Remembering my first race....

Taking photos of the first race of the Spring Racing Series this past Sunday had me reminiscing about my first race... à la The Rider by Tim Krabbé (but not written as well).

What are you doing? It's 5:30 on a Saturday morning!

I stepped out of my apartment, greeted by the chilly breeze that insists that winter won't go away quietly. It's early March and I'm headed to Central Park for my first ever road race. It's a short 10 minute ride before I entered the park and started a short warm-up lap, coaxing my legs to wake up.

Really? You're going to try a race?

Prior to this, the only racing experience I had was when I was 10 years old and my friends and I would race our BMX bikes around the parking lot of the housing complex that we all lived in. Those were carefree days… and days long in the past. But after picking up cycling again (after a 10 year hiatus), the temptation to try my hand at a road race began to tickle the back of my brain.

The Strade Bianche

I wish I were there... riding the backroads of Tuscany. Despite the obvious suffering that comes with riding unpaved roads, it looks beautiful. Also reminds me that I'm riding the Cycle for Health's event at the Tour of the Battenkill in a few weeks. Spring cycling is here!

Photos by Bettini via Cyclingnews.

The Jens has spoken - the UCI radio ban

As many of you may know, the UCI has been decided to ban race radios at all professional-level racing events. This has led to much debate amongst the cyclists, press, and fans. The UCI's position is that race radios have diminished the excitement and spontaneity of the sport. Riders follow the commands of their directeur sportifs and rarely dare to make decisions on their own. Race radios have made cycling boring. Those who support the continued use of race radios say that the radios are important for conveying information to the team manager and the mechanics and that the riders can be warned in advance of upcoming hazards or accidents. Radio advocates say that, regardless of what the team car orders, it is still ultimately the rider who has to race. A radio won't make him go any faster.

Most of the riders and teams have expressed their displeasure with the proposed ban. At the Challenge Mallorca, the riders rode in protest of the ban and the UCI disqualified all their results for that stage. And as of yesterday, the AIGCP (representing the teams) demanded that the UCI rescind the ban or face "drastic action". (What the drastic action would be was not stated... I would guess something more than making faces at Pat McQuaid.)

I spoke too soon

After writing yesterday about how winter is almost over, this is what I was greeted with this morning.

Playing with others - Group riding etiquette

After a rather crazy week, I've finally had the chance to sit down and write a decent blog entry. It's always a little irritating when that thing called LIFE gets in the way of CYCLING. I'd focus on CYCLING exclusively if it weren't for the fact that Con Edison gets upset when I don't pay my bills on time.

Yes, I do need electricity and hot water.

It finally appears that winter is beginning to loosen its grip on NYC. Today was a beautiful day... crystal clear skies, temperatures in the mid-50's, not a drop of rain. (Of course, when I went for my ride this evening, the temperatures plummeted to 34 degrees. Awesome.) And with the advent of spring, the cycling masses begin to come to life. I will no longer be sharing 9 West with the other solitary (and crazy) cyclists in 26 degree weather but with large group rides (including the NYCC SIG groups).