1ST TOUR OF THE PHILIPPINES
17 to 20 April 2010, Category 2.2
THE Le Tour de Filipinas (Tour of the Philippines) is a four-stage road race (Category 2.2 that is on the Asia Tour calendar of the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) for the first time on 17 to 20 April 2010. The race is organized by the Dynamic Outsource Solutions, Inc. (Dos-1), which has been organizing road stage races in the Philippines for several years now.
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February 2010: The next time you’re in London, go to Harrod’s department store to check out a S$59,000 bicycle. Yup, a bicycle, not even a motorbike. But it is special, designed and built by Formula One car racing engineers in England.
For that sum, you get a lightweight carbon monocoque frame completely customised to your physical measurements. The look of the bike can also be designed to your wish, with your name engraved on the handlebars.
Each bike takes six skilled engineers a week to make, says John Bailey, managing director of BERU f1systems the manufacturer in Norfolk.
With smooth, clean lines and a dramatic stance, the Factor 001 bike promises a highly-responsive ride with maximum acceleration and stability.
“Every carbon composite component of the bike is crafted in-house drawing upon the same techniques used to produce Formula One components,” says Bailey. Factor 001 is now on display in the London Science Museum and on sale at Harrod’s.
“By starting afresh and working outside the design regulations set out by the Union Cycliste International, we could ensure that nothing would stand in the way of developing an outstanding riding experience. Riders will quickly notice how light the bike feels to ride, and should experience rapid acceleration with minimal exertion,” he adds.
Factor 001 has a unique twin-vein architecture that can be adjusted to within a millimetre to suit the rider’s measurements and typical riding position. In keeping with the robust design of the frame, the eight-spoke carbon composite wheels are capable of reliably negotiating tough road conditions. The bike also features the Shimano Di2 electronic gear shift, and customers can opt for carbon ceramic disc brakes.
The twin-vein design provides improved lateral stiffness and therefore more of the power generated by the rider is transmitted into forward motion. A conventional frame, even one made of carbon composite, flexes when the rider applies force to the pedals, which absorbs energy and reduces acceleration. The twin-vein frame almost completely eliminates this problem, delivering an exceptionally responsive ride.
The frame contains sophisticated load sensors, wiring, batteries, control cables and lines for its hydraulic braking system, all of which are fully integrated into the composite during construction to give unparalleled efficiency with a clean, uncluttered appearance.
The multi-channel electronics package available with the bike has unique ergonometric data collection, logging and analysis capabilities. It can simultaneously correlate biometric data from the ride, physical force data from the bike and environmental data to offer a level of analysis previously only available under laboratory conditions.
Riders can record everything from skin temperature and respiration rate to atmospheric pressure and humidity and individual leg power output. The individual channels of data can be displayed on the LCD touch screen, all of which are logged and can be downloaded for post-ride analysis. The rider can configure each screen to display his preferred parameters, and the system allows the rider to easily switch between screens whilst riding.
Just as a Formula One driver's car set-up is optimised to allow him to perform at his best, so customers purchasing a Factor 001 bike will attend a cycle-fitting and analysis session to ensure the bike is an exact fit for their physical fitness and training needs.
Areas of focus will include posture, core condition, muscle recruitment, pedal force and cleat position, as well as any injury or pain concerns, taking into account the rider's sporting history and using high technology video analyses. Customers can also undergo in-depth fitness tests to measure their maximal aerobic power output, V02max, sub-maximal cycling economy and maximal anaerobic capacity.
The standard bike is available for £22,000 (S$48,000), while the model with integrated electronics, due to be released in April 2010, costs £27,000 ($59,000).
The twin-vein V-frame transmits more power from the pedals to the wheels.
