by police.  While initially it appeared as if it were a victory salute, it does kind of appear that Dopo has that "Huh?  Who me?  But, look I'm in front! I won.  Really!" look on his face.  More about Dopo Dopardo and the new dope CERA at Velo News.

Funny, it's nealy a year since "Dear Doper."

joejoebiker at 10:46:17 AM EDT Permalink | Blog about this entry |  Add to del.icio.us |  digg this This entry has 0 comments: Add your own

(I used to hate this bike)

Let me save you another season of dreading flats, rolled tires, tangled chains, and bent shifters because you can’t bear the thought of jumping on your P-O-S pit bike.  First off, your poor pit bike is a decent bike.  You just treat it like it’s the nerd of all your bikes.  After I got my custom Indy Fab Planet X, my Jamis Nova hit the “D” list in my stable.  Last year I moved it up to “B” list status by getting the fit and feel as close to the IF as possible.  Better yet, it became an advantage in races, rather than a last resort and didn’t cost a whole lot to do it.  Keep in mind, fit and feel is more about how you feel on the bikes, not so much how the bikes handle the terrain.  Pay more attention to the areas where your body touches or is affected by the bike.  Before September is the time to get crackin’ on your CX rig setup.  CX stuff is stacking up in the shops and you’ll most likely get first dibs on your friends old parts if you start asking around now.  Rather than upgrading your race rig, it might make more sense to make both bikes as similar as possible.

 

It paid off in places for me.  Last year at a race in Louisville, my Planet X had succumbed to the weight of the mud and shifting issues.  I had dropped from about 5th to 10th.  When I ditched my custom IF in favor of the clean Nova, in a lap or two I gained back a few spots.  The Nova felt great.  While an old Jamis Nova is sub-standard compared to an IF Planet X, just having the bikes set up as closely as possible to each other made the transition between the two nearly seamless in regards to fit and feel.  When your race rig has chain suck and is covered in five pounds of mud, a clean Jamis Nova becomes the better bike.  Moreover, the pit bike helped me in the race instead of being an “in case of disaster” fall-back.  While pro’s like Katie Compton may have 4 identical CX bikes, and a dashing hubby/mechanic to boot, here’s some tips to get your bikes set up as closely as possible without spending a lot of money or trying to break up the nicest couple in bike racing. 

 

TAPE MEASURE

Get the cockpits to feel the same.  Take measurements from your race bike and transfer them to your pit bike.  Be patient.  Measure twice.  Don’t rush.  This is best done on a rainy afternoon in August.  For a good fitin the legs, measure from the top of the saddle (where the post would intersect if it went through the saddle) down to the center of the pedal axle.  To match the reach, measure from the same point on the saddle to the center of your handlebars.  Take it a bit further, measure the drop between the top of your saddle and the top of your bars.  You don’t want to feel stretched out on one bike and cruched up on the other.  Make adjustments with spaces under the stem of your pit bike.  To really dial it in, you may need a different size stem.  Email your buddies or check the used part bin at your local shop.  Chances are you’ll be able to do it for free or for a few bucks.

 

YOUR TUSH AND GRIP

If possible, get the same handlebars and saddles for both bikes.  Put the same bar tape on both bikes.  Remember we’re trying to get both bikes to fit and feel as identical as possible.  Besides bar tape is cheap.  If it’s not possible to get matching seats and bars because you splurged on carbon bars for your race rig with your government surplus check, at the very least have the same size bar and a similarly shaped saddle on both bikes.  If you can swing it, find a bar that has the same anatomical shape for your pit bike.  Weight isn’t as important as the fit and feel.  While you may not be able to put $250 Fizik Aliante’s on both bikes, the Fizik Vitesse is pretty much the same shape and retails for under $90.  Still too much?  Check with your friends or local shop to see if you can scare up a used one.  I bought a used Aliante last year for $50 from a buddy.  While it’s a bit squeaky, it works.  Selle Italia Flight saddles have been around since the dawn of time and there’s always a used one in someone’s basement.  Ask around, you’ll be surprised how many people hate the saddle shape you love and have a spare in their parts bin.

 

LEVELING WITH THE LEVERS

I used to have front and rear top of bar brake levers on my race rig and none on the pit bike.  That was a big reason I hated riding the Nova, the brake setup was completely different.  For just a few bucks in new cables and housing you can split your 2 levers between both bikes, so both bikes are identical.  While it could take a whole blog entry to explain, on both bikes I only run one top of bar lever on the left side controlling the rear brake.  While you may have Dura Ace shifters on your race bike, used Tiagra will have the same feel at a fraction of the cost for your pit bike.  If you don’t run a front derailuer and just have a brake lever on the left hand side, do the same on your pit bike.  Don’t worry about buying a set of right and left, you can run a right hand brake-only lever on the left side with a little finesse of the cable routing.  Besides, making things work is half the fun of cyclocross.

 

THE INSEAM

The only difference in feel between my two bikes last year was that the Nova had FSA 175mm cranks and the IF had new Ultegra 172.5’s.  I could really notice the difference in length between the bikes.  You might have to make a call on this one.  While I’m in the process of switching out the 175’s for 172.5’s, some may argue that having longer cranks on the pit bike may be beneficial late in the race when your legs get tired and you could use the added benefit of having more leverage on the cranks.  However, I’m going to err on the side of having both bikes fit and feel as close as possible and install a set of old Ultegra 172.5’s on the pit bike.  Keep in mind, with cranks it’s relatively unimportant to match the brand.  The same length is what you’re after.

 

The Rest of the Bike

You could go all crazy and put identical tires on both bikes or run the same brakes and fork.  However, that’s less about fit and feel and more about handling and performance.  If you get the fit and feel dialed in and at least make the gearing the same, you’ll never dread jumping on your heavy knicked-up nerdy P-O-S pit bike this season.  When you’re done, if you can close your eyes and swing a leg over both bikes and not be able to feel the difference between the two, your pit bike will become an advantage this season.

Tags: Cyclocross, cross, cx, pit, bike, set, up, ovcx, series, UCI, Louisville, Cincinnati, Ohio, Valley, race, races, racing

joejoebiker at 11:13:35 AM EDT Permalink | Blog about this entry |  Add to del.icio.us |  digg this This entry has 0 comments: Add your own

(Best to walk, it's more enjoyable and besides, this circa 1878 covered bridge can swallow your wheels)

“Joe, do you ride everyday?” he asked.  “Huh,” I said, caught off guard at the halfway stop of the Wednesday Cincinnati Cycle Club covered bridge ride.  “Uh, pretty much.”  “I see,” he said.  You want to get an honest answer, ask someone a question when their heart rate is jacked. 

 

I had told the group I was peeling off before the covered bridge loop to solo back to town and watch my BioWheels teammates for most of the Ault Park Criterium.  I really didn’t think much of it.  I wasn’t racing because I’m still nursing a sprained thumb and can’t keep a solid grip on the bars quite yet, which is kind of important when you’re two inches from 60 guys sprinting at 38mph.  While I can’t clap, the least I can do is show up and cheer. 

 

For him, a person who can’t get out for a ride everyday, there was no way he was cutting the covered bridge part of the ride to go watch other fast riders race.  That was just outof the question, preposterous.  It made me think, have I taken my cycling for granted?  I hope not.  However, here I was looking for a place to cut the most scenic and fun part of the ride. 

 

Cincinnati’s covered bridge ride is a two and a half hour ride round trip from Hyde Park and consequently can only be done on the weekends or during the week at the peak of summer when it’s light out till just after 9pm.  A 6:30 rollout brings you back at sunset.  In another 6-8 weeks, there won’t be enough daylight to make it out that far after work.  It’s a beautiful loop with an Alpaca farm, good climb, great views of rolling hills, a fun descent and a walk through a long covered bridge built in, I believe the sign says, 1878. 

 

Most people walk through the covered bridge because the historic decking is made up of 12x2’s with a 2 inch space between the foot-wide wood slats.  That space can easily swallow an expensive wheel and make for a long long long walk home.  I have ridden through it, it’s kind of fun, like trying to ride on a curb.  Most of the time I prefer to walk and look up and enjoy the beauty and history of the bridge. 

 

As my wife and I rolled home, I had time to think.  It’s true, I can pretty much ride everyday.  She also rides and occasionally races.  So, there’s no issues there.  She was on this ride and turned around with me.  No kids.  For the most part, our jobs end when we leave the building.  It’s really pretty rare that on a sunny day we have to choose between riding or some other obligation.  We literally plan our household chores around riding and the forecast.  When it rains we vacuum, shop for food, clean bathrooms and do dishes.  We save the sunny days for riding.  Even if we don’t ride, we at least get out for a walk.  It’s really pretty sweet.  I hope I never take that for granted.  I also don’t take it for granted that when I race, it’s great to have teammates cheering you on.  It’s not an obligation or a team requirement to show up at races and cheer, I just think, if you can’t race and have the time, it’s a good thing to do. 

 

I think the point is that it really doesn’t matter if you cut a ride short, whatever the reason.  At least you got out for a ride, however long, however many days a week.  You’re riding, enjoying life, getting some exercise.  Most people don’t.

joejoebiker at 10:22:47 AM EDT Permalink | Blog about this entry |  Add to del.icio.us |  digg this This entry has 0 comments: Add your own

From www.occmedcentral.com/humor/cartoons/oshabike.jpg (and apparently from an old Kool Stop ad).

The thought crossed my mind.  I could just unclip and give his seat post a nudge with my foot and send him flashing and whistling into the river.  “That guy” snuck into my ride the other day and the orange socks, hunting vest, three headlights, triple taillights, helmet mirror, bell and whistle nearly sent me over the edge.  With the stupid mirror, I couldn’t even mock him from behind, or ditch ‘em at the next turn.  I was stuck.

 

Don’t get me wrong, he’s a nice guy and a strong rider to boot.  Under the 25 pounds of safety equipment, he’s a guy you probably would hang out with.  I’ve shared beers with him at back yard barbecues, not any weirder than the next cyclist.  There’s people way more out-of-true than him.  It’s not that he’s a geek.  It’s as simple as this.  It’d be much more enjoyable to ride with him if he just picked two safety items and left it at that such as: a headlight and taillight, orange vest and a bell, orange socks and a whistle, helmet mirror and long pants.  On second thought, just pick one.  Really,  we were on an hour and a half ride three hours before sunset, never more than 25 minutes from home.  If that one item has to be the whistle or bell, he should only use it in the most dire circumstances.

 

That damn whistle, toot toot toot, toot toot toot, toot toot toot toot all the way through International Friendship Park, the most peaceful, beautiful, serene, well landscaped park in Cincinnati.  “Oh my gawd dude you’re killing me.”  What’s wrong with a nice calm, “gonna pass on your left.”  Noooo, that only works on an individual basis.  Bunnies and squirrels don't understand english.  That's why there's the whistle, the 50 thousand watt blowtorch clear channel radio station of cycling.  “SUNDAY SUNDAY SUNDAY…DORKS ON BIKES APPROACHING FROM BEHIND IN FRIENDSHIP PARK!!  BE THERE…NO WAIT…GET OUTTA THE WAY OR YOU’RE ALL GONNA GET RUN OVER BY SOMEONE WEARING AN ORANGE VEST AND MATCHING SOCKS AND NO ONE SHOULD HAVE TO DIE LIKE THAT!!!”

 

I kept my foot clipped in, my mouth shut, gestures in check (helmet mirror remember) and just tried to direct our little ride to where there would be the least amount of pedestrians orplaces where he might be tempted to lift the whistle to his lips.  I’m sorry.  Maybe I’m petty.  To me, however, bike riding should be somewhat peaceful and simplistic.  I prefer hand gestures over shouting out “HOLE!”  Sure, every now and then walkers take up the entire width of the bike path or a car comes a little too close, but you don’t need $250 in safety equipment for those circumstances.  Pick one.  Two if you must.  Please leave the whistle to the professionals like referees, the police and angry homely old disgruntled bitchy crossing guards. 

joejoebiker at 9:23:54 AM EDT Permalink | Blog about this entry |  Add to del.icio.us |  digg this This entry has 0 comments: Add your own

The new 2009 Campagnolo Super Record 11 cog cassette, as featured at www.Velonews.com.  Play video to find out the true reason why your 10 speed cassette is inferior.  To save some time, let it load, use mouse to move slider and start playing at 1:18.

For more check out Velo News. 

"We've got Armadillos in our trousers. It's really quite frightening."   Nigel Tufnel.

Tags: Campy, Campagnolo, 11, eleven, speed, cog, cogs, cassette, 2009, super, spinal, tap, marshall, amp, amplifyer, video, photo, picture

joejoebiker at 9:00:58 AM EDT Permalink | Blog about this entry |  Add to del.icio.us |  digg this This entry has 0 comments: Add your own

Do you have trouble pulling your waist band down to take care of business?  Do you wrestle opening a granola bar or cracking open a can of pop?  Is it awkward to carry a cup of coffee with your other hand?  How about cleaning a litter box?  Does it smart to pull-start the lawn mower?  Does hitting the space bar on your keyboard with your left thumb make you say “ooch?”  Then, you may have bent your thumb back to your elbow in a bike/tree incident this weekend. 

 

The doc at the finish line said he didn’t think it was broken.  But, when I jumped back on my bike after clipping a tree I could swear I felt my thumb bone slide past its joint when I tried to shift it back to the big ring.  Total heebie jeebies.  Can’t shift, well I’ll just leave it in the middle ring I thought to myself.  The next down hill proved a mistake.  Even hanging on to the handle bar was dicey.  My Race for the Graves at EI was done.

 

I was feeling good, running about 11th or 12th of 25.  I was pretty sure I was leading or at the very least would snag some cash in the 40+ category, thanks to Charlie Miller and Phil Noble’s absence.  As far as a local expert race, I was doing pretty well amongst some good competition.  Good stuff.

 

You never expect to crash.  There were a hundred other places on that trail that would’ve ranked higher on the wreckability meter, ladder bridges, creek crossings, wheel sucking whoop de doos.  I was on one of the few relatively flat and straight sections of the whole 8+ mile mountain bike race course at England Idlewild Park in Burlington, KY.  There might have been 4 trees in this 75 yard stretch that were remotely close to the trail.  I clipped one of them by no more than a half inch and I went flying.  If I were going slower and been even 2mm more away from the tree, I probably would’ve saved the crash and finished the race.  But, I was big ringing it, probably close to 20mph and didn’t have a chance.  Instant ejector seat. 

 

I remember everything but actually seeing the tree before I clipped it with my left grip.  I remember my left hand being ripped from the bar, somersaulting through the air.  I remember seeing the ground and my front wheel, landing on my shoulder and back of my head and rolling to a stop.  My bike stopped dead in its tracks.  It was laying less than two feet from the tree I nailed.  The carpet had been abruptly pulled from underneath me.  Bike seemed okay.  I was scratched.  Everything seemed in order, except my thumb hurt.  Ah, just a thumb I thought.  Riding on proved to be an exercise in pain that didn’t need to be endured.

 

Since my day was done, I noodled back to the start finish.  Gestured a “slit throat” to the officials, held three fingers in the air (my race number) and went in search of ice.  The great thing about the race being sponsored by Wellington Orhopaedic is that there was a doctor on site.  He gently grabbed my hand, asked if I could do this and this, asked if this or that hurt and came to the conclusion that I just bent my thumb backward real bad.  I’ll say.  No doubt I'm gonna be out of racing for the next 2 weeks or so, unless I get grip shift for the mountain bike and ride the CX bike with no front shifter on the road.  So, here I sit typing with nine fingers, my left thumb floating above the keyboard.  Like after a weekend at Fight Club, it’s another Monday back at work. 

joejoebiker at 11:06:03 AM EDT Permalink | Blog about this entry |  Add to del.icio.us |  digg this This entry has 0 comments: Add your own

In the wake of Midwest flooding and in hopes of helping out a cyclist in need, here is a post I saw on the Ohio Mountain Bike Association Forum from "smithbarry" in Whitehall, OH.  I feel your pain brotha.

$300 for yakima bike rack
$5 for flooded out car

my yakima rack is now more valuble than the car

i should have parked in the driveway

(just joking, i'm not selling i've always wanted a boat)

For the complete post click here.

joejoebiker at 9:45:53 AM EDT Permalink | Blog about this entry |  Add to del.icio.us |  digg this This entry has 0 comments: Add your own

I don’t think it’s coincidence that inner tubes are like big rubbery round wedding rings.  I’ve met so many interesting people with a simple exchanging of tubes.

 

On a little noodle ride, after work a few weeks back, I was rolling up Madison Avenue, one of the main bikeways between downtown Cincinnati and Indian Hill, the nice east side riding area of town.  There was a guy up on the sidewalk, carbon bike flipped upside down, obviously stewing.  Rule number 1 with cycling is that you always ask someone sitting along the side of the road or trail if they need any help.  I touched the brakes, asked, and the guy in a unique accent said he flatted.  Without hesitation I offered my tube. 

 

Now there are cyclists out there that would never offer up their one and only tube to a stranger.  If that’s you, you are doomed to a solo cycling life.  Enjoy your life long time trial purgatory, I always lend a tube. 

 

He said he was from Puerto Rico, but his accent and facial features suggested something more like Belgium to me.  Regardless, I still couldn’t get his name right.  Rendall, I think.  As he pulled the flatted tube out and checked the tire for debris, we got into a conversation where he mentioned that he was in Cincinnati on an Ex-pat business assignment.  I mentioned that we had originally moved to Cincinnati for work as well, some common ground.  I put some air in the new tube and handed it to him.  We got into a whole conversation about moving to different countries and yada yada yada. 

 

So, with the bike rolling again, I asked where he was riding.  He said he was just out for a little after work ride like me.  So, we decided on an hour loop through Indian Hill.  He was a strong rider.  We tested each other a bit on the climbs, at one point nearly racing up a steep one.  It only takes two to make a race.  Unverbally, out of breath, we each arrived at the conclusion that we were pretty well matched.  We bombed down Miami road into Mariemont and noodle back into downtown.

 

Before we parted, he asked for my email, so he could repay me the tube.  I said don’t worry about it.  He insisted.  Without pen and paper to write it down, I just said, tell you what, the next time your near Biowheels in Madeira buy a tube for me and leave it with the mechanics and say it’s for Joe from the team.  He said he would.

 

He didn’t have to.  I could care less.  Sooner or later I’ll get a flat, be without a tube and hopefully the first rider that comes by will offer one.  What goes around comes around, whether it’s a seven dollar ultra-light or a Performance cheapo.  Tubes are tubes when you need one.

 

So the other night, I’m riding with a group up a climb and I decide to punch it and hammer the whole 3 miles to the top.  I was feeling good, needed some confidence after a bad showing at a recent race, and dropped the group within a minute and was just enjoying my good legs.  Within 300 yards from the top, I could hear heavy breathing behind me, gears switching and a wheel shadow under my arm.  Shit!  Someone bridged up.  How dare them!  I dumped it three gears up, jumped on the pedals and put ‘em in the dirt.  This was my Zen climb and no one was going to beat me to the top.  As I crested the climb, eased up and looked back, here was the very same guy who I lent the tube to. Rendall?  When he got close, he reached to his back pocket, pulled out a tube and said, “Joe, I’ve been meaning to give this to ya but haven’t seen ya out in a while.”

joejoebiker at 3:10:50 PM EDT Permalink | Blog about this entry |  Add to del.icio.us |  digg this This entry has 0 comments: Add your own