Velochimp: Astrochimp on Cycling

Relive the stage 4 crash where 80% of the field went down in the wet conditions.

A racer wants to know only one thing. Win first, bike second, your own injury third.

(Lance Armstrong crash)

2009 seems to be the year of the crash. Not only in the pro ranks but in the Weekend Warriors ranks of lowly Cat 3, 4 and 5. Look at top pro racers such as Lance Armstrong, Scott Nydam, Cameron Evans and David Impey crashing and sustaining injuries from severe to usually collarbone. Even twitter cycling heartthrob Liz Hatch suffered a tough crash in a training ride.

(Adam Zimmerman)

In my local scene my Maxpowercycling teammate Adam Zimmerman crashed at Tour of Battenkill. A crash that was captured in Bicycling magazine’s videos.

(watch 3 minutes into the video)

Read more about the race at NY Velocity.com

Another teammate crashed twice last week in Binghamton and now needs a new frame. This weekend at Hollenbecks Jason Van Staveren had to be airlifted from the top of Parker Rd. after a tough crash.

This is a tough and dangerous sport, but I cannot remember so many crashes happening at all levels of the sport at such a concentrated time. What could be the cause of all these mishaps? Are we racing to aggressively? Are there so many noobs out on the road with poor handling skills that cause these crashes? Is the sport of triathlon with these strong but not technically astute racers a cause for concern. I’ve ridden with many triathletes who have the speed, but not the skill to ride in a fast moving group. Riding next to some of these riders was a scary situation. I would try to keep far away from some triathletes turned road racers.

Perhaps people are getting into cycling today without learning the proper pack riding techniques. Or it could be a bunch of bad luck culminating into one concentrated time. Whatever the cause, keep it sane when riding out there and always keep the rubber side down.

A view of Levi Leipheimer’s crash yesterday at the Tour of California. Just goes to show that you should always watch the wheel in front of you no matter what. Looks like Levi is OK after that crash since he reported that the pain went away and he was able to finish the stage with the main group.

(not my knee, this belongs to Colavita-Spokepost.com teammate Jason Haight)

First race of the season, first getting dropped of the season, hopefully the last. When Phil and Paul refer to pro cyclist as “turn their legs in anger” it is not much of an exaggeration. You have to have a little extra spark when racing. I was anxious to get that feeling back in my system very soon which is why I ventured out to the Rochester Giros.

Doing your first race is a jolt to the system, and it is even more of a jolt when you join in a six race series on the last race. Oh well, no more excuses. I did get to throw my body into “race pace” for the first time this year and it felt painful, but I am glad to get that experience out of the way so I can get ready for the next race.

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