{"id":248755,"date":"2026-06-17T14:02:49","date_gmt":"2026-06-17T14:02:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/06\/17\/covering-your-rear\/"},"modified":"2026-06-17T14:02:49","modified_gmt":"2026-06-17T14:02:49","slug":"covering-your-rear","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/06\/17\/covering-your-rear\/","title":{"rendered":"Covering Your Rear"},"content":{"rendered":"

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I think we\u2019re all old enough to remember this guy, right?<\/p>\n

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Sure we are.<\/p>\n

Well then you\u2019ll all get the reference when I say that in America, rider abandon race\u2026<\/p>\n

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\u2026but in Soviet Union<\/s> Canada, race abandon you<\/a>!<\/p>\n

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Apparently it was too hot:<\/p>\n

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Can you cancel a race after it has finished? That is the question that elite racers are asking in the aftermath of the Canadian gravel championships this Sunday, as race organizers announced at the finish that the race was canceled due to extreme heat.<\/em><\/p>\n

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Though they didn\u2019t cancel the race until the leaders had already finished:<\/p>\n

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While the men\u2019s overall podium had finished \u2014 including three bona fide gravel professionals, Mike Woods, Andrew \u201cLespy\u201d L\u2019Esperance, and Ben Perry \u2014 race officials stopped riders still out on course, due to the temperatures exceeding 30 degrees Celsius. (30 degrees Celsius is about 86 degrees Fahrenheit.)<\/em><\/p>\n

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Here\u2019s what the race organizer said:<\/p>\n

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\u201cAs the event progressed, we monitored the situation referencing the Cycling BC Air Quality and Extreme Weather Safety Guidelines,\u201d Jon Watkin, the race director, said in a published statement. \u201cOver the course of the day, medical resources began to reach their capacity, creating a vulnerable situation for riders on course.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cOn course race temperatures of greater than 34+ degrees Celsius were measured, and it became clear that proceeding with the event would not meet the safety standards required for every participant.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

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What? 34 degrees!?! That\u2019s barely above freezing!<\/p>\n

Woosies<\/a>.<\/p>\n

In any case, like a dad who didn\u2019t pull out fast enough and now refuses to pay child support, organizers have annulled the results after the fact:<\/p>\n

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Currently, all the results from the race have been annulled, and Canadian Cycling is reviewing that decision since it was made after the fact for the elite men.<\/em><\/p>\n

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Presumably until the review is complete, the Canadian men\u2019s gravel champion shall exist in a state of Schr\u00f6dinger-esque ambiguity.<\/p>\n

Of course, nothing in life is guaranteed\u2013if it were there would be no such thing as insurance<\/a>:<\/p>\n

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Apparently, 50% of \u201cCompetitive Usage\u201d claims are for carcked crabon:<\/p>\n

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Since Dragonspine Cycling began referring customers to BikeInsure in August 2024, policyholders have submitted 16 bicycle insurance claims involving high-value cycling equipment \u2014 15 of them enrolled under BikeInsure\u2019s Competitive Usage category. The resulting claims reveal several noteworthy trends:<\/em><\/p>\n

\u2022 $5,355 average paid claim
\u2022 94% accidental damage, just one theft claim
\u2022 50% involved a cracked carbon structure \u2014 six carbon framesets and two carbon forks
\u2022 69% selected a Bike Accident Only policy, declining optional theft protection
\u2022 38% paid within 2 days \u2014 3 within a single day<\/em><\/p>\n

For Dragonspine Cycling, a Chicago-area boutique retailer specializing in premium performance bicycles, the claims data reinforces a reality that many competitive cyclists already understand: the risk of accidental damage while racing often represents their greatest financial exposure.<\/em><\/p>\n

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Of course they don\u2019t say how the crabon carked. Did the rider crash? Did a baggage handler mishandle it? Did a mechanic exceed the torque specs of a component by half a Newton meter? We\u2019ll never know. But the average payout on those carked crabon cailms was over Five Thousand American Fun Tickets\u2122:<\/p>\n

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For owners of premium bicycles, the financial impact of a loss can be substantial. Dragonspine customers submitting claims received average claim payments of $5,355, reflecting the significant investment many cyclists have in high-performance race bicycles, carbon wheelsets, power meters, electronic groupsets, and other upgraded components.<\/em><\/p>\n

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All this got me wondering just how much bike insurance costs anyway, so I looked it up<\/a>:<\/p>\n

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And here\u2019s the quote I got:<\/p>\n

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So it\u2019s more or less comparable to AppleCare, and if I weren\u2019t so scrupulous I\u2019d take out a $10,000 policy on the Farbman:<\/p>\n

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Then I\u2019d contract with someone to \u201csteal\u201d it for me, we\u2019d split the proceeds after the policy paid out, and when I got the bike back I\u2019d repaint it as a Jamis in case BikeInsure launched an investigation.<\/p>\n

I wonder if Joe Bell would ever be willing to paint a bike as a Jamis\u2026<\/p>\n

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[Via here<\/a>]<\/p>\n

By the way, does this say what I think it says, or am I hallucinating?<\/p>\n

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When you reach my level of self-importance you think you see your name everywhere:<\/p>\n

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[Via here<\/a>]<\/p>\n

But what would I do with a $10,000 bike insurance payout? Why, I\u2019d buy one of those new 32-inch bicycles!<\/p>\n

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Just kidding.<\/p>\n

Why would I do that when I already have one<\/a>?<\/p>\n

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Yes, apparently a Jones is forward compatible with this revolutionary new wheel size\u2026though this particular Reddinator doesn\u2019t find it all that revolutionary so far:<\/p>\n

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The question is, was this a neccessary and needed size evolution? I love how they look in my big frame\/bike, but not sure they are definitely better for my kind of riding. Of course that is a personal impression based on one ride, so I will be on these wheels for the rest of the year (and maybe longer), also giving the bike to try to some other riders so they can make their impressions and so looking forward to hear what they think about it. All in all a great and exciting experiment, looking forward to ride this setup on some more technical demanding trails to see how they behave there<\/em><\/p>\n

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All of which makes me realize that the real growth area in cycling would be selling obsolescence insurance. Why should you buy into the whole 32-inch wheel thing if there\u2019s no guarantee it will stick around? After all, it was barely more than a decade ago<\/a> that plus-sized mountain bikes were the Hot New Thing:<\/p>\n

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I really did think they were great, and I still do, which is why I ride a Jones, but it only took a few years for the mainstream bike industry to renounce them<\/a>:<\/p>\n

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Remember: wider tires is \u201cdumbing down\u201d the trail, but front and rear suspension and a remote control telescoping seatpost is not.<\/p>\n

Gravelistas also embraced and then rejected the 650b wheel just as quickly:<\/p>\n

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I dunno, seems like it works just fine to me:<\/p>\n

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But in gravel it was over before you could wear out a single pair of 650b tires.<\/p>\n

And let\u2019s not even talk about 26-inch wheels, or rim brakes, or suspension systems\u2013or, heaven forbid, all of those things together on one bicycle:<\/p>\n

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And what if you went all-in on beam suspension in the \u201990s?<\/p>\n

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[Is it weird that I miss this bike?]<\/p>\n

Seems like somebody owes you, doesn\u2019t it?<\/p>\n

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[I don\u2019t miss this bike.]<\/p>\n

Actually I say I don\u2019t miss it, but with normal handlebars and thumbies it was a really fun bike:<\/p>\n

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Get rid of the beam and replace it with a Brooks and you\u2019d have a real winner on your hands.<\/p>\n

So yes, a comprehensive bicycle obsolescence insurance policy would protect you in the event that you were dumb enough to buy, say, an endurance bike<\/a>:<\/p>\n

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Buying an endurance bike!?!<\/p>\n

Ha!<\/p>\n

That\u2019s as crazy as buying a bike from a bike shop<\/a>!<\/p>\n

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Which, ironically, you\u2019re now doing if you buy a bike online from Trek:<\/p>\n

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According to the spokesperson, a bike might be boxed from a Trek-owned store\u2019s sales floor or removed from original packaging and repackaged with the preparation process varying depending on the destination.<\/em><\/p>\n

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Look, I\u2019m not a business supergenius like John Burke\u2026<\/p>\n

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[\u201cI\u2019m not saying it\u2019s aliens but\u2026\u201d]<\/p>\n

\u2026but what if instead of using bike shops to fulfill online orders, Trek sent a customer looking for a specific bike to the bicycle shop that has it?<\/p>\n

Just a thought.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n