In article <
[email protected]>,
[email protected] wrote:
> Ryan Cousineau writes:
>
> >>>>>> I'm with you on that except that I use my parka on my summer
> >>>>>> tour in the Alps where it can snow any day of the year and
> >>>>>> often does as you can see from the pictures at:
>
> http://www.paloaltobicycles.com/alps_photos/f83.html
>
> >>>>>> For that reason I have a more stringent rule on what works.
>
> >>>>>> 1. It must be water proof.
>
> >>>>>> 2. It must have a hood that can be cinched down so that only
> >>>>>> eyes and nose are exposed.
>
> >>>>>> 3. It should be double layered, the inner layer can be mesh but
> >>>>>> must insulate the outer skin from the rider's arms to
> >>>>>> prevent freezing hands.
>
> >>>>>> 4. Velcro closure on sleeves and over the zipper down the front.
>
> >>>>>> 5. No vents or slots. Climbing can be done with the front
> >>>>>> partially open even in rain.
>
> >>>>>> 6. No Gore-Tex, the outer layer of which gets wet and doesn't
> >>>>>> dry readily, and the same goes for condensation on the
> >>>>>> inside. Breathing is illusory for someone climbing hills on
> >>>>>> a bicycle.
>
> >>>>>> 7. Bonus: Stiff and tight fitting enough so it does not flap in
> >>>>>> the wind when descending.
>
> >>>>>> Flapping sleeves and body is the greatest loss of warmth from
> >>>>>> forced convection. Next time when descending, hold the arms so
> >>>>>> the jacket remains still and notice how much warmer it is.
>
> >>>>>> Unfortunately, the people who make bicycle jackets haven't
> >>>>>> tried descending a 20km alpine pass when it's snowing... or at
> >>>>>> least not with an understanding of why it is as cold as it is.
> >>>>>> Most jackets have no adequate neck and head covering and have a
> >>>>>> body to hold Santa Clause with many layers of clothing.
>
> >>>>> I have been very happy with my "racing" jacket (a Louis Garneau
> >>>>> Windtex), which is a form-fitting jacket with no vents, elastic
> >>>>> cuffs, and a collar (but no hood). On its own, it is remarkably
> >>>>> warm, rain-resistant, and combined with a jersey, is warm down
> >>>>> to at least zero.
>
> http://louisgarneau.com/eng/ctm_catalog.asp?catalogue=C7
>
> >>>> The main page of this web site is a compendium of grimacing
> >>>> posing racers as is common in today's bicycling press. That's
> >>>> too bad, because there are many imitators out there emulating
> >>>> that appearance, even looking over their shoulder to see if an
> >>>> imagined chase group is catching up. Can't we just ride bike
> >>>> instead of so much posturing?
>
> >>> You have a strong opinion of posing. It must be said that the
> >>> splash page you object to is for Garneau's "Custom" line, which is
> >>> to say, directly aimed at clubs doing bulk orders of team kit. I
> >>> can't vouch for the tri-guy, but all the other pics I can identify
> >>> as being one of the elite teams LG sponsors: Jittery Joe's (US Div
> >>> III, I think), Garneau Optik (Quebec team, possibly espoir-level),
> >>> and Boyuges Telecom (recently seen contesting the Tour de France).
> >>> In fact, except for one training-ride shot of Jittery Joe's, I'm
> >>> pretty sure all those pictures were taken in the heat of
> >>> competition.
>
> >> So what are you getting at? Riders today spend much time looking
> >> right just cruising around or racing. It's all Hollywood and they
> >> don't even recognize it anymore.
>
> > My point is that these are photos of actual racers in actual race
> > conditions advertising a clothing line specifically aimed at cycling
> > clubs, a great number of which (probably the majority of their
> > orders) are racing-oriented.
>
> Yes, as I say they are emulating some movie star role grimacing as
> they believe they should. Werther in actual combat or not, we know
> how to look from our role models in the movies.
Jobst, I don't know how they did it in your day, but they all look like
they're pulling about the same ridiculous race faces that, I assure you,
come quite naturally to me after about five minutes in the red zone.
Most of them are wearing sunglasses, which may be what makes them look
more posed than you'd expect, but could you please name which of these
riders seems, well, unnaturally race-facey to you?
Here's some pictures from a recent B-group cyclocross race:
http://descantes.com/slideshow/20060923EVCROSS/MEN B/
I apologize for the rotten interface. I would give you the hint that
clicking on the "next" button repeatedly pretty much as fast as you can
will fast-forward the slideshow about as fast as you can click.
I encourage you to pause a moment on slides 46 and 47 in that show:
you'll see a bunch of pretty classic race-face poses: open mouths
(because you get more air that way), eyes focused on an object of
interest which is not the camera (because it's a race, and you're
interested in not crashing), and bodies in fluid but frenzied motion
(because it's a race).
I can assure you that the subject in slides 46 and 47 was not trying to
put on a face. That same open-mouthed, looking-up-the-road face appears
in virtually every picture of that rider I have been able to find.
Look through all 90 of those photos: they look like virtually every
heat-of-the-race photo I've ever seen, including ones dating back to the
fixed-gear era of road racing, and at every level from Novice Women to
ProTour champions.
Don't believe me? Here's the Women's C race:
http://descantes.com/slideshow/20060923EVCROSS/WOMEN C/
Note the open mouths, eyes focused off in the distance, and general
sense of exertion.
The only difference I see on the Louis Garneau page is that the
photographer or the creative director or the web designer has selected
for photos with a minimum of dopey looks on their faces. I can't
particularly think that riders caught with goofy looks is emblematic of
anything. Any photographer who takes a reasonable number of candid
photos is going to have an awful lot of pictures where a half-
Actually, here's a photo where the rider has a very distinctive look on
his face:
http://descantes.com/2005/HarrisRoubaix/
I don't see Garneau seeking such pictures out to advertise his apparel.
It doesn't really say "nice jersey" to me.
> > If we switch to the splash page for the generic "Fall cycling" line,
> > we see this:
>
> http://louisgarneau.com/eng/catalog.asp?catalogue=HH6
>
> > OK, he's looking back, and he's riding a fancy bike, but I hardly
> > think you can accuse the rider of racer-posing, since he is in the
> > decidedly unnatural-for-racing position of having one foot on the
> > ground and looking back. Also, no team colors on his jersey.
>
> I see no bicycles on that web page.
>
> Jobst Brandt
Whoops. As Carl points out, there's no direct link for the Fall Cycling
splash page, which one must activate separately. I am apparently cursed
by bad web navigation today.
By the way, I looked through your photos, and there is very little
race-face in them. However, this is because the pictures mostly fall
into three categories:
1) rider facing away from the camera
2) rider a small part of a wide shot designed to feature the gorgeous
scenery. Indeed, in some of these shots one can play "where's the
cyclist?" for a few moments. This makes for pretty pictures, but not
ones likely to feature in a bicycle clothing catalog.
3) riders posed smiling beside mountain pass signs. Also fun, but you're
not riding.
I found one or two photos where a cyclist's face was discernible, and
they do seem to be smiling. They also don't seem to be going all-out,
but I wouldn't expect that, given that these are fun jaunts through the
Alps rather than serious attempts to win the Men's "C" fourth prize
(which, at the last race I attended, was not even enough money to cover
the entry fee -- either way, I didn't place in the money).
--
Ryan Cousineau
[email protected] http://www.wiredcola.com/
"I don't want kids who are thinking about going into mathematics
to think that they have to take drugs to succeed." -Paul Erdos
