How To - Position Changes

I've posted about how your optimal position is fluid - it's not a static thing, it moves around a bit. I shuffle my saddle position around a bit, mainly trying to optimize for whatever batch of races is coming up. For my A races I have the saddle a bit higher, for ultimate speed, and for the others I'll sometimes go lower. In the off season I almost always lower my saddle, partially to allow for the extra thickness of tights, but also because my pedaling needs change from rapid changes of pace to a more steady drawn out kind of thing. Think doing a 7 corner crits in the summer versus a two hour climb in the off season.

So saddle position isn't always constant. This holds true even for experienced pros.

I suppose one could make the argument that the pros have different positions on their time trial bikes versus their regular ones. For example you never see a team mechanic sawing the nose off of a regular road bike, but there are a lot of "modified" saddles on time trial rigs. Time trials favor a more forward position for all sorts of reasons. It's the position I adapt for my road bike when I'm approaching an A race because I can't take advantage of the sustained power a lower saddle gives the rider.

Even if you ignore the time trial bikes, pros will still change their position.

Bernard Hinault, towards the end of his career (he announced he'd retire when he was 32 and he did), fitted a one cm longer stem (and I think he dropped it a centimeter too) and went out and soloed to victory shortly thereafter in that year's Tour of Lombardia.

I posted in a thread about pro race predictions and confidently stated that we wouldn't be seeing Boonen at the top of any results sheets this year. What I didn't know was that he was changing in his approach to the year.

Significantly, at least in my eyes, he made some relatively radical position changes.

In fact he made a number of changes to his set up going into 2012. His saddle position went up a centimeter, he went with two centimeter narrower bars, his brake levers appear noticeably lower than in prior seasons (not "jacked" like before), and he, well, he did well for himself.

In fact he won four major one day races, two in field sprints, one in a three up sprint, and one solo.

He's won in every scenario possible. Okay, except when there are longer climbs. The short, punchy climbs are fine, the longer ones, not so much.

As I read about Boonen's latest victory, over and over and over and over, I kept thinking that I need to bake a cake that says "My Words" on it and eat it, because of my failed prediction that we wouldn't see Boonen win anything. He's basically won everything so far, about the most opposite of my prediction.

(Someone suggested making cupcakes as I'll have to make so many of these cakes. Thanks for the help.)

I'd beg forgiveness in my wildly wrong predictions. Had I known he was tuning his position, I might have predicted differently.

Now the other prediction I had was that Levi would win the Tour.

We'll see how that goes. I just hope that he fiddled with his position for 2012 also.

What kind of bike is that?

So Boonen really is being pushed towards being another Cipo with this Northwave ad. It's kind of like seeing a girl in a miniskirt except it's a guy, he's wearing armor, and holding a white bike shoe. He does have a very lost look about him. I don't know if they wanted him to do that or if that was the end result of people running around making him put on miniskirt armor, fluffing his hair a bit, and sticking a bright white shoe in his hands.

But I digress.

Yesterday at the airport I was lugging my bike, gear bag, and a regular rolling box bag around. When you do this, inevitably people point at you and make some comment, "oh I think he has a bike." or something like that.

I was checking in my bike ($65 extra) and the woman next to me leaned over to me.

"What kind of bike is that?"

Okay, I was a little tired, sleepy, but I looked at her with a blank face. How do you answer a question like that? It's so open-ended - she could have been a pro-cyclist or a totally clueless person. The bag itself says "BIKE" on it so it's pretty clear what's inside.

I could have answered, "It's a 10 speed." For the uninitiated, that means "road bike". For the initiated, it's a reasonably new bike that has a 10s rear wheel.

I could say "It's a road bike." I don't think that helps a lot of the uninitiated. I'd probably get a blank look, in which case I'd add, "You know, like Lance Armstrong." But then I'd have to explain that I don't ride like him. Gaunt face, aggressive pedaling, sort of a haunted look about him.

I could also be really technical about it and try and overwhelm the poor woman and make her think all cyclists are techno-snobs. "It's a Giant TCR with a mix of Campy Chorus and Record parts, FIR rims, Ritchey stem, a titanium seat, and Mavic bars."

But that wouldn't be good for cycling.

So I tried to take a safe route.

"The manufacturer name is Giant. I don't know if that helps."
"Oh, I have a Bianchi."

This is better.

"Oh, you're a cyclist. So you understand. It's a carbon Giant with Campy on it."
"Oh that's nice. You must have had good weather here."
And so on. A brief passing of two cyclists, then she left.

I was so tired I fell asleep while we were still at the gate. I kept popping awake when I felt movement as I love taking off (and landing). It's like driving or riding. Corners are fun. A long, straight road that stretches to the horizon? Not fun. Anyway each time I woke up with a start, the same grey pavement greeted my eyes.

After a few of these "starts" I looked around the cabin. People get upset when planes get delayed. Everyone looked calm though. I looked back outside.

The grey "pavement" was in fact clouds.

I looked at my watch. We'd taken off over an hour earlier.

I leaned my head back against the bulkhead and went back to sleep.