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What former professionals ride

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What former professionals ride

Old 02-25-15, 09:30 AM
  #101  
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Originally Posted by Stucky
It'd be like seeing a former pro baseball player take awards for playing with Little Leaguers!
Yep
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Old 02-25-15, 09:42 AM
  #102  
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Originally Posted by TMonk
As other's have mentioned, riding the hoods is supposed to be more aero than the drops, for a given body position.

I'm a competitive cyclist with a lot of saddle to bar drop on my race bike. Having said that, I ride the drops in two situations:

1) Any time I need to really handle the bike: sprints, jumps, cornering
2) Any time safety is a concern: descending, or in close quarters with other riders.

Having said that, I can spend a 60min crit entirely in the drops no problemo. But, if I was just trucking down a straight road and rotating with one or two other riders, I'd probably be on the hoods.
Thanks. Makes sense and seems like others set their bike up and ride the same way.
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Old 02-25-15, 09:44 AM
  #103  
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Who is this former pro you guys are talking about who's trying to "win" Strava?
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Old 02-25-15, 10:03 AM
  #104  
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Not a former pro Fabian Cancellara

Last edited by Rustle; 02-25-15 at 10:17 AM.
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Old 02-25-15, 10:09 AM
  #105  
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I know a former pro who used to work at the same company I did.
I was surprised to discover one day that I had a faster time than him on a local Strava segment.
Now to be fair, although we are the same height, I outweigh him by ~20#, and the segment was a descent that dumps you into a residential area with an abrupt drop in speed limit and is known for sometimes having a cop lurking.

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Old 02-25-15, 10:14 AM
  #106  
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Greg Lemond
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Old 02-25-15, 10:25 AM
  #107  
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Originally Posted by BoSoxYacht
Former pros "competing" on Strava is a little silly.

I like seeing what Pros can do, but a retired Pro that actually tries to KOM every segment in their area is pathetic.
I think it depends on the motivation. If he is trying to compete for bragging rights, especially in an area where there are not other pro riders, that is sad. However, I am tempted to look up the big climbs around Aspen and see if the former pros who live there are competing with each other--that could be interesting.

OTOH, if he is trying to motivate other riders in the area who follow him and he is friendly about everything, I can see the point in posting your times on Strava. Then it becomes "I came within X of the former pro", which can be fun.
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Old 02-25-15, 10:29 AM
  #108  
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Originally Posted by SimonSan
I don't get your point.. If you are retired pro you are no longer a pro, so you have every right to use the Strava app.... I think If you are a former pro and you are not KOM you are a tool. Personally I don't care who is KOM, you train and ride for your own goals. who is to say half of the KOM's are not done on a vespa?

agreed... there are tons of ways to "fudge" Strava #s anyway so you really shouldn't put too much stock in them anyway. I only look at the #s to in relation to the people that I know or ride with.

I like when Pros ride and post their data on Strava.


Besides there are only but so many popular cycling routes, why should they turn off their Garmin? Oh, I personally discount any strava #s that don't show cadence and heart rate.. there are a bunch of tools that leave their phone app on while driving around.
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Old 02-25-15, 10:35 AM
  #109  
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Silly inclusion of Strave KOM's into this thread. Many know that KOM's aren't real.
Just go out and buy one:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P_Nnj4RZzu4
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Old 02-25-15, 11:41 AM
  #110  
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Before I had kids I used to caddy on the PGA's AAA tour when it had a tournament locally. (I think currently it is the Web.com Tour) None of the pros I caddied for liked to talk about golf. It was their job and what they worked at day after day. They always found what their Pro Am partners did or even what I did for a living more interesting than golf. Other sports, movies, whatever, they liked to talk about. But not golf.

If you are familiar with the former PGA pro (major winner) Curtis Strange, you might not know that he has an identical twin named Allen. Allen was a professional for 3 years before entering the business world and becoming very successful. He is still very active in golf at the amateur level in VA. I wonder which one of the brothers think they have had the better life.
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Old 02-25-15, 03:10 PM
  #111  
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Originally Posted by seypat
Before I had kids I used to caddy on the PGA's AAA tour when it had a tournament locally. (I think currently it is the Web.com Tour) None of the pros I caddied for liked to talk about golf. It was their job and what they worked at day after day. They always found what their Pro Am partners did or even what I did for a living more interesting than golf. Other sports, movies, whatever, they liked to talk about. But not golf.

If you are familiar with the former PGA pro (major winner) Curtis Strange, you might not know that he has an identical twin named Allen. Allen was a professional for 3 years before entering the business world and becoming very successful. He is still very active in golf at the amateur level in VA. I wonder which one of the brothers think they have had the better life.
sounds to me they both did!!
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Old 02-25-15, 03:37 PM
  #112  
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Originally Posted by Campag4life
Silly inclusion of Strave KOM's into this thread. Many know that KOM's aren't real.
Just go out and buy one:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P_Nnj4RZzu4
If I saw that guy riding around my neighborhood I'd stick my frame pump in his spokes.
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Old 02-25-15, 03:39 PM
  #113  
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Merckx and Hinault ride a tandem:

Merckx et Hinault, un tandem... à l'heure | SONUMA
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Old 02-25-15, 03:42 PM
  #114  
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Jens, while still a pro, showing us all how to race whatever you can find on the side of the road :-)


I hope he signed the kid's top tube, "Shut Up Legs!"
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Old 02-25-15, 04:27 PM
  #115  
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There are a number of former pro cyclists and ex-MX racers that ride MTB in my area and they are on Strava in my age group......not that I am any threat to anyone in the top 25%. The are in the top ten age group and sometimes overall. They are out having fun and riding, and happen to still be in shape and damn fast. Is there a problem?
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Old 02-25-15, 08:33 PM
  #116  
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Lance tweeted this as his ride about a year ago


When they launched the 525, they made this exact when that Eddy rode during the launch events. Set up for him.
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Old 02-25-15, 09:59 PM
  #117  
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Originally Posted by happyscientist
I think it depends on the motivation.
That's been my thought as well as I've read through this thread. If ex-pros happen to use Strava and are out riding like any of us -- pick a route, have a go --then good for them for being fast. If they are out scalping KOMs for sport, then they're insecure wanks. Of course, we have no way to distinguish between the two.
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Old 02-25-15, 10:16 PM
  #118  
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Originally Posted by Darth Steele
agreed... there are tons of ways to "fudge" Strava #s anyway so you really shouldn't put too much stock in them anyway. I only look at the #s to in relation to the people that I know or ride with.

I like when Pros ride and post their data on Strava.


Besides there are only but so many popular cycling routes, why should they turn off their Garmin? Oh, I personally discount any strava #s that don't show cadence and heart rate.. there are a bunch of tools that leave their phone app on while driving around.
I work as a programmer and this has given me an idea for an app. A Garmin / Cycling computer hack app that will let you go in and change the HR, cadence, power, time, or any metric that was recorded on a given ride. Hell, might as well make it so you can just make up the whole ride and all the given numbers without even doing anything.

That's a million dollar idea right there.

Or does that exist already?

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Old 02-25-15, 10:29 PM
  #119  
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Originally Posted by rideBjj
I work as a programmer and this has given me an idea for an app. A Garmin / Cycling computer hack app that will let you go in and change the HR, cadence, power, time, or any metric that was recorded on a given ride. Hell, might as well make it so you can just make up the whole ride and all the given numbers without even doing anything.

That's a million dollar idea right there.

Or does that exist already?

There's a website somewhere that'll let you upload a .tcx file, modify it, and download the modified version. It gets silly, for sure. There's a guy who always leads a couple of Strava groups in climbing. If you look, he'll ride a route that might normally had 1,400 feet of climbing. Only, strangely, when he did it, that same 15 mile ride had 40,000 feet of climbing!
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Old 02-25-15, 11:11 PM
  #120  
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Originally Posted by rideBjj
I work as a programmer and this has given me an idea for an app. A Garmin / Cycling computer hack app that will let you go in and change the HR, cadence, power, time, or any metric that was recorded on a given ride. Hell, might as well make it so you can just make up the whole ride and all the given numbers without even doing anything.

That's a million dollar idea right there.

Or does that exist already?

Already been done. Search for "Digital EPO".
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Old 02-26-15, 01:05 AM
  #121  
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LA on a Crumpton, makes sense they are both from Austin.

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Old 02-26-15, 07:39 AM
  #122  
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I know very closely an ex-pro, national level. He kept a decent road bicycle: alu, 105... no frills. He also did some trips in gravel and paths on a heavy MTB. His last outing was a 800 km trip on a rented bicycle.

As for the Strava rant going on here's my two cents. If somebody finds motivation or pleasure in completing segments and racing his Strava friends, be it a pro, an ex-pro or a sunday cyclist, let it be. Personally, I think ex-pros in Strava is a great thing: I suppose many people would be motivated to go out there and go around the same segments, joining them in rides... eventually dragging more people to cycling. I think this can only be good for the sport!
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Old 02-26-15, 11:02 AM
  #123  
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I think everyone would be much better off if they'd forget about Strava and just enjoy their rides!
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Old 02-26-15, 11:05 AM
  #124  
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Originally Posted by bigfred
Already been done. Search for "Digital EPO".
Lol.. You beat me to it
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Old 02-26-15, 11:09 AM
  #125  
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Originally Posted by Stucky
I think everyone would be much better off if they'd forget about Strava and just enjoy their rides!
This assumes that some of us don't get more enjoyment from Strava! Even if we're not chasing KOM's, it encourages us to push hard, try new routes, and keeps us on our toes by looking back at what we've done before (keeping track of rides, etc.)

For me at least, that makes it MORE enjoyable, not less. When I was a kid I tooled around on my bike with nowhere to go, but I want to do more than that now.
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