Too Weak To Be Her Man?

Did Sheryl really lance Lance? Is he wearing the mask of pain? Or are there plenty of podium girls knocking at his door wearing only yellow wristbands?

Syrup Withdrawal

Welcome back to the blog from Hammer Gel detox, Jan. I know the shame and horror of what you were living. A shot or two of Raspberry during a long ride suddenly becomes a flask of Orange before breakfast. Before you know it, you're downing a 20-ounce jug of Banana per day, mixing flavors randomly, and not even feeling the sugar buzz anymore.

Me? I'm just emerging from two weeks spent camping in a hyperbaric chamber in preparation for the Babler sprint tri this year. But that's another story for another day.
- John

JJ: Dear Blog

Dear Blog:

We need to talk, I know. I guess I have been avoiding this discussion. I don’t know, maybe I just needed some time apart to sort things out. Maybe we’re just heading in different directions.

I just got so busy…..training, work, training, work, training, laundry, eat, sleep, repeat. There was never a good time to talk and I don’t actually have a good reason for avoiding you.

Well, I guess, I have been seeing someone, or, well not really someone, but…oh, here goes….You know Paula Newby-Fraser? Yeah, the 8-time Ironman champion or whatever. Well, no, I’m not seeing her. She’s like 45 and married, I think. But I’ve been using her advanced triathlon training program and I have developed feelings for it. I am sticking with it, at least 3 weeks more, and then I’ll reassess things. I’m committed.

OK, I know, I’ve also been spending time with the guys too, but we are usually riding, not out drinking, I swear.

One more thing. Instead of posting to you at the end of my days, I’ve been seeing something else; The Contender. It’s the best reality TV because these are real guys trying to make their athletic and life dreams come true, not competing in some made up obstacle course, eating bugs, or arguing about who hasn’t done the dishes. I mean, I’m crying with these guys, right into the locker room after they’ve lost their boxing matches. It gives me something I haven’t been getting from you; real human emotion. Sorry. I think the series is over now. A guy nicknamed the Latin Snake won – man, it was cool.

So maybe we can try again? See if the magic is still there between us? What do you say? Friends? If not, I guess we'll always have Penticton.

-Jan

NHL Player Turns to Cycling

Curtis Leschyshyn, 35, of the NHL's Ottawa Senators has kept busy and in the best shape of his life by cycling during the cancelled hockey season.

"Cycling has satisfied my appetite for being competitive," says Leschyshyn. "When I retire from the NHL, I'd like to race," he says. "You can compete until you can't walk anymore. That's what I like about it."

Crawling Over the Finish Line

Philip Rist crawled across the finish line in the Canadian Half-Marathon Championships.

A New Way to Cross Train

Bike Polo, anyone?

Fun in Italy

Baden Cooke didn't like tumbling into the barrier (can you blame him?) when Paolo Bettini cut him off at the end of the Giro's fourth stage.
"I had won that f***ing stage. There was a space of two to three metres between Bettini and the barrier, and there was room for me to pass. I was in the dancing position to lead out the sprint when suddenly he cut across. One thing's sure, I would have won it easily!'"

Redefining Human Abilities

From swimming a mile in Antarctica without a wetsuit to climbing Mount Everest five times, a select few people in the world test their bodies and their wills and challenge medicine to redefine what is humanly possible. Swimmer Lynne Cox can work her muscles so hard that she generates more heat than she loses.

Bike To Work Week

The National Bike to Work Week is May 16-20. "Bicycle commuting contributes to better health and productivity in the workplace. It allows participants to effectively escape the current car culture. Diminish a society's reliance on the automobile and there is a subsequent reduction of greenhouse emissions."

Tandem Terror Alert: Amber

Activeness! training partner Stevie G., whose heads-down, take no prisoners, red lights are optional and stop signs are mere suggestions, leg-pumping, only the lead dog sees the trail cycling style has earned him the name "Diesel," announced plans to buy a tandem bicycle so he and Mrs. Diesel can spend more Quality Time together. Diesel's riding compadres winced at the thought of an innocent, unsuspecting Mrs. Diesel hitching a ride with the locomotive she married tens of thousands of miles ago. God Speed, Mrs. Diesel. Better you than us.

Giro d'Italia

The three-week Giro d'Italia starts tomorrow. Time for Ivan Basso to flex his leg muscles?

Gabe Jennings' Long, Strange Trip

In 2000, Gabe Jennings made the U.S. Olympic team at 1,500 meters as a Stanford undergraduate. A bad Olympic experience sent him spiraling.

In 2003, he set off on an epic bicycle journey to Brazil to study the martial arts form capoeira in a 6,000-mile trip fraught with mishaps. He was robbed at least three times, mugged once and had coconuts hurled at him by monkeys. Now the 26-year-old runner is trying to revive his career. "I feel like I'm in a very peaceful state of mind. Maybe that's not an ideal state of mind for a competitive distance runner."

Preparing for the Bangalore Marathon

The Times of India explains what it takes to run this grueling race. "The diet on pre-race day should include veggies and rice. You need all the carbs you can get."

How They Train

Here's a look at the training of Kate Major and Faris Al-Sultan, the two winners of Ironman Arizona.

Major actually does two of her five bike workouts every week indoors on a CompuTrainer. “I do Computrainer workouts because I can control my wattage and other things a lot more than when I'm outside,” she said.

Lessing Breaks Four Hours at Wildflower

Simon Lessing broke four hours at Wildflower, one of triathlon's most challenging half-Ironman-distance courses. Citing fatigue, Peter Reid dropped out near the end of the bike.

What If All Cell Phone Companies Didn't Suck?

I don't like to admit it, but I went into a shopping mall last night. In that mall I saw 6-7 different cell phone kiosks within 200 yards of each other. But here's a question: Why are they all such a rip-off? What if somebody started a cell phone company that didn't suck? One that...ahem...would replace your phone with the bike jersey pocket-sweat-corroded battery for free? Cam's experience validates my belief.

Bomb Found on Belfast Marathon Course

This gives whole new meaning to the oft-heard phrase, "I blew up on the marathon course." Scary stuff.

Reason #741 We All Should Be Out Running

The CFO at Globo Corp, one of my clients, borrowed my calculator for a few hours this afternoon and then asked if he could take it home tonight; he'll return it tomorrow.

Heart Patient Dies After 2,400-Mile Ride

One day after completing a cross-country bike ride, 57-year-old Broc Bebout died of a heart attack. Warren Zevon knew: Enjoy every sandwich. And bike ride.