Bicycle Performance

Back in 2006 I biked to the Main Event Criterium in Po-town to watch real bicycle crazies in action. Despite the name, the course was literally around the blocks near the Poughkeepsie High & Middle Schools on Forbus St & College Ave: about 0.75 miles per lap.

Now, most places, folks give ‘bent riders a smile and maybe chat ’em up. Not here. Talk about a cold shoulder: the local-resident bystanders were friendly, but the real riders and their main squeezes obviously regarded my pimped-out recumbent as a Hostile Gesture. Barely even a sideways look; it’s as if I didn’t exist.

I timed a few laps of the Masters 40/50+ race: Olde Fartes like me, but still players. They did 15 laps (maybe a dozen miles) at 16-17 mph. Two guys duked it out for the lead all the way to the finish, with the rest of the pack half a lap behind and fading.

In my ordinary rides I can cover a dozen or so miles at 15-16 mph, riding with vigor but not an all-out, my-eyeballs-will-explode effort. That’s on open roads with actual hills, traffic signals, and no pace car to clear the way.

Obviously, I’m nowhere near their well-chiseled physical condition.

There’s no comparing the bikes, either.

They’re riding the latest carbon-fiber weight-weenie frames on exotic aero wheels with pitifully few spokes. One guy blew a tire with a bang that sounded like a gunshot.

I’m riding a steel-frame Tour Easy recumbent bicycle with a fairing, fat Kevlar-belted tires, tire liners, steel spokes (and lots of ’em), a rack, two baggage packs, a water bladder, ham radio, blinky lights, spare batteries, a tool kit, and fenders. Not to mention an aerobelly. Heck, my tool kit probably weighs more than their frame.

Imagine what they could do on real bikes…

Somebody mentioned that the TdF guys hit 70+ mph on downhills. I forebore to mention that the human-powered speed record is nearly 80 mph on the flats… I figured that would definitely be regarded as a Hostile Gesture.

[Update: a friend accused me of riding while carrying more smug than legally permitted, even for Prius drivers. Guilty as charged.

You’ll find more ‘bent posts by clicking on the “Recumbent Bicycling” category.]