Commodore Dennis Robinson has been tweaking his P-38 Lightning recumbent over the past several years. He’s added lighter wheels, lighter tires, a lighter carbon crank set, and lighter more fluid pulleys. He even lightened his own corpus to gain more speed to challenge his Lightning squadron and brash upright bike riders who refuse to acknowledge the recumbent rider as their equal.
After all his lightening of the Lightning, Dennis saw the light. He abandoned his beloved P-38 and purchased a titanium Bacchetta Aero recumbent with a molded carbon fiber seat.
Now, I thought, “this is very cool. Let’s ride out to Kent on Tuesday afternoon, meet up with Dennis, and check out his new wheels.”
To get to Kent, I chose the most direct route from my house. I rode up Van Brocklin Road to Pearl City Road and turned left on the smooth new tarmac surface. The wind appeared to be out of the north, but now I was rolling quite nicely west towards Pearl City.
After about two and a half miles, I turned north on Rink Road and followed that up to Dublin Road. Turning left on Dublin I was in the gravel for about four miles. This was fluffy sandy stuff with only sparse sections of hard pack. But this is a scenic section of Dublin Road-- an undulating terroir unseen by most riders on road bikes.
After crossing over Route 73, Dublin Road becomes a nice blacktop surface and stays that way for another four and a third miles until one arrives at the corner of Kent and Sunnyside Roads.
Turning right into a stiff northerly wind on Sunnyside Road, I began to wonder if Dennis had left his clinic in Stockton. The wind was howling me deaf, so I pulled out the cell phone and stuck it in my ear. Just then, I saw the Commodore up ahead.
We exchanged pleasantries and decided to ride south through Kent down to Goldmine Road. But I was eager to feel the weight of the Titanium Bacchetta (Italian for stick or rod), so we stopped in front of Fannucan’s Tavern. As I lifted it up, I was completely amazed at this new breed of recumbent. It felt lighter than my Trek 2100.
I now began to sense what lay ahead on the road home. “Lighter Dennis with big long powerful legs on super slippery light bent seeks upright for dinner.”
Off we went over the big rollers down Kent Road. No matter I was running a 50 tooth chain ring versus his 55. This guy was well and truly gone. And gone he stayed for the next five miles over Goldmine Road until our Commodore pulled up at Flack Road and condescended to ask me for a screwdriver so he could make an adjustment.
And it didn’t make any difference that I was carrying the extra weight of tools on my 2100. This titanium rod was very hot indeed—hot and slippery like a knife thru butta.
Things tamed as we resumed our roll down Goldmine to Pearl City. Just like old times on our P-38s, our Commodore was becoming affable again. We turned left and headed east on Pearl City Road into the afternoon go-home traffic. Dennis suggested we detour off Pearl City Road onto Babbs Grove Road.
As we turned north into the wind, the Commodore again laid down the gauntlet. Now, I was shouting after him that I might have ridden “Bump n Jam” rather than endure such ill treatment. We rounded the corner and headed east. The wind was still hard at us, but Dennis let me catch him. Now, I anxiously anticipated what was coming a mile up the road. Babbs Grove Hill is a short thigh stabbing grade, and I was certain the Commodore intended to drive his titanium stick into my legs.
On this quick steep climb, I was barely able to stay on his wheel. Over the top, the “T- Rod” shot ahead down the long eastern slope. This attack, I thought, was not even worthy of a response.
Again, the Commodore let me catch up. And as we rejoined the smooth surface of Pearl City road, I thought I might tuck into a draft on his wheel. Here was my most troubling discovery.
I found myself fighting to find any sort of shelter. There was no draft to be had behind this slippery stick. The narrow width and slick bottom surface of his carbon fiber seat erased any hint of drag.
Equally disturbing was that the Commodore’s “T-Rod” could draft along on my wheel without so much as his rotating the peddles.
That, folks, was my first experience riding with a Bacchetta Aero. I admonish anyone desiring to test the metal of the Commodore and his “T-Rod.” If you are a seasoned rider on board a Trek Madone or some other professional grade velo, consider your odds even. If not, hang back with the rest of us mortals in the safety and comfort of the pelaton. Your place in the “old school” shall remain welcomed and secure.
Monday, April 30, 2007
Wednesday, April 25, 2007
Classic Cobbles
Can a banker, chiropractor and computer systems manager enjoy a week at the Spring Classics in Belgium & Northern France? You bet.
Ron Mattson, who owns the Freeport Bicycle Company and manages the digital world at the Monroe Clinic emailed his conclusions to Cycleupperleft.
"See attached pic of the 50+ miles of pave I road over without any issues or flats (Bontrager race lite 700x25 tires/tubes), Bontrager Race lite carbon fork, SRAM Rival groupo (didn't miss a shift). I saw hundreds of people fixing flats & bikes. My hands are still healing up but I love the cobbles! We road over 500 miles for the week.
The pros are out of this world!"
Ron and his buddies, Bob Kenneke and Mark Wright tickled the cobbles, and they tickled back.
Ron Mattson, who owns the Freeport Bicycle Company and manages the digital world at the Monroe Clinic emailed his conclusions to Cycleupperleft.
"See attached pic of the 50+ miles of pave I road over without any issues or flats (Bontrager race lite 700x25 tires/tubes), Bontrager Race lite carbon fork, SRAM Rival groupo (didn't miss a shift). I saw hundreds of people fixing flats & bikes. My hands are still healing up but I love the cobbles! We road over 500 miles for the week.
The pros are out of this world!"
Ron and his buddies, Bob Kenneke and Mark Wright tickled the cobbles, and they tickled back.
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
Dusting Off April
It is Easter week, and we’ve had a string of sunny weather in the Upper Left Hand Corner of Illinois. That’s the good news.
We’ve also been hovering in the 30s, and the cold winds have been very strong and gusty out of the northwest. So, we riders have been seeking shelter.
There are many paved cycling roads in the Upper Left, and most are exposed to the wicked blows in early spring. Thankfully, we have plenty of good scenic gravel roads carved through the hills. These are shadowed by trees bordering creeks and brushy fence rows.
To escape the ugly winds, I spent three days in the dusty gravel on my Trek 2100. And I’m happy to report that my Bontrager Race Lite 700x25 tires have performed fantastically on the rocky surface.
Although rounded on the edges and flat in the center, they’re extremely tough and easy to control. A mountain bike with big knobbies is a boring blunderbuss by comparison. I took the leap of faith, stayed off the brakes, and let the Race Lites roll!
So here’s our dusty trail out of Highland Community College. Head west on Pearl City Road to Van Brocklin Road. For safety’s sake, always stay to the right of the fog line as you ride on Pearl City Road.
Turn left and head south on Van Brocklin. At the next corner, turn right and continue on Van Brocklin to Burr Oak Road. Turn right on Burr Oak and ride the gravel west across Bolton Road until Burr Oak tees up to Voss Road.
Turn left on Voss Road and ride south past Don and Janey’s Arabian horse farm. Around the corner, Voss Road becomes Kermit Road. Follow that back east to Bolton Road and good old blacktop.
Turn right on Bolton Road and ride across Yellow Creek. After the creek und the curve, turn right on Loran Road and follow that up the hill. At South Voss Road, you’ll be back on the gravel again. Try to stay off the brakes and pick a line where you can avoid large rocks and clusters of small ones.
Loran Road meanders along the south bank of Yellow Creek. The countryside is lovely along this stretch as you ride high above the creek over to Mill Grove Road. Turn right on Mill Grove, and now you’re on a chip sealed surface as you loop back across Yellow Creek up through the Owl’s Glen.
At the top of the hill, you’ll tee into Block Road. Turn right, and follow Block past the Emerald Acres Campground over two nice rollers up to Pearl City Road. Turn right on Pearl City Road, and remember to watch for heavy traffic. Just after the left-hand curve, turn right again on Voss Road and gravel.
Follow Voss Road back to Kermit Road and east to the Bolton blacktop. Turn right on Bolton Road and left on Van Brocklin Road before you cross Yellow Creek. Ride back up Van Brocklin to the stop sign. Turn left and follow Van Brocklin north to Pearl City Road. Turn right and ride east back to Highland College.
Our route has taken us nearly twenty miles. We’ve dusted our tires, honed our bike handling skills and are ready to head for Paris-Roubaix.
We’ve also been hovering in the 30s, and the cold winds have been very strong and gusty out of the northwest. So, we riders have been seeking shelter.
There are many paved cycling roads in the Upper Left, and most are exposed to the wicked blows in early spring. Thankfully, we have plenty of good scenic gravel roads carved through the hills. These are shadowed by trees bordering creeks and brushy fence rows.
To escape the ugly winds, I spent three days in the dusty gravel on my Trek 2100. And I’m happy to report that my Bontrager Race Lite 700x25 tires have performed fantastically on the rocky surface.
Although rounded on the edges and flat in the center, they’re extremely tough and easy to control. A mountain bike with big knobbies is a boring blunderbuss by comparison. I took the leap of faith, stayed off the brakes, and let the Race Lites roll!
So here’s our dusty trail out of Highland Community College. Head west on Pearl City Road to Van Brocklin Road. For safety’s sake, always stay to the right of the fog line as you ride on Pearl City Road.
Turn left and head south on Van Brocklin. At the next corner, turn right and continue on Van Brocklin to Burr Oak Road. Turn right on Burr Oak and ride the gravel west across Bolton Road until Burr Oak tees up to Voss Road.
Turn left on Voss Road and ride south past Don and Janey’s Arabian horse farm. Around the corner, Voss Road becomes Kermit Road. Follow that back east to Bolton Road and good old blacktop.
Turn right on Bolton Road and ride across Yellow Creek. After the creek und the curve, turn right on Loran Road and follow that up the hill. At South Voss Road, you’ll be back on the gravel again. Try to stay off the brakes and pick a line where you can avoid large rocks and clusters of small ones.
Loran Road meanders along the south bank of Yellow Creek. The countryside is lovely along this stretch as you ride high above the creek over to Mill Grove Road. Turn right on Mill Grove, and now you’re on a chip sealed surface as you loop back across Yellow Creek up through the Owl’s Glen.
At the top of the hill, you’ll tee into Block Road. Turn right, and follow Block past the Emerald Acres Campground over two nice rollers up to Pearl City Road. Turn right on Pearl City Road, and remember to watch for heavy traffic. Just after the left-hand curve, turn right again on Voss Road and gravel.
Follow Voss Road back to Kermit Road and east to the Bolton blacktop. Turn right on Bolton Road and left on Van Brocklin Road before you cross Yellow Creek. Ride back up Van Brocklin to the stop sign. Turn left and follow Van Brocklin north to Pearl City Road. Turn right and ride east back to Highland College.
Our route has taken us nearly twenty miles. We’ve dusted our tires, honed our bike handling skills and are ready to head for Paris-Roubaix.
P.S. Ron Mattson from the Freeport Bicycle Company reports that his Bontrager Race Lites held up beautifully over the paves (cobblestones) on the Paris-Roubaix circuit.
April Fools
Sunday, April the 1st. We start our ride as usual from Highland College hoping for a thirty miler. But the wind builds out of the southwest, and clouds begin to roll in.
We ride west down Pearl City Road to Block Road, then south on Mill Grove Road through Owl’s Glen across the Yellow Creek. We work together to shelter each other from what is now a ferocious southern wind.
Turning right, we ride west along Loran Road. Andrew “the Psych” Soria reveals that the tech thing on his handle bar says it is a balmy 57 degrees. I scarcely believe my ears which are now freezing. The cold wind blows up my left nostril giving me a great pain in the sinus.
Ominous dark clouds continue to mount ahead in the west, and it begins to drizzle. It is time to bail.
Our fellow Honeywellers, Bill Leibman and Andrew Soria, have psycled in all sorts of nasty weather. Neither protests shortening this ride. So, we dodge north on Route 73 and time-trial it back from Pearl City beating our peddles in retreat. On the way, Andrew’s tech thing reads 49 degrees F. And this wind is out of the south??
Such is the promise of early April. Opening day at Wrigley Field brings nothing but rain and cold wet hot dogs. Shouldn’t we wait another month and go back to play in the palm trees and citrus groves?
Instead, we move daylight savings time forward, as hope ever springs eternal in the Upper Left Hand Corner of Illinois.
Monday, April 2nd finds us licking our wounds from yesterday’s spoils. Chuck Beichel and I meet at 4:15 in the afternoon to try again at our thirty mile ride. Today, the temperature has moderated along with the wind which is now a light northwest breeze.
We point our P-38 recumbents down the new tarmac on Pearl City Road. “Rush hour” traffic on Pearl City chases us on to Babbs Grove Road. We climb the long hump and plummet gleefully down the steep western slope.
Sunday’s episode is all but erased. Today, we are on a good roll.
From Pearl City, we ride west on Goldmine Road up the long lazy incline. The wind is barely a factor, as Chuck and I work together. Our reward is a grand descent into one of our favorite valleys in the Upper Left Hand Corner. At the bottom, we turn left off Goldmine onto South Kent Road.
Now, we’re in the big gear following our peddles and rolling effortlessly alongside the East Plum River between the ridgelines. With the wind pushing, South Kent Road is two and a half miles of wunderbar cycling.
At the church at Loran Road, we turn back east and climb the steep long hill with the wind at our backs. Then, it’s back down the east slope to Lott Road where we turn right.
Now, we reverse last month’s Marztag route following Lott Road over the rollers to Saben Church Road and back east towards home. This is a fine thirty mile ride out of Highland College. But ride it on a good day when the wind is light and westerly and in your favor.
We all have been two kinds of April Fools. We’ve wimped out and stayed at home when we should have been outside with our face in the wind. And we’ve beaten ourselves to death against a relentless cold gale. Today, Chuck and I got it right.
We ride west down Pearl City Road to Block Road, then south on Mill Grove Road through Owl’s Glen across the Yellow Creek. We work together to shelter each other from what is now a ferocious southern wind.
Turning right, we ride west along Loran Road. Andrew “the Psych” Soria reveals that the tech thing on his handle bar says it is a balmy 57 degrees. I scarcely believe my ears which are now freezing. The cold wind blows up my left nostril giving me a great pain in the sinus.
Ominous dark clouds continue to mount ahead in the west, and it begins to drizzle. It is time to bail.
Our fellow Honeywellers, Bill Leibman and Andrew Soria, have psycled in all sorts of nasty weather. Neither protests shortening this ride. So, we dodge north on Route 73 and time-trial it back from Pearl City beating our peddles in retreat. On the way, Andrew’s tech thing reads 49 degrees F. And this wind is out of the south??
Such is the promise of early April. Opening day at Wrigley Field brings nothing but rain and cold wet hot dogs. Shouldn’t we wait another month and go back to play in the palm trees and citrus groves?
Instead, we move daylight savings time forward, as hope ever springs eternal in the Upper Left Hand Corner of Illinois.
Monday, April 2nd finds us licking our wounds from yesterday’s spoils. Chuck Beichel and I meet at 4:15 in the afternoon to try again at our thirty mile ride. Today, the temperature has moderated along with the wind which is now a light northwest breeze.
We point our P-38 recumbents down the new tarmac on Pearl City Road. “Rush hour” traffic on Pearl City chases us on to Babbs Grove Road. We climb the long hump and plummet gleefully down the steep western slope.
Sunday’s episode is all but erased. Today, we are on a good roll.
From Pearl City, we ride west on Goldmine Road up the long lazy incline. The wind is barely a factor, as Chuck and I work together. Our reward is a grand descent into one of our favorite valleys in the Upper Left Hand Corner. At the bottom, we turn left off Goldmine onto South Kent Road.
Now, we’re in the big gear following our peddles and rolling effortlessly alongside the East Plum River between the ridgelines. With the wind pushing, South Kent Road is two and a half miles of wunderbar cycling.
At the church at Loran Road, we turn back east and climb the steep long hill with the wind at our backs. Then, it’s back down the east slope to Lott Road where we turn right.
Now, we reverse last month’s Marztag route following Lott Road over the rollers to Saben Church Road and back east towards home. This is a fine thirty mile ride out of Highland College. But ride it on a good day when the wind is light and westerly and in your favor.
We all have been two kinds of April Fools. We’ve wimped out and stayed at home when we should have been outside with our face in the wind. And we’ve beaten ourselves to death against a relentless cold gale. Today, Chuck and I got it right.
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