Then, man—has Speedplay got the pair of pedals for you. In a claim worthy of Chesterfield Cigarettes, Speedplay has asserted that wind tunnel testing has proved its pedals will save you an astounding 33 seconds per hour if you use the four bolt attachment. There are, of course, the obvious problems with this wind-tunnel derived…
Tag: Analysis
Some Thoughts On Sponsorship
Yesterday, Outside editor John Bradley tweeted the message I’ve inserted below. It’s a nice thought, and there’s some good logic behind it—Google’s a smart, agile company, with business all over the world. It’s also been running YouTube at a loss for years, so the company isn’t gun-shy about seeing little-to-no direct monetary return on high-profile…
Reason #487 Why I Don't Run Ads
The image below links to a full HD (1920×1080 pixel) screen shot of the Tour of Flanders map on MapMyRide.com. The new line of iMacs and their massive displays not withstanding, that is friggin’ huge for a browser window. Do you see Tour of Flanders? Not only is the site painful to navigate (give up…
Playing the Lotto
I’ve been as thrilled as anyone by Philippe Gilbert’s late-season run. I think the Belgian has a great, positive style of racing that combines both tactics and straight-up guts. And like many others, I’m also thrilled to see Silence-Lotto score a couple of wins, after putting in a ton of effort and making a variety…
The Peloton Replugged
I’ve got a lot of respect for Michael Barry. He’s one of the smartest, most introspective, eloquent riders in the peloton. He also happens to disagree with me completely on the issue of race radios in the modern peloton. Barry recently wrote an extensive, heartfelt argument against race radios in his Velonews diary. While I…
How The Race Was Won – Paris-Tours 2009
Can radios be ruining cycling if the *real* Sprinters’ Classic goes to a rouleur for the second straight year? QuickStep shoulders the chasing load, while in the break, a Skil-Shimano rider sees too much soft-pedaling and makes the leap for freedom. But it’s all together with 8k to go as a very unlikely group threatens…
Is Velocity Nation The Future Of News?
In terms of covering hard news in the cycling world, “real” media outlets are the undisputed kings. They have reporters on the ground at major races, are fluent in all sorts of languages, have an armada of contacts, receive invites to events, and get bucketloads of free crap in the mail from manufacturers. Don’t get…
How The Race Was Won – 2009 Vuelta A Espana, Stage 13
A tactical and strategic day, as a long breakaway searches for KOM points, while Liquigas attempts to thin the field. Teamwork plays a major role, saving some GC contenders from elimination, and taking a major chunk out of the hopes of others. Plus sloppy bike changes, muppet-waving spectators, a slippery bottle hand-off and more. [right-click…
Addressing The Costs Of A Cycling Habit
Cycling is friggin’ expensive. No doubt the constant demand for costly and exclusive parts from well-heeled cyclists has contributed greatly to the sport’s clichéd position as “the new golf”. That having been said, not everyone needs a pair of Obermayers. Far more burdensome—at least from my tax bracket—are the opportunity costs associated with being a…
How To Blog With Integrity
or Why The Media’s As Guilty as The Bloggers, and Why You Shouldn’t Worry About Either (Some of the people and organizations covered in this piece have contacted me with responses. I have complied and published them in a separate post.) Back in 2005, when I started Cyclocosm, I actively avoided using the term “blog”….