The 98th TDF

(This article was originally published in my sports page column Self-Propelled

in the June 26 to July 2, 2011 issue of the Baguio Chronicle

--- a weekly newspaper based in Baguio City, Philippines.)

The 98th Tour de France hits the road this week from July 2 to 24 covering 3,430.5 kilometers in 21 stages --- 10 flat stages, 6 mountain stages and 4 summit finishes, 3 medium mountain stages, 1 individual time-trial stage (42.5 kilometers) and 1 team time-trial stage (23 kilometers).

Three-time Tour de France overall classification winner (2007, 2009 and 2010) Albertor Contador (Spain) is expected to face stubborn challenges from a field of riders that include Australian Cadel Evans, Frenchman Thomas Voeckler, Italian Ivan Basso and Norwegian Thor Hushovd.

This year’s Tour edition puts special emphasis on the Alps, much like it was on the Pyrenees for 2010 in commemorating the 100th anniversary of those peaks first being visited in the Tour. The Col du Galibier will be visited twice during the race after an interval of 24 hours and on the 18th stage it will be the first time the peloton finish on the 2,645-meter top. It would be the highest summit finish of this competition, beating the finish of the Col du Granon (at 2,413 meters above sea level, near Serre Chevalier) during the 17th stage of the 1986 Tour de France.

In total, 3.2 million Euros will be awarded to the teams and the riders in this year’s Tour de France, including 450,000 Euros for the winner of the general individual classification.

So far, only Lance Armstrong (USA) has won the Tour de France seven times --- all in consecutive years from 1999 to 2005.

Four riders have won the Tour de France five times. They are Jacques Anquetil (France) in 1957, 1961, 1962, 1963 and 1964; Eddy Merckx (Belgium) in 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972 and 1974; Bernard Hinault (France) in 1978, 1979, 1981, 1982 and 1985; and Miguel Indurian (Spain) --- the first to do so in 5 consecutive years --- in 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994 and 1995.

Another four riders have won it three times. They are Philippe Thys (Belgium) in 1913, 1914, 1920; Louison Bobet (France) in 1953, 1954 and 1955; Greg LeMond (USA) in 1986, 1989 and 1990; and Alberto Contador (Spain) in 2007, 2009 and 2010.

The youngest cyclist to win it was Henri Cornet (France), aged 19 in 1904. Next youngest was Romain Maes (Belgium), 21 in 1935 while the oldest was Firmin Lambot (Belgium), aged 36 in 1922. Next oldest were Henri Pélissier (French) in 1923 and Gino Bartali (Italy) in 1948, both 34.

Gino Bartali holds the longest time span between titles, having earned his first and last Tour de France victories 10 years apart (in 1938 and 1948).

One rider has been King of the Mountains, won the combination classification, combativity award, the points competition, and the Tour in the same year – Eddy Merckx (Belgium) in 1969.

The most appearances have been by Joop Zoetemelk (Netherlands) with 16, which include 1 win of General Classification, 1 win of Combination Classification, 12 top ten finishes and no abandonments.

Four riders, Lucien Van Impe (Belgium) with one Tour win, Guy Nulens, Viatcheslav Ekimov (Russia) and George Hincapie (USA) has made 15 appearances; Lucien Van Impe and Ekimov finished all 15 whereas Guy Nulens abandoned twice.

George Hincapie holds the mark for the most consecutive finishes with 13. While René Pottier, Roger Lapébie, Sylvére Maes and Fausto Coppi all won the Tour de France the last time they started the race.

Riders from France have won most Tour de France titles at 36, followed by Belgium (18), Spain (13), United States (10), Italy (9), Luxembourg (4), Switzerland and the Netherlands (2 each) and Ireland, Denmark and Germany (1 each).

The fastest massed-start stage in the history of Tour de France was in 1999 from Laval to Blois (194.5 km), won by Mario Cipollini (Italy) at 50.355 km/h. The fastest full-length time-trial is David Zabriskie's opening stage in 2005 from Fromentine to Noirmoutier-en-l'Ile (19 km) at 54.676 km/h. Chris Boardman rode faster during the 1994 prologue stage, from Lille to Euralille (7.2 km), with 55.152 km/h.

The fastest stage win was by the 2005 Discovery Channel team (under the captainship of Lance Armstrong) in a team-time-trial. It completed the 67.5 km between Tours and Blois at 57.32 km/h.*

Riding In Traffic

(This article was originally published in my sports page column Self-Propelled

in the June 19 to 25, 2011 issue of the Baguio Chronicle

--- a weekly newspaper based in Baguio City, Philippines.)

Motorists remain the greatest hazard on the roads. Many motorists mistakenly believe that their possession of a driver's license gives them a superior claim of the road over the cyclist.

Because of their size, speed (even at low speed) and weight, cars carry an extremely high potential for causing lethal damage when negligently operated.

Those gas-burning behemoths cannot always be avoided and knowing how to cope with cars can be a matter of survival. Whether you are in the right or not, if you have too-close an encounter with a car, you lose. The car is unlikely to sustain any damage worse than a few dents while you will get some nasty injuries or damages.

Since your life is on the line in traffic, it is a must that you become as skillful as possible, to make your judgments fairly and to control the situation you are in as best as you can. Learning to ride safely in traffic is an essential skill.

According to the Sierra Club’s Guide To Outing On Wheels, “the cyclist should be careful and courteous in traffic but should never be timid.”

There are many traffic situations in which you must be reasonably aggressive to ensure your own safety. An easily-intimidated and overly nervous rider will be pushed into dangerous situations again and again by the drivers of cars, out of a combination of ignorance and in most cases, hostility. Remember that when you are riding a bicycle, you have the most to lose. Therefore, take the initiative and don’t allow yourself to be placed in jeopardy.

One of the reasons that you need to be assertive in traffic is that many drivers are not really used to bicycles and do not take account of them. A driver of a car simply may not see you because his or her eyes are not trained to register bicycles. Highly visible clothing helps. Beware of people inside parked cars when you are riding at the edge of the street. A car door opened suddenly in front of you can make for an unpleasant sudden stop.

Don’t block a motorist’s way if you can avoid it, but control your road space. Let drivers know what you are doing, even if they don’t want to notice. Signal your intentions clearly or make eye contact with the driver who will be affected. Make sure the driver understands your intentions. When in doubt, do not proceed. Always underestimate him. Presume that he is incompetent. Judge the situation yourself. Do not let others judge the situation for you.

Learn to take quick glances to your rear, left, right and well ahead. Develop a good peripheral vision while in motion. See far and wide.

Learning to ride well in traffic will take time. You have to develop an odd combination of attitudes and talents. Be considerate but not timid. Be assertive but not reckless. Keep your own survival uppermost in your mind.*

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COUNCILOR Philian Louise Weygan-Allan told the Self-Propelled this week that a brand-new animal has started to invade the streets of Baguio: TRICYCLES!

At least three of them have been sighted going around Baguio. One is that of an ice cream vendor, another is that of a scrap buyer and the other a fish vendor.

At this early, Councilor Philian said that she will do everything in her power to put on the brakes on these three-wheeled beasts from proliferating in the city.

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ROAD ANARCHIST OF THE WEEK: The featured road anarchist this week is the driver of a Baguio-Tomay jeep with registry plates AYD 912 for high-speed, sudden changing of lanes and for yelling at his passengers to instead get off and instead take the taxi (after calling his attention).*

You Can Beat The Egg Without Breaking The Shell

(This article was originally published in my sports page column Self-Propelled

in the June 12 to 18, 2011 issue of the Baguio Chronicle

--- a weekly newspaper based in Baguio City, Philippines.)

Our head is designed by evolution to withstand minor shocks under natural conditions but it is

poorly suited for falling headfirst unto concrete or smashing into cars or hitting the curb. These can happen to a bicycle rider and there is no doubt that the one who is wearing a helmet will have higher chances of surviving than the one who is not.

The primary danger results from riding with your head five or six feet above the hard pavement in a position from which you can easily be knocked down without a chance to cushion your skull. If your head falls free from this distance, it will break on the pavement due to the acceleration of gravity alone, quite apart from the additional velocity resulting from your motion on the bike. It therefore makes good sense to wear a standard helmet --- all the time you are on your bike.

The American National Standards Institute or (ANSI) created a standard called ANSI Z80.4 in 1984. Later, the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) created its own mandatory standard for all bicycle helmets sold in the United States, which took effect in March 1999. In the European Union (EU) the currently applicable standard is EN 1078:1997 while in the UK, the current standard is BS EN 1078:1997, which is identical to the EU standard, and which replaced BS 6863:1989 in 1997.

In Australia and New Zealand, the current legally-required standard is AS/NZS 2063. The performance requirements of this standard are slightly less strict than the Snell B95 standard but incorporate a quality assurance requirement. As a result, the AS/NZS can be argued to be safer.

The CPSC and EN1078 standards are lower than the Snell B95 (and B90) standard. Snell helmet standards are externally verified, with each helmet traceable by unique serial number. EN 1078 is also externally validated, but lacks Snell's traceability. The most common standard in the US, CPSC, is self-certified by the manufacturers. It is generally true to say that Snell standards are more exacting than other standards, and most helmets on sale these days will not meet them.

According to the Sierra Club’s Guide to Outing on Wheels, “no matter how skilled a rider you are, some idiot in a car can come zooming out of a driveway and zap you. Brilliant riding technique on your part has nothing to do with it. If you don’t want to wear a helmet, that’s okay, but you should recognize that your failure to wear one increases the dangers of cycling.”

Once you make up your mind that the additional protection is worth the trouble of wearing a helmet, you might as well wear one that provides reasonable amount of rigidity and shock absorbency. Once you have decided to wear a helmet, make up your mind to wear it whenever you are on your bike.

To do its job, the helmet must fit correctly, be worn correctly and be properly secured. Do not hesitate to refer to the owner’s manual provided with the helmet.

Accidents tend to occur at the most unexpected times. Injuries may occur even at a very low speed. So keep your helmet on all the time. Remember this: YOU CAN BEAT THE EGG WITHOUT BREAKING THE SHELL.*

(Today, June 8, I get off my bike to greet my second daughter a happy 20th birthday.)

Choosing To Be A Biker

(This article was originally published in my sports page column Self-Propelled

in the June 5 to 11, 2011 issue of the Baguio Chronicle

--- a weekly newspaper based in Baguio City, Philippines.)

Commuting on a bicycle has so much in common with backpacking and mountaineering. All of them are forms of self-propelled travel that brings the traveler into close contact with both the gentle and harsh moods of the natural and the man-made world.

In a planet of limited or dwindling resources, cycling offers unique advantages to those who are concerned about the consumption of non-renewable energy resources. The advantages of a bicycle as means transportation are obvious. It is relatively cheap and very economical. It does not consume fossil fuels (except for the relatively small amounts of fuel needed to build bikes and manufacture replacement parts such as tires).

A bicycle is a highly-personal and unique vehicle. Its engine is its passenger. It is fast and efficient enough to cover considerable distances in reasonable time. It is also compact enough to be parked or stored and can be easily be carried into and out of a building. But you can only do this in bicycle-friendly cities or establishments.

Right now, City Ordinance 55, Series 1989, disallows bicycles within the central business district. Cyclists are virtual outcasts and outlaws. Aside from the legal restrictions on bicycles, business establishments are bias against bikers. Except for Art Tibaldo’s Baguio Media Museum & Animation Studio along Sumulong Street and the Mt. Cloud book store at Casa Vallejo, business establishments in Baguio shoo away bikers.

Aside from its being an anti-biker city which a biker has to deal with each day, deciding to become a bicycle commuter requires a lot of technical considerations.

Mind you, it is always worth buying a really well-made bicycle. According to the Sierra Club Guide to Touring on Wheels, because of its practical uses, the purchase of a rather costly, a good-quality bike actually may save you money in the long run. Avoid buying-mass-produced and department-store bicycles.

Like any other sport, bicycling carries with it inherent risks of injury and damages. By choosing to be a biker, you assume responsibility for the risks. Not the people who sold you the bike or the company who made it. Proper maintenance of your bicycle is your sole responsibility which helps reduce the risks or injuries.

Correct riding habits help reduce risks of injuries and damages to your bicycle. In a city like Baguio where highly-aggressive, arrogant, reckless and anti-biker motorists dominate the roads, your own survival should be your primary concern. Nobody but you alone can ensure your own safety on the road. DO NOT expect your government officials to ensure your own safety. They have their own priorities.

As a biker, learn to be both defensive and assertive. This is called technical riding. Be defensive but not passive and timid. Be assertive but not reckless. Stay alert. Don’t get easily intimated.*