The Psycho Cyclist!

Topolino C-19: Pez Test “Those Crazy Spoke Wheels” : "Message by Charles ManantanPez readers write in pretty frequently, asking about “those crazy spoke wheels”, so we decided to go ahead and take in a set and see if there was something more to them than just looking different. Turns out there’s a method to the madness…"

I managed to workout everyday this month! There was one day that I did the stairmaster...but other than that I have either ran, cycled, or both every day! For a grand total of 40 hours of pain, sweat, and tears! Now I just have to figure out how to replace the 39,000 calories that I burnt off.

Now it’s the time of the day...(my lunch break) to actual write about my training. Last night, as usual, I got off from work went home and went for a run. I extended my run to 6 miles but my time was 43 minutes or just over a 7 min/mile. Not too bad. It was a great night for running...cool (60*F) and super clear out. I was a tad sore when I got up this morning. But in spite of that, I still managed to ride my 30 miles in 59 minutes. I’m starting to develop a good peddle stroke where I keep applying pressure to the peddles with enough force that it forces my butt to rise just a tad off of the saddle. I was able to keep that up for quiet some time. Takes more strength to do this...but me heart rate is lower at the same speed as before. Works pretty good. Planning to run the 6 miles again tonight.

Top 10 newbie tips for a personal best in 2006 : "I've learned a few hard-fought lessons about achieving a personal best race time. As we head deeper into the new year, here are my best hard-earned racing secrets. Whether you're a newbie or an experienced racer, I hope these will serve you well."

Tuesday's EuroFile: Panaria, Selle Italia picked for Giro; Ullrich on track; neo-directors settling in

Pro Shop – Developing Power and Your Racing Style : "Message by Bruce HendlerNow is the time of the season that many of us are starting to phase out of base training and into higher aerobic capacity training. Therefore, it’s a perfect time to wander into the Pro Shop and see what our pros have to say about developing power and also about how they evolved as racers…"

Cycling - Topix.net : "News on Cycling continually updated from thousands of sources around the net."

UCI 'mole' leaked Armstrong tests to L'Equipe : "Cycling's governing body the UCI is investigating the leaking by one of its own staff of information which formed the basis of a newspaper article alleging that seven-time Tour de France champion Lance ..."

UCI suspends Zorzoli after Armstrong leak

Tyler Hamilton Interview Part 1 : "Tyler Hamilton Interview Part 1 On April 18th Tyler Hamilton said in a statement after receiving a 2 year ban earlier the same day, 'My case is a very complicated one."

ToCal St7 - Tour De France Aspirations : "Message by NONE250,000 spectators lined the streets of Redondo Beach today to witness the final stage of the inaugural Amgen Tour of California. Race officials believe that during the week 1.3 million spectators watched a stout international field of cyclists compete. For the All-American podium, things could not have gone better!"

EuroTrash Monday! : "Message by Jered GruberRaces rage all over Europe, Belgium is in open season, the Swiss are battling, all hell breaks loose, and if it's been said once it can be said a million times: it's big-time race time. This nearly March Monday: Het Volk, KBK, Valencia, Swiss openers, Sheryl Crow, and much MORE!"

UCI says staffer intentionally released Armstrong data to L'Equipe

Lance Armstrong vs. Sheryl Crow: George W. Bush to Blame? : "The Star details that a friend of the singer said they knew the bust up was coming."

Cycling - Topix.net : "News on Cycling continually updated from thousands of sources around the net."

Sheryl Crow Battles Breast Cancer : "Musician Sheryl Crow arrives at the 48th Annual Grammy Awards at the Staples Center on February 8, 2006 in Los Angeles, California."

Cyclist Lance Armstrong to host ESPY Awards : "Lance Armstrong will have something to keep his mind off a certain cycling competition in July: He'll be hosting the 14th annual ESPY Awards, officials said Monday."

Landis wins inaugural Tour : "American Floyd Landis maintained his 29-second lead over the chasing pack to win the inaugural Tour of California on Sunday."

Either I was getting saddle sore or I had gas pains...not sure which..

A Couple of my sleds....A Felt and a Colnago.

Gilbert goes the distance : "Belgian Francaise des Jeux rider Philippe Gilbert won the 61st Omloop Het Volk in Belgium while team-mate Tom Boonen finished 13th."

Another 50/50 weekend, by that I mean that one day was good and sucked. I’m only referring to riding of course. Saturday was fair as far as the weather, but the cycling was great! I rode with a buddy of mine, Marcos who is a 5 time Hawaiian Ironman and he also just turned 70! We had a great ride and just hammered about 27-32mph for about 50 miles! It’s funny because we pass old men on their beach cruisers and her Marcos is probably older then they are. I hope that when I’m his as…..wait, I just wish I was in as good of shape as he is now!! As soon as we got back to our starting point, he put on his running shoes and he was off…truly amazing and someone that I admire there ability and there low key manner about them. Oh…he also pushes a 56T!!! Not too shabby for anybody! Sunday was a windy washout so I rode my trainer and watch Cycling.TV and rode 40 miles. But on a brighter note, I did go see Joshua Bell last night and it was a great shoe! My wife got his autograph on a CD ...

George Hincapie (Discovery) dons the points leader jersey. Photo ©: Mark Johnson/ www.ironstring.com

ToCal St6: Seeing The Future : "Message by NONEYeah, the race was great, but nothing, and I mean nothing, could compare to the absolutely amazing family presence at this Thousand Oaks finish. Let me get the facts out of the way so I can focus on the real story – proof that cycling is growing in popularity in this country."

Pollack wins first stage since 2004 : "Germany's Olaf Pollack sprinted to a first stage win since 2004 on Saturday, while American Floyd Landis edged closer to overall victory."

This link is for a friend of mine that was done the Hawiian Ironman 5 time and is an amazing athlete. The truely amazing thing is he just turned 70 !! I had the pleasure of riding with him today...always one of my favorite riding partners. Thanks for the ride Marcos! http://liveupdate.ironmanlive.com/ppv/athlete.php?rid=60&bib=240

Het Volk: Frites Before the Storm : "Message by Edmond Hood‘Kack!’ That’s AG2R’s Irish star Mark Scanlon’s view on Saturday’s Het Volk. ‘It’s so dangerous - the Belgians are crazy, jumping kerbs and all that kind of stuff.’ His exact phraseology was a tad more colourful, so we’ll leave it at that."

Hincapie claims 2nd win : "American George Hincapie notched his second stage win on the Tour of California on Friday, while compatriot Floyd Landis retains the lead."

ToCal St5: Salute To The Real Workers : The dynamics of a cycling team go way beyond the eight guys that hit the road every day. At the end of the day, as cycling fans, we appreciate the savage power of the Blue Train driving Big George to victory, but what we don’t see is what drives the pro teams behind-the-scenes."

The Arnie Twins traded in their Hummer for a bike

Yawnnnnn. It’s been a very tiring week...but it’s Friday!!! It’s to bad that the weekend will not be that good for cycling. That’s alright, I’ll still ride, but I have a couple of other things to do this weekend! I have a hot date to go see Joshua Bell on Saturday...and I’m 6 rows from the stage. It should be an excellent show. I also have a greyhound gathering to go to. So I’ll get a few miles in on the bike (about 100). So far my training is going good. Looking at my stats, I have shaved a total of an hour off from my monthly running time. That’s fantastic! I’m also going to check the water temps to see if it’s safe to jump in yet. I have a race in 22 days and I haven’t swam one lap yet...YIKES. It’s a good thing that it’s only a sprint and I can doggie paddle 1/3 of a mile if I had too...let’s not wish that though.

February's totals: Bike: 27h 38m 15s - 756 Mi Run: 5h 38m 50s - 48 Mi Stair Master 1h January's totals: Bike: 32h - 788 Mi Run: 6h 50m 50s - 48.1 Mi Stair Master 30m 2006 totals Bike: 59h 38m 15s - 1544 Mi Run: 12h 29m 40s - 96.1 Mi Stair Master 1h 30m

Me in the Race Across Florida

Never a good time to puncture!!

Haedo wins sprint, Landis still in lead : "Argentina's Juan Jose Haedo became the Tour of California's first double stage winner Thursday, as Floyd Landis retained the overall lead."

National team wraps Geelong Tour : "Tina Pic finished seventh today in the fourth and final stage of the Geelong Tour in Australia. Her finish on the 114 km ride out and back to Lara, Australia was only good enough to place her 17th"

Herr Homeboy: Dirk Storms Italy! : "Message by NONEPEZ’s German Homeboy, 20-year-old Dirk Finders, has had a remarkable start to his season in the U23 ranks. During a successful weeklong race trip to Italy this month, Dirk went on the attack, chalking up some impressive finishes despite a broken hand. Back home and sweating over an indoor trainer, Dirk checks in."

ToCal St4: Inside The Winning Car : "Message by NONETeam Toyota-United’s JJ Haedo scored a brilliant win of today’s Queen stage along the California coast. It was a full-team effort as ds’s Frankie Andreu & Harm Jansen plotted the winning strategy, then assigned their men to deliver the win. Pez was along for the ride and here’s how it unfolded …"

Hardman Preview: Het Volk / Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne : "Message by Jered GruberThe racing season is barely under way and while much of the pro peloton is applying sunscreen in sunny Socal, the real hard men are pulling on the thermal booties, vests, and long gloves for this weekend’s unofficial Classics kick off in Belgium – get ready for Het Volk and Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne!"

EuroTrash Thursday! : "Message by James HewittWet your appetites for the weekend with a scrumptious supply of stories; Tyler's Ban: Our Final Instalment, Bambino For Bortolami, Phonak Wins In Cali, Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana Update, O’Grady Looking Good, Geelong Tour, Race Preview: Het Volk And KBK, the next in the ‘Who Is...’ series, Pro Rider Telemetery and the Plat Du Jour!"

Landis sprints to victory : "American Floyd Landis powered to a commanding time-trial victory to give the Tour of California its third different leader on Wednesday."

Has this ever happened to you? 

Last night’s run was a bit off of pace but not bad. I ran my 5 miles in 35 minutes to put me at a 7 min/mile. Still not too shabby I guess. This morning’s ride was also off..ridding my 30 miles in 1hour and 2 minutes for a 29.0something pace. But still was a good sweaty ride. The weather is starting to look like crud for the upcpming weekend...but it’s still readable. I just won’t plan a long ride...maybe a 70 and a 50 miler...or something like that. We’ll see.

Watch out or I'm going to whoop your butt! Photo : Frank Chan/flickr.com/photos/frenquency/

Hincapie sprints to stage two win : "George Hincapie sprinted away from the field to win the second stage of the Tour of California on Tuesday."

Man did I have a good run last night! I decided to change my running path and went out for a 5 miler...which I did in 34 miles for about a 6.8 min/mile. Not too bad. I can take more time off from that I’m sure. I felt pretty good. I would like to get to about a 6 mile run on my run days. But time is my limiting factor and the motivation to run fast. I have just a short amount of time to get my run in. This morning’s ride was also good. I rode my 30 miles in just under an hour. I NEED TO START TO SWIM!! I need to stop by to see how chilly that water is.

WTF!?!?! 

I just thought that this pic was funny.

SRM and PowerTap: How Accurate are They? : "Message by Dr. Stephen Cheung, Ph.D.Most of us have been inundated with the beauty of power as the purest and best training variable to monitor. Before jumping on the power bandwagon however, it’s important to understand just how accurate and reliable these units are. Fortunately, the Aussie sports scientists have done exactly that…"

Leipheimer in front : "Argentina's Juan Jose Haedo sprinted away from the pack to win the first stage of the Tour of California on Monday"

Sprint triathlons: The possible dream : "When most people think of triathlons, they imagine Ironman contests of strength and endurance that originated in Hawaii. Yet many may not be aware of less intimidating, shorter-distance sprint triathlons."

Jump-start your season : "You've taken some time off after the end of the season and you're feeling rested, refreshed and ready to get in the water again. The only problem is you feel slow and sloppy. Here are several workouts to jump-start you toward those blazing swim splits."

EuroTrash Monday! : "Message by Jered GruberWipe your eyes, cross your i's, dot your t's, then stop and enjoy a vivacious medley of worldwide bike racing news with a distinct odor unto itself. This nearly March Monday: Wild Cards, Tour of California, Algarve, Del Sol, Ullrich to test, Bergman, Cycling.TV, and much MORE!"

Leipheimer claims prologue : "American Levi Leipheimer eased to a five-second win in the short prologue stage to capture the race lead in the inaugural Tour of California"

Good news to report...Carmen and I were able to get out on out bikes!! Although we did not do the picnic..we still went out for a ride. It was rather windy and I’m surprised that she wanted to go, so I was pretty impressed. I figured that the wind would have discouraged her..but like a true camper, she pushed on. Good job Carmen!! Personally I thought that the weather was crappy...but that is just me, but as usual, the company was superb! This morning I was pretty sore and tired and I did nothing! I will run once I get out of work.... I think I got about 160 miles on the bike this weekend between my training and riding with Carmen. Not too shabby. Sunday afternoon and evening, I ate and ate and crashed on the couch about 8pm and went to bed about 9. I was pretty wiped out. Carmen made us shakes last night with low fat strawberry ice cream and some peach yogurt which were great! I feel pretty good today..sore but good. My run should be rather slow just want to get the legs...

Another quick story….I had a Police Officer behind me and I guess that he was clocking me. But he gets on his PA and says…”Go Lance…..Go”! Well I was doing about 31-32mph so I thought that it was cool. But I got to a stop sign (and I actually stop seeing how there was a PO right behind me). He pulled up next to me and rolled down his window and said “fast ridding”! I smiled and just thanked him; then I corrected him by telling him that if he was going to call me something…call me George Hincapie. He looked at me puzzled…and said “who”? Exactly…..I replied and started to peddle off again.

It was an odd weekend in cycling for me. Saturday, I went down to meet up with the bike shop folks and the only person that showed up was a man named Keith from Ft Lauderdale. Now this was supposed to be a banner day as for the weather and I can’t figure out where every one was!! So we waited a couple of extra minutes then we took off. Keith is in the process of buying a home in the area so I pointed out a few things along the way. But Keith and I rode up to High Point and back. Keith actually surprise me…pretty strong. I think that we kept a 24-25mph pace. I was feeling real good, but I dropped Keith a few times when I pushed the pace up to 30mph. After I dropped Keith back at the shop…I went for a few extra miles to end my day at 70 miles. My average speed was 23mph…or so. A few hours after I go back from that ride…it was time to go on another!! But this time it’s for fun. I went on a 10 mile mountain bike ride with Carmen. I love these rides. For one it gives me time ...

TGIF!!! And what a weekend this is going to be...high in the upper 70s to low 80s, winds light and maxing out at 8mph and sunny!! I’m SOOO ready for some good long rides. I’m looking at getting about 150 miles over the weekend. Can’t wait. I’ll go home tonight and load up my MP3 player with some new songs and get my bike ready. Oh..also I got a new personal best for my 30 miles ride...32.14mph! Hurray! This weekend I’ll go slow and just enjoy the sun. Two new endorsements...the first one is Napster to Go...I have had it now for a few months and I absolutely love it. I can download as many MP3s as I want and only pay the $14 monthly subscription. It’s great! The second is Cliff Bloks...these little gummies are fantastic! Try them if you get a chance.

Why do I bother with the daily updates? I ran last night at a 6.5 minute mile for 4 miles and this morning I rode 30 miles in just under an hour for a 30.7mph pace. The good news is that the weather looks great for the up coming weekend!! It’s supposed to be about 80*F and sunny and winds about 5mph!! Perfect for a century ride. We’ll see if it hold true. BTW I would like to do something I never do...that is endorsing something. There is a website www.Cycling.tv which shows streaming video of cycling races and they are about to launch 5 new channels and a new add campaign! Give them a look and I think that they are trying to work out a deal to show live footage of the Amgen Tour of California!!

The only thing I have to write about so far is my ride this morning which was like all the other weekday rides really. I did my 30 miles in about 1 hour and 1 minute for a 29.something pace. The weather is pretty nice out so I’ll go for a run today when I get home from work. Oh...one note worthy event...or events I guess. My heart rate is really starting to fall. This morning, after by pot of espresso...I was getting ready for my ride and my heart rate was only 55bpm. That’s after being up and drinking coffee. I was riding at 33mph and my heart rate barely broke into the 140’s. Feeling pretty good!! I think that my resting HR is in the low 40’s now...I’ll have to check. Ciao bella!

Last night after I got home from work I ran on the treadmill in my condo’s gym. I ran 4 miles at a 8 min/mile pace. I was breaking in new shoes (New Balance 890) so I didn’t want to push it. Very nice shoes by the way….also very comfy for the shins. So I was happy. Then this morning I rode my 30 miles at a 29.9 pace. I was 10 seconds off from the 30mph pace. Oh well. But today is Valentines day and my anniversary! I decided to work from home today and so did my wife so I had her company…even though I did have to get some work done and so did she. But come lunch time…it was bright and sunny out and I decided to go for a run. I donned on my new shoes and grabed the MP3 player and off out in the sun I went. It was spectacular outside. Cool…but very good running. I wore a thermal top, but still wore my shorts. AAHHHHH! I ran a 7 minute mile pace, but I was actually trying to run slower and just enjoy being in the sun. Got home at lunch real quick and got back to work. Were...

Monday’s day off was anything but that. Seeing how yesterdays ride wasn’t all that I wanted it to be cracked up to be I decided to get in a wee 20 miles to kind of even it our. I also found out that the reason I felt like the ride was harder that it usually is...is that the roller was rubbing on the carpet and causing additional resistance. So I fixed that and the rest of the ride went swimmingly! I bought a new pair of New Balance 890 running shoes yesterday at The Sports Authority which I will break-in this evening.

Not the best weekend for cycling. Saturday and Sunday were both pretty chilly and windy. Saturday, I did manage to get out and get a good 52 miles in…but with a 18mph wind, it was a bit of work. I went to ride with the bike shop crew, but the only one was Jim (which was fine). Some of my better rides are with Jim. At first I thought that he was a bit off of his best, then I realized that I’m just getting better. When you are cruising at 23 and heart rate is barely breaking 130bpm…you are in good shape. There were times when I was drafting at 22-23mph and my heart rate was under 100bpm. Things are looking good. Anyway, it was my anniversary and valentines dinner weekend so my wife and I went to the Chart House and had a magnificent dinner. Well the company was great…we had a beautiful evening of food, wine, and desert! When I got up this morning, it was 29 degrees and I figured that I would just stay in and ride the trainer. That was a good choice because I just felt like cr...

Another day I guess. Last night’s run was good...kept a 6.5 min/mile pace for the 4 miles and this morning’s ride was hoe-hum...29.53 mph for the 30 miles. The usually stuff...and kind of uneventful. You can tell it’s late in the week and I’m getting bored. I need to get out with other folk!! I guess I shouldn’t complain...a lot of people would die to make the times that I do and would love to be running outside in shorts in February.

Stairmaster...stairmaster, I figured that it was worth mentioning twice because that thing is a killer! But I like that sort of thing. I worked out for 30 minutes on level 11 and did 2760 feet and burnt 560 calories...that is in 30 minutes! A very fast way to burn off some fuel and get a good burn. The veins in my quads were just popping out! This morning’s ride was a tad uneventful. I rode 30 miles in 1 hour and 2 miutes which is a bout average for me now. My MP3 player ran out of battery so I was watching tv. Oh..hum. But a good couple of work outs. I’ll go home tonight and run...not sure but I think outside.

Last night’s run went well. I felt pretty good but the ol’ shins were a tad tender. I ran outside and did my 4 miles in 26 minutes for about a 7.5 min/mile. So I felt good about that! This morning well I didn’t get to ride. I changed the batteries in my clock and inadvertently set my alarm to pm and not am so I woke-up late. I hate that...but it’s probably good that I get an extra day off. At least that is what I’m telling myself so that I don’t feel bad for missing my ride. Today is going to be a stairmaster day. It’s a good workout and give my shins a break.

Not a bad start for the week. Last night I ran on the treadmill and kept a 7.75 min/mile pace for my 4 miles. Felt pretty good and no aches and pains to speak of. Well the one pain was having to watch Berry Manilow on Martha Stuarts show while working out...but that was my motivation for getting it over fast. The ride this morning was pretty normal and nothing too exciting. I rode my 30 miles in 1hour and 3minutes for a 28.5ish mph pace. But that was my workout...

Well for my 100th posting, I wish that I had more to report. I took this morning off from cycling...which is my normal day off, but I do plan to run tonight. I’m kind of sore from this weekend...maybe it was racing Rusty at 35mph that did it? Na.....

Saturday was a washout! Two words…RAIN and WIND. Ok…so that is three, but and doesn’t count…right? So anyway, I went for a ride on the trainer so that I could still get a workout in. So I popped in a cycling DVD and started peddling. I covered 50 miles in 1 hour and 37 minutes for about a 31mph pace. I was seating buckets! I was going to get more in but I had to get ready to go to Orlando and buy a new car. Fun fun. Sundays ride was a bit better. The morning are was very cold and there was a stiff wind coming from the west at about 13mph. A tad nippy. I was going to head down to the bike shop and ride with those folks but when I got there none of the usual people were there. But one good person was….my old buddy Rusty. I haven’t ridden with him in a while! There were several other people there that I didn’t know nor did I think that I’d like. They are what I call gear heads. That comes from the fact that they are more into the bike and the gear than actually ridding it...

Stronger yet! Well last night I had all intentions of just taking it easy on my run thinking about my shins...but!!!! At the first mile mark I looked at my time and I was just over 6 minutes...then just about 13 minutes at the 2 mile mark and 19 at the 3, and I finished the 4th mile at 27 minutes to bring me into the sub 7 minute mile mark. Yahoo...that is exactly where I wanted to be! 6.75 min/mile. So if I stay there and just work on the conditioning at that pace...I’ll do just peachy! This morning ride on the rollers was much like the run. My final pace was 31.1mph and completes my 30 miles in 57 minutes! What I want to do is break Dave Zabriskie TT record of 54.676kph or 34.17mph. But that is for only 12.5 miles so I think that I can do that.

Well last night I decided to stay away from running and went to use the stairmaster for my evening workout. And that thing really is a killer. I did 240 flights or 2400 feet climbed in 30 minutes...which burnt off 535 calories. I was soaked from sweat by the time that I was done. That is such a hard workout. Then this morning I rode my trainer for 1 hour and 1 minute at 29.5mph pace. Again..soaked with sweat! I really didn’t feel all that great this morning for my ride, I didn’t eat that good of a dinner nor did I sleep very well so this morning was a bigger effort than it needed to be, but I lived and still managed to get my workout in. Also, I weighed myself this morning and to my dismay...I weighed 126 pounds. Hope my wife doesn’t read this...she’ll make me eat a pie or something! I’m sure that it’s just water weight....really. Not sure about tonight if I’m going to run or do the stairmaster. We’ll see...

Things look to be on track for my training. Last nights run went well...covered my 4 miles in just under 29 minutes, so lets just call it that. So it’s a 7.25 minute mile. I can live with that. Mt shins were getting tender so back to the stairmaster for a day. I know that the distance and time are not an issue so that’s all that I can hope for. I just need to take care of my legs and not blow them out to early in the season. This morning’s ride a-la rollers went well. I rode my 30 miles in under an hour...59 minutes to be exact! That too I can live with. A buddy Stewart loaned me some DVDs...Eddie Merckx to watch which always motivates me. He is such an animal...or cannibal as he is know. But the training ride felt good. Lost a pound or so...body fat is about 11% (weight is at 129lbs), which I think I can get down to the single digits by race time. It’s hard now to lower body fat at this point. More miles!! Heart rate is still doing good, I think running and stairmaster...