There’s a reason people like mountain biking …
Strava Pro Pages
Just reading Ben King’s latest at VeloNews and caught a link to his Strava Profile which regular users will quickly see is rather different from what we usually get. And like the rest of Strav’s offerings, it’s very well considered.
While this is clearly positioned as a Pro (athlete) page, it’s really very similar to what you might expect to find as a brand page on twitter or facebook though clearly relevant to the service at hand.
You can follow / fan Pros though unlike a usual view of another rider, you don’t get to compare yourself directly through the side by side view typically found. I’d actually really like to see this added as it’s a something you see frequently when interacting with others on the site.
There are quite a few new things clearly visible:
- Rider Bio
- Map of recent rides
- Race Schedule
- Sponsors and links out
- Fans
- Twitter content inclusion … interesting!
Strava has been adding features pretty rapidly for a while now and they’ve quickly become the defacto cycling tracking site. I’d expect to see more around pro tracking and fan engagement as the season starts to pick up. Adding in more linked riders for teams and pro comparisons on rides and segments would be particularly great to see. Of course Pro Teams need to buy in with sharing their data, but many do already just not perhaps at the same degree of intensity as the more enthusiast cyclist.
Additional nice to haves … at least from my perspective would be the ability to track and be notified when riders you follow post rides based on their shared race schedule. Fan discussion / debate could also become a lot of fun as well. That said, while strava does offer comments and kudos I can’t see it easily evolving into a discussion board and think that would take away from the core function which really is ride data visualization.
Great stuff – hoping to see more soon!
2011 Tour of the Catskills: Assault on Devil’s Kitchen
Yesterday I competed in my second road race, the Tour of Catskills and it was awesome! I chose a one day race option over the 3-day stage and of the two possible days picked the Assault on Devil’s Kitchen which turned out to be the hardest climb I’ve ever tried.
My race was a mixed class 4/5 65 mile road race and as you can see from the results, only 36 of the 47 registered riders competed. I placed 7th which I’m quite pleased with knowing I trained well and raced hard. We left from Tannersville, NY which is on Hunter Mountain and raced through some gorgeous roads in the Catskills. There were a few climbs in the early stages of the race, but the Devil’s Kitchen climb at the end would clearly define how things resolved in the end.
From the prior race I had entered I knew I wanted to be up front early to avoid any chaos or potential crashing and while I did not start right in the front, I quickly found a hole on the side of the peloton and moved right up the line. I guess everyone thought I was crazy, since no one followed and I was easily off the pack and riding alone which was quite exciting even if it was only the first few miles. Unfortunately my chain dropped after a quick descent as we turned onto Scribner Hollow road and into the first small climb. It took two tries to get the chain looped back and by that time the group had passed me again. It took a bit more effort than I would have liked to catch back up, but I managed to reconnect with the bigger group and recovered from my adrenaline burst of nerves. I fought back some cotton mouth as well and soon enough settled back into the general pace.
Throughout the race I found myself either with the lead group or in the chase group which was generally right behind a small gap. I was taking note of the guys around as we rode and it seemed there was some aggressive posturing going on with a few guys mainly on the flatter portions but those guys quickly gave way as we hit each of the climbs along the way. I knew I was in a good position within this group as I felt I was one of the stronger climbers – not really knowing what was in store towards the end of course. There were a few really nice descents including one amazingly long smooth and ridiculously fast run down where I hit a new top speed (55mph!). During the descents I was generally careful and more cautious than if I’d been by myself allowing guys to float by and to make sure that I had enough space around me. I don’t generally ride with too many other people and felt it would be best to be safe here. During that major descent, I think down County Rt 20, I was able to bridge a big gap which was a pretty exciting moment in the race for me both from the adrenaline pumping at that speed, but also as an achievement to ensure my position.
Over the next 20 or so miles the ride got a bit windy and the group really started to thin out. We dropped a bunch of guys including 3 in a crash which I think happened when a rider lost his chain and was a standing target for guys coming around the corner. There was a small break of 2 and then 4 guys and they stayed about 30-45 seconds ahead of us for a few miles, but leading up to Devil’s Kitchen we finally caught two of the guys. We had a really pace line going and I did a pretty long pull to ensure I did some hard work. The line up chase group leading to the climb was four guys including myself and then … well then Devil’s Kitchen arrived. Platte Clove Road is a 5K Cat 2 climb that goes up about 1400ft and appears to be mainly straight up. There are a few slight steps and a few mild curves … it’s absolutely brutal. Of the four guys, in my group two escaped and I fought on with another rider until we frankly had to dismount. I was pretty unhappy that it got to that point, but after about 2.5K of climbing I wasn’t sure I could turn the pedals around fast enough to stay on my bike. I ended up walking much of the rest of the way to the top – though even when I eventually pedaled across the KOM line, the damn hill kept on going! Amazingly the guys behind and those I passed on the way up from other groups never caught any time on me and for the next six miles I went into time trial mode, pedaling as hard as I could over the rolling terrain. As the signs starting counting down the final 5K, I could feel the excitement of finishing my first road race and cornering into the crowded town of Tannersville I fired away my last bit of energy to sprint in. I heard the announcer call me the Man in Black as I crossed the line and I felt great bringing it all to a close. Full details on Strava …
The event was awesome — well organized, guys were great – competitive, but friendly and I look forward to competing again soon. I’m hoping to do the Tour of the Adirondacks in mid September which is also put on by the same organization. I pre-rode the main loop a few weeks ago near Lake George and it’s a beautiful run as well.
Consider the user …
I know it’s obvious, but it’s amazing how some companies don’t take user experience into account when designing their products. Take for example the bike route mapping sites MapMyRide and RidewithGPS … MapMyRide appears to be the market leader given they’ve been around for a long time, but man is it painful to use. They have a decent number of routes if you look around, but the site compresses the map to a small area and there are really a pretty gross number of ads on the page as well as on the map itself. Their goal is of course to get you to upgrade to a paid account and certainly the incentives are there given the volume of ads … The problem for MapMyRide though is that they are not the only game in town and RidewithGPS arrived on the scene with an excellent route planner and a great map browser.
Take a look at the two screens …
 |
| From Route Planning |
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| From Route Planning |
Both are views of my local area and show available routes … so the experiences are as “parallel” as they can be to show the difference. I went into fullscreen mode to try and maximize as much of the view as possible.
Which would you prefer to use?
13 months, 4,000 miles
With this morning’s ride, I cleared 4,000 miles which I find very cool. I bought my bike last July and have ridden regularly for most of the year. There was some lag time over the winter due to weather, but I’ve been generally consistent.
My morning loops started around 20 and tend to be closer to 25 miles which is about the maximum I can do and still make my train to work. Weekends I try to go longer with 45 miles on average though if I can get the time I like to go much longer.
Rapha’s Hell of the North
It’s almost the weekend and I’m thinking about riding … Rapha’s just emailed about a cool ride, though unfortunately it’s in London. UK friends … get on it!
Our homage to one of the great monuments of the sport, Paris-Roubaix, will be an adventure along the lanes, bridleways and dirt-roads of Hertfordshire. Although it won’t have as much pavé (in fact it will be gravé) as northern France it will be tough and potentially filthy. Muddy terrain and bumpy ‘rough stuff’ will be encountered as we celebrate the Queen of the Classics over 100km.
MityCross 350
This morning I took my first ride with the MityCross 350 LED bike light an came away generally impressed. Â I’ve used two other lights, both from Blackburn but this simply outshines (ahem) the other units.
I do a lot of riding first thing in the morning, typically leaving around 5:30am and it’s dark. Â Seeing the road and being seen by cars is a rather critical detail. Â With the past lights, I was able to see though there clear limits to what the lights could cover and I’ve wanted to have something much brighter for a while. Â There’s honestly no comparison to the other lights in general light output and range of the beam. Â While small, the MityCross 350 really pumps out a very bright and wide beam of light. Â I was able to see the road ahead as well as a good bit of the peripheral bit of the road in pre-sun darkness.
The best part of the MityCross was that oncoming traffic generally dimmed their high beams. Â This is a huge plus as one of the more dangerous aspects of riding in the dark is being blinded by oncoming cars. Â Now they see me coming clearly and tend to respect my presence as though I was a motor vehicle.
My usual morning loop is a bit over an hour (all I can do before heading to work sadly) and the sun starts to rise about mid-way through. Â Once that happens, I tend to switch over to blinker mode which the MityCross also handles expertly. Â The flasher is more like a strobe and again, enabled cars to easily see my approach from well off in the distance.
The main “issue” with the MityCross is that the battery is external and requires that you fasten it to your bike (or helmet) via a velcro strap. Â I found that there was plenty of cable to manage, but it’s considerably less clean of an install over an all in one type of light. Â The MityCross 350 runs about $200 at retail which is probably more than most people look to spend, but amazing is really just the starting point for bright bike lights. Â I believe I’ll be satisfied with this light for a while and expect it to serve my riding needs for many miles.
best of craigslist: A few things from the bike shop.
This is too hilarious
A few things from the bike shop.
Date: 2009-05-27, 4:05PM PDT
Whoo-hoo Seattle, the sun is out! Let’s discuss a few things before you fumble with swapping the unused ski rack for the unused bike rack on the Subaru.
So yes, you’ve noticed the sun is out, and hey!- maybe it would be cool to to some bike riding. Let’s keep in mind that the sun came out of all 600,000 of us, so for the most part, you’re not the only one who noticed. Please remember that when you walk into my shop on a bright, sunny Saturday morning. It will save you from looking like a complete twat that huffs “Why are there so many people here?”Are we all on the same page now about it being sunny outside? Have we all figured out that we’re not the only clever people that feel sunny days are good for bike riding? Great. I want to kiss all of you on your forehead for sharing this moment with me. Put your vitamin D starved fingers in mine, and we’ll move on together to some pointers that will make life easier.
SOME POINTERS FOR THE PHONE:
– I don’t know what size of bike you need. The only thing that I can tell over the phone is that you sound fat. I don’t care how tall you are. I don’t care how long your inseam is. Don’t complain to me that you don’t want to come ALL THE WAY down to the bike shop to get fitted for a bike. I have two hundred bikes in my inventory. I will find one that fits you. Whether you come from the north or the south, my shop is downhill. Pretend you’re going to smell a fart, ball up, and roll your fat ass down here.
– Don’t get high and call me. Write it down, call me later. When I have four phone lines ringing, and a herdlet
of people waiting for help, I can’t deal with you sitting there “uuuuhhh”-ing and “uuummm”-ing while your brain tries to put together some cheeto-xbox-fixie conundrum. We didn’t get disconnected, I left you on hold to figure your shit out.-I really do need to see your bike to know what is wrong with it. You’ve already figured out that when you car makes a noise, the mechanic needs to see it. When your TV goes blank, a technician needs to see it. I can tell you, if there is one thing I’ve learned from you fucking squirrels, it’s that “doesn’t shift right” means your bike could need a slight cable adjustment, or you might just need to stop backing into it with the Subaru. Bring it in, I’ll let you know for sure.
– No, I don’t know how much a good bike costs. For some, spending $500 dollars is a kingly sum. For others, $500 won’t buy you one good wheel. You really need to have an idea of what you want, because every one of you raccoons “doesn’t want to spend too much”.
FOR YOU INVENTIVE TYPES AND DO-IT-YOURSELFERS:
– Just because you think is should exist, doesn’t mean that it does. I know that to you, a 14 inch quill stem makes perfect sense, but what makes more sense is buying a bike that fits you, not trying to make your mountain bike that was too small for you to begin with into a comfort bike.
– If some twat on some message board somewhere says that you can use the lockring from your bottom bracket as a lockring for a fixie conversion doesn’t mean that A: you can, or B: you should. Please listen to me on this stuff, I really do have your best interests at heart.
– I love that you have the enthusiasm to build yourself a recumbent in the off season. That does not mean however, that I share your enthusiasm; ergo I won’t do the “final tweaks” for you. You figure out why that Sram shifter and that Shimano rear derailleur don’t work together. While we’re at it, you recumbent people scare me a little. Don’t bring that lumbering fucking thing anywhere near me.
A DEDICATION TO ALL THE HIPSTER DUCHEBAGS:
-If you shitheads had any money, you wouldn’t NEED a vintage Poo-zhow to get laid. Go have an ironic mustache growing contest in front of American Apparel, so that I can continue selling $300 bikes to fatties, which is what keeps the lights on.
– Being made in the 80’s may make something cool, but that doesn’t automatically make something good. The reason that no one has ridden that “vintage” Murray is because it’s shit. It was shit in the 80’s, a trend it carried proudly through the 90’s, and rallied with into the ’00’s. What I mean to say is, no, I can’t make it work better. It’s still shit, even with more air in the tires.
SO YOU’RE GONNA BUY A BIKE:
Good for you! Biking is awesome. It’s easy, it’s fun, it’s good for you. I want you to bike, I really do. To that end, I am here to help you.
-Your co-worker that’s “really into biking” knows fuck all. Stop asking for his advice. He could care less about you having the right bike. He wants to validate his bike purchase(s) through you. He also wants to sleep with you, and wear matching bike shorts with you.
– You’re not a triathlete. You’re not. If you were, you wouldn’t be here, and we both know it.
– You’re not a racer. If you were, I’d know you already, and you wouldn’t be here, and we both know it.
– So you want a bike that you can ride to work, goes really fast, is good for that triathlon you’re doing this summer (snicker), is good on trails and mud, and costs less than $300. Yeah. Listen, I want a car that can go 200 miles an hour, tow a boat, has room for five adults, is easy to parallel park but can carry plywood, gets 60mpg, and only costs $3,000. I also want a unicorn to blow me. What are we even talking about here? Oh yeah. Listen, bikes can be fast, light, cheap and comfortable. Pick two, and we’re all good.
ABOUT YOUR KIDS:
Your kids are amazing. Sure are. No one else has kids as smart, able, funny or as good looking as you. Nope. Never see THAT around here.
– I have no idea how long you kid will be able to use this bike. As it seems to me, your precious is a little retarded, and can’t even use the damn thing now. More likely, your budding genius is going to leave the bike in the driveway where you will Subaru the bike to death LONG before the nose picker outgrows the bike.
– Stop being so jumpy. I am not a molester. You people REALLY watch too much TV. When I hold the back of the bike while your kid is on it, it’s not because I get a thrill from *almost* having my hand on kid butt, it’s because kids are unpredictable, and generally take off whenever possible, usually not in the direction you think they might go. Listen, if I were going to do anything bad to your kids, I’d feed them to sharks, because sharks are FUCKING AWESOME.
I hope this helps, and have fun this summer riding your kick-ass bike!
- Location: Seattle
- it’s NOT ok to contact this poster with services or other commercial interests
PostingID: 1192150038
A Great Way to Start the Day
Since July, I’ve been waking up at 5am and going for a bike ride. While initially painful to wake up at that time, leaving the house by 5:30 lets me get in a good loop on the road before needing to catch my train to work. Now that it’s turning to fall, the light is taking a bit longer to arrive but when it does, the sunrise is beautiful and makes for a terrific start to the day.
It’s all about Performance
I know I have not posted in a while … I’ve been busy, what can I say. I’ve also been somewhat compulsively cycling as of late and found this gem which I thought was worth sharing: