Amgen Tour of California ? The Day After

The only thing bad about the Amgen Tour of California, with it’s beautiful scenery, world-class competition, excellent organization and stage selection, is that every year…it has to come to an end.  For a rabid cycling fan, the worst day of most big stage races is the day after it’s concluded.  You wish it could go [...]

Source: http://www.teamradioshack.us/amgen-tour-of-california-%e2%80%93-the-day-after/

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Metabolic Profiling ? Book your Session Now

Yesterday saw Bike Science – Planet X team riders Lisa Greenfield and Paul Horsfall perform our first ever metabolic profiling sessions at Bike Science Bristol. Jon Riley of TrueZone testing visited to show us the “New Leaf ” metabolic profiling system in action and give our team riders the opportunity to gain valuable information on [...]

Source: http://blog.bike-science.com/2011/10/22/metabolic-profiling-book-your-session-now

rapha cycling

Three Women Athletes Who Inspire Me to Take it to the Next Level

I love getting outside and moving my body around. It makes me feel alive. This post goes out to three super-awesome women who teach me how to be braver, stronger, quicker. There are so many inspirational ladies out there. Who do you look at for lessons?

Joan Benoit Samuelson's name to me is synonymous with women's distance running. She was born in 1957. She was a track star in college, but when she got into distance training she was so uncomfortable running in public on roads outside her small town that she'd pretend she was looking at flowers when a car would pass her. Finally, she got over her fear of running in public. Joan went on to win the gold medal at the 1984 summer Olympics for the marathon, and still holds the fastest time for an American woman at the Chicago Marathon and the Olympic Marathon. Lesson: Do what you love, and don't worry about what others think.

Just a few short years ago, Evelyn Stevens was working long hours as an associate on Wall Street--then she bought a bike for exercise. After a fun experience in a local race, Evelyn entered another...and won. Then she just kept winning. And she hasn't stopped. The thing with Evelyn Stevens is that she's just built for bike racing. She's capable of putting out huge amounts of leg power for her size and has incredible aerobic capacity. Now she rides for team Specialized/lululemon and is well on her way to becoming one of the best cyclists in the world. Lesson: Don't be afraid to try new things. You never know what secret strengths your body holds.
Steph Davis is an incredible, inspiring rock-climber, but I included her on my list because I love her blog where she she answers all sorts of questions, from how climbing shoes should fit to how to bake vegan cheesecake (really!). She seems so awesome and down to earth and interesting and exactly like the person you'd want on the other end of your rope. Sometimes when my hands hurt from climbing and I'm convinced I'll always be terrible, I read about Steph's incredible adventures and get all revved up again. Lesson: How to make oven-baked fries. Also, only fear is keeping you from being your greatest.

Photo 1 of Joan Beonot preparing for the 2008 Chicago Marathon, Wikipedia.org. Photo 2 of Stevens in the 2010 Merco Credit Union Grand Prix, Wikipedia. org. Photo 3 by Jimmy Chin.

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SHIPPING NEWS is brought to you by Sarah Raz, sales representative/outreach coordinator/lover of all things outdoors. She also wishes Eddy Merckx was her father (sorry Dad!)

Source: http://blog.adventurecycling.org/2012/04/three-women-athletes-who-inspire-me-to.html

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Spring Riding Gear

Spring is in full force, and with it comes a lot of mixed feelings. I'm pretty stoked to see some warmer weather, but I would almost rather ride on dry roads in 15 degree weather than head out in the cold rain. Fortunately, the right gear can make just about any weather bearable, if not enjoyable, so here are my gear picks for rainy day rides.

1. Showers Pass Double Century Jacket: I bought this jacket just over a month ago, and it's my new favorite piece of rain gear. It's lightweight, easily packs into a jersey pocket when the clouds break, and features a back and pit vents to keep condensation inside the jacket at bay. Showers Pass has this jacket on closeout right now for $65, which is a crazy good deal.

2. Avid BB7 Road Disc Brakes: I'm sold on disc brakes when it comes to road riding. They are slowly becoming common place on touring bikes, and provide excellent stopping power in all conditions. The BB7s are Avid's mechanical disc brakes, so you don't get the smooth actuation you get from hydraulic discs, but they are super easy to setup and maintain.

3. Freedom Ryder Tire: I've been trying out some new tires over the past few years, and I have really been impressed with the Freedom Ryder for durability and grip in all conditions. When the ground is wet, you get more debris sticking to your tire, which increases the chances of something sharp working it's way through your tire casing. The Freedom Ryder handles puncture protection well, and has a good tread pattern to roll well when it's dry, yet channel water when it's wet. At $25/tire, these are a really good deal.

4. Lizard Skins DSP Dual Color Tape: I know I've written about Lizard Skins DSP tape before, so I apologize if you're getting sick of this, but dang ... I love this stuff. In dry or wet weather, it provides incredible grip on the bars, and holds up better than cork tape. I wrapped some of their green colored tape to our door handles at Adventure Cycling last year, and it's still looking good now. The dual colored tape adds a little extra character to your bike, and doesn't require buying two rolls of tape to pull off the look.

5. SKS Race Blade XL: SKS fenders have always treated me well, and I like how the SKS Race Blades can be mounted to just about any bike (you may have trouble with bladed forks, or cables that run down the seat tubes). The XL version of the Race Blades will fit up to 700x32 tires, and will keep dirty water off your backside. They pop on and off in seconds, so whether or not you want to set out with them can be a game time decision.

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Grab a free issue of Adventure Cyclist magazineTOURING GEAR AND TIPS is written by Joshua Tack of Adventure Cycling's member services department. It appears weekly, highlighting technical aspects of bicycle touring and advice to help better prepare you for the journey ahead.

Source: http://blog.adventurecycling.org/2012/03/spring-riding-gear.html

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MapMyRIDE Signs Levi Leipheimer

MapMyRIDE Signs Team RadioShack’s Levi Leipheimer as New Product Spokesperson 2011 Tour de Suisse Winner and Team RadioShack Member Will Use MapMyRIDE’s Innovative Web And Mobile Products Over the Course of His Training MapMyRIDE, the premier provider of Web- and mobile-based training and mapping applications for cyclists, announced today that Levi Leipheimer, current member of the Team [...]

Source: http://www.teamradioshack.us/mapmyride-signs-levi-leipheimer/

cycling training camps

There is a reason why I do this sport.

There is a reason why I do this sport.  There are moments and days that I question that, yet then there is that moment of clarity.  I am reunited with teammates, with friends, with passion. Today was a beginning at the Merco Cycling Classic.  But on the asphalt was not where I kindled my love. [...]

Source: http://alisonstarnes.com/2012/03/02/there-is-a-reason-why-i-do-this-sport/

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