I was inspired to watch bike crashes by my own last post, and I figured some things needed to be clarified so that some of the crashes don't look like total idiotic mistakes (some are still dumb mistakes though).
Some good knowledge to have if you'd like to be entertained by guys in tights crashing their bikes while going fast (35+mph) or sitting still:
Peloton - The main group of riders in a race. There are about 150 or so riders in the Tour de France.
Clipless Pedals - Basically, these are pedals that bike shoes attach to so that riders can not only push down on the pedals, but pull up, especially useful for climbing mountains and sprinting. Every pro biker uses clipless pedals. To unhook from the pedals, you have to click your heels out, and it takes a notable amount of foresight to get them out really quickly. In road bike racing, the seats are higher than you can sit on with your legs touching the ground. The result of high seats and shoes hooked into pedals is a lot of falls that are very difficult to avoid. Trust me, it hurts to fall over sideways while you're clipped in. Also trust me, it hurts to crash going 20mph with people behind you when you're clipped in. Gravel/Sand IS dangerous, and it hurts too, trust me. :)
Drafting - Simple physics. If someone blocks the wind for you, you can save a LOT of energy and maintain a pretty ridiculous speed for a bicycle. If there are 5 or 6 people in front, it is marginally better for each additional person. In racing, teams (yes, there are teams) take turns pulling, as its termed, the other members of the team. The result is that almost everyone rides very close together for most of every race.
Slippery pavement - Just like race car slicks, the tread on bike tires is mostly smooth. Rain and road paint combine to make painful slippery situations.
Fans - TdF fans are crazy and there is not a good way to sanction or restrict such fans from getting dangerously close, and dangerously stupid, with the riders. Lots of crashes result.
Rules - There are some rules in cycling that seem counterproductive to making a legitimate race, but it all makes sense somehow. They are pretty complex, but I'll explain some basic principles.
Everyone in the main peloton gets the same time. If you are in a group, the group gets the same time (as long as you are 1 second or less behind the guy immediately in front of you).
Riders in the last 5km or so get the same time as the group they were in if they crash.
A stage win is not synonymous with an overall win in Tours like the TdF.
Spectators CAN help you up and stuff, and all teams have cars following the race that carry extra bikes, extra water, and extra food. Sometimes cyclists do things on their bikes that require hands off the handlebars, like eating and changing clothes, so sometimes accidents happen when stability is low.
Various other complex rules and courtesies are present in cycling. For example, if a huge group crashes, sometimes EVERYONE will slow down and let the crashed riders catch up. It is complicated.
If you have any other questions, I'd be very happy to answer them. As you can infer, I am very interested in this topic.
A couple of good crash videos:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6xFAoZTfkCE (caution: a little bit of BLOOD!)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qBE98Raljwo (No blood, lots of idiots)
And a good sprint by the aforementioned Mark Cavendish:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=frdU3_aKZNs
This is related to reading because I read about things like How to Avoid Crashes, How to Repair Your Bike, and How to Sprint Fast in lots of magazines. ;)
Next week, I might write about cheating in bicycling, which is very intense and complicated. It involves using steroids, blood transfusions, and many other things, so it should be interesting. Then I can ask a good question like: "what's your opinion on doping in sports?"
Although none of this will stick w/ me for more that like a minute...it was very educational. I didn't realize there was so much to biking. I thought it was just pedal and move your handle bars to keep from crashing...which obviously doesn't always work. haha
ReplyDeleteI like what karisa said. When I ride a bike all the vocab isn't going threw my head. The things going threw my head is just keep peadling. Avoid the potholes, avoid the rock... Don't fall!!!!
ReplyDeleteYou are so knowledgeable. I would write more, but it's 7:58 and I really need to finish commenting and stuff. :)
ReplyDeleteI can agree that falling is painful. When I was young I would wear shorts while biking, and after scraping the skin off my knees several times I have learned to wear blue jeans while participating in a wheel-based exercise.
ReplyDeleteMy dad used to go cycling all the time, so we would all watch the Tour de France every year. And when I was little, I thought all the guys on the U.S. Postal Service team MUST be mailmen, right? Cuz they're on the Postal Service team! When I found out that's not how it works, it was like finding out Santa isn't real. "Wait, they're not mailmen?..."
ReplyDeleteQuestion, what if you're, you know, like pushing 300 pounds and can't find a bike big enough for you? And don't be a baby about crashing your bike, your boo-boo will get better.
ReplyDeleteIf you can't find a big enough bike, you're not looking in the right place.
ReplyDeleteYou find me a bike big enough and I'll ride it. We should go to Lance Armstrong's shop. . .
ReplyDelete