Watching the Jensie set a “new” record was somehow not-that-interesting and riveting at the same time. One guy going around the track for an hour; only cycling aficionados could find it so compelling. The thing I can’t get out of my mind is Eddy Merckx still did 49.43 km/hr with toe clips, spoked, box section wheels and a hairnet helmet on a track bike. That is a Man.
Eddy recently said if he had Chris Boardman’s plastic helmet, shoe covers and clip-in pedals he would have gone over 50 km/hr. As much as I liked the UCI Hour Record, it was already corrupted by that difference. If you want to see how you stack up to Merckx, you better find a hairnet helmet and toe clip pedals. I’d watch that.
Chapeau to Jens for kicking off what we can only hope is a rebirth in this great event. It is doubtful his time will stand for too long but he had the heart to jump on the track and see what he was made of, like Eddy did before him.
I know as well as any of you that I've been checked out lately, kind…
Peter Sagan has undergone quite the transformation over the years; starting as a brash and…
The Women's road race has to be my favorite one-day road race after Paris-Roubaix and…
Holy fuckballs. I've never been this late ever on a VSP. I mean, I've missed…
This week we are currently in is the most boring week of the year. After…
I have memories of my life before Cycling, but as the years wear slowly on…
View Comments
@Jay
In seeming contradiction to my statement in the previous post, I couldn't agree more with this. We have standards for many reasons, not least to ensure a minimum level of safety and to provide a baseline from which to measure. Setting the bar at a competition-legal pursuit bike makes all kinds of sense.
@ChrisO
Way to stick one to The Man With The Hammer, guy. Hell yes.
@Gianni
I'm not ready to let it go. The Japanese Keirin is all done on standard, very similar bikes as there's betting involved.
They also wear boy armour, as there's contact involved, which makes it even more badassed.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dFRahWnA4YM
@ChrisO
Nicely said, easily forgotten.
@TBONE
Awesome. More of this please. Full speed contact cycling. Hella bad ass.
All I can say is having biked these 30 odd years, there is astonishing difference between the high-end bikes I started on and the carbon aero rocket I ride today. On some days I think I'm just as fast with my bladed wheels as I was then, despite the much younger engine. It's simply incredible what Eddie achieved on that bike.
OMG I've only just seen the video of the Rabo-Liv crash in the women's world TTT.
Looks horrific, although I think Van Vleuten who crashed first got off lightly and it was van der Breggen in third position who fractured her pelvis.
People are blaming the barrier legs but I'm not sure it would have made any difference - van Vleuten misjudged the corner and was going down whatever happened. With van der Breggen it was just the way she hit the ground.
Hope she recovers OK - I guess if you're going to get a nasty injury now is the best time, if there is such a thing.
Put Jens, then Sparticus and Martin on Eddy's old bike. Problem solved.
I'm staying well out of this.
@brett oh c'mon.... you know you want to.
@Barracuda
Well, not really. It's kind of like saying to Federer et all, you've got to use wooden raquets or to Usain Bolt, here's your trowel, dig your starting holes on a cinder track, or asking a pole vaulter to use bamboo instead of fibreglass. The progress in bike technology has been profound since the 70s (and Merckx pushed the technology of his day to the limit in his HR ride). I think coming up with a rule that says the bike to be used must meet UCI standards for a track/pursuit bike is the way to go.