avin a bubbly

[Rob]

did anyone watch that programme at 7.30 on BBC2? bout the guy trying to timetrial in the R.A.F team across the U.S.A?

those R.A.F guys reckon the average club rider can ride at 25mph average for an hour......what clubs he from?

[Nick]

Tremendos program, but they only managed an ave 20mph in the end. I said to the wife it was a good excuse because of his cycling safety that got him pulled from the team. I'm not saying he would have had a higher or equal mph and I think they would have finished lower.
BUT they should have let him race would have made good TV.

So who's up for a TEAM next year Or maybe not.

[Rob]

i was interested, and was going to consider it.....until i saw the price....as a student i cant afford to pay almost a $1000 to enter a race that will only reward me with satisfaction

[gary cox]

Did anyone else think the RAF guys were not that supportive of the other bloke, i think they looked a bit daft in the end when the ave speed was slower than they kept saying they would do.

[Nick]

He had a lot to in a short space of time, He done a tremendous Job by cutting down his 10 mile TT from 33 to 31 in under 8 weeks for a guy that doesn't cycle thats not bad. But his first TT was on a flat areodrome whereas the second was at LEE VALLEY cycle circuit and i'm sure that would have some undulations therefore a better gain was made (IMHO). But as for the guys looking daft, yes they did but I truly belive it would have been even slower with him in the team.

But well done to the 53 Rocker from London

[David Lombari]

I thought that it would be hard to have someone achieve that level of ability in just 8 weeks. I didn't watch the first half of the programme, who sorted out his bike? It seemed to be the wrong set up for him, he looked cramped and couldn't extend his legs enough.
The bloke telling him to move up a gear and pedal faster on the ascent was a bit of a prat, was he trying to get him to bonk?
Also, unless he had a VERY big gear, how much quicker could he have gone downhill? If the gradient is so steep that the gears give you no 'bite' then it's better to get into an aerodynamic position, freewheel and recover (maybe spinning the lactate out occasionally). Trying to push a big gear would have slowed him down and poss. made him crash.

Having said all that, the one good thing was that it showed joe public that cycling isn't as easy as they think it is.

[Maria David]

Damn, I missed it - tuned in when it was just finishing !

A few people in my running club did this Race Across America last year - it's apparently great fun and there's a really good atmosphere with people from all over the world doing it - (I'll take their word for it).

I don't know how the RAF blokes did it, but I understand you're meant to do it as a team of about 4 and you each take it in turn to do 10 miles - it just continues as a constant relay, non stop all across America - sleep deprivation and all. It takes about week. I think anyone who can ride all that time without much sleep deserves medal, regardless of how long they take to do a "10" - I was asked if I wanted to do take part in a women's team this year - I gave the same reaction re the cost, and besides I like my bed too much to go through that sacrifice.

[Gavin]

I have enough trouble getting out of bed in the week to cycle 10 miles to work. Getting up to cycle 10 miles every hour for a week .......... I don't think so. Though I do want to go across america just a bit slower!