Hi all: It's off of relief and into the fun.
This week we were challenged by the terms: "Kilian", "Rub", and "On Relief".
Back in the '30's the team of Kilian/Vopel, Pedan/Audy, Walthour/Crosley,
and other top stars made $800 to $1000 per day riding 6-Days during the
Depression. Kilian was very popular and one of his skills was to lean
forward and over the bar almost touching the front tire with his nose going
about 40 miles an hour as he crossed the finish line. This would always
stand the crowd on it's feet as they cheered.
You may want or not want to try this. Being off balance at 40mph. gets a
little hairy. Don't fall on your proboscis?
Better yet, don't try it.
Many riders among the amateurs tried it and some were very succesful at it.
One rider especially in Chicago was so good at it he was nicknamed "Kilian"
Williams.
The Merkens type stem really helped get down over the front wheel, but you
had to do it at top speed and keep your balance and back wheel under control
while you made it look easy.
You could either be getting a rub or have some?!
If one of the riders was getting a "rub" it meant getting his legs massaged.
It could also mean a body massage, but usually meant a leg rub down before
or after a race to help the muscles.
When a guy asked if you had any "rub" then he meant did you have any rub
down lotion he could use.
The old timers usually made their own mixture by using rubbing alcohol as a
base. Then oil of wintergreen and light olive oil were added to the alcohol
for the desired strength the rider liked. Some riders would add tincture of
rose water to the mix for a less pungent aroma. One of the longest lasting
and fondest memories all the older riders have is of the rub down lotion
smell that one enjoyed when in a bicycle racing camp.
The mix would always settle out so it had to be shaken to get the
ingredients nice and textured to get the proper effect.
"On Relief" isn't when people were on welfare during the depression,
although the timing is close so who know if it's related to our cycling use.
During a team /6-day race when the riders were jamming, the rider who was
resting on the upper third of the track waiting for his partner to come
around so that he could swoop down and get pushed into the field was "on
relief" or basically relieved of duty while his partner at speed on the so
called racing part of the track would come around, pick the relief rider up
which means push him into action, and then go on relief until caught again
by his partner and the sequence would keep right on going until the field
decided to slow down when they felt it was enough.
Not everyone played ball. Many arguments, grudges, and paybacks were
experienced when some of the riders got tired and irritable because of some
team being in such good form that they tore the field apart, putting some
riders so far behind that the referees would pull teams out because of the
laps lost.
It made for a bad race if it happened too early in the week, so a truce
occasionally was called.
The best make up of a usual 15 team team/6-day race was about 3-4 potential
winners; 6-7 challengers; and 4-5 lower end fill in teams. There's overlap,
but that seems to give a good mix and depending on season, improvement,
injury, illness, the things were in a constant state of flux so the races
were always interesting to follow.
That's it for this evenings event.
Next week:
1) Fanning
2) Spinning
3)What example was used to describe a chainring that
was really close to the chainstay?
Ted Ernst
Palos Verdes Estates, CA
<classicrendezvous@bikelist.org> Sent: Sunday, September 11, 2005 9:45 PM Subject: Re: [CR]CR term of the week
> Hi everyone.
> This week's term(s): Team Race; Jam; Jamming Tool; and Wireless pickup.
> Thanks to Fred R, Bill R, Jim Mc, Rob H, And Kirk A for having fun with me
> with the terms of encyclement.
> Hopefully the other CR members will review the answers and compare.
> Madison: The name given the original 6-Day race because it started in the
> old Madison Square Garden, and got nicknamed accordingly. Like Heimlich
> Maneuver.
> In this country only recently have they been referred to as "Madisons".
> Always on banked tracks, outdoors as well as in.
> We always referred to the two man event as a team race, (there were three
> man team races as well), as a team race with time or distance noted. 25
> mile team race, 1 hour team race, or Six-day race. Could be professional
> or amateur. When we raced for 9 nights, they were called 9 Night Derbys
> and we raced 2-1/2 hours per night for 9 nights with accumulating mileage,
> laps and sprint points.These were usually 3 man events, but only two men
> on the track who would change / spell each other out on the boards.
> The first races in The Garden back in the '90's were one man events. The
> Humane and Animal Protective do-gooder Societies protested about the
> cruelty of it all, seeing as they were Six-days non stop as much as you
> could, so they made them two man teams to shut the nags up. Guys not
> getting off their bikes to relieve themselves was more than the Victorian
> prudes could handle.
> The first events and contests were marathon endurance type grinds. As the
> two man concept took hold it slowly evolved into the classic 20's to '50's
> era 6-Days that I was privileged to ride. They last of the full 145 hour
> contests.
> The roller derby, dance-a thons and all similar activities were take-offs
> of ye olde six-day races, thank you.
> That's where the terms of jams, sprints, corks, holes, laps, etc., came
> from.
> Jam: Plain and simple, a jam is an extended period of intense activity as
> we understand it in cycling. It exists in roller derby.and how about a
> jazz session? Are they jammin' sometimes or what? All from bike racing
> lingua franca.
> In a bike racing jam it could be a hard paceline on the road which then is
> a good workout or end up being a cork pulling contest we described in a
> previous post.
> On the track in a team race, where it originated, it is when teams ride
> furiously trying to gain laps on the other teams to catch up or get the
> lead, or ride the others into the ground, GRRR! It is not a sprint, That's
> a burst of speed for a short period or distance usually to score points
> during the event or at the end to win.
> Jamming is never to a time frame. It's spontaneous and gets wild with
> riders going as hard as they can getting to their partner who is riding
> high on the track to keep the race lanes clear. When the rider who is
> riding high up on the track, called "on relief", sees his partner coming
> he accelerates to approximate his partners speed as he swings down into
> the fray at a track position where his team mate comes just under him to
> get his sling or push into the hot action while guys are zooming by above
> and below him and his partner. The rider who just gave the push looks over
> his shoulder and swings up in between any speeding riders using the
> banking to slow down, or gloving his wheel so that his team mate in the
> jam doesn't have to ride too far to catch him and give the rider in the
> action to long a shift. Organized, methodical, logical, chaotic mayhem. I
> love it!
> It gets very hairy and spills do happen. If more than two or three riders
> fall, the race is neutralized to assess the damage, get the riders back
> in, remake a team in case of multiple injured riders, and then the race
> goes on. Usually the riders having smelled blood will get right back to it
> and ride like hell. No mercy, get 'em when they're weak and hurting. Why
> do you think they promoted the 6-Day racing with terms like spills, chills
> and thrills?!
> Which bring us to the jamming tool for jams. Indeed it was wrapped in tape
> rolled newspaper, stocking, small towel. Something that would be firm to
> grip and sling your partner into battle.The tool was always put into an
> inside sewn in pocket on the left hip so when you swung down into the
> field / jam your partner could grab the tool. It was about 1-1-1/2 inches
> in diameter and about 4 / 6 inches long to suit your partners grip. You
> made up your jamming tool for your hand and your partner put it in his
> pocket so YOU could grab the tool that fit YOUR hand.
> The shorts the riders used years ago were made for team race riding, and
> were triple layer padded for reinforced strength. The real good quality
> team shorts would have a white stripe about a Cm. wide on the outside of
> the pocket for easy find grabbing position Guys without team shorts would
> put a tool inside their shorts , tape around it from the out side to hold
> it in place and when the action got hot and heavy a single layer short
> could rip in half giving the crowd a free show and the laughs were on the
> house. The blushing ride(r) would have to come in for a quickie, change
> that is and the show while over would go on. Moon over Miami, whoops wrong
> forum.
> Last but not least, the wireless pick-up. It was referred to often when
> the guys wanted to cheat and fall into the field or jam before getting the
> push to advance position slightly against the rules. If you got caught it
> meant 1 lap penalty. Once in a while if the traffic got too heavy and the
> riders couldn't connect, as long as they were even shoulder to shoulder
> albeit a rider apart the officials wouldn't call it even though contact
> wasn't made. That's an intelligent judgment call by astute officials. I've
> seen (and done) a pickup by hand where you and your partner would hold
> your connected hands up and lift them over a rider and then swing off when
> you passed the slow guy between you. All in a day' work.
> Today Jamming tools are no longer used. All the changing off is done by
> hand slinging. Everybody is wearing skinsuits, and jamming tools and
> inside pockets are a thing of the past. Ces't la vie.
> Again, hope you have some fun reading this, if I got going too fast and
> got dizzy racing around and didn't explain it clear enough, let me know
> and I'll try to finesse it.
> Next weeks terms:
> 1) A "Kilian"
> 2) "Rub"
> 3) "On Relief"
> This was too much of a jam, I'm corked.
> Ted Ernst
> Palos Verdes Estates, CA
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "ternst" <ternst1@cox.net>
> To: "ternst" <ternst1@cox.net>; <j.mccoin@comcast.net>;
> <classicrendezvous@bikelist.org>
> Sent: Monday, September 05, 2005 10:52 PM
> Subject: Re: [CR]CR term of the week
>
>
>> Hello again. Hope you all had a good weekend. The holiday almost made me
>> forget it was monday and not sunday.
>> John Jorgensen was really close on his answers.
>> Thanks to all of you so far that have taken the time to answer back and
>> have some fun with me on these terms of trade.
>> John's half- wheel was/is a form of training exercise, but right on for a
>> tough workout. A long time ago it was more pernicious. Guys used to get
>> on the good wind side and then ever so slightly start to come by but ever
>> so slowly so the guy in front didn't realize what was taking place.
>> Gently applying pressure you would nudge the pace and try to get the guy
>> to increase the tempo without getting caught, and see how long you could
>> goad him into staying out there before crying uncle. If you were astute
>> and awake, you would know the guy was trying to do a number on you, and
>> just let him go by. Hey, you want to set pace, go for it. Then it got put
>> to more practical workout use and John's is right on.
>> He's good on wheel also, and you can see how the previous terms of
>> sitting tight, in, on, etc., all still have these close but subtle
>> differences.
>> It wasn't fair, and I apologize, but I thought the clue of wheel then
>> machine would tip you off that I had 100 year old meanings in mind.
>> When the old timers in my dad's shop were gassin' they referred to their
>> wheels and machines. It finally dawned on me what the difference was.
>> The term wheel was really a friendly term for their old bike, but
>> directly taken from the old high wheeler. It was in fact a big wheel,
>> direct drive originally. Simple, basic.
>> When the chain and in effect a transmision was installed on the bike,
>> then IT in effect became a machine! Like Mr. Ferris and his wheel!
>> These terms were interchanged through the generations as the guys talked
>> lovingly about their old trusty irons, steeds, as they were. But, as I
>> listened and talked with them the variation of meaning became obvious.
>> This was not too long ago, as we came in and through the machine age to
>> where cars were named after the horse carriages, and machine came to be
>> known in earlier part of last century as an automobile, then car.
>> The bike use was all but lost except to those who kept the bicycle lore
>> alive.
>> This week's quiz:
>> 1) Team Race.
>> 2) Jam.
>> 3) Jamming Tool
>> 4) Wireless Pickup
>>
>> Ted Ernst
>> Palos Verdes Estates, CA
>>
>> ----- Original Message -----
>> From: "ternst" <ternst1@cox.net>
>> To: "ternst" <ternst1@cox.net>; <j.mccoin@comcast.net>;
>> <classicrendezvous@bikelist.org>
>> Sent: Sunday, August 28, 2005 7:18 PM
>> Subject: Re: [CR]CR term of the week
>>
>>
>>>I had a great time helping out at our bike club's monthly 10 mi. TT.
>>>today. That and my ride put me in a good frame of reference for today's
>>>terms of enbicyclement.
>>> Let's start with sitting tight. This is close to saddle tight.
>>> But, in sitting tight I mean stuck to the wheel you're sitting on/behind
>>> like glue. No gap, No dayight. Period. Exclamation Point, as Victor
>>> Borge would say.
>>> Two main ways to execute this: One: If I tell my team mate to sit tight
>>> then I expect him to be RIGHT ON my wheel, almost touching. ALL antenni
>>> and sensors on high alert! If I go through a hole he's got to be so
>>> close he goes right through with me, no thinking, sheer reflex action!
>>> The third guy usually doesn't get through because he's not expecting
>>> that intensity and the hole closes up. TOO BAAD.
>>> Another interpretation is to sit tight so that no one gets you off the
>>> wheel. You protect your position and your team mate's like the wind up
>>> line in the TDF coming to the sprint. If someone wants to get in you
>>> have to sense and see it to angle yourself so that the impact drives you
>>> into the ground like a wedge and the opposition bounces off. A great
>>> feeling indeed - f'd 'em fair and square.
>>> You have noted that sitting in, on, tight, and saddle tight are very
>>> closely related. I hope I have been able to impart the subtleties to you
>>> so you will be be able to put yourselves in the situation and feel the
>>> nuances.
>>> Next time you are riding try to live the sensation WHILE
>>> paying full attention to the riders around you. Don't get lost in
>>> dreaming and do something below and under the call of duty.
>>> Closing the gap is quite simply put staying on the wheel in front of you
>>> and riding smooth and steady. Even pedal pressure responding to the
>>> pace, wind, terrain, and road condition. The constant distance your
>>> front wheel to the rider's back wheel in front of you is critical to
>>> your success in becoming respected in the paceline or field.
>>> It's a great feeling to be told you ride well. You will be able to go
>>> anywhere in the world, go for a group ride and be accepted. Being a
>>> yo-yo in the line is dangerous and may elicit unkind and rude invectives
>>> upon you, your riding style, and heritage.
>>> Daylight: We must be nearing the end of the tunnel. This happens when
>>> the gap gets too big, so that other riders can cut in front and get in,
>>> putting you and those behind you further back and perhaps in a worse
>>> strategic position. It's similar to gap position but usually so far that
>>> the slipstream effect is getting neutralised and ineffective. The old
>>> timers at the turn of the century used to say," Once I get daylite
>>> between my back wheel and your front wheel, you'll never see me again."
>>> If you want to be naughty, you can let the gap open. Most of the time
>>> the riders behind will go around and close the gap. You then have to
>>> increase speed as they come by, catch the back end of the last rider and
>>> let them do the work to catch up. If done properly it's a way to drop
>>> riders, when several team mates change the chore while (wile) working
>>> the same guy(s) over.
>>> Manys the time I heard guys, myself included yelling to guys to "close
>>> the gap." It's a good way to see if the guy is really corked or doggin'
>>> it. You'll know soon enough when you jump by if he can hang on or gets
>>> shook off. Sleigh riders do run the risk of being thrown a hook or run
>>> off the road.
>>> Next weeks challenge:
>>> 1) Wheel
>>> 2) Machine
>>> 3) Half-wheel
>>> Ted Ernst
>>> Palos Verdes Estates, CA
>>> ----- Original Message -----
>>> From: "ternst" <ternst1@cox.net>
>>> To: "ternst" <ternst1@cox.net>; <j.mccoin@comcast.net>;
>>> <classicrendezvous@bikelist.org>
>>> Sent: Monday, August 22, 2005 7:47 PM
>>> Subject: Re: [CR]CR term of the week
>>>
>>>
>>>> Sorry, everybody, I'm a day late so you'll get a bonus term.
>>>> Last week's: Saddle tight, sleigh ride, sit in, and the bonus, sit on.
>>>> Saddle tight as I learned it is when a rider can ride with the group,
>>>> field, team and not get shook off. Does his share at the front, swings
>>>> off and gets back in line and comes through again. Or it could be
>>>> interpreted if he is alone that no matter how hard the opposition rides
>>>> they can't get rid of him. You can come up with your own scenarios of
>>>> the psyche here, and get the feeling of what it means to be jamming
>>>> hard and be part of the action, or withstanding the enemies' attacks.
>>>> Sleigh ride is when the group is racing along and a rider gets in the
>>>> field and gets a ride along without coming to the front and pulling
>>>> through. As if the horse is trotting along and the rider is sitting in
>>>> the sleigh getting there without much effort.This needs a field of 30+
>>>> riders to be able to hide away.
>>>> Sitting in really means in a field of riders where one can hide, never
>>>> go to the front and let others pass and be nice and tucked in. Like
>>>> sleigh riding or sitting in. Today's term is wheel sucking, very crude,
>>>> no romance, no imagination. Unfortunately most of today's kids / riders
>>>> are somewhat boring in their unrealistic expectations.
>>>> Sorry, you know what I mean. This would be a great topic for extra-
>>>> sportif discussion at a gathering.
>>>> Bonus: Sitting on is the term used with small group where the riders
>>>> are in a line changing off while setting the pace. The "sitter one"
>>>> will be at the back of the line and as the previous pacesetter falls
>>>> back to get into the line and rest in the slipstream as he goes
>>>> through, the last rider will feign weakness and drop back a length to
>>>> allow the rider coming back to swing in front of him. He's resting all
>>>> the time, conserving, conniving, calculating.
>>>> You can figure out the strategies going on as the other riders pick up
>>>> on this. As the riders push themselves to get to the finish, nerves
>>>> begin to fray, then the fun begins.
>>>> Please remember that these terms are from the 1900's up through the
>>>> '60's.
>>>> They are originating from amateur riding where the strategy was
>>>> different from what you see on TV about the TDF today. Some of the
>>>> things are the same as you can readily identify.
>>>> But, many new nuances exist today in our jargon that weren't in use
>>>> years ago because of our non-participation in the international events
>>>> other than on our tracks in the '30's and in the 6-day races.
>>>> If any of you have any Q's you'd like to ask about any descriptions
>>>> that use other old terms, don't hesitate to ask. I'll do my best to
>>>> explain the explanation.
>>>> For this week, how about:
>>>> Sitting tight
>>>> Close the gap
>>>> Daylight.
>>>>
>>>> Ted Ernst
>>>> Palos Verdes Estates, CA
>>>> ----- Original Message -----
>>>> From: "ternst" <ternst1@cox.net>
>>>> To: <j.mccoin@comcast.net>; <classicrendezvous@bikelist.org>
>>>> Sent: Sunday, August 14, 2005 7:14 PM
>>>> Subject: Re: [CR]CR term of the week
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>> Enjoyed your memories, These are always great.
>>>>> Here's the term(s) for this week. They are related.
>>>>> Let's see how you do.
>>>>> 1) Sit in.
>>>>> 2) Sleigh ride.
>>>>> 3) Saddle tight.
>>>>> Ted Ernst
>>>>> Palos Verdes Estates, CA
>>>>> ----- Original Message -----
>>>>> From: <j.mccoin@comcast.net>
>>>>> To: <classicrendezvous@bikelist.org>
>>>>> Sent: Monday, August 08, 2005 8:21 AM
>>>>> Subject: [CR]CR term of the week
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>> Ted brought back fond memories, for me it was from the early 60's.
>>>>>> Our training rides would normally start somewhere in San Francisco
>>>>>> and either go South to San Jose or North over the Golden Gate Bridge.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> The top of every hill was a sprint, every city limit sign was a
>>>>>> sprint. I remember the nervousness in the pack the pace speeding up,
>>>>>> the subtle gear changes, I tried to include my gear change with
>>>>>> returning my bottle to its cage, it fooled some but not all. It was
>>>>>> normal on the way back from San Jose to cross over the Coast Range to
>>>>>> Highway 1, normally when you crested the hill you rode into the coast
>>>>>> fog and as much as a 15 degree drop in the weather. The sprint into
>>>>>> Half Moon Bay was always well fought, I broke a chain in one of
>>>>>> those.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> The rides to Marin were fantastic, we normally crossed Mt. Tamalpias
>>>>>> and then up the coast on Highway 1.I remember the sprints in to
>>>>>> Rancho Nicasio being especially long, imagine fifteen or twenty
>>>>>> riders spinning 52/13 combinations before even beginning the sprint
>>>>>> The major change has been the amount of traffic on the road, you
>>>>>> don't dare have three riders abreast on El Camino sprinting flat out.
>>>>>> In those days about half of El Camino Real had no sidewalks, the same
>>>>>> with Marin County, it was mostly dairy ranches.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> And for those of you waiting for it most of the bikes were Italian,
>>>>>> Bianchis, Cinellis and the small builders that nobody ever heard of,
>>>>>> brought back by the guys who had raced in Europe. I remember those
>>>>>> having especially nice fit and finish.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Jim McCoin, yeah stuck in the Sixty's
>>>>>> Fremont Ca