Cancellara Wins Flanders!

Congratulations to Fabien Cancellara of Saxo Bank on winning the Tour of Flanders. I wonder if his legs are as tired as mine...

Update:

Distance--259km. or 160.9mi.

Time-- 6.25.56

Average Speed--40.26kph or 25.16mph

Tour of Changhua County: 144km of Wind

My Route

I thought I would use my Sunday to train a little bit for my ride at the end of the month. I was hoping to pull in another century ride today, but I fell 10 miles short. No biggie. I just wanted to be sure of my initial route to the Highway 17 and to get a feel for my optimal sustained speed for my trip down. For these long haul days it takes a bit of planning to estimate how long I can maintain a certain speed to calculate into my overall trip. I was curious about the winds coming off the ocean as well. My last century ride I was feeling a little off. I think it was due to my dinner the night before. I usually like to load up on something bad that I can burn the next day. That night I didn't stick to my guns and was goaded into a stinky tofu dinner. Good food, but not what I needed. This time I did it right. I filled my glycogen stores beginning mid-week and my dinner was fish, beans, bread and veggies with a couple apples for dessert. Fuel to burn!

Pilgrims in Lukang

I took off from Taichung through Changhua City and made good time into Lukang, where they were having all kinds of commotion. I was hoping to take a few pictures for a couple upcoming essays I hope to post later, but it was just too busy, so I connected to Highway 17 and headed due South.

Roadside Produce

The road was wide and smooth with a bit of a breeze coming off the ocean, but it wasn't too bad. I had been keeping my speed up in the low 20's (21-24mph/33-38kph). I felt comfortable and strong as I passed the occasional old man on a scooter.

Tiger Trap

Just as everything seemed to be rolling smooth, I was snared by a tiger trap. Not one, but two long staples were embedded in my tire. I am kind of getting sick of this. It seems like every long ride I have been on in the past month has included someone getting a piece of metal lodged in in their tire. I don't know if there are than many random staples roaming the highways, or if some asshole is having a little fun in stopping cyclists.

Ninja Weapons?

I took out my repair kit and went to work on my tire. I quit carrying my mini-pump in exchange for emergency CO2 cartridges. I felt they would fit better in the seat bag. The tube was changed in minutes, but when I went to fill the tire with CO2, the cartridge contained only enough CO2 to seal the bead. I gingerly made it to the 7-11 that was 400 meters ahead and went looking for a pump. Many, but not all 7-11s in Taiwan carry bicycle pumps and this one did not. I would have to carry on and keep looking. Just before I hit the road again, a couple who were cycling out from Nantou, came by and I borrowed their mini-pump. It wasn't very good, but i had enough air to keep going with the possibility of finding a better pump.

Shooting The Bridge

I continued along with a badly deflated rear tire, hoping I wouldn't hit a rut or bump that would make me pinch flat. I had one more tube and no more air. Despite my soft tire, I was able to crank back up to 20mph.

Cho Shui River

I rolled on toward Mailiao (麥寮) and crossed the Chou Shui River. The Cho Shui has gained the political symbolism as the border between North and South. The power of the Kuomintang party-state had great difficulty making inroads into the areas south of the Cho Shui, where the KMT culturalization efforts were generally rejected by the locals.

Fellow Cyclist

The wind really started picking up on the Cho Shui and the whole landscape had long been enveloped in marine haze and fog. There was a hint of drizzle and it seemed it could actually rain. When I took off it looked like the sun was burning through the clouds... by late morning not a chance. I wished I had brought a wind breaker.

Rolling on the 17

I rolled into Mailiao and almost spaced my turn onto the Yunlin Local 154 as I was busy looking for a bike shop.

John Cougar Melon Farm

Mailiao Public Transportation?

I hadn't been on the 154 too long when I was hit by a heavy wind. I realized this wan not going to be an easy ride. As I rolled through one of those "Green Tunnels" Taiwanese like so much, the wind was ripping down the tunnel of trees.

"Green Tunnel!!!"

I headed North on the Highway 19 against a rough head wind and crossed the Zi Chiang Bridge (自強大橋). By this point the wind and rear tire was beginning to take their toll. I progressed across that bridge at 12mph and it made my legs burn to push forward. It is in these moments the mind fills with doubt. "Am I out of condition? Did I burn myself out? Did I bonk?"

Riding Against The Wind

Just over the bridge I found a 7-11 and stopped to get a little more water and food. Maybe even take a break with the hope that my legs would come back with a little rest from the wind. There, in the corner, I saw a floor pump. Saved! As I connected the Presta valve to my rear tire the needle jumped to a taut 30psi. Yes... I had just ridden 30 miles on a rear tire that had only been inflated to 30psi. I filled back up to 100psi and was off.

Rolling On A River

The rolling was much better, but the wind was still beating me pretty hard. The good thing about drop bars is that I could change to a narrow grip to keep my elbows in and my body as scrunched up as possible without the unwieldy feeling of a flat bar. This seemed to work well and my speed rose to 20-21mph despite the wind.

Most Of My Trip Looked Like This

The road back was a rough ride but as I neared Changhua city the winds subsided and the weather became a little brighter. I was soon hammering away in the mid-20's again. I discovered with relief that I hadn't bonked and I wasn't out of shape. I logged a slower time than I had hoped, 17.5mph average with the wind, traffic and stops. My total riding time was 5-hours three minutes.

High Five!

Space

Seattle in Cycles

Here is a video I slapped together a while back of my cousin riding Seattle's mean streets.

I am already devising my summer plans and I know they involve Seattle.

This summer I will take a hiatus from my Taiwan cycling to take the show on the road. I will be doing a few weeks in Seattle for family matters and then off to Palm Desert for provisions and a visit with dad. Needless to say, there will be plenty of cycling this time around. I am not taking my bike, but I have bikes to borrow as my cousin, featured in the video above, is a dedicated cyclist. I am not excited about American drivers, who seem to be oblivious to smaller vehicles. In Taiwan the driving is chaotic, but there is an awareness that there may be small vehicles buzzing around. In the US... not so much. I am also concerned about laws. I have heard of people getting ticked for passing cars at stop lights and other crazy stuff. I dunno.

Anyway, if anyone will be in the Seattle or Palm Desert areas during July and August, I would love the chance to ride with you.

March Recap: Spring Riding Photos

Happy Three Day Weekend!!!

Bikes and Beer

Time to break out the beer and enjoy a long weekend with friends, family and Flanders.

The Tour of Flanders is this weekend and Paris-Roubaix next weekend, so the cobbles are calling. My heart is with the Spring classics. They are just brutal in length and ride conditions. There is something "macho" and "masculine" about the Classics; two adjectives that rarely make their way into discussions about cycling. Racers must often battle wet weather, slippery and uneven cobbled roads as well as each other. With equipment getting stupid light these days the chance for catastrophic failure is even more pronounced. This year we even have His Royal Highness Lance Armstrong jumping knee deep in the shit and joining the scrum. LA is often regarded as a princess of the sport for concentrating on only the Tour de France, unlike iron men like Eddy Merckx who fought to win them all; even breaking bones in the process.

Velonews has a great write up of what to expect.

As for myself, I hope to get a windy century ride in to test out the top section of my Hell of the East ride to Kaohsiung on the 24th. I would like to test pace, nutrition and route quality. Afterward I would really like to enjoy a good beer. I just don't drink enough anymore. It messes with my riding too much.

I hope everyone has a safe and productive weekend of friends and cycling.

Phil Wood Passes

Phil Wood, the renowned engineer, designer, cyclist, and manufacturer of bicycle hubs and other accessories has passed away at the age of 86.

Phil Wood hubs are regarded among cyclists as some of the finest hubs on the market. Phil Wood along with Chris King and White Industries helped set the gold standard for light weight, reliable, high performance hubs and Mr. Wood will be sorely missed. Fortunately the brand is still going strong thanks to Wood's attention to detail and craftsmanship.

Most buyers and retailers splurge on the frame and skimp on the wheels. In my opinion this is an ass-backwards approach to building up a bike. There are lots of frames that will work, but the rider needs to choose a wheelset that matches their abilities, needs, preference and purpose. I am often surprised how many builders neglect the wheels when considering a build for a customer and how many sales people negligently send customers off on a bike with wheels poorly built for what the customer is looking to achieve. For lot of sales people, bikes are for moving... out the door. For example, a dedicated tourer should build up with strong, reliable wheels and simple components made to be resilient and long lasting with more spokes to bear the load of full panniers. A racer less spokes and a preference for lightness over rigidity. A mountain biker needs something that can float over stones and roots and take the abuse of the singletrack world and a good Taiwan bike needs something built to be abused over potholes and bearings tightly sealed against moisture.

A poor wheel build can make a really good frame feel really terrible, really harsh, really sluggish and really result in more pinch flats and truing problems. I would highly recommend Phil Wood hubs as a good place to start a new build and I would highly recommend a custom wheel build over a fancy paint scheme.