Kieran is a Category 5 racer
who joined LGBRC in the spring of 2006. Since
joining he has achieved notable results in
criteriums, allowing him to upgrade to cat
4.
When asked how he got started in cycling,
he replies, "Cycling initially started
off as part of my off- season training program
for Big Wave surfing. I figured doing triathlon
would be a great way to stay in shape when
the waves aren't around. Of course Triathlon
requires a bike so I bought the one I currently
ride in April of '04. Then I realized how much
money I could save by riding to and from work.
Then triathlon became the focus and I surfed
less and less. I had some moderate success
as a triathlete ( a few top 5 age group finishes)
that largely hinged on my cycling ability.
When I moved to Palo Alto from Santa Barbara
being a triathlete wasn't convenient anymore.
Since cycling was my best event anyway I decided
to focus on that."
Kieran's most memorable cycling achievement? "That's
tough to answer as I just started competitively
bike racing March 5, 2006 with the Alameda
Criterium. After 18 1/2 brutal minutes of my
heart beating at near max, the whistle was
blown on me and I was removed from the race
so I wouldn't get lapped! In light of that,
my greatest achievement is going from getting
kicked out of a race in early March to winning
three races in a row in June."
When asked what he does when he is not riding
a bike, Kieran replies, "By day I'm a
Computer Engineer working on secret stuff for
Apple Computer. I party a bit on weekends which
isn't good for racing, but o 'well! I've been
told I'm a bit country as I drive a 4x4 go
4wheeling and don't much care about gas mileage
amongst other reasons."
He adds, "The bike is a simple machine
and I believe a proportional fit is paramount.
It's just too bad people on the short (<5'4")
or tall (>6'2") side of the spectrum
get the shaft from the industry and are made
to ride out of proportion frames and crank
arms. I'm on the taller side at 6'3" and
to make things worse I have the legs of a man
about 6'5". For this reason I'm having
a custom built with proportional geometry and
crank arms 200mm in length. The numbers don't
lie: http://www.nettally.com/palmk/Crankset.html
Power = 2 * Pi * Torque * RPM, Torque = CrankLength
* Force.
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