Roller Training

Building up for Battle Cranks. After seven years of avoiding the rollers like the plague, these workouts have actually been pretty fun.

Motion Blur

The results of a shoot with Marcos Ferra (www.marcosferro.com). The idea was to demonstrate the technique of motion blur, and I was asked to ride slowly around the corners. The flashes on me freeze the action but the background shows up blurry. Therefore it looks like I'm going quick even when I'm not. Useful technique for a creeper!

Some of the comments on youtube about my riding are pretty funny, though it's nice that most get what the video is for: photography.

Not the first

So it seems that Battle Cranks is not Austria's first roller racing event. Bit of a bummer since I really had researched it and come up with nothing. However, two ex-pros have contacted me to say that during the 50s and 60s there were such events, and in fact one of them raced against German sprint giant Michael Hubner (and won!) in an exhibition event in 1992.

Also, since I began planning the event, there have been two very small goldsprint races in Vienna in bars called Hanky Panky.

But whatever, mistake acknowledged and on with the fun. The mix of people signed up is fascinating: ex-pro roadies, super-endurance athletes, a paracycling champion, the local hairdresser and now a messenger from Vienna who won the Hanky Panky races.

Will this event be a success? Keine Ahnung, no idea. But I have high hopes, and I believe it will be a good night.

Noch mehr große Namen bei Battle Cranks

Die Liste der Stars, die an Battle Cranks teilnehmen, wird stetig länger. Neu mit dabei sind der ehemalige Radrennprofi Gerrit Glomser und Red Bull X-Alps Athlet Heli Eichholzer. Glomser, der von 1998 bis 2008 Radprofi war, hat drei Mal an der Tour de France teilgenommen und Eichholzer ist im Juli 2011 wieder am Start, wenn die Teilnehmer von Red Bull X-Alps sich nur zu Fuß und per Paragleiter 864km über die Alpen kämpfen.

Genug Ausdauer bringen also beide von ihnen mit – aber am 27. November müssen sie bei Battle Cranks ihr Talent für den 500m-Sprint beweisen!

Wenn du dir zutraust, gegen die Profis anzutreten, registrier dich hier.