How to be Prepared in the Pit

At the Cycle-Smart International, I was able to take a peek at the pit kit of one Christopher Zigmont. Chris is currently the CEO and of Pedro's, manufacturer of environmental friendly bicycle care products and tools. He also previously served as the director of sales at marketing at Mavic.

Chris knows a thing or two about 'cross. You can find him on the microphone at the key New England Verge series races, and he even takes a break to strap on his cycling shoes and hop in the master's race. Chris taught me two important lesson before I started racing cross. One, having new and clean cables is the easiest way to keep your bike functioning. Two, always be prepared for whatever a cross race can throw at you.

At the CSI, Chris was pitting for Mitchell Hoke of the Clif Bar Cyclocross team. Save for a crash at the start on both days of the men's elite race, Mitchell avoided major mishap and pulled off an impressive 17th and 23rd place over the weekend of racing.

Let's take a look at Chris' tools.


Upon first glance, you'll find the standards tools found in everybody's tool box. Looking at the center of the kit, you can see a set of metric allen keys, screwdrivers and a spanner wrench. But also in this kit are tools that I would never have even thought of bringing to a pit. Let's tackle this by drivetrain components:

Wheels:
- Tire Levers
- Front Skewer
- Rear Skewer

Tools:
- Screwdrivers
- Various Pliers (likely a needle nose and Breaker-grozier)
- Pedro's Vise Whip
- Cable Cutters
- Scissors

- An extra set of allen keys

Other Nice Touches:

- Zip ties

- Permanent Marker

- Handy carrying case

I'm sure there are plenty of other tools hiding in all of the pockets of the bag, but this is just an idea of what to bring to be prepared. We all bring clothes to make sure we're comfortable for every 10 degree change in weather, and we bring tires to accommodate the unpredictable conditions of a parcours, so why not bring a set of tools to make sure you have every possible mechanical covered. After all, what's the point of driving over 200 miles for a weekend of racing if you break your bike riding a warm up lap.

It's All About the Details

There are several levels to being PRO. It's one thing to align the tire label with the valve stem, but it's an entirely different thing for your entire bike to match, functionally and cosmetically. No, I'm not talking about hipsters on fixed gears with Velocity Deep V rims or Aerospoke wheels. I'm talking about Mo Bruno Roy's custom Seven Mudhoney SLX, prepped by her husband and mechanic, Matt Roy. Check them out at mmracing.org.

The first thing that pops out at me is how all of the colors are coordinated together perfectly. The blue on the Seven logos match the bar tape. Not only are white hoods sparkly clean, the handlebar tape is finished with white electrical tape too. The white accents on the Sram Force shifters and cranks don't hurt either.

Mo's choses a Fizik Vitesse HP saddle, in matching blue of course. The black and blue combination of the saddle compliment the blue Seven logo on the carbon downtube. You can also see just how good the white hoods, blue bar tape and white electrical tape looks.

Now this image here highlights all of Matt's attention to detail. Take a look at the custom blue anodized bolts holding down the TRP Euro-X carbon brakes. The cables are also all capped off with blue cable ends. At the top of the cable hanger, sits a rubber boot to help seal the brakes against any mud, dirt or grime.


Mo currently holds the Verge leader's jersey and is having a fantastic season with five wins and eleven podiums so far. Not only is she fast, she and her husband are some of the nicest folks you'll meet at a bike race. So give her a shout and show her your support as she tears around the race course.

ATMO

Cyclocross is a game of chances and things can always go wrong. Day 1 saw a broken chain, and a rolled tubular taking out several riders while stalling half the field all within the first 300 meters of the race. Day 2 saw a crash occur right out of the starting grid, sending a handful of riders to the ambulance. This story was no different for Richard Sachs' rider Dan Timmerman. With the Verge Series leader's jersey on his shoulders, Timmerman found himself in the lead group of three riders after the first lap on day 2. A rolled tire soon stymied his chances of a win. He still rode the race as if it were his, finishing seventh on the day. Here, Richard Sachs himself gives his rider encouragement as he passes the pit.

Cannondale/Cyclocrossworld.com at the CSI

Jeremy Powers and Jamey Driscoll (Cannondale/Cyclocrossworld.com) go 1-2 on day 1 of the Cycle Smart International.

Adam Craig's Giant Prototype

You've seen it all before already. Giant is in the process of testing and developing a carbon cyclocross bike. I was able to take a closer look at this bike in the pit at the Cycle-Smart International Cyclocross race in Northampton, MA.

On day 1, after starting in the last row and being stuck behind a crash, Adam was able to make it up to the front of the race and finished 5th. On day 2, Adam suffered another bout of bad luck as another crash at the start of the race slowed down half the field. Craig was on the ground for several minutes before getting up and continuing the race. He took a bike change on the first lap and finished the race the current TCX aluminum production model to 9th place.

Adam's legs and the aluminum Giant during post race interview. Note the MRP guide with a single chain ring setup.

While leap frogging the field in the elite race, the carbon Giant sat in the pit in case misfortune were to strike again. The bike is complete with Shimano's latest electronic Di2 Dura Ace 7970 gruppo along with several other PRO selections.

A closeup of the stem on Adam's bike.
This stem is very similar to the stem on Mark Cavendish's bike from the Tour. This one has a hole drilled right through the middle to make way for the front brake cable. If you take a closer look, there's no cable hanger attached to the head set.

Craig uses TRP Euro-X Carbon brakes to scrub speed. Take a look at Adam's straddle cable height, relative to the setup on Jeremy Power's CX9 or Katie Compton's Stevens Cross Carbon Team. You can see why this is important over here.
Craig is also rolling on Shimano Dura-Ace 24mm carbon tubular rims. The front tire is a Michelin Mud tread glued onto to a 30mm Dugast casing.

A close up of the electronic Dura Ace shifter.

The bottom bracket junction on the carbon prototype.

Shimano 7900 crankset mated to a custom 46 tooth Dura Ace chainring.

The battery pack at the heart of the Di2 system. It looks like the mount is bolted to the underside of the chain stay, with the battery pack sliding right on. I wonder if there's a chance that this could get knocked off during a crowded run up?

On his first lap mishap, Craig seems to have suffered a rear tire casualty. Here's a closer look at the tire that was originally on his A bike. This tread looks like Vittoria's new XM tread.

A look of the rear triangle. Take a look at Craig's rear tire, mounted to a Dura Ace 24 mm clincher wheel. He choses to run a Michelin Jet as a backup to the Vittoria. The most interesting thing about this tire is the way it's mounted. Michelin features arrows on their sidewalls for a front and rear specific rolling direction. Many chose to run the rear tire in reverse, with the REAR arrow pointing forward. Craig on the other hand decides to run the tire with the FRONT arrow point, and the same direction as a front tire would be mounted.

Another view of the rear triangle and brake caliper. I don't fully understand the reasoning behind the small rear triangle. Initial reports say that Giant was aiming to design a compliant bike, instead of focusing on stiffness. My thought is that the smaller rear triangles and shorter tubes would result in a stiffer ride. An independent bike testing consultant told me that the smallest "bendy" bike, is still stiffer than the largest stiffest bike out there.

Check out the detail on the machined ramp feature on the one off Dura Ace chainring. The plates on the chain also have excess material removed to reduce wait, saving 18 grams over the older 7800 incarnation.

Good luck the rest of the season Adam. I'll be rooting for you at Nationals.

Analysis of Crash at CSI - Northampton, MA

Screen captures and commentary courtesy of Chris Eager.

The rider in the black skinsuit gets a little sideways going over the curb from the pavement on to the grass.


The lead group make it through safely, but the riders at the back of the pack will not be so fortunate.


As the rider in the black skinsuit goes down, the force of the crash causes his tubular tire to roll off of the rim.


The CCB and Kenda/Seven rider try to avoid the crash and end up getting airborne.


The trajectory of the airborne riders continue.


Note the Embrocation rider starting a two wheel drift, trying to avoid the crash.


The Embro rider stays upright after sliding across the grass, as the airborne Redline sets a pick. Adam Craig meanwhile calmly makes his way around the pile on the ground.


Traffic jam starts.


The riders starting at the back of the race now make their way through the crash site.


Unfortunately, a rolled front tubular for Gavin Mannion.


Fortunately no one was seriously injured during this crash. The race continued with Jeremy Powers (Cannondale/Cyclocrossworld.com) taking the win. This weekend marks the 19th edition of the oldest UCI cyclocross race in the United States. You can read more about it over here.

Crash At Cycle Smart - Elite Men

Crash at the start of the men's elite race at the Cycle Smart International in Northampton, MA.
Video courtesy of Eric Silva.

Cycle-Smart elite men start (and crash) from Eric Silva on Vimeo.

ATMO

Richard Sachs cheering on his riders on Day 1 of New Gloucester. Team rider Dan Timmerman would go on to take the win and teammate Josh Dillon would go on to finish third.

Providence Cyclocross Day 1

Start of the men's elite race. Tim Johnson (Cannondale/Cyclocrossworld.com) would go on to win the race, followed by teammate Jamey Driscoll, Champion Systems' Chris Jones would end up third, rounding out the podium.

Adam Myerson in the Pits at New Gloucester

While at the race, this whole sequence made no sense. Why would anybody change their shoe in the middle of a race? Then this was overheard over the internet waves:

"3rd for a while, flatted, dropped to 5th, then lost a cleat! Changed a shoe, finished 6th. The form, it's coming..."

- @adammyerson

Adam Myerson (Cycle-Smart) pulls into the pit and starts to take off his shoe


His mechanic comes closer ready with spare shoe in hand


Myerson finally pulls off his shoe and starts to put on a new one


He gets a hand from his mechanic with the buckle on the new shoe. It was 40 degrees that day, my guess is that dexterity was non existent.


After changing his shoe, Adam hops on a fresh bike and starts to rejoin the race


But stops after he realizes that he has a rear flat.


He runs back to his mechanic to grab the same bike he rode in on.


After an interesting pit stop, Myerson jumps on a functional bike to finish the race in 6th place. Nice race Adam.


Addendum 2009.11.05:
Adam came across this post and added a little commentary on his blog. Check it out: http://www.cycle-smart.com/blog/2009/11/04/you-cant-make-stuff

"As it turned out, the second flat was from a valve stem that wasn't completely closed and was leaning against something that accidentally depressed it. So while 2nd was still within reach when I flatted the first time, the combo of the loose cleat and and a good minute in the pit put me back in 6th for good.

Muddy days like this are just full of unpredictability, and even the winners are falling off their bikes. Fast and steady wins the race, as Frankie McCormack always said."

What the pros ride

Let's take a moment and look at the bike of Luna sponsored rider Katerina Nash.



Katerina is off to a blazing start right now, taking the win both days in Providence and being the only rider who can answer to the speed and power of Katie Compton. With the 2010 Cyclocross World Championships in her backyard in Tabor, CZE, Katerina has a lot on the line this season. She rides for Team Luna, a perennial powerhouse on the domestic and international cycling circuit. With riders like Georgia Gould, Catherine Prendal and the newly un-retired Alison Dunlap, the Luna team brings the estrogen and horsepower to any bike race. The team is sponsored by Luna, Orbea, Maxxis, Mavic and Shimano among others. Now let's take a glance at her equipment choice.

Upon first glance, all the component choices match up.
Frame: Orbea
Drivetrain: Shimano 7800
Wheels: Mavic Cosmic Carbone Ultimate Tubulars
Tires: Maxxis....wait, Maxxis doesn't make any tubular tires.

Well, that's okay. Maybe the tires are Maxxis treads glued onto a FMB or Dugast casing. Maxxis did release a new tread called the Mud Wrestler at Interbike this year, maybe she's doing some real world testing. All plausible scenarios.

But when we take a closer look, it seems as this tread doesn't quite match the one on the MW, or any other Maxxis tire.



If my eyes don't deceive me, they look more like Dugast Rhinos with black sidewalls. If you look closely, you'll see the unmistakable arrows on the side knobs of these tires. Katerina rides Dugast tires even though her team is sponsored by Maxxis...gasp!!