Tim McNamara writes:
>>> If one wishes to see lots of crashes due to such slippage, watch
>>> the 1993 men's road race championships in Oslo Norway- a nasty wet
>>> day with lots of crashes resulting from the wheels slipping out on
>>> lane stripes. Some of them looked quite painful. IIRC Ekimov
>>> actually went over a "Jersey wall" type barrier and landed on
>>> commuter railroad tracks.
>> I am curious about the tires these riders used on that course.
> Boy, I have no idea and I don't have a copy of the video. I do
> remember quite clearly seeing riders slip out in turns as they
> crossed the heavy white painted stripes, the wheels going out almost
> instantaneously. There were some very painful looking crashes.
Well for slick material, all bets are off. Metal utility covers,
solid paint stripes, and crack sealant are slick to any kind of
rubber. It's the rider's business to not demand any side forces from
such surfaces. Of course, in a dense pack of riders, that may not be
visible until it is too late.
I once watched a video of a Paris-Roubaix rider go down on a straight
section of basalt cobbles just from the inter cobble rounded seams. I
recall in the days of yore I would demonstrate this with my car at a
low rolling speed and run it up through the gears on wet basalt
without gaining more than 2-3mph while the tachometer registered
3000rpm in 3rd (of 4) gear. That makes a badly floating rear end if
you aren't on a level street.
Jobst Brandt
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