tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-87763747806133403042024-03-12T21:12:46.567-07:00The WorkbenchJay Prasuhnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05585350218995634202noreply@blogger.comBlogger86125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8776374780613340304.post-48406508923055536282010-12-30T20:24:00.000-08:002010-12-31T10:18:50.764-08:002010 Redux: Hell of a Year<style>
@font-face {
font-family: "Cambria";
}p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal { margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman"; }div.Section1 { page: Section1; }
</style> <br />
<div class="MsoNormal">Every so often I haul out a jacket and find a boarding pass stub. Abu Dhabi to Chicago. Knoxville to San Diego. The ever-hilarious Las Vegas to San Diego, where seatmates ask <i>“how’d you do, I still have a quarter left.” “Sounds like you did better than me!”</i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">But for all the travel this year, just one trip to the wind tunnel (with Felt and Terenzo Bozzone as he was fitting to the new DA). Remarkable. Of course, I have two tunnel trips already lined up for ’11. God bless the fan….never get tired of it.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">The year started with lots of new events. Abu Dhabi, Rev3 Knoxville. Ironman St. George, my new favorite most beautiful course, and stuff I didn’t get to, like the TriStar races. Love seeing the balance of events out there.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Of course there were the standby Ironman and ITU events. I found myself up many nights in hotels, the night before covering a race, watching WCS races on the Internet. I sure hope I get to one or two WCS events in 11, as I miss these races; it’s where the Maccas and Raelerts came from, but also where the Whitfields and Snowsills reside with authority. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcZW-Qmr5LThA5acGd9d4VbuM2K8871fqPyA8EjuDlbzngoBgmYe5AFQ3sNWHCzZXKZOg3a5P36pLEiuEp773eg-B1UqzO4q1ksU_5sLMJEQ4efLKananXh_j1lj7ldUHax0kUhNt67V3e/s1600/Hayes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcZW-Qmr5LThA5acGd9d4VbuM2K8871fqPyA8EjuDlbzngoBgmYe5AFQ3sNWHCzZXKZOg3a5P36pLEiuEp773eg-B1UqzO4q1ksU_5sLMJEQ4efLKananXh_j1lj7ldUHax0kUhNt67V3e/s320/Hayes.jpg" width="214" /></a></div><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">While the expected dominance of the Ferraris in Gomez and Brownlee were expected, I’d say my race of the year in short-course came out of Stuart Hayes (above), who rode away from the pack and stayed clear to win at Kitzbuhel in August. Awesome. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">A trip to Eurobike with my boss John Duke was remarkable. We had just one German meal (I had a nice plate of spaetzle), because our hotel was on the far north end of Lake Constance (meaning a significant drive to/from the Eurobike venue). As such, I ate most meals of wonderful local fare at….. McDonalds. The only draw to the golden arches was that it was the closest place with a wireless connection. So after we ate, Duke went back to crash, and I wrote and filed gear stories for the LAVA website at McDonalds… up till 2 a.m. most nights.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">I love driving in Europe. And I love driving there with a Garmin’s Nuvi. Driving rental cars 105mph, the auditorial direction telling me to turn on Dresdnerstrasse, with Duke yelling at me in the passenger seat “DON’T DIE ME!!!!”</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">The week before Eurobike I was on my own for a trip to Italy with Giro. One of my all-time fave trips. (Shit, any time I go to Italy and eat pasta carbonara it’s a favorite trip). Riding flow tracks with Hans Rey, doing shit on a mountain bike in the Italian Alps that were past my skill level, doing a nosedive into an air pit off a quarter pipe (see the below vid). Great new shoes from Giro, and fun as hell testing them by climbing the Stelvio. Taking that one to the grave.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dyda5P076z1xzMsR8tbjHTPFiip_eGfHuYvzzCgNuZ9MpkfxlSlEKwIlTOrgkld5o3WidRO3hWvhaiCPCPg3w' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">I’d have to say the close to the year was one of the most memorable in my career. Kona was remarkable, as ever. Macca versus Andi was Ironwar II, I don’t care who you ask. So good to see Macca take a second title, reiterating that he’s one of the greatest champions in this sport, period.<br />
<br />
I got to watch him race short-course, make the transition, suffer, take his lumps, learn his lessons and make it to the top. I think these two images of mine below speak for themselves. (And man, I felt terrible documenting Chris’ rough time that day in 2004…but he was cool with it.) His time came. …twice now.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiENthPE3qq-IgOGMp7diuvXys6niVY-9XEkzPJXJnHqsHLaHqg2TggpFMP1JL7F55lQfGVz4u4N9MdtgVKZqSYKg1sGpDx_QoK2uDsFL4wac89ssCUNMyYtC5o33ZtKnXvhzgfFr0xlKR0/s1600/MaccaBucket.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiENthPE3qq-IgOGMp7diuvXys6niVY-9XEkzPJXJnHqsHLaHqg2TggpFMP1JL7F55lQfGVz4u4N9MdtgVKZqSYKg1sGpDx_QoK2uDsFL4wac89ssCUNMyYtC5o33ZtKnXvhzgfFr0xlKR0/s320/MaccaBucket.jpg" width="214" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Macca, 2004, 0 Ironman World Titles</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip8J24bbuq4xUEBs4fW3DtLzmbgIhzwWWlS2bwR61Ooq6wwQjh4l0Ke78eQiXLeUVnO2Z8t6Sq7U4c0gzkHkHa8VmFBXkSz4gen6u2JZkHnapjHHMiiON_oNxj8qv9Mvl86gUJUGMD78Le/s1600/ChrisMcCormackRunVert_AUS_JP.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip8J24bbuq4xUEBs4fW3DtLzmbgIhzwWWlS2bwR61Ooq6wwQjh4l0Ke78eQiXLeUVnO2Z8t6Sq7U4c0gzkHkHa8VmFBXkSz4gen6u2JZkHnapjHHMiiON_oNxj8qv9Mvl86gUJUGMD78Le/s320/ChrisMcCormackRunVert_AUS_JP.jpg" width="219" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Macca, 2010, 2 Ironman World Titles</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
<br />
<br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
It was great to be there with my wife Donna racing, of course. But to capture the moment when the women’s pro field gasped when hearing that Chrissie Wellington wasn’t going to make the Kona start was remarkable; it was like a sonic boom. So too was Mirinda’s solid win. All year, she was a beast. My fave moment was at Oceanside 70.3, waiting to take splits, as the O'side Police ran the speed gun on her. <i>"Wow, that little lady's runnin' real fast, huh?"</i><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFQPqe5nsZcz98a1IidtiEYFHpD5KsHXooodK5M1QRfct8bTYQ2khUKYkcykhbUMBVxiPAjNJWBjutRzHMOxqiQWh_M7T1ZfmwRZpWpLw6IB-e-EQ7fpyNNIJrZEKrWDG18sq758fhn0C4/s1600/RinnySpeeding2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="417" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFQPqe5nsZcz98a1IidtiEYFHpD5KsHXooodK5M1QRfct8bTYQ2khUKYkcykhbUMBVxiPAjNJWBjutRzHMOxqiQWh_M7T1ZfmwRZpWpLw6IB-e-EQ7fpyNNIJrZEKrWDG18sq758fhn0C4/s640/RinnySpeeding2.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Caught Speeding</td></tr>
</tbody></table>The chaser came with Chrissie’s utterly stunning display at Ironman Arizona. Every time Chrissie races, I know I’m privy to a front-row seat to an amazing display, and her comeback from being sick was f’ing awesome. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">To say she goes “fast” just doesn’t cut it. Max Longree had to gather himself to re-pass Chrissie early in the run and hold her off the rest of the marathon, lest he become part of the many pro men who were “chicked.” He crossed, looked over his shoulder and said “amazing… that girl is just amazing.”</div><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiICuA6530YFil2krXnfUdMZSXrqK2Z5uXgJLDdlMlrqg0ENU92In__7kzvUNB2vTRj-CIyHwIIOOF_IVY3zhM4L_kpg0AdkTTkmNj1JhJI6xLM3Ikg26R2pVg1CgEHNC7JTpEk3mWJvZM6/s1600/ChrissieClowns.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiICuA6530YFil2krXnfUdMZSXrqK2Z5uXgJLDdlMlrqg0ENU92In__7kzvUNB2vTRj-CIyHwIIOOF_IVY3zhM4L_kpg0AdkTTkmNj1JhJI6xLM3Ikg26R2pVg1CgEHNC7JTpEk3mWJvZM6/s320/ChrissieClowns.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>Watching her race was fantastic… as always, a front-row seat to history.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">But the best part of that race was getting to see Jordan Rapp throw open the throttle again. The last time I’d seen him race, he was dragging a huge group around at Abu Dhabi Tri. After Abu, Jordan was left fighting for his life roadside after a collision with a vehicle. After a hard spate of rehab, I saw Jordan at Rev3 Knoxville, and couldn’t believe the knot in his collarbone, or the scars that were healing. He’ll always bear those scars, but he’s really put the event behind him pretty damn well. Well enough to score a sweet fourth-place finish. To see him tearing up as he came up on his wife Jill before crossing, was like witnessing a personal moment I shouldn’t have been privy too. I can’t wait to see him get after it again in ’11. Plus it’s sweet having him contributing to our mag. The dude knows shit…. Not many of those people around.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXSRnAjI-7OMGarzZh45Kd0j9iccTdjsdDN1PFLSeKEpXLrdcLc6hyVdbwGhBh4q9ThmcODbqUd1ejlFxFU72jmqXRFNen_HbbdLINmvWeFl2fIwbcBzAkdec-gZdI_ODPtIKi2cEjOgyE/s1600/RappCries.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXSRnAjI-7OMGarzZh45Kd0j9iccTdjsdDN1PFLSeKEpXLrdcLc6hyVdbwGhBh4q9ThmcODbqUd1ejlFxFU72jmqXRFNen_HbbdLINmvWeFl2fIwbcBzAkdec-gZdI_ODPtIKi2cEjOgyE/s320/RappCries.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A look into a private moment for Jordan.</td></tr>
</tbody></table> Finally, the year kicked off with the launch of what was just an idea a year ago. I left Triathlete magazine to help Dave House start a new title called TRI up in the L.A. basin (though he was nice enough to let me work from home). Just two weeks later, John Duke, who left Triathlete just after me, was walking with me in the parking lot at the Y to masters and said “you jumped too early.” I asked “what are you talking about” to which he replied “I can’t talk to you about it now, but let’s have coffee in a week or so.”</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">That coffee laid out what John had up his sleeve: a magazine very much in the same vein as what I was going to do with TRI. He offered me a place on his ship. I’d worked with him for 10 years and was grateful he thought of me to be part of his new project. With Duke at the helm, and with the WTC as owners backing it, I knew I would be fighting a tough battle trying to produce a title against that. So I joined him, as well as many others, who I generally considered the crème de la crème of our former employers, and collected some great freelance writers that we believed in and had strong relationships with (though we considered firing <a href="http://www.bengreenfieldfitness.com/" style="color: #0b5394;">Ben Greenfield</a> for his boxershort-and-tie rendition of the Village People's YMCA at the Ironman 70.3 Phuket after-party). So great working with Duke, Brad, Susan and Erica, Heather, Laura and Lisa, Wattie and Kayla again, with a few other talented new faces on board; we're having a blast making the mag we always wanted to see. The results speak for themselves.... we're a proud lot, and hope you like this new offering to the market.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJbP_cs3nVXJ8_70fV4sP7-ukq9qOWppWy7c8MkvmtSP7oJA2-7hf1_8ckQ5zKB1BN42MclMhjetBvN5OEljrypOzC_DKwRkktHHWYemD2GOuaaa6gr3CvW1kU1hWIr4CxPTy6cR65G7kn/s1600/LAVA+Cover_Dec.Jan_2011.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJbP_cs3nVXJ8_70fV4sP7-ukq9qOWppWy7c8MkvmtSP7oJA2-7hf1_8ckQ5zKB1BN42MclMhjetBvN5OEljrypOzC_DKwRkktHHWYemD2GOuaaa6gr3CvW1kU1hWIr4CxPTy6cR65G7kn/s320/LAVA+Cover_Dec.Jan_2011.jpg" width="266" /></a></div></div><div class="MsoNormal">What do we close the year with? Lance announcing his first tri DNS at the Rotorua Tri (via Twitter no less, not sure why he refuses a relationship with the endemic tri media, but I digress), leaving me feeling terrible for the poor race organizers, who probably poured a ton into that race. At least they have good national heroes in Bevan Docherty and Bryan Rhodes, and a possible showing by Peter Clode, who will make that title a hard-fought one.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Oh yes, gear? I’ll get into it on our website, but my top five for 2011 were the Trek Speed Concept (No. 1 by a long shot, for so many reasons), the Garmin Edge 800 (touchscreen!) The Timex Global Trainer (finally stepped up with true GPS, without needing an arm transmitter), Zipp Firecrest carbon clinchers (aero aside, the design just makes for easy-to-install tires) and Giro, entering the bike footwear realm with brilliant road kicks. I can foresee a tri shoe in the works…soon.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Looking into 2011, I’m sure there will be as many amazing elements as came stock with 2010. Already planning coverage for LAVA that will continue to make it all look as awesome as it truly is. If you want a sneak peek and our next issue, visit the blog of our photographer <a href="http://donaldmiralle.wordpress.com/" style="color: #0b5394;">Donald Miralle</a>, who joined me on my last boondoggle. (You'll find a shot of me at the Mercedes Benz Berlin museum, chillin' by my wings-up ride with the ice cream paint job.) If you call three days in icy Germany a boondoggle. It’s a piece I’m proud of, and proud to have Don’s work accompanying. A hint: It involves this guy, who put the entire men's 70.3 field in his rear view mirror in 2010.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPcmmjKL5_8l6M6Vr0TKgtfbpmxreGgANMRYW6bvi2Y6SzJv5zO2iGnA85yUtQ5WlHl-M_t_yBPyQey5betLY-w1AgkNbtj8KYR84FTB4HczLt2HCGQNUTYs15L3hM-8E6OF5FJnXOl-aS/s1600/RaelertLooksBackBike.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="275" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPcmmjKL5_8l6M6Vr0TKgtfbpmxreGgANMRYW6bvi2Y6SzJv5zO2iGnA85yUtQ5WlHl-M_t_yBPyQey5betLY-w1AgkNbtj8KYR84FTB4HczLt2HCGQNUTYs15L3hM-8E6OF5FJnXOl-aS/s400/RaelertLooksBackBike.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">I’m stoked my wife will be around a fair bit more. She just joined an old friend in Siri Lindley and will be training with Siri’s group in Santa Monica and Borrego Springs, so I’m checking Amtrak train schedules to L.A. Gonna be a fun year for her, with new teammates and new sponsors. I hope to update this space a bit more, but LAVA is taking much of my time, and Donna taking the rest of it. And training too….I hope to actually race at Oceanside 70.3 instead of just sitting on the back of a moto taking pics. Lucky I don’t forget to feed the cats at night!</div>Jay Prasuhnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05585350218995634202noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8776374780613340304.post-72150328108049946742010-09-26T18:08:00.000-07:002010-09-26T18:29:42.203-07:00Back in the Land of the LivingBack in San Diego from Vegas after Interbike, and getting my mojo back. Sorta. I'm trying to keep my fitness somewhat intact, and while my swim and run are nowhere, my bike has been solid. It was fun going out with my wife Donna last week for a 90-miler. This Saturday I scaled it back to 66 miles, but the ride was twice as hard, with 105 degree temps and headwinds that were just beating me down... but not Donna.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQbKqjrTcw-D4esIhlBPq5SrQfBHyMLya5sSHIfnV3sD67iKktO5VmyMJainMXjwr2yW1t_cNiX4hE_C8ylDumKNUytPT4z1nathmvSQ7fLM1KUA7kilzrWlcFQ6wJu0cVMC_hAK6cuFMr/s1600/DonnaRamona.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 292px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQbKqjrTcw-D4esIhlBPq5SrQfBHyMLya5sSHIfnV3sD67iKktO5VmyMJainMXjwr2yW1t_cNiX4hE_C8ylDumKNUytPT4z1nathmvSQ7fLM1KUA7kilzrWlcFQ6wJu0cVMC_hAK6cuFMr/s400/DonnaRamona.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521397731465925634" border="0" /></a>Not sure how the race in Kona will sort out (it's a pretty stacked field, if ya haven't heard), but I do know she'll have a solid bike time if nothing else. Never seen the girl ride stronger. Should be fun to watch her rip it up, coz she loves the heat, and she loves the wind. Pretty ironic, considering she's from the cold climes of St. John's, Newfoundland. The blood has permanently thinned. In fact, while I finish the ride looking like a salt lick, with helmet straps looking like they've been dusted in snow, she has not a bit of salt on her; years of training in the Philippines and Thailand have clearly tempered her body.<br /><br />With a coming trip to Kona taking place next week, I may file a post or two here (maybe lift this blog off the ground again for a bit!) that may not be cogent or applicable at the LAVA Magazine site.... which is where you'll find a plethora of activities in the days leading up to the Hawaii Ironman on Oct. 9.<br /><br />BTW, above is a shot of Donna headed up to Ramona, tearing me up Saturday. After a few 5.5hr rides with her, I'm very, VERY familiar with the look of her rear wheel...Jay Prasuhnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05585350218995634202noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8776374780613340304.post-32770699839029176032010-03-31T21:12:00.000-07:002010-04-01T06:53:35.985-07:00Gu Launches Savory Gel LineOn the heels of the wildly-successful Roctane line, Gu debuts a new line of savory gel flavors for 2010. I didn't realize there was a market for this, but clearly Australians and Kiwis will eat anything (see Vegemite and Marmite, each of which are supposedly discernable varietals of yeast extract), so I reckon this will be a hit with Down Under athletes.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO-wuNVNrteJxvdp-rLkdkUo5O6JsTfMmKlWScAv_jSXjZk0T_XmwHuLjMyiECGWbP8PNSaYcEB-AiLf9UpXb6LJfscJv3VEYXGGCi0kDUhViW1TKTZywrZUzlBEK-7dVvKh9bLnqqd1rZ/s1600/Savory+Line+from+GU+2.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 446px; height: 576px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO-wuNVNrteJxvdp-rLkdkUo5O6JsTfMmKlWScAv_jSXjZk0T_XmwHuLjMyiECGWbP8PNSaYcEB-AiLf9UpXb6LJfscJv3VEYXGGCi0kDUhViW1TKTZywrZUzlBEK-7dVvKh9bLnqqd1rZ/s400/Savory+Line+from+GU+2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5455017524027034402" border="0" /></a> GU's PR agency said LAVA will be receiving a delivery tomorrow of samples of the new line for test. I haven't seen the nutritional count for some of these, but I would be very curious whether Mushroom Rush could integrate the cordyceps sinesis that has has been an endurance benefit in the supplement end of things.Jay Prasuhnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05585350218995634202noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8776374780613340304.post-35244889302575749432010-03-11T23:43:00.000-08:002010-03-12T02:21:37.715-08:00Abu Dhabi Starts Saturday: Who’s gonna be crowned Arabian Prince (and Princess?)Pundits and experts are doing odds on who’s going to win the inaugural Abu Dhabi International Triathlon and its $50,000 first prize. (Am I missing that they’re taking odds in Vegas by spending too much time at the blackjack tables?) Normally, they'd be good educated guesses. Not here, not tomorrow. As the first race, we contend that a long shot could beat the oddsmakers, and I'm not even going to venture a guess.<br /><br />Why? For many, it’s the first race of the year. For many, they’re coming out of winter. For some in the Southern Hemisphere, they’re coming into the race at year’s end. Who’s ready to go? Good question.<br /><br />“That’s the exciting thing,” said Rasmus Henning (pictured below). “Nobody knows how anyone else is doing. And it’s the first race of the year for me—I don’t even know how I’m gonna do!”<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFa9Nyjsr9A3KmEYdnEoFKD1TXo_9Lb78ubgRazWmIifArCS-xd-ZmJ4Wh2GqJL6Dp0IHjaGO8pu8_vxx2VNEErunTfraaBHJqC371yYn1v9p4GcpexkgV9IAClfSwP-WuqYQEwHZnIAhO/s1600-h/2HenningPreRace.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 304px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFa9Nyjsr9A3KmEYdnEoFKD1TXo_9Lb78ubgRazWmIifArCS-xd-ZmJ4Wh2GqJL6Dp0IHjaGO8pu8_vxx2VNEErunTfraaBHJqC371yYn1v9p4GcpexkgV9IAClfSwP-WuqYQEwHZnIAhO/s400/2HenningPreRace.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5447652910955075042" border="0" /></a>Yvonne Van Vlerken of the Netherlands said it’s not about worrying about anyone else other than yourself. “I feel rested, and I felt like this before setting the world record,” she said. “I know the course is made for me—but that’s on paper. I don’t know what will happen outside.”<br /><br />Then you’ve got folks that are playing their fitness down, maybe sandbagging a bit. “People are playing it down like ‘aw, we’ll see how it goes,’” said Trek/K-Swiss Aussie Joe Gambles. “But when that gun goes off, it’s going to be on. As soon as this race was announced last year, people would have put this on their front burner—forget back burner.”<br /><br />Being the first race of the year, there are so many variables that I don’t think many are considering….like:<br /><br />Who’s coming from Southern Hemisphere? Raynard Tissink (South Africa), Bryan Rhodes (New Zealand), Leon Griffin (Australia)<br /><br />Who’s coming from heat? Tereza Macel, Rebekah Keat (Thailand) Faris Al Sultan (Abu Dhabi), Yvonne Van Vlerken (Fuerteventura), Eneko Llanos (Lanzarote)<br /> Who’s coming from cold? Rasmus Henning (Denmark), Bjorn Andersson (Sweden), Rutger Beke (Belgium).<br /><br />If this was Kona, we’d all know where everyone was; at either heat (Kona camp, Canary Islands) or altitude (Boulder). But with everyone converging from their personal Bermuda Triangle, this one’s gonna be interesting to say the least.<br /><br />Friday marked bike check-in for all athletes, (preceeded by a splash in the Arabian Sea for most folks) and gave us journos a good first look at athlete race rigs for 2010. Take a look at some goods from today’s check-in.<br /><br /><p class="MsoNormal"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw8Th0iiQVhacKQW0hLS9N9doI4MPpuPXaJw5DP3yACUai_2HX86fCsI1fp-NM-0mcucnlOwKTfW1OjHnLLcI-laIhVUTYek3RcVcYNItv_eKkrFtQRh2FX-hc0qa6rGzIGfHc1XHFzzWk/s1600-h/2BekePreRace.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 278px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw8Th0iiQVhacKQW0hLS9N9doI4MPpuPXaJw5DP3yACUai_2HX86fCsI1fp-NM-0mcucnlOwKTfW1OjHnLLcI-laIhVUTYek3RcVcYNItv_eKkrFtQRh2FX-hc0qa6rGzIGfHc1XHFzzWk/s400/2BekePreRace.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5447650182929839170" border="0" /></a></p><br /><br /><o:p></o:p> <p class="MsoNormal"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgrW0GY767dNPmnjeqsZwdA76P2VvZnfhLN-9OmjlrNML9R1sKFmX80y3IOEtd3o9sB3ky0H9sm_b5cAS4IijzhQPaIz1xOnYm6kciYCNXLdX7u4kH1yIJX9X5fStmhaPLrqjmXBE3gG_l/s1600-h/VanVlerkenPreRace.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 281px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgrW0GY767dNPmnjeqsZwdA76P2VvZnfhLN-9OmjlrNML9R1sKFmX80y3IOEtd3o9sB3ky0H9sm_b5cAS4IijzhQPaIz1xOnYm6kciYCNXLdX7u4kH1yIJX9X5fStmhaPLrqjmXBE3gG_l/s400/VanVlerkenPreRace.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5447654384048738274" border="0" /></a></p><p class="MsoNormal">Belgium's Rutger Beke racks up for Saturday's race.<br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"> <br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">Dutch pro Yvonne Van Vlerken get in for a splash.<br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIH4TuvTUxGWqp0byj9v9_JmPGhpHvh448aimsgibCJMZqqo3fbxOxQh3A2NQbC5Mp9uLwKcnyly5h-76loIUHJrgg9Qz7BFFTeDLTRE9yZXssfOLGsGxE8IoolqAK0BdLZrsI_HZiltSO/s1600-h/2GravesDibensBikePreRace.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 374px; height: 253px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIH4TuvTUxGWqp0byj9v9_JmPGhpHvh448aimsgibCJMZqqo3fbxOxQh3A2NQbC5Mp9uLwKcnyly5h-76loIUHJrgg9Qz7BFFTeDLTRE9yZXssfOLGsGxE8IoolqAK0BdLZrsI_HZiltSO/s400/2GravesDibensBikePreRace.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5447654009099766882" border="0" /></a></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Locked and loaded are Phillip Graves' Specialized Shiv, and Julie Dibens' Trek Speed Concept.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSGuFSz55GWSeZQNAGIG78smKMeS22Bgu1lG6xATuY_XENRA3-783sancvrc-mIRIrHnDj6wzf1T9m1kK7TDoDoCWfr-PDg8xc8k6ifwlH2OYgYHiPZREpzUkyw0z_nFixxp7Gh-1FjZqA/s1600-h/2SamPreRace.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 377px; height: 278px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSGuFSz55GWSeZQNAGIG78smKMeS22Bgu1lG6xATuY_XENRA3-783sancvrc-mIRIrHnDj6wzf1T9m1kK7TDoDoCWfr-PDg8xc8k6ifwlH2OYgYHiPZREpzUkyw0z_nFixxp7Gh-1FjZqA/s400/2SamPreRace.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5447653605466311538" border="0" /></a></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">Canadian Sam McGlone practices her beach start entry Friday morning.</p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><p class="MsoNormal"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz8UDyvJYuASnlSc1whchR8pwGErFiSJz2O05D15cP_-AFsTz5NyIX6W4k0FFvLXSyeNRSR1THhjtSPWnDmri7rxUs3BNTp4sIgjcY48WbzSMQCQ0BvlsC10YbbUiukNQriT7GgVrThNib/s1600-h/2GamblesBikePreRace.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 384px; height: 258px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz8UDyvJYuASnlSc1whchR8pwGErFiSJz2O05D15cP_-AFsTz5NyIX6W4k0FFvLXSyeNRSR1THhjtSPWnDmri7rxUs3BNTp4sIgjcY48WbzSMQCQ0BvlsC10YbbUiukNQriT7GgVrThNib/s400/2GamblesBikePreRace.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5447653306938575986" border="0" /></a></p><br /><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Australian Joe Gambles is one of the other few Trek/K-Swiss pros lucky enough to have an early version Speed Concept.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtlJd-TDxuyxsr_fJhhquS4YURzNMQMDRFkKAYup9aWG1pdV3mran97R79RO3QZR5T_AFRl0WHOYaCck-Wf1HaTrFzOnUhY6IC67ShGQjL3kH5ts3E9vgGXthCIs-moIBk_hzJ_M-ZfUMC/s1600-h/2BusPreRace.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 385px; height: 279px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtlJd-TDxuyxsr_fJhhquS4YURzNMQMDRFkKAYup9aWG1pdV3mran97R79RO3QZR5T_AFRl0WHOYaCck-Wf1HaTrFzOnUhY6IC67ShGQjL3kH5ts3E9vgGXthCIs-moIBk_hzJ_M-ZfUMC/s400/2BusPreRace.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5447650689834953042" border="0" /></a></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal"></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">Gambles (far left) chats with fellow competitors on the shuttle from T1 to the hotel Friday.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR7sX1yJ0MI5bZVPbUXbAj6t6niYig-yazw_kry3WSV1fTg4-UzGVAje3hbguQfHnSlyET5GKQHccaAkZNhwYZzoWCFOPIrzOz1i84hHusvfGK3qYikf2vlB5C7MBD3aOQBLxA9_hN4EcF/s1600-h/2BilleauBikePreRace.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 380px; height: 255px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR7sX1yJ0MI5bZVPbUXbAj6t6niYig-yazw_kry3WSV1fTg4-UzGVAje3hbguQfHnSlyET5GKQHccaAkZNhwYZzoWCFOPIrzOz1i84hHusvfGK3qYikf2vlB5C7MBD3aOQBLxA9_hN4EcF/s400/2BilleauBikePreRace.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5447650464606896290" border="0" /></a></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal"></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">This caught our eye; Simon Billeau of France figures that the course is flat enough to run a single large chainring, using a custom-fabricated chainguide. Note the absence of a front derailleur shifter on the aerobars. For all that attention, he has a frayed rear derailleur cable, absent a cap.<br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpI0Gor0a_bY9k1dwB-0stLVgSOXWPPBlrhyphenhyphenT7qCzRZKhOqYttMtcr8T5rVdVKXAB4SmrV8gtlm1KcoMsGbF7rL_09qH80O5o-IekIlWFCzrdlp1sG95VefSKQ_aQj5Cd_yCWnuX3uTKyl/s1600-h/2CaveBikePreRace.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 305px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpI0Gor0a_bY9k1dwB-0stLVgSOXWPPBlrhyphenhyphenT7qCzRZKhOqYttMtcr8T5rVdVKXAB4SmrV8gtlm1KcoMsGbF7rL_09qH80O5o-IekIlWFCzrdlp1sG95VefSKQ_aQj5Cd_yCWnuX3uTKyl/s400/2CaveBikePreRace.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5447651181051542450" border="0" /></a></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">Leanda Cave's Pinarello sports a set of the new Easton EC90 race wheels.</p> <!--EndFragment-->Jay Prasuhnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05585350218995634202noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8776374780613340304.post-45487790649520539932010-03-11T04:51:00.000-08:002010-03-11T07:37:35.055-08:00Abu Dhabi International Tri Press Conference: New Season, New Opportunities<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzAO1SizAcRP-HqkWZ-ftBMjUCuk4hYeqiFPvOPvGDpCrocoYnThUWaQ38gvLss09DShNgM2RCmt-SpUOnoiPMv4uZAowfyPT5Xw8OXHlSQAJXhHD7Kt2LD0LmhmQZ1KHSwHGAzZ0LMe5b/s1600-h/OutsidePosePreRace.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 263px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzAO1SizAcRP-HqkWZ-ftBMjUCuk4hYeqiFPvOPvGDpCrocoYnThUWaQ38gvLss09DShNgM2RCmt-SpUOnoiPMv4uZAowfyPT5Xw8OXHlSQAJXhHD7Kt2LD0LmhmQZ1KHSwHGAzZ0LMe5b/s400/OutsidePosePreRace.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5447381103407117986" border="0" /></a><br />Change is here. Saturday marks the debut of the inaugural Abu Dhabi International Triathlon, and by all accounts, a new event, in a new venue, with new distances is being very, very well received.<br /><br />Absent is the pre-race stress, the uptight, the cards-close-to-vest aspect. Maybe it’s the fact that it’s March and Kona isn’t until October. Maybe it’s the nice, warm temps and the hospitality that this first-year event is putting forth for the 800-plus athletes taking part in Saturday’s long-distance and short distance races. Thursday morning at the hotel restaurant resembled a class reunion as athletes from across the globe re-united after a winter off.<br /><br />“This is the way for me—to be relaxed,” said Hawaii Ironman third-place finisher Virginia Berasategui of Spain. “I like it that way—things like Lava Java, things like that that help me enjoy the race."Great Britain’s Philip Graves echoed the sentiment: “It’s been grim at home—it was negative 6 (Celcius) when I left for here,” he said. “To get here, it’s the first time we’re all seeing people again. It’s great to come here and hang out.”<br /><p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> Of course, with a $115,000 pro prize purse on the line (including a cool $50,000 going to the mens and womens race winner) we can be sure that demeanor will change Saturday. It’s what drew arguable the finest, deepest pro field outside the Hawaii Ironman to Abu Dhabi. “Baring a few ex and current world champions, it’s the toughest field of the year, no question,” said South African Raynard Tissink.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiqiE22IMpEKpPolqWR6fqxg3VYt8D4HuN4zRdu4dgM2gV9okYXZE7nBDG2saYhddB2sbGDJ5dvekaHW0WN5zjSzKjXYtq_zP0__pzUFvT6zBAqfzM_-eFGaXsuU_DnbuxcMKdRJgQLxND/s1600-h/SDTAPreRace.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 279px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiqiE22IMpEKpPolqWR6fqxg3VYt8D4HuN4zRdu4dgM2gV9okYXZE7nBDG2saYhddB2sbGDJ5dvekaHW0WN5zjSzKjXYtq_zP0__pzUFvT6zBAqfzM_-eFGaXsuU_DnbuxcMKdRJgQLxND/s400/SDTAPreRace.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5447358227723966002" border="0" /></a>Certainly, it’s great to see new investors in our sport, and the Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority is to thank. With German Faris Al Sultan as a catalyst (as someone who has spent tons of time training in the area) as well as the success of a recent success of a race that Richard Ussher won here, the tourism authority’s Faisal al Sheikh (above) has taken the sport into an arena that is accustomed to hosting Formula I racing, horse racing and cricket on a much larger scale.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">“We’ve always created an initiated diversive, exclusive events in Abu Dhabi, and triathlon is a mass event that can be seen worldwide. We believe in this kind of sport,” said al Sheikh. “We firmly believe that triathlon, set against the backdrop of Abu Dhabi, will be a wonderful platform to showcase our city to the world.”<o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">For Al Sultan’s part, he’s enjoying seeing a world-class collection of athletes on what is, in effect, his second home. “It was 11 years ago when I first came here to train and race,” he said. “It was my dream to have a world-class race in the emirate of Abu Dhabi."<o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8tCKBCMHiMvpFv-eXj3Iu-XbdC7I-oYRvjMR2JMjg4FTAtEhEtuZrmJKukDhRja8RtYYhYjkzdiuwqXGfL3CjYA9xLxD1orxvhm-8WYCCjHFzkwUCpycDOaljW5miI7tJCSmzSMSHr0QQ/s1600-h/FarisPreRace.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 269px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8tCKBCMHiMvpFv-eXj3Iu-XbdC7I-oYRvjMR2JMjg4FTAtEhEtuZrmJKukDhRja8RtYYhYjkzdiuwqXGfL3CjYA9xLxD1orxvhm-8WYCCjHFzkwUCpycDOaljW5miI7tJCSmzSMSHr0QQ/s400/FarisPreRace.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5447370060653889074" border="0" /></a><!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">The athletes have been nothing short of impressed.<o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">“It’s certainly a great place to race,” said Team Trek/K-Swiss Aussie Joe Gambles. “I’ve never been to this part of the world, and it’s amazing to see the area, and see all the best athletes here. They’ve done a great job pulling this together as a first-year race.”<o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">What’s the race going to be like? Being the desert we can expect to see lots of sand, and it’s fairly flat on the bike and run. But what we do have that is going to shake things up is a long two-lap 200k bike, preceded by a two-lap, 3k swim, and followed by a short 20k (two-lap) run. This is certainly a cyclist’s race, and it has some licking their chops.<o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">“I’ve been waiting for a race like this my whole career, with a short run—I can’t be more excited,” said bike specialist Bjorn Andersson of Sweden. “Between me and Philip Graves, I think we’ll have a strong group at the front of the bike, and for those of us that aren’t very good runners, we need to build a gap on the bike.”<o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=""> </span>For starters, the swim will likely be under a light fog layer. This morning, a layer of cool fog blanketed the city. By 9:30 a.m. it had burned off, exposing a fairly harsh sun and temps in the upper 80s F. That should be good news for early starters on the bike, who may take advantage of the cool temps to nail in a solid gap to open the 200k bike.<o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">It’s that long 200k bike, followed by short 20k run, that has everyone suggesting “what-if’s.” What if Phil Graves and Bjorn Andersson strike out to an unassailable lead on the bike and make it a two-man battle to survive the runners over the 20k run? What if the runners like Eneko Llanos is keeping things close? What if the short swim puts poorer swimmers like Yvonne Van Vlerken and Heather Jackson to the front of the bike in front of the likes of Sam McGlone and Julie Dibens? Or what if Tereza Macel’s heat training with TeamTBB in Thailand turns into her ace-in-the-hole?</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Yes, there will be one constant: heat. “You won’t have an advantage by riding the course; your advantage comes from training in the heat, and that can be anywhere you can get it.”<o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Said Tissink: “I expect a lot of walking, and maybe some tears out there.”<o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Considering that many athletes here are coming out of their winters, one of those guys who did some heat acclimatization was Spaniard Eneko Llanos, and he’ll likely be one of those who aims to stake his claim on the run. The question is, there be enough real estate to reel in any potential runaway riders?<o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">“It’s great to have a race this big, this early in the season,” Llanos said. “It’s a new format for everyone, and for me, I don’t know what to expect. There’s a lot of strong cyclists and maybe the run is not long enough. But it won’t change my race. I’ll ride my pace, stay as close as I can to them.”<o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Who’s gonna win? Check in tomorrow for a look at why all the oddsmakers with the various online publications are wrong, and every one should be “PK” (Well, that’s my bet anyway.)<o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></p> <!--EndFragment--><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0A-G6MGjb72T03rnbGb4WhbTa6b397OXFCn4are1CLktgbSVCMOYzT0IUFt20Cy1RZKkZ6kwbHeaRfNCY4tCvOPTiegr2XCdrPrVISQUwomXElCFaU_dqsBI0z2pM1fTkPYi4JcmTSBf_/s1600-h/CartmellPreRace.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 264px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0A-G6MGjb72T03rnbGb4WhbTa6b397OXFCn4are1CLktgbSVCMOYzT0IUFt20Cy1RZKkZ6kwbHeaRfNCY4tCvOPTiegr2XCdrPrVISQUwomXElCFaU_dqsBI0z2pM1fTkPYi4JcmTSBf_/s400/CartmellPreRace.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5447369927735639378" border="0" /></a>Scot Fraser Cartmell of the Trek/K-Swiss Tri Team does some late checks over his Trek TTX on Thursday.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7gA2htm9VNgB-NrC_pVMSoMPyWNtlIBzl9ARsUz9cRX2PqavMMUr1jDKDzLJseQkSQYrORxukVZ8t-ilVjTcdESqi_vgtueM6txJ2mRwyldvQap5KPijwteUrD24Z1Bfn6OgrONxvRgYp/s1600-h/FogPreRace.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 256px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7gA2htm9VNgB-NrC_pVMSoMPyWNtlIBzl9ARsUz9cRX2PqavMMUr1jDKDzLJseQkSQYrORxukVZ8t-ilVjTcdESqi_vgtueM6txJ2mRwyldvQap5KPijwteUrD24Z1Bfn6OgrONxvRgYp/s400/FogPreRace.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5447373142281757170" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br />The swim venue for Saturday's race has been foggy and cool in the morning, as athletes test the waters at the foot of the opulent Emirates Palace (in right background).<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXV_atsSpzOV1cvzVqtqPlT6H97BTS5s7_u6KA2lTFEnfvi2EXA6UYl5hLIcRvxG6nV4lBv8IbpRdRrDmWkeUQvVGYysIrzgUQ5dxJLr1PImdE7xSathhoYNEJTBTCY1OcV59O3gBzIhMo/s1600-h/CavePreRace.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 281px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXV_atsSpzOV1cvzVqtqPlT6H97BTS5s7_u6KA2lTFEnfvi2EXA6UYl5hLIcRvxG6nV4lBv8IbpRdRrDmWkeUQvVGYysIrzgUQ5dxJLr1PImdE7xSathhoYNEJTBTCY1OcV59O3gBzIhMo/s400/CavePreRace.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5447374849247094434" border="0" /></a>Great Britain's Leanda Cave prepares for a Thursday dip at the Emirates Palace Hotel beach.Jay Prasuhnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05585350218995634202noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8776374780613340304.post-14524620633565426452010-03-10T11:18:00.000-08:002010-03-10T11:32:07.560-08:00Under Cover of Darkness....... I've made it. After a four-hour flight from San Diego to Chicago, and the 13-plus hour flight from Chicago to Abu Dhabi (with pretty decent sleep thanks to a bulkhead aisle seat), I woke ready for breakfast. Too bad it was sundown (and thus dinnertime) when we touched down. Gotta get my mental clock readjusted.<br /><br />The lion's share of race staff and athletes are staying at Park Rotana. Running into my homeboy Herbert Krabel from Slowtwitch at the airport, we taxied to the hotel, checked in, and went straight for food.<br /><br />Food? No surprise to find athletes around that. Virginia Berasategui, Hillary Biscay, Heather Jackson, Sam McGlone and Rutger Beke were all milling about after a meal. Seems Sam's bike is AWOL, as is that of Leanda Cave and Julie Dibens. And to think we pay premium for the chance to have the idiots in baggage not only toss our fragile rigs around, but toss them on to flights points unknown. Don't get me started about my recent run-in with TSA, who took Donna's Zipp VumaQuad crankset out of her bag, and forgot to put it in.<br /><br />Signing off for now. Tomorrow morning, race organizers are taking several press members to the swim start to check it out and stretch out with a swim.. perfect post-flight activity. That will follow with a late morning press confererence. Check in later with a report from the conference.Jay Prasuhnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05585350218995634202noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8776374780613340304.post-21041168513409940332010-03-08T21:34:00.000-08:002010-03-08T22:21:01.257-08:00UAE: C U Soon!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz5lXgzaX_IvoOIakFhOp5q5QEYP0NJDzY3x1dWxk550FECtJnZ4UpsJNokGp3vgrkPMfZYyvUZOaHDN0UMfSHm1s9y22XNwDuCswlqgulYikYYFYm0c55j5WjcpXRlLW038ap64_G1mCK/s1600-h/logo.gif"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 270px; height: 90px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz5lXgzaX_IvoOIakFhOp5q5QEYP0NJDzY3x1dWxk550FECtJnZ4UpsJNokGp3vgrkPMfZYyvUZOaHDN0UMfSHm1s9y22XNwDuCswlqgulYikYYFYm0c55j5WjcpXRlLW038ap64_G1mCK/s400/logo.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5446515015699052050" border="0" /></a><br />Im'ma keep this short and sweet since I have an early morning flight, but watch this space for some updates, news and images from the <a href="http://www.abudhabitriathlon.com/">Abu Dhabi Triathlon</a> in the coming days. Since my new venture (yes, my NEW new venture) with LAVA Magazine, doesn't have a website live yet, the next best thing is to deliver you some behind-the-scenes content here, as well as at our Twitter locale, <a href="http://www.twitter.com/lavamagazine">twitter.com/lavamagazine</a><br /><br />Arriving Wednesday night, keep an eye out Thursday as soon as we get on the ground and see the middle east for the first time. Experiencing new cultures will certainly be a wonderful experience, race aside.<br /><br />A huge thanks to the Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority for hosting LAVA; we appreciate the opportunity to cover this truly exciting race with a twist on distances (2k swim/200k bike/20k run) that may shake up how the pro mens and womens races shake out, and see a pretty exciting, progressive part of the world at the same time.<br /><br />And fret not, you'll certainly hear from me about Yas Marina Formula I race track (part of the race course for the tri) and Ferrari World. You'll be sick to death of it, in fact. Especially if they decide to shut things down to let me do a hot lap in their two-seater F1 car. You'll never hear the end of it. Whatever. I don't know if visiting the track is on my itinerary, but I'm going there anyway.<br /><br />Check in with you later. سلامJay Prasuhnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05585350218995634202noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8776374780613340304.post-78723560478665048662010-01-12T18:24:00.000-08:002010-01-12T18:27:34.560-08:00Terenzo Bozzone Signs with Felt Racing<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1quXpX58rIGHoI1VuD2BRobLkvgMEvOG6r1bzEfJeDJQ4lmaqa6UHB1dDCu9pc8uILDisq7UQxbcfSJAUvh6aa9E6lkH4BnfWl291ZAHvBZdtsNsyU5iUYdOB68JdIwHE6t-0cucusz73/s1600-h/Terenzo_DA.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 389px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1quXpX58rIGHoI1VuD2BRobLkvgMEvOG6r1bzEfJeDJQ4lmaqa6UHB1dDCu9pc8uILDisq7UQxbcfSJAUvh6aa9E6lkH4BnfWl291ZAHvBZdtsNsyU5iUYdOB68JdIwHE6t-0cucusz73/s400/Terenzo_DA.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5426045160713658850" border="0" /></a><br /><b><span style="font-size:14pt;"></span></b> <p class="ecxMsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"><b><span style="font-size:14pt;">TRIATHLON WORLD CHAMPION TERENZO BOZZONE </span></b></p> <p class="ecxMsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"><b><span style="font-size:14pt;">SIGNS WITH FELT</span></b></p> <p class="ecxMsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"><i><span style="font-size:13pt;">New Zealand’s talented 2008 70.3 Ironman Champ chooses Felt for 2010 and beyond</span></i></p> <p class="ecxMsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"><i><span style="font-size:16pt;"> </span></i></p> <p class="ecxMsoNormal"><a name="OLE_LINK5" target="_blank"></a><a name="OLE_LINK2" target="_blank"></a><a name="OLE_LINK1" target="_blank"></a><a name="OLE_LINK3" target="_blank"><i>Irvine, CA (January 11, 2010)</i> – <b>Felt Bicycles</b> is pleased to announce the addition of <b>2008 Ironman 70.3 World Champion</b> <b>Terenzo Bozzone</b> to its lineup of talented Olympic and World Champion triathletes. The 24-year-old New Zealander will ride Felt bikes, including the <b>DA </b>triathlon bike and <b>AR</b> aerodynamic road bike, in 2010 and beyond. </a><span style="font-size:12pt;"></span></p> <p class="ecxMsoNormal"> </p> <p class="ecxMsoNormal">“After visiting the company and speaking with Jim Felt and the rest of the crew, I had no doubt Felt was the place I wanted to be,” Bozzone said. “Felt’s track record of producing aerodynamically superior bikes is second to none, and I’m confident I will be on the best possible bikes and well looked after.” </p> <p class="ecxMsoNormal"> </p> <p class="ecxMsoNormal">Bozzone already has dozens of major victories to his name, including the <b>2008 70.3 Half Ironman World Championship title</b>. Born in South Africa and raised in New Zealand, Bozzone has seen success at every level of multisport competition. As a junior athlete, fresh out of high school, he won the <b>Men’s Under-20 Duathlon World Championships </b>in 2001 and 2002, and the <b>Under-20 Men’s Triathlon world titles </b>in 2002 and 2003. </p> <p class="ecxMsoNormal"> </p> <p class="ecxMsoNormal">In the following years Bozzone chalked up elite category wins at nearly every major half-Ironman. In 2008, he dominated the Ironman 70.3 series, winning in Kansas, Idaho and California, before taking the 70.3 world title in Florida. </p> <p class="ecxMsoNormal"> </p> <p class="ecxMsoNormal">“Terenzo is a fantastic talent and we couldn’t be more pleased he is choosing Felt Bicycles to help take him to the next level of his career,” said Felt company namesake <b>Jim Felt</b>. “He’s a proven winner, and the sky is the limit for this young athlete.” </p> <p class="ecxMsoNormal"> </p> <p class="ecxMsoNormal">Having conquered 70.3 competition, Bozzone is now turning his attention to full Ironman-distance competition. His transition to the longer format got off to a solid start last March when he finished <b>second at his first full Ironman</b> in New Zealand. </p> <p class="ecxMsoNormal"> </p> <p class="ecxMsoNormal">Bozzone competed at the Hawaii Ironman World Championships for the first time last October and despite suffering badly on the run he finished 11<sup>th</sup>, showing great promise. “I am really enjoying competing over the full distance races and I think I have gained a great deal of experience this past year,” Bozzone said. </p> <p class="ecxMsoNormal"> </p> <p class="ecxMsoNormal">For 2010, Bozzone plans to continue competing in key 70.3 events, while also focusing more on the Ironman events. “My main goals are to get an Ironman title under my belt and win a couple 70.3 races,” he said. “And a top-five in Kona would top off the year for me. Long term, I aim to be the best triathlete in the world, and the most recognized triathlon is Kona.”</p> <p class="ecxMsoNormal"> </p> <p class="ecxMsoNormal">Bozzone joins a talented roster of Felt-sponsored triathletes in 2010 including <b>Australian Michellie Jones and American Tim DeBoom</b>—both <b>two-time Ironman World Champions</b>—as well as current <b>Olympic champions Emma Snowsill </b>(Australia) and<b> Jan Frodeno </b>(Germany). </p> <p class="ecxMsoNormal"> </p> <p class="ecxMsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"><br /></p> <p class="ecxMsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b><i> </i></b></p>Jay Prasuhnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05585350218995634202noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8776374780613340304.post-54531886796344705782010-01-12T12:34:00.000-08:002010-01-12T17:46:03.784-08:00NEW NEWS!I know this site hasn't been live for some time (twitter has been taking over my life instead) but to catch everyone up: I have left Triathlete magazine after a 10-year stint (minus a few months of unemployment a couple years ago). My new role is at editor with a new title: Tri magazine.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEianmfjmGJi-O2VsrQ5q6Dir9dhXj24BObEwP0B8AzNd-0O2xV4CW-WWM5NOccAwmqboVGhq17vBShLPlkOzSAJLYnHc65o79YBFzrArkc8LEqB_K8LqPX-Suou2gn5y1UjzAw-uqCB1jJ6/s1600-h/1263230107TRI_mock_cover.gif"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 225px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEianmfjmGJi-O2VsrQ5q6Dir9dhXj24BObEwP0B8AzNd-0O2xV4CW-WWM5NOccAwmqboVGhq17vBShLPlkOzSAJLYnHc65o79YBFzrArkc8LEqB_K8LqPX-Suou2gn5y1UjzAw-uqCB1jJ6/s400/1263230107TRI_mock_cover.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5426034036039070626" border="0" /></a>The above is a mock-up with a shot of Max Longree, by John Segesta. It's a bit cut at the bottom, but you get the idea.<br /><br />I'm looking forward to the new challenge of starting a title fresh and making it different from what's out there. The one thing I am sure of is it will look super. The palate I have to work with is astounding: a 27-inch tall by 30.5-inch wide super thick stock mag with big, bright colors and lots of white space. It's like Michelangelo (though not comparing myself to that guy!) being told "dude, see this Sistine Chapel ceiling? Paint that sucker up." I can imagine Michelangelo licking his chops. That's how I feel right now.<br /><br />I have a very good idea of what I want the title to look like, what I want to differentiate it from what's currently out there.<br /><br />Yes there will be gear. Yes there will be big feature race coverage and interesting athlete profiles. We won't beat the web, but we'll have something that will merit a place on your coffee table. Online version? Not sure, will talk to the new boss and see.<br /><br />Off to get some news together and create a skeleton framework. Wish me luck. And since I don't have a place for news to go... here's some to follow!<br /><br /><em></em>Jay Prasuhnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05585350218995634202noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8776374780613340304.post-203608395884388062009-09-01T06:45:00.000-07:002009-09-01T07:09:18.715-07:00A Year's supply of... GOLD!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4PbIdJCPWPz73LCMQ-kSXWoMaUaPNpp3khNgppxw_8x_aYnyDpDD0XuvBx9WPU8SbrmQGwk3pQI6E8QiG53vwyU0tu4AQwg68wMxRzGK2DlPlQ0GDWJ3oY_GO6Wcx5V5eK2ssiVK0VqGt/s1600-h/hp_proto.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 210px; height: 259px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4PbIdJCPWPz73LCMQ-kSXWoMaUaPNpp3khNgppxw_8x_aYnyDpDD0XuvBx9WPU8SbrmQGwk3pQI6E8QiG53vwyU0tu4AQwg68wMxRzGK2DlPlQ0GDWJ3oY_GO6Wcx5V5eK2ssiVK0VqGt/s400/hp_proto.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5376498892328310786" border="0" /></a><br /><div><span class="EC_Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(21, 21, 21);"><span class="EC_Apple-style-span" style="font-size:100%;"><span class="EC_Apple-style-span" style="font-size:13px;">Howdy... back from a hiatus on the blog, been so reliant on Twitter that I got away from this site. Will make more innane commentary here as I see fit... which begins with my bitching about the fact that I'm not in Friedrichshafen for Eurobike yet. I'm sitting at a hotel overlooking a Greg Norman Golf Course in Virginia... thanks to a tore-up tire on the plane headed out of San Diego. One day delay. Great.<br /><br />As I burn through email, I came across this on Twitter: the guys at First Endurance are giving away a year's supply of Optygen.<br /><br />Let me repeat that: A YEAR'S SUPPLY OF OPTYGEN. And not just Optygen, not just Optygen HP, but the new prototype that only sponsored teams (Astana, Columbia HTC) and pro triathletes (<a href="http://www.rappstar.com/">Jordan Rapp</a>, <a href="http://www.teamtbb.com/donnaphelan">Donna Phelan</a>) have been testing, with a higher level of potency. This stuff is gold.<br /><br />The $800 value aside, if you are training with regularity, this stuff will make you faster. There have been enough studies about Rhodiola Rosea and Cordyceps Synensis to prove the effectiveness in helping increase endurance. My wife, the aforementioned Donna Phelan ,is a First Endurance sponsored pro, and she's the most meticulous person I know who won't ingest anything that isn't good for her. For her to call me from Switzerland after two months asking me to FedEx a bottle of the stuff over because she is running low speaks volumes. Add to that the fact that First Endurance is among the leaders in testing (that is, testing to ensure their sourcing and packaging facilities are clean), and she's sold; Optygen is legal, and it works.<br /><br />Here's the deets below:<br /><span style="font-style: italic;">First Endurance is running an contest based on the most-</span></span></span></span><span class="EC_Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px; font-style: italic;"><span class="EC_Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(21, 21, 21);"><span class="EC_Apple-style-span" style="font-size:100%;"><span class="EC_Apple-style-span" style="font-size:13px;">outrageous thing that has happened while training or racing. It doesn’t have to be long or extravagant, just outrageous.</span></span></span></span></div><span class="EC_Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102); line-height: 18px;"><div style="border-width: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 15px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font-style: italic;"><span class="EC_Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(21, 21, 21);"><span class="EC_Apple-style-span" style="font-size:100%;"><span class="EC_Apple-style-span" style="font-size:13px;">Entries will be judged on originality, entertainment, and buzz. Photos, video, or audio increase your chances of winning.</span></span></span></div><div style="border-width: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 15px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font-style: italic;"><span class="EC_Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(21, 21, 21);"><span class="EC_Apple-style-span" style="font-size:100%;"><span class="EC_Apple-style-span" style="font-size:13px;">Five finalists will be selected and their entries posted on the First Endurance blog. Readers can vote for their favorite. One Grand Prize winner will receive a case of 12 bottles of OptygenHP Prototype. The four runner-ups will receive a prize of 3 OptygenHP Prototype bottles.</span></span></span></div><div style="border-width: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 15px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px;"><div style="border-width: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 15px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font-style: italic;"><span class="EC_Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(21, 21, 21);"><span class="EC_Apple-style-span" style="font-size:100%;"><span class="EC_Apple-style-span" style="font-size:13px;">Entering is easy:</span></span></span></div><ol style="border-width: 0px; padding: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; line-height: 20px; font-style: italic;"><li style="border-width: 0px; padding: 3px 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; list-style-type: decimal ! important; list-style-position: inside ! important;"><span class="EC_Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(21, 21, 21);"><span class="EC_Apple-style-span" style="font-size:100%;"><span class="EC_Apple-style-span" style="font-size:13px;">Blog about your story. If you don’t have a blog yet, you can setup a free blog at </span></span></span><a href="http://wordpress.com/" style="border-width: 0px; padding: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span class="EC_Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(21, 21, 21);"><span class="EC_Apple-style-span" style="font-size:100%;"><span class="EC_Apple-style-span" style="font-size:13px;">wordpress.com</span></span></span></a><span class="EC_Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(21, 21, 21);"><span class="EC_Apple-style-span" style="font-size:100%;"><span class="EC_Apple-style-span" style="font-size:13px;">.</span></span></span></li><li style="border-width: 0px; padding: 3px 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; list-style-type: decimal ! important; list-style-position: inside ! important;"><span class="EC_Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(21, 21, 21);"><span class="EC_Apple-style-span" style="font-size:100%;"><span class="EC_Apple-style-span" style="font-size:13px;">Mention that this story is an entry for the First Endurance contest with a link from your post to</span></span></span><strong style="border-width: 0px; padding: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px;"><span class="EC_Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(21, 21, 21);"><span class="EC_Apple-style-span" style="font-size:100%;"><span class="EC_Apple-style-span" style="font-size:13px;"><a href="http://www.firstendurance.com/" target="_blank">www.firstendurance.com</a></span></span></span></strong></li><li style="border-width: 0px; padding: 3px 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; list-style-type: decimal ! important; list-style-position: inside ! important;"><span class="EC_Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(21, 21, 21);"><span class="EC_Apple-style-span" style="font-size:100%;"><span class="EC_Apple-style-span" style="font-size:13px;">Leave a comment below and paste the URL of your blog entry so we can find and read your entry</span></span></span></li><div><span class="EC_Apple-style-span" style="line-height: normal;"><b><span class="EC_Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(21, 21, 21);"><span class="EC_Apple-style-span" style="font-size:100%;"><span class="EC_Apple-style-span" style="font-size:13px;"><br /></span></span></span></b></span></div><div><span class="EC_Apple-style-span" style="line-height: normal;"><span class="EC_Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(21, 21, 21);"><span class="EC_Apple-style-span" style="font-size:100%;"><span class="EC_Apple-style-span" style="font-size:13px;">Detailed info on entering is here: <a href="http://tinyurl.com/kjz52r" target="_blank">http://tinyurl.com/kjz52r</a></span></span></span></span></div></ol><div><span class="EC_Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(21, 21, 21);font-size:100%;" ><span class="EC_Apple-style-span" style="line-height: normal;font-size:13px;" ><br />Knock yourself out... this is a prize worth winning. Personally, I'm a big fan of it as well, hence my own excitement about the contest.<br /><br />Now back to my scramble to get back over the pond to Germany. Then next week to Italy, to take part in Granfondo Colnago just south of Milan on Sunday. And I've got my Optygen and EFS Liquid Shot packed in my luggage (which is somewhere over at Dulles International right now) to fuel the day... however hilly that might be. I hope my 80 mile ride in the heat with Normann Stadler this past weekend is enough training (amid all my flights of late) to get through this one!<br /></span></span></div></div></span>Jay Prasuhnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05585350218995634202noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8776374780613340304.post-29123478382483242212009-07-03T22:48:00.000-07:002009-07-03T23:54:55.569-07:00Tour Tech on Show in Monaco<span style="font-weight: bold;">What are we in store for in France this month? Have a look...</span><br /><br />Everyone in the industry seems to think I am in Monaco for the Tour. Sadly, I am not. As they say in France, C’est la vie. But this technical editor, however, on vacation in Switzerland, visiting my wife Donna Phelan, just as I did last year at TeamTBB camp in Leysin. It’s great seeing old friends (coach Brett Sutton and athletes Rebekah Keat, Lizbeth Kristensen and Erika Csomor), and all the new faces on the team. I brought my road bike and am excited to head out today after a day of jetlag sorting… got some new stuff to test, in a beautifully appropriate locale, the Swiss Alps. It’s a beautiful day today, and am sure it will be the same around the corner in Monaco for the race start today.<br /><br />And among the things we’ll see during the month-long saga? There’s a ton...<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Oakley Antifreeze Radar</span><br />This one debuts with Oakley's sprinters, who will wear an appropriately wicked liquid green frame that looks like frozen Prestone (which is in effect an impossibility what with it being call, you know, antifreeze... but Oakley makes the impossible possible), with a Jade Iridium lens.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-xF9i-sLRaGwUoMgCSBwQR4W481I3nnr5WecyY8DeYPuyHMejwk9nNKYA0Pe-WeIVNlj3mgxRlsQ01OomSLTudH91GalTqv5qJM3qZ9Pilvq5WvUZ4x-nnkkl3Q1mGCeQg83uN7BN0tn2/s1600-h/4a26f5dbc62fd.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 188px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-xF9i-sLRaGwUoMgCSBwQR4W481I3nnr5WecyY8DeYPuyHMejwk9nNKYA0Pe-WeIVNlj3mgxRlsQ01OomSLTudH91GalTqv5qJM3qZ9Pilvq5WvUZ4x-nnkkl3Q1mGCeQg83uN7BN0tn2/s400/4a26f5dbc62fd.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5354489212802466722" border="0" /></a>They’re limited edition, available in the standard Path lens or the new XL, with a longer 7mm nosebridge (which is functionally great for when down in the aerobars, so you're looking through the lenses and not over the frame) and available soon in that limited run at Oakley.com get'em while you can.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Castelli Apparel</span><br />While on invite at the request of Cervelo to see Carlos Sastre and Thor Hushovd do some aero testing at San Diego Low Speed Wind Tunnel this February, I had a chance to meet the folks from Castelli, and saw some prototype apparel they said would be debuted this July.<br /><br />While you’ve now seen the new reverse jerseys (white instead of black), my interest lay in their tunnel-tested gear.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLU2RucoP0zvJXSJ51qIrv3co4fFBu-FVSMa75-GMsX__wbY_Fv2D7JwlT6A8EtvO-xdFzmpZUFItnLrlw26OBxoisH8jcAbdIH3yIfrrXQykOJI0eE7c3nkgPweIm404SWgy1gXygjG5T/s1600-h/web.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLU2RucoP0zvJXSJ51qIrv3co4fFBu-FVSMa75-GMsX__wbY_Fv2D7JwlT6A8EtvO-xdFzmpZUFItnLrlw26OBxoisH8jcAbdIH3yIfrrXQykOJI0eE7c3nkgPweIm404SWgy1gXygjG5T/s400/web.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5354481338266957506" border="0" /></a>Like the Aero Race Team Jersey; the wind tunnel tested skinsuit, shoecovers and aero gloves will give the riders a technical edge to cut through the wind as well. Here's a shot of defending Tour champ Carlos Sastre checking out some of the fabric that Castelli's Steve Smith is showing him.<br /><br />Further, and more of an aside: keep an eye out for a totally new TT helmet from Catlike with the Cervelo TestTeam; they had something at the wind tunnel that they were vehemently preventing me from taking photos of. Pretty cool stuff.<br /><br />The body of the skinsuit is made using Castelli’s BodyPaint technology: a single piece of fabric to eliminate seams and cover your body as if it was painted on. It’s cut short in the front so that when the rider is bent over in the riding position, it lays perfectly flat on the front. A flat elastic leg opening means for smooth air flow. It’s finished with an aerodynamic flap to cover the riders race number. (maybe we’ll see this in triathlon?)<br /><br />Castelli’s Aero Race Shoecovers also have a “golf ball dimple” fabric.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Giro TT helmet</span><br />We’ll see this one today; a two-year project, with aero testing taking place at the University of Washington Aerodynamics Laboratory Kirsten Wind Tunnel, as well as at UW’s liquid tanks doing fluid flow. It’s pretty impressive testing, which they captured on video and you can watch here at <a href="https://cgimail.competitorgroup.com/owa/redir.aspx?C=6b7826b0000f474f9e2ceac9466ee1bd&URL=http%3a%2f%2fwww.giro.com%2fen-us%2fmedia%2f%23%2fasset%3a59%2fcategory%3adefault%2ftype%3adefault" target="_blank">http://www.giro.com/en-us/media/#</a><a href="https://cgimail.competitorgroup.com/owa/redir.aspx?C=6b7826b0000f474f9e2ceac9466ee1bd&URL=http%3a%2f%2fwww.giro.com%2fen-us%2fmedia%2f%23%2fasset%3a59%2fcategory%3adefault%2ftype%3adefault" target="_blank">/asset:59/category:</a><a href="https://cgimail.competitorgroup.com/owa/redir.aspx?C=6b7826b0000f474f9e2ceac9466ee1bd&URL=http%3a%2f%2fwww.giro.com%2fen-us%2fmedia%2f%23%2fasset%3a59%2fcategory%3adefault%2ftype%3adefault" target="_blank">default/type:default</a>. It' follows testing the team did with Lance Armstrong at the San Diego Wind Wind tunnel last Spring as well, in an effort to find yet another optimized helmet shape that will fit Lance's highly curved back. And there's the thing: not every aero helmet will fit every head.. but this one may be best for you.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaTyZ7TZJVg-EQHPO4sqgMWXz8gCbwVFPf5ZBaiRI-1JJVzYIYLW2-nyreEF8nPY5EEXoCNUR8E33tZxUd2F0Zbrq2zjioWN0EbkQRF33HFzS3hDN5EHriT8jzqF_ZHQ1i5nAKN8hzxi8j/s1600-h/G284.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaTyZ7TZJVg-EQHPO4sqgMWXz8gCbwVFPf5ZBaiRI-1JJVzYIYLW2-nyreEF8nPY5EEXoCNUR8E33tZxUd2F0Zbrq2zjioWN0EbkQRF33HFzS3hDN5EHriT8jzqF_ZHQ1i5nAKN8hzxi8j/s400/G284.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5354478842030424914" border="0" /></a>Giro marketing director Kevin Franks went on record saying:<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">"Based on extensive wind tunnel and ride testing, we can report that the new Giro TT helmet that will debut on Giro riders tomorrow in Monaco is the fastest TT helmet in the world. The helmet is considerably faster than any other helmet in zero degree yaw situations, and remarkably faster in 5, 10, and 15 degree yaw situations. The he</span><span style="font-style: italic;">lmet represents a paradigm shift in aerodynamic helmet technology.</span>"<br /><br />We've asked if Normann Stadler will be wearing this at the Roth Challenge next weekend in Germany, and.. afraid not, Franks said... but probably in Kona.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Rotor’s 3D Carlos Sastre Crankset</span><br />The new 3D Crankset is of keen interest; designed in concert with Cervelo TestTeam, it has three longitudinally CNC-machined holes through the length of the crankarms to cut weight, while maintaining structural integrity. For the Tour, the crank goes yellow for one man: defending race champ Carlos Sastre. It will be available to the public, however.<br /><p class="EC_MsoNormal"> </p>Just six of these cranks have been made (good luck getting one), hand-painted by a design studio that does up custom MotoGP helmets.<br /><p class="EC_MsoNormal"> </p><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZslK3jNWlvcKcXeawXGxKbKA3b2UKNqlIbv7OV3sUy3XigoQ1p5IECTe2iJuaZEEh3hLm5VcH_rBbFbKAEfmd9rtBNsAzBqA3LPR7WnaXZBXK_KFsT8TmMQjCPfBfggb0j-C3ndaW7-xH/s1600-h/Biela+3D+Tour+09+Yellow+edition+3+pq.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZslK3jNWlvcKcXeawXGxKbKA3b2UKNqlIbv7OV3sUy3XigoQ1p5IECTe2iJuaZEEh3hLm5VcH_rBbFbKAEfmd9rtBNsAzBqA3LPR7WnaXZBXK_KFsT8TmMQjCPfBfggb0j-C3ndaW7-xH/s400/Biela+3D+Tour+09+Yellow+edition+3+pq.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5354481825541887170" border="0" /></a> <p class="EC_MsoNormal"> </p> <p class="EC_MsoNormal"><br /></p> <p class="EC_MsoNormal"> </p> <p class="EC_MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:9;"> </span></p><span style="font-weight: bold;">Specialzied Shiv</span><br />Sure, we’ve seen this at the Triathlete magazine website. But we haven’t seen the new paintjob. Here’s Fabian Cancellara’s rig being built up in Monaco for today’s TT. Get some.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPiVwLC2B0ouLp-rBI8tQjJkgGGtBLFJB26DnMEQGvhfdQuLmR5zAZDydiP9E4YRi5RBqG9zBvjg2Z9JWqMUsA43gXi2uDyAlOyhyphenhyphenCmRrxZcRS7_2-NJ7ESVvCQ7cndUro0L9RpMN_Rln4/s1600-h/photo.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPiVwLC2B0ouLp-rBI8tQjJkgGGtBLFJB26DnMEQGvhfdQuLmR5zAZDydiP9E4YRi5RBqG9zBvjg2Z9JWqMUsA43gXi2uDyAlOyhyphenhyphenCmRrxZcRS7_2-NJ7ESVvCQ7cndUro0L9RpMN_Rln4/s400/photo.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5354483874363370146" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Cervelo S3 Tour Limited Edition</span><br /><br />To commemorate Cervelo TestTeam's first Tour entry (and of course Sastre's title defense), a super-limited run of a black and yellow S3 frameset will be made available. Check cervelo.com for more info.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghsTwwQvfm73KD9FZxspre_QrYwoG-mKo6-Aw7Xn70QU2TBl5nMebVRJsQZ5MtOFS9wBA-Hu2uyjRBgxHJYMSxHuWvx7c0wwSTqocnhTqgQXSBoWvUHzPKDLPfHPHPWrL1RnsgTUo38q9C/s1600-h/S3+LTD_1.png"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 390px; height: 330px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghsTwwQvfm73KD9FZxspre_QrYwoG-mKo6-Aw7Xn70QU2TBl5nMebVRJsQZ5MtOFS9wBA-Hu2uyjRBgxHJYMSxHuWvx7c0wwSTqocnhTqgQXSBoWvUHzPKDLPfHPHPWrL1RnsgTUo38q9C/s400/S3+LTD_1.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5354485294045040514" border="0" /></a><br /><br /> <table id="table5Content" style="width: 247px; border-collapse: collapse; height: 60px;" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr style="height: 6px;"> <td><br /></td> </tr><tr valign="top"> <td id="cell5Content" class="CText"><br /></td></tr></tbody></table>Jay Prasuhnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05585350218995634202noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8776374780613340304.post-62177388385236487432009-06-11T20:51:00.000-07:002009-06-11T20:58:22.562-07:00Fashion meets Function: Timex Debuts WS4It was the biggest “aw, man” moments of my recent trip to Connecticut. Fellow photographer Larry Rosa, a frequent contributor to <span style="font-style: italic;">Triathlete</span> was in town to shoot the Revolution3 Triathlon. He updated his Facebook page with this one: “Touring the Timex facility.”<br /><br />No way!!! How cool would that have been, to visit Timex? I totally forgot that Connecticut was the U.S. base for <a href="http://www.timex.com/">Timex</a>. Oh, and Cannondale! If I had planned a bit better and announced my arrival to the East Coast, maybe one of these guys could have received me and taken me around. As you might guess, I love tours.<br /><br />I messaged my contact there, Keith Meyer. “Dude, I’m staying in Southbury, heard you are nearby! I should’ve come visit your facility and done a tour!”<br /><br />His reply: :You’re just a mile away, but we’re slammed. For sure next year!”<br /><br />“AW, MAN!”<br /><br />I now know why they’re busy. Yes, they’re pumping out Ironman watches at probably rate of one per second (what a standard that has become not just in our sport, but in timing in general, eh?) But they have the coolest new watch hitting the market, and Meyer sent me one to test. It’s chunky, it’s bright, it’s bling, it’s data-rich. And it’s different than anything else they’ve ever offered.<br /><br />It’s called the WS4, and part of Timex’ outdoor action-inspired Expedition Series. This was a watch (can you call it a watch? How about a control panel?) that we feature in the coming High Tech issue of Triathlete. When I saw it, a colleague of mine and I jumped up and down in an email to Meyer “Can we test? Can we test? Can we test?” Meyer relented and sent two to test. He was (and still is I think) suspect why all of us at the office were so geeked.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibxNkLhgKy6R-3mXcqU5aJuXHISzUg4_ayp1p6Gzkww5JqTMhRB9rfqclHNV95b-fgKqkp547ctfkD77MW-WPVFuMrE0pNpzQyrggtIWDM8cIg8hVO8Bl5KL1tcTCwz3NX3W6YDGsf52st/s1600-h/TimexWS4.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibxNkLhgKy6R-3mXcqU5aJuXHISzUg4_ayp1p6Gzkww5JqTMhRB9rfqclHNV95b-fgKqkp547ctfkD77MW-WPVFuMrE0pNpzQyrggtIWDM8cIg8hVO8Bl5KL1tcTCwz3NX3W6YDGsf52st/s400/TimexWS4.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5346284847957029698" border="0" /></a>Well, first off, it’s different. Way different. On my flight home from the race sitting in the United lounge, a fellow traveler asked “what kind of watch is that you have?” When I told him Timex he said “oh, really? I didn’t think Timex made watches like that.”<br /><br />“That” is meant as, watches that are super chunky, and in fashion right now. Watches like U-Boat, Nixon, Bell & Ross. Sturdy statement watches. It looks more like a tool than a timepiece. It’s the action sport’s version of cufflinks.<br /><br />And going to Connecticut, a guy in fatigues on my flight saw the big bit of orange bling on my wrist. “Man, that’s some sort of watch? What does it do?”<br /><br />What kind of fun can I have with this guy? I put on my faux-Tony Little voice; up a few octaves, turned to volume 12 as though fueled by Red Bull and mescaline:<br /><br />“What does it do? What does it do? Hell, what doesn’t it do?” I held out my closed, upturned palm and started unfolding fingers. “Altimeter! Barometer! Visual weather indicator! Digital compass! Temperature! It slices! It dices! It does it all!”<br /><br />I was rollin’. “And—get this, you won’t believe this one—it tells the TIME! (And has a stopwatch, countdown timer, alarm, chronograph, Indiglo night lighting, all the basics in your normal Ironman watch… but I didn’t get into all that with him.)<br /><br />Dude laughed—he was blown away. “Wow, I gotta get one of those.” Sold, to the customer in the military fatigues. Mildred, ring ‘em up!<br /><br />The WS4 is gonna kick ass with triathletes, triathletes, swimmers—endurance sports fans age 18 to 45. Want to swim with it? Sure, why not? It’s water-resistant to 50 meters. Would I take it running though? Well, I’d opt for a smaller watch—it is a bit heavier than a standard Timex Ironman watch. But if I was headed to the track from the office and forgot my dedicated sport watch, this does everything that one does and has all the key functions (stopwatch, lap, countdown timer), so again, sure, why not?<br /><br />Of course, pro triathlete/fashionistas like Luke Bell and Amanda and Michael Lovato were keen on it—it was the first thing Amanda noticed upon seeing me. (Of course, anything as bright orange and large enveloping my wrist would do that.) Luke said it’s the perfect competitor, in our market, to surf brands like Nixon, Quiksilver and the like, for guys who want to have good data, but don’t necessarily want to be wearing a sport watch around all the time. It’s all about style. A big, chunky watch is stylee, and guys as old as 45 want to retain their young style as much as they can before they sign up for AARP.<br /><br />I noted that what separates the WS4 from being a copycat is the function. While the surf brands typically promote tide features, the WS4 has none of that. Instead, it has stuff triathletes would feed off of and surfers couldn’t care less about: outdoor data. And I had fun playing with it all.<br /><br />Setup was pretty easy. I only had to calibrate the altimeter or barometer, since both rely on the same pressure. After setting the watch next to a trusty digital indoor temperature reader, the WS4’s temp reading was within a degree of my baseline guide. Cool. Of course, the temp goes up to 85 degrees F or so when it’s on your wrist. But it’d be interesting to do a crazy hot track workout, glance at it trackside with your bottle between sets and come out of it knowing you were able to make time on your 800s considering the track temperature was 102 degrees Fahrenheit.<br /><br />The digital compass (with a digital needle and display in degrees and cardinal points) is probably more for fun than anything, unless you race Xterra and have a penchant for getting lost. It has an adjustable declination angle that bumps up the compass’ accuracy.<br /><br />The barometer shows current barometric pressure, as well as lows, highs in millibars (mb) or inches of mercury (inHg). It will track current and sea level pressure. That barometric pressure then allows the WS4 to host a little icon for estimated weather patterns—sunny, partly cloudy, cloudy and rainy. It’s your own little weatherman-in-a-box.<br /><br />Final element: It comes in a rainbow of colors: It comes in black (black with a silver face or black with black face), orange (shown, as tested), blue, yellow and a stunning white.<br /><br />Price for this functional, fashionable conversation piece? $200—absolutely reasonable given the amount of stuff you get out of it. Final tally? Cool for Dimes to dollars, this will be the perfect birthday gift for the triathlete who has everything. Or at least thinks they do. They don’t have everything until they have the weather forecast at their wrist.Jay Prasuhnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05585350218995634202noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8776374780613340304.post-90033127119649186572009-06-06T16:49:00.000-07:002009-06-06T17:43:39.897-07:00Revolution3 Triathlon: A Classic on Deck Tomorrow!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP39ZnZ3uoKidJC6ChEGsqN2CrniJ3Nu-WLl-ganSLm-p7HAzIftF3mp2en2GGQewn-vSLV5D9geGiLe_NIB4RVM9T6G5qRYvzBJIWucwzarWuZ_v6JtGTb7ZbVsEQfk0ImUJLvbW88c9o/s1600-h/Finishline.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP39ZnZ3uoKidJC6ChEGsqN2CrniJ3Nu-WLl-ganSLm-p7HAzIftF3mp2en2GGQewn-vSLV5D9geGiLe_NIB4RVM9T6G5qRYvzBJIWucwzarWuZ_v6JtGTb7ZbVsEQfk0ImUJLvbW88c9o/s400/Finishline.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344377731708781810" border="0" /></a>I'm back on the planet. I removed the poll asking whether I ought to be at the Tour de France—turns out I am not going. Ah well. I will be at that time (about a month from now) taking some vacation to going to Switzerland to visit my wife, though, and will instead cover the Roth Challenge in Germany. That's a better trip in my opinion—I've seen my wife for about four weeks in the last four months. Plus I'll bring my bike and try to tag onto the back of Donna and her <a href="http://www.teamtbb.com/">TeamTBB</a> teammates on their easy days before hopping on the rail to Roth.<br /><br />Right now I'm getting my camera gear ready, batteries charged, etc., for tomorrow's inaugural <a href="http://www.rev3tri.com/">Revolution3 Triathlon</a> here in Middlebury, Conn. I love being at debuts, and this looks to be a real kick-ass kick-off.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM5ZY2m5BYAeGABwD9oI9XyXdzcFwu49ODo7d6GFMixkA7DI8F1WqhP3EhCC_7I7uwwE13bUDKQsOD_GWXw3rOHBYgGNlmRkcZRy-LkNrLv8H2mtVjjmF5AufQwVIHQtV5jt61k6AKVkGI/s1600-h/AlexMcDonaldBike.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM5ZY2m5BYAeGABwD9oI9XyXdzcFwu49ODo7d6GFMixkA7DI8F1WqhP3EhCC_7I7uwwE13bUDKQsOD_GWXw3rOHBYgGNlmRkcZRy-LkNrLv8H2mtVjjmF5AufQwVIHQtV5jt61k6AKVkGI/s400/AlexMcDonaldBike.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344377190434283938" border="0" /></a><br />My trip here has been sweet. Heather and Todd Gollnick, as well as the man making it all happen, Charlie Patten, are putting on a wicked, wicked race that will force all the rest of their competitors to step up their game. A pro section with plastic-laminated posters of the athletes at their racks? (See Alex McDonald racking his bike... easy to find your spot, eh Alex?) A lit-up finishline arch, a'la Vegas? a $100,000 pro purse? The investment in this race is significant, all the big names are here, and considering this race is growing into a series next year, I think this will be a legitimate contender to the WTC, who have been fairly content to deliver a consistent product, but that's about it. Let's see how they step up—for the race entry-paying age groupers, and for the now-race-entry-paying pros.<br /><br />The coup de grace is a real course. Not a flat draftfest, no. This is what the sport is about—challenging yourself. And as <a href="http://www.luke-bell.com/">Luke Bell </a>and I found out, it will be just that.<br /><br />Luke invited me to hop in his rental and co-pilot a drive over the bike and run course. Race literature says the race is challenging. Thank God for Google maps on my iPhone; the roads are so rural and twisting, we nearly got lost, and had to stop and ask a local for directions. That look on Luke's face below? It was a familiar one. He searching signs, me plotting our progress on my iPhone. <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG2e52fak6CKSECeCgbbs3TCwX29OuvLSq_d85ZmMN8mRdvVym6IpqQ-dJoil1l5JIItHw-nerpe85jn50GqGqQH54C12Ozwk6TP6rv47bBGpHXjdbb93CsinMk-Vc4JZshBFSJp8TNaX7/s1600-h/photo+6.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG2e52fak6CKSECeCgbbs3TCwX29OuvLSq_d85ZmMN8mRdvVym6IpqQ-dJoil1l5JIItHw-nerpe85jn50GqGqQH54C12Ozwk6TP6rv47bBGpHXjdbb93CsinMk-Vc4JZshBFSJp8TNaX7/s400/photo+6.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344368259194022610" border="0" /></a>We got done and he came up with this one: "I think this is gonna be harder than Wildflower." Read: this has the makings of a classic. Maybe even an ESPN-esque Instant Classic.<br /><br />The entire bike and run course is rolling, without a single parcel of flat. It's net climbing on the outbound loop, and net descending on the way back on the bike. But it's nonstop rolling and thus work all day. There will be no two-hour pro mens bike times. I'd be impressed if anyone breaks 2:15—and the Wildflower bike coures record is 2:14. There will be some good speed on the return, but that's not why it will not be fast.<br /><br />No, it because the run is stupid hard as well. So everyone will need to save something for the run. Same story on the run; opening miles will be fast, as it's a gradual descent. But there's a few pitches up, then a steep pitch down, leading to a gnarly dirt road section that is banked in the turns, has it's ruts and bars, and undulating as hell.<br /><br />Tomorrow at 6:55 the pros kick off, age groupers going off 10 minutes later. You can watch the simulcast broadcast being put together by Rev3 at Triathlete magazine's site, at <a href="http://triathlon.competitor.com/rev3">http://triathlon.competitor.com/rev3</a> I'm psyched to see how it all goes down. Because simple speed ain't an ally here; a combo of speed and strength on the hills will win this race. And whoever does should be fetted, for winning a tough race against a tough field.Jay Prasuhnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05585350218995634202noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8776374780613340304.post-89665642089386714522009-05-20T17:01:00.000-07:002009-05-20T17:55:10.706-07:00Steve Larsen: A Study in Balance<div style="text-align: center; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">In Memoriam: March 13, 1970 – May 19, 2009<br /></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA2lzR1c1c_TfP7XklZwDNj38X9n9oWohqblaEu4nT9GeU3DaDWBgyGD-CWKlpV1CU2dNcT0893CeaGE9RzjIIidBDv9PEronV0jwn-5gEyOGfnMtt5d8NSOIe98-I2MkiwjMQspsuefs1/s1600-h/Steve08OceansideBike.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 268px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA2lzR1c1c_TfP7XklZwDNj38X9n9oWohqblaEu4nT9GeU3DaDWBgyGD-CWKlpV1CU2dNcT0893CeaGE9RzjIIidBDv9PEronV0jwn-5gEyOGfnMtt5d8NSOIe98-I2MkiwjMQspsuefs1/s400/Steve08OceansideBike.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5338064649151515922" border="0" /></a>Balance. It’s one thing triathletes are famously notorious for lacking. It’s all training, all recovery, all clean nutrition, all the time. No time for movies. No time for anything. Sacrifice, it’s all about personal sacrifice. Courtesy? Empathy? Those are casualties of being a champion. You run across enough athletes—and the pros are the worst—and you become numb to the myopic element of our sport.<br /><br />Then a guy like Steve Larsen comes along, and reminds you what it’s like to have a life.<br /><br />Several weeks ago, I caught up with Steve Larsen at the Sea Otter Classic. Steve was racing cross-country long course as prep for the coming Xterra season, but while he had to face the likes of Christoph Sauser and his Xterra nemesis, Conrad Stoltz, he was more fired up about his some Massimo, who was doing his first big race in the junior cross-country event.<br /><br />Of course, Massimo podiumed, taking second, and dad beamed. Steve had a “whatever” day in the race, but whatever—Massimo podiumed. The drive south from Bend was a roaring success.<br /><br />By now, the proper obituaries are out; “Steve Larsen, a veteran professional triathlete with a race resume that included road and mountain bike championships, suffered a fatal heart attack Tuesday evening during a track workout in his hometown of Bend, Oregon. He was 39. Before Larsen found triathlon, he had already amassed a lengthy and successful bike racing career, compiling a race resume across a variety of cycling disciplines that will be impossible to replicate. Two NORBA national titles, world championship appearances across five disciplines (road, track, cyclo-cross, mountain biking and triathlon) before devoting his training to triathlon in 2000, earning an Ironman USA Lake Placid victory in 2001 among others…. “ It goes on, the guy with more decorations than a war veteran.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbSNWNSfykp5QIa5cEPdMzXbjYfEeYn_JH3GEKHRQIgy354duLJsRC4ftnXH4GFEgIBUCr36jJI4ZD5adHcrFk3jkb6I03qsnV0TzQEJ2C9RWpc4jCItz_7T0ZsiPEcD8-XYTxvCIGUkRr/s1600-h/stevelarsenbikemaui-1.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 308px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbSNWNSfykp5QIa5cEPdMzXbjYfEeYn_JH3GEKHRQIgy354duLJsRC4ftnXH4GFEgIBUCr36jJI4ZD5adHcrFk3jkb6I03qsnV0TzQEJ2C9RWpc4jCItz_7T0ZsiPEcD8-XYTxvCIGUkRr/s400/stevelarsenbikemaui-1.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5338072245944948754" border="0" /></a><br /><br />But his real resume reads best as the signature tag on his Slowtwitch handle “<span style="font-style: italic;">Steve Larsen - dad, triathlete, mtbiker, roadie & online retailer</span>”.<br /><br />The impact that Steve brought to triathlon is immeasurable. A guy with his palmares (we can say palmares when the guy raced the Giro d’Italia) like his has it at his option to be selfish. To be flighty. To be arrogant. Many pros take that option. Steve went the other way—he was a man of his people.<br /><br />Want an example?<br /><br />Just before Sea Otter, Steve made a trip to San Diego, driving his Jeep south from Bend to visit with retailers at his WorldTri.com online retail storefront. Steve said he was gonna be in town and asked if I wanted to grab a bit with him. As if there was any other answer—I told the office I was gonna be in late, and took whatever time I could having huevos rancheros with one of the baddest cyclists and triathletes to stomp on this earth…. and his son.<br /><br />Of course I asked about his coming season race plans (he wanted to get back to Hawaii again, but wanted to have a fun Xterra season first) and we chatted about his online storefront—how business was doing, what the good brands were to carry. He let me in on something that tells you a bit about what made Steve Steve, as an aside as we were chatting about his business practice:<br /><br />“I send out thank you emails to all my customers,” Larsen said. “It’s a little thing, but hey, I want my customers to have a positive experience.”<br /><br />For cyclists and triathletes, this is akin to getting a personal thank you from the President for voting for him.<br /><br />Those who met him found it impossible to not get sucked into the vortex of cheer and inclusion that is Larsen’s legacy. While Larsen reached the top of road racing, of mountain biking, and Ironman racing, he was always there for his fans, for the industry, his customers, for the media, fair with everyone, fan or critic. He was open with the triathlon forum community, answering any forumgoer’s question, about anything. In business, Larsen was faithful, a sponsor’s dream, and a well-spoken spokesman. As an online retailer, he was able to personally help plot your purchasing path with truly educated advice. If you had Steve’s endorsement, his suggestion it meant something.<br /><br />But his family always came first. Five kids. Count ‘em. Five. One wife, Carrie. All those kids, his wife, his job, his training, there’s no place for sleep in there at all, is there? I asked. “I have a very patient family,” he said. “There’s no way I’d be able to race and be the kind of guy I want to be if it wasn’t for them. But…. it’s great when I can get out and do stuff with them,” as he threw a glance over at Massimo.<br /><br />Balance.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">***<br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3DsVWrvEGo_zp0KHP9rqRo7dEQwmFO0qO197-cyGclZhxGWCXjq0BgUMEL5KKv51R-Xko5d24sC5xEZSfZQfsl0S0nL4itp5_zPTIyfZk7kpSXOlT8ObGPJVzRo-1HJCgLMOf8eh4QHr3/s1600-h/IMG_4095.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3DsVWrvEGo_zp0KHP9rqRo7dEQwmFO0qO197-cyGclZhxGWCXjq0BgUMEL5KKv51R-Xko5d24sC5xEZSfZQfsl0S0nL4itp5_zPTIyfZk7kpSXOlT8ObGPJVzRo-1HJCgLMOf8eh4QHr3/s320/IMG_4095.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5338072539359649426" border="0" /></a><br />Selfishly, I was disappointed when he retired from pro racing in 2003, as I always enjoyed watching Steve more than any athlete on the race course. You knew he would have a deficit out of the water. And you knew he was going to tear through the bike and get to the front, making so-called bike specialists look like they were standing still (when you make Normann Stadler say after the Hawaii Ironman in 2003 “he passed me like a motorbike,” that constitutes being on another level). And you knew that based on that gap, he might win that race, because he was no joke on the run.<br /><br />But that competitive fire burned, and after a few forays as an age grouper, while managing his real estate business, he dove in again as a full-time pro. (while still being a full-time dad, husband and online retailer). I still remember one of Larsen’s first races back from retirement last year, when he donned a CAF race kit and entered Ironman 70.3 Oceanside. He had at that time received coaching consult from TeamTBB’s Brett Sutton, asking me to introduce the two. “I know he can make me faster on the run, and I want to try something different,” Larsen told me as we talked about how to approach Sutton for coaching. “The swim, any gains are negligible, but I’m sure he could help there, too.”<br /><br />“But the bike, I got that.” I laughed.<br /><br />Giddy with anticipation of the inevitable as I rode on the back of a photo moto, I awaited the arrival of Steve… and here he comes, cutting through the field to the front. If his male pro competitors were going 24 miles per hour, he was going 28. It was an absolute treat to watch him simply tear past big names who were clearly already giving their all. “How demoralizing for those guys,” I remember thinking, smirking with mirth. Even amid the monotony that triathlon can be, Steve’s bike power, his ability to become one with the bike and push through the air like a rocket was something to witness. Oceanside became like watching him at the Hawaii Ironman in 2001. It was one of those days where watching a guy do his job was like watching for the green flash during a sunset on the Pacific, or seeing Michael Jordan do an up-and-under that defies gravity. It was just a special moment, sporting or otherwise.<br /><br />I found him after the race and said “Man, it sure is fun seeing you out here again.“ His reply: “It’s good to be back.”<br /><br />While Steve grew his fame racing alongside Lance Armstrong on the Motorola Racing Team in the mid-90s and on the NORBA circuit, I venture to guess his enjoyment and happiness in sport came in the balance that triathlon afforded him. Balance with family, friends, business and his fellow competitors.<br /><br />Steve is survived by his wife Carrie, and five children. Steve's business partner tells me that services will be held Saturday at 1 p.m., at the Old Mill near Les Schwab Theatre. There will also be a ride heading out in conjunction, before or after services.<br /><br />At this point, I’ll let those who were lucky enough to cross paths with Steve speak…<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">“It was a delight to work with a man that had so little airs and graces for the status he reached in professional sport. To work with him made one realize why, after so many years, he still wanted to compete—he loved it and he was passionate about not just his competition. (He) was one of the few that had reached the top that spent as much time as he could putting back into the sport, and out of the limelight level. I personally, and I am sure all at TeamTBB pass on the warmest heartfelt wishes to his family."</span> <span style="font-weight: bold;">—Brett Sutton, TeamTBB head coach</span><br /><br />“He had so much focus. When he was gonna go to Hawaii, he just plainly wanted the fastest machine out there. He was sponsored by Mongoose and he said they didn’t care, so we put him on the Lotus. When he came to me, he was a legend. For him to trust me on everything, the fit, I was like” wow, what a huge honor to work with him.” He<br />He was professional with everything he ever did, and easygoing. He was really enjoying getting back into the industry, it’s his passion. Absolutely the nicest guy. He was magic. My feelings and heart go out to Carrie and the family.” <span style="font-weight: bold;">—Craig Turner, Xlab (Former owner/manager, Nytro Multisport)</span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJIJCsJTV38SbOyGZDhtDW9rG_k5gHcRLm6HIc0GdrBVod1aQ3_P_dV9hzZ3BdK80RcMN410O-M79R3XeWhYquZSjhvNpAgnsc6x-o6MgJv2i7HwmVrGYCCP9cMLf4Jt-ChjsuEyeuXXUh/s1600-h/Larsen_Prasuhn.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 271px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJIJCsJTV38SbOyGZDhtDW9rG_k5gHcRLm6HIc0GdrBVod1aQ3_P_dV9hzZ3BdK80RcMN410O-M79R3XeWhYquZSjhvNpAgnsc6x-o6MgJv2i7HwmVrGYCCP9cMLf4Jt-ChjsuEyeuXXUh/s400/Larsen_Prasuhn.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5338064414039889570" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">“I considered Steve a friend. Last couple year he’s really encouraged me in my career, and then we’d slay each other on the Saturday ride. I consider Steve a friend, and I’ll miss that push, and that guy. But more importantly, it’s sad for the community. He has five kids, and they’re all active in the community. The community will come together, but my heart goes out to Carrie and the kids.”</span> <span style="font-weight: bold;">— pro triathlete and fellow Bend resident Matt Lieto</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">“He was a fierce competitor, one of the most fierce I’ve raced against. I was very intimidated by him. He would lose three minutes on the swim, catch me, and put five, six minutes on me. And he didn’t just overtake you—he chopped you down. He could push himself harder than anyone I ever met. On rides, he’d just push until it was just him, I’d just be dropped.</span> <span style="font-style: italic;"> But I got to see a side of him most didn’t get to see, as one of the most sincere, nicest people I’ve met in the sport. In 2004 Steve said come to Bend and I took him up on it. He let me stay with his family for a week. I trained there three years, and he was my best friend in Bend. He was my agent one year and was so unselfish about it. He drove me to the Bay Area and we saw sponsors, and afterward it was always Italian and great wine, and we would laugh for hours.</span> <span style="font-style: italic;">I bought from him I sold through him a condo a couple years ago. I was leaving back to South Africa, and in typical Caveman style, I left my renovations unfinished. He finished them for me, then sold the place. Such a very selfless person.</span> <span style="font-style: italic;">At Sea Otter, his son Massimo was like “you have a shoe named after you,” but I was like “hey, your dad has two tires named after you and your sister!” (The Maxxis’ Larsen TT is called TT after Larsen’s daughter Amalia, while the Maxxis Mimo is the nickname for his son Massimo). Everything he touched turned to gold, and he was always so professional. He was an example to me and other athletes of what a true professional was.</span> <span style="font-style: italic;">Two weeks ago, we had drinks after the race, we were talking about the old days. Now he’s gone. I feel really bad for his family. As a friend. It’s not going to be the same to be in Bend.” </span><span style="font-weight: bold;">—reigning Xterra World Champ Conrad Stoltz</span><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">“One of the things that struck me most about Steve was his humility. I last spent time with him at Sea Otter in April, where he had an absolute crap race. He told me about a fellow athlete on course, recognizing Steve as he walked along with his bike and blown tire, who slowed down to accompany him for a bit. The racer said that Steve had been his idol growing up, and he was honored just to race together for a few minutes. Steve was pretty emotional, and a bit surprised, as he recounted that story; it really touched him to hear that he had that kind of impact.</span> <span style="font-style: italic;">After Steve’s rough race at Sea Otter, and his son Massimo’s stellar performance, Steve suggested that maybe it was time we switched our sponsorship to Massimo! It was so obvious, seeing those two together, what an amazing father and role model Steve was – and will continue to be – to Massimo and all of his and Carrie’s children.”</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> — Holly Bennett, marketing manager, Gu Sports</span><br /><a style="font-style: italic;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPWmokjbisqdlEV2NU7fKOvij6Dtca3M_H4-hFn-mPI4YSI5mIgmqrAJMLgIPYwCKydKgJ4UP_zK5yTFw5SkvOz3y4Pw6PSNFowQssaPBVp-J6NAcqb_v32kNF5qfP1RHiv660BBgjbRhd/s1600-h/Steve08Oceanside.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 203px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPWmokjbisqdlEV2NU7fKOvij6Dtca3M_H4-hFn-mPI4YSI5mIgmqrAJMLgIPYwCKydKgJ4UP_zK5yTFw5SkvOz3y4Pw6PSNFowQssaPBVp-J6NAcqb_v32kNF5qfP1RHiv660BBgjbRhd/s320/Steve08Oceanside.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5338065382438962386" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">“So sad hearing about the loss of Steve Larsen. Leaves a wife and 5 kids. Terrible. He and I were on natl team and Motorola together.”</span><span style="font-weight: bold;">—Lance Armstrong, via Twitter</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">“We did one race together, one of my 1994, and all I knew and remember was th</span><span style="font-style: italic;">a</span><span style="font-style: italic;">t</span><span style="font-style: italic;"> he </span><span style="font-style: italic;">was a fierce competitor. It was unique how he went from pro road to mountain biking, to triathlon; not too many that could to that. That’ll be his legacy; succeeding at a world-class le</span><span style="font-style: italic;">vel in three sports. I’m really sorry to hear this news.”</span> <span style="font-weight: bold;">—Gord Fraser, former Motorola Cycling Team teammate</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">“At Ironman New Zealand in 2003 he came down with his wife. They were fantasti</span><span style="font-style: italic;">c people and he was such a friendly guy. It took me 18k’s on the run to catch him. That was when I first saw him. But in Hawaii, the speed he’d come past you at, you‘d think he couldn’t keen it up, but he could, he was such an incredible cyclist. It was out of sight, out of mind pretty quickly, an incredible sight to see. With some guys you have a good idea, but with Steve, you could only hope you could pull him back. I am very sorry for his family.”</span> <span style="font-weight: bold;">— pro triathlete Cameron Brown</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">“We first met at the Hawaiian Mountain Tour, he was one of the first Xterra competitors. To have him come back this year was special. When he started in Las Vegas, it was great to see him, full of life, the normal, professional, well spoken guy he is, ready to get down and dirty. We’ve always saluted him and he has a special place in the Xterra family. I’m flabbergasted, I don’t know what to say… it’s a tragic loss.”</span> <span style="font-weight: bold;">— Xterra President Janet Clark</span>Jay Prasuhnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05585350218995634202noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8776374780613340304.post-65240587471980606792009-05-18T17:46:00.000-07:002009-05-18T20:04:40.082-07:00Lance's Giro Long TT bike?So my friend Alex with <a href="http://www.sram.com">SRAM</a> travels with a lot of the SRAM teams and athletes at events. Of course, he's at the Giro with the Astana team, one of his component charges.<br /><br />Alex also updates his Facebook a bunch with pics. And given his access (that is, "all), he generally has some cool photos. But this one caught my eye:<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwazhJp6dHXkxlUMbXuyM9LSfO1sMwSus8EcbqGuWae2Dkeyt8Haoylp3uxh6IDOPqZjRezTwv0tkm77N1NP7Txn-8Ty15LBv4_b726L-jw4yxHZgIpi1P3lGmvcH0MlploD1_yUmdDuPG/s1600-h/9163824.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwazhJp6dHXkxlUMbXuyM9LSfO1sMwSus8EcbqGuWae2Dkeyt8Haoylp3uxh6IDOPqZjRezTwv0tkm77N1NP7Txn-8Ty15LBv4_b726L-jw4yxHZgIpi1P3lGmvcH0MlploD1_yUmdDuPG/s400/9163824.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5337363238517205730" border="0" /></a>It looks like Lance's TT rig for Thursday's loooong time trial; 61.7 kilometers from Sestri Levante to Riomaggiore. From what I've heard, it's lots of hills—hence a bike that recalls Lance's time at the Alpe d'Huez time trial.<br /><br />Note the Hed ClipLite clip-on aerobars. Note yet another kick-ass Trek custom Livestrong paint for Lance.<br /><br />Another note: Look closely at Lance's shifters. THESE look different. They look like something I saw on a SRAM-sponsored triathlete's bike recently... but cannot talk about. Yet. Alex, Please? Can I talk??? I'm champing at the bit over here.. I'll buy you a beer in Monaco!Jay Prasuhnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05585350218995634202noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8776374780613340304.post-14464342534715859802009-05-16T16:03:00.000-07:002009-05-16T16:17:16.976-07:00Extra: Jay Buys a Bike Part! (And is happy about it!) A.K.A. the Debut of the K-Edge Chain CatcherWell, I just installed and tested (in the parking lot of our condo) a new product on my wife’s bike that I just bought and showed up in the mail today. Yeah. Me. <span style="font-style: italic;">Bought</span>. Me, the king of swag, bought a bike part.<br /><br />Well, it all came after I saw a piece one of our competitors, CyclingNews.com (great job, James!) did on this product at the Giro d'Italia. It’s the K-Edge Chain Catcher.<br /><br />Now, I’ve been dreaming of this day for years. Because my wife (bless her heart) ain’t the most mechanically inclined. So when something goes wrong, as it often does, it’s just something she deals with. Dropped chains are something she deals with. Lemme explain.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNIxVj7cvZlF346u21L4Vt367IJRESbEtBnQLjyd8qajPxXbb2OCpoWW9EGOe1zc7tGIZ0IikZfXjf69JEl34rJr0PRPA81GSpW6owP2kegB6ITUxwR6xtGklJgMiEUTrZ-ITTiWyhgNEY/s1600-h/KEdge.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNIxVj7cvZlF346u21L4Vt367IJRESbEtBnQLjyd8qajPxXbb2OCpoWW9EGOe1zc7tGIZ0IikZfXjf69JEl34rJr0PRPA81GSpW6owP2kegB6ITUxwR6xtGklJgMiEUTrZ-ITTiWyhgNEY/s400/KEdge.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5336562023066936114" border="0" /></a><br />Two weeks ago at Wildflower, I was heading out to take photos during the race, and I see Donna headed in the opposite direction—was she dropping out? No, she dropped her chain off the front ring as she headed into a climb. She tried so shift it back on before she came to a standstill, no luck.<br /><br />So she had to circle around, and get it back on as she descended in the opposite direction. What fucking luck. There went about one minute, 30 seconds. That could have gotten her eighth place instead of 10th among the pros. Damn, damn, damn. Mechanical shit like this kills me.<br /><br />Then this product came along, which I will go into in deeper detail in the coming days, as I just got off the phone with Joe Davola, husband to reigning Olympic time trial gold medalist (and former triathlete) Kristin Armstrong, who co-developed and co-created the <a href="http://www.acecosportgroup.com/">AceCo K-Edge Chain Catcher</a> out of necessity.<br /><br />With the short chainstays and steep shifting angles on tri bikes, chain drop is a fact of life. This product is going to change all that—I will be shocked if about every pro triathlete, and any triathlete who cares enough to add a 10-gram piece to their bike to ensure they will NEVER drop their chain again in training or in a race, doesn’t have this on their bike by year’s end. It’s that important an advance in tri bike technology as I’ve seen in a long time. I have the Third Eye Chainwatcher on my cross bike, clamped onto the round seattube. But the aero tubes of tri bikes makes the Third Eye impossible to use.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGQ282ShUVEoWwFJ1zOazVIHRDqDqXgoUsNHycP9BRjlLwsQvVeKTlS2AoKmWY266kjJJ6VkY8Q04Pl2z6HIChO4HSrtPD0BTIcrvU8Dn_QmsvTtWwMia665pXwtUJTxAlh_1Dkby-kVUI/s1600-h/KedgeVert.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 312px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGQ282ShUVEoWwFJ1zOazVIHRDqDqXgoUsNHycP9BRjlLwsQvVeKTlS2AoKmWY266kjJJ6VkY8Q04Pl2z6HIChO4HSrtPD0BTIcrvU8Dn_QmsvTtWwMia665pXwtUJTxAlh_1Dkby-kVUI/s400/KedgeVert.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5336563120249791490" border="0" /></a>But the front derailleur bolt mount point for the K-Edge Chain Catcher takes that blockade and throws it out the window.<br /><br />I’ll go into greater detail in a bit (with some interesting storyline about how it came about), and Joe is sending me a piece to test on my own. But where my wife is leaving for TeamTBB training camp in Switzerland this Wednesday, I saw the value in this, and had to have it for her. So I went online, bought it. Money well, well spent.<br /><br />Wheeling the bike around in the parking lot just now, cross-chain, slap-dropping the front shifter, doing anything I could to initiate the dropped chain she had experienced on her 5-hour ride just an hour before. No dice. I don’t see that she’ll find anything different either… ever.<br /><br />More soon on this.Jay Prasuhnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05585350218995634202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8776374780613340304.post-3894436729120830482009-05-16T13:53:00.001-07:002009-05-16T14:06:28.896-07:00King for a Day: Epic Tri in Ireland to Kick Off in AugustThis one ain't a gear piece (will get back to that quickly, there's a few new things that are reaaaaally interesting to me, one in particular). And it's kinda long. So settle in...<br /><br />Anytime a triathlon takes place on a course that people remind that “legend says…” then you know it’ll be an epic. Right?<br /><br />“Legend says” that Madame Pele, the Hawaiian Goddess of Fire, is responsible for the heat and winds come one October weekend along the Kohala Coast. Anger her and you’re fate goes to the mumuku winds.<br /><br />“Legend says” that Lanzarote local Cesar Manrique wanted to attune himself to the raw natural beauty of the rugged volcanic terra of the island. To plot a route for visitors to enjoy the raw beauty, he walked the island—naked. (Anyone who has been through Timanfaya knows how frickin hot and blistering that island is.)<br /><br />And of course, the birth of the first Ironman in 1978 on the legend of a bar bet, is, well, legendary.<br /><br />What is it about the upstart, the intrepid spirit of doing what has never been done before? Particularly, what draws us to it? For Commander Collins to come up with a challenge that not only went from a bet to seeing fruition is impressive. It turned Ironman into a sporting juggernaut. Same with ultramarathons. I guess it’s the sheer ridiculousness of it all that pulls us to this stuff like a magnet.<br /><br />But there are ways of turning it up a notch.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWN_T7kHUg7DR7rhlPL_gM_qGUx6n2pPBKqvzVsrAiEd6Kxz5kwkR8rr_WOfj736n1Rsjr1-yPg5Czi-C_5agoXkl3zEJJ2zZOu35vZOV4HbTB0VRHUHlEsHjRQzhnxifkXeHOQdIVdai7/s1600-h/Courtown+Harbour+%28Tide+In%29++THE+SWIM.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWN_T7kHUg7DR7rhlPL_gM_qGUx6n2pPBKqvzVsrAiEd6Kxz5kwkR8rr_WOfj736n1Rsjr1-yPg5Czi-C_5agoXkl3zEJJ2zZOu35vZOV4HbTB0VRHUHlEsHjRQzhnxifkXeHOQdIVdai7/s400/Courtown+Harbour+%28Tide+In%29++THE+SWIM.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5336528679927619634" border="0" /></a><br />Put the distance events in ardent locales, like with an epic swim at Alcatraz, or a bike at 70.3 Monaco or the Alpe d’Huez Triathlon that leaves you wondering halfway through if you’ll make it through without crashing. Then you really have something.<br /><br />Put it in a locale that challenges our doubts, at the same time allowing you to take in with wonderment what you’re experiencing (as you do when you flip over and absorb the Golden Gate, Alcatraz Island and The City during the Alcatraz swim, or enjoy the simplicity of a farmer hauling in olives from trees while traversing towns at Monaco—as you’re suffering up a hill.)<br /><br />There’s a new event on the horizon that I think promises to be that sort of epic event, called <a href="http://www.eireman.org/">Eireman</a>. For anyone who has a sense of adventure can agree that a triathlon in Ireland could be one of those unforgettable experiences. A race director is putting on an Ironman on August 23rd, and we’re hoping to be there to see if this really is a legend in the making.<br /><br />Why, you ask? Well, envision biking and running over that rugged, untapped escarpment… a bit of misty rain in your face, maybe a bit of crosswind. What comes to mind for me is the Kohala Coast, at a much lower temperature, and with a lot more grass over<br /><br />Race organizer Eoin Ryan says that while the area is called the Sunshine Coast, because it’s Ireland, there’s a good likeihood for rain. But hell, who said triathlon can only be held in 73 and sunny conditions? Why has Kona, or courses like Lanzarote, or Monaco, or Alcatraz, or become legendary events? It’s because of the heat, or the topography, or in this case, the possible rain.<br /><br />What might make it legendary? Well, I can only imagine the beauty of riding past castles, forts, abbeys, old monuments, prehistoric burial sites and thinking of just how really old that patch of green earth really is. Celtics, Vikings, Normans, all fought for their p<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF5Rvn5bIMQTYoeO0VSNvaPalOzrROPOff7fnQZxXtApW1pO6QbuImYyJj8u8sBRJkWw52DdgYMjLSQDFeZmRzq3NkzG5nGGLNI-vlfVtSBzxbGj09Yu1L4n7T7Jx-jQmhNfGHSy_a6INV/s1600-h/The+CLOSED+Duel+Carriageway+%28Aid+Station+in+on+the+left+in+Lay+By%29.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF5Rvn5bIMQTYoeO0VSNvaPalOzrROPOff7fnQZxXtApW1pO6QbuImYyJj8u8sBRJkWw52DdgYMjLSQDFeZmRzq3NkzG5nGGLNI-vlfVtSBzxbGj09Yu1L4n7T7Jx-jQmhNfGHSy_a6INV/s400/The+CLOSED+Duel+Carriageway+%28Aid+Station+in+on+the+left+in+Lay+By%29.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5336528380972861506" border="0" /></a>iece of territory.<br /><br />And yes, there’s true legend; thousands of years ago, Garman Garbh stole the crown from the tribe’s queen. The queen got a hand from a local witch, who flooded the mudflats, drowning Garman. The harbor was then called the Lake of Garman, the Gaelic word for Wexford—host county to the race.<br /><br />And those who were king and queen at the time were called Eireman. So in reality, the man or woman who wins Eireman will be, quite literally, the first king and queen of Wexford in hundreds of years.<br /><br />Think about that. Is that not epic and legendary?<br /><br />Of course, it always comes down to the question for those who would want to do the race: what’s the course like? Ryan thinks this course will give Roth a run for its money as one of the worlds fastest.<br /><br />The race will take place in Courtown Harbour, County Wexford (which is due south of Dublin on the Southeastern tip of Ireland). The day will set off with a swim in the calm Irish Sea in a counter-clockwise fashion in this not only wetsuit-legal, but wetsuit-mandated swim.<br /><br />The bike is a four-lap 112-mile course (or a two-lap 56-mile bike for the half-Iron-distance event, or one lap for the Olympic-distance event) and as advertised, dead flat, on fully closed highways. Having raced on closed highways for the first time at 70.3 <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF9KH1iUbize9e6A3Or6Gl5Tb-EdMwqljV5V1lEUEY5bC9drybwA2tuqNpVN-bul98aPLI9hfneeb8jeQW29sX10uUMAQGwsecuDB6UT4kqWnuDHJGCLiiyh7tMpuooVugu1samAok0ID8/s1600-h/landing-right.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 168px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF9KH1iUbize9e6A3Or6Gl5Tb-EdMwqljV5V1lEUEY5bC9drybwA2tuqNpVN-bul98aPLI9hfneeb8jeQW29sX10uUMAQGwsecuDB6UT4kqWnuDHJGCLiiyh7tMpuooVugu1samAok0ID8/s400/landing-right.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5336529236119046418" border="0" /></a>New Orleans not long ago, there is no greater experience (and deterrent to drafting) than a fully open road for cyclists.<br /><br />After a few snaking turns in the early miles, the run is flat and straight. The out-and-back two-lap marathon moves you from from Courtown Harbor inland to the town of Gorey and back.<br /><br />While there’s not much prize money on offer as yet (this is an upstart race, after all), the winners will take up an honor not bestowed upon any triathlon, Eireman, king and queen of Ireland. Epic.<br /><br />What's cool is that on the one day are the various distance events. So one spouse could conceivably do the Ironman-distance event, with the other doing an Olympic, or a half, or a relay, and not wasting their day waiting for their spouse to finish the longer event.<br /><br />Thanks to a bit of luck of the Irish, Inside Triathlon is jazzed to get a chance to document this inaugural event. Ireland is such a far-flung reach from the North American or Austral-Asian, or even middle-European triathlon centers of the world, that it will undoubtedly recall those early years of our sport, when it wasn’t as heavily vested into marketing as the sport is today. It’s not an M-Dot event as yet—and maybe it’s better that way. We’ll be keen to see how legendary it can be.<br /><br />Check out the site at <a href="http://www.eireman.org/">www.eireman.org</a>.... and maybe look at booking an air ticket to be part of a kick-ass epic debut.Jay Prasuhnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05585350218995634202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8776374780613340304.post-62550022821848144412009-05-08T10:31:00.000-07:002009-05-08T13:06:29.008-07:00Gear Extra!! New Scott Plasma Images, Shimano proto wheels spied, new Rotor cranks and Nuun's new flavor .. and the Giro TV ScheduleI’ll cut to the quick on a bunch of stuff;<br /><br />First, Wildflower: killer weekend last weekend. Too much fun with great people. I got to piggyback my wife’s association with <a href="http://www.teamtbb.com/">TeamTBB</a>, which is sponsored by <a href="http://www.avia.com/">Avia</a> shoes—which also served as Wildflower’s title sponsor. So Avia was there in full force, and looked after its athletes with a killer team environment for all its athletes, a great spread of food (cooked up by grillmaster Kenny Souza) and even the live pay-per-view broadcast of the Pacquiato-Hatton fight on Saturday night after the long-course race. It was “roughing it” in a cool way. Donna finished 10th, a great result given that she was two weeks removed from taking fourth at Ironman China. Trooper.<br /><br />On to some other stuff.. namely, gear:<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">SHIMANO</span><br />I received a press release from Shimano that Craig Alexander is fully-sponsored by Shimano for the year, meaning he’ll not only be running Shimano parts, but he’ll also be running the new Di2 Electronic tri group. I’ve had a chance to play with the electric shifters, and it’s pretty wicked.<br /><br />But what caught my eye was the attached image of Crowie. Check this out:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8qgrmP6utTmo7b3XHzGGVM0EyvrcvpUXUgM5GnDfBWDpWWJOJO55VdnAzsPTEYh1Sg0hdgBoLibMdOjtcji8pUeIICIdQYXs8OJt8EpCX7qTBDootrGATyClHYbn3tNhTg2jG26-Tnyw_/s1600-h/DEL_1736.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8qgrmP6utTmo7b3XHzGGVM0EyvrcvpUXUgM5GnDfBWDpWWJOJO55VdnAzsPTEYh1Sg0hdgBoLibMdOjtcji8pUeIICIdQYXs8OJt8EpCX7qTBDootrGATyClHYbn3tNhTg2jG26-Tnyw_/s400/DEL_1736.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5333532676995796274" border="0" /></a>What stands out? How about the deep-section wheels?<br /><br />I contacted my peeps at Shimano for some comment, and none was forthcoming. Shimano’s Devin Walton said that indeed, Shimano is working on some prototype products, a full-Shimano product (they are Shimano's own rims, not Zipps or anyone elses) that Crowie is testing, but that none of that means it will actually see the light of day in terms of production.<br /><br />From what we can see, it’s about a 75mm rim, and as with their existing Dura-Ace wheelset, is set on Shimano’s silky D-A hubs. If there’s one thing the public has wanted from Shimano in their wheel line, it’s a deeper, more aero race wheel. (They already have a disc in the PRO line).<br /><br />What does this all mean? Well, selfishly I hope to see those wheels become production—a deep-sectioned wheel on Dura-Ace hubs will be among the silkiest race wheels on avail. Those hubs are bad-ass. But more importantly, it shows that Shimano is really recognizing the tri market. They’ve slipped as SRAM has come on strong the last few years, but by actually prototyping with the reigning Ironman World Champ, hell, by hiring him on to ride <span style="font-style: italic;">all</span> their products full-time, means they are making an investment.<br /><br />An aside: for those looking at my previous blog post about Shimano’s new brake levers, the Dura-Ace levers will price at $185 while the alloy one I’m trying to track down pricing for.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">SCOTT</span><br />Those wheels lead us to our next debut. On the fortnight of the team time trial at the Giro d'Italia, Scott sent the press some info on the new Scott Plasma. I'm gonna read up on it (as I just got the link), but wanted to post not only the below photo but a link to a presentation about the bike, which you will find at <a href="http://www.scott-sports.com/download/PlasmaTT/start.html">http://www.scott-sports.com/download/PlasmaTT/start.html</a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgahB8CTerHNaimBqI44TGEuQGCAiDcroYRgwxKQIPtfPNcP2ARnzQ4aERfj7w24ez7jmucVG0pueGVtDZ_YiJdBD487c7pqr4ybMpn5ekbt7BoUbTLHxmktFXt-ExNLRaHHDI0ixLyS79y/s1600-h/01.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgahB8CTerHNaimBqI44TGEuQGCAiDcroYRgwxKQIPtfPNcP2ARnzQ4aERfj7w24ez7jmucVG0pueGVtDZ_YiJdBD487c7pqr4ybMpn5ekbt7BoUbTLHxmktFXt-ExNLRaHHDI0ixLyS79y/s400/01.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5333530968058467970" border="0" /></a><br />We'll be getting into this one as things settle down to see if and what the application is for triathlon. From my talks with Scott marketing manager Adrian Montgomery, the existing Plasma is still earmarked for triathletes geometrically. So this may be a TT-specific product, built within the handcuffs set forth by the UCI. Stay tuned.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">ROTOR</span><br />Rotor Cranks is also using the Giro to debut its newest crankset, the 3D. They're doing a Giro version (with some pink accents) for reigning Tour de France champ Carlos Sastre. I was at the tunnel in advance of the Tour of California, and Carlos had a sort-of drillium crankset they were testing. It seems they are moving away from that and going into this new 3D direction. It seems to make a lot more real-world sense on its face. See the press release below;<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span><div style="text-align: center; font-style: italic;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Cervélo TestTeam a</span><span style="font-weight: bold;">nd ROTOR collaborate on new 3D Cranks</span> <span style="font-weight: bold;">Product to debut at the Giro </span><br /></div><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Cervélo TestTeam riders will be using the new 3D Cranks from ROTOR Bike Components, when they start the 09 Giro d’Italia.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">“The 3D cranks are the first cranks to have been designed with the input of a pr</span><a style="font-style: italic;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL_lN8D-56E-dLk9O8Hi04HGPHXDU5cjXI7ilOKqnxPVq9Fbf_OFakP4-yomhptWdI2CFWyQ3s7NNyN60-NMQlQLgOzieUx0C4Q0cXjHt2zW9Rk8PPgsARwXnzvOyUDnpJXYF3t5IVV2fR/s1600-h/ROTOR+3D+Sastre+Giro+Edition.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL_lN8D-56E-dLk9O8Hi04HGPHXDU5cjXI7ilOKqnxPVq9Fbf_OFakP4-yomhptWdI2CFWyQ3s7NNyN60-NMQlQLgOzieUx0C4Q0cXjHt2zW9Rk8PPgsARwXnzvOyUDnpJXYF3t5IVV2fR/s320/ROTOR+3D+Sastre+Giro+Edition.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5333536905621814482" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">o cycling team together with our ROTOR engineers,” said Ignacio Estellés, President ROTOR Bike Components. ”Drawing on a wealth of technical experience, this innovative product was developed collaboratively with Cervélo’s engineers, TestTeam riders and the TestTeam’s mechanic staff. We are passionate about supporting the riders, because they need these products in order to do their job well.”</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">“We have a four step protocol for product development with the TestTeam,” explained Damon Rinard, Cervélo TestTeam Race Engineer. “A partner, in this case, ROTOR develops and tests the proposed new product. We then review it and check the in-house data, testing it in different riding situations. Then the Cervélo TestTeam mechanics install it and the riders try it in training; both provide us with their feedback. Once it’s been approved at these three levels, the product is then available for the fourth level: use in races.”</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">The result is the 3D Crank - extremel</span><a style="font-style: italic;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirjjwRFIXbEhgFDTIZEKBybci4zoxgTOCuYbFfpZIc6hj3cQedX1kMLUkps7CzBNyP5s3UPhfm3uynOzuIio89ShpWGZmnXYFOtzPYb9rzNzf25zNS_CH_XDxm4mO1dz0Z72VmIBu7_PVb/s1600-h/Biela+ROTOR+3D.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 364px; height: 280px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirjjwRFIXbEhgFDTIZEKBybci4zoxgTOCuYbFfpZIc6hj3cQedX1kMLUkps7CzBNyP5s3UPhfm3uynOzuIio89ShpWGZmnXYFOtzPYb9rzNzf25zNS_CH_XDxm4mO1dz0Z72VmIBu7_PVb/s400/Biela+ROTOR+3D.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5333536389318579970" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">y stiff, to meet the high demands of Thor Hushovd and the TestTeam’s sprinters, yet lightweight enough to satisfy the needs of Carlos Sastre and the climbers on the team.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Utilizing a special manufacturing process, named the “Trinity Drilling System,” an extruded aluminum bar is intricately CNC machined with three drilled holes through the length of the crank. The result is a unique triple hollow crank arm that enables ROTOR’s engineers to r</span><a style="font-style: italic;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWXEPHYo654LosVmjcUJKhqsWw0Mca3bPuWx4YRPf6w6Qi9aqwRnAVRss3NYqrBxpc6haIl0eJm8YYMsFF1Dq1t7Nr2N8Dlpc3OhLpV_aref6BW254Das3wSiXL21hWrF6Y3Zv4oAIAmLy/s1600-h/3D+crank+section.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 185px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWXEPHYo654LosVmjcUJKhqsWw0Mca3bPuWx4YRPf6w6Qi9aqwRnAVRss3NYqrBxpc6haIl0eJm8YYMsFF1Dq1t7Nr2N8Dlpc3OhLpV_aref6BW254Das3wSiXL21hWrF6Y3Zv4oAIAmLy/s320/3D+crank+section.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5333544875647868322" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">emove the excess aluminum in the core while still maintaining the structural strength of the crank. With this new system ROTOR has significantly improved the Hollowminum technology they developed for their Agilis Evo cranks.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">No attention to detail has been missed by ROTOR; even the graphic design on the 3D Cranks is unique with their impressive laser graphics. A special limited edition version of the product, with pink stripes along the crank (in a nod to the Giro) has been created for Carlos Sastre, with a special symbol that Sastre contributed etched with his name.</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYr575QevNfPlodgjJBDTXMlgyrBtQ7sB_UpMI5j_SAOq8PRl0XqYvAAs7Woje7x6-UrVHsPFckhpTpUvKco2xReWgCRtRpYE6najmDQT5OedLyiORqMt1UK3b5TgglxyyJcyXPrcN82oC/s1600-h/photo-1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYr575QevNfPlodgjJBDTXMlgyrBtQ7sB_UpMI5j_SAOq8PRl0XqYvAAs7Woje7x6-UrVHsPFckhpTpUvKco2xReWgCRtRpYE6najmDQT5OedLyiORqMt1UK3b5TgglxyyJcyXPrcN82oC/s320/photo-1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5333532060669213138" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">NUUN</span><br />Off gear, onto nutrition: I was just sent some of the newest <a href="http://www.nuun.com/">Nuun</a> flavor: Banananuun. (please excuse the soft iPhone image).<br /><br />Very, very good stuff. same as the rest of the line in terms of operation (drop in a bottle of water and suddenly you have instant electolyte drink with 180mg of sodium and 50mg of potassium) and ease-of-utility. I dig it, but still like Kona Cola best among their lot. Will have to try it with rum, maybe a b<span style="font-family:georgia;">it of </span>Mai Tai mix. Certainly worth trying.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYr575QevNfPlodgjJBDTXMlgyrBtQ7sB_UpMI5j_SAOq8PRl0XqYvAAs7Woje7x6-UrVHsPFckhpTpUvKco2xReWgCRtRpYE6najmDQT5OedLyiORqMt1UK3b5TgglxyyJcyXPrcN82oC/s1600-h/photo-1.jpg"></a><pre><span style="font-family:georgia;"><br />Finally... the <span style="color: rgb(255, 102, 102);">Giro</span> on Live TV! his is great news-we can follow the Giro on TV. Below is the stage-by-stage broadcast<br />schedule for Universal Sports...<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">LOS ANGELES – May 8, 2009 – Universal Sports announced a multi-year deal today to</span></span><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:georgia;" > broadcast the Giro d'Italia as<br />the race celebrates its 100th anniversary, starting</span><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:georgia;" > tomorrow. Lance Armstrong will make his debut in this race as he<br />returns from his</span><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:georgia;" > retirement. Coverage of the race begins with a team time trial on May 9 from Lido di</span><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:georgia;" > Venezia on the<br />Universal Sports Network and live online, all broadcast times available</span><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:georgia;" > at UniversalSports.com.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:georgia;" >Universal Sports continues to solidify its commitment to broadcast top cycling events</span><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:georgia;" > with the multi-year broadcast<br />agreement. As part of the deal, Universal Sports will</span><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:georgia;" > provide television and online coverage, including archived video<br />and television re-airs,</span><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:georgia;" > for the 2009–2012 Giro d'Italia races. Previous to this agreement, the race was</span><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:georgia;" > available on a<br />limited basis on the Versus network, and through pay-per-view on</span><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:georgia;" > Cycling.TV. In addition to the Giro, Universal<br />Sports has had a long-term agreement</span><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:georgia;" > with the International Cycling Union (UCI) to broadcast world cups and world</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:georgia;" >championships in Road, Track, Cyclo-cross, Mountain and BMX, as well as the Tour of</span><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:georgia;" > Basque Country, Tour of<br />Missouri, Tour of Georgia and the Deutschland Tour.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:georgia;" >COVERAGE ON UNIVERSAL SPORTS: Universal Sports, available in 45 million homes, will present same-day<br />coverage of the 2009 Giro d'Italia, with nightly re-airs at 9 p.m. ET and 11 p.m. ET. The Universal Sports broadcast<br />team consists of Steve Schlanger and former professional cyclist Todd Gogulski, with Scott Ogle on the ground in Italy.</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:georgia;" > </span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:georgia;" >Date Events Time (all times ET)</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:georgia;" >May 9 Lido di Venezia 12 p.m.</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:georgia;" >May 10 Jesolo to Trieste 12 p.m.</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:georgia;" >May 11 Grado to Valdobbiadene 12 p.m.</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:georgia;" >May 12 Padova to San Martino di Castrozza 12 p.m.</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:georgia;" >May 13 San Martino di Castrozza to Alpe di Siusi 12 p.m.</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:georgia;" >May 14 Bressanone to Mayrhofen 12 p.m.</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:georgia;" >May 15 Innsbruck to Chiavenna 12 p.m.</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:georgia;" >May 16 Morbegno to Bergamo 12 p.m.</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:georgia;" >May 17 Milano 12 p.m.</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:georgia;" >May 18 Rest day </span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:georgia;" >May 19 Cuneo-Pinerolo 12 p.m.</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:georgia;" >May 20 Torino to Arenzano 12 p.m.</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:georgia;" >May 21 Sestri Levante to Riomaggiore 12 p.m.</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:georgia;" >May 22 Lido di Camaiore to Firenze 12 p.m.</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:georgia;" >May 23 Campi Bisenzio to San Luca (Bologna) 12 p.m.</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:georgia;" >May 24 Forli to Faenza 12 p.m.</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:georgia;" >May 25 Pergola to Monte Petrano 12 p.m.</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:georgia;" >May 26 Rest day </span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:georgia;" >May 27 Chieti to Blockhaus 12 p.m.</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:georgia;" >May 28 Sulmona to Benevento 12 p.m.</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:georgia;" >May 29 Avellino to Monte Vesuvius 12 p.m.</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:georgia;" >May 30 Napoli to Anagni 12 p.m.</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:georgia;" >May 31 Roma 12 p.m.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:georgia;" >COVERAGE ON UNIVERSALSPORTS.COM: UniversalSports.com will provide exclusive, live</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:georgia;" >coverage of the entire Giro d'Italia, starting with the Stage 1 team time trial</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:georgia;" >Saturday at 9 a.m. ET. Full schedule, as well as full-length videos, highlights, stage</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:georgia;" >maps, photos and breaking news available at UniversalSports.com/cycling.</span><br /></pre>Jay Prasuhnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05585350218995634202noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8776374780613340304.post-49173718437817873662009-04-29T21:11:00.000-07:002009-04-29T21:59:47.568-07:00Wildflower-boundIn our last episode, I was up late-night in Monterey watching my wife at Ironman China on Ironmanlive. Now, she's here, tapping away at here blog next to me (having recorded a 4th place finish in 112-degree F temps) and we're checking in before we depart tomorrow morning for a Wi-Fi-challenged (heck, a cell phone coverage-challenged0 Wildflower—she's racing, and I'm working. Well, I guess we're both working. I spent the evening getting her bike race-ready; the team set her atop a 2009 Cervelo P3, and it's cherry.<br /><br />I generally pooh-pooh sponsor-spec rides, but hers is a beaut; <a href="http://www.cervelo.com">P3</a> with <a href="http://www.ovalconcepts.com">Oval Concepts</a> bars, <a href="http://www.hedcycling.com">Hed</a> Jet race clinchers, <a href="http://www.vittoria.it">Vittoria</a> Open Pro EVO-CX tires, <a href="http://www.cobbcycling.com">Cobb Cycling</a> V-Flow saddle and <a href="http://www.willyoumaketheleap.com">SRAM Red</a>. And thanks to <a href="http://www.slowtwitch.com">Dan Empfield</a> for getting her set proper atop her ride... it was a longtime work in progress. And thanks to TeamTBB for providing her a bitchin battle ax. I'm the pickiest of the picky, and I'm finally happy with how her bike is set up.<br /><br />I'll be at Wildflower doing more videos for the new, improving Triathlete website—I currently have some great interviews up there with <a href="http://www.worldtri.com">Steve Larsen</a> and <a href="http://www.conradstoltz.com">Conrad Stoltz</a> from Sea Otter, and will be doing video tours of several of the pros' bikes that I run across (perhaps including the above described one belonging to my wife).<br /><br />But before that, I have a few things on that I'll be visiting when I get back. One such thing is my first test of the new Shimano 7900, set up for triathlon. <a href="http://www.shimano.com">Shimano</a> was kind enough to release a test setup, which worked out perfectly, because my Guru Crono was in need of a gruppo. My buddy <a href="http://www.beakerconcepts.com">Andrew</a> has been diligently building it up, and I'll be set to begin testing of the group in earnest. I'm actually keen to give it a go, as my experience lately has been on SRAM for the most part. It will be great to revisit the brand that has been the mainstay, and see what the new 7900 means to triathletes from a functional standpoint.<br /><br />I have not only the group, but a few key pieces, including the <a href="http://www.pro-bikegear.com">PRO</a> Missile aerobar. I was also supplied a set of the new aerobar brakes. <span style="font-style: italic;">THIS</span> is the piece that most intrigues me.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl4Ijx425G8FJ9oy8_7XXirUcU-FosDVKBz53XrrDBgwUrLf-Opp2do-hIKxiWBfkRZvnwIwTxZKjUoUHIN6uhcQeeFjPbl65w5tK3i0dNREKTpsOz9C9pQAYULkjU-eb2AkFEzgLGqrNo/s1600-h/Brakes.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl4Ijx425G8FJ9oy8_7XXirUcU-FosDVKBz53XrrDBgwUrLf-Opp2do-hIKxiWBfkRZvnwIwTxZKjUoUHIN6uhcQeeFjPbl65w5tK3i0dNREKTpsOz9C9pQAYULkjU-eb2AkFEzgLGqrNo/s400/Brakes.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5330337877336817762" border="0" /></a>These TT brake levers have gotten zero fanfare, and for triathletes, this is gonna be one that ranks in top-three. The Dura-Ace version has a carbon lever pull, the Ultegra version an alloy one. Both have what I would deem the strongest return spring I've felt—and I rate the Bontrager and SRAM brake levers to have among the strongest return springs.<br /><br />For me, the return spring is a big deal. It means you'll have a positive feel every time you pull on the brakes. There's no rattle as I can see thus far, it's aero enough, and it has a tab at the end to prevent any last-finger slip-off. I think I'm really gonna like this lever.<br /><br />Off to the land of lost cell phone signals....and a hell of a race.Jay Prasuhnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05585350218995634202noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8776374780613340304.post-55307957399936331392009-04-19T00:28:00.000-07:002009-04-19T00:47:05.748-07:00Monterey Musings: Sea OtterWell, I have nothing better to do.<br /><br />It’s just after midnight., I did two rides today, I’m tired… and I’m awake. My wife is racing Ironman China, and I must stay up to track Donna’s progress. Steady as she goes thus far. The only downside: I have a 3:45 wake-up call for a 6 a.m. back to Carlsbad.<br /><br />I don’t know why I do this to myself.<br /><br />So before I post a nice Sea Otter Redux with some gallery photos, I thought I’d give a nickel tour of my weekend. Thursday: take photos. Friday: press launches. Saturday: fun stuff. Yes, today was certainly the best day; a morning road ride, an afternoon road ride, some cool cross country race spectating,<br /><br />Friday I took part in a press launch of the newly-re-designed Zipp 303 (which you’ll learn more about in my official redux). The redesign is awesome, and will be more attractive to triathletes with a slightly deeper rim section, a fully-toroidal shape (providing greater brake modulation, and a MUCH wider rim width.<br /><br />So wide, in fact, that Zipp now as a 700 x 23mm Tangente tire to complement the existing 19mm tire. Aerodynamically, the 23mm tire mates perfectly with the wheel.<br /><br />Zipp invited select media out for a test ride of the new 303—we were the first to ride it beyond those pros who debuted it at the Paris-Roubaix and a few other classics in the last few weeks.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMuegfOIm0lgqOGdTDoJRBGDXcIIC_gFNgFKLUJUHn9IVXCP8vrtGZ4TIx4fBzlEfvTXX_BlsJjk2_NgR5d0TkUh5BAcxgIickVu0LEV6Z3R8SFhyA-duC-mq1uhET-7Cd61iHJ-qYpUcl/s1600-h/ConradOtter.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 291px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMuegfOIm0lgqOGdTDoJRBGDXcIIC_gFNgFKLUJUHn9IVXCP8vrtGZ4TIx4fBzlEfvTXX_BlsJjk2_NgR5d0TkUh5BAcxgIickVu0LEV6Z3R8SFhyA-duC-mq1uhET-7Cd61iHJ-qYpUcl/s400/ConradOtter.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5326304719115779970" border="0" /></a><br />Apart from the wheels being absolutely silky, we headed out toward 17-mile drive. A light fog was beginning to lift, then finally burned away as we rode along the snaky road that butts up against the Pacific. Salty sea air, sea lions barking, waves crashing against the rocky shoreline… it was a pretty ride.<br /><br />Along the way back, we happened along a lone local I recognized: pro triathlete Alexis Waddel-Smith, out for a cruisy ride. It was good to catch up with her, and great to hear she’ll be at Wildflower, her first race back after dealing with some injuries. Her pink dyed hair and ever-optimistic smile are the calling card for Alexis—I’m glad to know she’ll be there. She peeled off and we continued back to town.<br /><br />At the expo at Laguna Seca Raceway, the Triathlete team (myself and new media manager Kurt Hoy) were busy doing interviews. Check our site for some cool videos interviews with Conrad Stoltz and Steve Larsen, as well as a look at the new Zipp 303 (available now) and the new SRAM R2C shifters, which are coming to market very soon.<br /><br />In the afternoon was the pro cross-country short track race, so I grabbed my camera and shot a bit of that, with Melanie McQuaid and Conrad Stoltz representing Xterra. And representing it well. Mel finished on the lead lap taking ninth, and Conrad (who was jazzed to get a front-row call-up and thus a good starting hole shot) and finished 16th out of 74 athletes. Conrad was jazzed to make a start against a field of top pro cross-country racers.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVBGOOIZdvQI6zqzkKVpeoSFtuHawWYSFfsEsruzEhUbBsooNFHPgYvQpuaeGheEIEyQZEqTvuVdMb8TPWg3EcqQJoDt-hkfIFHREwb4x7HdxhjFCvbDcPcK4NZQSq9nEnxG36H7mfsyTS/s1600-h/MelOtter.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 263px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVBGOOIZdvQI6zqzkKVpeoSFtuHawWYSFfsEsruzEhUbBsooNFHPgYvQpuaeGheEIEyQZEqTvuVdMb8TPWg3EcqQJoDt-hkfIFHREwb4x7HdxhjFCvbDcPcK4NZQSq9nEnxG36H7mfsyTS/s400/MelOtter.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5326304302267310146" border="0" /></a><br />He’ll get the shot again tomorrow, lining up against most of them in the cross country race, as well as against one Steve Larsen, who has been hitting the MTB circuit a bit this early season. Expect to see him making some Xterra appearances this season, perhaps a few 70.3s and maybe even an Ironman… see my interview with him coming soon.<br /><br />What was cool about catching with with Larsen? He was with his son Massimo—who finished second in his cross-country race on Saturday. The education has begun…<br /><br />After the short-track race and a sip of water, Stoltz, his girlfriend and fellow Xterra pro Amber Monforte and I headed out for part of the cross country loop. I got to ride the new, not-yet-available Specialized S-Works 29’er hardtail. I’d never ridden a 29-inch bike, and now I can see why Conrad was lobbying so intensely to get one. The thing is FAST—the bigger wheels just cruise over stuff with greater ease, to put things simply. I’m instantly a fan—I remember when writer Roy Wallack sent us a piece on 29ers years back, saying they would be the next big thing. I thought he was talking, as Mr. T said “jibba-jabba.” Well, he was right.<br /><br />I was concerned the hardtail would buck me, but I managed to stay upright. With Conrad ahead and Amber behind, I was riding a bit on edge… but had a blast anyway. And it’s always great when you have a guy of Conrad’s caliber telling you to watch out for that poison oak “leaves of three, leave them be—I’d never heard that, thanks Conrad!<br /><br />But more importantly, he totally saved me on the descent to the fireroad that took us back to the expo. Sandy washboard straight downhill. I would have white-knuckled and summarily put on a yard sale if he didn’t tell me to let the front brake go and allow the front tire to surf over the sand “the moment you hit the brakes, it dives into the sand and it’ll pitch all over.”<br /><br />Sure enough, against my chicken-ass instinct to grab handfuls of brake, I let it ride… as best I could. And didn’t eat shit, remarkably—the front wheel slotted into tire ruts, but it surfed right through and over everything. Again, thanks Conrad. My skin, collarbone and back thank you, too. Thanks to both Conrad and Amber for letting me tag along for a fun easy loop.<br /><br />Folks, if you’re an Xterra athlete and want to have a greater race-day experience, go to one of the clincs the athletes, like Conrad put on in the days leading up to the race. You will learn something technical, and it might be the one thing that keeps skin on your forearm. I grabbed a shot of the two with my handy iPhone as we did a climb back to expo that smarted of Nasty Grade at Wildflower... it just went on and on.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKImmrgClq4JKLdEOBRw0lPBfXrHNOZSmM1c6K7oQL6uJ5Ksuzn2ujEli8n9nGWw9rj9WOinKo-X6MzzV1GAvhQm6ErBWLD26GN0F-EsxAk4s8Cfat5XKhyphenhyphen3x9mpjgP0MR8b_4flVbN1YH/s1600-h/photo.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 321px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKImmrgClq4JKLdEOBRw0lPBfXrHNOZSmM1c6K7oQL6uJ5Ksuzn2ujEli8n9nGWw9rj9WOinKo-X6MzzV1GAvhQm6ErBWLD26GN0F-EsxAk4s8Cfat5XKhyphenhyphen3x9mpjgP0MR8b_4flVbN1YH/s400/photo.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5326303442684929810" border="0" /></a>The evening closer: a quiet pizza dinner with Kurt and his family, and my VeloNews compatriots; editors Ben Delaney and Matt Pacocha, and shooter Brad Kaminski. Nothing like filling the belly with Hawaiian-style pizza after a dual-ride day.<br /><br />Of course, the sheer quantity of grub also helps me to be sleepy. Maybe I have to find out how China ends—in the morning. For once, though, I'm leaving Otter happy about the weather. It started cold, but it got about perfect by the end of the weekend—a rarity for a festival that is typically drenched with rain. Stay tuned for a comprehensive gallery of goods I saw that triathletes will dig.Jay Prasuhnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05585350218995634202noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8776374780613340304.post-21044021549595815802009-04-14T14:18:00.000-07:002009-04-14T14:32:24.401-07:00The Loop is Closed: a new Vision debut? Maybe more?Thursday I head up to Monterey for the Sea Otter Classic. A festival of all things bike.<br /><br />Except triathlon.<br /><br />Kidding. It's actually a fun weekend of racing for the industry and west coast cyclists who take part. For me, I love to watch the dual slalom, and it's a fun opportunity to see the top pros in mountain and road do their thing, as well as catch up with friends racing.<br /><br />And there's this big-ass expo.<br /><br />Historically, this event is a mud pit. I have lost shoes in the mud taking photos of dual slalom. This year, the forecas<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBJyJWW7a1bH9y7fhMNOvpYM19RrztbSh05jGOxbAZvdLO_UBvPIlWS7PAyhina9InFd3IGAR_gapHSHSseGqX99g4frYoTDOmkPBpxqNhANpiKIGy0fmV2EV6MgNa4kQ48KlMVfteU97k/s1600-h/Picture+1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 202px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBJyJWW7a1bH9y7fhMNOvpYM19RrztbSh05jGOxbAZvdLO_UBvPIlWS7PAyhina9InFd3IGAR_gapHSHSseGqX99g4frYoTDOmkPBpxqNhANpiKIGy0fmV2EV6MgNa4kQ48KlMVfteU97k/s320/Picture+1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5324661236295447906" border="0" /></a>t is for good weather. I'm keeping my fingers crossed, as I had my colleague Sean take my road bike up to join some industry folks on some cruisy social rides, and while I don't mind riding in the wet, what I detest is the inevitable cleaning that comes with it. And I don't want to have to ruin a bunch of hotel towels.<br /><br />An increasing trend is to do product launches at Sea Otter, instead of Las Vegas at Interbike; with the launch, the media can then go out and test the gear with much greater ease. SRAM did this a few years ago when they debuted their Force road group.<br /><br />I've several invites through the weekend, and have had to print them off so I can keep them in order. But one just came across from my good friend Max at Full Speed Ahead and Vision.<br /><br />Evidently, they have a debut that they are hyping: visit <a href="http://www.theloopisclosed.com">www.theloopisclosed.com</a> to see (or more pointedly, <span style="font-style: italic;">not</span> see) what they're up to. A whirling globe of macro images that reveal... well, nothing. I see carbon, I see aluminum, but I see nothing that represents a part or piece.<br /><br />I know they're doing some thing with their FSA Gravity group—which is fine. But where Vision was also mentioned in the mix, I'm curious to see what they have on. I know there was talk long, long ago (in a galaxy far, far away) about a road group coming to fruition. I've been led down that road too many times... but might there be something?<br /><br />Maybe not, since I doubt they'd label a road group with Vision. But I'll be jazzed to see what they have up their sleeves. To create a website hyping the debut, I'm guessing it'll be no token launch. Will be updating from Monterey to let you all know what we've discovered is coming down the pipeline for '09 and beyond.Jay Prasuhnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05585350218995634202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8776374780613340304.post-6116662264459638392009-04-12T18:09:00.000-07:002009-04-12T23:06:17.497-07:00T.J. Tollakson's New Race Setup Revealed!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj92Nf31cYNj7WFangXQJDst-6UVX3JOm5-dS0cYJA0_oM7szXUpqeooitn4ikagnPOsHOM-lwIP-lW5jH6TRA7MxH0IjdTrnMcsadQdvsRQhT4cFc73iH9NM5owWV1D6bhjNGeB61-Jh7L/s1600-h/TJRaceDay.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 149px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj92Nf31cYNj7WFangXQJDst-6UVX3JOm5-dS0cYJA0_oM7szXUpqeooitn4ikagnPOsHOM-lwIP-lW5jH6TRA7MxH0IjdTrnMcsadQdvsRQhT4cFc73iH9NM5owWV1D6bhjNGeB61-Jh7L/s320/TJRaceDay.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5324052702459337138" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsgLF23aGiKqKrGOn6lYmYi2pnCFIUSRPP1wC2mX8PZq4WTAKLa2RIEI8UbivPgnfmv0mo4U1Vgvn6Ps6yQtmX6g7ROz4Lz2egycHRf2HEG9NBRTLz9VVlSCVTwD9ycKdooHZR9vDKw9EA/s1600-h/TJBikeSide.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 288px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsgLF23aGiKqKrGOn6lYmYi2pnCFIUSRPP1wC2mX8PZq4WTAKLa2RIEI8UbivPgnfmv0mo4U1Vgvn6Ps6yQtmX6g7ROz4Lz2egycHRf2HEG9NBRTLz9VVlSCVTwD9ycKdooHZR9vDKw9EA/s400/TJBikeSide.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5324039034412545730" border="0" /></a>Well, well, well... time for the vocal minority to issue their .02. Tis a detailed look at T.J. Tollakson's new race setup, as raced at Ironman 70.3 New Orleans last week.<br /><br />We did a photo shoot with T.J . the day be<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi247lM_JolF9GRcB8JGfnsBmYv5XQQnMUcL4wu1dnV61IpK9-OXhY5jxe9SWw9usQkZUSJ6AokkWl2Yk4kpG6BE1IInLfQisteBpq9mB5IcxYkdXjIPqskP1Wgiwlhz3SLaMc7K0zAPKj1/s1600-h/TJCockpitSide.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 341px; height: 227px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi247lM_JolF9GRcB8JGfnsBmYv5XQQnMUcL4wu1dnV61IpK9-OXhY5jxe9SWw9usQkZUSJ6AokkWl2Yk4kpG6BE1IInLfQisteBpq9mB5IcxYkdXjIPqskP1Wgiwlhz3SLaMc7K0zAPKj1/s400/TJCockpitSide.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5324048404314155490" border="0" /></a>fore the race in Nawlins. He said he'd kept his race setup pretty much on the low-low, the only folks seeing it being those in Tucson on the Shootout.<br /><br />This new position, as I mentioned, was something he tested and developed on his own dime at the A2 Wind Tunnel in North Carolina. I know lots of athletes are at the tunnel at the behest of their bike sponsor, but T.J. is probably the first athlete who has gone on his own dime.<br /><br />Granted, he was doing work for his front-end hydration systems, but again, I can count on one hand the athletes that are doing their own product development. So there you go.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUJ5aUuxep8VPMHERnH9ImVmMENNohn3lo1zxN55W_zH0hmjRy5b5HEJ-b08Z5qlcPR4ToOyc9h5mG56TPCB8EZz47lI8CZikuMkEfjZi5H1Lc6iUvXYf21mLGR3TN784OTN7fZHmcHQtt/s1600-h/TJArmrests.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUJ5aUuxep8VPMHERnH9ImVmMENNohn3lo1zxN55W_zH0hmjRy5b5HEJ-b08Z5qlcPR4ToOyc9h5mG56TPCB8EZz47lI8CZikuMkEfjZi5H1Lc6iUvXYf21mLGR3TN784OTN7fZHmcHQtt/s400/TJArmrests.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5324049529948022050" border="0" /></a>Given the steep angle of his setup, the solution of using jock cups as forearm cups certainly takes a lot potential fore/aft stress out of the equation (since he doesn't have to shif<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb7modBOR3HZK1dNCyoc2FdWLzI44HfLhm2kEvaE9VEcsxzUrTMQXnptHupFkN8oRz63R-pb2Ezxgzl9_t_fsc0PszlA0_2k7yUCHyD-Lgn4O6fTGuAYgplRaddTLKZL9Zzd-DPj8-h3q-/s1600-h/TJBottle.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 261px; height: 390px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb7modBOR3HZK1dNCyoc2FdWLzI44HfLhm2kEvaE9VEcsxzUrTMQXnptHupFkN8oRz63R-pb2Ezxgzl9_t_fsc0PszlA0_2k7yUCHyD-Lgn4O6fTGuAYgplRaddTLKZL9Zzd-DPj8-h3q-/s400/TJBottle.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5324049065546153042" border="0" /></a>t forward or back). His forearms and chest are so close, he likely doesn't get any eddying behind the arms and into the chest cavity.<br /><br />T.J. said it was night and day the power numbers that I think he'll be posting soon at his <a href="http://www.i-am-specialized.com/triathlon/rider/tj-tollakson">Specialized Riders Club</a> site. (After the race I hitched a ride back to transition with Chris Lieto—a guy known for being protective of his power numbers—and back to my hotel with Tollakson. As we all took off, TJ was offering up his SRM data to Lieto. Jokingly (and knowing the answer), I asked Chris what his numbers were. Nothin' doin.)<br /><br />I settled into T.J.s aeroba<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlD25YAdDwgVAx6li30TkB_SnZw_RFMSpsCBjlFIck0z1dSIxlhrKOPHFoofmeKUiY83yqzyx8gdm3XpIFRCJGrgJ9nIaGftTViQFQg66aVmUzQWU9oxmzcB3oopff4BUL8gSJR9SFZdNP/s1600-h/TJBikeFront.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlD25YAdDwgVAx6li30TkB_SnZw_RFMSpsCBjlFIck0z1dSIxlhrKOPHFoofmeKUiY83yqzyx8gdm3XpIFRCJGrgJ9nIaGftTViQFQg66aVmUzQWU9oxmzcB3oopff4BUL8gSJR9SFZdNP/s320/TJBikeFront.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5324050032002560306" border="0" /></a>rs and with the hands up so high, the custom-designed hydration system is literally inches from the face, at about chin level. To create his setup, all T.J. did was use a gasket he picked up at a store in Boulder, and insert it into the side of the bottle, allowing him a way to refill the bottle with course hydration. A straw driven in right in front, and voila, a simple but effective aero bottle. No splash, no muss, no fuss, and as he has tested, aero. Tollakson seals the deal with a bit of duct tape across the front of the extensions, seali<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEndNCXrg1lDde-kCIXLS4IPMFbA0XVdPAa2_VRDiZEzILU4ChOw3RJr2iE1DmrVtcslOe1u2y6ShqP0U7xVUnYB0FEcIQqKn3z1ZdCjEeCW5Bycos-nIZCcgvvScYNp2qlzOSfYVXl2la/s1600-h/photo+17.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEndNCXrg1lDde-kCIXLS4IPMFbA0XVdPAa2_VRDiZEzILU4ChOw3RJr2iE1DmrVtcslOe1u2y6ShqP0U7xVUnYB0FEcIQqKn3z1ZdCjEeCW5Bycos-nIZCcgvvScYNp2qlzOSfYVXl2la/s400/photo+17.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5324042326923695602" border="0" /></a>ng off the leading edge of his aerobar. I don't see a ton of age groupers running as aggressive a setup as T.J., but for those that might, it's a clever solution.<br /><br />Glad I was able to spend some time with T.J. last week in New Orleans—save for the getting lost on about three highways back in to downtown. Man, his girlfriend has some patience. Kidding—it's something when you've got an athlete taking a journalist out to dinner because he's broke as piecrust. Thanks for the carbload of that alligator and pasta (or chicken and pasta in my case.. but that gator was good!)Jay Prasuhnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05585350218995634202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8776374780613340304.post-41986037423903480192009-04-09T17:10:00.000-07:002009-04-09T17:35:09.081-07:00Big Easy, Over EasyDidn’t think I would have anyone asking how the bet went. Good thing it turned out favorable for me; not only would I be deprived of the gloating at office, I would have been subject to Brad’s gloating. I’m trying to keep it civil. Honest. With just a little jab here or there. For now, Brad is my bitch.<br /><br />Since then, he’s been threatening to throw people across the office and put people in sleeperholds. He’s clearly moved on.<br /><br />So tale of the tape: Oceanside was from all accounts pretty ideal weather wise. Brad was on pace for a fast swim but was kicked in the shoulder by a woman from an earlier wave (yes, a woman), resulting in one of his frequent shoulder dislocations (I am not making this up). He found a nearby piling just 100 yards off shore and began banging his shoulder against it, trying to re-set the sucker in socket. So he accounts for five minutes of that.<br /><br />On the bike, his first half was beset by a tight back. On the half marathon, his first half of the run, like the bike, was beset by the tight back. 5:19 was the final damage of his race.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfnlMutwXRBo-8R4gTjAg2umpTwrk-_1-p_hN5SZ8UWA0iTT20zwHk7SPUhOzEujQ31pp6YNW24AmcXxq2GNre6uMFuA2HnNTxaIbPeDbnXTJNSHjv5n-DhTFmMrqN8Y4n33GLa1Wa7XB3/s1600-h/IMNOprofile.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 266px; height: 197px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfnlMutwXRBo-8R4gTjAg2umpTwrk-_1-p_hN5SZ8UWA0iTT20zwHk7SPUhOzEujQ31pp6YNW24AmcXxq2GNre6uMFuA2HnNTxaIbPeDbnXTJNSHjv5n-DhTFmMrqN8Y4n33GLa1Wa7XB3/s400/IMNOprofile.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5322850215111854098" border="0" /></a><br />My race? Considering all the travel I have undergone in the last three or four weeks (Arizona for TriFest, then Thailand and Arizona again for a couple birthdays), I was pleased that my impromptu taper on airplanes and in my car seat along Interstate 8 between Tucson and San Diego worked out so nicely. And it was nice to be on the run in Nawlins, knowing that I had run in hotter temps in Phuket two weeks earlier.<br /><br />The point-to-point swim was awesome—longshore in the murky Pontchartrain without a bit of contact. Swimming was the one thing I did the least of (swimming once a week, getting in once every two weeks every so often as time didn’t permit) and I expected an ugly time. That said, I started easy and found a good set of feet that I latched onto, battering anyone who contested me for them. I wasn’t letting go of this pacesetter. Ended up with a 34-minute swim.<br /><br />The bike was my favorite. I love flat courses—just love to tuck in and jam. Through 30 miles, that was it—jamming out east of town into Bayou Sauvage. Race officials said we might see crocodiles out there, and while I didn’t, a few pros said they actually saw a couple. But I saw some shit there I didn’t expect. A forest of trees, absent their foliage after the hurricane, looked like erect toothpicks. But something caught my eye; a 40-foot closed-bow boat was jammed in there behind the trees, clearly forced up nearly onto the road by the Katrina winds that shoved water high up the shore. There was no water around now, the boat stranded in a prison of trees, high and dry.<br /><br />An out and back along the Bayou Sauvage was crankin at 25 mph. But I saw the guys coming back in from the turnaround at a much slower pace, and I knew what was coming: ugly headwinds. A turn onto the main highway was hoped to be a respite, but no dice; it was wind in the grill the rest of the way home. My early dreams for a sub 2:30 bike were gone, but I was happy to split 2:37. But I also wondered if I overcooked the bike.<br /><br />As such, the run was gonna be the big question. At mile one, I got dehydration tingles in my arms, and expected it to be a walkfest. The sun beating down, paired with the humidity, reminded me of my run in Phuket two weeks ago. I found a cat who was cruising super easy, and just locked into his pace. I’d rather ease into the run and finish stronger, especially in the heat—at the advice of my wife. I didn’t want to walk a step of the run. At every aid station, it was water over the head, water across the chest, ice into my singlet, cool the engine room.<br /><br />It paid off. After <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWnTr6T7Sp79AbtwIdhApBvkJvBD5C4QpOmThQbefrF-wez3jIqi83Wq0ZMs-HY7-WxbF3mVPPrvVKNCVC2SOIdBPGj4G_2UC0nHnBQ7FRPh-fHDXEMzT59J_yy2g1mk62uwTjIdmuN5yf/s1600-h/IMNORunFinish.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 243px; height: 346px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWnTr6T7Sp79AbtwIdhApBvkJvBD5C4QpOmThQbefrF-wez3jIqi83Wq0ZMs-HY7-WxbF3mVPPrvVKNCVC2SOIdBPGj4G_2UC0nHnBQ7FRPh-fHDXEMzT59J_yy2g1mk62uwTjIdmuN5yf/s400/IMNORunFinish.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5322850350542384738" border="0" /></a>five miles, the sun tucked in behind the clouds, and the going got easier. I invited my run partner from Dalton, GA to join me when I was gonna pick things up after mile six. An aid station later, he dropped off and I never saw him again. So I picked up the pace 30 seconds per mile through the rest of the day, enjoying the shade trees that covered the rest of the run course.<br /><br />Somewhere along the way, I had a laugh; some fans held out a bedsheet with YOU CAN DO IT! spraypainted across it. All I could think of was Rob Schneider’s little Cajun character in all of Adam Sandler’s flicks like The Waterboy and 50 First Dates.<br /><br />I came across the finish in front of Jackson Square, the chute beset by spectators that were only a few feet wide, a Jazz band playing off to the side, and I immediately put this race in my top three of all time ever done: Monaco, Alcatraz, and New Orleans. It’s an ESPN Instant Classic. My time: 5:13. Brad spotted me 45 minutes, and I beat him outright by five minutes.<br /><br />Thanks for the unofficial snag of images from Brightroom.<br /><br />Some folks are bitching about not getting cold towels (queue teardrop) during the run. But goddamn it, what the hell do you want? The spirit of this event from the early days has always been one of self-sustainance (remember the days of using electrical tape to secure a banana to the stem?)<br /><br />Just because you paid an entry fee does not mean it is a catered buffet with guaranteed deviled eggs, escargot and champagne flutes. Race director Bill Burke said he was shocked that so many first-timers (not first timers to that race, not first timers to the half-Ironman distance, but first-timers to triathlon) were laying out their transition race morning, and setting off for the swims start—without a bottle on their bike. And he took heat for being shocked about that. I’m as shocked. Granted, it was hot and people went through too many bottles. But sorry, no sympathy for these whingers. One bottle cage on your bike for a half Ironman? Really? Take ownership of your day—end of story. I learned it’s one more thing for my “First Timer” articles: bring nutrition. I thought it would be a no brainer, but I guess that’s what happens when you assume.<br /><br />And logistics? I was from out o<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPnAdS6Gr2LtmviZnbE39FG_qIklWcUynH60TboQm6-HfzhERVBlT6zPtBq_H6dFNMwCPIL9TnxU-mhV_EAnK2DmqI4mUjDdpbyrUthcUAZIKaoCp8hoE5_nE8X9ukoFDAA5C8zlx6TStQ/s1600-h/Beignets.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPnAdS6Gr2LtmviZnbE39FG_qIklWcUynH60TboQm6-HfzhERVBlT6zPtBq_H6dFNMwCPIL9TnxU-mhV_EAnK2DmqI4mUjDdpbyrUthcUAZIKaoCp8hoE5_nE8X9ukoFDAA5C8zlx6TStQ/s400/Beignets.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5322853960328742674" border="0" /></a>f town, figured out the map, rode to the race start, checked in my bike and got a cab back to my hotel the day before the race. After the race, a shuttle got athletes back to transition. A point-to-point race makes the race itself greater than any out and back or loop—that’s the tradeoff. I’ll take a bit of hustle in periphery to the race in deference to the actual race experience. This is one reason this race makes my top five—I mean, we traversed town from Lake Pontchartrain to the Mississippi River and the French Quarter. Without the “inconvenience” of a finish at Jackson Square, this race is just another 70.3. With it, this race is special.<br /><br />Beyond this all, the race did something else; it wrote a check to <a href="http://www.asharedinitiative.org/">A Shared Initiative</a>, an organization that is helping rebuild houses in the Lower Ninth Ward. Burke took me on a personal solo tour of the Ninth Ward; upon crossing the bridge, he pointed in the direction of where a river retaining wall (which stood about 13 foot tall) failed, flooding a massive neighborhood with waters that ripped houses from their foundations, ripped the only possessions from folks, ripped folks from the lives of loved ones. Burke pointed out some green homes that Brad Pitt was having built to help rebuild the hood.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS6vZVdttdKEylVIQoGq8IkSuQ-PkoavtUnM6BzWeyhXie25Uh230Rm1mE9Wz-TuXSUZaTuzHRhvrVglWDEJo-DV7afO9LLaYbworoXIF125Sj5F343uAsljH6r2DO1hV-ArOS094k3GA0/s1600-h/TableMessage.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS6vZVdttdKEylVIQoGq8IkSuQ-PkoavtUnM6BzWeyhXie25Uh230Rm1mE9Wz-TuXSUZaTuzHRhvrVglWDEJo-DV7afO9LLaYbworoXIF125Sj5F343uAsljH6r2DO1hV-ArOS094k3GA0/s400/TableMessage.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5322851314784070562" border="0" /></a><br />But the area still needs so much help. I’ll be doing a travel piece in Triathlete on this race. There’s so much to see, but athletes need to see this area.<br /><br />I wanted to show two photos I took on my tour with Burke that resonated with me: one of a table set on its end, with a message to then-President Bush… which I am sure extends to President Obama. New Orleans is out of the media spotlight, but the area still needs help. Click on the pic to read what it says. The site was home to a headstone for one resident who died. Behind was a trailer, housing offices for the guys building some of Brad Pitt's new rebuild project homes. It was encouraging to see that, because beyond that, there was nothing but steps up to homes.. without the homes even being there.<br /><br />The other is from inside a home, any home, about seven blocks inland from the wall. It wore the proverbial scarlet letter that so many of the homes wore: a spraypainted X, with numbers and codes that alerted emergency staff to status of lives—or deaths—inside. To see the waterline still set on homes was appalling.<br /><br />But walking into this particular home, only held up by 2x4 supports, it hit home more. A pile of photos lay on the linoleum floor. A little girl features in the first one I see. I don’t know the status of the family, but to see this family’s belongings sitting, water-stained in this empty home was like walking on a grave—I felt like an intruder.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgphwW1DiULXeNpIcZht95BfN570bcwVIU2gKHm4MHr3QNQje3k4Anxk5p14C3mJ8Wna-WWslJe40co2aj_Ejw4a-yWhwlBm_0wJxocB9BdWKFcJFPdyUCysloAX2z_Fo1sFDJWOs77Lnc4/s1600-h/Polaroids.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 264px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgphwW1DiULXeNpIcZht95BfN570bcwVIU2gKHm4MHr3QNQje3k4Anxk5p14C3mJ8Wna-WWslJe40co2aj_Ejw4a-yWhwlBm_0wJxocB9BdWKFcJFPdyUCysloAX2z_Fo1sFDJWOs77Lnc4/s400/Polaroids.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5322850708643519202" border="0" /></a>Of course, if nobody pays notice, nothing changes.<br /><br />This 70.3 race, with whatever tourism dollars were generated by athlete presence, helps rebuild the community, the city. This was my first time to New Orleans. I saw a t-shirt that said “Recover, Rebuild, Restore New Orleans” Of course, I also saw a t-shirt that said “I got Bourbon-faced on Shit Street.” Whatever your pleasure, injecting dollars, tourism or otherwise by doing as little as buying a t-shirt, or an order of beignets and a cafe au lait, helps get this great city back on its feet.<br /><br />After the race, I joined the <a href="http://www.lifesportcoaching.com/">LifeSport </a>crew—coach Lance Watson and athl<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD0gbdADV8FOLVF7Bj608WCL2pdAEQozfp6OCgknIxB-124Ei789erh01Klf2XZQoDNIgt1A3Li8EdijGQx2Gu5bHMn5uziUkqLTzzd6U1PhxwqLovUBKV2obljR9E5mTVpPoid9eQB45T/s1600-h/photo+21.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD0gbdADV8FOLVF7Bj608WCL2pdAEQozfp6OCgknIxB-124Ei789erh01Klf2XZQoDNIgt1A3Li8EdijGQx2Gu5bHMn5uziUkqLTzzd6U1PhxwqLovUBKV2obljR9E5mTVpPoid9eQB45T/s400/photo+21.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5322853392932143106" border="0" /></a>etes Brent McMahon (your race winner), Linsey Corbin, Chris Lieto, Magali Tisseyre and Justin Park well as elite age groupers Nat Faulkner and Sean Bechtel—for some Bourbon Street revelry. Much fun was had by all, but things, as they probably always do on Bourbon Street, devolved as the night went on. Starting the evening with Hurricanes at Pat O’Briens was great; Brent drank, hilarity ensued. Upon leaving at 2:30 a.m., you think we can get out unscathed?<br /><br />No, not when there’s a bar open with a mechanical bull. Park, Tisseyre and I were dumb enough to ride the bull. I had to represent my Tucson rodeo upbringing (well, it was merely watching in the stands as a kid). I wrapped the rope around a hand and channeled Ty Murray.<br /><br />I sucked. We all did. But it was fun.<br /><br />Taking my Pacificos home from work now. Don’t like my choice of that beer for my race earnings? That’s ok; you don’t have to drink it, and summer is coming soon enough, it’s warm enough to start drinking it here in San Diego.<br /><br />Next up: a detailed look at T.J. Tolakson’s race rig.Jay Prasuhnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05585350218995634202noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8776374780613340304.post-35292045325608209062009-04-08T00:38:00.000-07:002009-04-08T01:02:52.682-07:00Aerus to New Orleans: a bike travel case reviewBefore I go into detail about my dusting of Brad from our little 70.3 bet this past weekend, I must, <span style="font-style: italic;">MUST</span> announce how much I spent to fly my Specialized Transition from San Diego to New Orleans on Continental Airlines (which has a $100 bike fee each way): $50. Total. That was the extra baggage fee.<br /><br />How’d I do this? Chance Regina from <a href="http://www.rideblue.com/">Blue Competiton Cycles</a> showed me a bike case that one of their company brands, <a href="http://www.aeruscomp.com/"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Aerus</span></a>, sells: a soft-sided bike case—no fancy name, just their bike case. It doesn’t have caster wheels or a hard base, or a fork block. But if you can see past that simplicity (which is what makes this an airline charge-avoider), it has lots of padding to protect the frame, padded pockets for the wheels and skewers, and a padded shoulder strap. Without all the other reinforcement plastic and rivets, it makes the bike and case light—on the airline scale, my bike weighed in at 31 lbs, in the case. Add to that its small size and the fact that there were no bike-related logos on it, and the gate agents had no reason to suspect it was a bike.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZJIeFc3elf4c2W7PcXt5hvPTFCyJBztH1FI_pc5EHUIG1REOjTPE7If9SyrPyhvTZqQOfTfLfdSG_vlzqWkNFiCX8kOj0I3uFe3aN73J4NIhKhTRD9jfjJRlVwlkZKL6uFObMFIAwF36O/s1600-h/photo.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZJIeFc3elf4c2W7PcXt5hvPTFCyJBztH1FI_pc5EHUIG1REOjTPE7If9SyrPyhvTZqQOfTfLfdSG_vlzqWkNFiCX8kOj0I3uFe3aN73J4NIhKhTRD9jfjJRlVwlkZKL6uFObMFIAwF36O/s400/photo.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5322226760184766898" border="0" /></a>Only things you might need after the fact? Maybe some pipe insulation for your tubesets, and brace blocks for your fork and rear dropout (so a heavy drop on your case by the luggage throwers doesn’t break your fork or rear stays), and that’s about it it. There's no room to pack extra shoes or helmet, but this is meant to hopefully skirt the airline folks—the more you want to load it down, the more it raises red flags.<br /><br />Of course, they ask what it is, and here’s where you have to be clever, and state what it isn't. I have two things that two people suggested to me, each of which worked like a charm, neither of which I will share with you because, well, it's like a kid's favorite hiding place; once you tell someone, and they tell 10 of their friends, and they tell 10 of theirs, it's not much of a hiding place anymore, is it? If you're clever, you will think up what your excuse is.<br /><br />I told Joanna Zeiger, and she and her husband Mark were on their iPhone, looking at it at that moment. For pros that make so little money to begin with, any way to cut crazy travel costs is huge. Hell, for <span style="font-style: italic;">any</span> of us, any way to cut travel costs is huge.<br /><br />Heading out of San Diego, I had to take a pic of the thing, sitting there, pleased that I had not been worked for yet another c-note on a flight.<br /><br />Chance, thanks for the chance to test this case—it works like a charm. If you travel a lot, the TriAll3 is awesome and bombproof. But with costs as they are, a softside is worth checking out. And at just $265 for the case… how can you lose?<br /><br />Well yeah, of course, the airlines can always lose your bike.<br /><br />More soon on how the Brad vs. Jay battle went. And the sordid details on how Canuck Brent McMahon parties on Bourbon Street after winning his first 70.3. Hint: it involves Hurricanes mixed with Rum and Cokes at Pat O'Briens as he partied with his LifeSport posse. As a journalist, I was simply an observant, a proverbial fly-on-the-wall. A fly that Brent kept feeding Hurricanes and beers.Jay Prasuhnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05585350218995634202noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8776374780613340304.post-46501299596335916552009-04-04T15:51:00.000-07:002009-04-04T18:25:36.583-07:00Eve of Ironman 70.3 New OrleansWell, well, well. 'ol Brad, and his 45 minute buffer at Ironman 70.3 Oceanside. I won't announce his result, and I never like to count my chickens before they've hatched, but... my brother, who finished his first Ironman 70.3 at Oceanside today in 5:40:09 (great job, Jon!), chimed in that even he would have fallen well, well within the 45 minute buffer had he taken the bet.<br /><br />Do they sell Belgian trappist beer by the case? No, no chicken counting....<br /><br />This morning, I circled with Inside Tri freelancer Stephanie Pearson, photographer Robert Murphy (he of a<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUiLCL5nfPGWFr9HWCqo-CQ1zBDTpHYSEJF6STyP9JbsZ95HDSQ5z8um0SmIV_2oOPvUX7DgMQfNOqVOPsdw0HhbDcjn9pIligv7Mo0pZkAhf9LQyNpnNXIyKmvQV-zpUUM0h8NH7v-TMz/s1600-h/Shoot.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUiLCL5nfPGWFr9HWCqo-CQ1zBDTpHYSEJF6STyP9JbsZ95HDSQ5z8um0SmIV_2oOPvUX7DgMQfNOqVOPsdw0HhbDcjn9pIligv7Mo0pZkAhf9LQyNpnNXIyKmvQV-zpUUM0h8NH7v-TMz/s400/Shoot.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5320978300883204210" border="0" /></a>ll the kick-ass photography in the new Inside Tri) and pro T.J. Tollakson for some magazine shots. Always good to hang with T.J. because as a trained engineer, he loves to play and tinker with his bike setup. He has a wicked new Praying Landis setup that I'm sure the Slowtwich iPhone wielders in transition here in New Orleans will be running to his bike to check out. Say what you will about his setups, he does them all on his own—he doesn't wait for companies to go through tooling and prototyping—he does his own prototyping, with whatever he can find that will get the job done. He actually has several of his custom carbon Kona setups backordered for a bunch of consumers.<br /><br />Here, getting the job done with a setup that works here in New Orleans means a couple of armrests comprised of jock cups, and a really, really cool bottle that refills, has a straw that is right at his head position (no ducking to take a drink) I have shots on my camera, which is currently with Stephanie, and will load to our website soon. But I'm sure the Slowtwitch-erazzi will be all over it. For it's MacGyver build, I settled into it—and can see how it's a comfortable setup for T.J. He has power numbers that back his position and prototyping. I am sure lots of companies are looking at T.J.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN6ASENprnOPLUYRng7hskOEz1nKccG7pXJca6qQAWpFvui6yOyQS2pdbHIcYqZc05iY1Gz8UtNYtLSSigU-HSLIcsDWuR4Gwi_zzUjYGX-Rn5FjIwfDiVKVoXC9iepDiVNulTUUFNtlqT/s1600-h/SwimExit.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN6ASENprnOPLUYRng7hskOEz1nKccG7pXJca6qQAWpFvui6yOyQS2pdbHIcYqZc05iY1Gz8UtNYtLSSigU-HSLIcsDWuR4Gwi_zzUjYGX-Rn5FjIwfDiVKVoXC9iepDiVNulTUUFNtlqT/s400/SwimExit.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5320978421501406306" border="0" /></a>'s ideas with careful thought; and I told him I'm sure he'd be able to find a job with any of the tri companies once he's done racing if he desired; he's a thinker and a tester of the outside-the-box variety.<br /><br />After a long ride from my hotel at the Riverwalk area of town along the Mississippi River to T1 at Lake Pontchartrain (which, as you can see is a bit brackish), it was a cab home. Time to connect with T.J. for dinner right now, then chill out, watch a bit of Ironman Australia and South Africa, with a nice 4:30 alarm a fun bus ride across to the race start and a 7:20 wave start. Looking forward to that finish in the French Quarter—I love half Ironmans, but this one promises to be pretty fun.<br /><br />UPDATE: Just back from dinner with T.J. and his girlfriend Ashley, and I ran into Hawaii Ironman race director Blair LaHaye and her husband (and St. Anthony's Race Director (Philip LaHaye). Seems Nawlins is Philip's hometown, so he had several tables pulled together, and several kids clawing at him.<br /><br />But the cool thing about dinner? We struck out at two pasta joints (one had a line out the door, the other was completely gutted of its pasta by triathletes that beat us to it), so we went to a Southern place, Mulates. Live New Orleans band playing (complete with a guy playing the washboard). And T.J.'s dinner? Alligator, on a bed of penne. Awesome. I tried the 'gator, and... it tastes like chicken. I'm serious. I'll actually order it next time.<br /><br />Unless the gators on the swampy part of the bike course (they said in the pre-race briefings that they're out there) get me first.Jay Prasuhnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05585350218995634202noreply@blogger.com3