Threaded's Eclectic Blog

The Ritter Classic is a fun cycle race held each year on Sjælland, Denmark. This year it again set off and ended in Taastrup, taking a route up to Ballerup, then east over to the coast and then hugging the shoreline travelled further north before heading back inland again, and just as it got above Taastrup, it headed directly south for the finishing line.

I expected to take between 5 and 6 hours, and quite surprised, not just myself, but supporters who wished to take photos of the team: we'd already passed by the time they arrived at the various photo ops. There were plenty of other photographers and several film crews from TV2 Sport amongst others. So I shall ask for some links when I find them.

My statistics:
118.8km in 4 hours 1 minute and 47 seconds,
Speed: averaged 29.5km/h with a maximum on 78.8km/h
Heart rate: average 140 bpm maximum 175 bpm
Cadence: average 83 rpm with a maximum of 125 rpm.

My route on Garmin Connect

Link to Google Earth kml file.

The Top 50 result list

Labels: cycle race, cycling, Denmark, Ritter Classic

Forgot to charge my GPS unit, so you'll have to make do with this GPSies track.

Did two laps, but there were some loonies, some on horses, out to cause grief by wandering back and forth on the circuit, so I packed in early. Dunno what that was about. Maybe they didn't like that there was a mountain bike race?

Pictures from Pixelution and Jens Thomasberg

Picture of me in full flow. As can be seen I got a leaf caught in the lens of my video camera, early on it so happens, so no video.

Results

Labels: cycle race, cycling, Denmark, Dustcup, fun

GPS track on motionbased

Labels: cycle race, cycling, Denmark, Dustcup, fun

12 hour mountain bike race in the woods up near Hareskovby.

There was a false start or something, so my first lap didn't register. Bugger.

But 6 laps did register, which is nice. Results

My GPS data log up on motionbased.

I dread to think how many laps the winner eventually did.

Pictures up on Hustlers website

Pictures from Jesper Regin

Pictures from Jens Thomasberg

Picture of my suspension modifications.

Me, happily covered in mud.

Labels: cycle race, cycling, Denmark, fun

Dustcup 2008 blog.

blog page for this race

Organised by the Dansk Mountainbike Klub

The GPS location of the carpark. Was really good way to find it.

GPSies route

My GPS track up on Motionbased

Photos by Lars Noppenau

Photos by Pixelution

Photos by Jonas Lüttichau

Photos by Michael Schrage

Labels: cycle race, cycling, Denmark, Dustcup, fun

On my regular cycle commute there're a few nutters who just have to be in front. Not that they're fast, they're just a bit up themselves about having to be in front. For example, say I get caught by the lights, they have to push in front and then make it difficult to overtake, so everyone gets caught by the next set of lights, etc. etc..

I am so enured of this that I now recognise this set of people from their bicycles. I notice and slow down. They're not going so far and it is only an extra minute or so being forced to cycle slower, and then they're gone, so I can get back up to speed.

Anyways this morning, one of the usual suspects pushes his way through to the front of the queue at the lights. As he passes me I shout that he really ought to slow down and hold back as it is really icy. I do this knowing he won't be able to take his left turn about 200m further on. He's just not that good a cyclist. I can predict he will fall off, maybe cause a pile up, and anyways everyone will have to stop to help him.

Eh, left turn? Yes, he pushes to the front apparently just to cause everyone to slow for him so he can make his turn a little further on. What a prat! Why not wait behind: won't cost him anything and will save the irritation he causes to other cyclists in making them brake hard.

Anyways, your hero has his helmet camera on and running! So a little devil grabs me: Film it! Film it!

So I sits right behind him, ready for him to fall, ready to take evasive action, maybe take a roll over the top. The prospect of the coming excitement makes my mouth go dry.

We approach where he makes his turn, he's going too fast, he grabs fist fulls of brake and whap, over he goes, I've already worked out where he's going to fall, and which way he'll slide, so not much evasive action to go round as I've already chosen my line. I slow to a trackstand and look back to check he's ok. Yeah, he's ok, he's f-ing and blinding that it was my fault!

No good deed goes unpunished: I tried to warn the sucker and what do you get? You just can't help some people!

Hopefully the video has captured it all, and if so, a link will be posted later.

Labels: bizarre, cycling, Denmark, fun

Nice, but flat course. Not so muddy. Again lots of entrants so getting through the traffic on the single-track was difficult.

One guy I overtook at least three times, but he kept re-appearing in front of me. I'd noticed this on previous races, but thought I must have missed him getting back in front. This time I definitely saw him and his mate completely cut out one section of the course as I nearly crashed into them as they came up the road across the bordering tape. Why bother racing if you're going to cheat. Sad isn't it?

My GPS track. Notice that my cadence just stops? I must have bashed the sensor when I came off, and I've just seen that it is bent over touching the rear rim, so nowhere near the pedal where the triggering magnet is placed.

My helmet-camera also failed, I think because of the tumble, it must have jolted the SD card loose. When I finished the race it was displaying "Err". Wish it'd captured it, it would have been funny to see and alleviated the pain of having developed some lovely bruising on my chin, right clavicle, left hand, hip, and shoulder. Anyways I have lots of other video snippets from a hi-definition hand-held camera following other riders on the course, which I shall put up presently, when I've edited them to display on the more usual players out there.

Came in just behind the winner ( although mumble mumble he'd just mumble mumble lapped me for the mumble mumble second time ) and collided with a photographer who jumped right out in front of me to take pictures of him. Well, it is one way to stop, and my brake pads were finished anyways. Luckily no one else was following otherwise it might have been a pile up.

Nice cake afterwards.

Labels: cycle race, cycling, Denmark, fun, SlushCup

Very muddy course in todays race. Completely gummed up the wheels so ended up walking most of the course.

It was way out in the countryside at Avnstrup which is south of Roskilde. My GPS track is fine. Managed one lap, could have done two but I was only 5 minutes inside the hour, so it'd be another hour before I got back in and as it was my rear suspension failed again, but just before I finished the lap. Really annoying. Suppose I shall try and find something more agricultural...

Labels: cycle race, cycling, Denmark, fun, SlushCup

Urban, hence very slippery man-made surface course. Mix of various grades of tarmac, concrete and flag stones with packing crates to climb over to make it interesting. Inside and outside, wet areas, mostly dry, some snow, some ice, some with oil... The course wound its way through several buildings, down sets of stairs, down and up an underground car park and a set of switchbacks in a hall. Quite a good few fell off and many spectacular crashes, mostly due to a fronter with poor technique in hitting obstacles at an oblique angle or chickening out after committing and then the followers piling in up on top of them.

Some poor choices of tire were also apparent, and many overinflated. One guy went so far with the pressure he blew the rim off the front wheel. Quite a bang that one, I can tell you!

My video crew were busy filming as much as they could, but there was so much going on they could capture everything. The camera I was carrying failed due to the vibration (I think), so no in flight action, which is quite annoying. Reckon I shall move the camera from the handlebar to the side of my helmet.

The drops were too much for my rear suspension and it ended up bottomed out several times. Think I shall put a rubber bung to limit the travel.

Did five laps, if there wasn't quite so much traffic, reckoned I could have done seven.

My GPS track, due to the buildings it's not so brilliant with the capture.

Hit several television news spots, I know of four but have only found two so far.
Blink and you miss me here: TV2 @ 18:00 6/1/2008
I have a lovely sequence at the end of this one, showing how it should be done: TV2 Sport @ 22:45 6/1/2008

A sarcastic video on YouTube.

Labels: cycle race, cycling, Denmark, fun, SlushCup

I had a car pull up beside me and the driver started shouting something. Not really wanting a conversation with a strange person in the dark, I called back in English that I don't understand Danish. He then started shouting something else, still in Danish, about remembering it was his bicycle I was riding, and some other gibberish. He didn't sound right in the head.

With that he drove onto the cycle path and tried to knock me off my bicycle.

Missed luckily, and I pedaled on. I see cars pull onto the cycle path and cyclists having to swerve to avoid them often enough that I didn't think anything of it, and I already had him tagged as a nutter.

Next thing, same car pulls in front, onto the cycle path and bloke jumps out and stands in the cycle path. I set to go around, and as I do, he throws a punch. Close, but no cigar, and close enough that I can smell the beer. Oh no, 'One of those'.

'One of those' happens quite frequently in Denmark. Some people, after a skin full, which is quite common this time of year, go out and find someone who is on their own to attack, and it's usually early in the morning.

It helps a lot for them if you're a foreigner, so my answering in English probably didn't help.

So how to stop this becoming any nastier? I have to find another person, pull up, and call the Police. I'm right in the middle of Roskildevej, but I can see there are people waiting at the approaching bus stop. Have another near miss with chummy as he mounts the cycle path again before I reach safety. When I get there I stop, and ask if anyone would care to phone the Police. Everyone studiously ignores me.

Chummy, like they do, not wanting witnesses, as soon as he sees there are some, drives off. I didn't get his number plate either, darn it. I remonstrate with the people at the bus stop for their cowardice, which now marks me as a nutter, so I set back off on my way to work. Kept an eye out for chummy at the next couple of junctions but he was long gone.

I call the Police, but without a plate there is nothing they can do. Didn't push it anyway as my experience from the many accidents I've seen, is if you're a foreigner, your statement isn't worth taking.

Amusingly: one of my co-workers after hearing me chatting to the police relates he had a similar run-in with drunks on the train.

Ah, Christmas is coming, and it's Friday morning. Many companies have their parties on a Thursday evening, so Copenhagen is over-run with drunks the following morning. It's what eventually puts me off cycling in Denmark this time of year, not the snow, not the rain, not the dark, or the cold: but the blessed drunks on the cycle path.

Labels: bizarre, cycling, Denmark

Relatively flat course, apart from two hills. Very sticky mud nearly everywhere. Where there wasn't mud, the already attached mud picked other bits of the road surface up and attached it to my bike. The bike ended up very heavy.

First attempt at filming the race. So of course managed to get camera people organised, but forgot to check my own batteries! So no in flight shots. Learning experience though...

As the race was close to home thought I'd cycle there as a warm up exercise, but got lost, (typical,) and spent an hour getting to the start. Luckily several others were heading there, recognised me, (looking lost by the side of the road,) and pointed the right general direction, which was real nice of them.

The warm up served its purpose: boy have I shot up the rankings. Shall do that again, (go for a ride to warm up,) before the next race, to see if it was a one off or does actually help.

The Results from Events4U

The GPS track from gpsies, and my GPS track from MotionBased.

Some video, not mine I might add, but Thomas Stahl Nielsen, I haven't sorted mine out yet.

And Tomas' photographs.

Jens Thomasbergs photographs.

Bermannfotos.

Labels: cycle race, cycling, Denmark, fun, SlushCup

My GPS track using the MotionBased Activity Player. OK not all that fast, but I enjoyed myself.

Stunningly bizarre array of prizes were handed out. Lots of Barbie Calendars, My Little Pony collector set, a hairstyle and makeup head (the bemused face of the chap who won that was a picture, wish I'd had a camera), and then lots of assorted ladies jewelery: necklaces, ear-rings, etc. etc.

I won a necklace with beautiful little jeweled heart pendant, from the prize draw, not 'cause I came anywhere other than near the back. This sponsor was Melcher of Copenhagen. It's a really pretty necklace. Maybe I should wear it to work tomorrow.

Labels: cycle race, cycling, Denmark, fun, SlushCup

There is to be a General Election in Denmark on November 13th.

Labels: Denmark, election, Jagtvej 69, politics, recycling, Ungdomshuset