Tour de Gastown
No, no, this wasn't any beer-drinking (err ... Mountain Dew-drinking) run around Vancouver.
In fact, the Tour de Gastown was a men's and women's cycling criterium that was part of BC Superweek, the richest week of racing in Canada that attracts top riders from North America (mostly Canada).
I had never attended a bike-racing event before and I read about it early yesterday morning as I was riding the Seabus across the Burrard Inlet to work in North Vancouver. So I left work early enough to be able to walk towards Water Street and the Gastown district of downtown Vancouver.
It was interesting to say the least. Watching the riders navigate a 165-degree hairpin turn, move into a long straightaway and then jockey for position each of the 1.2-kilometer laps was pretty exciting. (Although the guys doing the public address annoucing, who were suited more for the X Games, threw out the occasional stupid comment, "These are some of the best riders in the world." I thought, "No, the best riders in the world are cycling somewhere around France right now!")
This race was in its fifth year back after having run consecutively for 21 years (1973-1993). Some Texan back in 1991 riding for a team called "Motorola" won the event shortly before it went on a hiatus.
I was kind of curious as to what kind of speeds the riders were hitting. So I figured that I would stay situated in the same spot and hit my watch each time the leader of the peloton passed me.
For 19 of the 21 laps that I timed in the 30-lap women's criterium, they ranged between speeds of 24.45 to 26.41 miles per hour with outliers of 27.14 mph followed immediately by one that slowed them down to 22.04 mph.
Before I took a telephone call from Melissa Broussard, a running friend of mine from the Seven Hills Running Club in Huntsville, I clocked the first five (5) laps of the men's race. Their speeds ranged between 28.04 and 29.96 mph.
After watching a little bit more of the men's race, I walked back to the apartment. Before I completely retired for the evening, I ended up putting in a hard hour on the stationery bike downstairs (while reading a book on women's runners).
I'll try to get in some more time on the bike this evening as well as a short run before flying home in the morning.
In fact, the Tour de Gastown was a men's and women's cycling criterium that was part of BC Superweek, the richest week of racing in Canada that attracts top riders from North America (mostly Canada).
I had never attended a bike-racing event before and I read about it early yesterday morning as I was riding the Seabus across the Burrard Inlet to work in North Vancouver. So I left work early enough to be able to walk towards Water Street and the Gastown district of downtown Vancouver.
It was interesting to say the least. Watching the riders navigate a 165-degree hairpin turn, move into a long straightaway and then jockey for position each of the 1.2-kilometer laps was pretty exciting. (Although the guys doing the public address annoucing, who were suited more for the X Games, threw out the occasional stupid comment, "These are some of the best riders in the world." I thought, "No, the best riders in the world are cycling somewhere around France right now!")
This race was in its fifth year back after having run consecutively for 21 years (1973-1993). Some Texan back in 1991 riding for a team called "Motorola" won the event shortly before it went on a hiatus.
I was kind of curious as to what kind of speeds the riders were hitting. So I figured that I would stay situated in the same spot and hit my watch each time the leader of the peloton passed me.
For 19 of the 21 laps that I timed in the 30-lap women's criterium, they ranged between speeds of 24.45 to 26.41 miles per hour with outliers of 27.14 mph followed immediately by one that slowed them down to 22.04 mph.
Before I took a telephone call from Melissa Broussard, a running friend of mine from the Seven Hills Running Club in Huntsville, I clocked the first five (5) laps of the men's race. Their speeds ranged between 28.04 and 29.96 mph.
After watching a little bit more of the men's race, I walked back to the apartment. Before I completely retired for the evening, I ended up putting in a hard hour on the stationery bike downstairs (while reading a book on women's runners).
I'll try to get in some more time on the bike this evening as well as a short run before flying home in the morning.
posted by WalkSports.com | 1:25 PM
1 Comments:
It was great to watch the tour. It is always exciting because it is small and fast course. If you are interested in seeing some photos, I have some posted to my blog and flickr account.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/waxypoetic/
PEACE!
Waxy
Post a Comment
<< Home