Monthly Archives: December 2018

Cycling Gear Reviews, News

The Race of Truth

There’s nothing in bike racing quite like “the race of truth”.

In criterium and road racing, pick the right wheels to follow and you’re set… or at least you can get an enormous boost to your speed and endurance. It’s a bit like doping… only legal.

And then there’s the “guts factor”. In a road race and crit, you have to just go for it, especially in the last mile and last 100 meters. The riding gets risky, crashes are likely, but you’ve got to put that out of your mind, embrace the risk, and go for it.

Who wins is usually not the fastest on a bike. Nope. It’s the best team, the best tactician, or the best at riding out the storm at that chaotic sprint to the finish.

Not so in a time trial.

The Race of Truth: The  Time Trial

The “race of truth” is so-called because it strips the cyclist bare, stripped of his teammates, stripped of the protection of the pack and other riders, tossed out naked into the elements to fend for himself against the wind and the clock. There’s nowhere to hide.

That’s what I love about the time trial, it’s just you and your heartbeat versus the world.

Guru Cron Alu Time Trial Bicycle
Guru Cron Alu

There’s nothing quite like riding a good time trial bike either. You settle down into your position, tight and compact, ducking and tucking from the wind. A good bike and a good fit let’s you assume an aggressive position, yet still crank out full power without clipping your wings.

The singing of your carbon disk wheel on the road, the road racing by between your forearms… closing the gap on cyclists and passing them like they are standing still… nothing like it.

A time trial bike gives you that and more.

The Race of Truth: The Time Trial
Winning at White Lake NC, NC State Champs, Rock Hill NC – many fond memories of speed… and occasional glory.

I spent many hours training on my time trial bike. It’s comfortable and fast – a rare combination. I enjoyed a few podiums too. It is with great regret that I’m selling her. She’s still in immaculate condition. So long friend. Happy travels.

https://charlotte.craigslist.org/bik/d/huntersville-time-trial-tt-triathlon/6782239295.html

Cycling Gear Reviews

How Do You Separate from the Pack?

How do successful athletes think and train?

Here’s a story that illustrates just what it takes to rise to the top. A former pro cyclist I knew, retired but continued to do some pretty big pro races, and he was still very competitive. This is how he did it.

Mark Spitz, who in 1972 won 6 Olympic gold medals went to Indiana University, and his coach was a guy named Doc Counsilman, the greatest swim coach in America’s history.

The first day of practice every fall, they take all the guys going out for the swim team out on the swim deck. This is the first thing. They didn’t get in the water.

Inspiring Cycling Art: Motivational Poster
Cycling Poster: Do Today what others won’t, so you can do tomorrow what others can’t. -Jerry Rice.

Hurt. Pain. Agony.

And there was a little banner that hung over the pool, and the banner only had three words on it; Hurt, Pain, Agony.

He said, “Okay, we’re going to spend a lot of time together this year, and if you want to be a part of this swim team, every afternoon, you have to come here for a couple hours and swim until you hurt.

But if you have higher goals and you want to be an NCA champ, you want to be a national champ, you have to come here every afternoon and swim until you’re in pain.”

Cycling Tee Shirts

Bike Racer – Cycling Tee Shirt from VeloLogic.com

“If you have still higher goals and you want to be the next Mark Spitz, you want to be a world champion or an Olympic champion, you have to come here and train until you’re in agony.” He said, “So it’s your choice. Hurt, pain, agony.” He said, “All of you, I wouldn’t have recruited you unless I knew each and every one of you had world class potential inside of you.”

Here’s the interesting thing. Whether you choose hurt or pain or agony, by the time you take a shower and go to dinner, everything is going to go back to normal. So it’s how much are you willing to give in that 2, 2-1/2 hours every day that’s going to determine your destiny.

What’s it going to be?

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