WOW! Those guys are fast!
 

I just got back from downtown Minneapolis where they had a race that was part of the Nature Valley Grand Prix.
http://www.minnbikefestival.com/
Wow, those guys really know what they are doing! They were doing close to 40 miles an hour, and they raced for about an hour. There was a BMW pace car and it could hardly take the turns as fast as the bikes. Overall the race was really exciting and it made me tired just watching. I know they are professionals, but what the heck do you have to do to be even close to that good?

It boggles the mind. (well, my mind anyway)
Pro cyclists seem superhuman to me.

Ill definatly second that question, I was wondering the same thing :)

Wow, that's way fast! 40miles an hour is far from my abilities now, not to say for an hour.

Princebaal, I was at the race too and was very impressed. I plan on going to the Stillwater race as well. It sounds like the hill climbing is hellish.

It was cool to see Saturn's Tom Danielson, though he didn't podium. I've read that he's got a lot of promise and the potential to do the grand tours someday.

The speeds they're going are amazing. I haven't even gone 40 down a hill yet and my flat-road top is only 24 or 25. I can't imagine taking curves or riding in the pack at that speed.

What's the average speed of Tour De France racer on a time trail?

I think Lance won the TDF Prologue last year while averaging just a smidgen under 30 MPH.

I looked that up a while back to bring a dose of reality to some guy claiming he was doing nearly 35 MPH on an out and back 10 mile ITT. He said he was sure he would have topped 35 MPH if he hadn't been slowed by traffic. uhm, yeah :rolleyes:

edit to add: 2002 TDF PRologue results - 7 kilometers (4.34 miles) in 9:08:78 or 28.46 MPH after which LA said "After seeing the split times all day, we knew the race was going to be won or lost in the in the last kilometre," said Armstrong in the post-race press conference. "It was really hard. Personally I was cross-eyed."

I think that there is an hour solo record that conforms to the technology of the toe-clips and straps era which has stayed close to 50 kph or 32 mph since the Eddie M. days. There is another that allows new technology that only slightly surpasses this hour speed mark. So,someone claiming that he could average 35 mph out-and-back in a ITT is bound to get afew unbelievers. In normal conditons, without a pack, 50 kph is pretty close to the ultimate, unless I am mistaken.

Friday's Crit was excellent. One of the Jelly Belly riders (Adam Bergman) was in his first race as a pro that night and used to ride for our very own SPBRC's Bianchi/GP elite squad.

If you didn't to make it out to Stillwater today you missed an awe inspiring display of climbing power by Saturn's Trent Klasna.


Attached is a picture of T Klasna about to cross the finish line after soloing for at least the final 10 laps. By the way, the finish line is at the top of a 2 block long 24% grade that these guys were just crushing.

This shot gives a bit better shot of the hill and the WAY cool Carrara pace car.

One shot of the home town kid Adam!!