Who's down with OPB? More blogs...

Sometimes I post to this blog in haste.  When that happens, I either post nonsense or things that aren't that interesting.  When that starts to happen, I don't post for a few days.  If you don't have something nice (or interesting to say) don't say anything at all, right?

Well, in my post about other people's blogs, I failed to mention 3 of my favorites.  There are a lot of people out there much more interesting than me and better writers to boot.  One of those guys is Adam Lisonbee.  His blog www.grizzlyadam.net, is filled with outdoor adventures and his writing really boarders on prose.  He's an advocate for the otudoors and a great photog.  Check out his blog, as he rarely publishes anything that is not worthwhile.

Another great writer can be found at http://www.skibikejunkie.com/.  My friend Mark Albrecht is isn't afraid to inject his personal opinions and insights on anything from the cycling to religion and he does so very eloquently.  He updates about once a month or so, but its always worth the read.

The last one for today is really just one of the time wasters, but a great one indeed.  Point your browser to http://bringatrailer.com/ for some of the coolest and sometimes rarest car finds around.  The blogger basically searches the interweb for classic cars listed for sale that have some sort of unique quality.  Its updated daily and worth the trip.  You can search by marque or key word and can really find some special stuff.



So there it is, blogs to fill your day.

In closing, OPB, makes me think of another classic from Naughty by Nature.  Careful, if you ain't down with OPP, don't listen to the words of the clip below, but if you'd like ot take a trip back to high school, play away.  There's nothing wrong with a little OPP, I mean OPB! 

TGIF - Video Edition

Its Friday!  Lets celebrate with some vidified time wasters, shall we?  Up first is a little clip from my big bro Abe Towery.  He's a rock star skate park builder who has some pretty good street cred.  You may know him as well from his "big in Belgium" speed metal band, Word Salad with their lone hit CD, Death March 2000.  Either way, the guy's a badass and he's been working with Vans shoes for sometime.  In the first vid, he can be seen with the blond hair, pushing the box closest to the camera.  He also built the house/pool float in the commercial.

Vans Men's Allred Mid Skate Sneaker (Google Affiliate Ad)

The second vid comes from Oracle Racing and the re-launch of the damaged AC72 and their new wing.

Gotta love Fridays!

TGIF!

I'm headed to warmer climes, but here's a few videos to kick off the weekend!

Windpaddle Scout Sail - Red (Google Affiliate Ad)

The line from Evydam'an on Vimeo.

Fiber Friday

No, most of us do not have enough fiber in our diets, but thats a topic for Tuesdays.  Today's fiber is a set of videos giving us a look at how carbon fiber boats, bikes and an F1 car's monocoque chassis are made.

Stainless Steel Black Carbon Fiber Band Ring (Google Affiliate Ad)

Once upon a time, I was a Mechanical Engineering major.  I love all the technical aspects of my sports, but turns out I'm terrible at advance math and couldn't pass calc II.  As my GPA moved closer to zero, I became a business student.  But my love for the technical stuff hasn't waned.

Carbon is really a super fiber.  Light, stiff and very resistant to fatigue.  Its why we use it in so many applications where weight is an issue.

For next week I'm working on some thoughts about Lance Armstrong's interview.  So far, I've been impressed with Big O's line of questions and after tonight's final segment I'll be sure to have something to say.

In the meantime, enjoy video Friday!

Movie Friday

Today's internet time wasters are varied.  If you've got some time this weekend, check out the awesome 1 hr Isle of Man TT documentary.  For shorter bits, there's some quick Porsche porn with Champion Motorsports' Turbo S RSR, a $400k, one off project inspired by the race version 997 RSR.  Next, check out what it takes to set a sailing record from New York to San Francisco in the middle of winter as Giovani Soldini takes the Maserati sponsored race boat around the horn this week.  Finally, scope out what Sailing World Magazine thinks is the Boat of the Year.  They announced their winners last month.  I warn you, the Sailing World vid is terrible in terms of production, but it does highlight the latest and greatest in performance sailboats.

Enjoy!






PUMA Volvo Ocean Race Graphic Sailing Hat (Google Affiliate Ad)


PUMA PUMA Ocean Race Challenger Sailing Spray Top (Google Affiliate Ad)

Late Friday!

Hey folks.  Today's video segment give you plenty to distract you with.  First, check out the video section of the Rolex Sydney-Hobart yacht race.  Wild Oats XI took her 6th line honors victory and bested her own course record set in 2005.

Next up we've an awesome trailer for the year old premiere of a Patagonia film and to honor some of the awesome freshies we saw this week, a short segment from GoPro.  I'll be posting some of my own GoPro video, as soon as I figure out how to use the thing!

TGIF!

Its Friday!  Finally.  If you're reading this, it means the Mayans were in fact incorrect in their prediction of our demise.  Thank goodness.  Now, can we all get on with our lives?

The news from pro cycling continues to depress.  First Rabobank, now Nissan, have pulled their sponsorship from Pro Tour teams early.  They want to distance themselves so much from cycling that they're willing to continue paying through their contract period, yet remove themselves from the jerseys, website, etc.

Its obviously fallout from Lance's epic fall from grace, but lets hope this trend doesn't continue.  Lets hope the riders of tomorrow will take the rules seriously and prove to sponsors and fan that cycling is worthy of their support.  I know of some local Utah boys who are doing their best to make that happen.

Now, its Friday, so let the movies roll!  SRAM, one of my favorite companies, decided Gangnam Style needed some spandex and bicycles.  And Ullman Sails takes a 40 race boat out for some sail testing.  Enjoy!

Its Friday!

Coming up for me this weekend is the Utah State Criterium Championships.  This is my second "A" race of the season after Bear Lake.  Lets hope I make the finish much more competitive.  We'll see how my rest over the last weeks plays out.  The course is new to me, a bit longer than traditional four corner crits and a dip under the bridge at the Salt Palace should keep things interesting.  There are some fantastic Cat 3 crit racers around here so it should be fast and furious.

Today's video is dedicated to my best (almost worst) crit of last year.  Skip to about minute 13 to see me crash over a guy who clipped a pedal in the turn.  Bloodied and frustrated, I got back up, put my bike together, got back on and won the race.  The win sealed my series win with a week to go and reminded me that never giving up pays big. 

Have a great weekend and keep the rubber side down!

TGIF!

Its been one heckuva week in pro cycling.  The amount of news coming out about Lance Armstrong, Olympics, Tour of Utah and the upcoming Tour de France is incredible. It will take me the weekend to process some of it and make some comments.

In the meantime, there's some amazing non-cycling happening this weekend.  24 Hrs of Le Mans takes place and the Volvo Ocean Race is wrapping up.  Today's video shows what happens when your storming along the north Atlantic at umpteen knots in a bad ass Volvo Open 70 sailboat.  Enjoy!

Happy Friday!

Whether your weekend will be filled with training, racing or riding your bike for charity, we wish you the best!  For inspiration, here are some great shots from some of pro cycling's great moments...

Listen to your fast

Today, I'm inspired by a Volkswagen commercial from a few years back,
"Listen to your fast".  The video below is quite hilarious, but pointed as well, when we think of speed. 

With the Bikes4Kids Stage Race starting tomorrow, my mind is set on the criterium.  The road race has a bit of climbing so we'll see what happens, but tomorrow's crit is dead flat with 2 sweeping turns around 'round abouts.  With my struggles in the last few hundred meters of recent races, maybe its time for me to drown out all the voices, competitors, doubts, pains, etc and only listen to my fast, that tiny voice that says "you're a badass".  I think its the only way I'll be competitive in these sprints. 

I've talked a lot about the mental game and that's truly where the men are separated from the boys in those last few moments of these fast, close finishes.  Wish me luck and I'll let you know how it goes.  In the meantime, listen to your fast, whatever it may be telling you.

National Bike Month

In case you hadn't heard, May has been National Bike Month.  Its been great to see so many organizations, promoters and citizens get in on the festivities and awareness campaigns.  I spent more than a few days this month doing activities that promote not just bike racing but cycling in general.  I was at the UTA Bike Bonanza promoting the Tour de Park City.  I put together a bike rodeo for kids at a neighborhood bike fair.  I've been racing a lot and I had the awesome experience of giving my 4 year old daughter her first real bike for her birthday. 

During these activities I've seen all kinds of different people.  Bicycles don't discriminate.  Naturally, the more one rides a bike, the better shape they'll be in.  But you can be of almost any shape and size, from any background or socioeconomic status and be able to get on a bike and ride.  Whether its a $15,000 limited edition Colnago or a $100 Wal Mart special, bicycles are a great form of transportation and above all for me at least, a heckuva lot of fun!

My fun increased this month with my daughter's 16 inch wheel Trek Mystic purchased at The Bike Shoppe.  She's been on a decent little trike for the past 2 years but her big girl bike was long overdo.  We waited for her birthday this month to get her the 2 wheeler.  What was so interesting about her reaction wasn't so much that she was jumping for joy when she opened the big package, but it was what she did when she took her first pedals on the new ride.  It took all of 10 feet for her to get a hang of the bigger bike.  Once she got some momentum the look on her face was one of shear pleasure and freedom.  The wind was suddenly much faster as it blew across her face.  She quickly realized she could go more places much faster.  We immediately took 2 laps around the block.  The girl started planning all the adventures she could go on with the new bike.  She wanted to go the library, the toy store and to daddy's races.  She has been in heaven with her new pink bike.

My daughter's experience took me back to my first days on a bike as a kid.  Bicycles are life changing.  Freedom, exercise, adventure.  All on 2 wheels.  I'm a firm believer that the world would be a better, cleaner and happier place if humans rode more.  I'm impressed that even here in ultra conservative Utah, we have plenty of opportunities to commute.  The buses and trains are equipped to haul bikes.  There are many trails and bike lanes and I regularly see cyclists out and about.  Wouldn't it be great of we had bicycle traffic jams!

With so much cycling going on this month, there's been a lot of racing as well.  I've been going over and over that Bear Lake finish in my head for the last 2 weeks.  I built myself up for that race and to have it fall apart in the last 1k was really frustrating.  I know I can do better.  So I've hit a few weekly crits with some decent results and will tackle the Sugarhouse Criterium in Salt Lake City tomorrow.  I haven't done this event before but I'm excited for the challenge. 

I hope more of us can take advantage of all the opportunities we have on bikes.  Think back to your childhood and the experiences you may have had like my daughter's.  Whether you're a seasoned racer or bicycle newbie, the next time you throw your leg over a bike, try to get that feeling back.  You're on a bike, what can be better than that?

Since its Friday, we have a quick little video today.  I've been pushing Mercury Wheels, because, well, I sell them.  We're new to Utah so I've been spreading the word.  They're awesome wheels.  But don't take my word for it.  Pro teams Kenda/5 Hour Energy  and Veloshine as well as elite team MRI Monster Media all ride Mercury's.  They're the real deal at a great price.  The video below is just a little highlight of the wheels. 

Enjoy and happy riding!!

Happy Friday!

As I look outside to the dark rain clouds, lightning and stiff headwinds, I lament that I will be spending a few hours on the trainer this morning.  But also I'm thinking of the awesome cycling action taking place all over the world. 

You've got the Giro de Italia heading into its 3rd week.  The Amgen Tour of California has been interesting as well, with Peter Sagan dominating the first 4 stages and Captain America Dave Zabriskie taking the 100 degree TT in Bakersfield.  I love California, but Bakersfield has to be one of my least favorite places.  I can't imagine the difficulty of a 28 km TT in 100 degree heat amid the mixed scent of dairies and oil rigs.  Hopefully with things turning uphill the GC favorites will start to shine.  Fan fav Chris Horner lost some time in the TT but last year DZ lost 15 minutes on the climb to Mt. Baldy, so the race is far from over.

There's lots in store this weekend locally as well.  While my wife will be taking in her first marathon, there's crit racing in dowtown Salt Lake City, the Salt Lake Century and the best bike shop around, The Bike Shoppe in Ogden, UT is having a big grand re-opening sale celebrating their beautiful store remodel.  And, you'll find me at the UTA Bike Bonanza this evening in SLC as well.

You'll also want to check out a great blog:  Utah Tri Girl.  Rachel Butterfield writes some great stuff and she has a contest going om right now to win 2 entries to the Tour de Park City.

For today's video, we switch gears to autoracing.  But not just any racing, but the grassroots, downhome kind, Pikes Peak!  Last year, Jeff Zwart drove his brand new Porsche GT2RS from L.A. to Colorado Springs then broke his own Time Attack record set a year earlier in a Porsche GT3 Cup, truly defining "run what you brung".  Sure, what he brung was a $250,000 thoroughbred track car, but its cool to see privateers making headlines regardless.  I hate when people diminish the value of great achievements because the person making the accomplishment spent a boat load of cash to do it, but sometimes thats what it takes.  If anything, it makes for a great couple minutes of video and makes me want to get out and race...bicycles, cars, marathons, whatever...just get out there this weekend and and do it!!

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!

Happy Friday!

If this doesn't make you want to ride, I don't know what will.  And this is just the trailer!

Trek Domane

Trek is a great bicycle company.  Though I've never owned one, I've always wanted to.  My wife has a new Trek Lexa and we just got my sister on a fitness oriented Trek 700.  On the race side though, if you wanted a Trek, the Madone is all you had to choose from.  Other big companies have multiple road racing bike to choose from depending on your needs.  Standard race, aero and "comfort" is what you see in other lines.  The Madone is a great bike but the gap has been obvious.  Until now.

Trek now has their "classics" oriented road bike ready, the Domane.  Specialized developed their Roubaix with a lot of shaping and special elastomer inserts in the seat stays and fork.  In the Domane, Trek has been creative with shaping and carbon layups as well, but they throw in a "decoupler" that actually looks more like a mini mtb rear suspension set up.

With Fabian Cancellara on hand to help develop the bike over the last few years I'm assuming there's some heavy data and input to back up the tech.  Too bad we won't be seeing Spartucus using the Domane at Roubaix this weekend.  The dude's out with a broken collar bone!



In other news, The Tour de Park City Early Bird regsitration special ends this Sunday!  Sign up now to save $10!  http://www.tourdeparkcity.com/

101 Posts on the wall...

Today's blog post is post number 101.  I started the blog in 2010 as a training diary for LOTOJA.  I've expanded a bit and hope you've enjoyed what you've seen and read.  I've been putting up training tips, fun videos, updates from sports I love and reviewed a few products.  I've also had to memorialize a few good people.  I like writing and I like sharing, so I'll keep posting.  Its therapeutic for me.

In search of cool content however, I'm becoming a Youtube addict!  When I was growing up, seeing coverage of sailing and cycling was non-existent.  Modern media has given us tremendous access to some great footage.  I found the following on the Volvo Ocean Race's Youtube channel.  It highlights the weekend's troubles and challenges for the fleet in the infamous Southern Ocean as they head from New Zealand to Brazil.  Rounding Cape Horn is on every sailor's bucket list and I can say its on mine as well.  This is when sailors and boats are pushed to their limits.  Huge winds, icebergs and fire hose conditions on the bow.  This 3 minute clip will get your heart racing.!

TGIF

Its been a tough, busy week.  Seems to be a lot happening.  So, spend the next few minutes enjoying some fun CX'ing on a pump track courtesy of Mercury Wheels...


Ride Dirty - Cyclocross & Mercury from mercurycycling on Vimeo.

Happy Friday!

Multiple reels of crashes today.  They happen, in cycling and sailing! Today we've got Olympic class sailing in Miami and a classic from the Dana Point Gran Prix in 2010. Of course, throwing your glasses at your competitors after the crash is optional.

Here's to keeping the rubber side down!

A Week Off

I've had a ton a stuff thrown at me this week.  I was put on a forced break from riding due to a mechanical issue suffered at our training camp last week in St. George.  Its also been a big week for race planning with various meetings with municipalities and sponsors.  A new opportunity to rep for a great product has also come up.  I'm now the Utah Dealer Rep for Mercury Wheels!  So even with the forced break from the bike and no blogging, its been a busy week.

Our first ever Excelerator Sports/Plan 7 Training Camp was a big success.  We took a small group of ladies, mostly triathletes, to St. George for an all inclusive cycling weekend.  The goal was to have the group show up, ride and worry about nothing else.  We wanted campers to gain some training knowledge, get some great miles in and most importantly, have FUN!  I think we accomplished all those things and then some.  The ladies really were the perfect group to ride and train with.

Day one of the camp saw us traveling in the snow from Salt Lake to Cedar City.  The weather usually only improves about 30 minutes outside of St. George, but it was a good drive.  Once at the house we immediately went out for a 2 1/2 hour ride just getting warmed up for the weekend.  Some drills and intervals made for a fun ride.  A pasta dinner and some training tips took us into the evening and a good night's rest.

Friday saw freezing temps and huge winds so we put off our long ride until 11:00 am.  Riding the Ironman course backwards, we encountered cold winds that really slowed us down but made for a challenging ride.  We huddled in Veyo at the pie shop for warmth and of course, PIE!  Its a tradition for me to eat some delicious pie midway through that ride.  Once back on the bikes we got a nice tailwind for the ride down Gunlock then hit the Utah Hill with some motivation.  I think a few ladies surprised themselves with how well they climbed the 7 mile road and then it was back to town.  It was with 20 miles to go that my shift level broke loose and I was stuck in my 11 cog, so all I had gearing wise was hard and harder.  No matter, we plugged along eventually taken in 80 miles and  hours of saddle time.  For one camper it was the longest ride she had ever been on by 30 miles!  Her and the rest of the group hammered it.

After a well deserved meal at Texas Roadhouse, we all hit the sack exhausted.

The third and final day left us with stinging legs from the prior day's effort so we took a mellow ride up to Zions National Park.  We spent some time with paceline drills and some final hard effort on the last climbs.  I was thoroughly impressed with the group we had.  They pushed themselves, were open to learning new things and came away from the weekend better riders.

We'll do more camps next fall and winter so be looking for dates at the end of the season.

Speaking of the season, racing has begun in earnest with the Utah Crit Series out at Rocky Mountain Raceway.  Here's a cool Friday video showing off the riders and courses that make this series so much fun.  Enjoy!