GamJams.net: Where Mid-Atlantic bike racers roll

GamJams Survey: Double Duty

Unlike the professional riders we tend to emulate — whether we like it or not — most of us don't have a quiver of wheels available for every situation. More likely, you have one set of nice wheels and a couple of others that serve as everyday trainers or backups.

With a few exceptions, most race wheels used on the road can easily handle cyclocross duties as well. But would you use your precious road hoops for such a situation? Or maybe it's an excuse to get another set of race wheels?

GamJams Survey: Lex Luthor

Whether in life or on the bike, there's a decent chance most of us have an arch-rival of some sort. Jerry had his Newman, Batman his Joker, and you have (insert name here).

How the seeds were initially planted is probably an afterthought, but that's not really the point anymore, is it? That guy/gal is going to get popped, and you're the man with the hammer.

What? You're the rider just worried about getting across the line in one piece, bouncing from group to group with no enemies? Really?

GamJams Survey: Changing Sides

Though it's only August, a good chunk of the pro peloton is looking toward next year. With most of the major races in the rearview mirror, riders are getting things lined up for their 2011 campaigns.

On the amateur circuit, most of the major road events are past, too. Sure, 'cross is upcoming and the mountain bike season is still rolling, but there's not much pavement left to be had.

With that in mind, what's in store for you in 2011? Changing teams? Staying put? Creating a new endeavor?

GamJams Survey: Just One More Day

When you think of crisp fall days, long sleeves and apple cider, what else comes to mind? Cross racing? MTB racing?

Why not road racing? Each year the mid-October Giro di Lombardia rips through the Italian countryside as the leaves are changing and falling -- it's the last road-bike romp before winter.

October in the US is often reserved for 'cross, though. Why should those guys have all of the fun?

GamJams Survey: Among the Masses

Here's how it goes at GamJams Survey headquarters: "Oh, you race bikes? Do you do RAGBRAI?"

And ... sigh.

(RAGBRAI, for the record, is the weeklong, Iowa-spanning ride that has been in existence since long before Lance Armstrong invented carbon fiber. And, despite its description — a weeklong bike ride across Iowa — it's actually fairly entertaining.)

But no, actually, we don't "do RAGBRAI." We may slip in for a day now and then, but that's not the season's objective. Nor do we aim for the other mass-start rides that pop up around the area. But we'll ride them now and then — the routes are solid, traffic is managed. Heck, maybe you'll see something new.

So here's the question: Are we alone? Do you jump in with the untamed peloton or stay far, far away?

GamJams Survey: On the Table

A day in the life of a professional rider: Rise, eat, ride, eat, massage, sleep, eat, sleep.

Even Cat. 5 beginners have the eating and sleeping thing figured out, but massage? That's in a zone far beyond the space we occupy at GamJams Survey Headquarters. But we know of others living in that kind of airspace. Are you one of them?

GamJams Survey: Code of Conduct

No matter what happens over the next three stages of the Tour de France, the debate will go on: Should Alberto Contador have waited for Andy Schleck to rejoin the group?

We say no, because it's a race. Sometimes luck isn't on your side (See: Lance Armstrong, 2010). In no other sport is an athlete expected to let up and allow an opponent an opportunity to win. Sure, there's the gentlemanly way to do things, but sometimes you just have to bury the knife and give it a twist.

Of course, nobody said whether it should be inserted in the front or back ... .

GamJams Survey: Win a Little or Win a Lot?

You can learn a lot about a guy by having a discussion about criterium racing. Preparation, race strategy, objectives ... there are a lot of little nuances that go into having a good race.

And primes — go for it or stay in the pack and save energy to try for the win? Or why not try to take both? There are a lot of ways to slice this one — which one is yours?

GamJams Survey: The Rough Stuff

Though he's almost universally loved, Jens Voigt has been on our nerves the last couple of days. First, the course is too slippery. Then the course is too rough.

Jens, would you like an arrow-straight bit of freshly poured tarmac? Seventy-five degrees, no wind? Come on, dude — you're the baddest man in the peloton. Surely this year's Tour route must be what you're waiting for?

Well, apparently not. Look, nobody really, truly enjoys a sketchy course. But some people handle it better than others. How about you?

GamJams Survey: Go Time

As the story goes, Lance Armstrong knows he's ready for the Tour when he rides the Col de la Madone in a certain time, with certain wattage numbers on the display in front of him. 

In his Madone ride a few days ago, he declared himself ready to roll. For a seasoned, exacting professional, that type of analysis is necessary to properly determine form.

But you know when you're ready, don't you? It's that feeling you get when you pin on a number and pull that zipper up. When you roll to the line calm, confident and ready for whatever comes your way. 

Wait ... you get that feeling right?