Tough Times Call For Humor

YTD Bike 370mi
Swim 26,900 About 18mi
Run 42.5 mi

This weekend brought beautiful weather to East Tn. Sunday was right about 60 but it seemed like 80. Bright and sunny, great day to have a spring tune up ride planned with the boys. Big B and Phelps were on hand to set the pace. All in all, it was a great ride. I went arrived a little early to get in some extra miles. It was just too nice of a day to spend indoors.

That is why when I got home after 35mi on the bike, I hit the road for 4mi run around my neighborhood. Yes, Superbowl Sunday and 1 hr before kickoff I am still running. I think it eased my nerves. You see, I was raised 35-40 miles or so from downtown Pittsburgh. My whole life, the Steelers have been my team. Ok, I also rooted a couple times for some others. But for 37.8yrs of 38, the Steelers have been it. The fizzittle! Hey I waited too long for the "One for the THUMB"
STEELERS WIN !!!STEELERS WIN !!!STEELERS WIN !!!STEELERS WIN !!!
I could not been more pleased, great game! The defense could have done a better job across the middle, but who am I. The offensive play calling in the first half was genius. We didn't show half of those plays all year. Way to go Steeler Organization.

Here are my first videos of riding.
Moving and taking video= not so smart
Moving and taking video in a pace line = real dumb

I will get better, please be patient

I found these jokes somewhere last week, I thought I would share. These are for all those who said they would be there Sunday and no showed!

Layoffs. Bankruptcies. Foreclosures. Cold tootsies.

It's a tough time for northern hemisphere cyclists: global economic meltdown combined with miserable winter weather and limited daylight.

At times like this, you have to hang onto your dreams just to get through the day, which is why they call them daydreams. Feel free to use some of Andy's

Dream 1
The cycling world was shocked to learn that Cervelo TestTeam has recruited a 30-year-old Cat 4 rider to join this high-powered pro squad headed by Tour de France winner Carlos Sastre. But the plucky newcomer silences critics by shepherding Sastre to victory in the 2009 Giro Italia. Then: dis-astre! Carlos crashes out of the Tour and his rookie lieutenant takes over, attacking Contador and Armstrong to win the race. At the awards ceremony, an insanely attractive podium girl whispers, "You look magnifique in yellow. . ."

Dream 2
His tyrannical boss "JOSH"can only sputter as the 51-year-old marketing coordinator "TONY"announces that he is quitting to ride his bicycle across the country. Tanned and muscled after weeks on the open road, the intrepid explorer marvels at the incredible adventures he's experienced. Invited to spend the night on a Midwestern farm, he feasts on fresh corn-on-the-cob and homemade apple pie. After dinner, the insanely attractive farmer's daughter whispers, "Take me with you. . ."

Dream 3
Wandering into a corner bike shop, the 30-year-old programmer is stunned to learn that he is the store's 5,000th customer and is thus entitled to a $5,000 discount on a $5,025 carbon bike that fits him perfectly, weighs 10 pounds and comes with Shimano's prototype 11-speed components, which won't be available to the public till 2012. As he wheels out his new rig, the insanely attractive salesperson whispers, "Don't forget about the free tune-up. . ." Sphere: Related Content

HOW LOW TO GO

Jan 22- run 3

jan 23 - run 3, swim 2,600
jan 24 - cycle 20

jan 26 - swim 2,000, cycle 30

jan 27- run 3, cycle 18

jan 28 - run 4, swim 2,400, cycle 30

I think this article sums up this post.



Power-to-Weight: Cycling and Body Image in a World Where Skinny Rules
By: Katie Lambden (View Profile)
Cycling, as far as I know, is the only community in which men appear to obsess more over their weight than women do. The first time I heard a male member of the spandex set complaining how big his butt was this season, I almost laughed, thinking he had to be joking. Thank goodness I didn’t, since he was totally, unhappily, serious.There are all kinds of body types in men’s professional cycling, but it’s true that most of them are on the skinny side. There’s tall and twiggy (your all-arounders and classics riders), and short and twiggy (your climbers and stage racers, mostly). Even the sprinters, who look stocky compared to the rest of the riders, are shockingly thin in reality. I recently met Mario Cipollini, a decorated sprinter who always looked enormous and lion-like on video compared to his teammates; in person he is tall (six feet and three inches) but incredibly narrow-shouldered and lanky; in his prime, he was only 167 pounds! Essentially, long hours of training burn so many calories that body fat drops to under maybe 5 percent. Extra weight, at any event, only holds a cyclist back when the road goes uphill. The magic mantra is the power-to-weight ratio: the more power you can produce, and the less you weigh, the faster you will climb. Of course this is only true to a certain extent: lose too much body mass, and you will rapidly lose power too, resulting in a lower power-to-weight ratio.



When you're familiar with athletes in most conventional sports, it's a shock to see how small and thin top cyclists are. The rule for climbing prowess: You should weigh (in pounds) no more than twice your height in inches. So at 6 feet (72 inches) you'd need to weigh 144 pounds rather than 190. Pro cycling tends to select lean, light-bodied athletes in the same way that the profile of a mastodon is required for football linemen. Climbing ability is crucial in racing, and it depends on the power-to-weight ratio. A light rider doesn't need to generate as much power as his heavier competitor because he has less weight to propel up hills. In the 2005 Tour de France with 189 starters, here's the profile of the average rider:
Height -- 1.79 meters (5 feet, 10.4 inches) I am 5 feet , 9 inches
Weight -- 71 kilograms (156.2 pounds) Today I am 157.8 lbs
Resting heart rate -- 50 bpm My resting heart rate is 52 bpm
Lung capacity -- 5.69 liters (1.48 gallons) I have no idea what my lung capacity is



Of course, there are exceptions. Five-time Tour winner Miguel Indurain is 6-foot-2 and weighed 190 pounds when he began racing. Lots of miles reduced him to 175. At that weight, his huge power output enabled him to ride with the specialist climbers in the mountains even though he outweighed most of them by 30-40 pounds. And of course he was nearly unbeatable in flat time trials where weight doesn't matter much but power output does. Think of Big Mig and don't give up hope for climbing well. Continue riding, train on hills and you'll improve to the limits of your physique.



As you can see the question is how low should I go? I am still shedding body fat, and do not feel like I have given up any power. I will be having my body fat measured in late Feb. I wonder if I will be sub 10%? Only warm weather and time on the rode will tell if I am still gaining power. I need to get in a good hard 100k and see what type of time I can post. It has been a while since I have rode a 100k. We usually go longer. can't wait sounds like Big B, Phelps and at least myself are going for a ride on Sunday. This will enable me to indulge in some Superbowl suds! Go Steelers!!! Sphere: Related Content

Fish Still Out Of Water

It is true, I am still a fish out of water when it comes to my swimming. I think, I am at the 38 min mark for the 1.25mi race in May. Now I have to build on my confidence and my technique. I have spent the last 90 days building endurance in my shoulders and legs. Oh yeah also building cardio and figuring out how to relax the anxiety monster from the pool. yes, 70% of swimming is technique and mental. Here is couple interesting videos of the Tenn. program. Flowswimming came in a little while back and filmed these.

Swimming Videos on Floswimming

Swimming Videos on Floswimming

As you can see, I am training at a world class location. This last video is the coolest of them all. This is Davis Tarwater giving Phelps a run. Davis is from Knoxville and a two time NCAA champion and 2 time world team member. He trains with the UT staff.



I think I am swimming in the right place! Sphere: Related Content

Mental toughness - Do I Have It!

Today I experienced my first mental test of the new year. Do you think I succeeded or failed at the test?

You will have to wait until the end to find out. I seem to frequently ask myself what is mental toughness and how do I successfully increase my metal game. For that matter how do I measure my mental toughness. Is there such a measure? What is the test for mental toughness?

I sat down and thought of a short list

1. Success in extreme conditions

2. Physical tests of pain threshold

3. Ability to ignore your dog barking because it want to play

4. Ability to ignore in general

5. General torture tests - Like miles of cycling only to follow with a long run or riding in a car with your children for over 4 hrs - Are we there yet?

None of these seem to appealing at first glance. What do I measure myself against? Do I ask for volunteers at work to undergo trials? Maybe I could place an add in the paper for medical volunteers? No, that would not work, how will find a measure? Then it struck me I already have a measure of the strongest mental toughness I have ever read about. You know who I am talking about don't you?

Yes, it is "up In Alaska"

Read her iditarod challange summary from last year.

Unfortunately, this year was not so kind to Jill. She had to pull out after only 57 miles of the 350.

You can read this years story here

Now, how do I test my mental toughness? I am asking for suggestions from all 10 readers.

Last week I pulled a strong brick workout, I rode 40 miles at 20mph and 2,800 ft of climbing and then jumped off strait to a run of 9mi on the 9:00.

This week my big brick was 56mi and 2,700 ft climbing and then 6 mi run at 8:30

Does training like this build mental toughness???

When do I know I have it? You know the mental edge!

I know I have it! Why you say, well this week I am home alone and look below at what was at my house. Girl Scout cookies! Yes, Olivia is now a Junior Girl Scout. I am proud to say, I only ate one cookie. Now lucky for me, I did not find any tagalongs. That is a mental test I am not prepared for yet.

Sphere: Related Content

New toy for me

Today is an exciting day, you see today I received my wet suit for the 70.3

I just can't figure how to get into it sideways

No really, I am pumped! Today's swim was a tough workout and I felt great.
600m warm up
1,200m fast kick (4 sets I won't bore you with details)
900m - (4x50 1:10 - 1x100 1:50) x3

Now how do I bring this thing into the pool. I will be the only one wearing a wet suit.
I know, first I have to see if it fits. Then I will need to get used to swimming in it.
Great now my confidence is gone! In a matter of seconds I felt great about swimming to having butterflies in my gut.
You see since the first of the year, more swimmers have been showing up to the masters swimming at UT. We already had a world class butterfly champion, Davis Tarwater, working out at the same time. Now We passed Christine Magnuson on her way down to the deck today. Later on I come to find out a pro triathlete Eric Bell has also been swimming with us. The big take away I have from writing this article is I must be in the right place. Sphere: Related Content

Best of craigslist

I could not resist posting this article/add. Thanks to my favorite Vanderkitten for poaching from craigslist.



Bike for sale
What kind of bike? I don’t know, I’m not a bike scientist. What I am though is a manly guy looking to sell his bike. This bike is made out of metal and kick ass spokes. The back reflector was taken off, but if you think that deters me from riding at night, you’re way wrong. I practiced ninja training in Japan’s mount Fuji for 5 years and the first rule they teach about ninja biking is that back reflectors let the enemy know where you are. Not having a rear reflector is like saying “FUCK YOU CAR, JUST TRY AND FIND ME”.
The bike says Giant on the side because it’s referring to my junk, but rest assured even if you have tiny junk that Giant advertisement is going to remain right where it is. I bought this bike for 300 dollars from a retired mercenary that fought in both World War 1 and World War 2 and had his right arm bitten off by a shark in the Phillipines while stationed there as a shark handler. When he sold it to me I had to arm wrestle him for the honor to buy it. I broke his arm in 7 places when I did. He was so impressed with me he offered me to be his son but I thought that was sissy shit so I said no way.
The bike has some rusted screws, but that just shows how much of a bad ass you are. Everyone knows rusted screws on a bike means that you probably drove it underwater and that’s bad ass in itself. Those screws can be replaced with shiny new ones, but if you’re going to go to that trouble why not just punch yourself in the balls since you’re probably a dickless lizard who doesn’t like to look intimidating.
The bike is for men because the seat is flat or some shit and not shaped like a dildo. If you like flat seated bikes you’re going to love this thing because it doesn’t try to penetrate your ass or anything.
I’ve topped out at 75 miles per hour on this uphill but if you’re just a regular man you’ll probably top it out at 10 miles per hour. This thing is listed as a street bike which is man-code for bike tank. The bike has 7 speeds in total:
Gear 1 - Sissy GearGear

2 - Less Sissy GearGear

3 - Least Sissy GearGear

4 - Boy GearGear

5 - Pre-teen Boy GearGear

6 - Manly GearGear

7 - Big Muscles Gear
I only like gear 6 and 7 to be honest.
Additionally, this tool of all immense men comes with a gigantic lock to keep it secure. The lock is the size of a bull’s testicles and tells people you don’t fuck around with locking up your bike tank. It tells would-be-thieves “Hey asshole, touch this bike and I’ll appear from the bushes ready to club you with a two-by-four”.
Bike is for 150 OBO (and don’t give me no panzy prices) Sphere: Related Content

Falling Fast

Jan. 19 - run 4mi, cycle 22
Jan. 20 - run 4mi
Jan 21 - swim 2,450m, cycle 40

It has been a busy three days, I am feeling great on my runs and swim today on. I ran speed intervals on the 19th and did the 20th run at a 7:00 pace. I am not sure if that means I am finally feeling good and comfortable in the water or 4 days out of the pool was long enough to recover my upper body. Either way, the workout today was strong.

Ok not what I wanted to write about.

Once the time changes we begin a Tuesday night ride from a place called Coulter's bridge to Look Rock on the Foothills Parkway. I guarantee It is one of the 10 most beautiful rides in the USA. It is a great climbing training ride. I would say it is about 7.5 mile climb at average grade 5%. Total time with a large group is 1:45 up and back. The goal is to make it to the rock under 1 hr. We then wait and regroup before falling fast back to the bridge. Of course we finish with a strong sprint.

Last year my PB was 55:03. I would love to hit sub 53 this year. I will need a lot of will power and a strong couple of riders with me.

back to falling fast, the way down from the rock is Faaast and we push 45-50 mph for long stretches very close behind each other. Today I read an article about a Pro rider who went down recently falling fast. makes you think about pushing the decent on a simple Tuesday training ride. You can read about the brave Liz Hear.

here are some great pics from the foothills parkway. My favorite training ride. Hard/fast/effective

Thats the Smokies

David (AKA Phelps) and two tri freinds from Florida. They came up for a UT game and wanted to do some climbing. We started the day out with three climbs to Look Rock in mind and ended up only climbing up one time on the wall. Flatlanders went out like bats out of hell on a 5 mi climb with an average grade of 12-14%. That was all she wrote for those boys. we did get in 60 or so miles that day, but the rest were rolling hills and flat roads.

Sphere: Related Content

History in the making

Or is it? Only time will tell if yesterday was a day that will be remembered forever. Somehow, I just keep thinking something else during the next 4 years will overshadow yesterday and somehow make us forget. So here is my short list;

1. US Economy collapse Dow at 5500
2. Another War that USA gets involved in
3. The cure for cancer is discovered click here for a great article
4. Bin laden caught
5. Peace forever in the middle east
6. The Pittsburgh Steelers Win the Superbowl

oh my did I say that
yes I did, this is a week that will bring the Lombardi home to the steel City
you thought this article was going o be a serious one! Wrong, the name of the Blog is Love and two wheels. This means stories of what I love and cycling. Get used to it. I love all things Pittsburgh. Sphere: Related Content

Professional Sports The True Enemy

Ok, I sit and listen to all the so called experts on the major news channels, Far left/far right/ even those in the middle, now I get a chance to rant a little about what is wrong with the American Economy.

First, let me start by saying I hold zero years experience working in the financial sector.
I however do hold 38 years experience of working on my common sense.


Lets talk about a solution
1st, I would find it hard to believe anyone would argue professional athletes are grossly over paid.

Second, I estimate the number of professional athletes in the USA as 5,000. This is my number and if you disagree then insert your own.
5,000 x 400,000 ave salary is 2 billion per year.

I propose these athletes all take a 50% pay reduction
I also propose all owners take a 50% Salary reduction, ticket price reduction, season ticket cost reduction, concession food price reduction and souvenir cost reduction.

From Monster truck rally to pro football games, the American fan could once again go to a game and afford to take the family.

This coupled with a cap on what an athlete can charge for a product sponsorship, should give the economy close to a 2 billion dollar stimulus plan per year. Sphere: Related Content

I found Facebook

1/14 swim 2,250 yds / run 2 mi

1/15 run 2mi / cycle 22

1/16 swim 2,300 yds / run 2 mi

1/17 run 2.5 / cycle 18
I never really thought of myself as a facebook/myspace/twitter kind of guy, but each day that goes by, I seem to run across an old friend on facebook. Myspace is all but dead, I use twitter to keep up with Lance and is progress. Yes, I get tweets directly to my cell. It is awesome, unless he is in Australia and his is tweeting at 2am like last night. My phone buzzes and I jump up in bed, Jennifer sits up and looks confused. I grab my phone to see a tweet from Lance. I turn to my wife and said, "It was only Lance, he is in Australia and in another time zone."

Pretty cool!!!


back to facebook, is there no end to the way we communicate. Email is almost a none factor, Texting is for private, google talk gets us around the office network, tweeter lets you micro blog with many followers but facebook seems to have a life unto it's own.


I now have facebook on my mobile, watch out I am hooked up. Does this mean I am becoming addicted?

Is there a best mode of communication? let me know your thoughts. Where will this lead?

Sphere: Related Content

Short and Sweet

I have not been keeping up on my workout log. So here is the update, I am going to put it into MTD format to spare you and I the daily grind

Cycle MTD - 168mi
Swim MTD - 13,450 yds approx (some days are meters)
Run MTD - 14mi

As you can see, having a pulled muscle in my calf is killing my running. Better to heal properly this time while I still have the chance.

By the way, it is that time again to ask all those who follow to sponsor me in the LiveStrong Challenge. Myself and two others from Knoxville will be heading to Philly this August is support of Susan. Eldon (AKA The Fat Cyclists) better half. Click HERE or on the link on the right hand side of the page. Any amount works just give! Sphere: Related Content

IT IS ALMOST TIME

Time for lance to return
What is funny, I only had began cycling when he retired. I followed the big races but had ZERO appreciation for the talent and skill he ride with. new direction for Lance this time around, fight and find a cure for Cancer. Spread the fight to the globe. It begins on 1/18 in the Tour Down Under. here is lance's new ride Trek Ala lance

I could not resist sharing my latest workout with everyone. This will put me way ahead of Phelps and Phil. They know nothing about this, BIG ADVANTAGE


Give me a comment, how many minute advantage do you think this work out will give me in a sprint tri? Sphere: Related Content

Steeler TIME

Ok I could not resist the urge to pull out an oldie but goody! I have spent my life rooting for the Pittsburgh Steelers, Pirates and Penguins. Along with The Ohio State Buckeyes and a little Irish. I can not explain how excited I am, that the Steelers have a chance to return to the Championship game. This year is really different, the family I work for recently bought a % of the Steelers from the Rooney family. I know , I am serious! What does this mean, season tickets? One ticket? trip to sit in an owners box? Tour of the facilities? Possible golden parachute job as a beer man? I only wish I knew. For now, I will sit in front of the TV on Sunday waving my terrible towel cheering on the Steelers!

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Swim training

Ok, some of you think I am joking about the world class swim facilities I get to enjoy. Take a look at Davis Tarwater. He is from Knoxville and is a world class swimmer. He happens to train at the same time I do. Granted, I do the doggy paddle and he , well we will just say is quite powerful.

enough said, enjoy the video

Sphere: Related Content

MTD Bike - 98 mi
MTD Run - 10mi
MTD Swim - 5,450m

Training pain, sucks! Yes, as you can see I have not been running much this month as of yet. I had a great experience the last week of the month running in Chi Town. On the 3rd I ran indoors and pulled a high calf muscle. i have done this before and all got better. So I took a couple of days off and tried to run again. It felt ok, so what did my dumb mind do? I thought it best to run a 10k at threshold pace.

Guess what??? I am now injured again. When will I learn, when will I decide enough is enough and get a coach? If anyone knows of a good long distance triathlon coach, I need there name.

On another note, I found a little diddy on lances Tour of Austrailia Bike. Enjoy!

Seven-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong will mark his official return to professional road racing with Johan Bruyneel's Astana team at the upcoming Tour Down Under aboard a one-off Trek Madone 6.9 draped in his trademark Livestrong livery.
In contrast to the blue and white rigs piloted by the rest of his teammates, Armstrong's bike is a decidedly more somber black and grey punctuated by a bright yellow 'Livestrong' logo and band on the top tube. Littered throughout the graphics are a number of "hidden messages" though we'll have to wait until the rest of the bike is unveiled in Australia to see exactly what they are. According to Trek road bike marketing manager Scott Daubert, lying beneath the custom finish is a fully standard 58cm Madone 6.9 frame pulled directly off the production line.
Daubert added that the special paint job required thirty hours of labor to complete – in spite of the complicated graphics, there are no decals and each detail was applied solely with careful paint and masking work. As a result, other production in Trek's Project One division was essentially shut down in the meantime as nearly the entire staff was involved, including graphic artist Mike Pfalzgraff, 'paint department maestro' Bob Seibel, and paint cell leader Brian Yuker among others.
Armstrong's frame still has a long journey ahead before it is complete, though. In the coming days, team liaison Ben Coates will reportedly fly to Trek headquarters in Wisconsin from Austin, Texas to take delivery of the one-of-a-kind creation. From there, he will then hand carry it directly to Australia where he will pass it on to Astana team mechanics for assembly.
According to Daubert, Armstrong will use the standard team build kit consisting of SRAM Red and Bontrager wheels and cockpit components. Almost assuredly, the bike will also be topped with Armstrong's signature Selle San Marco Concor Lite saddle.
Armstrong has stated on multiple occasions that the main purpose of his comeback was "to take the global epidemic of cancer really to a much bigger stage," and the bright finish, which should be easily distinguishable from others in the peloton, will undoubtedly draw attention to his cause. It is still unclear, though, what kit he will be wearing.
A similarly distinctive black-and-yellow kit would naturally draw even more attention but UCI rules clearly mandate that "Each team may have only a single design for clothing (colours and layout) which may not be altered for the duration of the calendar year," and that "Riders' clothing shall always be identical to the specimen lodged."
However, that hasn't stopped other riders in the past who have been more than willing to pay a hefty fine in order to don some special duds. For now, Daubert says the team has supplied Armstrong with official Astana kit though we'll have to wait a little longer to see what he actually uses. For more information, visit the official Trek
company blog.--> Sphere: Related Content

The Season Of Racing Is Getting Close

With the Tour Down Under and Lances return just days away, how do you contain yourself. Ok Ok Ok - we are mostly in the states, except for Tony, he resides in his own majic land. It is so easy not to get excited about Pro Cycling. NO ONE COVERS IT IN THE USA! NOT EVEN ESPN NEWS. COME ON PEOPLE!

so here on this awsome secret of a blog I will give you swiped info when I see fit.


Predicting that the 2009 Giro d'Italia will be one of "traps and attacks," former winner Damiano Cunego hinted that he's planning a trick of his own. Cunego said he and another former winner, Gilberto Simoni, may put aside their rivalry and work together to "resist" an alliance that they're expecting to be formed by Lance Armstrong and Ivan Basso. According to Italy's Little Prince, "Ivan and Lance will work together to block because of their friendship and their style of racing. We climbers have to try to counteract this." The 100th anniversary Giro is on for May 9-31 and promises to be one of the most intriguing ever.

Fabian Cancellara is yet another star headed to the Giro, according to the race organizers. Known for one-day classics victories and time trialing dominance, the popular Swiss has designs on becoming an all-rounder.

Alberto Contador says he might defend his title in the Vuelta a Espana, depending on how he feels after his primary 2009 goal, the Tour de France. The only grand tour that the world's top roadman definitely will not ride is the Giro d'Italia, which he won in '08.

Lance Armstrong has made more than 500 updates to his "micro blog" at twitter.com. Some are interesting (he says he's using a 38x28-tooth low gear to climb Hawaii's volcanoes) and some not so much ("Eating lunch with my kids"). You can join 20,200 others who follow him on this max-140-characters-per-post social site at http://twitter.com/lancearmstrong. No doubt Lance's enthusiasm for tweeting is the reason his coach, Chris Carmichael, who just arrived in Hawaii to monitor training, is online at http://twitter.com/trainright, as is Team Astana at http://twitter.com/teamastana
______________________________________

Overheard: "Perfect amount of golf ... Tiger doesn't need to worry." -- Lance Armstrong on twitter after playing 6 holes in Hawaii while training for the Tour Down Under starting Jan. 20 in Australia.
______________________________________
In his first major interview since the announcement that current girlfriend Anna Hansen is expecting in June, Lance Armstrong talked to thedailybeast.com about his training, Team Astana, the challenges faced by Livestrong and his political ambitions. If you're not too Lanced out by now, click http://tinyurl.com/7p4dbk

Leonardo Piepoli came clean and admitted, "I made a mistake and it is right that I pay. I was advised by the wrong people in difficult moments, but I made the mistake." The Italian climber used EPO-CERA during last summer's Tour de France while winning stage 10, just 3 days before his team left the race in doping disgrace. Now Piepoli, 37, faces a 2-year suspension that will likely be the death sentence for his career.

These 8 ProTour teams will race in the Feb. 14-22 Amgen Tour of California, according to the organizer: Ag2r-La Mondiale, Astana, Liquigas, Quick Step, Rabobank, Saxo Bank and the 2 U.S.-based teams, Garmin-Slipstream and Columbia Highroad. The remainder of the field (Continental or Continental Pro teams) is yet to be announced.

A Belgian court will rule on Feb. 3 whether former world champion Tom Boonen must face drug charges (and possible jail time) for the recreational use of cocaine and ecstasy.
Oleg Tinkov has left cycling and Tinkoff Credit Systems, the pro team he founded and funded for 2 years. The Russian businessman cited what boils down to a personality conflict with the principals of what Team Tinkoff turned into for 2009 -- Team Katusha.
______________________________________ Sphere: Related Content

Time for an award

Yes, it is true, I need an award. You may ask For What?


Well if you are reading this, it is an award for writing this Blog. Here is the deal,
I will cheat and copy the instructions. Ok JUST GO VOTE!
Vote Love and two Wheels the Best Kept Secret Bloggie! Make me proud of my readers. Or would that be reader? I did find out my superstar travel friend has been keeping up with all the fun. Thanks Ms. W

Nominations are now open for the 2009 Bloggies. Click HERE
You have to vote for three

here are some of my favorites

Best Photography - Jill Homer - http://arcticglass.blogspot.com/
Best Sports Blog - Jill again or http://www.fatcyclist.com/

And after you fill in your nomination form, make sure you scroll all the way to the right edge of the page (?!) and do the following:
Fill in the captcha nonsense.
Check the checkbox saying you’d love to be on the panel that chooses the finalists.
Enter your email address.
Click the Submit button.
Check your email inbox (and your junk mail folder) for the confirmation email.
Click the link in the email to confirm your vote.
Thank you. Thankyouverymuch. Sphere: Related Content

2008 Recap and Learnings

I will copy my favorite Blogger, Jill in Alaska. Here is the 2008 Training recap by month

Jan - 306

Feb - 274

Mar - 420

Apr - 394

May - 517

Jun - 463

Jul - 356

Aug - 514

Sep - 485

Oct - 316 / 11,750 m swim

Nov - 165 / 25,000m swim / 41.3 ran

Dec - 195 / 23,050m swim / 53 ran

for a grand total of 4,405 mile cycled. I hit a wall in July with family vacation and two week recovery from the Cherohala. 10,000 ft climbing at 12 -18 percent grade.


As you can see the last qtr I have added a variety of cardio to my routine. I have spent more time swimming and running to build a solid base in these disiplines. I am not yet there, I still need about 45 days to fell good.


Oh well, the year flew by and all is good. Sphere: Related Content