Can Phinney save cycling in America?

Americans love winners. It’s a cliché, but true. Taylor Phinney’s win in stage 1 of the Giro d’ Italia won’t project him onto the front page of newspaper’s here in the States as that’s reserved for the one bike race Americans know – the Tour de France. However, I’m hoping Phinney’s victory in Henning helps save cycling in the U.S. – continue reading…

The Browne Eye blog is written by Neil Browne.

Janeen McCrae is a writer from New York by way of Australia. Now she is a rider as well as she joins her pals Precious, Zimmerman, and Fletch as they make their way across America. As she uses her legs to make her way across the country raising money to put a stop to the monster cancer, she uses her fingers to make her way into the hearts of hundreds of those who read her blog. I would be one of those.

It isn’t that I don’t know other people who have accomplished — or are currently attempting — the feat of riding solo across the country. Right now there is a fellow Greenvillian, Don Dobbs, who is making his way home from Oregon.  Then there is my college buddy Ken Dockery and his Inspire Hope Tour. Still, there is something different about Noodle (Janeen’s nickname) and her unsupported ride across the country.

“Wait,” you say. “She is unsupported? What about Precious, Zimmerman, and Fletch?” You really can’t blame Janeen for naming and having conversations with her equipment. Zimmerman is her single wheeled trailer that she pulls behind her bike… You guessed it, “Precious.” We were introduced to Fletch, her rear view mirror attached to her helmet, about a month into their adventure.

Two of the Noodle team

It is the way she expresses herself describing the surroundings of her adventure that draw you in. You find yourself willing her up the next hill — or mountain as the case may be soon (she is heading into the Rockies). You even find yourself talking to Zimmerman!

I know that part of it is that I am forming an empathetic connection with Janeen because I know that soon I too will be feeling some of the same emotions. Granted, my attempt is not nearly of the same magnitude as hers. It is that fact that gives me great encouragement as I set out on my 700 mile in 7 days adventure. If Noodle can ride Precious across the country all by herself with only Zimmerman as her support and Fletch watching her back… surely I can ride through five states.

You can follow Janeen at her blog, No Direction Known, and on Twitter (@thenoodleator). Of course, don’t forget about her bike with brain at YesIAmPrecious.com. During the time we’ll both be on the road at the same time, I will bring to mind the tenacity and gumption of this diminutive writer/rider. It will be good to have some Noodle in my backbone when the going gets tough!

The new site allows friends and fans to follow along with the team as they campaign in the 2010 cycling season. Users can learn more about the team members by visiting the roster page to read bios and see individual race results. The site also catalogs the team’s overall successes on the results page. 2010 promises to have a lot of data!

Team manager, Blair LaMarche, will be keeping everyone up-to-date with what is happening within the team at the site’s blog. The entire site is designed on the WordPress framework and this allows the team to easily keep not only the blog current, but the blogging process is used to maintain the entire website. Follow along with Blair (and other riders) as they record the events of the season.

On the events page you can see the races in which POA team members will be racing. However, POA Cycling is about more than just racing bicycles. The team also supports the cycling community by providing a series of races during the year including the St. Francis Sports Medicine Summer Series, the South Carolina Time Trial Championships, the South Carolina Road Racing Championship, and the Fall Extravaganza (now in it’s second year). Information about these events will be presented on the site in the Events section. Information about the team’s involvement in charity events will also be presented here.

The team knows all this takes support and that is why the sponsors receive exposure throughout the site — not only on each page, but in a unique sponsors’ section devoted to the various sponsors who help the team receive the very best equipment and support. Sponsors get exposure on the website, but also the team’s uniforms, printed materials, and through various social media outlets.

The visually appealing site also provides a glimpse at the action throughout the year as users are able to view photos from the various events. Once again Worthwhile makes it easy for the team to manage this section by integrating Facebook galleries into the WordPress framework. More social media integration will come as The Worthwhile Company team continues to enhance the POACycling.com experience.

Click image to enlarge

I had never seen a bamboo bike up close.  This one was pretty cool.  When I first saw it, I thought it was a traditional bike with a radical paint job.  It was only until I looked closer that I noticed it was bamboo.

The joints are held together with carbon fiber and resin.  The bike was pretty stiff and didn’t weigh as much as I thought it would.  Though I didn’t get to ride it (it was being built up when I saw it), I can imagine it would be a pretty comfortable ride.

It was also educational to learn the process used to create the frame.  Bamboo has natural properties that allow it to be used as bike making material.  I was interested to learn that by baking the bamboo you cause the sugars inside to stiffen with the bamboo fibers – much like resin permeating carbon fiber.

Joints are carbon fiber and resin

Visit BambooBikeMaker.com to learn more about Phil’s project that is about much more than the bike.  It is his desire to help teach skills and provide employment to provide food, shelter, clothing, and medical care for a better life for people in Southeast Asia.  At his site you can learn more about his goals as well as the bike.

Good luck, Phil.  I hope we’ll see one of your bamboo creations here on the roads of Greenville soon.

However, there are two blogs you might want to check out.  These will give you a unique perspective from some Greenvillians who are actually there to see the race.  Check them out!

Steve Sperry and Elizabeth Brady have been in Europe for some time now.  They got to see some of the Giro and now are taking in the festival that is the – you know, that bicycle race going on where they are.  You can find their descriptions (and pictures) at Tour of Europe.

Then there is Rich Hincapie and his dad.  They are over watching a certain relative do massive lead outs for the fastest man on two wheels.  Rich is able to give some insights that you don’t always get from Versus or a typical fan.  So, head on over to the Rich Hincapie Blog and enjoy.

What is your favorite way to keep up with the race?  It was nice for it to start on a holiday weekend as it made it possible to enjoy the first couple of days live.  Now it is back to work.  I’ll have to wait until later in the evening to catch the action.

But, I’m not going to talk about it

I love me Specialized Toupe saddle.  It is a little scratched up and not so pretty anymore, but it is like a comfortable old friend.  I’m afraid to ever switch to another saddle for fear of the uncomfortable consequences.

Guess I’m not a Real Man.  If I were, I would want the Saddle for REAL MEN!  Somehow I think my relationship with such a saddle would be a little rocky.

Of course, this piece of humor comes from the ruminations of the late Sheldon Brown.  He always had a way to make sure cyclists didn’t take themselves too seriously.  Thanks to the Internet, his gifts to the bicycling world continue on.

On to other things… Upstate rider for Columbia-Highroad, Craig Lewis, is racing this week in the Tour of Romandie.  Yesterday was a time trial.  Craig finished 12 seconds behind his leader and teammate Frantisek Rabon.

I didn’t get out to Donaldson Center last night.  I heard it was a pretty tough one.  Would have liked to have been out there, but I have to remember to keep my priorities straight.  I love riding my bike, but there are more important things in life… I’m thinking primarily of the beautiful redhead and the Things Three.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z19zFlPah-o

“Filmed over the period of a few months in and around Edinburgh by Dave Sowerby, this video of Inspired Bicycles team rider Danny MacAskill features probably the best collection of street/street trials riding ever seen. There’s some huge riding, but also some of the most technically difficult and imaginative lines you will ever see. Without a doubt, this video pushes the envelope of what is perceived as possible on a trials bike.”

It was a nasty crash.  I’d be glad to be on this side of the mess on my bike or running beside it. Hope the riders suffering injuries from it will be up and going soon. A couple of big name riders left wounded.

I typically leave adjustments to the drivetrain to professionals.  However, you might be different.  So for you, I give you the “Bicycle Repair Guide” from Bicycle Tutor – today’s Random Page of the Day.

While I was there I came upon an advertisement for the National Bicycle Registry.  It gives the statistics that bike theft is a $1 billion “business”. Also, it puts the fear into you by saying that only 3% of unregistered bikes ever get returned to their owners.  Of course, I didn’t see any statistics saying how many registered bikes make it back home.

The site grabbed my attention because just yesterday word went out from local rider, Cinthia Lehner, that her bike had been stolen while down at a race in Alabama.  Not only is her Giant TCR Advanced 1 missing – so are the Zipp wheels that were on it.  Steve Baker also gave some details over on his blog at Hincapie.com.  Sure hope she gets it back.  She hadn’t been riding it for very long.

I really do hope to have some time tonight to do some investigating on my new Quarq CinQo powermeter with the “Ring of Saturn.”  The plan is to have some information about the device tomorrow morning.  Until then… have a great day!

That allowed me to rush home from work and jump on the bike for a 40 minute ride with some of my teammates. Samantha, Joey, Matt, and I had a good time making several laps around Cleveland Park. I even had a chance to uncork a couple of time on two of the climbs and clocked a power max of just under 1200 watts.

But mostly it was just a pleasure to spin around the park at about 120 watts. I would hate to do that by myself, but when you are with good friends it makes all the difference. Thanks, ya’ll!

And… now… for… RANDOM SITE OF THE DAY!

I have a horrible time remembering all the parts of a bicycle. I’m sure I’ve made my mechanic friends chuckle more than once when I called a part something other than what it was… “It is the dohickie that is making the rattling sound.”

Well, no more… I happened upon “The Parts Of A Bicycle Nomenclature Names.” Say what? Oh, just go look at this page: http://www.jimlangley.net/wrench/bicycleparts.html.

You cyclists have fun out there at Donaldson tonight. I have the meeting and the wife is staying with the kids. I won’t be able to join you.