To give you an idea of the quality of this aluminum frame, the mavic neutral support vehicles are equipped with Caad 9 frames as shown below:

Caad9 Frames at Le Tour De France

NYC Triathlon is four days away and my expectation is to finish in under 3 hours. A good race would be to finish in sub 2:45 for my first effort at an Olympic distance race.

I have one of the last swim waves which means there are a ton of people to pass on the course. It’s a fact I won’t be passing anyone on the swim course as I still can’t swim a continuous 400 in the pool. It’s a bit dangerous to rely on your wetsuit and the strong currents of the Hudson to get you down the 1500 m course, but in any case there are officials in Kayaks I can hold on to throughout the race. And I can always go in survival mode (i.e float on your back) The goal is to focus on breathing, save my legs, and to take my time. I will finish in 35 minutes.

The bike course is moderately hilly and expect to finish in 1:20 (18.75 mph avg). I need to save my legs for a 10K hilly run through Central Park.

The last time I ran a 10K was in November 09 where I finished in ~52 minutes. If I can run it in under 55 minutes I would be satisfied. The goal is to run the first 5k moderately and the last 5k at 5k pace.

Good luck to everyone competing!

So is riding aero faster? Yes, noticeably so! While I couldn’t maintain the aero position for a full lap, based on anecdotal evidence I was averaging around 19-21 mph on the flats  as opposed to the usual 16-18 mph with equal amount of effort. I’ll look more into the data this upcoming few weeks and see what gains I’m getting.

One thing that came as a surprise is bike handling. The bike is snappy and finicky with every movement. It’s harder to maintain a straight line and takes some effort on stabilizing yourself. With due time I think this can easily be learned but until then watch out for the erratic cyclist.

There’s an adjustment period to riding aero. How long? I don’t know but I know it will be a fun process!

I had my original bike fitting done by the good folks over at Brick Well Cycling but wanted a second pair of eyes to look over and see if any adjustments need to be made. I decided to get fit by Ed Cangialosi, the owner and founder of Reparto Corse (means “racing department” in Italian). While at the same time buying clip-on aero bars (profile design t2+ s-bend) at a reasonable $89.99. The professional fitting was also very reasonable at $175 (took 2 hours) compared to the average price in the city at ~$300 which made it worthwhile to commute 35 minutes from the city.

Ed has a home-office set up so don’t expect the traditional brick-and-mortar storefront. He had me fill out a questionnaire ranging from basic contact info, stress levels at work & home, riding history & style, on bike issues (numb groin), and prior and current injuries (knee/lower back/shin splints).

We then took a series of bike (in case we need to go back to original setup-we have it on record) and physical (me) measurements (toe touch, hip height, arch measurements, etc)

Ed measuring my stick

I am not riding a broomstick. Ed is just measuring my inseam. Relax.

Stretch measurements

I forgot exactly what the purpose of this was but Ed was lifting my leg with his hand behind my back to see when my hips move. He takes these measurements as indications of flexibility.

You're not too flexible

Stretching is something I am working on, but for now I’m not too flexible. Considered average.

I'm thoroughly enjoying this

My friend Mike whispered to me “Brokeback mountain” which evidently made me laugh. I quickly reminded him that I out-raced him on a mountain bike while he was riding a road bike. He stopped laughing.

Computrainer Analysis

Computrainers are wicked cool. Expensive, but if you like working with data then you’ll go gaga for this. I learned a lot about myself based on the information it was spitting out. For example, the Spinscan Pedal Stroke Analysis software showed that my left leg was pushing 55% of the power output while my right was pushing 45%. In addition, it tells you a Spinscan number for both legs to give an indication on how efficient your pedal stroke is. Here is an example of what I saw on the screen (this isn’t my spinscan)

Spin Scan

This isn’t a video of me but one I found on youtube that discusses this further if you’re interested:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Mc5l5m5B9w

The coach from the youtube video says elite athlete’s tpyically attain a spinscan score of 85-90+ in tests. Age-group and recreational often run 60-70. Funny, my score was around 65-72 per leg.

Installing aero clip-ons

Right aero-bar installed. Ed flipped the stem to get lower in a more aggressive and aero position.

Aero Test

Testing my new aero position, which was unexpectedly comfortable!

Mike getting his stick measured

Of course Mike felt left out and asked Ed to measure his stick before we left. My stick was bigger.

Ed & I + Wine = Successful fitting

Ed is a man of many talents. In addition to racing bikes, building bikes, selling bikes, fitting bikes — he races cars and makes his own wine. He gave me a bottle which I graciously accepted.

Overall, Ed’s approach is comprehensive and thorough. He takes the time to jot your current measurements and makes changes while relying on video, computer, and customer feedback to provide you the best fit possible. Whether you want to hear it or not, he provides detailed explanations as to why he’s making adjustments for you to better understand the importance of how an adjustment can affect a ride. He’s serious about what he does but also has a great sense of humor because he actually laughs at my jokes.

Can’t wait to get on the road and think I’ll go ride Prospect Park in the morning. Will let you know how it goes!

Learn more about Ed and his business: http://www.repartocorse.com/about_us.htm

Find Ed on linked in: http://www.linkedin.com/in/edcangialosi

Find Ed’s write-ups: http://forums.roadbikereview.com/blog.php?do=showjournal&j=32

(the above information is a testament to my awesome e-stalking google skills)

My Steed

Back in August 09, I decided to buy my first road/tri-bike but came across a dilemma most common with amateur athletes. If you’re like me, the criterion for purchasing your first bike was:

• Value – You didn’t want to spend 2k+ but wanted a competitive bike with good components that doesn’t break the bank.
• Flexibility – You want to use this bike as an all-in-one: commuting, recreational rides, and races – but you don’t know if you want to become a cyclist or triathlete, but definitely want to experience both.

The decision process was much more thorough than that but I’d say that was the core criterion. I decided to go with a road bike (cannondale caad9-5) and add clip-on aero bars at a later time.

Firstly, as an amateur the first thing we ought to focus on is the engine. The engine is you. To get faster you must continuously train your engine to truly gain power which ultimately results in speed. This is the most definitive personal investment you can make with guaranteed long-term return results.

Secondly, you can buy improvement but at what cost? This is where a cost-benefit analysis comes into play depending on your finances & what you expect to get out of it (i.e If I Pay X ($) and gain Y (MPH) — is it worth it?).

Fast forward 6 months, I’ve ridden ~1000 miles and wanted to install clip-on aero bars before spring. I decided on the Profile  T2+ s-bend bars. It’s affordable ($89.99), comfortable, and offers a wide range of adjust-ability.

Profile Design T2+ S-Bend Bars

Here’s a great article discussing the quintessential question when it comes to speed efficiency: HOW AERO IS AERO?
http://www.bikeradar.com/news/article/how-aero-is-aero-19273

I’ll use wind-tunnel data from the aforementioned article as the basis of this discussion.

Wind Tunnel Aero Results

Assuming the accuracy of the aero test, the gain going from a standard road bike (drop bars) to clip-on aero bars gain a savings of 29.4 watts. As the article states,

This difference is due to rider position (in the drops vs. in the aerobars).

To save ~30 watts just by changing your body position via aero bars ($89.99) is roughly $3.00 per watt (cheap!). Whereas if I were to buy an aero helmet without aero bars, assuming the cost of helmet is $160 and only 10 watt savings as the results suggest is $16 per watt. The additional cost isn’t worth it for me to save seconds off my time. If I lose an age-group podium by seconds is when I’ll re-consider. Obviously if cost isn’t an issue to you then go ahead, get as aero as you can. Keeping in mind that a poor engine with the latest toys isn’t going to win you any local races.

Will follow-up on my aero bar installation & fitting by Ed Cangialosi at Reparto Corse in White Plains as Part Deux of Let’s Get Aero.

P.S Pundits will tell you my analysis is flawed due to assumptions. Such as “You’re assuming the rider in the test is the same as you and not every rider is the same”, or “You’re assuming you can maintain an aero headangle during a 40 km TT”. And you know what? They’re right — but the margin of error is not high enough to deem this analysis unusable.

Long story short, on the first red light of the group ride we all blew right past it. I was fully aware of what I did and decided to go through because the cars at the intersection courteously stopped to let us through and thought the cops on the motorscooters were escorting us. During my motorcycle days, I used to organize moto events that start from Bear mountain and end in the city. If more than 50 riders were present, we were required to get signed waivers of liability from everyone and let the city know about the ride. In some cases, we were “escorted”.

In this case, the cops were there not to escort but to hand out tickets. One full wave, about 8 of us got tickets for running a red light. The cop asked me for my DRIVER’S LICENSE and handed me a $190 ticket! I guess it didn’t help when I asked him what the problem was while fully decked out in a nerd costume and messed up teeth. Think he took me seriously?

The cop said I was lucky for not getting a ticket due to “inadequate” lights on my bike. (I had one headlight and red flashers on the back). The ticket was laughable. “VEHICLE TYPE” — BIKE. “VEHICLE COLOR” — BLACK. For the VEHICLE MAKE I thought he would write Cannondale but he left it blank.

I decided to bite the bullet and just pay. I didn’t have time to lose at work to go to court and tried numerous times to pay the ticket online at (http://nycserv.nyc.gov/NYCServWeb/NYCSERVMain) but it wouldn’t accept it because it couldn’t find the ticket number. Time passed and completely forgot about the ticket. I recently got a letter in the mail (“Notice of impending driver license suspension & conviction”) saying if I don’t answer by tomorrow (1/5/10), my driver’s license will be suspended.

I ended up paying through the DMV’s website but am really annoyed to pay $190 for a bike ticket. The DMV is the dept of MOTOR vehicles, last I checked my bike doesn’t have a motor ([enter sarcasm now] I can see why he would think I had a motor since I’m so fast).

It’s like jaywalking, everyone does it but no one enforces it. Why is it linked to your driver’s license–I see zero correlation.

If NY sees this as me breaking traffic laws, then perhaps we should take a permit test for bicycling so everyone is aware of the laws surrounding bikes. Throw in bike insurance, too for safe measure.

Just another desperate measure for the city to raise money. You just got $190, hope you’re happy.

Rant over.

Not sure why it’s only being shown for one night but I’ll gladly drop the plans I never had to go see this film. I’d like to apologize to anyone who has gone to watch a movie alone in the past. I was the guy that called you weird, have no friends, freak, etc. Seems like I might just be loser enough to go see it alone.

The film is sold out in the Union Square so I’m heading to College Point to watch this film. Online ticketing unfortunately isn’t available so you have to head out early to buy tickets. Remember, it’s only showing for one night and would recommend everyone go watch it if you’re into cycling, racing, masochism, lance armstrong fetish, david’s wiener, etc.

Click here to check if it’s playing near you.

Here’s an overly dramatized description of the film w/ trailer:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=MUol4meP9H4

At 10,000+ feet, against the misty backdrop of a former mining town, Leadville, Colorado, 1400 cyclists line the starting line. For many, it will be the most difficult race of their lives. For some, a bragging right to say they raced alongside the best in the world. Some imagine victory. Most hope only to finish. But everyone will count.

The race that started 25 years ago as a running race to drive tourism in Leadville has now grown to a lottery cap of 1000+ competitors, many of them the world’s most elite cyclists. But the Leadville Trail 100 “Race Across the Sky” Mountain Bike Race is not just a race of man against man:  it’s man vs. man, man vs. self, man vs. elements, man vs. time. A clock set for 12 grueling hour’s slugs through 100 miles, over 14,000 vertical feet of climbing, some two miles above sea level, through extreme climate changes ranging from heat to hail, from rain to snow.  To the racers, the risks of injury, fatigue and mechanical failure pale next to the chance that they will fall behind the 12 hour cut off mark and be eliminated.

Rivalries include six-time defending champion Dave Wiens vs. international star / seven-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong.  Inspirational stories of human triumph include a Leadville woman rider who was critically injured by a car while training for last year’s race, another who suffers from multiple sclerosis, and 45+ rider who has raced all 15 years.

Whether they’re international stars of the sport or everyday folks with the will to finish a race whose difficulty is on par with the Ironman, the grit to push to their own physical and emotional limits strikes an elegant symmetry between racer and environment and a struggling former mining town whose very existence now relies on the tourism generated by this race.

For 2009 Leadville Trail 100 race photos visit www.raceacrossthesky.com.

At 12,600 feet anything can happen…Don’t miss this intense one night event!

In ATX all week til NYC on Friday. Anyone up for a ride in the park in celebration of Livestrong Day?

It looks like he’s hosting a ride at central park tomorrow, October 2nd. He hasn’t specified a time yet but based on what everyone is talking about, he’s going to lead at 6 PM. Weather forecast is showing rain in the radar so put on your fenders and let’s ride!

EVENT DETAILS

http://www.livestrongaction.org/content/livestrong-central-park-ride

Riding a road bike is SO different and will definitely take time getting used to. For one, this bike doesn’t have any suspension so I feel all the bumps. It’s more uncomfortable but not unbearable. The seat is rock hard and narrow, my back is arched way forward and there is more pressure on my hands, wrists, and elbows.

Oh yea, wearing tights isn’t too bad!

Here it is! A total of 20.15 lbs with all the accessories on the bike.

I originally settled for a 2010 Trek 2.1 in black and drove as far as an hour away just to test ride the 2009 model since not much has changed in terms of the frame and components. Here it is!

Nice, right? So about the test ride…

Honestly, I had nothing to compare to except my mountain bike which is like comparing apples-to-oranges. I couldn’t tell if what I was riding felt right. The seat was hard, I felt every bump on the road, and was so hunched over it was reminiscent of my motorcycle days. I didn’t even know how to shift on a road bike until I came back to be told its integrated into the brake levers. OH! Ok…well in short, it was very uncomfortable — at least to what I was used to. After test riding several bikes I found out that this is how it is and I just have to get used to it.

While design and components were important to me, the most important part of finding the perfect bike is fit. Which bike fits for my body frame? When I went to The Bicycle Planet in Sysosset, NY I asked the guy if he thought the Trek 2.1 was a good fit for me and what size frame I should buy? He took a quick glance at me and said I’m a 54 cm and it will be perfect. It didn’t take long for me to walk out the door. Seriously, what kind of bike fitting was that?

So I came across a new bike shop, about 25 minutes way from me called Brick Well Cycling Multisports in Great Neck, NY. A shop that not only has bikes but specializes in triathlons. The difference in their approach to bike fitting was night and day. They had me ride on a trainer for a few minutes, asked me about my intended use, if acceleration or stability was more important, etc.

I hopped on several Trek 54/52 cm and Cannondale 54/52 cms and found that the Trek geometry was not meant for my body dimensions because of my longer-than-normal torso and shorter-than-normal legs for someone who is 5 ft 7. I settled for a 2010 Cannondale Caad9-5 which is one of the most recognizable aluminum frames that was actually raced at the World Championships. At least that’s what the marketing guys want me to believe…

I bought a 2010 Cannondale Caad9-5 last month, August 5th to be exact. Aesthetically, I like the Trek 2.1 better. But the Caad9 is more low-key and made in the U.S.A. Frame is of better quality and is overall about a pound lighter.

As soon as it gets here in mid-September I’ll let you know how it rides.

The best article I read on bike fitting can be found here:
http://www.peterwhitecycles.com/fitting.htm