Tour de Celeb: Louie’s cycling safety demo

[jay clock]

all in all EXCELLENT. Yes a few annoying things but at least 95% of the forum massive would find that ride a tough day out, and these (mostly) non-cyclists did it with 8 weeks training. Angelica was my fave followed by Louie for entertainment value

 

[Racing roadkill]

Anyone heard/read anything to explain their chain problems ? Both Louis and Jodie seemed to be in difficulty with them. You'd think that the programme would have employed a mechanic.

They needed to learn how to trim the front mech, on the fly. There was a lot of shifting between rings, due to the terrain. The mechs went out of trim. They obviously weren't confident with / told about the barrel adjusters.

 

[Racing roadkill]

[QUOTE 4605559, member: 43827"]Isn't this more likely to be correct if you have a team without such wide extremes of ability and confidence?
Those teams were never going to be able to draft given their inexperience, skills and lack of confidence.[/QUOTE]
True, but any sort of draft is better than a 'Swiss cheese formation'. I'm not suggesting a chain gang, fag paper between wheels, type of thing, just a bit of a better bunch up. I guess they didn't have enough time to train like that though.

 

[Racing roadkill]

all in all EXCELLENT. Yes a few annoying things but at least 95% of the forum massive would find that ride a tough day out, and these (mostly) non-cyclists did it with 8 weeks training. Angelica was my fave followed by Louie for entertainment value

Only some of them pretty much didn't do it really. Hill walking is one of the things that grips my merde most about these sorts of events. It's not entirely their fault of course. That was a big ask of a non cyclist, but Angelica extracted the urine too much, by getting someone to push her bike for her. The less said about her lifting the bike over her head at the end, the better. I can only assume that was insisted on by the producers, it didn't look spontaneous.

 

[Dogtrousers]

Continuing to take things too seriously:

"Enormity" does not mean "hugeness" or "enormousness". It means "great wickedness". You cannot realise the "enormity" of taking on the etape unless you intend on maybe celebrating by murdering some kittens, while laughing maniacally.

A puncture is not "every cyclists worst nightmare", it's a minor inconvenience. Worst nightmares involve things like being abducted by hordes of midget secret policemen with faces made out of carpet and stuff like that.

Austin was probably right going it alone. On balance the time he gained for the team by doing that would have been more than the losses he would have prevented by hanging round at the back. Posh boy's second puncture was almost certainly his own fault, he'd probably pinched the tube or left a sharp in the tyre. From a team point of view Austin would have done well to remember his England Rugby days, and ensuring the team was correctly prepared.

Anyway, chapeau to the z-listers. I don't know that I could do it. That heat would have had me dropping out before I even got to the Joux Plane. I'd have been falling off, being sick and crying in true celeb style.

 

[Deleted member 26715]

It really did make cycling appear harder than it really is - in reality you get on a bike, pedal and smile.

Might be me, but I think you're wrong there to a certain extent, I think cycling is more often what's between the ears rather than what's below the waist. As I have said earlier, I think they did very well to do what they did in 8 weeks, I'm sure I couldn't have done the same.

 

[nickyboy]

They needed to learn how to trim the front mech, on the fly. There was a lot of shifting between rings, due to the terrain. The mechs went out of trim. They obviously weren't confident with / told about the barrel adjusters.

Yeah...8 weeks to go from total novice cyclist to entering the event and they need to learn how to use the barrel adjusters properly. Hell, I don't know how to use them properly...I just twiddle them a bit and hope for the best

I was very impressed by the fact they all finished. That was a hard ride for anybody. Fitness is only a part of doing an event like that. Mental toughness is what you really need and despite Louis' flouncing and Hugo's flakiness they showed they have it

I. rather stupidly, did a similarly difficult "super grimpeur" audax after I had been riding for about 3 months. And I suffered like a dog. So fair play to them all for managing it

 

[mjr]

They needed to learn how to trim the front mech, on the fly. There was a lot of shifting between rings, due to the terrain. The mechs went out of trim. They obviously weren't confident with / told about the barrel adjusters.

It's been a while since I used an indexed double (don't see the point) but I think it's similar to friction in this way: isn't throwing the chain an incorrectly-set limit or cable tension, rather than mere trim?

Angelica extracted the urine too much, by getting someone to push her bike for her. The less said about her lifting the bike over her head at the end, the better. I can only assume that was insisted on by the producers, it didn't look spontaneous.

Did you notice the rider behind cross the line (I assume to stop the clock with the timing chip ASAP) and I think lifting the back wheel to avoid smashing into her?

Posh boy's second puncture was almost certainly his own fault, he'd probably pinched the tube or left a sharp in the tyre.

Pinched tube, possibly, but the first one seemed like a classic case of seeing a crash, then braking too much (without alternating) and overheating the rim, causing the tyre to pop off.

Anyway, chapeau to the z-listers. I don't know that I could do it. That heat would have had me dropping out before I even got to the Joux Plane. I'd have been falling off, being sick and crying in true celeb style.

I'm not sure. I've walked in the mountains in that sort of heat and ridden up similar inclines (but I don't think it was quite that hot when I was cycling) but rather than immediately descend and climb another, I chose to stop and have dinner near the top of the first climb

 

[Dogtrousers]

[QUOTE 4605964, member: 43827"]Healey wasn't exactly known as a team player when he was in the England team. His game was was always about him.[/QUOTE]
True.
He did start out as a scrum half, so is obviously a detestable egotistical misfit.

 

[Dogtrousers]

They needed to learn how to trim the front mech, on the fly. There was a lot of shifting between rings, due to the terrain. The mechs went out of trim. They obviously weren't confident with / told about the barrel adjusters.

Not sure I fully agree with this. While you're right that may have enabled them to sort out their problems, I don't think it's something they should have needed to know about if the bikes were correctly set up. Front mechs don't "go out of trim" if they are set up right.

I got my first non-friction-shift bike about 4 years ago. Very occasionally, due to maintenance I've re-indexed the gears. Apart from that I've NEVER touched the barrel thingies, certainly not on the fly. And, I might add, I've never dropped my chain (apart from during accidents). And I've done a fair few km.

So either my bike is a super amazing brilliant example of reliability, or their bikes were set up by chimps who didn't realise you needed to re-check the indexing after the new cables had settled in, or (here's a thought) they were deliberately set up to go wrong to give us a bit of exciting telly.

I do drop my chain occasionally on my friction shift bike, but I can pretty much always pick it up again without stopping, just by pedalling gently and using the shifter. I've never had to try that on an indexed setup, but I expect it would work (providing you aren't going uphill and grinding to a stop).

 

[Racing roadkill]

Not sure I fully agree with this. While you're right that may have enabled them to sort out their problems, I don't think it's something they should have needed to know about if the bikes were correctly set up. Front mechs don't "go out of trim" if they are set up right.

I got my first non-friction-shift bike about 4 years ago. Very occasionally, due to maintenance I've re-indexed the gears. Apart from that I've NEVER touched the barrel thingies, certainly not on the fly. And, I might add, I've never dropped my chain (apart from during accidents). And I've done a fair few km.

So either my bike is a super amazing brilliant example of reliability, or their bikes were set up by chimps who didn't realise you needed to re-check the indexing after the new cables had settled in, or (here's a thought) they were deliberately set up to go wrong to give us a bit of exciting telly.

I do drop my chain occasionally on my friction shift bike, but I can pretty much always pick it up again without stopping, just by pedalling gently and using the shifter. I've never had to try that on an indexed setup, but I expect it would work (providing you aren't going uphill and grinding to a stop).

Chances are that it was 'engineered' to happen. It would only take a slight unwinding of the H limit screw, to get the chain to overshoot the big ring on an up shift, for example. Personally I tend to get irritated by the noise of any contact of the mech / sprockets with chain, so I do use the trim adjusters quite often. On a long ride with lots of front shifting, it's nearly impossible to avoid the trim drifting a bit ( unless you've got a fancy pants e-shift / Di2 / EPS etc.) no matter how well you set up the indexing prior to the ride. Even the best cables are going to stretch a bit eventually.

 

[mjr]

Even the best cables are going to stretch a bit eventually.

Paging @Yellow Saddle

But I agree that someone seemed to have monkeyed with a couple of limit screws (probably L, so it wouldn't be obvious at the start) to make better telly, like sending them on an assault course in the hope one got crocked, or failing to support some effectively in learning to ride one-handed and therefore sending them out to practise on the public roads while unable to signal.

 

[Yellow Saddle]

Paging @Yellow Saddle

I am amazed how physics make exceptions for certain people.

 

[Sunny Portrush]

I have to say, I really enjoyed it and I found it very inspiring indeed. Turned 50 on Monday and passed through the 5,000 mile mark for the year on the same day. I`m not entirely sure I could do the Etape even now and the thought they these celebs did makes me want to try even harder next year. Having said that, Hugo was a right tosser lol

 

[Racing roadkill]

I have to say, I really enjoyed it and I found it very inspiring indeed. Turned 50 on Monday and passed through the 5,000 mile mark for the year on the same day. I`m not entirely sure I could do the Etape even now and the thought they these celebs did makes me want to try even harder next year. Having said that, Hugo was a right tosser lol

Hugo didn't want to be there, TBH I didn't want him to be there either.