If you haven’t tried a bike race before, chances are an individual time trial might be your first experience – it was for me. Here are some valuable tips and experiences I learned from my first “Citizen Class” 40 km individual time trial (ITT).
Chances are you will do better than you expect. Think positive.
Don’t eat a massive meal and carb load past 6:00pm the day before if you are riding in the morning for obvious reasons. Same goes when you get up, eat but don’t gorge yourself. Being too full before you ride a race is not fun at all.
Watch for gravel, glass and road surface changes on over passes or bridges. As the miles go by it’s easy to make a mistake while you’re in the zone and focusing on your breathing and pedaling.
Take a spare tire (if the race is long enough), it’ll keep you in the race if the inevitable happens. My tire blew out at 20km, but I fixed it and stayed in the race.
Warm up at for at least 30 minutes before the ride. If you don’t you’re body will get a big shock the first half of the race. You will anyway, but it will help lessen the impact if you’re body is ready for it and the “engine is hot”.
When you get your race number, pin it low down on the bottom back of your jersey. Bring at least four to six of your own safety pins, just incase.
Be prepared for busy washroom facilities, delayed start times, and line ups at the registration desk. Think Murphy’s Law here.
Get aero bars well before the race and try them out to find a comfortable position. Riding without them will definitely put you at a disadvantage. If you have the money, a time trial bike would be even better!
When you are at the start line someone will be there to hold you and your bike up. Just get in position, clip in and listen to the commissionaire and your countdown to start.
Once you are out of the start gate find a good sustainable pace that’s hard, but not enough to push your heart rate to the max, because you’ll need to maintain it for up to an hour.
In the last kilometre give it all you got. A few seconds can make a huge difference how you place. What have you got to lose!
Winter is here early, and unless you want to spend it on a trainer, you’ll need to consider getting tires with a bit more bite. While I’ve only bike a few times this year in the snow, the Schwalbe Ice Spiker tire’s performance was down right jaw-dropping. With 304 tungsten-carbide studs in each tire, it really does feel like you have velcro on your rims instead of rubber.
So, what are it’s limitations and where does it shine? For starters these tires are built for pretty severe winter conditions, so riding on pavement is actually a fair bit more work than in the snow, not to mention they are way louder. I definitely had a few cyclists check over their shoulder as I rode up behind them on dry roads. However, if you add some powder to the scene, these tires perform perfectly and almost float over the snow without a sound. Switch to ice and they bite hard providing some killer traction. Get ready for a big confidence boost riding on the slippery stuff!
The one drawback I had was the extra weight and the resistance from the snow itself. You’ll definitely work harder pushing your way through snow and debris, so plan for longer ride times and a good work out. Four or five inches of snow is the limit with these tires, anything more and it’s too much effort to get through.
So is it worth it? Well, if you want to stop on a dime this winter, climb hills normally reserved for crazy carpets, or try a whole new riding experience that’ll put a grin on your face, then this tire is your ride—it’s a ton of fun!
Want to save money, avoid traffic jams, get in shape, or just reduce your impact on the environment? If so, it’s time to try commuting on a bike.
A bike can reduce your commute time by 50% of what it normally would be if you were to take transit or drive a car. You can also save hundreds in parking fees and transit fees, and you’ll never get stuck in a traffic jam.
Sounds good so far? Here’s what you need to know to make the switch to two wheels and a healthier lifestyle.
Get prepared the night before
Roll your clothes when you pack them
Carry a tire repair kit and pump
Take your cell phone
Bring a bike lock
Be prepared for rain or bad weather
Know the route before you do your first ride to work
If it’s still dark out when you ride, get lights on your bike
Dress on the cool side or you’ll get too hot on the ride
Be prepared for bad weather, bring a rain/wind shell.
Change in an empty office or meeting instead of a bathroom
When you start your body may not be in the best shape and you will probably ask yourself “why they hell am I doing this ” – just stick with it. After about ten rides, you’ll notice a big difference in your fitness level. You will also be saving time by combining a fitness routine as part of your commute. You don’t need to drive home and then drive back to the gym to work out. You can do both at the same time.
So why ride to work? It is faster than transit, cheaper than driving, great for the environment, but most of all great for your body. If you want a healthy way to start the day, give it a try, but the key is to stick with it. If you do, you won’t regret it.
If you are wondering whether Vittoria’s nylon threaded mid range race tire can hold it’s own against the more expensive cotton thread race tires, then the answer is yes.
Not as fast, or indestructible as the Corsa Evo CX, the Diamante Pro is definitely a bomb-proof tire that can shred a corner. After 700km of daily riding over gravel, twigs, broken glass and other tire popping debris, any doubts I had about this tire’s reliability were put to rest.
The rhombus tread pattern definitely provides a bit more grip and stick compared to other tires that you’ll notice the first corner you go around. Whatever it is, it feels pretty solid. In wet conditions that might be an added bonus to know this tire has a bit more bite than you’d normally count on. If you are looking for extra confidence in the corners, then the Diamante Pro seems to provide that quite well.
Wrapping up, this is a tire can definitely take alot of abuse, is a bit easier on the wallet than top of the line tires; but, still delivers great performance for just about any road condition. I use it for daily commutes on my Cervélo, and whatever the road throws at me I am good to go – fast!
