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Tim Link is a blur of determination: ... and wins the Cat 4 Men's Time Trial Series ...
April 26, 2004: THE FINAL LEG of the OBRA Eugene Time Trial Series was a great moment for Bike Friday's local image - Tim Link, riding his personal Pocket Pilot Elite came overall first in the Men's Cat 4 division. (See his bike described at the end of this article).
Tim's win cause quite a flurry of interest in the lobby of Track Town Pizza where prizes were handed out for men, women and youth and master categories. Folks gathered around to ask the usual questions, including Don't you have to pedal more?
Tim only started racing in earnest last year and says he's pleased with his progress so far. A few wins in a category automatically qualifies you to jump up to the next category where competition becomes progressively more intense, the helmets pointier, legs and arms smoother, aero-gear more aero... in fact, aero gear would have helped on this day - hot and windy, with most contenders struggling against fierce headwind for half the ride, but fortunately sailing home with a tailwind on the second half.
Several folks turned up to cheer us on including Bike Friday's Japan Marketing Evangelist Ruthy Kanagy, who did the time trial on her Sat R Day two weeks earlier, and Traveler XLQ owners Jim and Sandy Marr who seemed to pop up from behind a tree every week to wave us all good luck.
Joel on Peter Kaspar's personal project 'Airless' Friday and no, you can't have one! (But you can have something even better - like a Pocket Rocket Pro
It was a great day for other Bike Friday staff and friends also competing.
Lunchtime rider Joel Wilson, riding Peter Kaspar's 'Airless' Friday (no, you can't have one, but you can have something even better ...), and Wheel Wizard Ted Wade riding his personal big wheeler all came within a few seconds of Tim. Ian Scholz kept up the faith on his red Pocket Rocket. Pocket Rocket Pro owner Candy Walker achieved an excellent time of 45 minutes on her Cannondale (hey, we do advocate freedom of choice). I, riding alone in the Women's Masters 40+, managed to score overall first place in my category by default, riding my Pocket Rocket Pro Petite as fast as I possibly could (it helped to imagine a pack of Dobermans lock-jawed to my seat bag). This landed me a very nice prize - a Craft undergarment, thank you.
'Hey, it's not just about being fast, it's about showing up and thus placing yourself in front of all the timid people who think "no I can't",' said Alan Scholz, when I downplayed my 'win'.
The actual times and results can be viewed on the OBRA results page.
What did Tim learn this time?
'Never make adjustments just before a big race. I put my seat back but part way through my leg went numb, so my time was not as good as last time.'
Air Friday owner and ultramarathoner Mark Newsome did it on his big wheeler and we're going to harass him mercilessly for that one!
Next: the Eugene Hill Time Trial series starting next week. We'll take on any sized wheel....
April 5, 2004: TIM COMES SECOND IN TIME TRIAL: See further down in this article
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BIKE FRIDAY IN A CRITERIUM
HOW DO little wheels do in a criterium?
"Excellent," says Customer Service guy Tim Link, who recently rode his Pocket Pilot Elite up against a phalanx of big wheel bikes in an OBRA criterium a stone's throw from Bike Friday. A folding bicycle in a carbon-fiber cluttered criterium? This was something to see.
For newbies, a criterium is defined a mass-start race covering numerous laps of a course.
Tim prepared for the event in minute detail, squeezing into an XS Bike Friday Jersey (he normally wears M) for minimal wind resistance, eating the $7.95 full monty at Izzy's Classic Buffet the day before, shaving not only his substantially hirsute legs but also his arms, putting on an extra light front wheel with a super skinny American Classic Ultralight hub and .7" wide Primo Champion tires, and reading about useful tips on the net the night before. He also wore the smaller of his two helmets; he owns a size large Giro Pneumo for winter commuting "so you can wear a fleece headband or cap underneath", and a size medium that fits tighter for racing.
The result? He didn't win, but came in around 5th, leading the field for probably 17 laps of 25, no doubt egged on by the noisy little crowd of Bike Friday staff standing at the turn and yelling "Go Bike Friday! Go Bike Friday! Go Bike Friday!"
He won one of the primes (pronounced 'preem'), a special award given to the leader on selected laps, or the first rider to reach a certain landmark in the case of a road race. It's used to heighten the action, and Tim pocketed 12 HammerGels as a prize. Oooh yum...
"I actually wanted to win the first sprint, because the prize was a $30 Tracktown pizza," he said, but he was pipped at the post by a rider who yelled 'PIZZA!" loud enough to throw him off guard.
Which brings us to a discussion of criterium tactics, sabotage and otherwise.
What did he learn from his research on the Internet?
"To stay wide on corners, and towards the front so you don't have to brake and speed up. The problem in this race was the small field - with just 13 riders and a nice wide track, everyone could get around without braking or getting blocked in. If you choose to go out front, you should try and put a 30 second gap between you and the pack, and towards the end, at least a 10 second gap - then no one can catch you."
What team tactics do you employ? (This is for the benefit of readers who are criterium novices):
"One of your team mates should go off the front, let another team chase him down, you draft them then pass them when they tire... and so forth. Oh, and your team mates can block other riders to let you to the front."
Is a Bike Friday good for crits?
"Excellent. The small wheels corner easily and accelerate fast." Take note tandem racers!
Who won?
Joel, who is a regular on the noon Bike Friday training ride won the race on his undisclosed Ti 700 c road bike. "One thing I noticed, looking at the videos, was that Joel had a better riding position on his bike - a flatter back with elbows tucked in. I'll have to experiment with moving my seat forward and trying to remember my elbows!"
What would you have done differently?
"In hindsight, maybe I went off the front too early, too fast too soon, so by the time it got to the end someone else was fresher. But you never can tell. Sometimes you can simply wear the field out by being way out front. And I felt good, so I went for it!"
Anything else?
"Stay in the top 3 at all times, if you can. It's always a decision - do I sit back with the pack, draft most of the way, hope I don't end up in a crash, and that I am the strongest sprinter in the pack to take the lead at the end? Or do I expend more energy, stay out front and try and maintain an unbeatable gap? All tactics..."
Sounds like the tactic of yelling "PIZZA!" in a voice loud enough to shatter the glass on your heartrate monitor should not be underestimated...
Here's a nice little clip (338 kb Quicktime Movie) of Tim during one of his glory laps. Want more? Here's more (1.9 Mb Quicktime Movie)
"Go Bike Friday! Go Bike Friday! Go Bike Friday!" L to R: Steve Moore (Air Friday), Jeff Bryce (former BF salesguy), Gaylynn HanavanCoon with husband Monty and children Madeline and Elliot, Lynette Chiang and Theresa Scholz.
*** STOP PRESS! Tim's preparation pays off in OBRA Time Trial ***
April 5, 2004. 15 miles/24 kilometer, 76 riders. Results
You thought bike racers were gear geeks? Time trial geeks take the cake. We are talking Louis Garneau skin suits, pointy aero helmets, disc wheels, baby-oil slathered on exposed skin, and of course, the essential aero bars (the kind you hang onto, not the kind you eat).
Two days after the aforementioned crit race, Tim Link raced down to the store to fit aero bars on his Bike Friday especially for this Time Trial event. It paid off - he came 2nd in his category in a field of 22. Not only that, several other Bike Friday employees (not all on Bike Fridays - hey, some of them have a garage full of beloved bikes) also did well. Here are the results, with some additional results shown for comparison.
Fastest time on the day: Doug Ollerenshaw, Cat 1/2 Men, 32:19, avg speed 27.6 mp/h. Doug is a Pro racer.
Cat 4/5 Men Results:
(1st: Brian Cadman, 36:18)
2nd place: Tim Link, 36:43, avg speed 24.5 mp/h, riding Pocket Pilot Elite
3rd place: Ted Wade, 37:06, avg speed 24.2 mp/h, riding personal 7-speed with disc wheel
11th place: Stephen Strickland, 40:19, 22.24 mp/h, riding Pocket Rocket Pro
Women's Cat 4:
3rd place: Candi Walker, 45:12, avg speed 19.75 mp/h, riding Pocket Rocket Pro
What did the guys learn from this race?
Tim Link: "Seat further forward, aero bars, so my back was really flat, elbows tucked in." Tim even turned his seatpost 180 degrees to get himself further over the pedals.
Stephen Strickland: "Line up behind people who you think will challenge you."
Ted Wade: "I learned what pain is."
Interestingly, the overall winner, Pro racer Doug Ollerenshaw, did it on a regular racing bicycle (no aero bars or conehead time trial gear) and achieved 32:19 - average speed of over 27 mph...
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