By: Rich Rodriguez
Some bikers competing this weekend will go on a scenic but grueling 100 mile ride. Racers in Downtown Fresno will pedal hard in sprints that push these bikers to the limit.
Marc Rossi is a weekend racer who makes a living repairing and tuning up bikes at Cycle Path in Northeast Fresno. "That's a torque wrench. You're not allowed to go beyond a certain amount of force when you're clamping down carbon."
Rossi says many of his customers had their bikes tuned up to get ready for the Eye-Q California Classic Weekend races. "Most people put it off until they realize their bike is not working right. Typically a tune up is run through the gears, make sure the brakes work. Make everything is safe."
This is no ordinary two wheeler. It's worth thousands and it's built for speed. "They're a little bit like race cars. When we get to the higher end bikes like this, they're super capable but if they're not taken care of then you can have trouble."
Marc Rossi in criteriums as an amateur. He says it is an adrenalin rush. "It's basically a race through the corners so it's a daring do kind of a thing. You have to have good nerves or you're gonna get spat right off the back right away. You can't ever touch your brakes and it's just full gas for 45 minutes or an hour or so."
When it comes to training Rossi says it takes periods of intense pedaling followed by periods of recovery so the muscles get used to the explosive effort.
