Hey thanks to all of you that commented on the Infinit Nutrition giveaway! And a BIG thanks to Michael Folan who is the owner of Infinit Nutrition for making the giveaway possible on the cycling blog of Ride-Strong.com™.
I have been training and racing with Infinit Nutrition in my bottles for a couple of weeks and have to say it is good stuff. My next order I am going to increase the calories for the longer rides I have been doing and the cool thing is I can.
And the winner of Infinit giveaway is Cys Bronner. Cys will receive credit with Infinit Nutrition to be able to go in a create his own Infinit Nutrition formula. Congrats to Cys!!
Below is Michael Folan of Infinit response to questions. Just read a couple of posts and thought I might try to help out.
1) We have a bunch of pre-set formulations for whatever type of riding you do. That can be a very good place to start.
2) You can also go to the website and take the interview, that sets the sliders based on body size/weight, sweat rates and history of cramping. It also will take into account what type of riding you are doing. We do formulate differently for a crit vs a century.
3) 90% of our clients have moved away from gels salt pills and energy bars entirely. There really is no reason for them once you have your calories and electrolyte dialed in. You should be able to get all the calories and electrolyte you need right in your formula and have it taste exactly how you want. I work with 24 hour riders (Pua Sawicki for example) and they are exclusivly on liquids. Easier to digest and a little protein keeps you from getting hungry.
To try Infinit Nutrition for yourself click on the banner below.
You are going to dig the next Ride-Strong.com giveaway! We will be giving away a FREE CycleSound. Check back in a couple of days for your chance to win.
Reflecting
Existence
Transgressions
This is why I RIDE!
We all search for the moment when we are at utter peace and find the perfection we are in search of. When nothing matters but a single point in time and we can truly understand our place in the world. This is the zen of cycling!!
Busy with Easter weekend and work piling up. I haven’t had any time to think about blogging. However, just to keep things moving here are my quick thoughts for the day.
Floyd’s final hearing before the CAS finished up this weekend but they have announced that they don’t expect to have a decision until June. It must be incredibly frustrating for Floyd to have to wait so long for the final word and the end of this chapter of his life. But better that they take their time and examine everything before making a decision rather than rushing. This is his last chance. This is not the time for rushing.
Astana is, once again, not invited to the ASO party. The Amaury Sports Organisation announced the teams that they’re inviting to the Spring Classics this year and, surprise, surprise, Astana was not on the list. Slipstream will be there though as will Team High Road (go George!).
Interesting interview with Matt White who used to ride for Discovery and is now a new rookie Director Sportif with the Slipstream team.
Love ‘em or hate ‘em. Rock Racing has been named the most popular pro team in an online survey conducted by Bicycling magazine. Get the full story over at US Cycling Report.
And I don’t think that I’m the only one doing a little happy dance inside over the fact that the UCI is suing Dick Pound for being an idiot - oops I mean for “continual injurious and biased comments” - same difference.
The big news yesterday was that Mario Cipollini is leaving the Rock Racing Team. There wasn’t much reason given by either party but Cipo seems to say it was his decision while a statement from team claimed that they were behind the split. Whatever the reason, I’m not really that interested in the story. I’ve never cared that much one way or another about Cipo. I wasn’t overly excited that he was back and I’m just as uninterested in the fact that he’s gone again. Best of luck and all that but, whatever.
That being said, I do have a Rock Racing-realted topic to discuss and that’s the Rock Racing Women’s Team. Seven strong, atheltic, sexy women from California who - like every other female pro cycling team - get zero media coverage and deserve to be recognized.
As the mother of a young girl I look at this picture and I pray that when my daughter gets old enough to have non-animated idols it’s women like this that she chooses to look up to and emulate. If I can get her to believe that being a hard-core athlete can be cool, and if a poster like this one can take the place of the Hillary Duffs and the Paris Hiltons of the world on her wall, I will be a happy mom.
Riding our bikes on the road can be very dangerous and even fatal at times. As cyclist, we need to ride defensively and anticipate what cars around us will do. Many times cars don’t even see us because they are not looking for us.
Watch the video below for a perfect demonstration on why cars do not see cyclists.
After having several of their riders denied admission to this year’s Amgen Tour of California the Rock Racing team has announced a new “aggressive internal team anti-doping program.”
Of course, they’re not the first team to announce that they were going to take matters into their own hands when it comes to proving that their riders are clean. Team High Road, Slipstream, they’re all doing it now. In fact, today it almost seems as though if you don’t announce that you have an “aggressive internal team anti-doping program” then you must be guilty already.
I don’t know. Of course we have to encourage and support any serious measures undertaken by any of the teams that are really going to help make the sport more fair, but sometimes I wonder about the validity as well as the motivation behind these “aggressive internal team anti-doping programs.”
Do any of the teams ever follow up by making public the progress and results of these “aggressive internal team anti-doping programs?” How motivated are they really to catch their own guys?
Again, I’m a huge fan of anything the teams are doing to help the sport but I’ve worked in the world of PR for a long time and doing a big proactive PR move like announcing an “aggressive internal team anti-doping program” in order to inoculate yourself against potential future scandal is PR 101.
You know how when people are going through a traumatic event in their lives they often turn to a support group that includes individuals who have gone through the same thing themselves in the past and can help them navigate through the pain and stress they’re feeling in a safe and healthy way?
I think that we cycling fans need to set up something that so that we can reach out to all the poor, grief-stricken baseball fans these days. It breaks my heart to watch baseball fans walk around with eyes like saucers, shaking their heads in disbelief at the news of their hero, Roger Clemens and the mounting evidence that points to his use and abuse of steroids and/or human growth hormones during his career.
I feel a bit like someone who has survived and escaped an abusive relationship listening to someone who has just begun to be mistreated at home. I hear them going through the same stages of denial: “There’s no way he would do it,” “He really sounds sincere when he says he didn’t do it,” “I know a guy who knows a guy who went to school with a guy who dated a girl who’s brother worked for his agent and he says that he’s totally clean.” It’s sad.
We cycling fans have been going through this for so long that we’ve forgotten how much it hurt that first time that one of our favorite riders was accused of - or admitted to - doping. Do you remember that first time? Maybe it was the first time you heard someone accuse Lance of doping. Maybe it was Floyd or Jan or Ivan. Maybe it was the entire T-Mobile squad. You didn’t believe it of course. You argued with friends and family and co-workers, defending your hero with great gusto. Then more and more names started being linked to doping, more and more guys started admitting to it outright. Then you changed your tune to something like, “well, maybe the rest of them are doing it, but not my guy.” The evidence continued to pile up and at some point you stop arguing with people when the subject of doping in cycling comes up and you just try to change the subject.
And here we are watching these poor baseball fans just beginning that journey. If any of you baseball folk are reading this, we’re here for you. We know how you feel. You feel hurt and confused. It’s natural. I’m afraid I can’t tell you that it will get better. In fact, it will almost certainly get worse. But you’re not alone. And, in a few years, when that first co-worker says to you, “why do you watch baseball? Aren’t they all on drugs?” we’ll still be here for you.
Pictured above Toyota United before the race talking over team strategy.
This past weekend, 60 miles east of San Diego, was the Boulevard Road Race which attracted some big name teams. Boulevard Road Race was a great warm up race to get ready for the upcoming 2008 cycling season.
The course was a tough one! It was cold and winding. For the pros they had to ride 4 loops for a total of 90 miles with over 7,890 feet of climbing. Ouch!
Anyone who has spent time riding bicycles in Tucson, Arizona, has seen the man known as the Grey Wolf. The Wolf lurks in the desert the same way the Coyote lurked in the desert waiting for Road Runner.
I’m not sure if he has a phone tree of potential ride partners, or is just a group ride opportunist. On any given day, he can often be found circling at the top of Helmet Peak where he might try to join your ride. He never really joins the ride per se, but tails about 30 feet behind. On occasion, the Wolf might join the end of the Shootout on the Old Nogales highway and try and mix it up in traffic. He gets so excited that he growls and bays like a horse or wolf, and thus the nickname.
If the Wolf is wearing a pink jersey, rest assured matching shorts and shoe covers will follow. He also has the ability, depending on the mood, to don a bandellero or cycling cap.
He does not carry a pump on his bike, but instead uses a utility belt. He sticks the pump through the belt and into the first layer of his shorts. The pump looks like a lone arrow in a quiver. The utility belt also fits his walkman — without auto reverse. I have personally seen the Wolf manually change cassettes mid ride. I asked him once what gets him moving as far as tunes go, and he replied, “You know the good shit, BAD.” WTF???
Back on the Wolf’s wear, he usually outfits himself with two pairs of shorts. The under layer is exposed just above the knee. It is almost like a support layer. The outer layer, which is held in place by the utility belt made of patent leather, is most likely pink or green. The jersey is usually pink or green as well, and always matches the shorts. To round out the getup, his final touch is to match the thin watch band on his wrist to whatever color utility belt he happens to be running that day.
Busy with Easter weekend and work piling up. I haven’t had any time to think about blogging. However, just to keep things moving here are my quick thoughts for the day.
As the mother of a young girl I look at this picture and I pray that when my daughter gets old enough to have non-animated idols it’s women like this that she chooses to look up to and emulate. If I can get her to believe that being a hard-core athlete can be cool, and if a poster like this one can take the place of the Hillary Duffs and the Paris Hiltons of the world on her wall, I will be a happy mom.
You know how when people are going through a traumatic event in their lives they often turn to a support group that includes individuals who have gone through the same thing themselves in the past and can help them navigate through the pain and stress they’re feeling in a safe and healthy way?
