The Roar of the Big Ring !

Posted: January 23, 2012 in anthony o gorman, campag, carrick wheelers, clonmel cc, cycling ireland
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Yesterday began like many of my Sundays. Porridge, tea and wholemeal toast for breakfast, get dressed up in bright lycra and at 8.54 I head out to the shed lift my bike down from the rack, pop in the water bottle and fit the Garmin, check the tyre pressure and have a quick look at the trees to see what direction the wind is coming from. At 8.58 I roll down to the main road and stop to take a look up the straight to see if Anthony O’G is on the way. At 8.59 I see the familiar green white and black of the O’Gormans bakery jersey and at 9.00 we begin our training spin. We both went through the Tony Ryan school of cycling where going training at 9 am is 9 am not five or ten past , or even 2 minutes past .

We head on down the road towards Carrick to meet the lads. A strong breeze is pushing us along and we reach Merck before we see the 35 man road train approaching. We turn and roll along up Ballinaraha waiting for the group to go past so that we can slot in at the back to get going again. We must have been rolling a little too fast as we hear the shout from behind to drive on and turn to see the whole group slotting in behind us. Not exactly what was planned but shure we drive on anyway. The wind is now in our face and our turn at the front is short and sweet . I now find myself in second position on the left hand side of the group, just about the furthest position to be in from your next turn at the front so I’m happy.

The group are now clipping along and as I chat to Keith Barry – not the magician, I am informed that the spin is heading towards Cashel and on to Cahir. This puts me in a dilemma. I was sick for the past few weeks and have a total of 4 1/2 hours in my legs for the past five weeks. Not exactly ideal preparation for ‘The Carrick Group’. To do the full spin would have me home in just under 3 hours, having only planned 2 but they would be almost passing my door at that stage so I decide to push on, but am conscious that I will have to engage the brain to avoid a hammering.

Passing Tesco we see a good gathering for the 10 O’Clock Clonmel CC spin.This is a great group for anyone interested in trying out group cycling and progressing along. They average about 24kph and are very conscious of looking after everyone along the way. All along the by pass there is a steady stream of riders heading towards Tesco and it’s great to see.

We turn right and face the first major challenge of the day, Ard Gaoithe. I look for a steady wheel, spot Maurice just ahead and slot right in behind him. Maurice or Moreese as he would be called on the Continent or ‘The Apprentice’ will be a good guy to follow on the climb. He will ride nice and steady, won’t be up and down out of the saddle and won’t let the wheel go so there’ll be no big chase over the top. The strong cross-headwind helps to keep the group in check and I now find myself calculating the best way to conserve energy but also show my face at the front and do a little work. 15k to Cashel in a group this size, ideally with the wind coming from the left I want to be on the outside right, rolling up along but not hitting the front too soon. The perfect scenario would be to hit the front just as we come into Cashel which would put me on the sheltered side of the group on the way back down to Cahir.

One of the two Vinnies (sometimes there are four) punctures just before Clerihan and there is confusion about what next will happen. Some of us turn and go back, some want to stop for a piss stop and some want to just roll along. The centre of a village isn’t exactly ideal territory to be taking out the weapons so a gate further on is chosen and the turn made after the tanks get emptied. A few k later normal service resumes and I slot in at the back right hand corner. This takes a little ‘drift back to check everyone is back on manouvre’ which is borderline acceptable and positions me just where I want to be passing through Rosegreen.

The conversation is flowing and Paddy from Cahir (not Paddy the plasterer, he’s elsewhere) mentions Willy, AKA Boxcar Willy, brother of The Karate Kid (former black belt Karate instructor) and Ussain Bolt (medalist in last years vets athletics 100m sprint) .Willy has a very rare picture over his mantlepiece of himself sitting between Merckx and Kelly. It was taken after the Feryn classic in Belgium a few years back when Kelly brought 10 lads from Carrick over to make their mark on the 10,000 strong Belgian contingent. At the meal afterwards Willy sat in for the photo and put his arms around the two greats and uttered the immortal words ‘Jaysus lads, between the three of us we won everything !’

Cashel is now approaching and I’m still nicely positioned moving up along the line getting very little of the wind. The only drawback to the plan is that in front of me sits Keith Barry-not the magician on his 48cm frame which is going to offer very little shelter to my 58cm frame with plenty of seatpost. Luckily he hits the front just as we approach the turn in Cashel and the buildings of the town offer a little shelter and I roll through as we leave Cashel with the wind now coming from our right rear. Mostly a cross-tailwind but all it will take is a slight bend in the road for it to turn into a tough crosswind so I don’t spend too long up there. Whilst at the front I push out towards the white line on the quiet wide main road. This gives the shelter of a slight echelon back along the group in the crosswind.

John Hooverman is next up beside me and is going well. Too long at this pace and I’ll be cooked but luckily he rolls through pretty quickly and Maurice is now up there too. The pace is fast with the wind varying from tail to cross and my legs are beginning to get sore. Fiddown Bob beside me is riding outside the wheels and I am presented with the ultimate sweet spot. Going well I wouldn’t in a training group but now I glide in between the 2 in front. With my front wheel now snugly ensconced between the two rear wheels in front I am cocooned in a pocket of so little wind that I barely have to pedal. It doesn’t last long but is still enough to give me a chance to recover and I am grand again.

Passing through New Inn the wind is fully behind us and the pace is fast but not fast enough. The roars go up towards the front of ‘drive it on’ and ‘throw her up into the big ring!’. The speed increases along with the whoosh of spokes sailing in the wind. Chains are whirring as shimano upshifts click and campag ones clunk. We are now hitting speeds of up to 70kph and the atmosphere is more like a bunch approaching the finish of a race than a training group 40k from home. Cahir appears quickly as I glide along the inside of the group conserving as much energy as possible.

Straight tailwind from Cahir and the hammer is really down when Cronin makes me laugh. He tells me about Ger G passing the ESB that morning with his usual witty banter and someone asking who he was. Quick as a whip Cronin pipes up ‘That’s the fella that discovered Kelly’, a question returns as to the similarity in age and the reply given is that Ger G was only young himself when he had a dream one night about Kelly winning all these big races and gave up the job to help bring him along and shure wasn’t it the best move he ever made !

Clonmel comes quickly and I’m almost home. Myself and Anthony drift to the back and bid farewell to the group as we swing left at our roundabout. All that’s left now is the hill up home and the big ring is forgotten in favour of the 39. I make it home feeling just about OK and get ready for stage 2, a seven year olds birthday party and am glad I was shy about meeting that wind all day .

Barry

www.worldwidecycles.com

How to – avoid punctures

Posted: January 15, 2012 in puncture
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The dreaded puncture is the most frustrating aspect of cycling for many a bike rider . I was asked today if there is anything that can be done to help avoid getting one . The simple answer is , yes there are a number of things any cyclist can do to reduce the chance of puncturing , and here they are ;

1 : Pump your tyres – Every cyclist should have a track pump and should use it once a week to check the pressure in their tyres . The minimum pressure for a clincher tyre is 6 Bar or 85 psi whilst the maximum is 8 Bar or 120 psi . On very rough surfaces a lower pressure will have a cushioning effect but the trade-off is a slightly higher chance of a pinch flat ( Last year in the Paris Roubaix sportif Sean Kelly told us to ride 6.5 Bar in the back and 6 Bar on front – we had just one puncture between all of us for the day ). On very smooth surfaces a higher pressure will roll better and faster . Heavier riders should have slightly more pressure . In winter or in wet weather the pressure should be reduced slightly to give a little more grip . In general 7 Bar or 100 psi is a good guide if you are unsure .

2 : Watch the road – A pothole , a stone , broken glass or piece of metal . All of these can be avoided 90% of the time if you are looking out for them . If you are in a group it is very important to point them out to the riders behind you . A pothole or a stone will often cause a pinch flat which will go down immediately whilst a piece of glass or metal may take a while to work its way into the tube .

3 : Use good tyres – It is irresponsible to go out with a group of cyclists with poor tyres . I have seen guys heading out for 5 hour group training spins with the canvas showing through the tyre . I have changed tyres on the Sean Kelly Tour every year with the canvas showing . Very often the response given is that ‘I was trying to get the last bit out of them’ . In the first case there is nothing worse than having the whole group being forced to stop or ride up and down the road while waiting for someone to change a tube that will sure as anything be flat again later in the spin . In the second case , imagine training all year for an event or a race and wasting it all by using tyres that are not fit for purpose . There is also the safety aspect . It is unfair on your fellow cyclists to ride in a group with poor tyres that have an increased chance of slipping on a wet corner .

4 : Check your tyres : Once a week I go around my tyres with a scribe ( a very small screwdriver or a heavy pin would work too ) . I check for any piece of glass or flint and remove it . Then I fill the small hole left behind with super glue . It always amazes me how many guys racing don’t bother to do this .

What tyres to use :

I don’t subscribe to the view that any cheap tyres will do for winter training . I want good tyres with good grip that I can trust , especially if I am going to be doing big miles on bad roads . Usually the price difference between a cheap tyre and a good one is the price of 2 tubes . This saving is cancelled out after 2 punctures . A crash on wet roads may cost a whole lot more .

Tyres can be a personal thing . Some will swear by the gripping power of slick tyres like the Michelin Pro race 3 or the Schwalbe Ultremo R whilst others want a bit of thread like the Vittoria Open Corsa or the Vredestein Fortezza . The most popular tyre we sell in the shop is the Continental GP4000S in black . The black tyres are grippier as there is no dye used to add colour . The Vittoria Diamante or Rubinio pro are slightly cheaper and are good all round tyres too .

For very bad roads in poor conditions the Schwalbe Marathon or Specialized Armadillo are a good choice as are the Continental Gatorskins .

Good quality rim tape is also a must although the chances of a protruding spoke nicking the tube are a lot less with the factory built wheels that are so popular nowadays . The Mavic Open Pro style rim should be checked if persistent puncturing is occurring without ant other obvious causes .

Tubeless tyres have a reduced chance of puncturing as do tubulars , but if you stick to all of the above you should not have too many problems .

Here is a quick clip showing how to change a tube if you do get a puncture .

Barry

www.worldwidecycles.com

Dogma 2

Posted: January 13, 2012 in dogma 2, pinarello, Team sky cycling
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Ciao , my name is Dogma 2 . I come from the family of Pinarello . Some of you fortunate souls may have known my older brother Dogma 1 . He was very fit and fast and could really handle himself . He had grace and poise and many people remarked upon his beauty . Some said that he was the best of his kind , but now I am here , and I am truly the greatest yet , and humble too !

 

 

 

Our Uncle Banesto Pinarello had a very successful time working with a great family friend Miguel Indurain back in the early nineties and our other Uncle Prince Pinarello also tasted great success in The Tour de France .

My big brother, Dogma 1, when he was young, he too tasted success at the Tour but nobody remembers . Why you may ask , well I will tell you why .

In 2006 when he was very young , he worked with a guy from Spain called Oscar . Oscar was a nice boy and my Mamma liked him , and he liked her spaghetti . But Oscar, he raced against a guy from the USA who liked the Big Mac called Floyd . While Oscar was a racer who worked hard every day to loose no time , Floyd was full of the drama , amongst other things . One day it look like Oscar is going to win the Tour and my Mamma was so happy . The next day Big Mac Floyd go all day on his own with nobody for company , take the nice shirt from Oscar and Mamma burn her spaghetti .

A few days later they get to Paris , Big Mac Floyd still has the nice shirt and the only thing Mamma say is ‘Why is his hat on backwards, that won’t keep the sun from his face ‘ . He get to roll down the Champs Elysee with his friend BMC and Oscar and my brother Dogma have to amble along behind with nobody looking at them . My brother not talk to anyone for a week after that .

 

 

Then imagine our surprise when a few weeks later somebody come and tell us that Big Mac Floyd was at the Ferrari factory and they were hiding his nice shirt on him . At first we were confused until a neighbour tell us that he had special sauce that sound like Testarossa and that no one is allowed use the special sauce and that anyone who does cannot keep any nice shirts no matter what colour they are .

Many months later a letter came to our house from a man in Switzerland telling us that Big Mac Floyd has no shirts anymore and that Oscar can now wear the shirt if he likes . Mamma was happy and sad . She was happy Oscar now has the shirt but sad that nobody get to see him wear it .

Because of my beauty many people want to look like me . The man from the Chinese restaurant like my look so much he try to make himself look like me in his kitchen . From a distance even my Mamma see him one day and think it was me, but up close she see the big difference . I am leaner , fitter and much stronger. My headset and bottom bracket are unique . Even though we both grow up in the same area , the carbon makeup of my body is totally different and my movements are more graceful too . Mamma says that I am a nice boy that any girl could trust with her life but that the guy from the restaurant is liable to do anything with his thirty euro fake Rolex on his arm .

I have a new friend for this year called Mark . He is a funny boy . Mamma says he could do with a new razor and would even shave him herself but she says he is too fast to catch . He has friends from his country who drive around in a big bus telling everyone to look up at the Sky .They all like to hang out with Shimano Di2  . Me , I really like it too but Pappa tells me that I can only drive his Ferrari if I bring Campagnolo Super Record electro with me . I don’t mind either way as they are both great fun to be around .

 

 

 

So there you have it . I am pretty popular these days and might not be the easiest to track down , but if you would like me to come and stay with you for a while give the boys in Worldwidecycles (052 6121146 or info@worldwidecycles.com) a call and they should be able to arrange something special for you .

 

Salve,

Barry

www.worldwidecycles.com

Are the Pros Pro enough ?

Posted: January 10, 2012 in geraint thomas, nicholas roche, professional cycling, sean kelly, worldwidecycles
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(Eddy Merckx was fanatical about his equipment)

Before the days of twitter , Facebook and the Internet the greatest cyclists in the World were almost supernatural . Fans would spend days recounting any brief glimpse of a Champion in the flesh . Monthly magazines like ‘Winning’ were torn apart as pictures of Hero cyclists were blue-tacked to bedroom walls . Classic and Tour winners had an aura similar to Film stars where just their presence in a room could be felt without even seeing them . They were Hero’s who could inspire a nation !

(Lance and Johan tweeting)

Nowadays with so many Professional and not so professional riders on twitter , Facebook etc. every small mundane part of their lives is immediately in the public domain , as are any personality quirks or irks . Many will think that this is a good thing as there is no such thing as too much information and the sooner they get it the better .

But , and it is a big but , is the ability to see the current crop of professional sportspeople , warts and all , taking from the inspirational hero qualities that the Champions of the past had .

(Geraint Thomas on Twitter )

On twitter last week two of Geraint Thomas’ team mates got hold of his phone and tweeted that a girl was pregnant . Immediately tweets of congratulations were flooding into his twitter timeline and he quickly had to make a denial and apologise to his actual girlfriend , all live on the net for all to see . Nicholas Roche took umbrage at a mediocre review of his book and asked the reviewer on twitter what they had accomplished . Most of his tweets are also punctuated with some very unusual spellings . Robbie Mcewen apologised to Mark Renshaw for puking on him during a race . All of this is hugely interesting to those with a tabloid mentality but is it ‘professional’ . Is all publicity good publicity ?

Now , obviously the carry on of Thomas and his team mates was just a few lads having the craic and Nicholas Roche comes across on twitter as a really nice down to earth guy , just as he does in his book but would any of this make you want to get up at 5 am to get out training on your bike in order to emulate your heros ?

Think back to interviews with the ultimate professional cyclist Sean Kelly . Each and every answer given to a journalist’s question was preceded with a deep inhale of breath followed by a pursing of lips to allow the air back out as the eyebrows raised and the forehead furrowed before all releasing as the answer poured forth . This all took 4 to 5 seconds during which the answer was being well thought out and a concise insightful and very professional answer was given . Kelly was a 24/7 professional and was always aware of representing his sponsors in a professional manner .

   

(Kelly then and now always a professional)

Nowadays it is the sponsors who want the riders on twitter , Facebook etc. as they see this as free widespread viral marketing , but is this going to be a short-term gain at the expense of the true fanatical following that real Hero’s inspire ?

Many of today’s pro cyclists are dependant on their coaches , nutritionists and mechanics to do every thing for them so that all they have to do is ride the bike . Some don’t even know how to wash a bike properly or even change a tube if they puncture on a smooth road in Mallorca with no team car around . Kelly and Champions like him knew every facet of their profession inside out and their attention to detail was legendary . I remember building a bike for Kelly and when he was collecting it he asked if the saddle was level , I put a level on the saddle and showed him the bubble perfectly centred , then he asked ‘is the floor level ?’ I put the level on the floor and sure enough it was very slightly off . The saddle had to be adjusted slightly to compensate . That is the attention to detail that he brings to everything he does !

Perhaps today’s professional sports people should be given classes in how best to be ‘professional’ in their dealings with all forms of media , or maybe those days are gone and true ‘God like’ Hero’s will never be seen again .

Barry

www.worldwidecycles.com

They don’t make them like they used to !

Posted: January 9, 2012 in cav, freddy maertens, mark cavendish
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In 1976 Freddy Maertens was in great form early in the season winning races like the Amstel Gold and Gent Wevelgem . He was going well and was looking towards a good Tour de France when his form began to fade . Just weeks before the tour was due to begin he was having trouble just finishing races .

His final pre tour race was the Criterium du Dauphine and he was dropped in the first 20k of the first stage . The second stage started and once again he was dropped very early on and lost so much contact that even the broom wagon missed him on the road .

He was missing in action until about 8.30 pm that evening when some riders who were staying in the same hotel as his Velda Flandria team looked out a window to see a guy on a bike weaving from side to side coming along the road towards the hotel . Who was it only Freddy Maertens himself .

It turned out that he was slightly pissed off at being dropped again and saw a wine ‘Cave’ on the road and decided to pull in . The owner was delighted to see such a famous cyclist in his establishment and began an impromptu wine tasting session . Maertens thought that this was a great idea and decided to stop at every ‘Cave’ along the route of the stage . He eventually made it to the stage finish and was directed to the nearby team hotel where he wobbled up to the entrance and staggered in the door .

 

Most who saw him that night thought that his season was probably over there and then , but not Freddy . A week later he started the tour where he won 7 stages and the green jersey . He also won the Worlds that year .

 

Just imagine the furore if Cav were to pay a visit to a few ‘Caves’ before next years tour . David Brailsford might not be too impressed .

 

 

Barry

www.worldwidecycles.com

 

 

 

A humble hero !

Posted: December 21, 2011 in sean kelly, vinnie cronin, worldwidecycles
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In 1989 Sean Kelly won one of the biggest races on the World cycling calendar , the Liege Bastogne Liege classic . Whilst the whole cycling world were congratulating him he made a call home and heard the news that a friend of his had also won a race that day .

Whilst others would have passed this off and continued basking in the glory of such a momentous victory , Kelly picked up the phone and made a call to his friend .

Within minutes of winning a huge professional race he was congratulating Vinnie Cronin on his first victory ever in a Vets race in Youghal Co. Cork and wanted to know all of the details about the race .

It’s hard to picture many of the current generation of top riders being that humble on a day that the entire global cycling community is admiring their triumph .

Barry

www.worldwidecycles.com

Did ya get the guns ?

Posted: December 20, 2011 in worldwidecycles
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With sporting success comes a certain amount of public recognition . In Ireland a cyclist who competes on National teams representing their country will be recognised locally or sometimes further afield by those with an interest in cycling . A GAA star however , is recognised by every man , woman and child in their county . When they walk down the street they are greeted by a constant stream of acknowledgement . Men will nod their heads and say ‘Howaya’ , women will smile and say hello whilst children point and shout out at their hero .

When Sean Kelly walks down the street people say hello as if they know him well , and he replies and always has a relaxed word for everyone . It’s a great way to handle the situation .

When Tipp Hurler John Leahy was at his peak , walking down the street in Clonmel it was not unusual for mature grown men to shout out across the street ‘ Go on Leahy !

A recently retired Hurling star has a different way to manage the situation . Whenever he gets a wave or a hello from a stranger he gives a demure wave or polite hello . However when he meets someone he does know he makes both hands into the shape of two handguns and fires .

Hence , whenever anyone in county Waterford says that they met Dan the Man , the reply given is ‘ Did ya get the guns ? ‘

Barry

www.worldwidecycles.com

Is the World Champion really the Champion of the World ?

Posted: December 14, 2011 in world championships
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Seventy five-year old Tom ‘Chops’ Kiely was in the shop recently and as a lifelong cycling fan made a point to Ray that the World Champion cyclist isn’t really the World Champion . He said that a one day race isn’t any sort of way to decide who should wear the World Champions’ rainbow stripes for the following year .

Chops makes a very valid point . The Formula one World Champion is decided over a season long series of races as is the World Rally Championship and a number of other sporting titles .

A puncture , a crash , a bout of illness or any myriad of other misfortunes can happen to deny the best rider of any particular season the chance to wear the Rainbow Jersey when a one day race decides who gets crowned World Champion .

Sean Kelly never got to wear the rainbow jersey , but was the World Number 1 cyclist for 5 years in a row .

The following is a list of the riders who were crowned World Champion during that 5 year period ;

1984 – Claude Criquielion

1985 – Joop Zoetemelk

1986 – Moreno Argentin

1987 – Stephen Roche

1988 – Maurizio Fondriest

Whilst these were contemporaries of Kelly’s , none apart from Roche in ’87 could possibly have come within an asses roar of Kelly for consistency of victories in the Worlds top races throughout each season .

Is the current format a real World Championship or is it another Classic race at the end of the season ?

Barry

www.worldwidecycles.com

Nama Wheelers – why everyone is now a cyclist !

Posted: December 7, 2011 in worldwidecycles
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Today is budget day and the Joe Duffy/Eastenders/Prime time brigade are all depressed . I avoided all tv and radio coverage , went and bought a Christmas tree with my two small daughters and had a great afternoon decorating it whilst listening to Now that’s what I call Christmas volume 2 million and something . A while ago after the girls were well tucked up in bed I popped on to twitter and got a brief overview before going to the budget.gov.ie site and taking a look . We’re all going to be down some more money but we will all still get by .

The past few years has seen a huge growth in the number of cyclists on the road , many are cycling to work whilst many are also cycling because they have no work . Funny thing is , what I have noticed from behind the counter of a bike shop is that both groups are actually as happy as each other . The general population is now discovering what cyclists actually have known all along  ;

Cycling is a great leveler . It doesn’t matter if you are a doctor or a ‘dolee’ on the bike , everyone is just a bike rider . Joe public have now just realised that they no longer have to look up to the bank manager , the solicitor or the priest . They are all just human and some are good guys or clean riders whilst others are cheaters juiced up to their eyeballs on epo .

Cyclists know how to suffer . Every cyclist knows that you have to train in the wind and rain , that way you really enjoy and appreciate the sunny day with the wind on your back . That’s what life is like too , some days , weeks or months are tough going but they make you appreciate the good times all the more .

Money doesn’t buy happiness , just ask anyone who spent 3 grand on a pair of Lightweights and still can’t finish in the top six of a race .

Any day you can go out and do 100k is a good day , no matter what’s going on around you . Cycling keeps you fit and healthy and out of those overcrowded hospitals .

There is no climb that doesn’t have a descent . The current economic crisis is like climbing Mont Ventoux . We have suffered on the lower slopes through the forest . Unlike Alpe D’Huez there are no hairpins to recover on and the heat is savage . However we are now approaching Challet Renard . There is still a long way to go in totally unfamiliar lunar like surroundings but the top is there and just over the other side is a fabulous descent where the view is spectacular and things do get better again .

Barry

www.worldwidecycles.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

Frank and Andy Schleck – The best interview yet !

Posted: October 25, 2011 in andy schleck, Frank Schleck
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