As much as I love the greater part of the new technology in cycling (wouldn’t think of going for a fast ride on my old bikes…just love the new performance level), the classic rides of the past loom large in my cycling soul. Having had all my formative years in the bike racing world when the revered names in fast veloville were actually a guys you could go and see (with the super stars being Italian), I will always treasure and appreciate the times when the men whose names were on the frame actually had passion for what they were doing.

Unlike all the big concerns today where the word passion is merely a collection of letters the promo agencies tell them to use in their adverts, the industry was alive with the real deal. Today with nearly all the names so common in the peleton, the prime concern is marketing and mark-up. When I see how cheap some of these companies get their bikes/frames made, it makes me mental. How hands-on can you get when you’re making tens or hundreds of thousands of frames a year?

As I’ve spent time with a number of the top Italian builders I can say that the one trait they all shared was that they believed their product was the best there was. From the inception of my current business I have endeavoured to carry this forward to at least offer riders a true personal cycling experience.

It is well known that much of the product from this older era of cycling has become quite collectible and thus there are many collectors that have emerged. In my own geographical area there is one fellow, who although having started late in the cycling game, has amassed quite a collection and indeed quite a name because of  his wheeled world. Fritz Durenberger spent years collecting and racing classic Alfa Romeos and many, many Italian small displacement GP style motor bikes such as Ducati, Parilla and Moto Morini. Now his ensemble of cycles  is rampant with deliciously desirable racing bikes from the Sixties through the Eighties, the pinnacle of handbuilt, old world performance bikes, a combination of artistry and engineering.

I recently restored a 1969 Cinelli Super Corsa for one of our new bike customers. While the gentleman had thousands of miles on this olde steed (including numerous trips to the mountains of Europe) he knew that one of these new machines we do would bring back some of the minutes on the climbs that advancing age had taken away. As his Cinelli (that he collected new from Cinelli’s shop) was a rare candy red example, I mentioned that this fellow Fritz had an even more rare candy green version dating from 1975. I actually had restored that one too. I suggested it would be fun to bring his bike as well as my own 1962 (also rare) black Super Corsa for an evening a la casa del Fritz for a Cinelli rendezvous. At the same time he could check out the time warp rides.

Things were sorted out and we all (his cycle enthusiast son also attended) gathered at Fritz’s place for a lovely nostalgic evening of appreciation. While his collection is some eighty odd machines, a remarkable percentage of them came from my old bike shop,  so for me a visit is a real deja vu and always a pleasurable one.

Down to the business at hand we got the three Cinellis together for a ‘family’ photo as seen below.

Not entirely original parts wise but classic nevertheless and a pleasant change from the ubiquitous dull, dull dreadfully dull silver. Cinellis were the first really good bike I ever heard of and although few riders of any repute ever used one racing, where I grew up they were the deal. In fact my first real Italian steed was to be a very rare salmon pink Super Corsa. The photo below shows me in the 1976 Gastown GP  (wearing the red/green jersey) getting around the soft pedaling maggot in gray who was doing nothing but slowing the break. The Cinelli was a good stable bike for that tight course…didn’t matter though, we got caught and I didn’t win a nickel.

Several of my own personal bikes from the past had found their way into this lot including my first DeRosa which was also the first DeRosa sold in western Canada. In the photo below you can see the red diamond stay DeRosa beside the red/white Cunningham which was the first bike I ever built in 1985. As well, you can see a candy red, pantographed Olmo my shop sold in the early eighties.

I raced that DeRosa for the first part of the 1980 season bit I was disappointed with the excess flex in the frame while climbing. It would actually flex enough that the (Campag) chainset would scrape the front changer…..kinda weird. Swapped it for a Pinarello I had hanging on a hook and was immediately smitten. Wuddarock. Again this was to be the first of its type sold in my end of the country as no one had heard of Pinarellos at that time. It would lead to a great relationship with Giovanni Pinarello and we sold nearly 500 units over the years. It even became the ride of choice for our Cicli Forza team at the time.

Not to be dismayed by a less than satisfactory DeRosa performance, I ordered a track frame from him on a visit to his shop some years later. I tell this story because it underlines my belief in the importance of custom. frame fit in many cases.

DeRosa’s shop was in the (very large) basement of his house at that time and while there on road bike biz, I requested a track frame for myself. When his son measured my arm length and passed it on to a pen-in-hand Ugo, he said, ‘di nuovo’ (again) not believing the long length Christiano had given him. My verbal impression of a chimp caused all to laugh and Ugo jotted the number down on his sheet.

When the bike finally arrived I could tell he didn’t believe anyone my height would have such arms and it came too short, even with a 13cm stem it was still cramped as can be seen in the pic:

While that pink beastie rode very well…we even won that particular Madison that evening….it was put on the block. Bit of a pity as it was a solid, beautiful frame…..but me back bloody hurt!! So I made one just for me.

Anyway…its late now and I’m knackered so this is ‘end of part one’. Couple of cool bikes in the next installment…check back.

No doubt those who frequent this site of late have noticed the attention I give to the efforts and indeed results, of some of our new Canadian track riders.

I love the track. It is fast. It is intense. It is absolutely the purest form of cycling. No gears to change. No brakes to slow progress. No weather to get in your way. Simply a rider and his/her vehicle. You want to go faster…simply pedal faster….or at least try. The thrill of pedaling around a steep banking with the G forces actually pulling the blood out of your brain and your body and bike nearly parallel to the ground (and you are the motor) has got to be one of the biggest thrills you could ever have cycling.

Were it not for the fact that I am such a slow twitch I consider myself no twitch, I would have immersed myself much further in the ‘left turn only’ discipline. Not to say I didn’t spend my time at it. I’ve ridden hundreds of races and thousands of miles on velodromes. Its just that when you can’t sprint to save your life, you don’t win much. Although, I did manage wins in Madison races where I could be sure to throw my partner in for the sprints………sigh.

Back in the Seventies my old coach said if you want to be a good bike rider, you must ride the track. It was hard to argue because at that time Mr Merckx was setting heights never again to reached in full domination of the sport. Not content to wipe the slate in road cycling, he often rode the Sixes in the winter where he would amass a total of some 19 wins. As well, on an almost last minute decision, he raced for the World Hour Record at the Mexico Olympic velodrome. His result would actually never be beaten (at least so far) if  one considers what he rode and wore. ie no aero helmet, wool shorts, no shoe covers etc etc. Even Chris Boardman stated before his non ’sillybike’ attempt, that his helmet alone would give him more then enough to beat Eddy’s distance….all else being equal.

Then I saw my friends like Ron Hayman and Alex Steida use their prowess gained from their track laps to be Canadians at the sharp end of Belgian cycling as amateurs. While neither were what you would called real road sprinters, the track had boosted their technical skill and sprint tactics to allow both, dozens of sprint wins. Ron would go on to win major events like the Tour of Ireland and Alex of course, would be the first North American to take the TdF Yellow Jersey. “Be like a fish,” coach Norman Hill would tell us. Trouble with me was I’d fish my way to the front, then drown.

The track is to me, is a cross between the fitness required to be a bike racer and the focus on immediate strength for a few seconds, of a weight-lifter. Those moments when you are bench pressing some almighty weight and it stalls and it seems like it just never going to get to the top. To me this absolutely parallels how long a 200 metre track can seem when you’ve got one lap to go and you are unraveling like Tiger Wood’s life is lately. The track can simply teach you to suffer in a way the road can’t.

If we look at many of the TdF’s top riders in recent years we can see so many that have track cycling as a background. Nearly all the Aussies are dromo kings. Jan Ullrich was track man in his early days. The ever durable Eric Zabel not only collected Green Jerseys like a madman but he rode and won many Six Day bike races in the winter season. And now look at multi gold medal winner on the boards, Bradly Wiggins. First real year in the pro road scene…..not too shabby.

After racing on the track, the action in the craziest crit still appears to be in slow motion. The Madison especially requires such concentration and speed at the same time that nothing in the velo world compares. If you lose a half length when the field is on the rivet at the track…you are probably dropped. Sayonara baby! Any that have participated in this most refined of cycle sports will concur, I have no doubt. For those that haven’t and you have a track anywhere near you, GO AND RIDE IT AND LEARN. You WILL be a better bike rider. For those hard core bikers that want to take a cycling vacation, instead of taking  a trip to some Alp infested area, why not go to a town where there’s a good track facility and take their beginners program and step into a new world of pedaling magic.

If road is the life of cycling, track is the sex.

On Sunday December 13 at a velodrome in Cali, Colombia, three Canadian women pedaled their bicycles for 3000 metres faster than any other competitors to win the Gold Medal at the World Cup Event in that country. The efforts of Stephanie Roorda, Tara Whitten and Laura Brown were enough to dispense with the next best team from the United States and indeed all the rest including major cycling nations like France and Italy.

While races are won and lost every day, this result holds something of a special nature in that it came from a long considered ’second string’ cycling nation. Canada is a huge country geographically and the logistics of developing a winning team are massive when compared to most of those first string nations. Consequently while Canada has much talent, the sheer size of the place (not to mention the unfavourable weather conditions for much of the year) make it a momentous job to raise the performance level.

About two years ago Canada was blessed with arrival of one Richard Wooles, a Welshman who had been working with the UCI in Switzerland before coming across the pond to land on Canada’s west coast.

Although only now just 38 years old, Richard’s cycling credentials are impressive. Starting to race at a young age, he rose through the GB ranks to be one of the better amateurs and before heading to a lengthy racing career in the French cycling world. He would as well, represent his country at such events as the Commonwealth Games and World Championships. Later he worked with the British Federation in rider development.

Richard is precisely what Canada needed. He has become the catalyst to bring the entire cycling program forward. From his years as a hard man in races where its simply one attack after the other (it is often said that top level amateur racing is HARDER than the pros because everyone wants to be seen), to his years in guiding new talent, he is fully cognizant of the detail and ‘no excuses’ mindset required for success.

Richards new home is a country where cycling is massively short of funds both at a Provincial and a National level. Its a double irony that the country must be so huge as well, escalating travel to anywhere. Again, Richard’s belief and passion have brought many people forward to assist with either funding or hands-on assistance. I have now unofficially dubbed him the ‘Sorcerer’. His magic is now being seen.

I’ve been around this game for along time and without doubt Richard is the best man for the job in decades…..if not ever. I for one shall continue my support in whatever way I can muster for him and his program.

He is creating a new Canadian cycling history at every turn….and I suspect it won’t stop here.

Richard chatting up the gals pre-ride.

We’re just starting to work on a couple of new bike projects that will kind of fun and interesting.

The first is for a former member of the Canadian Women’s Road Team. The girl is not only an accomplished cyclist, Canadian lightweight female bodybuilder winner, winner of several World Championships in dog showing but is also a bit of a fighter plane nut. Like a lot of Canadians, she is proud of Canada’s accomplishment in designing and building the Avro Arrow some fifty years ago. The plane was by far the most advanced of its type in the world. This, much to the chagrin of the Americans who pressured the Canadian government of the time to abandon this glorious interceptor. If they couldn’t have it, neither could we. Might of helped in ‘Nam…

Avro Arrow

Our mission is to now create a paint scheme for her new bike that will use styling cues that will trigger thoughts of this famous plane. It will also be extra interesting as the bike is a 47 centimetre and will be Campagnolo Super Record equipped with Reynolds MV 32T UL wheels which is gonna make his thing LIGHT!…and tough. I’ll post pics on the website as it progresses.

The other bike is the long end of the scale. This is for Rob Mulder who won two National titles in the Masters division  on the velodrome. Rob is 6′5″, about 235 and strong. When we were racing the track some ten years ago, I could sit behind him in a sprint at 65+kph because it was like drafting a bus, but I could never get my wheel around him all the way….no way. The big thing is going to be making it light while keeping it strong and stiff enough. We’re using the Deda EM2 with a heavier gauge downtube. These EM2 frames have had nothing but perfect reports on stability and stiffness but  Rob will be the highest weight/height/strength combo so far. Looks like it’ll have a SRAM Red group with our new Claymore 1600gm clincher wheels. What will also be interesting is that Rob is a magician with carbon fibre fabrication. He’s repaired dozens of broken and de-laminating bicycle frames so seeing get back on a (at least partial) metal ride is novel.

Again stay tuned for pictures and ultimately a riders report.