Saturday, October 29, 2011

The Hollywood Spin

It’s always good to see Patrick “McDreamy” Dempsey on two wheels. Being a cyclist is part of his brand. He aligned with Specialized and Amgen a few years ago for the “Breakaway from Cancer” initiative and annual "Dempsey Challenge" to benefit the cancer center he founded in honor of his mother, who is a survivor.  (BTW, the 2012 Dempsey Challenge will be held October 13-14 in Lewiston-Auburn, ME. http://www.dempseychallenge.org/)

Dempsey’s proved to be the consummate celebrity endorser for the Specialized brand, a cause close to his heart, and the sport in general. For one thing he is believable. He looks like a true cyclist riding along Pacific Coast Highway on a Tarmac complimented by S-Works shoes and Specialized kit.  Cool! And very HOT!



On the other hand we have Gwyneth Paltrow tangled in a scripting nightmare during the filming of “Thanks for Sharing” in New York’s Central Park. One look at the photos below leaves cycling purists gagging on their Gu Gel. If you’re going cleat-less in shoes meant for cleats, with yoga tights and a t-shirt, don’t put someone on a Serotta with aero bars and flat pedals. Put her in sneakers, call Trek and get a hybrid for the scene. And isn’t it ironic to see such a bad fit on a brand that makes custom bikes? Generally, when a brand is used in a script, it is either a paid product placement or the production company requests permission from said brand to use it and allows control over how it's represented in a scene. Maybe Serotta should have given them some tips? Cut! 



Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Should Cyclists Run in the Offseason? | Active.com

Winter is just around the corner for most of us in the US. We're all trying to figure out the best way to stay in shape and keep our aerobic engine in good form when it's too cold or snowy to ride. 

Here's an informative article about cyclists and running.

Should Cyclists Run in the Offseason? | Active.com

New blog post re: social fitness and Strava coming soon!

Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Use Your Head


Topics related to cycling are covered almost daily in New York media as Mayor Bloomberg’s administration and the Department of Transportation continue to push their urban cycling agenda which includes a bike share program in 2012. This particular article contends that share bike participants will not be required to use a helmet. The article also says the DOT supports helmet use. However, in the case of bike share required use may dissuade participation for a myriad of reasons: "inconvenience," “costly” and “implies cycling is dangerous.”  And if helmets were provided with the bikes, it would be a "hygiene" issue. OK, that's understandable.  But the other reasons. No. 

Tuesday, July 12, 2011

The Peloton & The Podium: That’s Bike Racing

Johnny Hoogerland crowned King of the Mountains despite  flying into
 barbed wire fence  earlier in the day. 
Anticipation for the 2011 Tour de France led many of us make predictions, hold assumptions and build fantasy teams based on conventional wisdom. As the Tour moves into its second week, how’s that working out for ya?

Lesson #1: That’s Bike Racing  

Tyler Farrar (Garmin-Cervelo) blurted out “That’s Bike Racing” after Stage 7 (Friday, July 8) when he crashed with about 25 miles left to the finish. He wasn’t hurt but it did cost him a potential stage win on a day he was regarded as one of the favorites. Granted, That’s Bike Racing is totally clichéd. But it’s become an easy out clause that encompasses all that can and will go wrong in the sport. Sadly it sums up what we’ve seen so far in this year’s Tour de France. Let’s just say the 98th edition will become another cliché: Tour de Crash.   

Road Rage: I'm Surprised We Don't See More of This


We deal with irate drivers all the time so this doesn't surprise me. A few months ago in Mountain Lakes, NJ a crazy lady pulled up next to me and yelled for the span of about a mile. I ignored her for the most part, but at one point had to respond with "please shut up and keep going." I think we all have at least one road rage story.

Thursday, July 7, 2011

The Peloton & The Podium: Cavendish Shines on a Day Marked by Crashes; Stage 5 recap with Stage 6 UPDATE


Mark Cavendish aka “Manx Missile” (HTC-Highroad) landed a big stage 5 win in a dramatic sprint he engineered in  a span of :10 over the final 50 meters. Phillipe Gilbert (Omega-Pharma Lotto) and Joaquin Rojas (Movistar) followed Cavendish over the line in that order. 

Tuesday, July 5, 2011

The Peloton & The Podium: Big Win for Cadel Evans; Thor Stays in Yellow

Cadel Evans (BMC) claimed victory in stage 4 of the Tour de France, edging out Alberto Contador (Saxo Bank) in a thrilling photo finish. This is the second career Tour de France stage win for Evans who also grabbed the King of the Mountains jersey today. George Hincapie (BMC) once again proved to be the consummate leader, working tirelessly to help shepherd Evans to the finish line including an epic pull into the final steep climb. 


Alexander Vinokourov (Astana) followed Contador to claim 3rd place in the stage.  Thor Hushovd (Garmin-Cervelo) executed a 6th place finish to retain the yellow jersey and hold as the leader in the GC.  Evans follows Hushovd in the GC and Frank Schleck moves up to 3rd place

Monday, July 4, 2011

The Peloton & The Podium: A Win for the US and a Win for Wouter

I didn’t call for Tyler Farrar (Garmin-Cervelo) to win today’s stage but I am thrilled he was the first to cross the finish. How cute was is it that he lost his balance doing the no hands victory dance? (And I mean that in a most affectionate way). This is the American sprinter’s first ever Tour de France stage win and he delivered it to the USA on the 4th of July! More importantly, he dedicated the win to Wouter Weylandt, his best friend and member of Leopard-Trek who was tragically killed during stage 3 of the 2011 Giro d’Italia. Teammate Thor Hushovd led him in for the win and will also retain the yellow jersey.  Romain Feillu (Vacansoleil-Dcm) and Joaquin Rojas Jose (Movistar) followed Farrar on today’s podium. Andy Schleck moved up to #8 in the General Classification  and Alberto Contador is still far behind at #69, putting him at 1:42 behind the race leader. 

The Peloton & The Podium: Go USA!!



Boulder, CO based Garmin-Cervelo showed their depth by winning a brilliantly executed Team TT that put world road racing champion Thor Hushovd in the yellow jersey. Though this is a relatively new team which formed last August through a merger, they have amazing talent and strength in all areas. It will be fun to watch them over the next few week. Plus cool new kits.

Sunday, July 3, 2011

The Peloton & The Podium: It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year

Stage 1 of the 2011 Tour de France (Passage du Gois - Mont des Alouettes) is now in the books.

No big surprise that Phillipe Gilbert (Omega Pharma Lotto) won this stage since it was suited for the talents of a sprinter who possesses the power to finish on a climb. The big surprise of stage 1 was Tour favorite Alberto Contador (Saxo Bank) losing 1:20. This was mainly due to a crash that broke up the peloton with around 10kms left to the finish. But a deficit is a deficit. Doesn’t matter how it happened. Oh well; that’s bike racing – with a little poetic justice in this case. Andy Schleck (Leopard-Trek) leads him by 1:14. Oh well; that’s karma. Look for today’s Team Time Trial to help Andy Schleck even further heading into Stage 3.  

Thursday, June 16, 2011

Monday, June 13, 2011

MOOO-VE Over



This is what you may call a natural disaster....imagine all the training these guys endure and you get taken out by a cow. Guess it could happen anywhere.

What's your most bizarre encounter on the road or on a trail? I encountered a bear in Far Hills, NJ. I just kept going -- fast.

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

I'm A Guest Blogger @ BicyclingHub.com!

SPRINT TO THE FINISH BUT KEEP THE MIND RACING: that's what guest columnist Maryanne Caruso advises when it comes to cultivating a mental state of patience, persistence and determination. Read her full article on our Blog: http://bicyclinghub.blogspot.com/2011/06/sprint-to-finish-but-keep-mind-racing.html



Monday, June 6, 2011

I'll Never Race Again...The Saga Continues

Once again that’s the sentiment that stayed with me for about an hour after yet another sobering and confidence blowing Criterium. I fell off the pack and made a huge mistake in assuming a free lap to try to get back on. I should have just kept going but I didn’t and that’s what I have to live with.

My initial resolve: “This is it; I’m done. I should just go back to being a cyclist for the sake of riding a bike and continue to ride strong on long rides. I also thought about the New Jersey Gran Fondo on August 28. It’s 103 miles and about 10,000 feet of climbing. Maybe that should be my focus instead of the ongoing humiliation of crit racing.”   (http://granfondonj.com/home.html

Thursday, June 2, 2011

Pedaling for the Greater Good.....Sometimes You Just Have To Ask

I’m not a natural talent or a born athlete.  I basically work hard to attain most of the small successes I’ve enjoyed. That goes for cycling too. It took a long time but I can finally say I fall in the category of being “strong” for my class.

Every once in a while I will use my cycling endurance to ride for a cause I believe in. I generally self-support these rides because I don’t particularly enjoy asking for help.  In some cases I will. http://main.diabetes.org/site/TR?pg=personal&fr_id=7556&px=1171058

On Sunday, June 5, I will ride 75 miles in the American Diabetes Tour de Cure. I’ve been doing this event since 2003 and this year I made the last minute decision to raise money for the cause; primarily because this is the only event I will do for diabetes in 2011.


Friday, May 6, 2011

Juvederm Puts the Rubber to the Road

Juvederm, an injectable used to treat the signs of facial aging, recently signed on as a title sponsor of the UCI Women’s pro cycling team Juvederm-Specialized-Mazda.  I discovered the team a few weeks ago when they participated in the Tour of the Battenkill. It’s fun following them and seeing Juvederm branding emblazoned on cycling jerseys and signage as they pedal across thousands of miles throughout the US and Canada. 

Thursday, April 28, 2011

Mental Toughness


“Mental toughness” is a term often associated with cycling (for a lot of us it comes from the whole sufferin’ thing.) Mental toughness is a necessity. You usually have to dig deep to find it, it’s unique to the individual and it’s difficult to explain. I find it to be the most elusive concept in cycling.   


Wednesday, April 13, 2011

First Race (First Crash)

The focus of my racing season is the New Jersey Bicycle Association’s (NJBA)  Category 4 Women’s Cup Series.   The series includes Criteriums, or “crits,” Road Races and Time Trials to provide a broad range of experience to new racers like myself. This is a good way to find your strengths and determine what you like and don’t like about racing.

Monday, April 11, 2011

The Peloton & The Podium: Pro Cycling Update for 4/11/11

What can you say about Paris-Roubaix? It was exciting, intense and just plain brutal watching the world’s best cyclists suffer through 258kms/160mi defined by 27 sections of cobble. The wild ride ended with two laps around the Roubaix Velodrome where someone claimed the highly coveted cobble stone trophy weighing twice as much as the bike he rode in on.

That someone was dark horse Johan Van Summeran of the US based Garmin-Cevelo team. The Belgian domestique emerged as this year’s winner by hammering through the final kms of the grueling race known as “Hell of the North” to  clear the finish :19 seconds ahead of favorite Fabian Cancellara (Leopard-Trek). Maarten Tjallingii (Rabobank) followed Cancellara with a 3rd place finish and  Gregory Rast (Team RadioShack) finishing at a close 4th.

Friday, April 8, 2011

The Peloton & The Podium: Pro Cycling Update for 4/8/11

Another hot day in the Basque Country as Stage 5 of the Vuelta al Pais Vasco ended with a victory for Spain’s Francesco Gavazzi (Lampre-ISD) followed respectively by Jurgen Van De Walle (Omega Pharama Lotto) and John Gadret (Ag2r La Mondiale). Oscar Freire (Rabobank) was actually the first to cross the line, but disqualified after race officials ruled that teammate Luis Leon Sanchez gave him a push in the final km. Freire was dumped down in the rankings to #48. (And you thought pro cycling would be boring without Lance).  If you look close enough in this video you may be able to see the push by Sanchez. It's beyond me why Universal wouldn't attempt to post a video that clearly shows the move. http://www.universalsports.com/video/assetid=6370a9fd-bc5e-4749-b366-e25c0b1e77fc.html

Thursday, April 7, 2011

The Peloton & The Podium: Pro Cycling Update

Sammy Sanchez (Euskaltel) picked up a win today in a mountainous Stage 4 of The Tour of the Basque Country, with Adreas Kloden (Radio Shack) and Alexandre Vinokourov (Astana) following on the podium. Sanchez attacked during the final km of a very tough stage which included seven graded climbs. GC remains the same as yesterday (see below), and USA's Chris Horner holds on to 4th place. Overall, this is a close one that is expected to be decided on Saturday with the Tour's Time Trial finish.

Tuesday, April 5, 2011

Fear & Loathing in the Small Chain Ring: Turning Back to Sprint Forward

This past Saturday was probably one of my worst days on the bike in a long time. I struggled to keep pace with the team even outside of the peak jams.  This was not the GOOD SUFFERING. This was just suffering. I felt fatigued and labored in my breathing. Thirty miles into the ride when it appeared they may go longer than the usual 50 miles, I just dropped myself and headed back. I spent the rest of the day beating myself up and trying to understand why my body and mind were not on the same wavelength.


Then I looked at my cadence (number of pedal revolutions p/minute) and noticed that both the average and max for the ride were the highest they’ve been since I put a meter on the Ruby.  I have been very conscious lately about trying to build a higher cadence and I realized the fatigue and lack of efficiency were my body’s response to this change in riding. And well, just an overall bad ride – really bad.

Friday, March 4, 2011

Today's Moment of Zen (Ride a Bike!)


This photo has been viral for a few days. I've seen it in chain mail and in social media. While it may be a joke, there is something to be said about how unbelievably high gas prices are becoming.

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

NJ Time Trial Series: Channeling My Inner Fabian



As a new racer, the NJ Time Trial Series is a good place for me to start. I especially like this race category because by its very nature a Time Trial (TT) allows you to challenge yourself.

Saturday, February 19, 2011

Lance Armstrong: Thank You 2.0



Lance Armstrong announced his retirement from pro racing last week labeling it Retirement 2.0. OK, so we probably won’t see him on the Cul De Tourmalet again, but my bet is that he will remain an exemplary ambassador for US cycling. And it goes without saying he will continue to work tirelessly in the fight against cancer.

I Ride a Blue Ruby..That's How I Got Here



So here it is: my first blog entry. I’ve always wanted to launch a blog but never had the time until recently when I became unemployed. Now I have more free time than I ever wanted (seriously).