HT The Goat for the video and story.
Way back when, Chad was on the US Postal Service cycling team. He showed a lot of potential, so he was invited to participate in a camp at an Olympic training facility. It was at this camp that he had a meeting with Armstrong that apparently changed his life forever.
This guys story is heartbreaking.
Andy B
outsideallday.com
Final Spot on Triathlon Team Decided on Final Leg
By Andrew Hood
June 23, 2008
Bobby Julich won’t be heading back to the Tour de France for another crack at the maillot jaune. The 36-year-old veteran ? third overall in 1998 ? was left off the nine-man, Tour-bound squad revealed Monday by Team CSC-Saxo Bank. “I think we could have taken two teams to the Tour de France, with so many good riders to choose from,” said team manager Bjarne Riis on the team’s Web page. “We have taken the nine sharpest riders and we hope we can meet our ambitions with them.”
Click here to read the rest of the article.
I’m curious how Andy Schleck will do in his first tour.
Team CSC-Saxo Bank for 2008 Tour de France:
Fabian Cancellara (Swi)
Carlos Sastre (Spa)
Andy Schleck (Lux)
Fränk Schleck (Lux)
Nicki Sørensen (Den)
Jens Voigt (Ger)
Stuart O’Grady (Aus)
Kurt-Asle Arvesen (Nor)
Volodymir Gustov (Ukr)
Andy B
outsideallday.com
Final Spot on Triathlon Team Decided on Final Leg
By JOHN BRANCH
June 23, 2008
WEST DES MOINES, Iowa — There were 34 male competitors in the Hy-Vee Triathlon, a World Cup event that served as the final Olympic qualifying race for the United States. But as far as the former Olympians Hunter Kemper and Andy Potts were concerned, there were really only two. Battling for the last of three places on the team headed to Beijing, Kemper outran Potts in the 10-kilometer run, the race’s final leg, to make the Olympic team for the third time.
Click here to read the rest of the article.
Congrats to Jarrod Shoemaker, Matt Reed and Hunter Kemper. Andy Potts is still a freakin stud!
Andy B
outsideallday.com
As I was typing in the upstairs office tonight with my shirt off I got pissed as I looked in the mirror! I’m back up 7 pounds since March 29. The real tipping point came on Saturday during my ride with Greg Sellers. Greg hooked me up with a Motor Tabs team jersey. I love the jersey but I have a nasty case of jersey gap when I wear it, uggh. It’s time to get serious about my weight again. I’m banking on Breakaway Training to get me back down to where I want to be. There’s something about Felipe’s plans that keep me motivated to train.
The plan is lot’s of riding and eating well plus documenting what I eat (food journal). The other essential part of the plan is to train well with the nutrition products I have access to. This will allow my training to be quality. Effective use of Bonk Breakers (pre), Motor Tabs (during) and Fluid Recovery (post) will provide the energy and recovery that’s necessary.
Lastly, I’ve chosen my next race, the Rim Nordic Cross Country #4, Aug. 17, 2008 in Lake Arrowhead, CA. I’ll race beginner and enjoy myself while watching Dave pound out 4 laps and attempting to kill his arch enemies.
It’s on like donkey kong! 5:30 am here I come…
Andy B
outsideallday.com
Today I lived vicariously through my good buddy Derek Yankoff (not joking), as he competed in his first full Ironman. Derek completed Ironman Coeur d’Alene in 12:55:39. Ironman.com allows for “split time” athlete tracking throughout the day so I would hit refresh whenever I could make it back to my computer. The most impressive split of Derek’s day was his marathon time (4:46:41), unreal after a 112 mile bike ride!
If I’m honest there is a little bit of jealously that Derek was able to do it before I did and complete it in a time I could never dream of. Maybe I’m more competitive than I think I am…
Get some rest my friend and I’ll buy you lunch sometime this week when you get in town. I couldn’t be more proud of you!
Andy B
outsideallday.com
Wells, Gould clinch spots on U.S. Olympic roster
By Associated Press
June 22, 2008
TRENTINO, Italy — Todd Wells and Georgia Gould were the first two racers to clinch spots on the U.S. Olympic mountain biking team, after no Americans secured an automatic bid Sunday in the world championships.
Click here to read the rest of the article.
Andy B
outsideallday.com
It’s been a little while since a post on where things are at with me and training. So this is my narcissistic post of the week.
Quick update:
- Our next baby is due August 29. Getting super excited but know this will mean a significant change is free time.
- Haven’t run in over 80 days, the plantar fasciitis is still owning me.
- Canceled 3 triathlon that I had already paid for within the last 80 days.
- Cortisone shot in my foot on Tuesday of this week. Seems to be helping.
- Weighing in at 186 pounds but feel fatter than that. Lowest weight of the year was March 29 at 181.5 pounds.
- Traveled a bunch of days for work in April, May and June. This throws me off.
- Looking forward to the cyclocross season this fall.
- Rode my bike to work 4 of 5 days last week.
Within the last 2 weeks I’ve felt clarity on the direction I would like to go with training and racing. I think my days of triathlon are over and the different bikes will be the focus (mountain, road and cross). After my foot heals I may run for some cross training but don’t think triathlon will be the focus anytime soon.
From there I need to ask Felipe from Breakaway Training to restructure my training plan with ONLY riding in mind, no more swimming or running. The next step for me will be to pick a race, stick to the training plan and get my eating back in line.
Rode with Greg from Motor Tabs this morning for 2 hours and we talked about health and eating. Him and I are going to begin holding each other accountable with our eating habits and weight goals.
Overall this new thinking gets me super excited because I love being on the bike so much. Riding with the Como peeps tomorrow. I’m a gluten for getting dropped. I’m going to “ride” to the “ride” to save on gas.
Andy B
outsideallday.com
Another product on Review thanks to RockN’Road Cyclery and Hanhster the Monster!
I will give them a few weeks to be fair and then post the full review…
My new toys for review and something to bring the comfort back to my feet while riding.
All I can say so far is plenty of room in the toe box, stiff sole, no heel lift, and probably the lightest Mountain Biking shoe I have ever felt.
-DSheek
These should be keepers!
You be the judge. I want to ride my bike that fast so badly!
HT The Goat for the video.
Andy B
outsideallday.com
U.S. teams’ anti-doping stance helps land new sponsorship deals
By Bonnie D. Ford
June 19, 2008
Team Slipstream-Chipotle’s announcement Wednesday that the global positioning system device manufacturer Garmin International had signed on as a title sponsor less than three weeks before the Tour de France completed a trifecta few might have thought possible in professional cycling a year or even six months ago.
Click here to read the rest of the article.
What an interesting marking angle, anti-doping.
Andy B
outsideallday.com
Good morning to all from Missoula, Montana!
For those of you not in the know, Siren web gal/co-owner/spokesmodel/two-wheeled badass Mary Collier has embarked on what is being called one of the World’s Toughest Races, according to the June issue of Bike Magazine. The Tour Divide is the Grand Tour of the Continental Divide- from Banff, AB, to Antelope Wells, NM.
Eighteen racers lined up for the 2,711 mile Tour Divide at 10am Friday under a clear Canadian sky that quickly turned to rain. Mary is the only female racer participating this year, following in Trish Stevenson’s tracks after her border-to-border race in ’05, which started in Roosville, MT. Mary stands to set the first female record for the full length of the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route (GDMBR).
By the numbers:
The 2,711 mile route crosses the Contintental Divide 30 times
Highest point is 11,910 ft at Indiana Pass in Colorado
The route is 90% dirt road & trail, with very little asphalt
The vast majority of the route is sustained over 7,000 ft.
Expected temperature range is 0* to 110*
Water can be scarce on certain parts of the route, especially in the Great Divide Basin of Wyoming, and much of New Mexico
Mary is riding a purpose-built Siren Song 29, weighing in around 24 lbs with aero bars & lights. Her frame bags were made by Carousel Design Works & total gear weight, including bags is around 13 lbs.
Race info & Race blog:
Take some time to look through the Tour Divide Website. This website will link to just about all the information you’ll need to follow the race. The Race Blog is on the TD site, which will have transcriptions from the racers’ call-ins from town. The site also links to the Tour Divide Leaderboard.
How to follow the race with the SPOT unit:
Mary, along with most of the other racers, is carrying a SPOT satellite tracking unit and can be followed on the route by way of the Tour Divide Leaderboard. When you click the leaderboard you will see the entire route on the screen. Using your cursor, grab & drag the map to move the “spots to the middle of the page. From there you can zoon in by using the plus/minus signs on the left side of the page. You can pan the map further using the directional arrows on the left side.
hint: when two racers are riding side-by-side, the SPOT units will register in the same place, sometimes making one racer seemingly invisible. To *find* the other racer, you may need to zoom in closer.
Mary’s SPOT shared page:
In addition to the Tour Divide Leaderboard, Mary set up a personal SPOT shared page that you can use to follow just her track. The shared page has a few more options, including the ability to switch the map to terrain mode (topography) or satellite mode (image).
Audio Updates:
Mary will be calling in to her blog from time to time, using a nifty webcast feature she set up before the race. She will be doing this only from towns, with payphones.
The Tour Divide also has a call-in podcast that you can subscribe to at MTBcast. This podcast will have audio files from all the racers. There’s some funny stuff on there. 
Thanks to friends, family, and sponsors!
This would not be happening without you.
Rubber down until next time!
–
Brendan
Happy trails!
Brendan Collier
Siren Bicycles, LLC
951.490.2995
Sirenbicycles.com
sirenbicycles.wordpress.com
This just in:
2008-09 Southern California Prestige Series of Cyclocross, SCPS
SCPS 2008 Schedule
These dates are pretty much set as there might be a few changes before the season but we will keep all Southern CA cross racing enthusiast up to date with the series information, results, and race reports again this season.
-DSheek
Ride, Jump, Run, Ride… It’s almost cross time!
Frank Schleck of Team CSC had a dramatic crash in the Tour de Suisse. Luckily he wasn’t hurt other than a few scratches.
HT bikeride.com for the video.
Andy B
outsideallday.com
