Singlespeed & Fixed Gear - while watching the olympics...

i decided that short track speed skating is the keirin of the ice. your thoughts?

very much agreed. i didn't even know it existed... once i saw it i was hooked.

Actual thoughts? Or thoughts specific to your question?

Actual thoughts: ****, I have to get up early. Whoah, I"m more drunk than I thought! I wish I had a bag of chips. What's the over/under on E___ ever ____ ___ with me again?

Specific to your question: Uh, sure. Seems that way!

I thought of this too. I then became a little pissed when you consider that track cycling received about 20 minutes total of air time during the summer olympics. Yet, speed skating of some sort has been on every night. A friend of mine and I decided that if Americans started winning gold medals in track cycling it would get more coverage. So, who is going to fix this and win some medals in '08?

Heh. This is funny. I was just watching some speed skating tonight and it occurred to me that it's a lot like track racing.

Then I saw this thread, and before even clicking I completed the sentence "you decided that speed-skating is a lot like track cycling?"

Great minds... ;)

-Trevor

how about track racing on the ice with blades for wheels! now that would be entertaining!!

Clara Hughes is a Canadian long track speed skater who just picked up a gold yesterday in the 5000m and a silver earlier on in the team pursuit. She also won two bronze medals for cycling at Atlanta in the individual road race and the individual time trial. It would seem that both sports benefit from having huge legs and superhuman cardio.

**** yeah. Bicycles with pizza cutters for wheels. Disc wheels *****es!

haha. the crashes would be bloody as hell.

Just one more positive. People would watch that.

Short track crashes already are bloody as hell - my club ran the junior Nationals last year and we had two skaters leave with cuts, one that was like 6 inches long.

That's why all skaters are wearing cut proof suits this year...

Clara Hughes is a Canadian long track speed skater who just picked up a gold yesterday in the 5000m and a silver earlier on in the team pursuit. She also won two bronze medals for cycling at Atlanta in the individual road race and the individual time trial. It would seem that both sports benefit from having huge legs and superhuman cardio.

Not only that, she's the first athlete to ever win medals in both the summer and winter Olympics. I love the long track skating events.

biatholichshs sdf?> EVERYTHING

one of my firends father was an olympic speed sketer and also cross trained as a track racer. lots of these athletes do that so they can develop similar muscles, but also develop others and not totally burn out. its pretty ****ing sweet.

XVX

thinkin the same thing. However, i have no tv and in sweden the only things they watch are xc skiing and curling. To hell with both.

My boss is a cyclist, and he skates lakes and rivers in the winter. He keeps telling me I should take up skating because it uses the same muscles as cycling.

Apolo Anton Ohno made recent short track popular for American viewers. The coverage and hype seem to follow the real possibility of Americans to win medals.
Nevertheless, short track is super exciting to watch.

i wonder if you could make a banked ice rink/track?

fsnl
sparky

they even wear the same kinda bubble helmets...

kalavinka sells speed skating suplies. keirin racers become speed skaters!

my girlfriend's comment one night was, "these guys are the same kinds of nerds who race around in circles at the velodrome. doesn't it look like ohno has a well-trimmed vagina on his chin?"

i just shrugged.

they even wear the same kinda bubble helmets...

they're actually bike helmets

watch out for the Austria biathlon team! Whilst accused of taking drugs they took up their weapons...

http://www.burorenkema.nl/2006/02/biatlon_een_sport_die_je_raakt.php

press the video to play it..

the translation is: "biathlon: a sports that strikes you"

:)

What a stupid video.

A friend of mine and I decided that if Americans started winning gold medals in track cycling it would get more coverage. So, who is going to fix this and win some medals in '08?

Hell....I'll fix it! I'll ride my Steamroller in track and win some medals in '08.

You may first start solving the Shani 'i do my own thing' D. vs Redneck Hadrick controverse ;)

Shani's mum was wearing an all orange outfit to support our Dutch skaters to beat Hedrick :)

i am in love with this sport. the similarities are many.

http://www.usnews.com/usnews/olympics/winter/gallery/graphics/daythirteen9.jpg
http://www.cyclingnews.com/photos/2005/mar05/wtc05/day2/tworlds_05_fri_0344_R.jpg

and how about the men's relay last nite?

What's that copper tubing thing by the falling guy?

i'm gonna guess his tire. (edit) same as the guy at right side of frame.

Whoa, yeah.
You can see the tire ripping off on the far right guy's wheel, too.

priceless :)

here's a question regarding either sport or both. do they both always race counter clockwise? and if so what kind of training is needed to counter the emphasis on one side of the body?

i know for the ice skating their skates are slightly curved in a left circle! No joke. I dont know if the shorttrack skaters do have the same. Im talking about the 500m-10K dudes.

interesting.

in other news, our thread is too late.. the 2 sports have already become one.

http://www.landroller.com/myimages/apolo1.jpg

i know for the ice skating their skates are slightly curved in a left circle! No joke. I dont know if the shorttrack skaters do have the same. Im talking about the 500m-10K dudes.

sure enough:


BONT GT SPEC R Short Track
Bont developed the GT Series of blades with design input from some of the world's top skaters. Includes a 7000 Series aluminum frame, powder-fused tool steel blade, hardened blade to 64 Rockwell, standard 9 meter radius blades, 18" maximum length, and carbon fiber cups. The blades can be ordered straight or machine bent and come in standard thickness of 1.0, but we offer from 0.9 to 1.5 with almost any radius and bend you desire.

Well, short track blades are rockered and slightly bent to make turns easier - they're also a little offset to the left so you don't boot out when you lean.

Long track blades are rockered only. They don't have the bend because they have a heck of a lot more straightaway to contend with I believe. (And their turns aren't quite as sharp.)

We do go only one direction incompetition. In practice we do some work the other way. I know most shorttrackers do have a slightly large left leg for this reason. But realistically, the only time there is a difference is when you are doing the pivots around the corners. The rest of the time you are using both of your legs pretty equally.

here's a question regarding either sport or both. do they both always race counter clockwise? and if so what kind of training is needed to counter the emphasis on one side of the body?
Track is run counter-clockwise too, and predates both cycling and organized speed skating.

Long track blades are rockered only. They don't have the bend because they have a heck of a lot more straightaway to contend with I believe. (And their turns aren't quite as sharp.)

aren't some long track blades also spring-hinged in the front to keep the blade on the ice a fraction of a second longer when the leg is extended.

Not only that, she's the first athlete to ever win medals in both the summer and winter Olympics. I love the long track skating events.
There were others before:

http://www.factmonster.com/ipka/A0115194.html

There were others before:

http://www.factmonster.com/ipka/A0115194.html

Hah! Serves me right for believing NBC.

Yup, called a "clap" mechanism. If you listened carefully during the Olympics, you could hear it.

They're also kinda expensive, so people who aren't really good/have loads o' money just get the basic fixed blade.



aren't some long track blades also spring-hinged in the front to keep the blade on the ice a fraction of a second longer when the leg is extended.

short track skating is way more intersting than keirin. Maybe if Keirin was run on 250m tracks with 50 deg banks it would be a little more like it.

tim

yes, me too...checking it out I found this:
http://www.angelfire.com/sd/ncsa/ncsa.html
I might try it if I can rent some skates.