Track Cycling: Velodrome Racing and Training Area - Lance and his Trek Track bike

Here it is boys and girls, lance armstrong with his track bike, it talks about him trying to beat the 1 hour record. http://www2.trekbikes.com/Assets/News/asset_upload_file945_119557.jpg there he is.

here is the link http://www2.trekbikes.com/News/01-23-2005_-_Lance_In_France_-_Will_He_Or_Wont_He.php

this is my first ever post in the single speed and fixed grear forum!, but not in the Bike forums.

Here it is boys and girls, lance armstrong with his track bike, it talks about him trying to beat the 1 hour record. http://www2.trekbikes.com/Assets/News/asset_upload_file945_119557.jpg there he is.

here is the link http://www2.trekbikes.com/News/01-23-2005_-_Lance_In_France_-_Will_He_Or_Wont_He.php

this is my first ever post in the single speed and fixed grear forum!, but not in the Bike forums.


Cool...maybe Trek will make a fixed gear bike similar to the Langster Pro or Major Taylor.

heh....


When Lance wasn’t riding his track bike (made for him at the Trek factory using a standard OCLV Carbon Madone frame with custom horizontal rear dropouts)...

trek madone road frame with horizontal droputs != track frame. put him on something like a corima, or a BT.

heh....



trek madone road frame with horizontal droputs != track frame. put him on something like a corima, or a BT.
agreed
you can't take a madone road frame, put track fork ends on it and call it a track frame,
also,
i'm wondering how off the geometry would be for the velodrome, the other thing, i wonder if they put track specific forks on it?

i'm guessing the BB is too low, the seat tube and head tube angles are too slack, and they probably didn't put track specific forks on it. it seems like they were only using it as a preliminary guide for wind tunnel testing. obviously, the madone road frame performs well in the wind tunnel, so i would guess they'll still use that design as the basis for a track-specific frame, should lance decide to go for the hour record. or they'll get a BT and rebadge it as a trek (like they used to do with litespeed blades for his TT bikes).

they'll probably stiffen up the chainstay/bottom bracket area a bit, and maybe play with the top tube length a bit depending on how comfortable lance is on a frame with quicker steering. they'd do well to start with a few steel or aluminum prototypes for sizing, and then move to a CF version to get the aerodynamics down....or he'll just ride a bunch of different bikes by different manufacturers until he finds one that he likes and just have them copy it.

depending on how serious he is about it, and how serious trek is about supporting his effort, it could take a while to get the bike dialed in perfectly.

am i incorrect in thinking that Lance used to race track?

It also depends on where the power output numbers fall. If more power on the road angles, then go with that.

Also, a large part has to do with which record he is aiming at. The BT frame (or other aero frames) may not be a go with the standard record.

that sounds/looks right,
i took a look side on of the frame and it looks pretty relaxed in the steer/seatpost angles.
it'll be interesting to see what they come up with.

i don't think he raced track?
never heard anything about it if he did anyway.

It also depends on where the power output numbers fall. If more power on the road angles, then go with that.

Also, a large part has to do with which record he is aiming at. The BT frame (or other aero frames) may not be a go with the standard record.

true. i bet the bike he ends up with will look a lot like his TT road bike in terms of angles. i think that's probably the most demanding "event" in the TdF, in terms of sheer power output over time. and then he'll put track drops on it.

then again, he could end up with anything. either way, it would definitely be exciting to see him try for the hour record. and it'll be nice to see track racing get more exposure because of his name.

I don't believe he ever did track stuff. Purebred roadie. I wouldn't be surprised to see him take an adapted TT frame into this. Maybe I'm being silly, but Trek places a lot of pride in the fact that Lance rides to victory on stock bikes. A TT frame will give him a pretty trackish set of angles.

I would think they would change the madone to a TT frame, it just sounds more like common sense. Is it true that track racers use TTish bars, like they are TT bar but really smooth with no gears?

I think I read somewhere that for the hour record you must use a steel track bike and plain drop bars. It has something to do with someone breaking Eddy's record and then people realizing how big a hand equipment plays in it. There are two separate titles, one if you use any equipment you want, and then the normal title for using the regulated equipment. There was an article about this in Bicycling a year or two ago. Man would that be cool to see Lance cruising around on a steel track bike.

Cool...maybe Trek will make a fixed gear bike similar to the Langster Pro or Major Taylor.

they sort of already do. Trek owns Lemond, and Lemond has a fixed gear model out.

He ain't gonna beat any record if he don't get off the stands.

I don't believe he ever did track stuff. Purebred roadie. I wouldn't be surprised to see him take an adapted TT frame into this. Maybe I'm being silly, but Trek places a lot of pride in the fact that Lance rides to victory on stock bikes. A TT frame will give him a pretty trackish set of angles.


yeah, I don't think he ever rode track.

but he used to kick ass at triathlons.

The man is god of bikes. He had a cross bike built just for him too, and I'm sure he could whomp the track. He can focus more intently than a precision laser.

I'm kind of drunk, but did you really just write that?

He can focus more intently than a precision laser.
hahahaha
amazing. here i just thought he was motivated

It was the only thing I could think of...sorry

There are two records he could shoot for: (1) the "athlete's" hour record using 70's era technology (that's Merckx's old record, broken by Boardman in 2000 but by only 10 meters) that the UCI recognizes and (2) the "ultimate" hour record (also held by Boardman) where you can use any technology/position...i'm not sure the UCI has anything to do with that one. I don't know that you have to use a steel frame for the athlete's record, but i do know you can't use aero wheels, bars, or frame tubes.

It was the only thing I could think of...sorry

Just giving you a hard time, no need to take it seriously. :)

Gotcha. Sarcasm is hard to decipher looking at text.

a couple of links for info re the hour record:
http://www.speed101.com/now/fastest_0717_4.htm
http://www.angelfire.com/or/petermarsh/merckx.htm

also, lance may either pay to put a cover over one of the existing 'dromes at altitude (co. springs?) or build an entirely new covered 'drome, possibly in utah.

I hope he does go for the Hour, and breaks it too (as much as I like Boardman, but it'd be amazing publicity for track riding). And he could be trying out a road-based bike because he knows it and is comfortable on it. Personally I would have started off with my TT bike and fixed it, but it's his call. At the end of the day, he'll use whatever bike he feels most confident on, not which one has the most 'traditional' geometry.

But I can't figure out why the UCI doesn't adopt standard TT/track regs for Hour attempts (ie the same bikes that everyone uses for Kilos and pursuits, still diamond frames but with 'all the usual refinements'). Using 40 year old technology for the sport's most covetted record seems a bit perverse to me (I can see where they're coming from, but 32h wheels, steel frames and drops? It's not like most people able to attempt the Hour don't have decent aero bikes anyway). And weirder still, at the World Cup in Manchester the other week (see my other thread further down) double Paralympic champion Darren Kenny used a standard pursuit bike for his Hour Record (CP3 Catagory), so the idea has obviously occured to them.

It actually states in there that he wasn't on his track bike, but on this one with horiz dropouts.

It actually states in there that he wasn't on his track bike, but on this one with horiz dropouts.

no, actually the article says: "When Lance wasn’t riding his track bike (made for him at the Trek factory using a standard OCLV Carbon Madone frame with custom horizontal rear dropouts) he was aboard his Team Time Trial bike to evaluate new information about positioning and some new materials used in his Nike skinsuit."

to which i commented more or less "a road frame with horizontal dropouts is not a track bike." the article is calling the madone with horizontal track ends, a track bike. and the article is wrong.

given that the hour record is done solo, does one really need a true track bike for the event? that is, i was under the impression that the steep angles were largely due to the fact that quick steering response is needed in a tight pack moving at 30mph. i'm guessing there's something else going on w/ the seat tube angle, maybe related to power. also, i thought higher bottom brackets helped when moving up the banks of the track, so one didn't strike a pedal. doesn't seem like that would really be a concern when trying for the hour?
so maybe what he'll end up riding is whatever allows him to produce the most power, be it a traditional track styled bike, or a carbon copy (sorry) of his road bike, just w/ track ends. i'm not sure if the regulations for the 'eddy merckx' hour specify it must be a track bike w/ angles like this and a bb this high, etc?
i think it's awesome that he's gonna try though. i'd love to see him break the record.

dan

Check out this quote from Lance in the Daily Peloton (http://www.dailypeloton.com/displayarticle.asp?pk=7410):

“But we want to do it at altitude so the most likely scenario is for us to build a velodrome for the event and take it down afterward.”

Serious money talkin' here. Couldn't do that in Eddy's day, right? :eek:

why not leave it up?

Ok, so I'm probably the only person who hasn't already explicitly thought of this, but I wonder if this isn't about more than the Hour. I think this is about Eddy.

Because of his TdF wins, Armstrong has always been compared to the greats, Hinault, Indurain, Coppi...and of course there's none greater than Eddy Merckx.

Lance has demonstrated that he's a superb stage racer, but he's always been accused of being a one-trick pony. Is this more about demonstrating that he belongs in that pantheon of great cyclists more than about capturing the hour? Will he go on to try to win the triple crown? Paris - Roubaix?

he's on record as saying that he wants to do some of the one-day classics.

Ok, so I'm probably the only person who hasn't already explicitly thought of this, but I wonder if this isn't about more than the Hour. I think this is about Eddy.

Because of his TdF wins, Armstrong has always been compared to the greats, Hinault, Indurain, Coppi...and of course there's none greater than Eddy Merckx.

Lance has demonstrated that he's a superb stage racer, but he's always been accused of being a one-trick pony. Is this more about demonstrating that he belongs in that pantheon of great cyclists more than about capturing the hour? Will he go on to try to win the triple crown? Paris - Roubaix?

The Triple, 11 of the 12 Classics, The Hour, Paris-Roubaix? Paris-Tours the only Classic Merckx didn't win (I cheer Axel on every year). Also remember Merckx won all the Major Podium Jerseys in the TDF. Lance still has a job ahead.

For sure if he wants to be considered unequivocably superior to Eddy. On the other hand, all he needs to do is accomplish an "assortment" similar to Eddy (triple crown, the hour, TdF is obviously a lock, time trial, maybe Paris-Roubaix to at least suggest that he's worthy of comparison.

But now I hear that he's not going for the Hour this year after all and will go back and try to take another TdF... Anyone know more?

Maybe just a photo-op thang it looks like his still in his climbing position more than a record breaking position, is it just me or is that bike to short for him?

Lance is a smart guy with a world class trainer. I'm sure he'll have a bike and posture that fits if he attempts the hour. Make no mistake, if Lance Armstrong makes a go of it and falls short it will most certainly be solely for athletic reasons.

Interestingly enough, reading the article on Eddy's hour record he flat out said, "I've always been a roadman so I'll be attacking this like a roadman." or something very much like that. Sound like someone we know?

Thanks Trev, I was pointing out this doesn't look like a bike thats been sorted out for time trialling more like a promotional shot.

i belive i saw somewhere that the "superman" position was kicked out for the hour record. im not sure what aspect of it, mybe the elbows inside the legs.

i belive i saw somewhere that the "superman" position was kicked out for the hour record. im not sure what aspect of it, mybe the elbows inside the legs.


yep, it was because of different reasons.

1. chest on handlebars
2. frame not a triangle.

S/F,
CEYA!

I agree, you can't just throw horizontal drops on it and call it a "track" bike. Just like the specialized gangster or the lemond 'track'...they're road geometry with a narrower rear-triangle if that and horizontal dropouts. It's kind of like throwing an air foil on a cadillac and calling it a race car.

Alot of you guys are forgetting when track bikes were made years ago they did have "road" geometry. It wasn't tiil later they went to a tighter frame . Six day racing also changed it a little due to steeper tracks also dring that period. yes it can be called a track bike.

S/F<
CEYA!

Whats the big deal with this bike the French reckon Lance was too chicken to ride the hour record!!