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A DAY AT THE RACES page 2 |
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| On Sunday the weather
improved somewhat and allowed for more time to
wander the exhibits, take in the racing
team’s latest hardware and mix with some of
the world championship riders. Mountain biking is one of the few
professional sports that doesn't isolate the
professionals from their fans. You’re as
likely to bump into an Olympic rider as you are
one of the amateur racers that are out in droves
the week prior, to try their hand on the
championship courses.
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This mix of weekend
riders, amateur racers and professionals is a refreshing
change from traditional sports which promote elitism by
segregating the athletes from the fans. Let's hope the
sport can hold on to this refreshing approach. |
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If your idea of a
bicycle is still that old forty pound ten speed
from WallMart, boy, are you in for a surprise.
Try saying chrome molybdenum, or if that’s
too hard, how about titanium or let's make it
easy, try carbon fiber. |
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If it’s an
exotic material, five will get you ten, you’ll find
it on a mountain bike. The kool thing about bikes these
days is the less you get, the more it costs. |
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| Once you have a
cross-country bike down to about 24 pounds, the
cost to lose a few more ounces starts sky
rocketing. You’ll find bikes here that may
cost more than your car. Of course, once you get over the
strange materials and wacky pricing, wait until
you try to find a bike that even resembles
something you rode as a kid.
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How about a
"V" shaped frame with over sized tubing or a
"Y" shaped monocoque model. What you'll rarely
see is the classic triangle of the traditional bicycle
frame. A closer look reveals front and rear suspensions,
hydraulic disk brakes and indexed twist shifters which
are tied to, get this, 27 gears. |
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With all of this, I
still think the most startling thing you’ll
see are the sponsors. Start with Volvo, Mercedes
and Porsche, then move over to the Ralph Lauren
team truck. Weird? Not really, since the people
attracted to this sport often have a lot of
money. How else are they going to afford their
$2000 XTR gruppo? |
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