I always assumed thinner road bike tires were the fastest.
But hey, the pros have known for a few years now that that’s not the case. Tests
have shown the 23 millimeter wide tire for a road bike isn’t as aerodynamic as
a slightly thicker one, a 25mm. The wider tire has less rolling resistance than
the thinner one, so it’s faster, and it handles better when leaning into turns.
By 2011, pro cycling teams had changed from 23mm to 25mm wide tires after
moving from the standard of 19mm a few years earlier. That adds up to a 30
percent increase in preferred tire width for pros over the last decade.
The difference between the 21-23mm tires and the 25s is the
contact point with the road, according to research by tire manufacturer
Schwalbe. The thinner tires have an elongated contact with the road, which
makes them lose roundness and slows them down. But the 25mm has a shorter and
wider contact point, which keeps the tire rounder, and tests show that makes it
roll better.
Serious amateur riders have reportedly followed the trend in
recent years, but an estimated 80 percent of road cyclists, me included, still
ride on 23mms. Once my current tires wear out, I’m going to give the 25mms a
shot. Plus, I’ve found pulling a 23mm tire over a rim on a tube changeout is a
mighty tough job that requires strong hands to do. So not only are the 25mms
faster, they’re easier to remount on your rims. Sold!
Amgen TOC opening notes
I was a volunteer course marshal for the Amgen Tour of
California’s first two stages in Sacramento and Nevada City. In Sacramento, the
pre race preparation of bikes for the riders was fun to check out. Saw newly
retired pro peloton and fan favorite Jens Voigt checking out the sweet looking
Cipollini bikes used by Axeon Cycling Team, which has a lot of up and coming
young riders assembled by Axel Merckx. Also saw race favorite Mark Cavendish
give a TV interview to NBCSN’s Steve Schlanger, while sitting on the steps of
his team bus. Cav won the opening race without much problem because of the
great work by his lead-out rider Mark Renshaw. But at the Lodi finish of the
second stage, he barely nudged out Peter Sagan in a photo finish. I didn’t know
it when I took a rider’s photograph at the Nevada City start, but when I looked
up the race number on the Drapac rider, I found it was Wouter Wippert, the young
Dutch sprinter for the Aussie team. I had never heard of him. But it turned out
Wippert finished third that day at the Lodi finish, just behind Cav and Sagan.
Though Wippert tweeted he was really disappointed he didn’t win, hey, his
fellow riders told him it was nothing to hang his head about. No kidding! He
also got second in the fourth stage sprint ending at Avila Beach, behind Sagan
and ahead of Cav. Not a bad showing at all for the up and comer. Look for him
in the final stage ending in the Rose Bowl.
Keeping the peace
As a course marshal at the Sacramento opening stage of the
Amgen TOC, I was impressed with how the local police so adeptly provided
security in the start/finish area around the state capitol. While their
presence could be seen just about everywhere, they were in no way intrusive of
the festive atmosphere among the crowd. They definitely have a tough job, and
do many weeks of planning their security strategy of the opening stage, as I
learned at an orientation session for course volunteers. Kudos to them.
After the start of the race in Sacramento, there was a
women’s pro race on a loop in the downtown area. One of my jobs was to keep
fans from trying to walk across the course at an intersection while the race
was on, since the riders flew by every five minutes or so. A man told me he
wanted to cross the course. I told him, no can do, since there’s a race going
on. Then he turned sarcastic and says, “Oh really, there’s a race going on
huh?” I just looked at him and then he says, “What about all those people on
the other side, how are they going to get across?”
“They’ll wait til the end of the race, then they can cross,”
I said.
Dude huffed and puffed, and walked away. I let the very big and
tall security guy standing behind me know that this fan was a bit on the
belligerent side, just so he knew.
“He gives you any more static and I’ll take care of it,” he
said, with menace in his voice.
Hey, no problem!
Every other fan I encountered that day when I told them they
couldn’t cross, were fine with it. They were just there to enjoy the scene,
which was upbeat with the high energy PA announcer, background music piped
through the speakers, chicken, pork and sausages grilling on a big barbecue
near the finishing line, sending up a hungry making smoky aroma, and the
colorful international collection of pro riders flying through on a fine sunny
day. Great to be there.
Old meets new
At the Nevada City start, the riders pulled up to the narrow
start line right next to people on the sidewalk. It struck me how calm these
young guys are, just before heading off on the physical challenge of a
120-mile, wind heavy ride to Lodi, and on the morning after riding the 126.2
mile opening stage in Sacramento. To them, it’s just a day at the office. But
their office time involves the energy required to stay in the peloton, or the
extra effort of riders in breakaways. And when there’s a crash, it becomes a
really tough day at the office.
A man said a few words of inspiration on the PA system, then
played on a horn, a brilliant, plaintive rendition of the national anthem. I
couldn’t see him, but I think the horn was a trombone. It prompted one pro rider
to take off his helmet and hold it over his heart like a baseball player before
a game. Looking up Broad Street in the cool morning sun and hearing the anthem
notes from the horn, it felt like an Old West setting for the pro peloton, an
interesting mix of the bygone past and the ultra modernism of professional
cycling. A great moment.
While everybody took pictures as the pros rode through, it
struck me that sometimes, instead of a taking a photo, it’s better just to see
the scene and take it all in. There may not be a photo to go back and look at,
but it’ll be in your mind, filed among your memories.
Til next time, remember to strap on a helmet every time you
get on the bike. Then make sure to keep the rubber side down, ride safely, and
most importantly, have a blast.
-- Mark Eric Larson
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