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Things
People Do On A Friday
By Rob English
 Ever
since I first saw a Bike Friday® in Bicycling® years ago I wanted one.
Last year I found myself employed as a bike designer/engineer/racer for Yellowbike.com®
(recumbents) in Massachusetts, so I thought while I was in the States and had
the means, it was time to get myself that fancy folding bicycle, traveling with
a full size bike is just too much hassle. So I got my Rocket
a week before leaving for Oz last Christmas. Did a few hundred miles down under
in two weeks. The bike got packed and unpacked numerous times, and I even rode
to Sydney Airport, using the trailer for the first time (complete with didgeridoo
strapped on top!). Got lots of questions about the bike riding in Centennial Park
in Sydney.
In February I took a trip to California, primarily to race my Yellowbike®
in the 'Cherry Pie Criterium' (I won the HPV race, lapping the field twice), but
I grabbed the Rocket suitcase too as I went out the door, and used it in the Cat
3 race as a warm-up (12th in the bunch sprint after repeatedly trying to get away),
as well as for training the days before - got to ride it over the Golden Gate
Bridge (always wanted to do that), down Lombard street, and up Mount Tamalpais
- bit of a pilgrimage for me since I got into cycling through mountain biking
12 years ago.
Back to the cold briefly, then my next HPV racing appointment was in Florida in
March, for the first HPRA event of the year. I shipped my Yellowbike® Baron
down to race in the superstock category, then rode 80 miles to the airport in
a snowstorm, dragging the trailer with my racing kit and camping gear, on the
Pocket Rocket, to fly down myself. The case was filthy when I checked it in! But
reassembled the other end it was pleasant to ride in the sunshine and warmth and
put the tent up. The racing was at a velodrome, and since I had the Rocket there
I decided to use it for the Stock races so I could race two classes. At the end
of the day I had won all ten events I had entered. This was where I first saw
how quick the Bike Friday® was in a drag race - the small wheels and upright
position (relative to a recumbent) means very rapid acceleration. I spent a further
five days training on the Rocket down in Florida - very flat and very windy, and
not very nice roads, won't be going again I don't think. But I clocked a further
400 miles or so.
I took Bike Friday® back to the UK with me in June, when I returned for a
friends wedding, and left it there ready for the World HPV champs in August -
I wanted it as a warm-up and pit bike. So Sam Whittingham (the fastest man in
the world - 80mph in the fully faired Varna in Nevada last October) and I headed
to Brighton, representing Yellowbike® at the IHPVSC 2001. We mostly raced
our Yellowbike® Barons, but when it was drag race day we both felt that we
could go a lot quicker on the Rocket. It was about 70m distance, 3 up in the heats,
then two riders from the quarter finals on. Sam and I took turns using the bike,
and it was almost embarrassingly easy as we cruised through the heats - most recumbents
aren't very quick off the line. It was looking increasingly likely that we would
both make the final - we would probably have just taken our bike shoes off and
run instead, since we couldn't both race the Rocket at the same time. But German
Martin Schroferl (riding a custom Razz Fazz carbon HPV - about 16 lbs., and he
had put special gearing on for the drags, and removed the tailbox etc) got the
jump on me in the semis and beat me by half a wheel to meet Sam in the final.
Since Sam is a track sprinter he knows how to jump, and saw off Martin in the
final. So Team Yellowbike® and my trusty Rocket got 1st and 3rd anyway.
I left the Rocket at home in the UK when I went back stateside. At the end of
August I won the North American HPV champs in Montreal, riding the Yellowbike®,
before leaving the US for the time being. I had a month at home, which culminated
in helping Southport CC win the team prize at the national hill climb championship
(my first national medal), this was riding my OCLV race bike - at 15 lbs. it is
just a little lighter than the 22 lbs. Rocket.
But now I find myself and the trusty Bike Friday® in Japan, where I have been
since the start of November. Before I left I fitted Gore Ride-On gear and rear
brake cables to the bike - made an incredible difference, very smooth easy shifts.
The riding here is amazing - hundreds of tiny little roads in the hills with no
traffic and awesome scenery. There are some pictures up on my web
site if you fancy a look. The bike is still doing sterling service, though
the rear tire is wearing very rapidly now it is my only bike. I even had a competitive
outing in early December - an end of season local hill climb time trial. It attracted
75 riders, which was surprising considering I have only seen three others out
here. But it did include some local team riders on rather fancy machinery. I didn't
know what to expect, but I like hills, so went out and had a go on the 5.5 mile
course. I managed to win by 43 seconds in 21.51, setting a new course record,
so I was pretty pleased.
Keep the strain on the chain,
Rob English, e-mail: rob@Yellowbike.com
www.geocities.com/rje56/ |
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