That's how we ... ride

In the last few years I have been reading of more and more professional riders that have made of bicycling their favorite form of training . Indeed, Robert Lombardi and I met because of our love for bicycles. Back in 1996 Robert was already a NJ mountain bike champion and a mutual friend of ours told him that there was a new “ginny” in the neighbor who used to road-race bicycle professionally in Italy. So one day I was in front his shop making eights on my Italian Scapin and Rob while looking at me thought “that guy is fat, but his legs …. and the way he keeps the balance on the pedals ….he must be the famous ginny!!!”: Robert approached me and here we are …
Today we race at local level (yes, recently he has convinced me to compete again after 23 years) and we consider bicycling as the best tool to improve our physical condition. There is not other sport that you could practice for hours with such precise control of the aerobic/anaerobic stages. Yes, running is easy, cheap, and quick but heavy onyour feet, ankles, knees and back and it doesn’t really matter how slow you go because it still causes physical stress. A long list of riders has chosen bicycling to control weight, strength their legs and improve their stamina, all critical variables in racing motorcycles at professional level. I definitely recall Bayliss, Stoner, Melandri, Capirossi, Hopkins, Biaggi, the Haydens, Mladin, Duhamel as passionate riders hitting the road 3 to 5 times a week as part of their training program.
Personally I integrate bicycling with rowing in order to maintain a healthy muscle balance between legs and torso. A few years ago I had a surgery to fix a dislocated shoulder and our “Dr. Costa”, Dr. Hausman told me that several weighlifters end up with arthritis on their shoulders because of the excessive stress caused by that type of exercise.
Anyhow, the road bicycle fever has been spreading among the PMP crew and recently Antonio, Naim and Mike have committed to start riding with us: someone to loose a few extra pounds, others to stop smoking. Either way, once they start enjoying the results of their training they will joint the increasing group of motorcycle racers in love with the way we …. ride.




Picture source: ctbkgroup.com, camorani.com, velocitynation.com

A special thank to: Tichetti, BVF Team, Bay Ridge Bicycle,

Max Biaggi is still very fast

Today Max Biaggi just missed a pole position for his first WSBK race in Losail, Qatar, by 0’322 thousand of sec. The pole was won by another veteran, Troy Corser. After Biaggi, in order we have Toseland, Haga and Lanzi. Bayliss only sixth … but with him anything can happen.
At this point can I speculate/hope a podium for our Roman Emperor? After two difficult years he deserves a bit of luck and reward for not giving up in his career.

Forza Biaggi!!!

Max Biaggi 's bet in WSBK

We can call it a bet, the bet of someone who wants to show to himself, his competitors and to the whole world that he is still able to go fast and win. His last victory goes back to 2004 in Germany in frontof Barros when he was still racing with the yellow Honda Camel of the Pramac Pons Team. In 2005 with the official factory Honda Repsol Team led by the legendary technical director Erv Kanemoto, Biaggi
thought that he could be one of the contenders to the World Championship but lack of results brought Biaggi and Honda to a bitter divorce that, indeed, marked the end of his career in MotoGp and the beginning of another one in WSBK. Yes, Biaggi was supposed to start racing with the Corona team last year, but the limited amount of time to create another two bikes for the Roman rider and Troy Corser’s dissent to share the team with another prima donna, it convinced Batta, Suzuki Corona Team Manager, to wait another year to bring Biaggi in Superbike.


The last 12 months have been extremely busy for Max Biaggi: training with the bicycle, in the gym, on the soccer fields, with the supermotard bike and with his new tool, the Suzuki GSX-R 1000 K6 and then K7. He has always been almost maniacal in getting mentally and phisically ready to the racing season, but at his age of 35 and after such a long career the effort and the passion infused in the last 12 month of training measures the size of his bet: new championship, new competitors, new team, new technicians, new bike, new brakes, new tires ….a lot of variables in an equation that can be solved only with winning in WSBK. Indeed the expectations are so high among fans, media and sponsors, that any results that should fall short of the victory would raise tons of criticism. Last Monday Biaggi finished the tests in the Losail circuit at 3/10 of a sec behind the new Yamaha rider Troy Corser, riding as much as 80 laps to include a race simulation with the 2006 Pirelli.
I believe that this one was his last test before the first race of the season on February 24th, when he will have to compete again with the fastest riders in the world.

Do not forget to periodically check Jim’s blog, Armchairbikefan, for overseas insides on the WSBK.

In the first video (source) Kagayama and Biaggi training in Phillip Island
In the second one (source) he is in California where he often goes during the winter to train with other supermotards riders