Beautiful Sports

Tongue and horns ready to climb

 I spent my Sunday in the Church of the Great Outdoors with an old high school buddy, Dave.  We took in an awesome day at Powder Mountain resort, one the best (and last) real places to just ski.  Its a low key joint with a rustic couple of lodges, very few lifts, but access to about 7,000 acres of skiing.  Not to mention a lift ticket is only $65, a true bargain in today's reality if $100 lift tickets.

Among the unique amenities at Pow Mow is all natural snow and a $15 add on ticket for a ride on the snowcat.  The cat ride takes you to lighting ridge and its steep chutes and gets you access to the 25 minute hike up to James Peak.  From James Peak you can ski a good 3000 uninterrupted feet of quality, mostly untouched snow.  Its well worth the hike and the $15.

After a few warm up runs and waiting for the snow to soften in the sun a bit, we made our way to the cat and started our morning adventure.  My friend, who now lives near sea level, was a bit nervous about the hike.  It looks steep from afar, and in reality, it is.  Some people skin to the top but there's usually a well stepped boot pack as well.

Brand new Bontrager RL Road Cycling shoes, size 43, $140 (self sponsored ad)

We started the boot pack and Dave started to really feel the altitude.  Dave's in great shape, he's a cyclist and triathlete and an expert snowboarder, but 9,500 feet is a lot of elevation.  But he kept on, kept telling himself "the next tree".  We had caught up to one skier skinning up and he told us the summit wasn't worth climbing to because the snow off the top was in poor shape.  We were darn close to the summit though and with all the effort we had put in, especially Dave, we weren't going to stop our climb and bug out early.  we figured if the snow sucked from the top, we could always traverse over to the next face where the snow was better.

Dave on the summit

Once we got to the top, we quickly realized just how worthwhile the climb really was.  From James Peak you can see 3 Utah borders, the Uintah Mountains, the Cottonwoods, the Wellsvilles and the expanse of the Great Salt Lake.  On this day though, we could only see the top of Antelope island poking up out of the smog.  But we were high above it all, in the warmth of the inversion with bluebird skies above.  At that point, it didn't matter what the snow was like, it was the climb, the view and the company that made James Peak great.

There are many reasons why I do the sports I do, but one of the biggest ones, is just simply being out there.  The rewards of a long hike up a peak; the thrill of a big downhill line; the joy of sailing along under your own power in the middle of the ocean; the whine of your freshly home tuned turbo charged engine; and the sheer thrill of riding your bike in the open air.

With so much focus this last week on Lance Armstrong and his confession, I had to remind myself of why I do what I do.  I was a cycling fan long before who I knew who Lance was.  I had my first pair of spandex even before Lance's World Championship win.  Yes, I was a huge Lance fan once he started winning the Tour, but he was never my reason for riding.  Lance did great things to grow the popularity of cycling, but you know what the fastest growing sport in the world is?  MMA!  A world that has nothing to do with cycling.  Cycling was awesome before LA and it is awesome after.  I really think the non-cyclist fans of LA will look past his cheating and bullying and move on.  For the cyclist, I believe the love of the sport transcends one super star or multiple doping scandals.  While I love bike racing and putting on my kit filled with generous sponsors and col designs, what I love most, is simply being out there.  Its why I put on races, so others can experience that joy.  Just finishing the 157 mile Tour de Park City or the grueling Powder Mountain Hillclimb is a feat unto itself.  Add racing others in that journey and you have a beautiful thing.

I'm over Lance Armstrong.  He has his own bed to lay in now and his own problems to sort out.  I hope he does right by making amends to all the people he's hurt directly and indirectly, but I'm over it.  Its time to look forward to the next training ride, the new racing season, the next sail across the Pacific and the next epic powder day.  There is so much beauty in these great sports that to let the professional athletes dictate how we feel or participate would be wrong.  For those who love the stick and ball sports, are you going to give up your Thursday night pick up games because Kobe's an unfaithful husband, or give up your next golf outing because Tiger's a DB?  No.  And I will not give up riding my bike and helping others do the same because some of our heroes have falling.

So, here's to your next big thing, here's to your next epic and your next mountain to climb!

Weekend round up

I'm going to experiment a little with the format and timing of my posts. While I try to make Friday's posts dedicated to the best short video I can find, lets make Mondays and Tuesdays special as well. Lets make Monday's dedicated to wrapping up the weekend and Tuesdays will be about training. So, Mega Monday and Training Tuesday? Well, lets hit it, Mega Monday!

The news last week in pro cycling came fast and furious. First, lets get started on a positive note. The Tour of Utah made their official route announcement. The ToU is near and dear to me as this is the second year I have been involved with the Ogden Local Organizing Committee. The event will spend its second year on the UCI calendar giving cyclists some major climbing, long days in the saddle and a totally new route for the final stage. The prologue has been dropped in favor of a full stage being run on the first of 6 days. This, along with the other route tweeks increases the mileage of the race but also the elevation climbed by a whopping 25% to 37,415 feet!

Most of the stages take in roads that local cyclists are very familiar with. Stage 1 that starts and finishes in Ogden, sees the racers tackle Ogden Canyon, Trappers loop, East Canyon and North Ogden Divide for a full 131 miles to start the week. Stage 2 is a new team time trial out at Miller Motorsports Park. With only 6 stages, this should make the GC battle quite interesting. Stage 3 starts in Ogden and follows the classic training route for locals to Research Park in Salt Lake City. Stage 4 is a flat one, touring Happy Valley from Orem to SLC. Stage 5 is the venerable Park City to Snowbird route. Its Stage 6 that will really open peoples eyes to the climbing we have right here in our backyard. Taking in Empire Pass, the Park City stage looks awesome. How do pitches at 22 percent sound? That's where I'll be camping out for sure!

Along with the route announcement it was noted that Levi Leipheimer will return with his Omega Pharma Quick Step squad. The team will be making its ToU debut to support Levi in defending his GC ins from the last 2 years.

With the good news, came some bad news however. I thought we could get through a Tour de France this year without hearing about Lance Armstrong and doping. As many already know, USADA lobbed their charges against LA and his cohorts from US Postal/Discovery and even Radio Shack days. You can find the actual letter to LA and his team here. Its worth the read. I think reading it helps the public get a handle on the charges and the case that USADA has laid out.

The crux of their accusations stem from evidence gathered during the 2 year FDA investigation into LA for possible federal law violations. That case was suddenly dropped under suspicious circumstances but there was apparently a basket load of evidence uncovered. That evidence was turned over to USADA and here we are. From the letter, it sounds like most of the evidence is testimony to the Grand Jury by 10 or so witnesses. For the sake of cycling, I sure hope there's more than just testimony. When Spanish courts went deep into the Opercaion Puerto scandal, they had blood bags, DNA matches, documents cross referencing code names and a host of other hard facts. For USADA to finally put this to bed, I think we need to see the same kind of hard evidence. Not only will USADA be facing arguably the most powerful legal team in sports, they are facing a deeply polarized cycling fan base of those who think Lance is innocent and those who think he doped.

I think regardless of the outcome, no one's opinion will change. If he gets off it will because of his powerful legal team, a technicality, etc. If he's sanctioned, his fans will cry witchunt and a waste of tax dollars. More than anything, this distracts from what is supposed to be the most entertaining 3 weeks of the pro cycling season. I hope the headlines from this years TdeF will focus on the racing and not LA's accusations.

But lets think for a moment, if LA is convicted, who are they going to give his TdeF titles to?? Basso and Ullrich? They would just be handing the titles from one doper to the next. Therein lies the great conflict of Lance's heyday, they all doped!

The real concern for me however is that USADA says they have proof LA doped during his comeback in '09 and '10. First, if anyone of authority had proof of doping during that time, it should have come up then. Not to mention, LA must be some kind of serious stupid to dope under so much scrutiny.

I for one, am in the camp of believing Lance until some body of authority convicts him. It will be terrible for cycling and for sports in general in LA falls. LA has transcended sport for so many people. It would be the lie of all lies and mean crushed dreams and heroes for so many. We'll be watching the headlines, but don't forget there are other things going on in cycling that will continue to inspire and motivate. Chris Horner going to the Olympics is one of those things.  Now, get out and ride!

TdeF Drama

Its been a dramatic few days in the pro peloton.  There was the announcement that super domestique and all around good guy George Hincapie, will retire at the end of the season.  Johan Bruyneel announced Chris Horner wouldn't be goin to Le Tour and now it appears Andy Schleck won't be there either.

First, Big George.  As long as I've followed pro cycling, Hincapie has been part of the scene.  This year he will attempt to finish a record breaking 17th Tour de France.  While most famous for his support duties of one Lance Armstrong, he was also on board for 2 additional Tour wins for a record 9 TdeF victories.  For all his success, his misses were heartbreaking.  Twice he was runner up at Paris-Roubaix.  It would have been awesome to see him win that one!  The cycling world will miss him for sure.

Now on to the RadioShack issues.  Fan favorite and late bloomer Chris Horner was left off the long list of RadioShack-Nissan-Trek's long list for the Tour.  What a shame.  With excuses from management about his back, not racing the Dauphine or Suisse Tour, the reasons just seem hollow and lame.  To top it off, Andy Schleck now has back problems and won't be there either. 

For Horner, not being at the Tour is just a travesty.  I actually can't believe that the American sponsors would allow such a move.  If you're trying to draw eyes of fans to your brand, I don't think its the wisest thing to leave one of the most popular American cyclists off the squad.  Then there's the reasoning.  First the team said it was Horner's back issues.  Boss Hog then comes out and says it was Horner's decision not to race the Suisse Tour that sealed his fate.  Claiming there was a team rule that the TdeF roster had to compete in the Dauphine or Suisse to be considered for France, Bruyneel laid the blame on Horner.  Yet, Jens Voight didn't race in the Dauphine or Suisse and he's still on the TdeF roster.  I don't pretend to understand the politics, but as a fan, I can't help but think this is a bogus move.  I hope as fans we can fill the Facebook pages of the team's sponsors demanding Horner's inclusion in the TdeF!

For Andy, the news of his back injury is not good.  He has showed poor pre-TdeF form but this must feel like a kick in the teeth.  While I don't think his prospects for Yellow were awesome, considering all the TT's at next month's race, Andy Schleck is still one heckuva climber and would have at least won a big mountain stage. 

Regardless, it seems that there are some chinks in the super team's armour.  Media distractions and fractions within the super teams have proved to be fatal in the past.  We'll see what the next few weeks look like but lets hope RSNT gets it together, and by that I mean calling up Horner and getting on the TdeF team!! 

Mercury S-Alloy wheels

I'm not paid to blog about products or do reviews.  I don't have manufacturers sending me their latest bits to test and report on and I hardly consider myself an expert in all things cycling.  I like writing reviews about the equipment I actually use and about products I have some tie to.  Unlike a magazine review, reporting on my own equipment hopefully provides some greater insight to the stuff as its used in the real world by a regular guy.  My latest review is no different.

Although I am "pedaling" Mercury Wheels these days as a dealer rep, this is my third season on my Mercury carbon clinchers.  And even though you may think this review will be totally biased because of that, know that I never endorse or sell products I don't believe in.  It was that way when I worked in retail from simple sporting goods to high end electronics for sailboats.  Its also one of the main reasons I left banking.  I could no longer sell the junk the banks were throwing down the customers' throats.  I have the same philosophy with Mercury Wheels.  I wouldn't have become a rep if I didn't believe they were the best wheels for the money.  After riding on Mercury's alloy offering, I'm even more convinced I'm selling an awesome product. 

Mercury Wheels really has something to offer everyone.  From their top end, ultralight MZero and M Series tubulars to the midrange S Series carbon clinchers on down to the S Alloys we're talking about here.  Mercury even has a killer rear disc for half the price of most other manufacturers.  The S Alloys represent a set of wheels that should appeal to a broad audience and I've found their performance to be on par or better than any other alloy wheelset I've used.

The first thing you'll notice about the S Alloys is their width.  At 23 mm, they're a mm wider than most other alloy offerings.  The extra width allows me to run lower pressure in my tires without any increase in rolling resistance.  This is nice as I have been training on my alloys and the lower pressure has smoothed out the ride quite a bit.  This feature also comes in handy for using these wheels in cyclocross as the lower tire pressures can offer more traction.

The hoops have a shallow aero V profile much like the Sram 27 mm deep alloys.  The spokes are round, not bladed however.  Just as with all Mercury Wheels, these are hand built by the artists at the Handspun facility in Wisconson.  They're laced to Mercury engineered and branded hubs with Sapim Race spokes in 24/28 traditional spoke patterns.  The clinchers I have weigh a respectable 1550 grams and are tubeless compatible.  The wheels are also available as tubulars, another bonus for the 'cross riders out there.

Over the last week I've been on some pretty cruddy roads, sprinted through some intervals and done some steep climbing repeats.  Many times, I have forgotten that I was on alloy wheels and not on my carbon hoops.  This goes a long way in describing the high quality ride of these wheels.  They've soaked up bumps yet don't flex at all when hammering.  I really wish I had these wheels at the Tour del Sol crit with the 40 mph crosswinds.  I would have had so much more control yet still had a lightweight, stiff wheels underneath while racing. 

So why would anyone want alloy wheels in this "gotta have carbon" world?  For one, cost.  These wheels retail for just under $700.  Not the cheapest wheelset in the world, but they're hand built in the USA and have some great tech for an alloy.  Its also in the ballpark for high end alloy wheels.  Secondly, these wheels present a great option for 'cross.  The V profile sheds dirt and mud and the tubeless and tubular options give the 'crosser a lot of choices.  Third, these make a great back up and training set for those with a nice set of carbon wheels they want to keep for racing.  They make a great second pair as well for races that might encounter dirt roads or huge cross winds.  I've had my $200 alloys in the wheel car before, and they are boat anchors.  Having the S Alloys in the wheel car leaves me much more at ease knowing my back ups will be light and durable.

Watch for Mercury Wheels in select bike shops in Utah soon.  They're already available from The Bike Shoppe in Ogden and Jans Mountain Sports in Park City.  If you see me at a race or ride, I'll always have both sets close by for you to check out.

Finally, it is Friday, so lets get ready for the weekend with this awesome clip of Tyler Farrar's win at last year's Tour.  Its aint everyday you see the yellow jersey leading out a sprint train!

Albertostrong

By now the news about the Federal investigation into Lance Armstrong being dropped and Alberto Contador's ban have funneled through the news outlets. Now the more detailed stories and reactions from the cycling world are emerging. I thought I'd chime in as well on what really are the two biggest stories in cycling.

Lance

Lance is an enigma. Some love him. Some hate him and some love to hate him. For most, the decision by the Fed to drop the case will do nothing to sway their opinion either way about the guy. For those who are convinced he doped, no charges means the Fed dropped the ball, Lance has good lawyers or it just means Lance doped, but just not on the taxpayer's dime. I've read through the comments sections on the articles I've read, and the haters are just gonna hate.

For the Lance supporters, this vindicates him of doping and is more proof that accusations are just that. Those in the Lance camp believe the investigation was a waist of time and money and the lead investigator, Jeff Novitsky was just on a which hunt trying to make up for failures in the Barry Bonds case. Regardless of which side you're on, the latest news probably changes nothing.

For me, it proves that Lance is untouchable. Whether its because of wealth, power, influence or actual innocence, people keep lobbing up there and he keeps knocking them out of the park. With what was being said, the FDA had no choice but to look into it. If federal funds were being used illegally, we as taxpayers have a right to know. And if the law was broken, the guilty should be brought to justice. But the Fed case also proves to me that accusations are just that...comments by people who may or may not be telling the truth and have no evidence other than their word.

The Fed investigation focused on the claims by Floyd Landis and others that there was systematic, team sanctioned doping going on within the US Postal Service cycling team. After 2 years of investigation, trips to Europe and Grand Jury testimony, the government couldn't gather enough proof that Landis' claims were true. Did Lance dope? Well, according to the FDA investigation, he didn't dope in the manner claimed. I think that says a lot about Landis' testimony and the beef he's got with Lance.

It doesn't look as though all is well over at the FDA however. According to NPR, there are some who believed charges were coming and the case ended prematurely.

What about the other "evidence" against Lance, namely the positive tests from 1999 or the alleged cover up from the UCI in 2001? A look at the investigations into those cases yields results similar to the Fed case. There's not enough there to prove Lance doped. The 1999 samples were refuted by an independent investigation. Yes, it was a technicality that called the samples into question, but they couldn't prove they were Lance's samples. The UCI cover up was also hearsay. There was no solid information that could prove the UCI covered up a Lance positive from a race in Switzerland.

So you have a guy who's never failed a drug test, been investigated numerous times and yet still comes out clean. That's good enough for me. Plus, I'm a bit pragmatic about the situation. If Lance doped, then he was the best doper. Almost all of his competitors during that time have been caught, implicated or confessed. So it was a level playing field. If he didn't dope (and this is where the evidence lands) then he's an even better athlete as he pummeled the dopers.

This leaves us with the situation where Lance himself can point to various official findings, reports and investigations where they weren't able to pin down a doping infraction. The book is not closed on Lance however. USADA is requesting the details of the Fed investigation to see if there's anything they can find about Lance doping. They'll run into some issues with statutes of limitation and other loopholes that I'm sure Lance's legal team will fight tooth and nail. But until then, I'm going with what's been presented...not one entity able to prove Lance doped.

Alberto Contador

Contador's case is a whole different ball game. I'm not a big 'Bert fan but that's more because of of public persona and the attitudes of him and his Spanish mates not because of doping. What we have with 'Bert is an undisputed positive test, something Lance does not have. After almost 2 years of court proceedings and appeals, the Court of Arbitration for Sport handed him a 2 year ban retroactive to the date of the positive test in August of 2010. The ban negates all of his results from that time, including the 2010 Tour de France.

The real tragedy here isn't so much the positive test, but the way it was handled by the powers that be. 'Bert's defense was tainted beef. The minuscule amounts of clenbuteral found in his urine sample were smaller than most labs can even test for but there is no acceptable limit for clenbuteral. Sponsors, riders and fans shouldn't have to wait this long know the outcome of a race. Could his positive test be the result of tainted beef? Sure, but he couldn't prove it within the system that's in place and it took too long. Both sides were allowed to stall and posture for no real reason at all. There needs to be more in place, to protect riders as well as organizers, so this kind of charade doesn't happen again.

Is 'Bert guilty? Of course he is. Was there dope in his system? Yes! That was never in dispute. The thing about doping isn't so much for race day performance but to train hard enough to be the best on race day. Most doping takes place during training. Clenbuterol isn't really a "performance enhancer" but allows for rapid weight loss. As CAS indicated, the small amounts of the stuff in Contador's sample indicated possible drug use just prior to the Tour or worse, that he transfused tainted blood during the Tour. They did acknowledge in their decision the possiblity of accidental contamination, but the rules state that it doesn't matter. The rider is ultimately responsible for what they ingest. It sucks that this happened. But with so much at stake, CAS had to set precedent here. Could the positive been from beef? Sure. but 'Bert couldn't prove it so he got flicked. Was Contador a victim of an overly intolerant system? Possibly, but as with Lance, I'm going to go with the official record.

The only good thing to come out of all this is that cycling is doing something about doping. It does cast a cloud over the sport but the cheaters are getting caught. NFL, MLB and NBA players are probably just as dirty, but very little is being done to catch the cheaters. Cycling will survive. It survived the Festina affair in 1997 and it survived Landis and it will survive Contador. There is a new crop of young riders who are adamant in their fight against doping and becoming a victim of something tainted. Taylor Phinney won't even take supplements as he's afraid of ingesting something by accident. While its sad that kind of paranoia exists, its good that we can finally start to believe our heroes are racing clean.

Friday the 13th!

I was turned on to today's video find by a friend on Facebook. I have no idea what they are saying, but I laughed uncontrolably regardless! Another friend who speaks French has said its even funnier when you know what they're saying. See you on the road!