Championships Recap

And so it ends.  Last night we held the Winter Goldsprint Championships with the fastest riders from each race week coming back for one BIG night!  It was not disappointing.  We had some very, very close races.  So close that the timing software had to reach out past 3 decimal places to determine the winner!

It was a fun night and when the dust settled we had a King and Queen for the series.  One slight change, we did a round robin and averaged each racer's times for the evening to come up with one single time per rider.

Top 2 guys times:
Wayne 17.454 - King of Winter Goldsprints
Dan 17.864

Top 2 gals times:
Jane 22.876 - Queen of Winter Goldsprints
Denise 24.882

Wanna see PICS...you know the deal.

As sad as it was to end the series, it also means Spring is upon us and with it comes "real" bike riding outside!  There is talk of doing one big Goldsprints race toward the end of summer when everyone is feeling like they are in good biking shape...and may be outside  Stay tuned for our next event.

Thanks to all that participated in Sandpoint Winter Goldsprimnts, I hope you had fun and enjoyed the new experience.

And a HUGE thanks to Laughing Dog Brewing for letting us crash their place for the races.  The staff is always welcoming and takes great care of us.  Thanks to John at EzyDog for some awesome tees and to Surly Bikes for making some sweet rides for us to hammer on...and for a ton of swag!  Who am I missing...my family at Greasy Fingers Bikes N Repair for all the time and help in putting this together!

Winter Goldsprints Championships

This is it!  For all the marbles, we are inviting the riders with the top times from each race week back for one BIG race off.

When: Tuesday, March 13 @ 6pm
Where: Laughing Dog Brewing
Why: to crown Mr. and Ms. Sandpoint Winter Goldsprinter

Come down and watch the top racers go head to head.  Fun, bikes and beer...what else do you need?

See you there!

Race #5 Recap

2,000 meters!  What?! Why?!  No good reason, except for something different.

Recap?  It sucked...but Wayne seemed to find a rhythm with the longer distance.

Everyone did one 2,000 meter race and we logged times.

This was the last regular race night in the series.  Next Tuesday, March 13th, we'll be inviting the top riders from each week back to have one BIG race off!

Race #4 Recap

I know, I know..but better late than never.  Race #4 happened right in the midst of Sandpoint's Winter Carnival.  We got some major press and lots of people interested in what Goldsprints were all about.  All cool. However, people seem a little reluctant to throw their leg over these steel Surly steeds and let it all hang out.  Oh well, their loss.

Again we had numbers in our favor, so we did double elimination.  This format has worked well and gives everyone the opportunity to race several times.

Shadow was again on hand to slam some beers and clean up snacks

Big news for the night: Al ran the table!  Dan's amazing streak finally ended.  Their race along with a couple others were super tight.  Things get better each series as everyone gets into a routine.

Also cool, was a father in son combo from out of town that showed up to race.  Super cool to watch, too bad we didn't have any other kids to match him up with...Max where are you?

Anyway, here is the bracket (note how Rob gets faster the deep into the bracket he goes, what a stud).

We didn't have enough girls to do a bracket.  We tried to get Chelsea...we'll keep working on her.  And Jane wasn't complaining.

Want more PICS...you know the drill.

One more regular race night and then the Championships.

Race #3 Recap

As with all good plans, they tend to evolve over time.  For our 3rd installment of Goldsprints, we decided to change up the format and do team races.  We drew names and randomly created teams of 3 riders.

A couple quick rider notes: Dan was out of town so it was a good night to set some new high times.  We had some new faces...one visiting from Seattle...very cool.

just in case

Even though the teams were done randomly, I still felt they were stacked.  Obviously, cause I got my ass kicked.  The format seemed a nice change though and everyone had fun rooting for their team members and cheering against anyone else.

Riders raced against members from other teams, although the individual race winners didn't matter.  We just took each team member's times and added them together for 1 big cumulative team time.  Team with the lowest cumulative times wins...nice job Team 2.

Our winners for the night were Bryn leading the ladies times and receiving both a Laughing Dog growler and an automatic bid to the championships on Mar 13th.  Marty headed the guys and took home a growler as well and the coveted bid to the championships.

Jacob brought his own cheering squad

Thanks to all that came and we will see you next time.  Oh, and the down side to Dan not being there...no cameraman...hence the lack of pics.

More for you

More pics from the last Goldsprints...better late than never.

click here for more pics

Race #2 Recap

This week I was determined to address any tech issues and be dialed for race night.  I held several night races at the shop to get things right and I showed up at Laughing Dog an hour and half early to set up and run through things.  Spoiled again!  Projector needed some prodding to get linked up with the laptop...thanks Fred for your help.  Not a big deal in the end.

As soon as things were connected and bikes ready to go, I glanced out the window and a full on blizzard had developed.  It was beautiful to sit at the brewery and look out the big windows at the big flakes falling.  No doubt though that the ensuing storm caused some people to stay home.

We had 12 racers for the night and did double eliminations.  Women were again under represented and the men's leaders showed no signs of letting up.  Dan is like a damn machine!  Not only did he go unbeaten again, he's also won the Best Dressed award and managed to snap some sweet pics and capture some video.  What?  The rest of us are just trying to catch our breath in between heats.

Anyway, one of the highlights of the night was having Max Meredith show up to represent the cycling future.  As usual, Max brought his positive and can-do attitude.  Since we had no other under 18 riders to pair him up with, he raced some of the guys and ladies...and did awesome!  Way to go Max.

Max with his Surly tee and Karen with her growler

Al and Dan held top times for the men, but since they got invites to the championships from Race #1, invites went to the 3rd and 4th best time holders, John and Dave aka Fast Eddie.

Dan vs Al in men's final

For the ladies, Karen took top time with Denise bringing in the 2nd best.  Both ladies will be going to the championships on March 13th as well.

See brackets below:

Chelsea and the crew at Laughing Dog took great care of us as usual.  I'll post more pics of the evening later.  And lastly, a safety note: tuck in your shoe strings!

this little mishap cost me the race and a shoestring

Thanks to the givers!

I'm always amazed by the generosity in our community, the following people/business have contributed to this amazing Goldsprint experience:

Laughing Dog Brewing has been generous enough to throw in growlers to the top men's and women's times from each night.  They also allow us to take over the brewery and set up bikes, electronics and a projector...feels much like home.

Surly Bikes this week shipped me a big box full of swag.  We gave out some great gear last Tuesday and have lots more for the races to come.  In case you were wondering, those are Surly bikes we hammer on each week.

John Hatcher from EzyDog also threw in tees and throw toys.  John has been putting down some impressive times himself and is getting faster.  Keep an eye on him.

And of course, all the details associated with the Goldsprints are made possible by Greasy Fingers Bikes N Repair and our loyal customers.

Winter Goldsprints #2

Reminder that race #2 in the Winter Goldsprint series is this Tuesday (Jan 24th), 6pm at Laughing Dog Brewing.

$5 to race in the tournament for the night...if we have less than 20 people we'll do double elimination.  If we have more than 20, we'll probably do single elimination due to time.  Top 2 women and men will get an invitation to the championships on Mar 13th.

Don't feel like racing the tournament?  Single grudge matches are only $1.  Or just come out, cheer and watch the fun!

1st race night recap

We met last night and got our first races in the books.  First, let me say thanks to all for their patience as we started off with a couple of small technical issues.  Once we got our sensors aligned and swapped computer, the races when off without a glitch.  This is a learning process for all, and we will all get better as the weeks go on...or so I hope.

Anyway, we had 15 racers with some really, really close finishes.  Dan ruled the men's division with a best time of 17.805 and Al came in 2nd with a best time of 18.576.  The ladies division was small...where are all our strong ladies?  Leah took 1st and had a best time of 24.348 and our very own Jane came in 2nd and had a best time of 25.108.  

men's final...Dan vs. Al

women's final...Leah vs. Jane

Dan and Leah both earned a filled Laughing Dog growler and title of Mr. and Ms. Goldsprints for the night.  Our top 4 finishers: Dan, Al, Leah and Jane all earned an automatic invitation to the championships on 3/13.  Great job by all!!  

Here are more PICS of the evening.

Below are last nights brackets with times.

Dan rounded out the night with the award for best dressed and got some sweet gloves.

Thanks to Laughing Dog Brewing and their crew for taking care of and allowing us into their kennel.  See you next race night, Jan 24th at 6pm.  

Race series starts Tuesday

OK, so it's time to get down to business. The Winter Goldsprint Series starts this Tuesday, 6pm at Laughing Dog Brewing.

I've been tweaking the race software and think I have the mph bug fixed. Minor detail that did not affect race outcomes but still a fun fact to watch during the races.

Growler to tournament winners. And "special" prize to best/most creatively dressed!

How fast are riders going?

So, last time we got together for Goldsprints, our race software claimed Dan "The Man" broke 100mph during one of the heats. No doubt Dan is a stud and his cadence is something you gotta see. But did he really break the century mark? Let's do a little "sports science."

WARNING: the following contains math and bike geekiness

I made some calls to the "so called experts" of Goldsprints at Opensprints and they have actually addressed this same issue. But of course, bikers are competitive.

So, first let's go over some particulars for our Goldsprint system (as they are not all the same). We are running a 56t:13t gear ratio. We are using a 700x23c wheel/tire which has a circumference of 2.096 meters. With these numbers we can calculate how far our bike would travel with 1 crank rotation. Math: (56t/13t) x 2.096M = 9.01 meters. This means that if our Goldsprints bike was not attached to the rollers, we could travel 9.01 meters for every crank rotation. Now that is some travel.

Another useful detail to know is how many crank rotations are then needed to complete our 500 meter races. Now that we know how far we travel for every crank rotation that is easy to determine. Math: 500M/9.01M = 55.49...let's say approx 55 crank rotations. That doesn't sound to difficult huh? Especially when the bike is on rollers which provide little to no resistance. That means when you are Goldsprinting you are racing in an almost ideal riding world.

Why race? Well, Goldsprints determine the last factor: time. How fast can you turn the cranks the needed 55 times compared to the guy riding next to you...all in this almost perfect riding situation.

These stats are all fun but let's get back to Dan and his race. He completed 500M in 17.75 secs and the race software claimed he peaked at 101 mph. Math 500M/17.75sec = 28.16 meters/sec. Meters/sec mean nothing to me. Math: 28.16m/s x 2.24 (1meters/sec = 2.24miles/sec) = 63.07mph. Now this would be Dan's average speed and do doubt he had some spikes. But he probably did not reach 100mph. Sorry Dan...but Fred says you can still keep the Free Beer for a Month prize!

I say Dan probably did not reach 101mph, but check out this video of a guy who set the world record on rollers at 126mph http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q77GMkXzOVE

I just love that chainring.

I contacted the Goldsprints software developer and there appears to be a bug when riders reach unusually high speeds/cadences. It does not happen very often. And in the end, the max mph reading does not mean anything to the race, the winner or the results. The peak mph is merely a stat that we can all brag about and rub in our buddy's face.

I will keep every up to speed on the progress of the "fix." Until then, keep training and we'll see you at the races Jan 10th.

The greatest Goldsprinter ever?

Talk about a stud, Manfred has held seven Guinness world records for roller racing related cycling. He has won over 80 roller races most of these between 1983 and 1990, in June1984 he won six events (and six bikes) in one month!

Manfred Nuescheler beats Olympic Champion Pascal Richard in a 500m roller race.

Manfred’s Amazing Records:

1. Sustained power of 1020 watts average over one minute to power 100 electric razors (13 May 1991)
2. Maximum peak power 2378 watts for 3 seconds to power 200 energy saving light bulbs (22 March 1995)
3. 14.36 seconds for 500 metres, average speed 126kph / 78mph, maximum speed 133 kmh /83mph
4. on the CYCLUS 2 Recordtrainer Gear ratio 54×12 / 121.5″ (15 August 1997)
5. 32.48 seconds for 1000m average speed 111kph / 69mph, maximum speed 119 kmh /74mph
6. on the CYCLUS 2 Recordtrainer Gear ratio 54×12 / 121.5″ (8 August 1997)
7. Cadence record 271 RPM on 170mm cranks (9 March 1990)
8. Absolute speed record on a standard bike164.1 kmh / 102 mph 54 x 11 gear (16 September 2000)
9. Acceleration 0-100kmh in 1.7 seconds 52 x 13 gear (28 March 1990)

Courtesy of goldsprint.com

Demo Night Recap

So, we had our first demo night and it went off without a hitch...well unless you call one rider bowing out cause he was about to hurl. 12 people raced, many watched and many, many people were curious as to what these Goldsprints were all about.

We held a mini tournament and Dan crushed us all! We had a couple races that were riders finishing times were with 1/1,000 of a sec...amazing. While the guys were hashing out speeds (if you like math read my next post on speeds reached) and brackets, Jane and Lindsey represented the ladies in an all or nothing heat.

Even I got out from behind the computer to join in the fun...

It was a fun night of biking and brews at Laughing Dog and I can't wait until the series kicks off on Jan 10th. Race 1 night or all 5 or just come watch the fun!

Demo night tomorrow

Don't forget, demo night is tomorrow at Laughing Dog Brewing at 6pm. Come check out the equipment and do a couple races. Open to anyone, free of charge...just bring beer money.

Race series will start Jan 10th.

Hope to see you there!

Goldsprints Clock Face

Here is a pic of the clock face that has two different colored arms that correspond to the two different colored racers/bikes for the Goldsprints. As the riders race, the crowd will be able to track each riders red or blue arm on the projector as it rotates around the face. Note max speed and time will also be reflected. Our races at Laughing Dog Brewing will be 500 meters.

Adding Bikes

Kreitler rollers are in place, wiring is done and the software is loaded on the laptop. For our bikes we got 2 Surly Steamrollers. These are sweet single speed bike to begin with, but we tweaked them a little to make them awesome Goldsprint bikes. These 2 bikes needed to be set up exactly the same that no one can complain one bike is better than the other. In addition they needed to fit a variety of people, so the frames are 52cm and have extra long seatposts (420mm).

First up, we added some uncut bullhorn handlebars for a more racey (is that a word?) feel.

Next, removed the front wheels for installation on the forkstands. We also changed out the rear wheel for a cassette system, made for easier gear selection. And removed brakes...who needs those for racing anyways?

Last, and most importantly, was making the gearing just right. These sprints are going to be for 500 meters. The rollers do not provide much resistance at all. So, you need a rather steep gearing so that you don't spin out on the rollers. A 56:13 was the choice. You feel some resistance when you first start pedaling, but after a couple rotations you are up to cadence and spinning away. Looks cool on these bikes, but I wouldn't recommend it for your road bike.

Race ready rides, exactly the same equipment. We are ready!!

Setting up Rollers

So pieces are rolling in for our Goldsprints system. Custom Kreitler rollers which are basically 2 rollers with forkstands connected in the middle with crossbeams. This makes for a 5'x7' footprints, nice and stable for when riders are hammering on the bikes.

On each of the rollers is a magnet and sensor mount. Each rider's speed and travel is recorded, fed back to a router and then to the laptop with the Goldsprints race software.

For our Goldsprint races, each rider's progress will be displayed on a projector so the crowd can cheer on the riders. Next up...bikes!!