Drag racing on bicycles.

01-29-2007, 06:57 PM

This one is my pet. Since all the car freaks like to do drag races, both
at stop lights and at a track, why not have the same event for bicycle
riders. A quarter mile is a good distance for a healthy rider to cover
at 110% effort and the finishing speed should be about 40 MPH for a
really fit rider. Given an average of 30 MPH that would give 30 seconds
of pure leg busting effort and a near heart attack at the end.
I know that a rider set a record by riding at 35 MPH for one full hour
in a velodrome so it can be done, although that record may have been on
a 'bent.

New sport anyone?

Bill Baka

01-29-2007, 08:09 PM

street sprints?

--
ie
ride fast, take chances.

"Bill Baka" <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote in message
news:Tmzvh.39780$[Only registered and activated users can see links. ].prodigy. net...
> This one is my pet. Since all the car freaks like to do drag races, both
> at stop lights and at a track, why not have the same event for bicycle
> riders. A quarter mile is a good distance for a healthy rider to cover at
> 110% effort and the finishing speed should be about 40 MPH for a really
> fit rider. Given an average of 30 MPH that would give 30 seconds of pure
> leg busting effort and a near heart attack at the end.
> I know that a rider set a record by riding at 35 MPH for one full hour in
> a velodrome so it can be done, although that record may have been on a
> 'bent.
>
> New sport anyone?
>
> Bill Baka

01-29-2007, 08:57 PM

In article <Tmzvh.39780$[Only registered and activated users can see links. ].prodigy.net> ,
Bill Baka <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote:

> This one is my pet. Since all the car freaks like to do drag races, both
> at stop lights and at a track, why not have the same event for bicycle
> riders. A quarter mile is a good distance for a healthy rider to cover
> at 110% effort and the finishing speed should be about 40 MPH for a
> really fit rider. Given an average of 30 MPH that would give 30 seconds
> of pure leg busting effort and a near heart attack at the end.
> I know that a rider set a record by riding at 35 MPH for one full hour
> in a velodrome so it can be done, although that record may have been on
> a 'bent.
>
> New sport anyone?
>
> Bill Baka

Several track events (match sprints, chariot races, pursuit, kilo) are
essentially drag races of one form or another.

kilos are 1000m standing-start time trials. It's probably the closest to
a standing-start low-et race, though it is not normally done heads-up.

Match sprints are heads-up standing-start races, but the first three
laps (of four) are usually purely tactical, as riders compete for track
position at speeds as slow as a walking pace.

A chariot race is a 3-up match sprint, and the dynamic of the extra
rider means that such races are, while still tactical, usually
faster-moving from the start.

If you've never seen a match sprint before, it is the definitive track
event, and as exciting as a drag race. Less noisy, though.

--
Ryan Cousineau [Only registered and activated users can see links. ] [Only registered and activated users can see links. ]
"I don't want kids who are thinking about going into mathematics
to think that they have to take drugs to succeed." -Paul Erdos

01-30-2007, 04:45 AM

On Tue, 30 Jan 2007 05:57:34 GMT, Ryan Cousineau <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]>
wrote:

>
>Several track events (match sprints, chariot races, pursuit, kilo) are
>essentially drag races of one form or another.

Uh huh, but a short steep hill climb is IMO even closer. Brits seem to
like to do them with both their bikes and their cars. Of course, a
bicyclist in good shape has more chance of getting to the top of a
steep hill than the average vintage British sports car.

Curtis L. Russell
Odenton, MD (USA)
Just someone on two wheels...

01-30-2007, 08:13 AM

Ah, you bring back memories. When I was a kid, my buddy and I used to
drag-race our bikes across parking lots from a standing start. I had
a Sturmey Archer 3-speed (internal gears) and he had a flashy 5-speed
with a derailleur. I always won.

In all the times we raced he never figured out that for drag racing
it's best to start in a low gear. He was so enamored with his 5
speeds that he always started in top gear. I usually left him at the
starting line. I thought he'd figure it out after the first couple of
races, but he never did. Maybe it's because he couldn't see what gear
I was in.

-JR

01-30-2007, 10:54 AM

oldhickory wrote:
> street sprints?
>
Yeah.
Why not?
Two riders face off and get a time and speed clocking at the end just
like the car people do.
It could be a way to end "I'm faster than you" debates very quickly.
I was thinking of it as a possibly sanctioned event that anybody could
participate in. Not everybody is up to a Century or has time, but
everybody should be able to cover a whole quarter mile under a minute,
even the 80 year old riders I have seen.
It's just something different to do on a bike.
Bill Baka

01-30-2007, 11:00 AM

SlowRider wrote:
> Ah, you bring back memories. When I was a kid, my buddy and I used to
> drag-race our bikes across parking lots from a standing start. I had
> a Sturmey Archer 3-speed (internal gears) and he had a flashy 5-speed
> with a derailleur. I always won.

That is what I did as a kid too, but three speeds were the staple of the
day in Illinois back in the 50's and 60's.
>
> In all the times we raced he never figured out that for drag racing
> it's best to start in a low gear. He was so enamored with his 5
> speeds that he always started in top gear. I usually left him at the
> starting line. I thought he'd figure it out after the first couple of
> races, but he never did. Maybe it's because he couldn't see what gear
> I was in.

It sounds like a case of slow learner there.
>
>
> -JR
>
Still, I think a quarter mile would be a good event for all ages, both
young and old.
Bill Baka

01-30-2007, 11:02 AM

Ryan Cousineau wrote:
> In article <Tmzvh.39780$[Only registered and activated users can see links. ].prodigy.net> ,
> Bill Baka <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote:
>
>> This one is my pet. Since all the car freaks like to do drag races, both
>> at stop lights and at a track, why not have the same event for bicycle
>> riders. A quarter mile is a good distance for a healthy rider to cover
>> at 110% effort and the finishing speed should be about 40 MPH for a
>> really fit rider. Given an average of 30 MPH that would give 30 seconds
>> of pure leg busting effort and a near heart attack at the end.
>> I know that a rider set a record by riding at 35 MPH for one full hour
>> in a velodrome so it can be done, although that record may have been on
>> a 'bent.
>>
>> New sport anyone?
>>
>> Bill Baka
>
> Several track events (match sprints, chariot races, pursuit, kilo) are
> essentially drag races of one form or another.
>
> kilos are 1000m standing-start time trials. It's probably the closest to
> a standing-start low-et race, though it is not normally done heads-up.
>
> Match sprints are heads-up standing-start races, but the first three
> laps (of four) are usually purely tactical, as riders compete for track
> position at speeds as slow as a walking pace.
>
> A chariot race is a 3-up match sprint, and the dynamic of the extra
> rider means that such races are, while still tactical, usually
> faster-moving from the start.
>
> If you've never seen a match sprint before, it is the definitive track
> event, and as exciting as a drag race. Less noisy, though.
>
Total agreement with you.
The quarter mile thing I have in mind is just so that everyone can
participate, and not just the elite.
Of course, if it became a popular event, I have a feeling that it would
splinter into elites and average casual riders.
Bill Baka

01-30-2007, 08:10 PM

In article <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]>,
Ryan Cousineau <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> writes:

> Match sprints are heads-up standing-start races, but the first three
> laps (of four) are usually purely tactical, as riders compete for track
> position at speeds as slow as a walking pace.

Fencing with bike riding instead of swords.

Le Danse Macabre.

cheers :-),
Tom

--
Nothing is safe from me.
Above address is just a spam midden.
I'm really at: tkeats curlicue vcn dot bc dot ca

01-31-2007, 05:19 AM

On Tue, 30 Jan 2007 19:54:55 GMT, Bill Baka <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote:

>It's just something different to do on a bike.

Actually, it is rather common to do for the younger set between
regular races. One of the funniest things to officiate are kids on
trikes 'at speed'. Half hit the curb and the other half draw a bead on
the officials in the middle of the road. But the ones just below
racing ages often do partial lap 'races'. And they'll be wobbling at
the end from the exertion. Fortunately, there are usually only about
three or four competitors, so there is lots of wobble room. That's how
you tell them from the Cat Vs...

Curtis L. Russell
Odenton, MD (USA)
Just someone on two wheels...