MetaFilter posts tagged with cycle

Reasons to wear a helmet

Toekneesan — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 08:54:41 -0800

The world's worst bike lanes according to readers of the Guardian. The Flickr group where readers submitted their candidates.

To the edge of human endurance, and beyond

filthy light thief — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 15:52:09 -0800

Jure Robič raced on bicycles in his hometown in Slovenia, skilled enough to race with small Slovene teams but nothing professionally, supporting himself with a sales job for a bike-parts dealer. It was with the death of his mother in 1997 and his subsequent depression that Robič discovered his calling: ultra-endurance cycle races, in which he competes with a methodical madness. (1 page print version, via). About ten years ago, a friend of his suggested he train for the Crocodile Trophy in 1999. Robič finished third, with 2 stage wins. In October of 2001, Robič completed a 24 hour time trial and covered 803.5 km (499.3 miles), and also qualification for Race Across America (RAAM). A year later, he quit his job and volunteered to join the Slovene military, undergoing nine months of intensive combat training (he surprised his unit with his penchant for late-night training runs). He earned a coveted spot in the sports division, which exists solely to support the nation's top athletes. For Robič, the post meant a salary of 700 euros (about $850) a month and the freedom to train full time. Robič continued with cycle racing, and his results continued to climb, placing second in the Crocodile Trophy in 2001 and 2002, 3rd place in Race Across the Alps in 2002, covering 550km and a 13500 meter ascent in 23:39.33 (the winner, Paul Lindner, made it in 22:47.25). In 2003, he dominated the men's solo category of the Silberreiher-Trophy 24 hour race, covering 911 km in 23h 41 min. He set the official European record at 2004 Kraftwerk Trophy - Krems Austria 24h road race, getting 1st place for covering 974,4km in 24 hours. 2003 was the year Jure Robič placed 2nd in the Race Across America, traveling from the 2921.7 miles from San Diego, CA to Atlantic City, NJ in around 9 days, losing to Allen Larsen's time of 8 days 23 h 36 min. Robič went on to get first in RAAM in 2004, 2005, 2007, and 2008. In 2005, he also got first place in Le Tour Direct, which is also known as Tour de France in one stage and that name tells it all. Instead of tackling the route in sections, it's covered in one continuous go, all 4,022 km (2,500 miles) and 47,000 m (~140,000 feet) of climbing at once, first one there wins, whatever it takes. For Robič, that's a craziness of the most literal sort, and it's re-shaping the understanding of human limits. As told in the New York Times article linked above the break:

The craziness is methodical, however, and Robic and his crew know its pattern by heart. Around Day 2 of a typical weeklong race, his speech goes staccato. By Day 3, he is belligerent and sometimes paranoid. His short-term memory vanishes, and he weeps uncontrollably. The last days are marked by hallucinations: bears, wolves and aliens prowl the roadside; asphalt cracks rearrange themselves into coded messages. Occasionally, Robic leaps from his bike to square off with shadowy figures that turn out to be mailboxes. In a 2004 race, he turned to see himself pursued by a howling band of black-bearded men on horseback. ‘‘Mujahedeen, shooting at me,’’ he explains. ‘‘So I ride faster.’’ ... He is not always the fastest competitor (he often makes up ground by sleeping 90 minutes or less a day), nor does he possess any towering physiological gift. On rare occasions when he permits himself to be tested in a laboratory, his ability to produce power and transport oxygen ranks on a par with those of many other ultra-endurance athletes. He wins for the most fundamental of reasons: he refuses to stop.

Research into fatigue and exhaustion initially assumed that it was the muscles themselves that reached their limit, but more recent studies have shown mental fatigue can affect physical endurance, though the definition and sources for muscle fatigue are complex, making studies of fatigue complex to say the least.

It's not your dad's bicycle.

maudlin — Wed, 28 May 2008 05:07:59 -0800

If Wile E. Coyote entered the Tour de France, this would be his ride. Brought to you by some guy who always wanted to be a human missile. No word if he's going to move from eBay to Acme one day. (The bike running briefly at ear-shredding volume. The slightly more elegant European version. And, of course, Jeremy Clarkson on a jet-powered bike with a pretty basket in front.)

Obi-Wan Can Drive My Car

fandango_matt — Thu, 01 Jun 2006 16:46:58 -0800

Star Wars cars: Obi-Wan's Honda, Luke's X-Wing Truck, and the TIE Cycle.

better look where you're going

handee — Mon, 04 Jul 2005 08:10:19 -0800

Cyclists face all sorts of hazards. But as the Warrington Cycle Campaign's cycle facility of the month feature shows, sometimes the well meaning local authority provision can be more dangerous than other road users. all links to Warrington Cycle Campaign are coral cache links.

So are we at high tide or low tide?

furtive — Fri, 08 Apr 2005 21:29:09 -0800

Fossil records show Biodiversity comes and goes in a 62 million year cycle. The analysis, performed by researchers with the U.S. Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and UBC, has withstood thorough testing so that confidence in the results is above 99-percent.

Calm...normal...elevated...cation...panic

gottabefunky — Tue, 18 Nov 2003 09:35:57 -0800

PMS Alert 1.0 A system-tray reminder of where things stand. Read a simple scale of five colors to get the likelihood of mood swings. Get a real-time estimation of fertility. Pick a date off the calendar to get a quick forecast of what's to come. Store custom notes to go along with each day in the cycle. Get reminders when conditions are changing. Even get reminders of her next birthday and anniversary.

phalkin — Sun, 10 Feb 2002 16:54:03 -0800

Lo! Behold the power of the internet!
That'll teach the guy to put sharply-worded messages on his own property. The nerve of some people.