It’s not just him either, none of the Tour pros seem to have these! Maybe we can start a GoFundMe. They deserve better.
The term "Fred" (or "Doris" for women) used to refer to a cyclist who didn't conform to "pro" roadie conventions: think of that guy who shows up to the group ride on a hybrid bike with flat pedals wearing cargo shorts and a T-shirt. It didn't imply anything about skill; if anything, classic Freds would smoke riders on fancy road bikes wearing "real" cycling kit. This guy is peak classic Fred.
Nowadays, "Fred" means the complete opposite: someone who shows up to the group ride on a $15k top-end aero carbon race bike in full Rapha kit and proceeds to get dropped as soon as the pace line hits 20 MPH or at the first 5% climb.
Seems like we need a new term for the Fred of yore. Is there one?
Dialing in a new (to me) TT bike (Cervélo P2). I've put about 200 miles on the bike thus far (across rides from 10 to 50 miles) and haven't felt any aches or pains. Despite this, one weird thing I noticed is that I had great difficulty riding with no hands: even for a few seconds to stretch or grab a snack from my back pocket, the bike would start to wobble after just a few pedal strokes. I initially attributed this to the twitchy TT geometry and front-heavy cockpit, until I realized that the wobble was caused by my hips subtly rocking. I lowered the saddle by half a centimeter, and not only can I ride no-handed just as easily as I can on my other bikes, but I actually feel like I'm putting more power down. I was very surprised that such a subtle adjustment had such an obvious tell; I doubt I would have noticed this otherwise.
I’m a somewhat dedicated road cyclist: if the weather cooperates, I try to get in 4-5 hours each week, split between two ~40 mile rides and a handful of shorter rides. Recently, I got into riding fixed gear on a whim, and found I enjoy it way more than I thought I would. These days, I’ve actually been taking the fixie out on my roadie routes more often than I take my road bike! (I live in a relatively flat area.) While the 3.2 gear ratio means I’m certainly not setting any KOMs, it’s fun to cruise along the flats at a sustained 22 MPH at 90 RPM. As a bonus, it’s fun to get quizzical looks from hipsters and MAMILs alike when I ride the fixie in my normal road cycling kit.
Any other roadies here who also enjoy riding fixed on their usual routes, or am I as weird as the looks I get?