I had a chance to catch up with Marilyn Cullinane, the coordinator of the series to ask a couple questions about it:

Q: Marilyn, where did the motivation for the SRS come from?
A: “The basic premise and goal of Start Smart Cycling, the company behind the scenes organizing SRS is to recognize a Regional Championship Series as a supplemental partner to the USA Cycling National Ranking Calendar & National Criterium Calendar. There is a need for promoters to fill the gap between the annual National & State USA Cycling Calendars. This Regional Championship Series is for the Southeast, but does not limit itself to only Southeastern riders. SRS organizers hope to gain the attention of elite level teams from the surrounding states too.”

From the SRS website: “The basic premise of the Southeast Regional Series is to create strong competition for the amateur and elite level regionally budgeted teams. It is far too easy for racers to only race against the people in their own state over and over again, so why not create a manageable five month long series. Your sponsors receive better exposure too. Five months, five events, five cities.”

As a regional based Domestic Elite Team, the Globalbike Wipes Cycling Team will benefit greatly from such a series. We race a lot of regional events and a good many of larger NRC, NCC, and USA Crits races, but really miss a common thread to tie together the regional scene. The opportunity to compete for an overall leaders jersey, as well as on going sprint and KOM jerseys will keep us motivated and (hopefully) give us something to brag about to our sponsors and fans.

We’re also excited that the SRS has decided to become a fundraiser to the globalbike organization, creating the ‘globalbike Community Challenge‘ where bike shops distribute globalbike wipe samples in exchange for donations and create other incentives for customers to contribute to the organization.

Q: How does the SRS hope to contribute to the globalbike organization?
A: “We estimate a donation of near $30,000.00 in 2013 to the globalbike mission. We know this will help in the organizations mission of supplying bicycles to communities in need. The network of recreational and competitive cyclists the series reaches over the next year will greatly impact the initiative of globalbike.  We believe the series will not only financially benefit globalbike, but it will also increase community involvement, bringing more volunteers and developing globalbike crew in training.”

The SRS will consist of the following events:

May 25/26 Albany, GA

June 22/23 Montgomery AL

July 20-21 Asheville, NC

August 17/18 Knoxville, TN

September 14/15 Greenville, SC

The ideal setup for the Merckx style TT

One of our long running local races, the French Broad Cycling Classic (FBCC), decided to make their time trial “Merckx Style” meaning they banned full-on TT bike set ups. All bikes must be mass start legal and have no clip on TT bars. You gotta ride a regular road bike set up (drop bars), like Eddy Merckx did back in the day before specialized TT equipment was developed. Further, they also banned aero TT helmets. This action follows the trend of several other races, most notably the Nature Valley Grand Prix (NVGP) Stage Race, which has been aero equipment free for a few years now. Although I agree with the intentions of the Merckx style movement, I’d like to show everyone how to circumvent the rules and go almost as fast as you would on your full TT bike set up. In doing so, I’ll demonstrate that the Merckx style TT actually creates the opposite effect on some of its intentions.

Reasons for the Merckx style TT: The motivation behind the Merckx style TT is all about making the event more “pure”, leveling the playing field, making it more about the rider and the clock rather than about who has the most aero TT bike, position, and time dedicated to going fast in that position. Whoever has the best legs/fitness wins. It is meant to reduce the amount of equipment needed to compete and lower the costs associated with getting into the sport. Theoretically it should simplify travel logistics since riders don’t need to bring multiple bikes and might even help reduce the carbon foot print of the race slightly since there are less bikes on roofs reducing fuel mileage and more riders car pooling together to the race since they only need to bring one bike. The thought is that riders that are good at time trials will still be good at the event and it gives those who don’t have a TT bike the opportunity to compete.

I applaud the intentions of the Merckx style TT. Let’s make the race more about the rider and less about the equipment. However, the tech geek in me sees opportunities to maximize aerodynamics within the rules and gain a technical advantage. I know that if I see these opportunities, other riders will also, meaning I HAVE to take advantage of these opportunities to be on the same playing field as others. There is a classic fundamental tension here between race organizers who may or may not have a deep or even working understanding of technology and the tech geek who will stop at nothing to maximize their performance within the rules. Remember Graham Obree? You make a rule, and I’ll find a way around it.

Ok, let’s be honest here, a time trial is MOSTLY about your fitness and who can pedal the hardest over the course. However, we also know that the single biggest force that a rider must overcome is wind resistance. A rider’s fitness ability can be enhanced or impaired by how aerodynamic they and their equipment are. For a 20k course, the difference in time between a full well-tuned TT set up and a regular up-right road riding position at the same wattage is staggering. We’re talking minutes of difference. Riders that put a lot of effort into being good in TTs spend a lot of time fine tuning their position on the bike, making compromises between the most aerodynamically efficient position and power output. Being able to contort your body into a super aero position is one thing, being able to actually get good power output in that position is another.

So, how can you be “aero” in a Merckx TT?

1. Frame Choice: The Nature Valley Grand Prix requires that riders use the same bike in all stages of their race. So whatever you ride in their Merckx TT is what you have to ride for the rest of the race. The FBCC has no such rule since it is an omnium and some riders will only do the TT. So, your natural choice should be to ride a frame designed with aerodynamics in mind. The most aero frames are going to be ones designed for time trials, however many bikes from the “aero road” category (Cervelo S5, Felt AR3, etc) would also be very good. Since my normal road frame is only semi-aero, I used the frame from my time trial bike, a Boyd Cycling – Bow and Aero. All of these frames meet mass start requirements, double diamond frame.

2. Wheels: Merckx TT rules only state that wheels have to be mass start legal, which pretty much only eliminates disc wheels. Conventional wisdom will tell us that the super deep carbon wheels will be the most aero wheels in this case, so I went with Boyd Cycling 88mm Carbon Tubulars, front and rear.

3. Helmet: The FBCC rules only say, “No time trial helmets” which clearly means I can’t use my long pointy helmet, even though those are technically mass start legal (any helmet is mass start legal as long as it meets the CPSC standards). Something like the new Giro Air Attack are in the grey area of this rule, but would be acceptable. There are several things I can do to my regular road helmet to make it more aero however. I’ll race with the clear plastic cover that is made for my Lazer helmet that covers up the vents. You could easily do the same with clear packing tape or a swim cap stretched over your helmet. I also added a visor to the set up. I took it off my TT helmet and just taped it to my road helmet.

4. Body Position: This is going to be the most critical part of your set up. The frame and wheels certainly make some difference, but your body is the biggest thing you are trying to shove through wind, so getting your body position to be as close to your proven TT position will be the best. This presents some challenges with the Merckx rules and requires some creative solutions.

5. Saddle Position: Your best bet is to keep the same saddle position as you use on your TT bike, usually farther forward than your regular road position. If you are converting a road bike for this purpose, you could get a second seat post and saddle and set that up to mimic your TT position and just swap them back and forth for training sessions leading up to the event.

6. Handlebar: Mass start rules say that you have to have regular drop bars with no bolt on extensions. Your best bet here is to set your handlebars at the height of your elbow pads on your TT bike and ride with your fore-arms resting on the tops of your bars. This is a “virtual TT bar” set up. There is nothing for you to hold onto with your hands. Adding some additional padding under your bar tape is a good idea. You can even shape that padding with bumps that will keep your elbows closer together.

I find the virtual TT bar set up effective, but difficult to get any leverage to stabilize my body so I end up loosing some power over longer distances. My solution to this was to get a super narrow drop bar. I found this Salsa that is 34mm wide! I mounted the shifters rotated inward as far as possible and rotated the bars up to create a nice little cradle for my fore-arms. I have two positions with this set up, hands on the horns of the shifters when I need maximum control or I can slide my arms farther forward and have a nice long comfortable stable platform for my arms to rest on. This allows me to achieve a body position very similar to my normal TT set up.

Here is a side by side comparison of my body position with my regular TT setup and my Merckx set up.

Here is the comparison of the front view. My TT position has my elbows much closer together, which forces my shoulders to be wider. My Merckx position has wider elbow placement, but that means my shoulders can be more narrow. Probably equal drag between each.

How much slower will it be? Let’s evaluate my set up and make some predictions on time losses compared to my normal TT bike set up. I’m going to loose a few seconds for the rear wheel since it is not a disk, and a few seconds for my helmet not having a tail. I might also loose a second or two for extra frontal area of my drop bars compared to my TT bars. So, I’m predicting 20-30sec over 20k.

Results: I finished 3^rd out of 60 starters in the pro/1/2 category. My time was 27:07. You can see the Strava file here. In 2011 I finished 5^th with a time of 26:36 on full TT equipment with a similar average wattage.

Why Merckx style rules don’t work: Ok, so the change in style of TT did accomplish one goal. Participation in the TT went up a good bit this year. The event was more available to participants and more contested it. If that is all the change is evaluated on, then it was a success. Let’s look at the other points. For simplification of equipment, it was a failure. Many people decided to purchase deep rim rear wheels since a rear disc was not allowed. Many also purchased different helmets that could accept a cover. 2 of the top 3 riders converted their normal TT bike to a drop bar set up (I’m sure there were more, but were un-observed by me). 4 of the top 5 finishers wore helmet covers. All of the top riders adopted the “virtual aero bar” position with fore-arms on the tops. How much control do these riders have over their bikes on a course open to cars, other riders, and road hazards?

If you didn’t want to go the extra mile and make these upgrades, you were at a distinct disadvantage. That means the goal of leveling the playing field was also a failure. Those that understood how to gain a technical advantage took it and rode faster, those that didn’t went slower than they could have.

Suggestions for future events:
1. Clear up confusion about helmets. The head official at the event told me that the helmet just had to be mass start legal. He clearly didn’t understand that ALL helmets, even the pointy TT versions meet the standards for mass start events. There is no differentiation between the type of event and the type of helmet used. If they just say “No TT helmets” then they have to list every model of helmet and say whether it is allowed or not. There are too many helmets that don’t exactly have a long aero tail that are WAY more aero then a normal road helmet (eg. Giro Air Attack). Where do you draw the line?

2. Same bike for every stage: Even though it is an omnium, the event could stipulate that you ride the same bike set up for every event in the omnium. There will be guys that just show up for the TT, but probably not a lot. Stage races have a clear advantage in this department.

3. TT bikes for P/1/2: My suggestion is to make the P/1/2 category regular TT equipment and have every other category go with the Merckx style. Maybe Masters 35+ should be TT bikes also? Anyway, there can be both at the same event.

Thank you to www.ckdake.com for permission to use this photo

As many of you know I have been spending a good bit of time track racing this season. I was lucky enough to move to Greenville, SC to work for our wheel sponsor Boyd Cycling which put me right in the middle of the two premier velodromes in the Southeast, the brand new Giordana Velodrome in Rock Hill, SC and Dick Lane Velodrome in East Point, GA. Since I first started racing in 2009 I have played around on the track, but with those two velodromes so close I have made it part of my weekly racing.

Every Friday night that I am available I take part in the omnium that is part of the weekly series at the Giordana Velodrome. I have had a lot of success this season at these events finishing first or second overall each time, but would love to see more participation from our fast road riders out there to grow the scene at this new velodrome. Two weekends so far this summer I have been lucky enough to race the first two events in the three weekend Pro Race Series at the Dick Lane Velodrome. The first weekend was the usual Friday night sprint competition, where I placed 6^th, and Saturday was the Keirin, where I also placed 6^th against some of the region’s best track sprinters. The second weekend was the Friday night sprint competition, where I won the event, and Saturday was the omnium, where I finished 4^th against a strong contingent of fast road and track racers from the area.

With such easy access to great velodromes I will continue to make track cycling more of a focus. One of my main events for this summer is the USA Cycling Elite Track Omnium Nationals at Giordana Velodrome on August 17-18^th. For the next couple of years I will do what I can to become part of the national endurance track team in hopes to race some of the World Cup races and make an effort to be considered for the 2016 Olympic Team.

I would personally like to take the time to thank the whole Athletix Cycling benefiting Globalbike organization and all of our great sponsors for supporting me while pursuing track cycling.

If you have any questions please feel free to email me at:

Kyle@greenvillecyclingcenter.com

Some of my standout results from racing on the track this season are listed below:

Giordana Velodrome Omnium-May 18-1^st

Giordana Velodrome Omnium- June 8^th-1^st

Giordana Velodrome Omnium-June 28^th-1^st

Dick Lane Velodrome Need for Speed Sprint night(Omnium Weekend) 1st

Giordana Velodrome Omnium- May 25^th-2^nd

Giordana Velodrome Omnium- July 13^th-2^nd

Giordana Velodrome opening day points race-3^rd

Dick Lane Velodrome Pro Omnium Weekend-4^th

Dick Lane Velodrome Omnium-Madison-4th

Dick Lane Velodrome Need for Speed Sprint night (Keirin Weekend)-6^th

Dick Lane Velodrome Keirin Tourney-6^th

Second stage win for Hartrich

Stage 1 winner Coulton Hartrich (Athletix Cycling/Globalbike) grabbed his second win of the Mt. Hood Cycling Classic Sunday as Nate Wilson joined Hartrich in a two-man breakaway that propelled the 22-year-old California Giant Berry/Specialized rider to the overall win…(read more)

A tough weekend.

None of the races were particularly suited to my strengths, as I am neither a climber, a time trialist, nor a technical crit racer.  But the courses were fun, the scenery new and interesting, and the peloton… deceptively challenging.

Last year, I did pretty well in the Roan Groan RR, escaping the field early on and holding off all but two of the chasers until the finish.  But this year was a little different.  First, I chose to race in the Masters 30+ (which was combined with the Masters 40+).  I’ve been out for a little while with soreness and swelling in my right knee, so I have been tentative about jumping back into the Pro1/2 field.

That’s not to say the Masters races are easier.  They’re not.  But there are far fewer riders taking unnecessary risks, and the fields are generally smaller.

Unfortunately – though scored separately – it was almost impossible to tell the Masters 30+ from the Masters 40+ racers since the numbering system did not appear to have any rhyme or reason.  It made it very difficult to be tactical, and because of that, I made a few miscalculations that cost me a couple of places.

Second, the course for the Masters fields was the “short course” that rolls directly from Elizabethton to the top. (My knee thanked me for avoiding the 57 mile Pro 1/2 race.)

The third and most important difference was that the finish line was at the very top of the mountain – an advertised 1.75 miles of steep climbing beyond last year’s finish.

The weather at the start was cool, almost pleasant (~55º), but at the top, it was windy and downright frigid!

I didn’t have a great ride, and burned up too much energy chasing down the one break that rolled away. I was also a bit tired from Thursday night’s crit (teammate Marc Williams pulled out the victory!). So, when we started the Hors catégorie climb to the finish . . .

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE

Click HERE to download a .pdf of the coupon so you can print it.

This is from the RJ Rockers newsletter below, click on it to read the rest. Subscribe to the newsletter to get special coupons.

The roster for the weekend was Josh Whitmore, Simon Bennett, Jimmy Schurman, Coulton Hartrich, Shane Braley and myself (Christian Parrett).  After meeting up in Greenville, Simon, Jimmy, Josh and I caravanned up the country towards NY.  We were joined by our awesome support staff of Sara Jarrell, mechanic extraordinaire, and Sandy Krief, soigneur/feed zone support/dishwasher for messy hooligan bike riders.

After one night in Virginia we made it to NY Friday night and were joined by Coulton and Shane, who flew up from Florida.  We were all able to relax, see parts of the course, and plan for Sunday.  This was our teams first UCI race.  However, Coulton and I were confident of a result as we’ve both accrued 17 days of UCI racing already this year, in even tougher fields than Battenkill would see, with generally good results.  Shane was coming back from injury but has more experience than any of us.  Simon, Jimmy and Josh weren’t as sure what to expect but are all very strong and experienced bike riders.

Unfortunately, things didn’t go as planned.  Sunday I managed to slot myself towards the front fairly early.  After the first dirt section I barged my way into the first 20 or 30 riders and had no problem making the early splits.  No teammates were to be seen, unfortunately.  I’d later learn this was due to flats (Jimmy, Shane, Coulton), sickness (Josh), and a crash (Simon).  Eventually I saw Coulton, who worked his way into a small move.  After it came back he suffered more flat troubles.

View of the exploding race, Simon Bennett fights his way through the gravel

On the longest dirt road section the race exploded under pressure from Kelly Benefits and the numerous flats.  I managed to make the front split of fewer than 20 riders.  Several riders came back on but the lead group stayed small.  Unfortunately, I suffered a slow leak in the front tire at this point.  There had been so many flats that neutral service ran out of wheels, and the race caravan was minutes behind with the chaos in the peleton on the small roads.  By the time I managed to get a wheel from our team car, I was well behind the group.  Our team car tried to motorpace me back to the group, but the commisaire didn’t allow it, and that was my day over.

That's a pinch flat through the sidewall of a tire designed for gravel

Overall, the race redefined the word “epic”. Out of the 170 starters, only 40 or so finished. The majority of teams including several of the large well funded professional team in the race did not finish any riders. Just getting to the finish line was proved to be a combination of luck, fitness, smarts, and just plain hard man racing.

With all of our days ended by some form of bad luck, we packed up and headed back to the Southeast.  Sometimes bad days can be learning experiences.  Sunday, we learned very little other than what to expect for the same event next year.  It was just a simple case of bike racing being an unforgiving sport.  However, if you can’t suffer through the bad days, you don’t deserve the good.  We will be back starting in just over a week at the Joe Martin Stage Race.

Christian Parrett

Contec, Inc. is proud to announce its affiliation with globalbike™, a nonprofit organization that uses the transformative power of bikes to create positive social change in the developing world.  Founded in 2006, globalbike began as a volunteer organization with a mission to provide bikes to HIV/AIDS care workers in Zambia.  The organization has steadily grown and is now active in Bolivia, Ethiopia, Rwanda, and Tanzania.
CEO Jack McBride states, “As Contec has become a global company, we have been looking to sponsor an organization whose mission reflects the values and concerns of our global customer base.  globalbike fits this description to a “T”.  The organization’s founders are passionate about both cycling and helping those who are most in need.  At Contec, we are working to promote healthier living among our employees and also looking for creative ways to have a positive impact in areas that don’t have the benefit of recent breakthroughs in healthcare technology.  The globalbike mission reflects both these goals.”
With a goal of expanding to 5 continents by 2014, globalbike,  continues to seek creative partnerships that will allow it to provide those in need with access to healthcare and vital services. To learn more about globalbike,  and to find out how your organization can help, visit www.globalbike.org or send an email to info@globalbike.org.

Team Globalbike is pleased to announce a new partnership with Lazer Sport to supply the team with helmets and eyewear for 2012. Lazer is a Belgian company started in 1919. They offer a full line of helmets, from high performance racing to stylish urban commuter versions. Lazer helmets have been worn by some the greats in the sport. Paolo Bettini won the Olympic games in Athens and two world championships wearing a Lazer helmet. Tom Boonen has been a lifelong Lazer wearer and has won numerous titles under the Lazer lid.

Check out the entire line at www.lazersport.com

Lazer Genesis

The team will be rocking the Lazer Genesis on the road. The retention system of these helmets is one of the most comfortable we have ever tested. The helmet is very versatile with 3 different padding options including the normal summer pads for maximum air flow, a bug net pad system, and a more enclosed winter pad set  to hold in heat. We will also get the optional aero-shell cover which is a thin plastic cover that can be used in winter or rain rides when you want to close off the vents.

Lazer Tardiz

In Time Trial events, the team will don the Lazer Tardiz. We wonder if the  origin of the name Tardiz came from the British hit science fiction show – Dr Who. The doctor traveled through time in a space ship / time machine called the Tardis that looked like a small police box on the outside, but was much bigger inside. Can we alter time with these helmets? I think we can.

Lazer Electron

New to the Lazer line up for 2012 are a complete line of optics. Globalbike will be sporting 5 different models on the road and around town. We’ll have photos and reviews when they come in.