[bauerb]

When negotiating curves, he said, position your feet so that the pedal on the inside of the curve is down, with the outside pedal up (which keeps your weight balanced).

got to be a mis-quote:

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/19/fashion/19fitness.html

 

[Pablo]

NY Times = fail.

 

[robdamanii]

Interesting article. Weird to hear people refer to "Mr. Vaughters" or "Mr. Vande Velde."

 

[team_sheepshead]

Yep, that is a typo.

More interesting in that article is that Vaughters claims a cyclist has to spring for at least $1,500 for a race bike. Don't know about that. The best racing I ever did was on a $279 alu frame with old, 9-speed Ultegra and Mike Garcia wheels. Discuss.

 

[MR_GRUMPY]

Think about it. You're on the bell lap. You go into the final turn in front. What's gonna' happen when you purposely drag your inside pedal when it's slightly back?
Answer: Everybody thinks that you're gonna' crash, so they back off for an instant.

$1500 min. for a race bike......I agree.

 

[Dinosaur]

Did that once when I started riding with clipless pedals. Just once. Luckily I did not go down.

 

[jupiterrn]

I knew I was doing it wrong.

 

[MikeBiker]

That's good advice to give to those who you are racing against. Does he recommend greasing the brakes?

 

[BikeLV702]

What, you mean that shower of sparks doesn't show how cool I am?!

 

[handsomerob]

Yep, that is a typo.

More interesting in that article is that Vaughters claims a cyclist has to spring for at least $1,500 for a race bike. Don't know about that. The best racing I ever did was on a $279 alu frame with old, 9-speed Ultegra and Mike Garcia wheels. Discuss.

um... doing a little math here...

$279 for the frame
$600 for the group
$300 for the wheels

That puts you at $1179 before taxes, shipping, bars, stem, wrap, tires, tubes, seat post, saddle, and pedals. That is also assuming you already have all the other gear (helmet, shoes, shorts...etc.)

Don't get me wrong, I believe you could safely race a bike that cost less than <$1500. Even quite a bit less if you buy used. However, a NEW race worthy bike with decent (read - entry level) quality parts would run no less than about $700+tax before pedals, cyclometer, water bottles and cages... etc.

I don't want to sound like a bike snob but I am pretty sure no one wants to be in a pack of 30 or 40 riders negotiating a descent at 35+mph inches away from a guy on a Walmart bike.

 

[SilasCL]

Looks like they already fixed it:

When negotiating curves, he said, position your feet so that the pedal on the inside of the curve is up, with the outside pedal down (which keeps your weight balanced). “Don’t throw your bike from one corner to another,” he said. “Brake before the turn, and turn gradually, aiming for the apex.”

 

[mrchristian]

$1500? What kind of races are we talking about? I have done a couple criteriums and been pretty competitive on a $330 Bikesdirect special with a $200 Mavic wheelset. Granted we're talking CAT5, but it sounds like this article was geared toward more beginner
cyclists anyway. As long as it has good tires, fits and shifts correctly I am going to hold off buying a new bike.

Never trust a man wearing argile

 

[MarkS]

$1500? What kind of races are we talking about?

Never trust a man wearing argile

I would trust the man in argyle. I think what he said is eminently reasonable. Here is a longer quote:

FIRST, SPEND WISELY “If you want to race, you will have to spring for a $1,500 to $2,000” road racing bicycle, said Jonathan Vaughters, the manager for Mr. Vande Velde’s cycling team, which added a sponsor this week and is now called Team Garmin/Chipotle with H3O.

But don’t feel pressured to overbuy, Mr. Vaughters said. “The difference between a $500 bike and a $1,500 bike is huge,” he said. “The difference between a $1,500 bike and an $8,000 bike is very small.” Invest the saving in good-quality bike shorts with a firm, thick pad and a price tag north of $75. “That may be the best thing you can buy, in terms of comfort,” Mr. Vaughters said.

I don't have the time or inclination to do a search of all of the "I want advice on buying a good, entry level road bike" questions here on RBR. But, going from my memory of reading most of those posts over the past several years, I think that the price point that usually comes up is not too far from JV's $1500.

 

[Dr_John]

Then set about increasing your average wattage. Mr. Vande Velde does this by punctuating rides with five minute “power bursts,” dropping into a low gear, pushing his pedals as hard as he can, his wheels turning at his top sustainable watts and barely 50 revolutions per minute.

Drop to a lower gear to mash. Got it. Thanks NYTimes. I always that it was the other way around.