By Bicycling Magazine

Bicycling’s 50 Golden Rules
Cyclists are innovators, constantly hunting for an edge. Over the last half-century, we’ve tried thousands of methods to become stronger, faster, and smarter on a bike—many of which have been discarded through the years. These have endured.

1. To corner, enter wide and exit wide.

2. Brake Less
It sounds counterintuitive, but the harder you yank on the brakes, the less control you have over your bike. The best riders brake well before a corner. Plus, laying off the stoppers forces you to focus on key bike cornering skills such as weight distribution, body position, and line choice.

3. Look Where You Want to Go
“When riding a tricky or dangerous section of trail (or road), focus on the path you want your bike to follow, not the rock, tree, or other obstacle you’re trying to avoid,” says globe-trotting mountain-biker Hans Rey.

4. Avoid Helmet Hair
“For God’s sake, make sure your hair is under your helmet and not poking out the front,” advises Garmin-Cervelo pro Christian Vande Velde.

5. Take the Lane
You have a right to the road, so use it. It’s safer than riding on the shoulder, which is often cracked, covered in gravel, or worse. But don’t be a road hog, either.

6. Ride with the Best
Before he built his first mountain bike, GARY FISHER was an aspiring road racer. But his decision to stay in America rather than train in Europe derailed his chances of joining the pro peloton. “To be the best at the sport, you need to go to where the best are riding,” Fisher says. “If you’re a mountain biker, spend a couple of weeks at Whistler and you will be changed forever. If you’re a road rider and want to be a better climber, go to Colorado. Find the best, train with them, watch what they do, and learn their secrets.”

7. Set Your Suspension—And Check It Often
It’s frightening how many riders hit the trail with poorly adjusted forks and shocks. Not only will droopy suspension make your bike feel like a wet noodle, it can also be downright dangerous. A few simple adjustments are all it takes to have your suspension smoothly sucking up bumps.

Here are some general guidelines, but be sure to read the manufacturer’s recommendations (found online or in your owner’s manual) because they will provide the starting point based on your bike’s suspension design. And because air can leak through the seals, remember to check your pressure monthly.

Again, start in the middle setting. Ride a short, rough section of trail. If the fork or shock seems too springy, add a click of rebound. If it bounces back too slowly, dial it back a click.

8. Clean your shoes monthly. Also: wash your gloves.

 9. Warm Up
A slow start primes your engine by directing oxygen from your blood cells to your muscles. Spin easy for 20 to 30 minutes before you begin to hammer.

10. Always Carry Cash
Money can’t buy love, but it can buy food, water, a phone call, or a spare tube.

11. Race, At Least Once
It will push you to ride harder than you previously thought possible.

12. Drink before you are thirsty; eat before you are hungry.

13. Eat Real Food
On longer rides, easily digestible calories are key—and they shouldn’t come from just energy bars. James Herrera, MS, founder of Performance Driven Coaching, has a favorite: spread some almond butter on whole-grain bread and top with sliced bananas and agave nectar or honey.

14. Don’t Live in Your Chamois
When the shoes come off, your shorts should come off with them.

15. Ride Hard. . .
To become faster, you need to ride faster. Intervals squeeze every drop of fitness from your time on the bike. Try the following two or three times a week: Choose a route that includes a climb or stretch of road where you can go nearly all-out for three to five minutes. Warm up for 15 to 30 minutes, then ride hard—your exertion should be about a 7 out of 10—for three minutes. Recover for 90 seconds, then repeat the sequence four more times.

Thor Hushovd doesn’t ride hard every time

16. . . .But Not Every Day

Take 56-year-old mountain-bike legend Ned Overend’s advice: Rest often. And if you’re feeling cooked after a 30-minute warm-up, put it in an easy gear and spin home. “No workout is set in stone,” Overend says. “Your training needs to have structure, but it should be malleable based on how you’re feeling.” Which might explain why, 10 days before he won the 2011 Mt. Washington Hill Climb, Overend was surfing in San Diego.

17. Play the Terrain
Go hard on climbs and take it easy on descents.

18. Ride Another Bike
Explore the woods on a mountain bike. Throw down in the local cyclocross race. Mixing in different types of riding keeps you mentally fresh, boosts your skills, and reminds you that riding is fun.

19. Wear Out Your Shifters
You have lots of gears for a reason: to keep your cadence in the sweet spot. For silky-smooth gear changes, remember to shift before a punchy climb, sprint, or tight switchback.

20. Train Your Weaknesses
Professional endurance racer Mark Weir makes his living blasting through corners. But that wasn’t always the case. “I was a semi-pro downhiller racing in Park City, Utah, and there was a corner that I thought just sucked,” he recalls. “I told Jan Karpiel, one of my sponsors, about it, and he said: ‘The corner doesn’t suck, you suck at that corner.’ I realized then that training my weaknesses is far more important than sticking with my strengths.”

21. Check Your Tire Pressure
Here are some basic guidelines from Michelin.

Road/Commuter: If you weigh more than 180 pounds, inflate to the maximum on the tire sidewall. If you weigh 110 or less, fill to the minimum. Somewhere in between? Inflate to somewhere in between.
Mountain Bike: Target somewhere between 27 and 32 psi for most tires. Ultraskinny XC tires may require as much as 35 psi. Figure on 20 to 30 psi for tubeless tires.

22. If your knee hurts in the front, raise your saddle; if it hurts in the back, lower the seat.

23. Buy a Torque Wrench and Learn How to Use It
This is mandatory for carbon parts, but will also extend the life of all stems, handlebars, bottom brackets, seatpost clamps, and suspension pivots. Our favorite is Park’s TW-5.

24. Learn to Bunnyhop on Your Road Bike
Doing an unclipped hop shows you how changes in body position affect your bike’s behavior—knowledge that will boost your confidence on steep downhills, rough roads, and in corners.

A: Replace your clipless pedals with platforms and your cycling shoes with soft-soled sneakers.
B: Ride across a flat, grassy field at slightly faster than walking speed, standing on your pedals, cranks level with the ground, elbows and knees slightly bent.
C: Push down on the handlebar while bending your knees even farther so you are crouched over the saddle. Then immediately pull up and back on your bar as you shift your weight back to get the front tire up.
D: With the front tire off the ground, shift your weight forward as you push the handlebar ahead and hop up with your legs to lift the rear wheel.
To see a video of these moves in action, visit BICYCLING.com/bunnyhop.

25. Fitness Takes Time
No crash diet or hell week of training will magically propel you into top form. “You’ve got to work toward it all season long,” says Pierre Rolland, the best young rider of the 2011 Tour de France.

26. Take short pulls at the front.

A Rabobank team mechanic washes bikes at their winter training camp. (Jorge Guerrero/AFP)

27. Wash Your Bike
Especially after a wet or muddy ride. Mist it with a garden hose or soak it using a bucket of soapy water. Wipe it down and rinse, then dry it with a clean rag or towel. Don’t forget to lube your chain.

28. Speaking of Your Chain. . .
A well-maintained and lubricated chain could last 3,000 road miles or more, but check it every 500. Here’s how: Take a ruler and place the 0 at the rivet of one link. If the ruler’s 12-inch mark aligns closely with another rivet, you’re in good shape. If it’s more than a 1/16th of an inch away, replace the chain.

A well-maintained and lubricated chain

29. Respect Your Front Brake
Applying 60 percent front brake will bring you to a smooth, controlled stop. But on steep descents or during rapid decelerations, you’ll want to rely even more heavily on the front.

30. Stick with Your Group
Whether you’re embarking on a 500-mile charity ride or racing Paris-Nice, there’s safety in numbers. Teammates and friends can pull if you’re feeling tired, share their food, or help fix a mechanical. “I’ve seen this so many times,” says Chris Horner. “A guy is leading the race and is really strong and so he goes into a breakaway. But what happens if he crashes or flats? He is all alone. Stay with your group as long as possible.”

Be sure to shift your weight behind your saddle to prevent yourself from sailing over the handlebar.

31. Layer Like a Wedding Cake
Easily removable layers make it a snap to regulate your temperature. Booties, vests, and skullcaps, as well as arm, knee, and leg warmers, can all be stashed in pockets as the day warms up.

32. Keep Your Head Up
Looking far down the road or trail will help you see approaching traffic, spot the best line through corners, or recognize when someone’s making a break.

33. Carry a frame pump. And a spare tube. And a multi-tool with a chain breaker.

34. Listen to Your Bike
“A click or pop or scraping noise doesn’t heal itself,” says Calvin Jones, director of education at Park Tool. Pay attention to the sounds emanating from your ride and you’ll know when it’s time for some TLC.

Noise: Rattling over bumps
Common Culprit: Loose bottle-cage bolts or quick-release skewers
Solution: Tighten them

Noise: Thunk/shudder during braking or over bumps
Common Culprit: Loose headset
Solution: Adjust headset to remove excess play

Noise: Squeaking while pedaling
Common Culprit: Dry chain
Solution: Lube

Noise: Pop, followed by a skipping chain
Common Culprit: Frozen chain link; worn cassette and chain
Solution: Find and free frozen link…or replace chain, chainrings, and cassette

Noise: Grinding noise during braking
Common Culprit: Grit in brake pads
Solution: Sand pads lightly to remove grit and grime

Noise: Clicks, squeals, or whines
Common Culprit: Could be any number of problems—from a loose stem to worn bottom-bracket bearings
Solution: Head to the shop

Liquigas mechanics tune the team bikes during the Tour de France. (Spencer Platt/Getty).

35. Have a Plan
Improvement does not come accidentally. If you want to take your riding to the next level, you need to craft a strategy and set incremental goals to reach it. “Better yet, hire a coach to guide your way,” suggests three-time Leadville 100 champion Rebecca Rusch.

36. Embrace the Rain
Unless you live in the desert, soggy rides are a part of life. Just dress appropriately: Layers and a rain jacket are optional in the summer, but become essential when temperatures start to drop.

37. Keep a Spare Kit in Your Car
You never know when you’ll have the chance to sneak in a ride. Borrowing or renting a bike is easy, but it’s harder to find a spare helmet, shoes, and chamois. Keeping a kit in your car all but ensures you’ll never miss an impromptu ride. Scour bike swaps for secondhand shoes, pedals, and other items, but buy a new helmet—decent models can be found for about $75.

38. It’s Okay to Stop
Don’t be afraid to pull over for a good swimming hole, hot spring, ice-cream stand, cafe, bakery, or dive bar. In fact, some of the best rides are planned around these diversions.

Taking a breather at Keechelus Lake on Washington’s Snoqualmie Pass. (Gene Bisbee)

39. Keep Your Perspective
Like most young professional riders, Ted King is learning how to balance the demands of training and family obligations with the extensive travel and training his job requires. Here’s what he’s learned so far.

When training, set a goal for every ride—even if the goal is recovery.
When racing, ride smart, don’t chop corners, and remember that the local Tuesday-Night Crit is not the World Championships.
On the road, think like a motorist. Maybe there’s a reason the guy in the pickup truck was pissed at you.

40. Refuel Right
The key recovery window is the 30 minutes following a ride; that’s when your body needs protein to repair muscles and help reload its energy stores, so make sure to get at least 20 to 25 grams. Stacy Sims, a nutritionist at Stanford University, recommends six to eight ounces of nonfat Greek yogurt with walnuts or berries. Or try this protein-rich smoothie: Before heading out, put 1.5 scoops whey protein powder, 1/2 cup frozen strawberries or blueberries, 1/2 frozen banana, 2 tablespoons nonfat Greek yogurt, 2 tablespoons flaxseed meal, and 1 cup vanilla almond milk into a blender (but don’t blend it yet). Store in the refrigerator. Whirl and drink when you return.

41. Wait to eat and drink until you’re at the back.

42. Don’t half-wheel.

43. Work Your Core
Most cyclists have weak cores. To fix it, try the pedaling plank. Here’s how.
A: Assume the plank position, as if you’re doing a push-up, but rest on your forearms with your hands directly beneath your shoulders. Your legs should be extended, with your weight balanced on your toes.
B: Pull your right knee toward your chest without allowing your butt to rise.
C: Extend the leg back out and swing it to the side and back without your foot touching the floor. Perform eight to 10 times for one set, then switch legs and repeat.

Hushovd rode his wind-cheating Cervelo S5 to two Tour de France stage wins. (James Startt)

44. Know What The Wind Is Doing
On blustery days, pick a route that heads into the wind first. Then get aero to minimize drag—slide into the drops and bring your elbows and knees tight to your body. In a group, ride in a single-file paceline to slice through headwinds. If the breeze is whipping across the road sideways, form an echelon (an angled paceline created by overlapping your front wheel with the rear wheel of the rider ahead of you) to keep the wind out of your face. Pedal at a higher-than-normal cadence even if it means riding a little slower. Then, turn around and enjoy a tailwind as you speed home.

45. Know Your Gear
“Don’t ever use anything new in a bike race,” says former pro racer and cycling commentator Frankie Andreu. This advice applies to backcountry mountain-bike rides, charity events, or exotic cycling vacations. Log some miles on fresh equipment before embarking on any serious ride. You don’t want to be 60 miles from home when you discover that you and your new saddle aren’t soul mates after all.

46. Get Fit To Your Bike
There is no faster way to improve your comfort or performance on the bike. “Your ideal position will change over time,” says Andy Pruitt,EdD, director of the Boulder Center for Sports Medicine in Colorado. “As you get older—say, over the age of 35—you should consider a professional bike fit every few seasons.”

47. Bring Beer
It is the currency of cycling. A cold one can serve as payment for a borrowed tube, a tip for your mechanic, or a way to celebrate another great ride.

48. Pass Fast
In a mountain-bike race, make your presence known, then pass quickly. And if someone’s passing you, let him or her by.

49. Riding Hurts
Sometimes riders at the front aren’t there because they’re faster, but because they can suffer more. Train your legs for speed, but also condition your mind to love the pain.

50. Go—Even For A Short Ride
No matter what the excuse—it’s cold, you’re tired, Shark Week is airing on the Discovery Channel—you can always shoehorn in a short ride. Head away from home for 30 minutes. If you’re still miserable, turn around—you’ll have logged an hour on the bike. Or, just keep riding.

By Bicycling Magazine

http://www.bicycling.com/training-nutrition/training-fitness/bicyclings-50-golden-rules?page=0,0

By: Zdenko Kahlina

Paulo Ongaro is coming from a cycling family
Everybody in Edmonton knows Paulo, he is very popular cyclist: sprinter and a track rider. Paulo is also successful business man. His biggest competitors are his own brothers; that’s where his pedigree is coming from.

Paulo is also my neighbor and a good friend. We sometimes go together for a Sunday morning training rides with his brothers. I try to stay in shape and control my weight, while he is preparing himself for a competition. His goal is to return into good form and participate in the 2013 World Master Games in Torino Italy, his ‘old country’, where his parents originally came from. He would like nothing less but to win the Olympic sprint!

This winter I mentioned to Paulo how I would like to write blog about his dad, Rino Ongaro, but I also needed some information about Paulo and his three brothers, to complete my story about Rino. He gladly jumped on board and provided me with the following autobiography, which I am publishing here in its original version.

Paulo Ongaro (right) and his buddy Lars Madsen

This is what Paulo has to say about his cycling life:

Paulo Ongaro (June 16, 1970)
“I have so many memories of cycling as a young boy, the smell of “A 535” on a Saturday morning as my older brothers and my dad were preparing to go out on a spring bike ride in the cold morning air. I also remember riding in a support vehicle with my dad as we followed Rudy in a local bike race.

I remember sitting watching Rudy training on the rollers when I was about 5 years old, captivated by how the wheels were spinning and why he wasn’t going anywhere I decided to test the equipment by putting my finger in the rubber cable and the steel roller…  not a good idea. One key memory though was the frequent visits to Velocity cycling store and the one question Joe Zombor (owner) would always ask me: “When are you going to start riding?”

Me beating Alex at the provincials in 1991, my greatest victory, I was so happy that I lost two in a row after that one!

As a young boy I was following in the footsteps of my brother Ross the soccer player. But soon the temptation of the bicycle machine and the shiny moving parts would bring me to the sport of cycling. At the age of 14 while my brother Alex was competing at the Olympic Games in Los Angeles the transformation began. I was riding my bike to soccer practice and enjoying the ride to and from practice, more than the practice itself. I didn’t realize it yet, but I was inevitably becoming a cyclist. At the age of 16 I rode my first race as a cadet. It was a criterium at Roper road industrial park where I finished 2nd to Kurt Innes from Calgary.

I tried to ride the road races for a season as a first year junior, but I found it very difficult. I discovered very quickly that I did not have the desire to suffer in long races. I’ve found some success in local criteriums… funny enough the same course in Namao on the Tuesday night races is where I found it easiest to hang in the group and blast out a sprint at the finish. Soon though Alex would take me to the track. This is where I had my 12th birthday party, so I was familiar with the velodrome. Actually you would find me on any banked driveway as a kid doing balancing track-stands, pretending to be a sprinter. After a few weeks of training on the velodrome, Trevor Gadd an English Born sprinter, was hired to coach the provincial team for the upcoming Nationals in Edmonton 1987. He selected me to ride the sprints and the Kilometer. I had only ridden two track meets prior to Nationals and never sprinted up to this point.

Steen Madsen and Paulo Ongaro

So for me the nationals were the first match sprinting I had ever done. I remember hearing the national team coaches mumbling something, as in my very first heat I track-standed my opponent to make him take the lead and then rushed him with a surprise jump with 300m to go for the easy victory. I remember I qualified second at those nationals and thought I could have won the title that year as a first year junior, but I was not confident and I was inexperienced. Looking back with what I know now, I should have won both junior national sprint championships.

But I didn’t have a coach with me and I just didn’t know how to ride, but the speed was there that’s for sure. In 1997 I qualified second and finished a disappointing fourth. In 1988 I qualified first and finished fourth again. As a senior I managed a couple of bronze medals in the match sprint and a silver medal at the Canadian world championship trials in 1990.

Doug Baron (Calgary), Steen Madsen and Paulo Ongaro (Edmonton)

Paulo beating Lars at the 2001 Nationals for the bronze medal.

Finally in 2001 I won a national gold medal in the Olympic sprint team event along side of Jim Fisher and Doug Baron of Calgary. 

Lars Madsen was their regular teammate and Lars was my closest training partner who I spent many hours along side. I think as a gift when he asked me to start the opening lap of the final, at the Nationals that year. I had two massive engines behind me, so I wasn’t to worried about the win, but I was really worried about the start. First of all I had never started Out of a UCI style gate, so what better place to learn than the nationals final. I never had to deal with the countdown clock and the final beep, I had no experience, but that’s O.K. I managed somehow
to get out of the blocks so to speak. In addition I had old toe straps that were starting to crack and I was worried about pulling a foot. My disc wheel was a rental and it was a piece of junk I Was terrified that the wheel was going to crumble out of the start. Also, just before the start my calf was twitching and I have always had issues with calve cramps, needless to say I was, worried about this start.

This is me giving Travis Smith a little bit of Experience with 100 meters to go at the Nationals in 2001. Travis went on to become a much more accomplished cyclist than I ever was…

It took me a bit extra to get the motor started out of that gate, but once I hit turn two I was feeling great. I simply finished my opening lap and the boys sailed on to a dominant victory. There it was my first and only national gold medal…  what no one knew was that my good friend Lars’ name was on that team list as well, since he had ridden the Qualifying round, and without a victory in the final, he would have lost his National carding/funding. He let me know this only moments before the start… NO PRESSURE!

In the same year at the individual race I knew I couldn’t beat him in the semi-final, so I saved my energy for the bronze medal ride. We made an agreement before the match; I would lead him out two straight rides. Just as we started the first heat at the line, he looked at me and said, “You are not messing around with me are you?”

I said something like, “No Steen, I know how much this means to you.”

He qualified in a track record time that I guarantee you, will never be beaten 10.48 seconds!

I qualified in a time of 11.10 seconds an impossible difference in speed, so the decision the night before was to use the semi-final rides as a warm up for the bronze medal.

I have raced in three decades. I rode the Nationals in 1987, 1988, 1990, 1991, 1999 & 2001. I am intending to race again as I have started training with hopes of competing in 2013. This will very likely be my last Nationals. We will see I guess, we can never know anything for sure when we speak of the future.

Moments before the launch, Nationals 2001 with Doug Baron and Jim Fisher

Me with my kids on the top of the podium, a very happy moment, that is Lars peeking over my shoulder

My first national bronze this match took seven tries and this was the most dangerous race of my life, this guy was completely crazy!!!!! He crashed twice by himself and he was disqualified twice for passing inside the apron, ultimately I won.

At this moment I reached my potential and satisfaction.
 
Moments before the big race Paulo vs Alex Provincials 1990
 
Me and Curt Harnett at the World Trials, I finished second and the top two were supposed to go to worlds, They didn’t send me. I quit the following year to start a career and a family.

On my way to my first sub 11 sec. on 200 m

Looking back the sport of cycling was a true journey and a pleasure, regardless of the accomplishments or lack of, you see in my family it was very difficult for me to feel accomplished as a cyclist. I have 4 National medals, 1 gold and 3 bronze, several provincial championships and medals. However, when you grow up in the shadow of an Olympian (in the family), anything short feels like a failed attempt. Only in the recent years have I found some feelings of success as an athlete. Everyone reaches different levels, and in the end it is if you feel you reached your potential. At one point I believe I did and it was enough for me to be satisfied. Now I found the most joy in the sport than I ever have simply riding on Sunday mornings with my brothers.

Paulo Ongaro 200 meters personal best
Calgary Hand Timed 10.69 sec, 10.74 sec, 10.89 sec,
Calgary Electronic timing 10.91 sec , 10.93 sec

Paulo’s three brothers were also heavily involved in sport. With exception of Ross, all of them were cyclists. Here is their short cycling biography:

Rudi Ongaro
Rodolfo Patrizio Ongaro, was born March 17, 1956 San Giorgio al Tagliamento, in Italy. He came to Canada in 1958 with his parents and lived in Edmonton until 1968 when the family moved back to Italy and lived there until May of 1969.

The family than returned to Canada once again. Up to this point Rudy was a promising young soccer player, until he caught the cycling bug at age 16. The first year Rudy rode with his father for fun, until together they decided they were ready to begin competing. What a learning experience that was… they were getting hammered by everyone. The next year was spent trying to learn how to train properly for competitive cycling. By the beginning of our 3 rd. year results were starting come. Rino and Rudy met Marijan Kahlina (coach and rider) and joined Alberta Cycle Racing Club. That year (last year as a junior) Rudy was selected to ride with the provincial team, both on the track and road. The Canadian Nationals and the Canada Summer games were the highlights. Rudy continued to race frequently at the local races, being selected to represent Alberta at National competitions. Rudy hung up his bike in 1985 only to find it again in 2005. Since then Rudy has been training mainly to keep fit and socialize with friends through the sport. His long term goal is to go to Torino and win the Olympic sprint with his two younger brothers, Paul and Alex.

In this photo: Rino, Paul and Rudy in Italy on a March training camp in 1976.

Ross Ongaro
Rosario Luigino Ongaro, born September 9, 1959. He too began to compete in some early spring races in 1970. Ross was already showing great promise as a soccer player, but decided to try a few races. He was a cadet, and I don’t remember too much because his cycling career only lasted 3 races. At that time there were maybe 3-4 boys that age riding , one was Shane Frohm and …..Heachock (spelling??) and Ross of course. Also it is important to note that Rudy Frohm, Shanes father would always follow the race in his BMW motor bike. Long story short Ross won the first race. He won the second and then won the third. Shane crashed following Ross’s wheel and Rudy Frohm was really mad and yelled at this 11 -12 year old kid. Ross quit, and went back to soccer. Good thing… The rest is history.

Born in Edmonton, he is a retired Canadian soccer player who earned one cap each with the Canada U-20 men’s national soccer team and Canadian Olympic soccer team. He played professionally in the North American Soccer League, Major Indoor Soccer League, Western Soccer Alliance and American Indoor Soccer Association. He has coached extensively at the professional level and was the head coach of the Canadian Beach Soccer and Futsal Teams until September 2011. He has been hired for 2012 by the Chinese Football Association to become their National Beach Soccer Head Coach.

National team
In 1979, Ongaro played one game with the Canada U-20 men’s national soccer team. He was on the roster of the team at the 1979 FIFA World Youth Championship but did not play a game in the tournament. Ongaro also played one Olympic qualifying match in 1979.

Alex Ongaro on the podium with another gold medal. Shaking hands with Zolt Zombor.

Alexander ‘Alex’ Ongaro (Oct 5, 1963)
Alex Ongaro, an Edmonton born athlete and 7 year member of the Canadian National Team was a silver medalist at the 1986 Commonwealth Games and 9th place finalist at both the 1984 Olympics and 1985 World Championships. In Bassano at the world championships in 1985 he clocked the third fastest time behind Luts Hesslich and Michael Huebner of the DDR. In 1986 unofficially he held the world record for 200m, after he rode a blazing 10.29sec 200m sprint in a heat with no disc wheels and no wind up.

Alex was a natural born sprinter on the track. He was in Canada Olympic team for Los Angeles 1984 games, where he participated in the Men’s sprint discipline on the track and achieved very good qualifying time of 11.23 sec.

In this photo: Zdenko, Alex, Marijan and Rudy (Paul was late… lol!)

By: Zdenko Kahlina

Edmonton Master Cycling Club (EMCC) celebrates!
In the spirit of the 25th Anniversary Celebration of the Edmonton Master Cycling Club (EMCC), I am presenting you this month with the review of the club activities and its history.

EMCC web page

Over the past 25 years, many EMCC veterans have left their mark and influence on Edmonton’s cycling. Many have represented Edmonton city or Canada, in various races throughout the province and international competitions and games. Some became very well known riders in the local cycling scene, while others remained anonymous, as they rode only for their own pleasure and to stay healthy.

The Sunday group ride in Sherwood Park, at Tim Horton’s parking lot

Some of them stayed in cycling only couple of years and some are in cycling all their lives. Though I am not a club member any more, cycling is part of my life and it made me person that I am today. Most importantly, cycling at this level is fun and healthy activity that should be practiced by many more regular middle age people. Once you get ‘poisoned’ by cycling, you can’t get out of it that easily.

Richard Henderson leads the big group

Ladies group during the more relaxed ride

Current Status
The EMCC organizes some two dozen races (time trials, road races, criteriums and track events) between May and September. There are club rides every Sunday morning from the beginning of April to the end of September, although informal rides start earlier and carry on later as the weather permits. There is also an annual week-long training camp in Penticton, held sometime during April. Every Friday evening from May to the end of August we rent the Argyll Velodrome for training purposes.

Participation is the main emphasis of the group as a whole, but the competitive spirit is alive and well in many of us, so trophies – for all age categories and for both men and women – and medals are up for competition each year and are presented at the annual awards night and banquet.

Membership is open to anyone, man or woman, aged 30 years and older, and includes access to all the above activities and events. As of 2008 we had some 100 members ranging in age from just 30 to 80. Members are required to assist in running the races – for more information on this and other matters, please see the Code of Conduct.

Once a year hundred of riders come for the ‘Harvest ride’ and EMCC members participate in big numbers

EMCC group rides are mostly in Strathcona County, departing from Sherwood Park Tim Horton’s parking lot

Club executives:
President: Jim Yeske
Vice President: Brian Countryman
Secretary: Dennis Cebuliak
Treasurer: John Dawson-Edwards
Race Director: Peter Heppleston
Membership / Clothing & Volunteer Coordinator: Richard Henderson
Web Site: Rod Tiedemann

http://www.edmontonmasterscyclingclub.ca/

The oldest members of the club, but not the slowest! From the left: Willem Langenberg, Hainz Gathen and ?

Another Sunday, another group ride. Lenard Berg leading the group here

History of the EMCC
The first meeting of the Edmonton Veterans Cycling Association was held on Monday, June 16, 1986 at the Italian Cultural Centre. Of the nine people in attendance only Joe Zombor is still a member. The first Bylaws of the EVCA were signed on March 5, 1987 by Jim Horner, Arvon Stacey, Lino Bovo, Peter Bigg and Dave Phillips. Jim Horner was the first president.

The EMCC arose from the perceived need for age-related bicycle racing in Alberta. The first few years saw regular changes of President, as the new group sought to establish an identity:

• July 07, 1986 – Jim Horner
• May 14, 1987 – John Van Werden
• October 19, 1987 – Len Blair

• October 17, 1988 – Don Jobson

EMCC veterans during the popular criterium races

John Edmonds, rides like a pro!

Then things started to settle down, the first trophy was established in 1989, the club that we know today started to emerge, and there was a period of steady growth though the 1990’s under Presidents:

• November 17, 1990 – Len Blair
• November 04, 1992 – Gordin Warner
• November 09, 1994 – Peter and Lesley Heppleston
• November 13, 1996 – Matt Claassens
• December 09, 1998 – Graeme Dibbs

On November 10, 1999, at the Annual General Meeting, the membership voted to change the name of our organization from the Edmonton Veterans Cycling Association to the Edmonton Masters Cycling Club. The two changes to our name came about because UCI terminology became “Masters” rather than “Veterans”, and because the majority of our membership had become first-claim riders. Graeme Dibbs was the first President of the EMCC.

By now the Club’s identity and annual program of events was well established, and strong growth continued into the new century, with membership and activity peaking in 2005 as a result of the interest created by the World Masters Games being held in Edmonton. Our presidents during this time were:

• December 13, 2000 – VACANT
• January 10, 2001 – Graeme Dibbs
• November 20, 2002 – Jim Yeske
• November 05, 2004 – VACANT
• December 08, 2004 – Joy Mekechuk

Ladies Time trial race

Man Time trialing

Since the WMG the Club has gone through a period of retrenchment, though participation in and support of the program of events continues to be very strong. Mandatory volunteerism was introduced in 2005; until then events were run by members’ spouses and supporters of the Club on an unofficial and totally voluntary basis. Since 2005 our President has been:

• October 01, 2005 – Shane Frahm
• November 07, 2007 – Shane Frahm

The Future
While the number of original and early members who are still active has inevitably declined, the foundation that they built has resulted in the robust Club that we are today. The future looks very promising as the largest age group of members is now the 50-year-olds, closely followed by the 40-year-olds. It seems that the need for age-related racing that was felt in 1986 is still very valid today, and the EMCC looks set to continue accommodating that need for some time to come.

Every spring the club organizes training camp in Kelowna. Pictured here are ex-president Shane Frahm and Gordon Sustrik

Break during the ride in Kelowna

EMCC Annual Banquet
The club executive would like to invite you to come celebrate the 25th ANNIVERSARY of E.M.C.C. and honor the B.A.R. (best all-rounder) winners at this year’s end of the season banquet. What a great way to start next year’s season and reconnect to your riding friends.

The location is tentatively booked at the Italian Cultural Centre in the Juventus Room for January 14, 2012. The cost will be $35.00 per person. Please accept this invitation and join us all in celebrating this milestone.

Cake for the 80th birthday – after successful race!

Peter Bigg – long time member, still going strong!

Awards
The history and evolution of the EVCA/EMCC can be neatly traced from the following list of trophy and championship winners. Note the early Italian influence of Rino Ongaro, the persistence of Maurice Johnson, and the recent “introduction” of ladies! Our second world-class member (besides Maurice Johnson, albeit second-claim) is Nancy Burden, World Triathlon Champion 1999.

EMCC/EVCA Trophy Winners

Jim Horner Memorial Trophy – Award of Excellence

Jim Horner was a dedicated man who track cyclists could always count on for help. Whether you needed to have a bike set up, a gear changed, or just wanted to be timed for a flying 200, Jim was there to lend a hand. We all miss Jim very much, so we wanted to commemorate his dedication to cycling with an award. The Jim Horner Memorial Trophy – Award of Excellence is for a club member who goes above and beyond in some aspect of the Edmonton Masters Club. It could be for volunteer work, for racing excellence, or helping out new riders.

This year’s recipient of the Jim Horner Memorial Trophy is Karen Carruthers. Karen was chosen as the recipient this year in recognition of her unwavering support of the EMCC and it’s events.

Weekly races at Argyll velodrome are very popular

In the summer races are organized on the velodrome once a week

Very competitive racing on the velodrome, but special track bikes are mandatory.

Membership
The EMCC organizes races (time trials, road races, criteriums and track events) and social rides for our members. Participation is the main emphasis of the group as a whole, but the competitive spirit lurks just below the surface in many of us, so medals and trophies are up for competition each year and are presented at the annual awards night and banquet. Our social rides are an opportunity for all members and prospective members to join the group.

Peter Heppleston – another long time member of EMCC

Membership is open to people who are Masters cyclists, i.e. 30 years and older, as defined by the Canadian Cycling Association, and includes both men and women.

To become a member please complete the membership form and return with payment as instructed or come out to one of our Sunday club runs with the completed form and payment. Please note that ALL first claim EMCC members must fill out the EMCC membership form as well as the ABA membership and ABA waiver – ABA fees are not required unless you also want an ABA License. All completed forms and applicable fees should be returned to Karen as instructed on the EMCC membership form. The EMCC has adopted a Code of Conduct. Please read the linked Code of Conduct before submitting your EMCC membership

Joe Zombor – EMCC member from the biginning (for full 25 years)

New location for EMCC Monthly Meetings
The EMCC general meetings will now be held at Percy Page Center, 11759 Groat Road in the Olympic Room #8, 3rd floor, south east corner. Please enter the building via the south entrance and sign-in with security when you arrive and sign-out when leaving. The first meeting will be October 6th at 7:30pm and each following 1st Wednesday of the month same time, same place.

Volunteer
Each member is required to volunteer for at least one position in order to be eligible to participate in the club races. If you do not complete your volunteer requirement this year you will not be eligible to race next year until after you have completed your volunteer duties. Those people who did not complete their volunteer requirements last year will not be able to race this year until after they have completed their volunteer requirement from the previous year.

All members are to list their preferred volunteer positions on the membership application.

Happy Anniversary to all EMCC members!!

By Zdenko Kahlina

‘Edmonton’s Italian Mafia’

Once upon a time there was a group of cyclists in Edmonton which was called ‘Edmonton’s Italian Mafia’, or sometimes they would be called ‘Nino, Gino, Rino, Lino and Jim’s group’. Later in the 80’s and 90’s  Rino Ongaro and his four sons Rudy, Ross, Alex and Paolo, used to be called ‘Ongaro’s clan’… but no matter how they were called, one of them was always member of each of these groups. His name is Rino Ongaro.
This is a story about one Italian immigrant, who lives in Edmonton and is very popular name in local cycling circles. Never a real ‘pro’, but all his life connected to the bicycle and racing. I am talking about Rino Ongaro who was Juventus cycling club and Edmonton Masters Cycling Club member during his lifelong cycling fanaticism.

Rino Ongaro in November 2011

I met Rino long time ago, when I first moved to Edmonton. Being a different generation than him, slowly I lost track of him and his family until one of his sons (Paolo), moved into my neighbourhood. That’s when I met Rino again, and could tell he was looking very young for his age. If he wanted, he could still ride his bike fast… here is his life story:

Rino was born in 1934 in the small town San Giorgio al Tagliamento, next to Latisana in the province of Veneto in Italy. The area is very familiar to me as I used to race in that part of Italy quite a lot. This is the region where everybody loves cycling. I remember sprinting for the win in Alpe-Adria race, back in 1974 just few kilometers away in coastal town of Lignano Sabbiadoro.

Before coming to Canada, Rino used to work in a small sugar factory as electrician. He began to ride his bike to work every day, and that turned into serious riding when the factory owner assembled a cycling team. Rino joined the team in 1948 year and was a good bike rider competing with Italian amateurs and semi-pros. He still remembers some of the names: Aldo Zuliani, Antonio Bevilacqua, Giovanni Pinarello, Giordano Cottur, Vacianni, Zambarro and many others. He rode many criteriums with all these good riders who lost many sprints with Rino. Some of the riders turned pro like Aldo Zullianni (with Atala pro team), and later won Giro d’ Sicilia. Rino never got a chance to sign a pro contract, because he raced mostly in small races in proximity of the Trieste and Udine. He remembers one criterium where even the big boyz like Italian hero Fausto Coppi and triple world champion Rick Van Stenbergen from Belgium, showed up on the start line with him. He says the race with them wasn’t hard, because they had a good control over the group, and went hard just at the end of the race to pick up the premiums.

In this photo: Sandy Harris, Rudy Ongaro and Rino Ongaro

Rino with his son Rudy in 1972

Rino participated in races like Giro d’ Veneto and Giro d’Friuli for amateurs, still very popular bike races even these days. In the 1952 addition of Giro d’ Veneto he was even part of the breakaway group of seven guys, including Enrico Padovani and future winner Adolfo Grosso, big Italian names at that time. Finish of the race was on the athletic track and when they were entering stadium and onto the track, Rino almost crashed on the gravel portion of entrance to the track. He lost his position and finished ‘only’ fourth!

Rino Ongaro with dirty face after the race

He remembers how once at a different race, during the summer heat, when spectators were throwing water on cyclists to help them cope with the heat, he got hit with the bucket of water in the head and crashed. Another time he had five flat tires during the single race, because most roads were not paved at that time… and he still managed to finish the race.

Many times Rino raced on the Pordenone and Portogruaro velodrome which were close to his home. He would ride early in the morning, starting around 5 AM and rushing after the training to his regular work at the factory. Specialist for the velodrome and famous for his fast sprinting, Rino suffered during the road races… ‘I will never forget how I gritted my teeth to follow the attacks of these professionals’, he said years later…

Rino got married early in his life and his first son Rudi was born in Italy in 1956. When Rino’s sister moved to Italy and sugar factory where he worked shut down, he decided to follow his sister’s steps and in 1958 he moved to Canada with his wife and a small baby son.

Very young Rino Ongaro (right) with his older brother Fiorindo (left) in Italy, with his first bike.

They arrived in Edmonton and at first he worked as acoustics applicator. Life was not easy and Rino never had time to ride a bike. He was even forced to work up north to make a living. Ten years later he moved back to Italy for a couple of years, thinking the crisis in Europe is over and times are better now. However, nothing was easy, and in the summer of 1969 the whole Ongaro family moved back in Edmonton again. This time it was for good. Rino left only one brother in Italy, but sold his property to ensure there is no looking back this time. This time he was more determined to succeed in Canada as he had a bigger family to look after. With the exception of Rodolfo-Rudi (1956) the oldest son, his other sons were all born in Canada: Rossario-Ross (1959), Alexandrio-Alex (1963) and Paolo (1970).

Rino with his trophy’s

Full wall with cycling memorabilia

This time Rino finished school for electricians and got a job at Glenrose hospital in Edmonton, as an electrician. They bought a house in Delwood area of north Edmonton, where they still live after all those years. In 1972 during few days of his vacationing in Jasper, he bought himself brand new Peugeot racing bike. Soon after, Rino resumed his bike riding and joined some of the Edmonton most popular cycling clubs, like Velocity, Juventus and EMCC. The early Italian influence in the club was thanks to the group of Italians in the club: Nino, Gino, Rino and Lino: ‘The Italian Mafia’ as they were called. The history and evolution of the Edmonton Masters Cycling Club (EMCC) can be neatly traced from the list of trophy and championship winners where Rino’s name is mentioned more than once.

He told me how sometimes he would get frustrated, when his fellow cyclist were able to go for a spring training camps in the States, and he had to make living and stayed at home, in cold Edmonton. They would return in April with 6,000 km in their legs, and he was still riding only rollers in his basement. ‘How could I compete with them?’ he would complain. ‘They were just too strong for me in the spring, but by the summer, because I trained hard, I would beat them in the sprints. Than they were complaining of me sucking the wheels all the time, but I was a sprinter… what else could I do?’

For many years Rino raced in most local races around Alberta, as the significant number of medals on his wall in the basement can serve as a prove. His favourite course was in Nameo, just north of Edmonton, where a flat course guaranteed a sprint finish and he almost always won there. Even as a veteran, he would participate in more than forty races every year.

Being a cyclist, Rino transferred his love for bike to his sons. Rudi, Alex and Paolo become very successful cyclists themselves. Even a cousin Claudio was a cyclist. That’s how they earned the name ‘Ongaro’s clan’.

Rino (right) and John Brian on the podium

Rino’s competitors of the same generation in Alberta were: John Brian (from Calgary), Maurice Johnson, Jim Horner, Lino Bovo, Joe Zombor, John Morrison all from Edmonton. He remembers many others and all the good times he always had in cycling.

But as he was aging, and not getting any younger, one day at his work in Glenrose hospital, Rino fell and hurt his knees. After the accident, he couldn’t press on the pedals with the same intensity and his climbing suffered because of that. He left his job at the hospital, and continued to work with his son Rudi in his private business.

His cycling carrier finished after another incident in 1994 – this time on his bike. At the Cabotto criterium, bike race in the north Edmonton, during one of the sprints, he made a mistake when he rode his front wheel into the wide and deep pavement crack. Rino lost balance and fell heavily at full speed. He broke his collarbone and suffered concussion. Later he couldn’t remember what happened to him, but for his wife this was the last stroke. She told him: no more racing! And that was it for Rino, than aged 60. He never showed up at another race.

Still looks like new: red ‘Battaglin’ bike hanging on the wall

Rino with one of his bikes: this ‘Cinelli’ is ready to go…

These days Rino lives still in his old house in Delwood area with all of his trophies at home. He proudly showed me pictures of him with some well-known cyclists, some of them much younger than him. He also has, framed on the wall yellow jersey from the Tour de France, which he received from Alex Stieda as a present for his 80^th birthday. Two of his road bikes are in perfect condition just waiting in his basement to be ridden… one is beautiful red ‘Battaglin’ and the other is full chrome ‘Cinelli’ frame with campy components! Something special…

Last spring I joined ‘Ongaro’s clan’ for some training rides. They all gather at Rudi’s house in Ardrossan every weekend early in the morning. The group would than cruise at fair speed around Strathcona County for two hours and the ride always ends with all of the guys sprinting for that last pole on the side of the road. With all of them being very good sprinters (Alex always wins!) it is very difficult for me even just to hold onto their wheels.

‘Ongaro’s clan’ leaving for a ride: Alex, Rudy and friends

Back in Rudi’s house, there is always some Italian pasta and bottle of vine on the kitchen table, for the exhausted group. Like real Italians, they all talk and discuss the ride and what could’ve been in that last sprint…

Can’t wait for the next spring and the rides with ‘Ongaro’s clan’ to resume again…

By: Neal Pollack

The greatest bike racer in history won’t stop motivating me.
One Monday morning last month I went to my friendly neighborhood in Austin, Texas, and discovered that it had been transformed into a Lance Armstrong shrine.
Along the back wall, under the heading “The Making Of A Legend,” were dozens of photographs of Armstrong, alongside various laminated newspaper articles, Sports Illustrated covers, line-by-line breakdowns of his workout regimen, a racing bike in a glass case, and a history of his life broken into four sections: In The Beginning, The Detour, Born Again Cyclist, and The Road Ahead.

A 10-foot-wide mockup of one of those ubiquitous yellow bracelets hung over the check-in desk like a plaster halo. Eight-inch-tall letters, embossed on the bracelets, commanded me to “Live Strong.”

Wow,” I said to the desk person, “I wish there were more Lance Armstrong stuff in here.”

“Oh, yeah,” she said. “It’s got something to do with Lance trying to motivate people.”

I went into the locker room. There, in another glass case, was an Armstrong reliquary comprised of a biking jersey, shorts, shoes, and fingerless gloves, and, on a hanger, a totally ordinary burnt-orange University of Texas T-shirt. Above me, across the length of the locker room, was a shot of bikers racing down some road in the French Alps, or the Pyrenees, or something, accompanied by this quote: “We are so much stronger than we imagine, and belief is one of the most valiant and long-lived human characteristics.”

A few weeks before, the gym’s motivational strategy had consisted of easily ignored, plastic-framed, black-and-white photos of guys doing biceps curls. Now I was getting assaulted by vintage-shop shirts and unattributed quotes from the Successories slush pile. What’s the point of wallpapering a quote in the locker room, anyway? Was it supposed to inspire me to take a more satisfying shower or have a stronger bowel movement? To change my clothes faster? I didn’t need motivation. I don’t go to the gym to get motivated. I go to relax, or because I’ve eaten a half-dozen donuts in the last 24 hours. Anyway, I was there. Wasn’t that enough?

Rigorous reading of corporate press releases has revealed that Lance Armstrong is the fourth athlete to sign a commercial treaty with 24 Hour Fitness, along with Magic Johnson, Andre Agassi, and Shaquille O’Neal. The company operates a series of centers devoted to Lance’s greatness and donates money to his cancer-fighting foundation. In return, Lance wears the company logo on his jersey and appears in some commercials. The other athletes have similar deals. I can see how Magic figures into the equation. He’s an inspirational-type guy and his gyms are going up in underserved urban neighborhoods, though they may be straying a bit from that concept: A new one just opened in Sherman Oaks. I’m having a harder time picturing Shaq’s place. Do the patrons get an extra burst of energy from gazing upon photos of his police firearms training? A publicity still from Kazaam? A giant shoe?

I’m certainly not troubled that my gym has devoted itself to Armstrong. Only one man enjoys a higher esteem in Austin, and while I’d prefer to work out at Willie Nelson 24 Hour Fitness, I don’t think such a place is forthcoming. And I’m only slightly annoyed by the large-print copy of the Lance Armstrong Foundation’s “Manifesto” that hangs by the aerobics room. It’s not really appropriate for my gym to tell me, before I go to yoga class, that they will help me bank my sperm if I get cancer, but I know they mean well.

I might even be willing to forget about all the garish memorabilia if the place had any real connection to Lance’s life and work. Like, a bicycle that wasn’t encased in glass. Other than a redecoration of the spinning room, there doesn’t seem to be any extra emphasis on cycling since the redecoration. “Maybe they’ll dye the pool water yellow for the Tour de France,” suggested one woman in the sauna yesterday.

While handlebars are in short supply, the gym overburdens us with Lance Armstrong’s insecurities. Another long quote, this one credited to Lance, overlooks the weight area. By design, I never visit that part of the complex, so I didn’t read it until a couple of days ago. “This is my body,” it goes. “And I can do whatever I want to it. I can push it. Study it. Tweak it. Listen to it. Everybody wants to know what I’m on. What am I on? I’m on my bike busting my ass six hours a day. What are you on?”

So defensive! I wonder why Armstrong would agree to have this quote, which comes from a Nike ad but sounds like a bad moment from a particularly testy press conference, on display in a semi permanent manifestation of his life’s work. Honestly, I don’t care if or how he “enhances” his performance. He’s the greatest bike racer of all time. He beat cancer, and now he raises money to help others do the same. That’s great. But please tone down the iconography and the sloganeering.

As I left the gym the other night, I noticed yet another maxim, splayed across 20 feet of door space: “I don’t have bad days. I have good days and great days.”

Well bully for you, Lance, I thought. But some of us really do have bad days, and we like it that way. In fact, my day just got a little bit worse. Here’s my $63 a month. Now let me schvitz in peace.

Source: Cyclingnews.com, by James Huang

This article originally appeared on BikeRadar.
Most companies have a ‘halo’ bike, but only a handful can afford them. We’ve all seen or read about them at this point, and some have even been lucky enough to ride (or better yet, own) one: those ultra-premium ‘halo’ bikes that are cycling’s equivalent of that old Lamborghini Countach poster on your childhood wall.

These days, nearly every company has at one ultra-premium bike in the range – but if only a handful of people can afford them, what’s the point?

Consider the following examples:

• Cannondale SuperSix Evo Ultimate: US$12,100
• Felt DA1 Di2: US$12,999
• Giant TCR Advanced SL: US$10,300
• Trek Madone 6.9 SSL Leopard/Schleck Edition: US$11,623.47
• Specialized S-Works Tarmac SL4 Di2: US$11,000
• Cervélo R5ca: US$9,800 (frameset only)

LOOK 695 SR model

Fantasy for some; reality for others
Halo bikes cost roughly one-fifth of the average US household income – meaning they’re only the stuff of dreams for most. But as unattainable as those bikes seem, there are people that can and do buy them. BikeRadar spoke with several of the top companies in the industry and all of them reported that flagship bike sales – while low in total number – are still ticking along, global economic issues be damned.

“We find it’s more of the affluent (doctor, investor, lawyer), performance-minded customer that purchases a bike at this price range,” said Andrew Juskaitis, global product marketing manager for Giant. “Because of their price, the number of halo bikes produced is dwarfed to that of their more-affordable counterparts – figure the ratio is about 40-to-1.”

“I won’t disclose how many total we make,” said Scott PR and marketing director Adrian Montgomery, “but for the US market it’s a 1:10 ratio of sales of halo bikes vs. our value bikes, like Ultegra CR1s. We entered the market at the high end and there is still considerable demand for our premium bikes even after we’ve focused on value for the US market.”

Even industry powerhouse Specialized – no stranger at all to mass production and huge volume – says sales of its impressively broad range of halo bikes are better than expected. The company’s top-end road bike, the S-Works + McLaren Venge, is a joint collaboration with the heralded automaker of the same name and costs US$18,000. Its most expensive mountain, the S-Works Epic Carbon 29, isn’t quite as outrageous but still commands a whopping US$10,500 – and the company can’t keep either one in stock.

Scott offer a full range of their impressive Foil aero carbon road bikes. Top-end ones get premium kit and the highest grade carbon fibers while midrange ones use a more economical spec and a slightly heavier fiber blend that doesn’t detract too much from performance but saves an enormous amount of cash

It’s not always about volume
Halo bikes don’t always make economic sense but manufacturers still feel they hold a valuable spot in the marketplace. Their lofty prices (and presumably, the associated impressive performance) can raise the perceived status of the brand, bikes developed for sponsored teams can earn prized competition credibility, and developers learn valuable lessons while pushing the envelope of technology.

“We build halo bikes to see how far we can push our product line – literally building what we feel are the best bikes in the world for that 1-2 percent of riders who desire the very best, to see exactly how light, how stiff and how aerodynamic we can push our overall bike designs,” said Juskaitis. “Every time we produce one of these bikes we learn something new. Sure, the great majority of us can’t afford them, but these are the products we aspire to.”

FUJI Altamira model – Marko Kump’s bike

Flagship bikes are also developed to cater to sponsored world-class riders and teams. Their physical demands far exceed the daily rigors of most everyday riders and as is always the case in sport, every team is looking for every possible advantage over its rivals. That unique microcosm provides an ideal testing environment and continually forces everyone involved to push the envelope instead of contently settling for the status quo.

“Working with our teams and athletes is how we build better products,” said Sims. “The average person on the street will not have the power of a Mark Cavendish so we need their numbers and feedback. As a company, I think we have built a great reputation for being able to interpret that feedback and put it to good use to build the next great bike.”

“There absolutely needs to be halo bikes in order to push the limits of what’s possible,” insisted Cervélo media liaison Mark Riedy. “It’s not realistic for a manufacturer to be able to come out with a frame that weighs 25% less and is stiffer than the current base production models without rolling it out as a super limited production model. We just can’t jump into massive production right away with cutting-edge technology.

“One thing that might be getting lost these days is the sense of how special a carbon frame is,” Riedy added. “We make very few R5ca frames and they’re all just as fussed over as an artisan made steel frame. They’re handmade and are as cutting edge as anything you’d see in F1 or Moto GP racing.”

Cervélo’s ultra-exclusive R5ca is one of the lightest road frames currently available and is built in the US by company engineers – not factory workers. Unfortunately, it’s also one of the most expensive at $9,800 for just the frameset

Why halo bikes help all of us
There are probably regular consumers out there who can churn out as many watts as a Tour de France pro but odds are the average rider’s power output wouldn’t even run your washing machine. That person may not be able to necessarily extract all the performance potential of a halo bike but that doesn’t mean we don’t all still stand to benefit from their existence anyway.

Invariably, those new technologies trickle down to more attainable price points as manufacturers figure out ways to reproduce those features at lower costs and amortize development expenses over a wider volume of product.

“Halo bikes are where the latest technology comes from and these are the product used by our athletes and teams,” Sims told us. “Ultimately, what gets developed on the halo bikes will trickle down to the more affordable models. If you take for example our Allez bikes, they are very entry level but these frames are stiffer than the frame that Levi Leipheimer used to win the Tour of Germany a few years ago. What is the S-Works bike today becomes the Pro bike tomorrow.”

MERCKX bike EMX – 7 model

“Many of the technological benefits that our engineers develop can be carried down to non-halo bikes,” said Felt communications manager Bill Childers. “The more that we can pull down to the rest of the line, the better the bikes are for our customers. We developed the InsideOut process [for the F1] and reverted to a more efficient round tube design but we were also able to utilize the same process and round tube design for the F2-F5. So, as a result of seeking to produce the fastest bike possible, we are also able to raise the performance of all the bikes in our line.”

“The dream bike we offered five years ago is now a value bike – without carbon tubulars,” added Montgomery. “[Customers] find they can own the Addict with Ultegra and it rides so close to the Di2 bike that it’s a great value and half the money.”

You can buy a car for that money! I can go faster on my old Huffy!

Any discussion of such high-end exotica invariably elicits the usual laundry list of comments from the peanut gallery:

• “That US$10,000 bike isn’t twice as good as a US$5,000 one”
• “I can go just as fast on my 1980 Peugeot – only the legs matter”
• “The average rider has way more weight to lose on their body”
• “That bike isn’t UCI-legal anyway”
• “You could buy a motorcycle for that money”

A team replica Trek Madone 6.9 SSL Leopard/Schleck Edition similar to this one will cost you $11,623.47 at full retail.

Guess what – it’s all true. And you know what else? So what.

This end of the price spectrum definitely brings sharply diminishing returns, no bike is a substitute for true fitness, few of us are as fit as we could be, most of these ‘superbikes’ (on the road, at least) fall well south of the UCI weight limit, and yes, the same amount of money really will buy either a top-end Cannondale or a Ducati 848 Evo.

As with any gear-oriented sport, people just like to have the best – if only for the illusion of competitive advantage – and some of those people have the money to spend. Moreover, many buyers don’t make their bicycle purchases based on how well it suits their abilities. Truth be told, we often buy based on what we want to be and the image we want to project and just like so many people own cars that can go 240km/h in a world that rarely lets them go half that, it’s the idea that it’s capable of such a feat that we find so compelling.

Top-end bikes are also cheap in the grand scheme of expensive playthings. Consider that one typically needs less than US$10,000 to buy the exact same machine as what top pros are using and then compare that to motorsports, where that same amount of money gets you a used Honda Civic. Sure, that Ducati nets a heck of a lot more speed per dollar than any bicycle but it’s not the best. If you’re truly after the exact same equipment as the pros, we dare say that Valentino Rossi’s machine might cost just a little extra.

Pinarello Prince Carbon

Where we go from here
There’s some indication that we’re approaching the glass ceiling – but limits are meant to be broken.

“At about US$12,000, the bikes don’t lose much weight and just look more exotic,” Montgomery admitted. “I remember someone asking why our RED Equipped LTD a few years ago didn’t include ceramic bearings. Well, we drew the line – US$13,000 was too much and a ceramic bearing is invisible.”

“In 2010, the US$14,000 TCR Advanced SL Limited was the most expensive bike we had ever produced,” said Juskaitis. “We sold out of these bikes in less than a month [but] for the foreseeable future, this is as high as we will venture.” Specialized, on the other hand, won’t artificially limit itself but any price increase will also have to come with a real gain.

Wilier 799

“We will always look to the next great piece of technology and that generally comes at a premium, so as long as we keep riding and pushing ourselves to develop better bikes we will keep going,” said Sims. “Obviously frames are just one part of the equation so if parts prices go up then bike prices go up, too.”

As with anything that lies out of our financial reach, halo bikes aren’t there to taunt us, mock us, or to remind us of what we want but can’t have – they exist simply because they can. Moreover, no one’s forcing anyone to buy anything and whether directly or indirectly, we all benefit.

So go ahead and rightfully take pride in your current machine, knowing full well that you’ll eek out its full potential. When it’s time, though, rest assured that there’ll be always something better waiting for you when you’re ready.

Giant Bicycles once built their business model on offering primarily mainstream bikes with exceptionally high value. Now the company also offer top-end race bikes costing upwards of $10,000 like this Rabobank team-issued machine

Specialized’s top-end S-Works + McLaren Venge carries an enormous US$18,000 retail price – and yet the company says the entire stock is presold. Photo: © VeloDramatic

A team replica Trek Madone 6.9 SSL Leopard/Schleck Edition similar to this one will cost you US$11,623.47 at full retail. Photo: © James Huang/Future Publishing

A Trek Madone like this isn’t all that far off in terms of performance, however, and costs less than US$5,000 thanks to some impressive trickle-down tech and a less expensive component group. Photo: © James Huang/Future Publishing

Cervélo’s ultra-exclusive R5ca is one of the lightest road frames currently available and is built in the US by company engineers – not factory workers. Unfortunately, it’s also one of the most expensive at US$9,800 for just the frameset. Photo: © James Huang/Future Publishing

Scott offers a full range of its impressive Foil aero carbon road bikes. Top-end ones get premium kit and the highest grade carbon fibers while midranged ones use a more economical spec and a slightly heavier fiber blend that doesn’t detract too much from performance but saves an enormous amount of cash. Photo: © James Huang/Future Publishing

Giant certainly hasn’t lost sight of its bread-and-butter customers, though. A second-tier TCR Advanced like this one is a kissing cousin to the top-end SL version but costs almost two-thirds less. Photo: © James Huang/Future Publishing

Felt is no stranger to the high-end game, either. Though its bikes still often offer better value than many competitors, bikes like this top-end F1 Di2 model still command a substantial US$9,999. Photo: © James Huang/Future Publishing

Felt is sometimes thought of as more of a value company rather than a performance one but that perception is turning around thanks to impressive hardware like this Shimano Dura-Ace Di2-equipped DA time trial machine. Photo: © James Huang/Future Publishing

Cervélo offers the S5 aero road frame in three different levels, all with the same aerodynamic performance. The top-end S5 VWD frameset costs US$5,900 but the standard version is half that at US$3,000. Photo: © James Huang/Future Publishing 

Cannondale’s SuperSix Evo Ultimate costs a whopping US$12,100 but more budget-minded consumers can still nearly the same performance in the US$5,500 SuperSix Evo 2 Red. Photo: © James Huang/Future Publishing

Giant Bicycles once built its business model on offering primarily mainstream bikes with exceptionally high value. Now the company also offers top-end race bikes costing upwards of US$10,000 like this Rabobank team-issued machine.

Photo: © James Huang/Future Publishing

From Italian Cycling Journal

If you could have only one bicycle…
What would it be? Most of us have a couple of different bicycles. So if you could only have only one, what type of bike would it be? I’m not sure what I’d choose, but I’ve been thinking about it lately, and that’s why I’m asking the question…

Here is one of my favorite bikes – a dream bike from the 1980-s! This bike is almost made only for the leaving room, and not to be used on the road, where it can get dirty.

Colnago Master Piu 35th Anniversary Gold Edition
This is 1989 Colnago Master Piu – 35th anniversary Gold Edition, with 24k gold plating with specially engraved Campagnolo C-Record gruppo. It is available for purchase here for $3,600.00 USD. This is an collector´s  item! Absolutely exclusive & rare! 

Colnago Master Piu “35th anniversary” Gold Edition  

Probably the most exclusive vintage bike worldwide! Refined with a 24 Karat Gold  plating. Special edited Campagnolo C Record Group set pantographed & refined by Ernesto Colnago himself. 

Technical features: 

Serial No: OM 312 

Frame & Fork: Colnago Master Piu, designed by Ernesto Colnago, Columbus tube set – multishaped  

Measurement: seat tube c-top: 55.0 cm / c-center 53.5cm  top tube c-c: 54.5 cm, head tube overall: 12.9 cm, chain stay length: 40.5 cm, rear / front drop outs: 130 /100 mm 

Crankset: Colnago 35th anniversary edition, 24 Karat gold plated (based on  Campagnolo C Record, 170 mm, 53/39 teeth) 

Freewheel: Campagnolo super leggera Alloy  13-14-16-18-20-22 

Wheelset: Campagnolo Sigma Pavé tubular rims. Spokes gold plated special edition.

Hubs: Colnago 35th anniversary edition, 24 Karat gold plated (based on Campagnolo C Record) 32 Holes. Rear & front.

Derailleur: Colnago 35th anniversary edition, 24 Karat gold plated derailleur (based on Campagnolo C Record).

Shifters: Colnago 35th anniversary edition, 24 Karat gold plated (based on Campagnolo C Record) retrofiction – not synchronized

Brake calipers & Colnago 35th anniversary edition, 24 Karat gold plated levers:  (based on  Campagnolo C Record & Super Record Cobaldo).

Seat post: Colnago 35th anniversary edition, 24 Karat gold plated (based on Campagnolo C Record) diameter: 27.2mm

Pedals: Colnago 35th anniversary edition, 24 Karat gold plated (based on Campagnolo C Record SGR Automatic)

Stem: 3TTT,  100mm, Colnago 35th anniversary edition, 24 Karat gold plated  

Handlebar: 3TTT, c-c 39.5mm  

Seat: Selle San Marco “Regal” Colnago special edition 

In absolutely excellent condition according to a 20 year old bike I did my very best to describe this master piece. Please look at the pictures!

Frame & Fork: Colnago Master Piu, designed by Ernesto Colnago, Columbus tube set – multishaped

Shifters: Colnago 35th anniversary edition, 24 Karat gold plated (based on Campagnolo C Record) retrofiction – not synchronized

Hubs: Colnago 35th anniversary edition, 24 Karat gold plated (based on Campagnolo C Record) 32 Holes. Rear & front.

Brake calipers & Colnago 35th anniversary edition, 24 Karat gold plated levers:  (based on  Campagnolo C Record & Super Record Cobaldo)

Stem: 3TTT,  100mm, Colnago 35th anniversary edition, 24 Karat gold plated. Handlebar: 3TTT, c-c 39.5mm 

Seat: Selle San Marco “Regal” Colnago special edition 

Seat post: Colnago 35th anniversary edition, 24 Karat gold plated (based on Campagnolo C Record) diameter: 27.2mm

Crankset: Colnago 35th anniversary edition, 24 Karat gold plated (based on  Campagnolo C Record, 170 mm, 53/39 teeth)

Colnago 35th anniversary edition, 24 Karat gold plated derailleur (based on Campagnolo C Record). Freewheel: Campagnolo super leggera Alloy  13-14-16-18-20-22

Hubs: Colnago 35th anniversary edition, 24 Karat gold plated (based on Campagnolo C Record) 32 Holes. Rear & front.

And at the end, I can only wish that I could’ve had this bike back in 1989 when I was young and prosperous!!

 Italian Cycling Journal can be found here:

http://italiancyclingjournal.blogspot.com/

By: Zdenko Kahlina
 
Going for a spinning class?
It’s winter and it’s cold. It was -20C this morning here in Edmonton. Very often I get asked (at work) what do we cyclist do in the winter time to stay in shape. The answer is simple: we ride rollers! Some people these days would better understand if I said: “I am going for a spinning class” – that’s how it’s called these days.

On the rollers

When the weather is less than ideal, training rollers allow you to get your bike ride in without having to venture outside. Training rollers allow you to use your own bicycle instead of an exercise bike. You can easily store the rollers vertically to save space in cramped living quarters. This piece of exercise equipment typically consists of a metal frame with three metal or PVC tubes. Two of the tubes are near each other on one end of the frame; the other lies at the opposite end. Keeping your bike balanced and going in a straight line require some initial effort, but with a little practice virtually anyone can succeed.

Roller training is the most effective method to maintain target heart rate while improving spin, balance and form. Plus, it’s the most fun!

Having your wife to accompany you during the ride helps motivation

How to ride on rollers
Rollers are viewed with suspicion, incomprehension or downright fear by many riders – a dangerous liability only suitable for hardcore experienced riders. But once mastered, they can provide a valuable addition to the training armory of any cyclist, regardless of experience. 

Instructions

• Lay the rollers in a doorway or close to the wall.

• Place the back wheel of your bicycle so it rests between the two rollers closest together. The front wheel should rest on the lone, third roller.
• Straddle your bicycle and check that your bicycle is in a relatively easy gear. To start, you want a gear that will allow you to pedal effortlessly.
• Grab onto the door frame (or wall) and sit on the bicycle seat. Adjust your pedals slightly by pedaling backward so they are both level with the floor. Practice balancing in this position, keeping your focus in front of you as if you were riding on the road.
• Pedal at a high cadence, changing gears as necessary. If you pedal too slowly, you will have difficulty keeping the bike tracking in a straight line.

Tips & Warnings

• Be sure your bike is adjusted properly for your size.
• When you are positioning your pedals, do not pedal forward. Pedaling forward will cause the rollers to spin.
• Do not look at the rollers while you are riding. Keep your focus straight ahead.
• Once you are comfortable mounting the bicycle, you can use the rollers in places other than the doorway.

• Wear a helmet even when riding your bicycle indoors. Balancing is difficult, at least initially, and there is a potential for falling off of the bike.

Other uses for rollers are: warming up for races
 

Technique 
Starting off: Put your bike in a low gear and have the rollers set up close to a solid object such as a wall or doorway. Make sure your wheels are in the middle of the rollers and, keeping one hand on the wall, begin pedaling at 60rpm. If you have a willing volunteer, an alternative is to have them hold your handlebar; you’ll be more balanced to start with and the learning process will be quicker.

Going straight: Look straight ahead. You don’t watch your front wheel on the road, so don’t on the rollers. Once you feel condemn in your balance and you’re staying central, let go of the wall, build up your cadence and you’re off. After a few sessions you’ll gain confidence and develop more advanced skills.

Mind on the job: Concentrate on what you’re doing – no watching TV at an odd angle or turning around to see who’s just come into the room… To stop, you need to simply slow down gradually and, before you come to a complete halt, reach out for the wall.

After an initial period to develop skill, riding rollers demands essentially the same concentration as road riding. Therefore, proper mental skills are constantly improved on rollers, unlike bad habits that can be promoted by stationary trainers. Add the tremendous benefits gained in balance, control, and bike feel while riding rollers, and you can see why we say, “ONLY real riders ride rollers”.

Roller rewards 
Rollers are best used to develop smoothness and pedaling efficiency – use them often enough and you’ll be able to ride on them no handed. Basically this helps you relax on the road as you have better stability. I think the only thing you can’t do on rollers is to accelerate really fast, as the belt will slip. During warmups/rests/cooldowns, I reach for the water bottle, alternate hands, try no-handed stuff, try spinning out a few times.

Cycling race on rollers some 40 years ago.

I doubt whether you’d be able to do anything over 60 minutes on rollers, use your trainer for endurance and interval sessions. You’ll probably get bored/sore nuts/ fall off and look like a goose. Also, it’s harder to watch TV than on a trainer as you have to keep the bike on the spinning bits.

Entertainment setup in my basement

For entertainment, I have music and an old TV down in the basement. I find the radio to be better than CD’s. With a CD, when it’s over, I think it acts like a psychological punctuation mark. If you’re feeling lazy, you might be tempted to quit after one. The radio is better, especially around 5-8pm, when the music seems to flow non-stop, and every song is different. The speed of the music or type of music doesn’t seem to bother me either. On the TV I usually watch old cycling tapes about Tour de France, or some professional classics from Europe. Watching TV helps me kill the time, and occupies my brain. Sometimes I imagine that it’s me climbing those big mountains in France, or sprinting to the finish line shoulder to shoulder with Mark Cavendish.

Zdenko’s old heavy set of rollers made of steel

Rollers are also good during the whole year. Other uses for rollers are: warming up for track races, warming up while you wait for your mates to turn up to go for a ride, warming your body after a freezing cold ride, laughing at your triathlon friends who can’t ride them…

Zdenko in the basement riding on the rollers

I train on rollers for about 1 to 1 1/2 hours, three times a week during the winter. I don’t buy the theory that you can’t train or develop on rollers. I have old, very heavy rollers, made of steel, but I like them better than the new models. They really give me feeling of being on the real road. I use my standard racing road bicycle, with a 53 chainring up front and a 11 – 23 rear cassette at the back. I also use 700 x 23 tires @ 120psi instead of thin racing tires. Between the gears, tire size, and roller diameter you work your butt off. I also stand on the rollers and this develops wonderful climbing skills because it makes you put your head forward, focus, balance, and again, you get so damn efficient in your circular pedal rotation that it becomes an art.

The Elite RealAxiom Trainer provides another option for winter training 

Example sessions – Here is how I do it:

TIER 1 – 10 min
Operate at approx 60% of your aerobic capacity (based on HR) – 10 min.
I call this warm-up.

TIER 2 – 11 min
Operate at approx 65-75% of your aerobic capacity (based on HR) – 10mins
Go all out (100% aerobic/anaerobic) – 60 sec.
No extra time for recovery. Go straight into Tier 3.

TIER 3 – 11 min
Repeat TIER 2.

TIER 4 – 15 min
Operate at >80% of your aerobic capacity (based on HR) – 9 min.
Go all out (100% aerobic/anaerobic) – 60sec.
Recovery – 5 min.

TIER 5 – 5 min
…all aboard the pain train!!
Go all out, for as long as possible…about 5 min or till vomiting ensues..
Recovery – 10 min

TIER 6 – 15 min
Recovery from Tier 5 -  additional 15 min. Operate at approx 65-75% of your aerobic capacity (based on HR). I call this warm-down period.

There are plenty of rollers out there. Here’s an idea of what you’ll get for your money…

Beginner-friendly: Elite Parabolic, £149.99

This adjusts to all solo bike sizes. The rough surface of the plastic drums offers more low speed stability than metal ones, and the fl anged ‘parabolic’ ends help prevent the wheels from wandering too, which boosts confidence. The large drums spin well and quietly but you’ll be topping out the gears at 60kph+ to get a properly punishing workout. Weight: 8.12kg. From: Elite / Madison (UK).

Improvers: Tacx Antares, £169.99

The telescopic design means compact storage and they’re light for pre-event use. The fixed frame makes a flat floor vital though. The height of the rollers and lack of steps makes starting a bit precarious but they’re smooth, and not as ‘icy’ as metal rollers. They spin up to speed and increase gyroscopic stability very quickly, and there’s an optional extra resistance kit. Weight: 6.7kg. From: Tacx / Fisher Outdoor Leisure (UK).

Experts: Kreitler Alloy 2.25in, £329

These are relatively light and fold for storage. The lack of end stops and ‘icy’ feel of the metal rollers is initially intimidating and the small size of the rollers means a higher resistance level than other rollers. There’s some tire noise and buzz on the rollers, but overall smoothness and longevity are excellent. Medium resistance 3in rollers are available, or 4.5in for easy spinning, plus fan, fly-wheel and front wheel stand. Weight: 7.52kg.

From: Kreitler / Nemesis Group (UK).

At the end, I’ll mention other option you have in case you don’t like rollers. As you might have noticed, my wife is using the “Real Axiom” electromagnetic trainer, which allows you to ride a real course in the comfort of your own home.

If you don’t like rollers, use the Elite RealAxiom Trainer

The Elite RealAxiom Trainer

The Elite RealAxiom Trainer is designed to be used in conjunction with the supplied user-friendly software. On your PC you get the option of selecting course toughness, profile and length and there are different race courses which come complete with riders-eye views as you pedal through the countryside and mountains. You can choose your favorite video course, compete against other Real Axiom owners or virtual competitors.

For me, I still prefer rollers…

By Zdenko Kahlina
 
King of the Classics
Rik Van Looy was born on December 20, 1933. Nicknamed the “King of the Classics” or “Emperor of Herentals” (because he lived in the small Belgian city near the Dutch border), Rik Van Looy won just about every one-day race worth mentioning.

Rik Van Looy – King of the Classics

He was the first cyclist to win all five of cycling’s monuments (Paris-Roubaix, Milan-San Remo, Tour of Flanders, Liege-Bastogne-Liege, Tour of Flanders) for a total of eight victories in these races, including three wins in Paris-Roubaix. Van Looy won the Paris-Roubaix Classic in 1961, in front of Belgians Marcel Janssens and Rene Vanderveken, in 1962, in front of Belgians Emile Daems and Frans Schoubben, and in 1965, in front of Belgians Edward Sels and Willy Vannitsen.

Rik Van Looy world champion

Rik Van Looy winner of Paris -Roubaix

Van Looy was 2nd in 1963 behind Emile Daems of Belgium, and in 1967, behind Jan Janssen of Holland. Van Looy was also 3rd in 1958 behind Leon Van Daele of Belgium and Miguel Poblet of Spain. Van Looy won the 1958 Milan-San Remo, the Tour of Flanders in 1959 and 1962, the Liege-Bastogne-Liege in 1961, the Tour of Lombardy in 1959. Van Looy won the 1960 World Championship Road Race in front of Andre Darrigade of France and Pino Cerami of Belgium. Van Looy also won the event in 1961, in front of Nino Defilippis of Italy and Raymond Poulidor of France.

Rik Van Looy was good sprinter

Van Looy was also 2nd in 1956 behind Rik Van Steenbergen of Belgium, and 2nd in 1963 behind Benoni Beheyt of Belgium.

In addition, Van Looy was 4th in 1957 behind Rik Van Steenbergen of Belgium, Louison Bobet of France, and Andre Darrigade of France.

In other one-day races, Van Looy won the Paris-Tours in 1959 and 1967, the Ghent-Wevelgem in 1956, 1957, and 1962, plus the Fleche Wallone in 1968.

Rik Van Looy with young Eddy Merckx (behind)

Rik Van Looy had to fight with young and talented Eddy Merckx

In the Grand Tours, Van Looy won the Points Jersey in the 1963 Tour de France and the Mountains Jersey in the 1960 Giro d’Italia.

In the Vuelta a Espana, Van Looy was 3rd in 1959 behind Antonio Suarez and Jose Segu of Spain, and was 3rd in 1965 behind Rolf Wolfshohl of Germany and Raymond Poulidor of France. Van Looy also won the Points Jerseys in those years as well. Van Looy’s career spanned eighteen seasons beginning at age 19 in late 1953 and ending at age 36 in 1970. During this time, he racked up an impressive 379 professional road victories.

Van Looy’s career was sandwiched between two other great Belgian riders: Rik Van Steenbergen and Eddy Merckx.

In fact, Rik Van Looy may not have begun bicycle race had it not been that his name was so close to that of the then-current Belgian superstar, Rik Van Steenbergen.

Van Looy rode a heavy bicycle delivering newspapers where he was teased by neighbors because of his name being so close to the established star at the time. This taunting spurned him on to ride competitively.

——————————————————————————————————————

By Zdenko Kahlina

Zdenko visits France Alps and climbs Col du Lautaret and Galibier!
My summer trip to France and Tour de France race exceeded my wildest expectations and remains one of the most significant experiences I’ve had in my life! Thanks to my friend Ivan who planned and organized this trip!

Col du Lautaret – Zdenko sandwiched between two Ivans’!

Our first day in the Alps included climbing the most popular mountain in cycling world – Alpe d’Huez. But I never even dreamed that on the same day I’ll be climbing two more mountains in the same area. So, here is my story about climbing Col du Lautaret and watching Andy, Cadel, Contador and others climbing to the top of Galibier during the 18^th stage of Tour de France.

It is Friday July 22, 2011. My friends and I already climbed Alpe d’Huez in the morning. By the way, did you know that the classic Alpe d’Huez climb is actually part of the climb climb to the Col de Poutran? You can read about our experience in my blog here. But the real action was later that afternoon, when 18^th stage of this year Tour de France arrived at the top of the legendary Galibier.

Canadians on the road – Descending from Alpe d’ Huez

This year Tour de France celebrated the 100th anniversary of the first appearance of the Galibier in the race, with a stunning stage win. Andy Schleck (Leopard Trek) turned the Tour around, attacking on the slopes of the Col d’Izoard and soloing his way to take the stage win atop the Galibier and moving up into second place overall. His brother and teammate Fränk sprinted to second place with Cadel Evans (BMC) third. Thomas Voeckler (Europcar) continued his miracle Tour, hanging on to his yellow jersey, albeit by a mere 15 seconds.

So, after climbing to the top of the Alpe d’Huez, we all decided to go and watch Tour somewhere on the road of the big mountain of Galibier. To get there we had to get into our cars and drive from the village of Alpe d’Huez, descending into the Le Bourg d’Osians, all the way thru the Oisans valley and climb to the top of the smaller mountain Col du Lautaret. This is where we would get on the course of the Tour stage before we could reach the top of the Galibier.

That’s what we did. From Alpe d’Huez we drove our cars down the mountain to the village of Le Bourg d’Oisans and at the traffic circle we turned left towards the Oisans valley (road D1091). This road was already clogged with cars going in the opposite direction towards the Alpe d’Huez. Amazing how many people were climbing this mountain in cars, RVs and on bicycles… they were in thousands! We took the “Route des Grands Cols” (Great Mountain Pass Road) and after climbing the “Rampe des Commères” (Gossip’s ramp) and taking a few corbelled bends, we reached the village of Freney d’Oisans. The altitude of Le Freney-d’Oisans is already at around 930 meters.

Road across the dam at the Chambon Lake

Tour caravan crosses the dam at the Chambon Lake

Only a couple of kilometers further up the road, we were driving over the dam at the Chambon Lake (an artificial one) in the village of Mont de Lans. Here we were stopped by police, who were already told to stop the traffic. We told them that we are cyclists and are going only to the La Grave village (and not all the way to the Col du Lautaret), so they let us go. After the dam the road goes thru several dark and unlit tunnels just above the lake. We were surrounded with beautiful scenery on a very nice wide road with almost no traffic.

There are several tunnels on this road

By the time we reached small village of La Grave, a mountaineering centre and ski resort well-known for its off-piste and extreme skiing possibilities it was almost 14:00 pm. From La Grave it’s only 11km to the top of the Col du Lautaret, a pass that’s been in use for centuries. I’ve slid off the main road and found a nice place to dump the car, pull the bike out and get riding.

Fortunately the weather was beautiful with crystal clear sky and La Meije called sometimes The Queen or Her Majesty was right in front of us. This mythic mountain is composed of three principal summits, the highest point being the Grand Pic de la Meije at 3,984 metres and was the last major peaks in the Alps to be summited (1877) and not by Coolidge or Whymper, but by a French guy!

Zdenko’s new friend: Phil Anderson

Off we went on the same road we have had driven our cars yesterday (in the opposite direction!). About 500m up the road from the place where we left our cars, I took a right hand turn and immediately I’ve met the Col du Lautaret. Cycling over these roads is always spectacular, a privilege.

This is a climb that is really known as nothing more than the stepping stone to the Galibier from the west side. The actual climb on Galibier starts from the Col du Lautaret (elevation 2,058 meters) and is 8.5 kilometers long. It has an average gradient of 6.9 percent and maximum grade of 12.1 percent.

Car traffic was already stopped here and only special vehicles and cyclists were allowed to go towards the top of the mountain and the route of the Tour. Just like on the road to Alpe d’Huez, the most impressive to me was number of cycling enthusiasts that arrived here to watch the Tour. About 7 km before reaching the top of Col du Lautaret, there were cars parked on both sides of the road and lots of people walking toward the top. I was climbing on my bike surrounded by other cyclists, which gave me that imaginary filling that I was also part of the Tour!

I might be on a good day here! I thought to myself.

At least there was no snow and the road was open!

While Schleck brothers, Cadel Evans, Contador, Cunego and co. seem to revel in the luxury of both sides of the centre dotted line, when one has to negotiate these roads using only the right lane, it’s an all together different proposition. Moreover, I’m sure their crew clears off the large rocks and other debris that dot roads like these. Quite often towards the summit of these mountains, the road is scarcely wide enough to throw a picnic blanket.

But this road was different. This was wide road all the way to the top, even with the cars parked on both sides of the road. While climbing you can also see numerous hamlets, facing south, with houses arranged on a terrace overlooking lake Chambon and the Meije glaciers.

A thought crossed my mind to time trial to the top. Before it had time to cross my mind into the too hard/insanity basket, I had grasped it, and it was happening. The legs felt good and I might never be on the Galibier again, why not?! So please excuse the lack of lovely pictures, 99% were taken from the (dis)comfort of the saddle today.

Lets go with this, I thought to myself, and put the hammer down just a wee bit. I had a small backpack with me, carrying my camera and pair of running shoes as I was expecting to do lots of walking while watching the Tour stage. Still I felt strong, good form seemingly in the legs.

The climb is relentless and it goes forever, the longest 7 kilometers in my life! While not too steep, we had to ride into a stiff wind – yikes. I saw loads of cyclists struggling to make it to the top. So I danced the way up the climb in the magical realms of sub threshold. It hurt, a lot, but I knew I could just about last an hour and a bit at such intensity. I hit some very rough times at about 3 km to go. There it goes from a slightly more forgiving section to the proper high country of the Galibier. From this point, the road only levels to under 8% on very fleeting moments.

View of the Galibier

Into thin air – finally, the goal is reached!
I was feeling pretty good, and 45 minutes later I was at the summit. I sat between 13-17kph the whole way up, fizzing past all comers. There were other cyclists around me but I did this climb at my own pace. Remember, I did Alpe d’Huez already this morning! We reached the top of Col du Lautaret – at 2,058 meters, a super high pass in its own right. Now we were in the thin air of those high mountains. At the top, I found that I had actually done the easy side of the Galibier. The easy side is 10% while the other side is 12%. Very difficult, but it’s much shorter.

Hotel at the top of Col du Lautaret

Col du Lauterat – left turn here would take you up the Col de Galibier.

The Tour!
At the top of the Col du Lautaret, the road was totally blocked with people, cyclists, RVs and TV buses everywhere. This is THE Tour de France, man!

Amazing Tour caravan

Amazing Tour caravan

From here if we could go straight on the main road we would drop down into Briançon. But a left turn off of the top of the col would take us up the Col de Galibier. It’s another 8 kilometers of climbing to the top of the Galibier. But this was Tour de France route and police wouldn’t let us even step on the Tour’s course, so we couldn’t ride our bikes any further. I changed my shoes and we all mingled through the parking lots trying to avoid the crowd and position ourselves to watch the Tour.

To find our way out of this craziness we had to hike up the grassy field and up the mountain. But it was worth the effort, as the view from above was incredible. We were pushing our bikes up the mountain until we reached the road above the mountain house. We picked one good spot where we decided to wait for the race to arrive.

Amazing Tour caravan

Big crowds on Galibier

Big crowds on Galibier

This crowd was unbelievable. There were people camping here on this road for days! Very international crowd… which just gives you impression of how big is the Tour. There were people standing next to us from Belgium, Holland, Denmark, Germany even Australia!! I was also showing Croatian colors, though we didn’t have any cyclist from the Croatia in this Tour.

From Lautaret the road winds straight up a mountain and seems to go right over it. The last few kms are simple astounding. With about 1 km before the top there is a monument to Henri Desgranges. Here, there is a tunnel through the mountain for cars – while cyclists go straight up to the tiny overpass.

The “Souvenir Henri Desgrange”
Col du Galibier is so revered in the Tour de France a monument to Henri Desgrange, the race’s first director, was inaugurated in 1949. On each occasion since when the crosses the Col du Galibier, a wreath is laid on the memorial. The “Souvenir Henri Desgrange” is awarded to the first rider across the summit and includes a 5,000 Euro prize. But reverence for Col du Galibier extends outside the cycling world. Buggati, the exclusive, high-speed automobiles created by Italian Ettore Buggati and the winner of the first Monaco Grand Prix, has twice named its models Galibier.

Awaiting for the Tour to arrive – Road on Galibier

Galibier and the “Pantani Forever” Monument
As part of the history of this mountain a new monument was inaugurated on Galibier on June 19th dedicated to Marco Pantani. It was on Galibier, on July 27, 1998, that Pantani made his ferocious attack against Jan Ullrich, then the yellow jersey, and relegated the German to nearly nine minutes in a day to pandemonium.

The “Pantani Forever”

The “Pantani Forever” monument is located at 2,301 meters of elevation on Galibier, the point where Pantani began his attack. The monument was created by Massimo Salvagno from stone from the Piedmonte region, from Luserna San Giovanni.

The riders are here!
And than after an hour or so, the Tour finally arrived. You know the riders are close, when you hear (or see) the helicopters in the air. Between all these mountains they appear to be very loud and the crowd goes “nuts”!

Schleck led Iglinsky up the final climb, as he turned to go up the final 8km with a 3:50 lead. And just at the spot where we were standing, he turned on the power and took off alone on the fan-filled road. Iglinsky looked like he was cooked at this point and moving very slowly.

Andy Schleck solo on the climb

Cadel Evans leads the chase for the final 7 km

Thomas Voeckler (in yellow) was amazing on the Galibier and held onto the yellow jersey.

Andy Schleck celebrates atop the Galibier.

The chase behind them finally started bearing fruit, as the gap came down under Evans’ hard work. He was really pushing the pace when passing by, and it was still about 7 kilometers before the top and finish line. The group got smaller and smaller, with even Contador eventually having trouble hanging on. He finally gave up the fight and fell back, burying his chances of repeating his victory in this year’s Tour.

International crowd with three different flags here…

Croatian and Australian fans together…

It’s all over!
And suddenly they were all gone. More than half the peloton, 89 of 168 riders, didn’t make it to the top within the time limit on this day and we didn’t wait for them either. They could have been eliminated, but the race jury exercised its option of keeping them in the race.

The spectators started descending from the mountain towards the cars. We end up walking all the way past the hotel at the top of Col du Lautaret. Only then we could put our bike shoes on and begin descending towards the Oisans valley and place where we left the cars.

DESCENTE!
At this point, it was quite cold. The temperature I would guess was down to around 15C and it was very windy. I stop to take one more picture back the way I came up (at left) and I began to descend. I left both Ivan’s far behind as I didn’t want to race with them going down the long descent back to the cars. But they would “pay me back” for this latter…

Road at the beginning of our descent!

It was a fun descent. The 8 kilometers of descending is tough. Many switch backs and it was still very windy. I didn’t take it easy as I planned. I just got adrenaline rush going thru my arteries and I went plummeting down the road. Switch back after switch back, reaching speeds of up to 85 km/h I stormed into the valley. There were others around me so I found myself in a small group of “crazy” vets, who were enjoying the speed.

This picture shows the decent on the west side of the Col du Lautaret.

After a while the descent becomes quite easy as the road straightens up. Because it was reasonably straight and not too steep we let it fly.  I didn’t stop at the village of La Grave where we left our cars, rather I continued this descent all the way to the dam on the Lake du Chambon and village of Mont de Lans. This is where I stopped and waited for the rest of the group to arrive in cars.

Descending from Col du Lautaret

From here it was off to Les Deux Alpes – 9 km up the steep hill. No thank you, I had enough today, so I waited for the cars to arrive as I wanted to hitchhiked the ride. Little did I know that my friends will pool a big joke on me, as a punishment since I didn’t wait for them at the top of Col du Lautaret. So, when they finally arrived with the car, I was waving for them to stop, but they were looking (on purpose) in other direction, pretending they don’t see me. They didn’t stop… I was so disappointed, because that meant I would have to climb on the bike another 9 km to the top. But than suddenly, they turned around and came back. Buggers! They were only joking! I learnt my lesson… from now on I must use better judgment all the way and wait for them next time.

Life’s good! Tomorrow? We’ll watch 19^th stage of Tour de France passing by at the dam over the Chambon Lake. The stage will finish at the top of the Alpe d’ Huez! And the boyz in my group will be drinking beer somewhere by the road thinking how we already climbed Alpe d’Huez, Lautaret and Galibier previous day! Life is good!

By Zdenko Kahlina

Is there a better time to ride a bike than at the end of September?
It’s perhaps the best time to get out and just ride for the pure pleasure of it. This year September had actually been better than all the previous months in the summer.

The leaves are turning yellow and the morning air is crisp, which means conditions are again ripe for Roger’s Harvest 100 ride. You’ve done all the work through spring and summer to become fit and strong, the race season is winding down, and the whole world around you is transforming into a spectacle of color.

Registration at Ardrossan Senior Citizen’s Centre Calvin Berube took on Roger’s role to organize this year’s event (again).

On September 25th Velocity Cycle once again hosted the annual Harvest Ride, an interclub social event to mark the passing of another good season of riding and racing. It’s important to realize, this was not a race, but just a social ride to share in the fellowship of cycling and reflect on the past season. 

This annual event brings together Edmonton’s cycling community for an end of season celebration of riding and camaraderie in beautiful Strathcona County.  It was founded by Roger Tetrault, a lifelong member of Edmonton’s cycling and cross-country skiing community.  Velocity Cycle hosts the ride, and in 2010 it was renamed in Roger’s honour.

The start/finish location for Roger’s Harvest 100 has been changed this year. The event moved its starting line to the Ardrossan Senior Citizen’s Club, just 2 blocks back from last year’s location at the Ardrossan Memorial Hall.  Departure time was set to be 10:00 am, just like last year. Cost of entry was $10/person, due to the new venue and catering cost. The registration fee covered participation in the ride and post-ride meal.

The Harvest Ride was conceived of by Roger Tetrault in 2000 while he and Laura were out riding on an autumn day in Strathcona County. All the leaves were turning and the farmers were out in the fields cutting. So, contrary to what was announced before, this year was already the 13^th year since they started with the idea of having a bike ride in autumn, to close the season of bike riding in Alberta.

Organizers received more than 180 registrations and parking lots were full

Calvin Berube, the owner of Velocity bike shop, said Roger’s bike will always have a place of honor. “Goldie became his trademark. It is now hung in the store and will be used for all future Harvest rides”.

Parking lot at the Ardrossan Senior Citizen’s Centre was too small. There were more than 200 riders at the start.

Randy Murchinson of Velocity Cycle greeted all participants before the start in front of Ardrossan Senior Citizen’s Centre

The first Harvest 100, named for its distance, drew some 160 riders from the Edmonton area. They gathered to celebrate the joy and fellowship of riding, and hopefully to see a bit of what made that first day special to Roger. After a successful first ride it became an annual event. Roger and Laura were regularly in attendance, often leading the ride out on their tandem. As the unofficial wrap-up to many a rider’s season, it has become a chance to gather in the cool air of autumn and the warmth of each other’s company and look back at a summer well spent on our bikes.

Off they go… fast 100 km loop group went first

Group after group heading out for a ride…

This was “my” group: slow 100 km loop ride.

This year’s ride was named again in memory of Roger. Roger’s Harvest 100, was hosted by Velocity Cycle club and the Tetrault family. Laura was at the start greeting participants – all 200 of them who showed up (rough estimate). The weather was perfect – sunny and warm, but a little windy. Clear sky’s and chilly morning greeted all riders who came to Ardrossan Senior Citizen’s Club this morning. For the first time I noticed all fields around the Ardrossan Recreation Centre were full with cars well before 10 AM and people were still coming.

The ride was open to everyone from club racers to recreational riders. Randy Murchinson orchestrated the start lineups and organized 3 groups for the 100 km ride and another 3 groups for the 65 km ride. One of the groups was led out by Roger’s brother Gill, who came from Vancouver, riding his brother’s unique gold-coloured Marinoni bike nicknamed Goldie.

“I was planning to do 100, but we got mixed up and I think we ended up at 60 something,” he said after the event.

“But it was fun, and I am so glad the guys at Velocity Cycle picked up the torch. Roger was all about enjoying people, getting them together. So this is a nice tribute.”

Roger founded the Fast Trax ski shop, which was originally housed in the Velocity store on 101st Avenue during the winter.

“My brother did everything: ski, cycle, skate. When I am out on the ski trails, I feel I am there with him, and when I come upon a certain spot, I remember things like ‘this is where we used to do our glide tests,’ or ‘there’s that sharp corner we always had to watch.’ ”

Willem Langenberg, who skated and cycled with Roger, remembers him as “so enthusiastic and inspirational.” He was always open and willing to help others. “Everyone was welcome with Roger when it came to skiing and cycling, and he even inspired (Edmonton’s) Tara Whitten (a world champion track cyclist).”

This Velocity couple on tandem bike  comes every year…

Big groups of riders rolled out from the parking lot at 10:00 am, Sept. 25 from the Ardrossan Senior Citizen’s Club. The routes loop through beautiful Strathcona County. Shorter and longer routes (approx. 60km and 100km) were available.

Cyclist’s average speed was high even in a “slow” group

Did you get my good side??

Even though this was not a race, the average speed was very high for this time of a year. Altough the weather was nice, it was very windy, with the southeast wind slowing the groups on the way back to Ardrossan. But nobody was complaining. It appears, speed is in cyclist blood.

Riders during the 100 km ride

Riders during the 100 km ride

Riders during the 100 km ride

This was a special year for the Harvest Ride. The ride was initiated by Roger Tetrault, club member and longtime supporter of cycling and cross-country skiing in the Edmonton area. Roger left us two years ago after a long battle with cancer, and this year the ride was again named and lead out in his honor.

Spectacle of color in Strathcona County and a pee break for the group.

A post-ride social lunch followed afterward at the Ardrossan Senior Citizen’s Club in Ardrossan. Somebody mentioned that Calvin was the cook!

Velocity Cycle would like to extend a huge thank you to everyone who joined us last weekend for Roger’s Harvest 100. The ride was a big success, with great weather, beautiful scenery, and a wonderful turnout from the cycling community. This was the 13th year of the ride, which Roger began as an opportunity for us all to get together and share our love of riding. Thank you for all your support, not only in participating and helping with the ride, but also in expressing support for the Tetrault family and the Alberta Cancer Foundation.

We have a few photos of the ride, many taken from on the bike during the 65km loop. Hope you enjoy them…

Thanks again everyone! Hope to see you again next year!

A little post-ride fellowship, with a meal courtesy of Calvin Berube.

By: Zdenko Kahlina

IN MEMORIAM – One year anniversary JURE ROBIC (1965 – 2010)
Ultra-endurance competitions produced physical exhaustion, imaginary assailants.
Jure Robic, a long-distance bicyclist who won the grueling Race Across America five times and whose seemingly endless, sleep-eschewing stamina tested the limits of human endurance, died Sept. 24 2010, during a training ride when he collided with a car on a mountain road in Plavski Rovt, Slovenia, near his home in Jesenice. He was only 45 years old.

Primoz Kalisnik, a Slovenian journalist and a friend of Robic, said that the driver of the car, a 55-year-old local man who was not hurt, was not at fault and that Robic, who was going downhill on a mountain bike, may have been travelling as fast as 80 kilometers an hour on a narrow, winding stretch of unpaved road where it was impossible to see around the next bend. He was training for next month’s Crocodile Trophy mountain bike race in Australia, Kalisnik said.

Such a sad scene… Jure was driving down this road you see… and as far as I know, he was going really fast. So that car you see here (not police one) collided with Jure… and sadly as you already know…

Even in the circumscribed world of ultra-endurance athletes, Robic (his full name is pronounced YUR-eh ROHbich) was known for his willingness, or his ability — or both — to push his body to extremes of fatigue. Compared by other riders to a machine and known to friends as Animal (a seeming contradiction that nonetheless made sense), he once rode 835 kilometers in 24 hours, a world record.

Jure Robic (left) and his friend Marko Baloh

Jure and Marko

Jure with friends

One occasional feature of his training regimen, which included daily rides or other workouts stretching between six and 10 hours, was a 48-hour period without sleep: a 24-hour ride followed by a 12-hour break followed by a 12-hour workout. Play, a magazine about sports that appeared in The New York Times, reported in 2006 that Robic rode 45,000 kilometers — more than the circumference of the Earth — every year.

His five victories in the Race across America, an approximately 4,800-kilometre transcontinental ride that has been held annually since 1982, are unequalled. (The current course extends from Oceanside, Calif., to Annapolis, Md.)

Always surrounded with friends – Jure is on the right.

Jure (in the middle) at the start of the race

Unlike the Tour de France, the Race Across America is not a stage race; once it begins, there is no respite for riders until they give up or cross the finish line, so determining when and how long to sleep is the event’s primary strategic element. The winner generally sleeps less than two hours out of 24 and finishes in less than nine days (although Robic’s winning time this past June was a relatively lethargic 9 days, 46 minutes).

 Five victories in the Race across America – Jure Robic

In 2005, Robic won the race and two weeks later won Le Tour Direct, a 4,000-kilometre European version with a course derived from Tour de France routes that included 42,000 meters of climbing — almost the equivalent of starting at sea level and ascending Mount Everest five times. His time was 7 days, 19 hours.

Robic became accustomed to both the physical and mental stress that pushing himself to extremes brought on. In the later stages of long-distance races, feet swell as much as two sizes and thumb nerves go dull from the pressure of hands on handlebars. Robic told Daniel Coyle, the Play magazine reporter, that for weeks after the Race Across America, he had to use two hands to turn a key.

“Don’t even ask about the derriere,” Coyle wrote. “When I did, Robic pantomimed placing a gun in his mouth and pulling the trigger.”

Jure Robic legs

The mental anguish may be worse. As each race went on, Robic’s temper grew shorter and occasionally exploded. He was prone to hallucinations. More than once he leaped off his bicycle to do battle with threatening attackers who turned out to be mailboxes. Once he imagined he was being pursued by men with black beards on horseback — mujahedeen, he explained to his support team, who encouraged him to ride faster and keep ahead of them.

In 2003, the first time Robic entered the Race Across America, finishing second, Kalisnik volunteered to work on his team and was stunned by the changes the event wrought in Robic’s demeanor.

“We were just a group of guys helping a friend,” Kalisnik said. “We discovered someone we were absolutely afraid of.”

Jure Robic was ultra-endurance athlete

Robic knew this about himself. “In race, everything inside me comes out,” he said. “Good, bad, everything. My mind, it begins to do things on its own. I do not like it, but this is the way I must go to win the race.”

Robic was born in Jesenice on April 10, 1965. From 1988 to 1994, he was a member of the Slovenian national cycling team, and until recently he was a soldier in the Slovenian army, a member of its athletic corps, which allowed him to train full time. (Among other methods employed during races to penetrate Robic’s numbing exhaustion and motivate him, his crew members, riding in a van behind him, sometimes blared Slovenian military music through a loudspeaker.)

Robic’s marriage ended in divorce; he is survived by a half-brother and a son. A brother, Saso, a former professional skier, committed suicide earlier this year.

R.I.P.

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By Zdenko Kahlina
Photo Alain Buyck

New road world champions crowned in Stavelot (Belgium)
After many years in trying, my old friend Bojan Ropret (Slovenia) finally made it in Belgium this September. He was third in the road race where several different veteran categories raced together

New UCI World Champion M50 – Bojan Ropret

But the first two riders were much younger (M45 age group) and he out-sprinted his opponent for the first place in their age group M50. In addition, Bojan also won silver medal in the same age group during the Time Trial race, over the 21 kilometers course.

Back in the 70s and 80s, Bojan Ropret was one of the best cyclists in the country that was called Jugoslavia. Bojan Ropret won Tour of Jugoslavia stage race in 1980. That was full 31 years ago! It is amazing that so many years after, Bojan is still in winning form!

Bojan Ropret is leaving legend of the Slovenian cycling. I had the privilege to be his direct opponent on the road in the late 70s. He was at the forefront of a new generation of cyclists, who have just announced their great potential. Former triple Olympian (1976 Montreal, 1980 Moscow, 1984 Los Angeles) and the best Slovenian cyclists in the period 1977 to 1986, he still appears in the results of many races at the very top, where he is almost unbeatable in his group.

Bojan Ropret in 1978 when he won Alpe-Adria (Tour of Slovenia)

Winner of Tour of Jugoslavia in 1980

National team from 1982: Vinko Polončić, Bruno Bulić, Bojan Ropret and Bojan Udovič

These days, Bojan pays little attention to these old glory days, but he talks about how he still enjoys the daily rides on his bike and how this makes him very happy. His nearly forty year association with the bike brought him much success and recognition in life.

You can read more about Bojan Ropret on “Zdenko’s Corner” blog:

http://zkahlina.ca/cro/?p=10742

There were hundreds of starters

Road races in Stavelot

Two days after the Time Trial Championships held under rainy skies, Stavelot was again blanketed by heavy clouds. It did not take long before the first showers appeared. The age categories above 45 took their start at 9am with two minutes between the two groups.

There were some fast attacks, but the whole peloton kept them within reach until finally Dirk Himley (USA) got a sizeable gap on the rest. Unfortunately his lead came to an abrupt end when he fell at the conclusion of the first loop. He was not the only casualty of the day due to the inclement weather conditions. The rain was so heavy; in fact, that the road from Wanne towards Stavelot was more like a river at a certain moment. This kept the onsite race doctor and ambulances quite busy.

The course was anything but flat

In the second loop, the next successful break of the day was made containing about twelve riders. This group was further broken apart by the top of the Côte d’Aisomont , leaving only Italian Giovanni Lattanzi and Dutch Jos Wolfskamp to battle it out up the ultimate climb of Côte de Stockeu. Lattanzi took a few meters in the downhill, earning him the victory. By afternoon, the rain dissipated just in time for the younger age groups to take their start. After numerous attacks, the two age class pelotons that started at an interval of two minutes joined at the Côte de l’Ancienne Barrière. While it was Côte de Brumes that caused the first gaps in the peloton, it was only after the first passage at the finish line that the main leading group was formed at the Côte de la Haute Levée. It contained many Belgian, Italian, French, American and Slovenian riders battling for gold.

Some very aggressive riding

It was a cold and wet day on the road

Cyclists enjoy some nice scenery

The two teammates, Kristof Houben and Bart Bury, looked very strong and again Côte d?Aisomont made the final decision. On this fateful clilmb, Kristof Houben attacked with compatriot Simon Collard. The two turned themselves inside out in the name of victory on the Côte de Stockeu. Houben emerged the overall victor, earning himself the M30 age category win while Collard snagged the M16 title.

Finish was on an uphill and cobblestone road

Sprint – Just like real professionals!

New UCI World Champion M40 – Kristof Houben (Bel)

New UCI World Champion M40 – Wladimiro d’Assenzo (Ita)

New UCI World Champion M45 – Giovanni Latanzi (Ita)

The women’s race started half an hour after the men’s with four strong women breaking away from the peloton after the first loop. Belgians Edith Van den Brande (F16) and Anja Buysse (F40) escaped with Netherlander Esther Olthuis (F30) and French rider Karine Saysset (F35). All four were already sure of the world title in their respective age categories, so they worked perfectly well together to maintain their gap over the rest. For the first time, the deciding climb was not the Côte d’Aisomont but rather the Côte de Stockeu. Youngster Edith Van den Brande made a gap and won ahead of Olthuis, Saysset and Buysse.

Pat McQuaid honored all 18 new World Champions with their brand new UWCT World Champion jerseys.

Take a look at the video off the finals

Tour final

Melinda Berge, a sportive 66 year old American was the first to go for the World Championships time trial for masters and amateurs at 10h in the morning. The weather was not so kind as it was raining for most of the race.

Can you time trial on this course?

New Time Trial champions

In the overall women’s rankings, 38 year old Molly Van Houwelingen (USA) had the best time, beating 48 year old Marti Shea (USA) and Ester Olthuis (HOL). All three became World Champion in their respective age categories.

Waiting for the start

Hilly and wet TT course

It took some time before the first male could beat the time of Van Houwelingen. Russian Yury Demanov (48) was the first to go under the 30-minute mark. Eventually Michael Olheiser (USA) won with 27.58 (average speed of 44.6 on a hilly and wet course complete with cobblestones in the last kilometer) beating Slovenian Richard Kopce and James Mattis (USA).

Impressively, the fastest man and woman emerged from the 35-39 age category beating out their younger opponents. Furthermore, the male 35-39 podium contained the top three overall.

189 Time-Trial specialists gave the best of themselves in the first UCI World Cycling. The podium ceremony honored all 18 new World Champions with medals and a brand new UCI masters and amateurs jersey.

All the 2011 UCI Masters World Champions.

For all results click HERE

By Zdenko Kahlina

My ride up the Alpe d’Huez climb the day before Tour arrived.
Alpe d’Huez (in French Alps) is the most famous climb of the most famous cycling race in the world “Tour de France”. With its 14.4 km long road up the mountain and its 21 hairpin bends, at an average gradient of 8.45% it is not an easy task to conquer on the bicycle. But we did it… just as thousands of other cyclists did on the same day. The day before the big Tour has arrived!

Zdenko at the bottom of the Alpe d’Huez

Last summer me and my buddies were planning a trip from Croatia to France to visit Tour de France stages; one that will finish on Galibier (another mountain in the area) and the following stage that will finish on most famous climb of them all – Alpe d’Huez. Once everything about the trip was arranged, we knew this is going to be THE trip of our lives. None of us ever before watched the Tour alive. We did see it many times on TV but this is going to be different.

Alpe d’Huez climb from above

Alpe d’Huez climb profile

“Le Tour” is still really followed in France big time, despite all the doping problems in cycling. In fact it’s a popular event, deeply rooted in French pop culture, and in a sense “bigger” than the scandals and the cheaters themselves. During the summer, about 300 amateur riders climb l’Alpe d’Huez each day, and this number is much, much higher around the Tour time in July.

So on July 17, we drove from Zagreb (Croatia) all the way to France and French Alps (distance of 850 km). Our destination was Les Deux-Alpes in the middle of Oisans region, entrance to the wild and preserved region of the National Park of the Ecrins. On the road to the Briancon city in France, while we were still in Italy at the village of Cesana, we ran into the Tour, or perhaps I should say the big Tour ran into us.

The road in front of us was closed because Tour caravan was passing by. We spent 3 hours watching the Tour which was not planned on this first travel day. When everything was over, they opened the road and we continued our journey to Les Deux Alpes, small village in the Alps, located between Cole du Galibier and Alpe d’Huez.

Next morning Tour’s stage was going to finish on the Galibier, so our plan was to visit Alpe d’Huez instead, thinking that there would be less people and cars on the road. We were right, but still there were thousands of people already there. We came to the village of Bourg d’Oisans with cars, got our bikes out and started to prepare for the ride up the mountain.

The summer sun was already high up at 10:00 in the morning as I turned on my Garmin Edge’s timer from below the “Départ” banner just past the traffic circle intersection outside of Bourg d’Oisans. As we were departing, I noticed there was “El Diablo”, well known cycling fan who comes to see the Tour every year, dressed as devil, all in red costume sitting by his RV with some friends.

Mr. “El Diablo” by his RV

Ivan Golub with Zdenko before the start

Shortly thereafter, I was rolling easily along a flat, smooth stretch of road that, I hope, would eventually take me up those fabled switchbacks of Alpe d’Huez, arguably the most famous and most coveted climb in all of cycling. My friends Ivan Colig and Ivan Golub were with me also ready for the task.

I was jolted out of my reverie as the road in front of me turned left and abruptly shot up into what felt like a 9% incline right from the start. And I’m not talking about one of those short 200 yard pitches that one can pretty much grunt one’s way through, either. This one must have lasted for over one kilometer. I tried to suppress a growing panic within, thinking that my tendency to under train may have finally caught up with me. I came to ride in the Alps with a rather underwhelming 3,500 kilometers to-date. Is this going to be enough for this climb? Well so far it was good, as my friends were still behind me. I knew Colig was going to do the best time and he is just using me and other Ivan to drag him as far as possible, before he takes off on his own. But I was O.K. with this, as a matter of fact, this knowledge even helped me go harder, because in my head I was seeing myself as a teammate helping his team leader win this “stage”.

Another look at the climb, before start

This is some serious work here…

My personal assault on Alpe d’Huez had barely started and my thighs were already screaming. I remembered having read somewhere that the climb is steepest at the bottom, but the recollection seemed little consolation at the time. I shifted down to my 34×19. We were already catching up on some other cyclists (wait, they were more like cyclo-tourists), so this was a good sign.

The switchback 21 sign appeared about a mile from the start, but the grade did not relent, and lactic acid built up around my quadriceps. I slowly passed another rider decked out in a Rabobank team outfit. Unlike me, he was in his saddle settling into a pace he can comfortably sustain. He looked at me and almost lost it… he had to put his hand out and grab the stone wall by the road, to help him stay on the road. I shifted down into 34×21, sat back down, and tried to relax. But my heart kept thumping. Out of the corner of my eye I thought I saw Bourg d’Oisans down below (already!), but I was too busy grunting to pay much attention.

My daughter captured the moment when this Rabobank guy almost lost it…

Switchback 20 appeared after a further half a mile, and the road continued on as steeply as before. Switchback 19 followed very shortly thereafter, a development that was more psychologically helpful than anything, for the gradient remained steep. To my right I caught another glimpse of the valley, the detail of which were steadily diminishing with every ascending switchback. I tried to take in more of the view to distract my attention. It is not an exaggeration to say that, in this stretch, relief is only provided by the flattening of the road at the switchback turns themselves.

By the restaurant Les Gorges de Sarenne”

By the restaurant Les Gorges de Sarenne”

Steep, snaky road up the hill

By this time I was paying more attention to the people who were already camping on the mountain, waiting for the Tour to arrive tomorrow. There were thousands of people here totally prepared for this event. Music was blasting from the speakers, they were cheering every cyclist on the road and I swear I could smell the beer although it was only 10 am.

Zdenko at the front doing his “job”!

Half way up the mountain it was time to remove the helmet…

Zdenko is still at the front!

The three of us were still together and our wives were driving by and taking photos from the car, which gave us additional motivation to go hard. They would stop where there was good spot on the road and wait for our arrival to take more pictures. I was glad we have covered this climb well by the whole team of Croatians.

I was mortified by the appearance of switchback 18 following a sharp, left-hand turn doubling back unto 19. Because 18 was a relatively straight stretch, one can’t help but notice how steeply it seems to shoot up. I somehow managed to negotiate 18, and then felt a very slight flattening of the road. I’ve gained almost 700 feet in a little over a two kilometers—certainly steep by any standard!

The appearance of a church steeple in St. Ferréol

It was somewhere on this stretch that I heard from behind Colig encouraging other Ivan, to increase the speed and pass me, but Ivan (fortunately) couldn’t do it. So, soon after Colig realized that and swing by me on his own. Hugh, my job was done…  so I thought.

Naturally, the other Ivan went chasing after Colig and I was left alone on my own. Some friends I have… no, no, just kidding. From this point I continued at my own pace regardless of the riders around me. I was still faster than many, but from time to time there would come rider faster than me, who would just swing around me. On the mountain like this you can’t just change your rhythm and jump after somebody.

The road flattened with the arrival of switchback 16 in the village of la Garde. Oddly, painted on the road was “10%” and yet, after the experience of the steep switchbacks just before, this one felt almost flat! I shifted back to my 34×19.

The number of people around this switchback was amazing. This is obviously the most popular spot on the course.

It was putting the major hurt on me; still, I’m encouraged by the fact that I am managing to hold my own against other riders and, although I was struggling, I was still a few notches below the red line.

Switchback 15, at a steep 11%. I was amazed by the wide variety of cyclists going up–from teenagers to grandparents, beater bikes to glossy titaniums, light riders and heavy ones–all on a pilgrimage to the most prestigious of all climbs…

By the church in St. Ferréol Ivan Colig was well ahead

Ivan Golub was just behind him at this point.

And me… I was way behind them, on my own.

Number 15 came after a relatively long and straightish 16. At this stage the odd-numbered switchbacks are on the inside when going up and all one sees to the right is a wall. Switchback 15 is steep, but short. It is followed in regular succession by switchbacks 14 to 7; all steep, but milder, especially as compared to the higher-numbered ones. So, this is the “easy” part… I didn’t feel it! It was still very hard to turn my pedals, even on 34×21.

Switchback 7 announced itself with the appearance of a church steeple in St. Ferréol. The number of people around this switchback was amazing. This is obviously the most popular spot on the course. A boy in a passing station wagon encouraged me with an energetic “Allez!” I guess that’s why most riders going up Alpe d’Huez seem inspired—the place felt like a cyclist’s playground and it seemed as though non-cyclists there at least appreciated the effort and determination that go into cyclists’ efforts to defy gravity.

This young fellow behind me barely had more than 13 years… and he was climbing Alpe d’Huez!!

Unlike other sustained climbs I’ve done before, Alpe d’Huez seemed to push on relentlessly; there were no dips nor flats anywhere I can recall. I drew further encouragement from the cycling greats whose names had been painted on the road. I can now understand why Alpe d’Huez holds a special place in professional racing. These switchbacks provide the perfect venue for epic duels and individual heroics.

Even the day before, it was hard to find parking spot.

These fans were camping here by the road for days…

My mind started drifting and I wondered what the pros think about as they struggle up a steep climb. I wondered what it must feel like to duke it out with them…

I distinctly remembered watching Lance Armstrong’s historic time trial Alpe d’Huez win on TV a few years ago. I especially remember how quickly he was turning his pedals  and I was comparing mine cadence to his… only than I realized how slowly I was turning my pedals!

Good view of the village at the top of the mountain

So far, so good, I told myself. I saw switchback 5 coming up. It was steep, but short. I noticed some Canadians by the road and waved to them… but I was wearing a Croatian jersey, so they didn’t know why I waved and I was out of breath so couldn’t tell them myself.

Getting close to the end…

The July sun started to feel oppressive—it was almost 11AM. My breathing had settled, and my legs had slightly recovered from my earlier efforts. A sharp left turn to switchback 4 was followed by a right bend that led to an uphill straightaway at the end of which the road forked. From this point, the view became more sweeping, and one can see the houses and the hotels at the top of the mountain.

Finally in the village: Alpe d’Huez

Just did the Alpe d’Huez climb: Ivan Golub, Ivan Colig and Zdenko

BABICI and “Zdenko’s Corner” on the top step: Ivan Colig deserved to be standing here!

Last couple of switchbacks appeared quickly after that. And finally there was, newly refinished, widely banked switchback number 1, although the sign was missing. This led to a steep straightaway at the top of which, one can see hotels and restaurants where the climb finishes. With a couple of other riders, we tried to accelerate towards the finish although this proved more difficult even with the adrenaline rush, as the finishing stretch was longer and steeper than it seemed… but soon the road flattened and, panting and gasping, we crossed under the “Arrivée” sign in the middle of the Alpe d’Huez village.

Both of my friends were already there waiting for my arrival. The three of us decided to ride our bikes further, all the way to the actual stage finish, at the other end of village, so we continued our climbing through the village streets, until we could see the real finish line. The two of them sprinted for the line and according to their stories, both of them won!! I was proud to be Third!

And this is how I reached the top resort town of l’Alpe d’Huez after 14.4 kilometers of climbing. Well, after this finish, we turned around and returned down to the centre of village where our wife’s were waiting for us.

Shopping for cyclists!

Next on the agenda was shopping in the cycling stores full of Tour de France paraphernalia…. And beer! I needed a well deserved beer for sure!!

Canadians on the Alpe d’Huez climb

They say “picture is like a thousand words”, but believe me all those pictures here, can NOT describe the atmosphere, the people and everything that was happening on this mountain, one day before the big Tour arrived.

Source: Cyclingnews.com
 
The Giro’s first superstar
Alfredo Binda was the first multiple Giro d’Italia champion, securing five victories between 1925 and 1933 that redefined the way stage races were ridden. As the Giro celebrates its centenary edition Cyclingnews’ Les Clarke takes a look at Binda’s impressive record of overall triumphs that wasn’t broken for 20 years.

Alfredo Binda redefined the way stage races – Photo ©: AFP

Handsome, rugged and talented, Alfredo Binda was undoubtedly the first superstar of the Giro d’Italia. A popular rider, Binda essentially became the archetypal modern stage racer way before his time. The legacy he left cycling with was his ability to combine the strength of a one-day Classics rider with an incredible climbing prowess.

Three road world championship titles, five Giro wins, two Milan-Sanremo crowns and four Giro di Lombardia victories all indicate the immense capabilities Binda possessed. His record of overall Giro titles wasn’t beaten until another legendary Italian rider, Fausto Coppi, took his fifth title in 1953.

It was Binda’s climbing ability that netted him 41 Giro stage wins, a record eclipsed only by Mario Cipollini in Montecatini during the 2003 edition of the Giro. It was ironic that a sprinter achieved that feat, although Cipo’s joy in breaking the record is testament to the esteem in which all of Italy’s generations of professional cyclists hold Binda.

“I never thought I could break (Binda’s) record. I’m a champion in the sprint and I can’t be compared with champions like Merckx and Binda… but at 36 years old I tried to do my best,” said an emotional Cipollini on May 19, 2003. It’s apt that ‘Super Mario’ was the man to break the mark – both men were mercurial professionals, able to charm the Italian public both on and off the bike.

It wasn’t until 2003 that Mario Cipollini beat  – Photo ©: AFP 

Binda was born in Cittiglio, Varese, seven years before the first Giro d’Italia was held. Just 23 years later he would become the race’s 13th champion; the 1925 Giro was the first of his five titles over a 12-year period. The dominant nature of his career gave rise to an interesting anecdote that was as unprecedented as his amazing 1927 Giro victory.

Directors of Gazetta Dello Sport, in their capacity as Giro d’Italia organisers, offered him money not to race the 1930 edition. His commanding performances had led to a drop in the public’s interest, and with Italy’s Grand Tour still a relatively new event, its immediate future may have been at stake.

A cash payment of 22,000 lira – a very princely sum in those days – ensured that Binda stayed away from the 1930 edition of the Giro. Can you imagine Amaury Sport Organisation (ASO) telling Lance Armstrong not to ride the Tour de France after he had won his fourth title? It’s another chapter in what was an amazing story for one of Italy’s favorite cycling sons.

He was back to his finest in the 1933 race, taking his fifth and final Giro title. The benchmark has only been equaled by two other riders – Eddy Merckx and Fausto Coppi – two of the all-time greats that sit with Binda in the highest branches of the cycling tree.

Binda died on July 19, 1986 and the Cittiglio native is still revered amongst Italian cycling fans. He has a high-profile race, the Trofeo Alfredo Binda, held in his hometown, a distinct sign of respect for riders who have made a significant impact on the sport in Italy.

Alfredo Binda 

1925 – Numero uno
Given the limited technological developments in the sport, and the nature of the parcours, the 1925 Giro d’Italia was a race of attrition like few others. With 126 riders making the start in Milan and only 39 finishing in the same city on June 7, just surviving the 12-stage, 3,613km journey was an achievement.

Binda managed it in 137 hours 31 minutes and 13 seconds. The gap of 4:58 to runner up Costante Girardengo was relatively small considering the race circumstances, although there was in excess of two-and-a-half hours separating first and 10th place.

Alfredo Binda 

1927 – The biggest
Having finished second in 1926, Binda’s 1927 Giro performance can be summarized in two words: utterly dominant. He made it to the finish in Milan with an advantage of 27:24 after 3,758km of racing. After taking out the opening 288km stage from Milan to Turin, Binda led the race from start to finish in a display that was unprecedented.

His feat that year has never been repeated since. It’s unlikely that it ever will.

With the shortest stage measuring 153km and the average stage length a whopping 250km it was another incredibly tough race. Of the 266 starters, 80 finished on June 6 for an even greater attrition rate than the 1925 edition. The 1926 winner Giovanni Brunero finished as runner up to Binda, although it was nearing the end of Brunero’s peak and Binda was rapidly becoming the nation’s finest rider. His Giro performance exemplified this perfectly.

1928 – Equaling the best

Alfredo Binda inspired the likes of Faema’s Eddy Merckx -Photo ©: AFP

Binda’s main rival until the 1928 Giro, Giovanni Brunero, had secured his third Giro d’Italia crown in 1926. Just two years later Binda had equaled the achievement in a style not seen by cycling fans before.

In a manner similar to his 1927 victory, Binda took the race lead on the fourth of 12 stages and held it to the finish in Milan. In the process he managed to secure seven stage victories and rode in the commanding style fans were becoming accustomed to seeing from the 26-year-old.

A new rival emerged for Binda during the 1928 Giro – Domenico Piemontesi. He took the first maglia rosa and five stages, but didn’t make it into the top 10 when the race finished. Much in the style of the Merckx-Poulidor battles that took place several decades later, Binda overshadowed Piemontesi’s immense talent and he never shone as brightly in another Giro as he did in the 1928 edition.

Alfredo Binda  

1929 – Time for a new record
Again it was a Binda – Piemontesi showdown, and this time the underdog came close to upsetting the favourite and three-time champion. A gap of only 3:44 overall when the race finished in Milan displayed Piemontesi’s improved consistency, despite only winning one stage in Parma.

Like the great champions he would inspire to success in the years to come, Binda managed to overcome the challenge offered by his closest rival to win eight stages and again hold onto the maglia rosa from stage four in Potenza to Milan on June 9.

With his victory came Binda’s place amongst the immortals of the sport, something that has endured until the present day. He wasn’t finished yet, however, although backroom deals done with Giro organizers (see above) meant he didn’t return to defend his title the following year.

Alfredo Binda fixing a flat tire 

1933 – Bellissimo
A seventh place in the 1932 edition of the Giro was no way for Binda to end his participations in Italy’s grandest race. He was back to the pointy end of proceedings in 1933 and up against Domenico Piemontesi once more.

Proving how irrepressible his talent was and what an insurmountable task it was to beat him, Binda overcame Belgian Joseph Demuysere by 12:34 in Milan. Piemontesi took another podium back in third.

Although the stage lengths began to look more like those of modern Grand Tours, eight of the 17 days in the saddle lasted longer than 200km. Binda took the final monster stage of 284km from Bolzano to Milan, adding that to his wins in the second, eighth, ninth, 10th and 13th stages.

It was another amazing performance from a man who dominated the Giro nearly every time he rode it. Binda would be considered in his prime by modern standards when he retired at the age of 31, although with his status as a legend of the sport confirmed he could end his career on a definite high.

Alfredo Binda – Picture courtesy of Geert Dessein.

Alfredo Binda was born in the village of Cittiglio near Varese, Italy on August 11, 1902. He was born in Italy, but was raised in Nice, France.

Binda was a keen cyclist in his youth and used to ride on the track in Pont Magnam, France.

Binda was good on the track, but better in the mountains. He was a born climber.

Binda’s claims to fame is that he was the first cyclist to win the Giro d’Italia five times, the current record, and the first cyclist to win the World Championship Road Race three times, the current record, including the inaugural event in 1927.

Binda was the first rider to win the Giro d’Italia – World Championship Road Race in one year. He did this in 1927.

Binda won the 1925 Giro d’Italia in front of Costante Girardengo and Giovanni Brunero of Italy.

Binda won the 1927 Giro d’Italia in front of Giovanni Brunero and Antonio Negrini of Italy.

Binda won the 1928 Giro d’Italia in front of Giuseppe Pancera and Bartolomeo Aymo of Italy.

Binda won the 1929 Giro d’Italia in front of Domenico Piemontesi and Leonida Frascarelli of Italy.

Binda won the 1933 Giro d’Italia in front of Joseph Demuysere of Belgium and Domenico Piemontesi of Italy.

Binda was also 2nd in 1926 Giro d’Italia behind Giovanni Brunero of Italy.

Binda won 41 stages in the Giro d’Italia including 12 in the 1927 race alone, the current record.

Binda also won the first Mountains Jersey competition which was held in the 1933 Giro d’Italia.

The Giro d’Italia didn’t hold the Point Jersey competition until 1966. Binda would have probably won most of these as well.

Binda could have possibly won more Giro d’Italia titles, but was paid the prize money he would have won not ride in 1930 because the organizers were worried that it would kill public interest if he won again.

Binda’s other claim to fame was that he was the first cyclist to win three World Championship Road Race titles.

Binda won the inaugural World Championship Road Race, which was held in 1927, in front of Costante Girardengo of Italy and Domenico Piemontesi of Italy.

Binda won the 1930 World Championship Road Race in front of Learco Uerra of Italy and Georges Ronsse of Belgium.

Alfredo Binda world shampion – Picture courtesy of www.memoire-du-cyclisme.net

Alfredo Binda world shampion -Picture courtesy of www.terra.es

Binda won the 1932 World Championship Road Race in front of Remo Bertoni of Italy and Nicolas Frantz of Luxembourg. Binda was also 3rd in the 1929 World Championship Road Race behind Georges Ronsse of Belgium and Nicolas Frantz of Luxembourg.

In addition, Binda won the Tour of Lombardy Classic four times, in 1925, 1926, 1927, and 1931. Binda also won the Milan-San Remo Classic in 1929 and 1931. Possibly one of Binda’s greatest moments in cycling occurred after he was retired. As coach, he had to mediate between Fausto Coppi and Gino Bartali when they were riding on the Italian team in the Tour de France.

Binda died on January 1, 1986.

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