The Golden Wrench

A blog about bicycle repair and maintenance by the mechanics at Freewheel Bike.

Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Murphy Time Trials!

It's that most wonderful time of the year! Or it's at least in the top five or so most wonderful times of the year!

The Murphy Time Trials have been a Freewheel tradition since around the Louisiana Purchase, when President James K. Polk shrewdly secured Park Place and Marvin Gardens in exchange for his extensive (but, as it turns out, worthless) railroad holdings. The French subsequently went bankrupt soon after landing on the "Go to Jail" square in back-to-back turns, and thus the tide of world power was turned.

Anyways, the trick at Murphy is to go fast and not hit all the roots. They slow you down. The picture below will help:


If you memorize this picture, it will give you a distinct advantage. Take special note of where all the roots are. I went ahead and marked them with red dots.

The other key to a good time trial is to have a good song stuck in your head. The theme song from "Hawaii Five-O" would be a dandy, or the finale to "The William Tell Overture." "Volga Boatman" would not do at all, nor "Entry of the Gladiators" (yes, that song has a name!!!), nor "Ring Around the Rosie," especially if you know what it means.

Need some details? Find them here or if you know everything already, you can register here.

See you there!