Archive for January, 2008
It is a bummer but the Usery Pass Time Trial and Road Race have been canceled in Phoenix, Arizona. The time trail was on the schedule for February 2nd and the Road Road on February 3rd. These two races for years, have been great races to kick of the 2008 race season and a great way to prepare for the Valley of the Sun stage race.
There is another option on Saturday February 2nd and Sunday February 3rd in San Diego, California.
The road race on Saturday is called the Boulevard Road Race and the criterium on Sunday is called the Trolley Classic Criterium. Both races looks to be good tune ups for Valley of the Sun stage race.
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Posted on: January 18th, 2008 By: Ride-Strong Admin In:
Cycling Events
While it may seem that the upcoming racing season is light years away, it’s sure to arrive faster than you expected. If you don’t start preparing now, your first race will be here before you even dust off the indoor trainer!
So if you don’t want to get dropped on the first spring ride, start doing these five things today!
1. Rest and Recover
If you do one thing this winter to prepare for next season, it should be rest. Sit, lie down, take a cat nap, sleep all day, whatever you want.
Everyone focuses on their intervals, training rides, and/or strict diets, and then they forget about resting properly! You need to take some time away from the bike and away from the gym, and you should even take a break from thinking about cycling so your mind can get a rest, too.
There are a few reasons for this. First, the rest gives your muscles a chance to recuperate and rebuild themselves. Second, it allows some time for your body to recover from overuse injuries (being hunched over on a bike, spinning your legs at 90 rpm all summer long takes a toll.) Third, and possibly most important, is that some time away from the bike will let you come back with renewed excitement for riding!
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Posted on: January 16th, 2008 By: Ride-Strong Admin In:
Training
http://www.roadbikerides.com/ride/view/mt_lemmon_/117
Cycling up the Mt Lemmon Hwy in Tucson, Arizona is an epic ride and will rival some of the best rides across the country.
You start off at about 2,557 ft surrounded by saguaro cactus and mesquite trees and climb as high as 8,198 ft to pine tree vegetation and cool air.
The road is in great shape with a bike lane for most of the ride. On the way down there is no need for a bike lane because you will be keeping up with traffic.
If you love to climb and descend this is the ride for you!
Lance Armstrong in his winter training months in preparation for Tour De France rented a cabin on the top of Mt Lemmon and would climb up the mountain to top of a long days ride. I know because I saw him on more than one occasion and even got the chance to talk to him.
To add 2.89 miles and 760 ft of climbing to the ride you can climb up to the Mt Lemmon Ski area. Just before Summerhaven toward the top of the ride turn right on Ski Run Rd.
As always Ride Strong! Read the rest of this entry »
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| The Astana team will gather in Albuquerque later this month |
| photo: Graham Watson |
Belgian’s ProTour team and newly-renamed development program visit New Mexico
By Ben Delaney
VeloNews editor
Filed: January 14, 2008
Johan Bruyneel, the eight-time Tour de France winning directeur sportif, will be in Albuquerque, New Mexico, at the end of the month with two of his new projects: Astana and the Johan Bruyneel Cycling Academy.
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Posted on: January 14th, 2008 By: Ride-Strong Admin In:
Cycling News
1/12/08 Shoot Out commentary by Scott Baker of Tucson, AZ. Scott Baker pictured below.
The pack tends to be huge this time of year, and this weekend looked to be over 125 riders.
Soon after Valencia a pace-line developed containing about 15-20 consistent riders and a handful of others who would jump in for one or two pulls, realize they were in over their head, and drop back to the comfort of the pack. This kept the pace fast, and likely discouraged many riders from trying to go off the front. Near the bridge, some of the stronger riders really started driving the pace, eventually shattering the pack into three or four groups. The lead group contained about 20 riders, who appeared to represent 19 different teams. I only noticed three local teams in the break (GST Racing, Rhino, and WM) and all three of those riders were at the tail end, doing their best to suck wheel and not get popped.
Over the sprint hill, the big boys took over with the top three spots taken by Curtis Gunn (Successful Living), Matt Cooke (Navigators) and Sheldon Deeny (U23 National Team).
This time of year there is also a large contingent of riders who veer off toward Madera Canyon in order to up their mileage for the day. Many of these riders are the out of towner’s who come to Tucson to train in the winter and punish us during the shoot out. Therefore, the Madera split helps everyone. They get the extra miles they need, and the in town sprint on Old Nogales can be contested by the weekend warriors.
As was mentioned in some of the posts last summer, a new light has been added on Old Nogales about 800 meters before the sprint sign. Today it was red, so everyone started from a standstill. My stellar bike handling skills required unclipping, so when the light turned green I was forced to watch the sprint unfold from about 100 meters back. Miguel Folch (Unattached) took top honors, followed by Matt Jones (Eclipse) and Tyler Ford (GST Racing).
For a map of the Shoot Out click here: Map of the Shoot Out
Related Post
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SILVER CITY, NEW MEXICO — A professional cycling team will train for two very full weeks around Silver City, perhaps an ideal location for a group of cyclists who are hoping for an invitation to the Tour de France accourding to Mike Sievers/Sun-News reporter.
Slipstream/Chipotle powered by H3O, a team that has regularly appeared in the Tour of the Gila, will have about 40 people in town for a winter training camp. While they are here, they will hold a charity ride benefiting a local cycling program for area children.
Eric Fostvedt, operations manager for Slipstream, said the team will have 17 professionals and seven “junior,” or under-23, cyclists training every day for two weeks. A small group of Slipstream staff is scheduled to arrive today, while the riders are set to arrive on Monday.
“It’s pretty commonplace for most professional teams to have a focused training camp and just to get everyone on the same page,”
Fostvedt said. Slipstream/Chipotle will not be the only team to hold a winter training camp in Silver City. Legacy Energy, an amateur Category I team from Colorado, will bring eight cyclists into town to train.
Fostvedt said Slipstream’s training will include time trial practice, climbing practice and workouts in the gym. He said the number of hours will depend on the day; a “light” day will include a two- to three-hour ride, while a “heavy” day will include a five- to six-hour ride. Read the rest of this entry »
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Posted on: January 13th, 2008 By: Ride-Strong Admin In:
Cycling News
Marsh Station bike ride is one of Tucson’s best kept secrets. Pictured above is a section of Marsh Station Road showing the rollers in the road.
Click here for a map of the ride: Marsh Station Map or http://www.roadbikerides.com/ride/view/marsh_station/166
Every time I ride this ride, which is frequent, I wounder why I seldom see other cyclists on Marsh Station Road. It is rare you see another rider. I had been riding for ten years before I ever did this ride. I think it is because people just don’t know about it. It is worth the ride.
This is one of my favorite rides in Tucson for the following reasons:
- There is always little or no traffic once you get on Marsh Station Road. There is about a 30 mile out and back stretch that has little traffic. Look at the pictures - NO cars!
- Marsh Station Road is about a 20 mile out and back section of the ride which is a great section for a time trial and putting the hammer down.
- If you start the ride from the east side of town you can do the whole ride without one traffic light.
- In Tucson you are either riding the flats or climbing Mt. Lemon. There is no in between. Marsh Station is one of the few rides with some good rollers.
- It’s a beautiful ride. Great mountain views with cotton wood tree groves and mesquite tree infested desert.
- Once on Marsh Station Rd. there is a train track that parallels the road. If you time it right you can race the train to the Marsh Station overpass at the turn around point.
There is one negative to the ride. There are a few sections of the road with some big pot holes and bumps, so just be careful. When passing the Cienega Wash bridge be careful because the bride is bumpy. As long as you pay attention to the road you are fine.
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Riding is more fun when you ride with others! There’s no better source of motivation, networking, being social, sharing knowledge, and camaraderie than your fellow riders.
However, the prospect of joining a group ride for the first time can be intimidating. Worried that you might now know “the rules’ of a group ride? We’ve got you covered! Simply read the following suggestions.
Pick The Right Group Ride
Group rides and objectives vary. Finding out the group’s pace, distance, and goals will ensure that you join a ride that’s right for you. Is the ride social or a hammer fest? Is it considered a social ride, training ride, or a blood letting? How far will the group go? What route will the ride follow? Will the ride re-group at certain spots to let stragglers get back on? Are there any rest stops or fluid stops? Answer these questions before the ride so you don’t get yourself in over your head. If you are not sure what type of group ride you are getting yourself into, just ask.
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Truing a a bicycle wheels by Bicycling.com
Click here for instructional video: Video
Roll straight and save your wheels with these 4 easy steps-and a bit of patience.
Riding with a warped wheel is like riding with your brakes on–but more dangerous. Not only are you slower (even if your rim isn’t rubbing against the brakes, its out-of-round profile causes more drag and friction), but the ride is rougher, you have less control, and you could end up on the ground if the wheel folds or a spoke breaks thanks to the pressure of uneven spoke tension. If you suspect your wheel is wobbling, don’t hesitate. The earlier you catch a small bend, the easier it will be to fix. A truing stand is the most accurate tool for the job, but you can get by using the brake pads on your caliper-brake bike. Follow these four simple steps to straighten your wheel and stop getting dragged down. Read the rest of this entry »
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Many top professional and amateur cyclist come to Arizona to train and race during the winter months because of the awesome weather and Arizona race calender. Arizona is one of the few states that starts it’s USCF bike race calendar in January. The calendar is packed with races every weekend during the winter and spring months.
There is a great 3 day stage race in February called Valley of the Sun. The race is loaded with top cyclist from all over the country. The fields usually fill up a couple of weeks prior to the event. So if you are thinking about coming to Arizona and racing the Valley of the Sun stage race enter early.
Click here for the Valley of the Sun event flyer: VOS event flyer
If you make it to Tucson, Arizona for some training rides the ‘Shoot Out’ is a must ride. Tucson has one of the best group rides in the country called the ‘Shoot Out’ according to Bicycling Magazine. The 60 mile loop cuts south from Tucson into desolate, mountainous desert toward Green Valley, Arizona almost to the Mexico boarder. During January, February and March the Shoot Out is loaded with professional cyclist from all over the world. The pack ranges from 100 to 175 fit riders. You can often see local pro riders like Phil Zajicek, Gord Fraser and Curtis Gunn gracing the peloton along with pro triathlete Jimmy Riccitello.
For a map and description of the Shoot Out click here: Map of the Shoot Out.
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